Driving in the rain: a rant from this morning

"cazzyodo" (cazzyodo)
09/30/2015 at 10:47 • Filed to: rant

I have a bone to pick with a few people from this morning’s commute. I guess multiple bones. First off...it’s raining. So I anticipated added time in my commute and general stupidity, but still, come on guys.

To the driver of a white rental Chrysler 200: I’m sorry FUCK YOU. Maximum speed traffic reached for 5 miles was 20mph. I was in second gear the entire time and didn’t have to touch my brakes. I was in the travel lane (which, based on observation from the past couple of months, is the fastest lane during this stretch of traffic. There was one to three car lengths ahead of me and it is pouring rain. GET THE FUCK OFF MY ASS. You almost rear end me then proceed to get pissed off? Your repeated high beams mean nothing in bumper to bumper traffic and I’m not going to change lanes just so you can harass the next vehicle in line. When traffic is flowing, dude, and you REALLY wanted to get through this unscathed you would cool your jets kid because darting back and forth, lane to lane, means nothing if you end up back behind me.

To the drivers of multiple (3) different current model year Nissan Rogues: fuck all ya’ll. There was minor flooding (and not so minor flooding) at certain points in the commute today and everyone was doing a good job mitigating risk while not backing up traffic (except the section above, which sucks on a good day). Somehow, there were three exceptions to this flow and all three were appropriately Rogues. When your wipers are on during a torrential downpour and the spray from cars ahead makes visibility exceptionally poor, turn on your lights and don’t do 80mph. I am amazed I didn’t find one of you spun out into a wall due to hydroplaning. Yes, traffic is bad today...but it’s not exactly ideal conditions.

To the VW Passat driver: turn on your lights and pay attention! I’ll give you credit for putting on your turn signal but don’t change lanes when I’m next to you. Check your mirrors, check out your windows, check anything! And turn on your headlights!

To everyone else: HIGH BEAMS ARE NOT FUCKING APPROPRIATE IN ADVERSE WEATHER CONDITIONS!

It’s bad enough trying to see the car ahead of you when their taillights aren’t on without being blinded by every car behind me. On a clear day, my mirrors are aligned so I can see you. Every other time, they are aligned to direct your headlights into my eye sockets.

End rant.

DISCUSSION (20)

deekster_caddy > cazzyodo
09/30/2015 at 10:51

Starred. All of these things. Grrrrrrrr.

cazzyodo > deekster_caddy
09/30/2015 at 10:54

The Chrysler is what got me...he can go kick rocks.

RamblinRover Luxury-Yacht > cazzyodo
09/30/2015 at 10:59

Your opening gif - maybe that’s what causes bad driving in the rain? Not the rain itself, but feckless mental defectives being distracted by the wipers every X seconds. Flip. Flip. Flip. Each stroke wiping their brain clean.

Oh yeah, and the LIGHT RAIN, BETTER PUT ON MAH HI-BERMS crowd can eat a bag of second-hand dicks. Particularly when they then tailgate. What.

Smallbear wants a modern Syclone, local Maple Leafs spammer > cazzyodo
09/30/2015 at 10:59

Usually I’m the one trying to get by (I don’t like tailgating, don’t take it that way, it leaves too little room to exploit a gap), but in the rain...

My truck is PLANTED in the snow. But she don’t like rain.

That said, if you were one of those behaving that way in light traffic/rain, see ya later. I'm sure as heck not staying behind you.

Smallbear wants a modern Syclone, local Maple Leafs spammer > RamblinRover Luxury-Yacht
09/30/2015 at 11:01

Wipers are annoying. Rain-X is a far superior option. The problem is, when it's fresh it'll work at pretty low speeds, but when you're in traffic you often need the wipers. Which wears off the Rain-X, and you're back to square one.

