• Twylarants said on Oct 31, 2007....

  Tailgaters-  hate 'em!  My husband tailgates, his excuse is if he leaves too much room between him and the car in front of him,  a car will move over from another lane.
  Duh! That's the idea Jeff Gordon!!!
  

• evil_twin said on Oct 31, 2007....

  I didn't realize you couldn't make a link with that in the title. I tested it out in a PM to myself and it worked though.
  
  Anyway, my pet peeves while driving? The biggest one is slow people. It's a rarity that traffic isn't bad here, so when it's not and people don't step on the gas, I want to strangle them. I also hate people who cut you off. Especially if you're moving along at a good speed and they turn out of a parking lot right in front of you and proceed to go 5 mph and you have to slam on the brakes.
  
  I'm also not happy about people who drive with their head in the clouds. When the light turns green, you better go. You can't sit there and mess with the radio stations! Get moving, people!
  
  -evil_twin LA
  

• DaiOni said on Oct 31, 2007....

  I hate it when idiots are talking on their cell phones while driving.  I dislike tailgaters and I hate it when singletons are in the HOV lane.  I hate it when people cut me off in traffic.  I don't like it when I am riding with someone and they follow too closely (see my opinion on tailgaters), I am a poor side/back seat driver.

• uniquely-ironic said on Oct 31, 2007....

  I hate people who speed up to cut me off and then exit immediately, tailgaters and slow pokes.  I also dislike people who dont use turn signals.
   
  I have been guilty of not using the signals, and on occaision cutting people off.  I have been told I'm a horrible back seat driver.

• Eilan said on Oct 31, 2007....

  Drivers who don't use their turn signals.
  
  Drivers who are obviously distracted, whether it's because they're on a cell phone or reading or whatever.
  
  I don't like to have anyone in front of me, regardless of how fast/slow I'm going.
  

• cotteralladams3 said on Oct 31, 2007....

  My attitude is best summed up this way.  It is a waste of time for police officers to stand on the side of the road clocking everyone going down the highway because some people drive ten or fifteen km over the limit but they're good drivers and they're not speeding.  One has to go with the flow of traffic or some drivers get aggressive. I try not to speed.  I really try to avoid it but I can see when out there why some people feel compelled to keep up with the big push into town.

  I'd like to see stiffer penalties for drunk drivers, even those who just have one or two drinks.  At the same time, some people believe they can pop two TC3s, some amphetamines, cough medication or smoke pot and hit the road.  Others are groggy from sleeping pills and a lack of caffeine and breakfast in the morning.  Others are stressed out, have jet lag, exhaustion, a heavy work load, bad tempers or just play with their cell phones, drink Starbuck's coffee and chain smoke.  I am not against a car phone if you can handle the road while talking to someone but it's scary to watch a woman with a cigarette in one hand, a cell phone in the other and two kids crawling around, not strapped in, while she turns around regularly and yells at them.  These people should not be on the road.

  
  As for old people and the sick or disabled, some are very good drivers.  Driving is not a right like free speech, employment, property, self-defense, etc.  Some people should be provided with better public transportation, free bus passes, free or discounted cab rides and the penalties for driving without a license and without insurance or while suspended should be stiff, even the threat of jail and extended probation for drunk drivers and the accident-prone hit-and-run types.  Being old doesn't mean you can't drive but if you have glasses thicker than pizza, need two telephone books to sit on, are bent half-over and dementia/Alzheimer's/cancer/Parkinson's disease, you shouldn't be out there.

• cotteralladams3 said on Oct 31, 2007....

  And believe me, some of these people drive still, insisting it is their right, while it is hard on new drivers to the point that the insurance is high, there are many restrictions and it can take two years or longer to get a full license.

• Mr_Box said on Oct 31, 2007....

  I'm horrible. My list of pet peeves is long.

  Slow people, old people, tourists, cell phone users, people eating cheeseburgers and doing makeup......

