What grinds your gears?

[cocky0]

Other than attempting to shift gears without the clutch engaged, of course. 

This is another one of those threads I used to enjoy reading through before CT was abruptly shut down. What got me thinking about it again is something I've noticed a lot lately. 

So you're driving along, and you come to an intersection with a red light. Usually somewhere on the pavement, there will be a wide painted white line or bar indicating where your vehicle should be stopped. Back when I was in driver's ed in high school, I remember our teacher telling us to put the front bumper right above that line. It appears that lately I've noticed a trend of people, who were sick that day, stopping well short of this stop line. I don't mean a few feet either. I'm talking entire car lengths away from the stop line. 

Now there are instances where this is warranted. For example if a tractor trailer is attempting to make a turn into the opposite lane, the driver may need a little extra room to bring the truck around without destroying something. Stopping far enough back to allow this maneuver to be made is perfectly acceptable. This is not what I am seeing though. I'm instead seeing somebody who looks like they dropped out of kindergarten because they couldn't pass the block stacking portion of the test, obtained a driver's license as a prize in their Count Chocula, and promptly decided to drive their grandmother's 1974 hoopty as poorly as possible. 

To these drivers, I declare SHAME!

 

[STS]

Other than attempting to shift gears without the clutch engaged, of course. 

This is another one of those threads I used to enjoy reading through before CT was abruptly shut down. What got me thinking about it again is something I've noticed a lot lately. 

So you're driving along, and you come to an intersection with a red light. Usually somewhere on the pavement, there will be a wide painted white line or bar indicating where your vehicle should be stopped. Back when I was in driver's ed in high school, I remember our teacher telling us to put the front bumper right above that line. It appears that lately I've noticed a trend of people, who were sick that day, stopping well short of this stop line. I don't mean a few feet either. I'm talking entire car lengths away from the stop line. 

Now there are instances where this is warranted. For example if a tractor trailer is attempting to make a turn into the opposite lane, the driver may need a little extra room to bring the truck around without destroying something. Stopping far enough back to allow this maneuver to be made is perfectly acceptable. This is not what I am seeing though. I'm instead seeing somebody who looks like they dropped out of kindergarten because they couldn't pass the block stacking portion of the test, obtained a driver's license as a prize in their Count Chocula, and promptly decided to drive their grandmother's 1974 hoopty as poorly as possible. 

To these drivers, I declare SHAME!

I know that in Tennessee at least, if your car goes over the thick white line you are deemed to have entered the intersection...you might ask why that is a big deal...it is because with red light cameras that is what they are looking for...if you tires touch or go over that line and the light is red, you will get a ticket.  Now I don't konw about stopping car lengths away from it, but I refuse to approach that line especially if there are any cameras around

 

[cocky0]

I know that in Tennessee at least, if your car goes over the thick white line you are deemed to have entered the intersection...you might ask why that is a big deal...it is because with red light cameras that is what they are looking for...if you tires touch or go over that line and the light is red, you will get a ticket.  Now I don't konw about stopping car lengths away from it, but I refuse to approach that line especially if there are any cameras around

Yeah I understand stopping a little short. I'm seriously talking a good 10-20 yards away from the line though. It's especially frustrating being behind someone who does this when the intersection's light will not change if it doesn't detect a vehicle. usually those sensors only pick up vehicles right at the line.

 

[STS]

Yeah I understand stopping a little short. I'm seriously talking a good 10-20 yards away from the line though. It's especially frustrating being behind someone who does this when the intersection's light will not change if it doesn't detect a vehicle. usually those sensors only pick up vehicles right at the line.

I agree...that is stupid crazy. My bet is that htey are on cell phones and not paying a bit of attention!  And yes that would piss me off to no end!  I know in the south we rarely use our horns but maybe the yankees got this one right lol

 

[carolina_corpsman]

I have to make a left turn on my way out to the main street and the mouth breathers around here that are turning left always cut the turn short  and come into the turning lane, then look surprised to see there is infact a car in the turning lane. It's almost every morning someone almost clips my bumper so I have started backing off, which of course makes them turn in the lane even more. 

My biggest pet peeve is left lane campers and even more so the left lane campers who see you trying to pass around them and speed up. 

 

[cocky0]

I agree...that is stupid crazy. My bet is that htey are on cell phones and not paying a bit of attention!  And yes that would piss me off to no end!  I know in the south we rarely use our horns but maybe the yankees got this one right lol

It's weird though. I can't remember seeing it happen before maybe this year. Now all of a sudden I see somebody doing it once every couple of weeks. Just today while I was out for lunch I saw this old guy in a Miata stopped about 8 yards back from the stop line. 

 

[Acockolypse Now]

The Chinese

 

[STS]

It's weird though. I can't remember seeing it happen before maybe this year. Now all of a sudden I see somebody doing it once every couple of weeks. Just today while I was out for lunch I saw this old guy in a Miata stopped about 8 yards back from the stop line. 

I discovered the problem lol

 

[Longhaul]

I discovered the problem lol

Lol.  I had to get out from 3 cars back one day at a turn lane and walk up to the front car and ask a lady to pull forward so her car would trigger The sensor after 2 light changes.  

 

[markymark550]

My biggest pet peeve usually occurs in the mornings going to work. I live in a neighborhood off Irmo Dr and take Lake Murray Blvd to I-26 to get downtown. I hate the people that ride the left lane until just before the entrance ramp and the cut over at the last minute, nearly causing a wreck. There will be a line of cars 10 deep with little to no room and yet there's still a dumbass that purposely stayed in the wrong lane. Getting somewhere 15 seconds earlier isn't worth the recklessness of cutting someone off. Now, if it's not heavy traffic and you have enough time and room to get over, that's fine.

