Long trip: driving has changed

[DwightFrye]

I see CHP vehicles frequently on the two lane, 55 MPH state highways that I often drive on. They like to hide in the bushes or in shady spots and turn on their radar and nail anyone doing 65 or above. I don't see them as much on the freeways. I do see way too much tailgating on the freeways, idiots who are less than 2 vehicle lengths behind another car doing 80 MPH.

And I see a lot of d-bag, raised pickup truck drivers going way too fast, tailgating and making very frequent lane changes. I guess they are oblivious to the fact that they don't have the braking ability of most coupes and sedans and with their high center of gravity are a rollover waiting to happen.

I do have adaptive cruise control on my Mazda CX 5 and have to say that it works very well. I only use it in very light traffic though. Which means not very often in Southern California.

 

[Kira]

BLND1 said above:
"I don’t get it, this sounds like same as it ever was. Far fewer miles driven under COVID - fatalities went up substantially. Same behavior, fewer cars (higher average speeds)."

What? How can "Far fewer miles under COVID with a substantial increase in fatalities" possibly be "..same as it ever was"?

Lots of drivers have always been bad. They're getting worse based on the number of dopey mistakes I see.
All those vehicles with "minor" front end damage at body shops (cell phone use) is new.

 

[Job]

That's why I put less than 5000 miles on my car this year, 1000 of that being holiday trips to visit relatives. Even in town, everyone is in a hurry, tailgating, honking passing where it shouldn't be done etc. Most are just in a hurry from habit. I even know people like that. Their reason to be in a hurry is to go and sit in front of a TV. The whole thing sometimes, driving, is a game of road rage.

 

[bunnspecial]

I relocated to a suburb of a moderate sized "middle of the country" midwestern city from Kentucky(central KY and Louisville-a lot of time in both amounting to my entire life up to that point) in the middle of everything last summer.

I'd spent a decent bit of time in this area before, but it didn't hit me just HOW terrible the drivers were until I lived here-mostly because before I moved here my then-girlfriend/fiancé, now wife, did 99% of the driving when we went somewhere around here and I rarely did more than drive straight to her house and park until I actually moved.

I've been cussed out more times in the last 6 months than I had in my life up to this point. The worst was an accusation of something I didn't even do-like the time the guy called me everything he could think of BECAUSE he thought I didn't stop at a stop sign(I did) and I pulled out in front of him when he had only just barely come into my view on the road I was turning onto(which was a good way back). I can only guess he was going 80+ on a 45mph road and that's why he was practically on my bumper within a couple of seconds of me getting onto the road.

Tailgating here is terrible. Just the other night I was on a short stretch of interstate posted 55 and going between 65 and 70. I had someone grinding on my bumper the whole way-enough I felt like their wipers could have cleared my rear window! I took my exit, slowed to ~45ish(posted speed on a steep and sharply curved ramp and also limit of the road it exits to) and the person would have passed me on the ramp-on the right no less-if they'd had enough shoulder. I was afraid they were going to do it anyway and was scared they'd flip going off the pavement. The baffling thing is once we got off the ramp, they cut across into a left turn lane 1/4 mile or so off the ram...and stop hard at a red light.

The frustrating thing to me is here in Illinois, "traffic enforcement" is a big business and they're happy to nail speeders all day but seem to turn a blind eye to aggressive or frankly dangerous driving(unless "dangerous" means not pulling over for a stopped police car, something I support them stopping people for, but I've passed officers with someone inches from my bumper and they haven't batted an eye). Heaven forbid you're going 36mph in the 35mph stretch of state highway through the village where I live-which BTW is 45 the entire distance from the interstate through a half dozen other little towns, but drops to 35 at our limits and goes back up-and although it's never happened to me I've been told that they WILL stop you for 36.

On that as well-just to tack onto my rant-I've seen Mustang GTs and even a Lambo on one occasion weave in and out of traffic on this same stretch and pass all the others going 35mph in the turning lane that passes right in front of the police station and that doesn't seem to catch anyone's attention. It doesn't seem to be a lack of manpower considering that our little village of under 9K people has 20 patrol vehicles in their fleet and at least a half dozen on patrol at any given time.