  The list goes on. Basically I hate everyone who isn't me. I want the road to myself. I should live in podunk Arkansas instead of LA.

  But then I'd probably get stuck behind a tractor instead.

• silverwhisper said on Oct 31, 2007....

  twyla: i detest tailgating too! esp considering that usually i drive pretty fast, so how fast is the asshole behind me wanting to go?!
  
  e_t: well, i'm sure there's a way, i just don't know it yet! and those 2 pet peeves really get at me. pay some gorrammed attention, and get the hell out of my way, i say! :D
  
  dai oni: i try to keep my side/back seat driving tendencies under check when the mrs drives--i do tend to be very expressive and that can be a problem sometimes. :D i don't mind people using their mobile phones usually, so long as they're capable of actually driving, too!
  
  u-i: i detest it when someone passes me then goes slowly--WTF is your damage, you idiot?! :D
  
  eilan: i am completely w/ you re: people in front of me. i detest having someone in front of me--except if i need cop-bait for suspected speed traps. :D
  
  cotterall: i have a rant about drivers who apparently do possess a driver's license, but ought not to have been given one! and i hate it when i see drivers who are obviously distracted, too.
  
  mr box: slow people irritate me like the dickens, and tourists annoy me something fierce! sometimes i wish i had the highway to myself, too, man--but then again, don't we all have that desire at times? :>
  
  ed

• uniquely-ironic said on Oct 31, 2007....

  SW: I have no problem tailgating morons who cut in front of me just to slow me down.  I know it's dangerous, but damn it if those morons don't need some kind of hostile encouragement!

• silverwhisper said on Oct 31, 2007....

  to me, they're an opportunity to test one's high-beams. :D
  
  ed

• the_infernal_optimist said on Oct 31, 2007....

  Road irked-makers for me: tailgating, passing on the right (illegal here at least), and drivers who ignore "this lane ends 500 feet" and then expect traffic to come to a halt so they can move over (or anyone else who can't merge in any fashion).
  
  ~Infernal
  

• silverwhisper said on Oct 31, 2007....

  ah, i hate those folks, too!
  
  ed

• wombat said on Oct 31, 2007....

  People who pass you, then turn off the road soon after.
   
  Tailgaters--especially with blinding lights at night.
   
  Like Mr. Box--one of my fantasies is being able to drive cross country (in good weather) with no one else on the road at all.
   
  People who give me the finger for one reason or the other.  (Once because I pulled up in a parking space and took "their" spot)  They also called me a stupid bitch.  I was having a bad day anyway, and it hurt my feelings!

• silverwhisper said on Oct 31, 2007....

  man, but those people suck!
  
  ed

• Eilan said on Oct 31, 2007....

  I encountered another pet peeve this evening: when one tractor-trailer tries to pass another and they're both going uphill.  No one goes anywhere.
  
  It's particularly sucky in Ohio because the speed limit for semis is 55 mph, except for on the Ohio Turnpike, IIRC.
  

• silverwhisper said on Oct 31, 2007....

  that's teh sux, eilan.
  
  ed

• Twylarants said on Oct 31, 2007....

  Hey now!  On behalf of the old drivers out there, may I say you too will be old one day.  Do you plan on driving to the DMV and turning your license in?
  How you gonna get home? 
  Seriously, I'm not that old yet, but it's not far off, and I do think about it. 
  These old people that you feel are on the road just to annoy you are trying to go about their lives pretty much the way you are.  Going to the store to buy food to eat, to the bank to get money, to the doctor to try and stay alive a little longer, maybe to visit a sick friend, or go to a movie, just as they did when they were younger, before you were old enough to drive, maybe before you were born. 
  The other day when a dog ran across the highway in front of my car, which was doing the speed limit, 55, in the slow lane, the bitch tailgating me had to slam on her brakes so hard I heard the screech and cringed waiting to get slammed.  She drove around me, gave me the finger, screamed something about Grandmas, and sped off.  Guess what her vanity tag said..."Janis16".  She's 16, driving a brand, spanking new VW convertible.  She was 3 years old when I bought my car.  Who's the better driver?  I didn't kill the dog.  She could have killed me and herself. 
  