Smallbear wants a modern Syclone, local Maple Leafs spammer > RamblinRover Luxury-Yacht
09/30/2015 at 11:06

Also—I do still recommend using it at least once. Or some kind of sealer, anyway. Beads are far easier to deal with than streaks, even if they don't roll off the way a fresh coat does.

jariten1781 > cazzyodo
09/30/2015 at 11:12

I’m with ya. Way home late last night was horrible down pour. 90 percent of folks were alright (though lots of high beams), but this ducking minivan (Quest I think) decided to flip her hazards on and straddle the dashed white line on a 50 mph road and go less than 20. Why? I could have forgiven them if they just thought it was beyond their abilities and turned off at the first road to wait it out...but nope, just kept doing that for 4ish miles until they exited to an interstate. I backed off and just rode it out but numerous people gunned it around the van in oncoming traffic...

Good times.

RoboRed "The road to hell is paved with overturned Vanduras" > cazzyodo
09/30/2015 at 11:13

If I had my way, anyone who doesn’t use their lights in rainy conditions would be instantly removed from the road. Forcibly.

ESSSIX GmbH - Accountant/Wagon Thumper > cazzyodo
09/30/2015 at 11:16

Last night I was driving in front of a bro truck that insisted on haveing his fog light/LED light bar on...it wasnt raining, and the road we were on was well lit... after I got home I could still see that fucking light bar... I hate people. Especially people who do things for scene seen points.

RamblinRover Luxury-Yacht > Smallbear wants a modern Syclone, local Maple Leafs spammer
09/30/2015 at 11:18

I’ve never done a proper rain-Xing of my car’s windshield, and it needs something like that badly. It’s a replacement windshield, so it doesn’t have the full 400k miles on it, but it’s microscratched and glarey beyond imagination. Doesn’t look bad until it’s wet and/or at night, then “SHIT”.

luvMeSome142 & some Lincoln! > cazzyodo
09/30/2015 at 11:21

Don’t you know that you can make traffic move faster if you drive closer to the guy in front of you!

But kidding aside, that’s a classic case of not accepting the reality of the situation you are in.

RutRut > Smallbear wants a modern Syclone, local Maple Leafs spammer
09/30/2015 at 11:24

No truck likes rain, my poor Beyonce hates the rain. Goes all Sasha Fierce and gets wheelspin while merging if I’m not careful.

ZDMW > cazzyodo
09/30/2015 at 11:25

People were absolute morons this morning. And how hard is it to wait until you can get through the intersection before you enter it, why is this such a hard concept?

Smallbear wants a modern Syclone, local Maple Leafs spammer > RamblinRover Luxury-Yacht
09/30/2015 at 12:05

Yeah, highly recommend it.

My brother-in-law has a vehicle that has never seen anything other than washing. In the rain the wipers have to be on full, and even then I don't know how he can tell where he's going. The water just makes a sort of film on the windsheild and stays right there.

Smallbear wants a modern Syclone, local Maple Leafs spammer > RutRut
09/30/2015 at 12:13

I expected better. It’s got a pretty good weight distribution for a truck, since it’s a crew cab/short box, and since it was so glued down last winter. Yet, in the rain, it really doesn’t like to get off the line. I have to be VERY gentle, or the tail pulls out to pass on the right. Even when I’m rolling it does it sometimes.

Though I will concede that my summer tires suck.

cazzyodo > ESSSIX GmbH - Accountant/Wagon Thumper
09/30/2015 at 12:16

Had that happen with an expensive looking Wrangler...that has never touched dirt.

cazzyodo > RoboRed "The road to hell is paved with overturned Vanduras"
09/30/2015 at 12:18

Pit maneuver?

Pit maneuver.

Kinja'd!!!

Wacko > cazzyodo
09/30/2015 at 12:20

don’t move to places where it snows. Here when it first snows, some people go half the limit and even slower in the turns. the thing is, for the first snow, snow melts on contact with the road.

random001 > cazzyodo
09/30/2015 at 12:35

You must be in Dayton. We have a plethora of Chrysler 200 drivers who are complete and magnificent bastards. In fact, so far, ALL of them...

RutRut > Smallbear wants a modern Syclone, local Maple Leafs spammer
09/30/2015 at 12:40

I’m rolling at almost 8k lb curb weight, CCSB like you on 35” BFG all terrains and it is horrendous. I think a lot of it comes down to the tire though, lack of weight in the bed doesn’t help.