 

[cocky0]

My biggest pet peeve usually occurs in the mornings going to work. I live in a neighborhood off Irmo Dr and take Lake Murray Blvd to I-26 to get downtown. I hate the people that ride the left lane until just before the entrance ramp and the cut over at the last minute, nearly causing a wreck. There will be a line of cars 10 deep with little to no room and yet there's still a dumbass that purposely stayed in the wrong lane. Getting somewhere 15 seconds earlier isn't worth the recklessness of cutting someone off. Now, if it's not heavy traffic and you have enough time and room to get over, that's fine.

I hear ya man. I think a lot of that is people not paying attention to road signs. I see it all the time where a 4 lane condenses down into a 2 lane road. There will be signs usually around half a mile away to alert drivers of the change, but people will wait until the last possible second to merge over. While it was not the most glamorous of jobs, I am glad I spent time as a truck driver during my mid 20s. Having to maneuver a large vehicle in city traffic gives one a certain appreciation for situational awareness when driving.

One of the trainers I had would run me through narrative driving. Basically what he wanted me to do was to continuously talk while I was driving. I would have to constantly say what I was seeing in my mirrors, on my gauges, on the road signs, in the behavior of other drivers, etc. It's a tactic I plan to employ once my son is of driving age.

 

[carolina_corpsman]

I hear ya man. I think a lot of that is people not paying attention to road signs. I see it all the time where a 4 lane condenses down into a 2 lane road. There will be signs usually around half a mile away to alert drivers of the change, but people will wait until the last possible second to merge over. While it was not the most glamorous of jobs, I am glad I spent time as a truck driver during my mid 20s. Having to maneuver a large vehicle in city traffic gives one a certain appreciation for situational awareness when driving.

One of the trainers I had would run me through narrative driving. Basically what he wanted me to do was to continuously talk while I was driving. I would have to constantly say what I was seeing in my mirrors, on my gauges, on the road signs, in the behavior of other drivers, etc. It's a tactic I plan to employ once my son is of driving age.

While it's frustrating for those who get in the correct lane early, "zippering in" is actually much more efficient than what we often see of people getting into the lane 3 miles ahead and then being angry and not letting other cars in. If people maintained their speed and their lane and lte people in the "not ending lanes" let every other car merge, everybody would get through the bottle-neck quicker. 

 

[Spur's Addiction]

While it's frustrating for those who get in the correct lane early, "zippering in" is actually much more efficient than what we often see of people getting into the lane 3 miles ahead and then being angry and not letting other cars in. If people maintained their speed and their lane and lte people in the "not ending lanes" let every other car merge, everybody would get through the bottle-neck quicker. 
 
 

Yep

 

[markymark550]

In theory, zippering is more efficient, but in reality I don't think people understand how to do it safely.

 

[cocky0]

While it's frustrating for those who get in the correct lane early, "zippering in" is actually much more efficient than what we often see of people getting into the lane 3 miles ahead and then being angry and not letting other cars in. If people maintained their speed and their lane and lte people in the "not ending lanes" let every other car merge, everybody would get through the bottle-neck quicker. 

Yeah I'm talking about merging when there isn't a whole bunch of traffic. People will still wait until the last possible minute to merge over. 

I'm not sold on that zipper merge hypothesis either though. I know people say it's more efficient, and I've seen the graphical simulations that illustrate that point. I've also driven all over the U.S., Canada, Germany, and several countries in the Middle East. I've seen scenarios when all drivers merge early and ones where they attempt the zipper merge. The ones where everyone merges early always went smoother, at least in my experience anyways.

 

[markymark550]

I hear ya man. I think a lot of that is people not paying attention to road signs. I see it all the time where a 4 lane condenses down into a 2 lane road. There will be signs usually around half a mile away to alert drivers of the change, but people will wait until the last possible second to merge over. While it was not the most glamorous of jobs, I am glad I spent time as a truck driver during my mid 20s. Having to maneuver a large vehicle in city traffic gives one a certain appreciation for situational awareness when driving.

One of the trainers I had would run me through narrative driving. Basically what he wanted me to do was to continuously talk while I was driving. I would have to constantly say what I was seeing in my mirrors, on my gauges, on the road signs, in the behavior of other drivers, etc. It's a tactic I plan to employ once my son is of driving age.

I would be more understanding if it was a situation where it went from 4 lanes to 2 lanes, but Lake Murray is 4 lane from Highway 6 to Parkridge (past the interstate). This is simply just people being assholes when they were in the wrong.

 

[carolina_corpsman]

Yeah I'm talking about merging when there isn't a whole bunch of traffic. People will still wait until the last possible minute to merge over. 

I'm not sold on that zipper merge hypothesis either though. I know people say it's more efficient, and I've seen the graphical simulations that illustrate that point. I've also driven all over the U.S., Canada, Germany, and several countries in the Middle East. I've seen scenarios when all drivers merge early and ones where they attempt the zipper merge. The ones where everyone merges early always went smoother, at least in my experience anyways.

We used to "zipper" in when I was at book camp and two groups had to pass or merge, it was incredibly efficient, once people figured out what to do. If people actually zippered correctly it would be just as smooth and much faster than what we do now. 

 

[carolina_corpsman]

In theory, zippering is more efficient, but in reality I don't think people understand how to do it safely.

Even if people did understand how to do it, there are some people who insist on being there first or have the idea that "well I waited in line, they should too". So I don't think it would ever actually work. 

 

[JimG]

People driving slow in the HOV lane.