 

[BLND1]

BLND1 said above:
"I don’t get it, this sounds like same as it ever was. Far fewer miles driven under COVID - fatalities went up substantially. Same behavior, fewer cars (higher average speeds)."

What? How can "Far fewer miles under COVID with a substantial increase in fatalities" possibly be "..same as it ever was"?

Lots of drivers have always been bad. They're getting worse based on the number of dopey mistakes I see.
All those vehicles with "minor" front end damage at body shops (cell phone use) is new.

Same behavior. You think people change? The only difference has been fewer cars which results in less traffic and higher average speeds. Voila - more fatalities. This can’t be THAT revolutionary. Traffic accident fatalities are correlated with speed. When you remove traffic and increase average speed you are going to see more fatalities. BECAUSE people don’t change.

Our roadways are terribly designed. So we just build more.

 

[andreigbs]

Sometimes in those situations I wonder if they're so bored that they block traffic for fun

Not a bad idea to travel with a CB radio, just so you can eavesdrop on truckers pulling stunts like that.

 

[SammyChevelleTypeS3]

You can see the breakdown of societal politeness on the road. I have logged lots of miles towing trailers and driving lots of long trucks and I can say that the whole "left lane" issue is the result of people just being jerks. Everyone merging is under the impression that traffic will move over, they get to the last 50ft of a 1/2 mile on ramp before they think about matching speed and finding a slot to merge into. Then they get pissed if you cant move to the left. I have had quite a few people that ran onto the shoulder due to their own stupidity. The only way I move left is if the lane is clear and I am not jumping in front of someone who is closing. Thats the way we were taught and it was backed up by people I knew that drove truck for many years. Even when I move over people rarely give you time to get back to the right, theres always some dip in a Honda trying to pass you on the right....... Its anarchy for the most part.

where I am located, sadly it is 99.9% of the time these young females who are exceedingly RUDE, telegraph to you with a look at STOP signs that YOU better had stop because it matters not who was there first. They are bound and determined to "be first!" thru. I just had one a few days ago near a construction spot on a small neighborhood street, nearly smash head on into me. The workers signaled me thru - very slowly. Well she came up from the other direction with zero attempt to slow down, pay attention or take the signals or safety instructions from these poor workers. She barreled into the lane I was in , coming near 30 mph or more straight for me and seemed to speed up. Had I not swerved to get over at very last minute we would have done the head on collision. I don't think a sheet of paper could have passed between our vehicles she was so wild and determined to SHOW ME (something?). What is sickening to me is she had a smirk that said she was proud to threaten and force me over. The scary part is that her car looked FULL of small children. So I guess we know how they are being raised and the attitudes they are learning!

 

[PF52]

The frustrating thing to me is here in Illinois, "traffic enforcement" is a big business and they're happy to nail speeders all day ..... Heaven forbid you're going 36mph in the 35mph stretch of state highway through the village where I live-which BTW is 45 the entire distance from the interstate through a half dozen other little towns, but drops to 35 at our limits and goes back up-and although it's never happened to me I've been told that they WILL stop you for 36.

Hmmm, notorious speed-trap town in Illinois.... Hinckley? Monee? Crete? Washington maybe? I must be getting warm.

A friend got nailed for 1 MPH over in Freeport but I am sure they have more than 9000 people there.

 

[walterjay]

I now try to stay off of the Baltimore beltway and 95. Driving has become very dangerous. People seem disconnected from the vehicle that they are operating. Others think it is a big video game.

 

[ekrampitzjr]

Three big issues out my way:

1. Cars driving with high beams on at all times at night, in traffic, with cars oncoming, right behind another driver, etc. Sometimes this is to cover for a burned-out low-beam headlamp, but often the driver drives slow or otherwise seems to be impaired. Most do not respond to flashing your headlamps.

2. Extreme tailgating. I've seen cars behind me so close that I could not see their headlamps. I drive at or a little above the limit when it's safe and I observe lane discipline, so in these cases it's the other drivers.

3. Cars with handicapped plates driving slow and poorly. Often these are the ones with high beams on at night, and many are left-lane hogs. I think those drivers who require such plates need more scrutiny at license renewal time.