• Eilan said on Oct 31, 2007....

  Twyla, you might be interested in the comment I made in this blog entry by hillbillygirl. My father-in-law showed how geezers like him can embarrass the hell out of a young driver!

• beyondtheveil said on Oct 31, 2007....

  Ed- I mentioned my tops on one of your linked blogs, so I'll give another- road rage.
  
  These people make me so mad they give ME road rage.
  

• kelly said on Oct 31, 2007....

  Cell phones and tailgaters.  And those guys who think they're clever by cutting into my lane about 2 feet from my bumper.
  
  
  "It's a rarity that traffic isn't bad here, so when it's not and people don't step on the gas, I want to strangle them."
  
  
  I would like to politely point out that just because a lot of people like to speed that does not give anyone the right to insist that someone else speed.  Some of us have very low insurance and accident rates and we'd like to keep it that way.  (Don't worry, I always try to be in the very slowest lane I can be).
  
  
  Speeding is stupid anyway.  It's a waste of gas and it doesn't really get you there much faster.  Say you have 30 miles to drive to get to work.  Going the speed limit (65 m.p.h.) will get you there in a little over 27 minutes.  Increase that speed to 75 m.p.h. and you'll get there in 24 minutes, risking tickets and increasing the likelihood of death when you do get into an accident because you're tailgating.
  
  
  People are already irrational but when they get behind the wheel they become doubly so.  They never even think about just what it is they're doing.  They just think they're driving somewhere, but what they're really doing is piloting a deadly weapon.  If people had to go through for a driver's license what I had to go through for a pilot's license we'd have far fewer fatalities and traffic snarls caused by those "clever" guys who like to weave through traffic.

• silverwhisper said on Nov 01, 2007....

  twyla: what a brat! but about older drivers: while i'm sympathetic to a point, i also am scared of what some older drivers will do. it isn't about experience, twyla, it's also about simple motor skills, attention and decision-making sometimes, too. as a rule, i agree that young brats who just got their license are worse, but that's to me damning by faint praise.
  
  eilan: that story is awesome! :D
  
  beyond: ah, road rage...such an epidemic of poor impulse control in this coffee-addicted nation... :>
  
  kelly: there's something your example fails to account for WRT speeding and its supposed limited utility: the timing of traffic lights. depending upon the stretch of road, that can be highly significant. although i agree re: traffic weavers--me, i think they're trying to compensate. :>
  
  ed

• Fallyn said on Nov 01, 2007....

  when i have to ride with someone (my mother) and am not in control of the steering wheel.
  
  i do manage to keep my mouth shut...but i hate it.
  
  
  

• silverwhisper said on Nov 01, 2007....

  i've gotten good at keeping quiet but i can't help making the facial expressions that clearly say "please drive faster!", i find. :>
  
  ed

• rupert7 said on Nov 01, 2007....

  I preempted the authorities by surrendering my license (held for 38 years) in 2004 after i had a seizure in the underground car park at work and  destroyed 3 cars including my own! It was early in the morning and no people were around. The cars I hit were parked. Thank God! I could have killed somebody! 10 minutes earlier I would still have been on the freeway - the mind boggles!!
  
  I gotta say the look on the General Managers face when he came down to see what i had done was priceless!! He knew about my condition and was very understanding, I always got on well with him thank goodness!
  
  I relate to and agree with everything above. What I really hated was the "sport" people here have of preventing you from moving into the left/exit lane on the freeway. It is a game here in Perth. When you indicate you are moving into the left lane, idiot will draw along side you in the left lane.he will then "pace" you. I.E. if you slow to put him ahead with the indention of pulling in behind him,he will slow down, ditto if you speed up. The object of this game is to force you past you off ramp!!
  It compounds the problem when you have some turkey tail gaiting you at 60mph!
  