 

[PimTac]

where I am located, sadly it is 99.9% of the time these young females who are exceedingly RUDE, telegraph to you with a look at STOP signs that YOU better had stop because it matters not who was there first. They are bound and determined to "be first!" thru. I just had one a few days ago near a construction spot on a small neighborhood street, nearly smash head on into me. The workers signaled me thru - very slowly. Well she came up from the other direction with zero attempt to slow down, pay attention or take the signals or safety instructions from these poor workers. She barreled into the lane I was in , coming near 30 mph or more straight for me and seemed to speed up. Had I not swerved to get over at very last minute we would have done the head on collision. I don't think a sheet of paper could have passed between our vehicles she was so wild and determined to SHOW ME (something?). What is sickening to me is she had a smirk that said she was proud to threaten and force me over. The scary part is that her car looked FULL of small children. So I guess we know how they are being raised and the attitudes they are learning!

That’s quite the story.

 

[Kristian]

I believe in most European countries passing on the right is actually just illegal, and yeah drivers were much more courteous with the "turning on turn signal early so you know they are trying to get out of the way" thing. That doesn't really work here, they'll still ride your ass and weave if they don't think you're trying to get out of the way fast enough.

It is illegal on motorway, you can pass on the right in city. And drive in left lane.

 

[K.Aoi]

It is illegal on motorway, you can pass on the right in city. And drive in left lane.

I was only talking about highways of course, I'm aware cities are different

 

[AlphaOmega]

Very interesting observations from people in this thread!

Driving is much more of an adventure now than before. Can’t say it was as enjoyable as pre-pandemic

It wasn't clear from your post how is driving "much more of an adventure" then before - please clarify!

Driving in Germany the other month was a huge eye opener for me when I came home. Germans have MUCH better lane discipline on highways than Americans do.

In my estimation, Americans have just about no lane discipline at all. Total disorganization, absentmindedness, and numbnuts-ism

Midwest drivers tend to drive too slow, often under the speed limit on flat, straight open highways.

I concur. Is there anything more irritating and despiriting then seeing 3-abreast doing unnaturally low speed limit, on above described, relatively sparsely trafficked highways, on which wide bodies airplanes could be landing all day? Yes! When the left lane cretin of the 3-abreast is offended to the marrow of his bones I'm flashing my high beams at him to let me though, and then after he has ignored me, I prop him up from behind. Of course neither numbnuts in the next lane figures out he could slow down for a bit to make a gap for me.

In Europe, flash-to-pass is usually OK, here the jerkwads would just start brake checking you.

I never figured this on out. Low IQ? Never punched in the face before, so no fear?

causing near collisions.

In my opinion, that's just a typical overdramatization some people like to engage: "near collision", "almost killed me", "barely missed me", "narrowly avoided hitting me", "I was scared for my life", "I thought I was going to die". Umm, in 95% cases - NO! It was just your rich imagination and self-aggrandizement that people purge are plotting against your insignificant self

There is no reason (except emergency) for someone to be doing 90 to 100mph and putting others in danger like that.

In a modern car, on a typical freeway/highway, assuming it's not a rush hour, at 90 mph I can pick my nose, enjoy the scenery, listen to a podcast in background, while contemplating deep philosophical thoughts, and it'll STILL feel like I'm traveling 60 mph in terms of control and situational awareness. At 100 mph, I might stop picking my nose.

Seriously, 90 mph in a 1991 car is TOTALLY different from 90 mph in a 2021 car.

All those oldsters on the 4-lane highways (175) camp on the left in their old farm trucks and 2000's Impalas, not taking a hint from the hundreds of cars that whip around them on the right, and move back left just as their rear bumper clears him / her.

We are a nation of imbeciles, aren't we? Americans would simply be incapable of letting an ambulance though like this (in Poland). Half the drivers in the video must women!

I do see way too much tailgating on the freeways, idiots who are less than 2 vehicle lengths behind another car doing 80 MPH.

If I'm tailgating you on the freeway, it's a *hint* for you to move over to a slower lane

 

[bunnspecial]

Hmmm, notorious speed-trap town in Illinois.... Hinckley? Monee? Crete? Washington maybe? I must be getting warm.

A friend got nailed for 1 MPH over in Freeport but I am sure they have more than 9000 people there.

A lot further down state around a larger city that's not in Illinois...

 

[Rhymingmechanic]

I was on I-81 in Virginia this past weekend for Thanksgiving. People drove like they were headed to the electric chair tomorrow. Tailgaiting, weaving in and out, cutting off 18 wheelers in traffic and causing near collisions. There were accidents everywhere. Total mess. No doubt in my mind that aggressive driving has gotten more prevalent since the pandemic.

Thanks. That line was worth the admission price!

 

[Dave1027]

You can see the breakdown of societal politeness on the road. I have logged lots of miles towing trailers and driving lots of long trucks and I can say that the whole "left lane" issue is the result of people just being jerks. Everyone merging is under the impression that traffic will move over, they get to the last 50ft of a 1/2 mile on ramp before they think about matching speed and finding a slot to merge into. Then they get pissed if you cant move to the left. I have had quite a few people that ran onto the shoulder due to their own stupidity. The only way I move left is if the lane is clear and I am not jumping in front of someone who is closing. Thats the way we were taught and it was backed up by people I knew that drove truck for many years. Even when I move over people rarely give you time to get back to the right, theres always some dip in a Honda trying to pass you on the right....... Its anarchy for the most part.

Agreed. I'm to the point I almost always just stay in the right lane and avoid all the maniacs in the left lane. I see them all the time riding somebody's @$$ and having to keep hitting their brakes. Sad

 

[PF52]

A lot further down state around a larger city that's not in Illinois...

LOL I was way off!!

Monee could probably give them some pointers. Be glad you're as far away as you are!

 

[svtrit]

Very interesting observations from people in this thread!


It wasn't clear from your post how is driving "much more of an adventure" then before - please clarify!



In my estimation, Americans have just about no lane discipline at all. Total disorganization, absentmindedness, and numbnuts-ism



I concur. Is there anything more irritating and despiriting then seeing 3-abreast doing unnaturally low speed limit, on above described, relatively sparsely trafficked highways, on which wide bodies airplanes could be landing all day? Yes! When the left lane cretin of the 3-abreast is offended to the marrow of his bones I'm flashing my high beams at him to let me though, and then after he has ignored me, I prop him up from behind. Of course neither numbnuts in the next lane figures out he could slow down for a bit to make a gap for me.



I never figured this on out. Low IQ? Never punched in the face before, so no fear?



In my opinion, that's just a typical overdramatization some people like to engage: "near collision", "almost killed me", "barely missed me", "narrowly avoided hitting me", "I was scared for my life", "I thought I was going to die". Umm, in 95% cases - NO! It was just your rich imagination and self-aggrandizement that people purge are plotting against your insignificant self



In a modern car, on a typical freeway/highway, assuming it's not a rush hour, at 90 mph I can pick my nose, enjoy the scenery, listen to a podcast in background, while contemplating deep philosophical thoughts, and it'll STILL feel like I'm traveling 60 mph in terms of control and situational awareness. At 100 mph, I might stop picking my nose.

Seriously, 90 mph in a 1991 car is TOTALLY different from 90 mph in a 2021 car.



We are a nation of imbeciles, aren't we? Americans would simply be incapable of letting an ambulance though like this (in Poland). Half the drivers in the video must women!






If I'm tailgating you on the freeway, it's a *hint* for you to move over to a slower lane

I used to find driving to be very relaxing. Now I have to put much more effort in defensive driving because of the poor, selfish habits of others.

When everyone respected the rules, the journey was enjoyable.

 

[Jetronic]

Same in France. Driving is a serious business. There's no time to dawdle or look around.

The left lane is for passing. It seems that passing a vehicle on the right is forbidden and everyone tries to let faster traffic by on their left. You can see drivers passing a slower vehicle on a 4 lane highway but having no real acceleration themself and apologizing (by showing their right turn signal - as if to say, "I'm trying, I'm trying") for getting in a faster car's way. And that faster traffic comes up really fast.

I had the impression that you could get in trouble for blocking traffic.

Passing on the right is definitely forbidden in Europe, unless the passee is signalling to turn right and moved over.

The more south you go, the less patience drivers have for slower traffic. It probably doesn't help that it's very easy to get a drivers license in France. It's one thing to forget or ignore driving skills (and rules) but it's another if you never had or knew them.