  
  
  

• silverwhisper said on Nov 01, 2007....

  egads, a seizure while driving--damn, that had to be frigging terrifying, rupe!
  
  people prevent you from exiting the highway in perth? holy crap but that's irritating! so what, you have to check to make sure there's room, then turn and signal at the same time, then?
  
  ed

• rupert7 said on Nov 01, 2007....

  silver - perth is supposed to have the worst/rudest drivers in Australia, I think maybe in the developed world! no! no! if you want to get across,check for room and change lanes - forget the signal!! If you signal  9 times out of 10 somebody will race up and block you!!  Our freeway is almost like a scene from a Mad Max movie! -Ok,OK, a little bit of hyperbole going on here,but pretty close!!
  
  the weird thing is that during the seizure I didn't really understand what was happening, so it was scary only after the event! As was always my habit, I unbuckled my seat belt as soon as I turned into the car park driveway. I was surprised  that I walked away from the mess totally unscathed! Lucky as!!
  

• silverwhisper said on Nov 01, 2007....

  see, i'd try the turn at the same time as the signal, just to piss 'em off, myself... :D
  
  ed

• Twylarants said on Nov 01, 2007....

  Ed - Good post over there at Hillbilly's place, and I agree with Unique that drivers who have reached a certain age should be road-tested, not just vision-tested.  I have a vague memory of reading or hearing about a 90something year old who had his license renewed for 5 years!  That frightens me. 
  My rant (and I am twlarants after all... gotta get some mileage outta the name) is directed at sweeping statements about older drivers.  Oh, I know all about the impatience of youth...I've been youthful, and now I'm oldful, it happens if we're very lucky.   But the impatience of a young driver shouldn't automatically mean the old driver is in the wrong.  Know what I mean?  If I'm doing the speed limit, and it is the limit, not the minimum,  and you want to go faster, that doesn't mean I don't know how to drive.  (hey, wait...I'm not lumping me in with the octogenarians here, I'm still a youthful 58 year old who can break down a side of beef without stabbing myself in the thigh..lol).  It's the  attitude that old people shouldn't  be on the roads  because young people are in a hurry that bothers me.   CD3 mentioned  public transportation...that's a great idea, there's none in my town.  
  And I agree with Kelly who said speeders have no right to insist that others speed.
  
  A young girl who worked in my bookstore returned from lunch half an hour late because of the lunchtime traffic. No big deal, I'm a very cool boss, right?
  However,,,,when she started a tirade about passing a law prohibiting older drivers from being on the road between noon and 1pm so younger drivers could get their errands done without being inconvenienced, I told her I'd have to dock her pay.  She was furious!
  Kathy Bates said it best in "Fried Green Tomatoes"..."Face it girls, I'm older and I got more insurance."
  Eilan's father-in-law went one better...I love that!
  End of rant.
    
  

• rupert7 said on Nov 01, 2007....

  silver.....Oh Kaay -  come try it! I dare ya! LOL

• silverwhisper said on Nov 01, 2007....

  twyla: that's fair--honestly, i don't care how old a driver is, i care how good a driver someone is, you know? :>
  
  rupe: nah, i get plenty of rude driving where i live already, man. :>
  
  ed

• kelly said on Nov 01, 2007....

  The comments to this post just reinforce my increasing conviction that no one should be driving.  It really should be all automated  transit or professionally run transit.  For some reason whenever people get into a car they automatically become impatient and in an incredible hurry and have absolutely no understanding of the forces that are involved in weilding a two-ton moving chunk of metal.

• Fallyn said on Nov 01, 2007....

  my sister lived with her husband in NZ for several years...she said driving there was HORRIBLE and very scary.
  
  
  oh, another pet peeve.......i live out in the middle of nowhere and the only road out it long and twisty and dark.
  
  i hate people that don't know the correct way to use their brights...and i REALLY hate people who don't realize you need to turn brights off if you are behind someone.
  

• silverwhisper said on Nov 02, 2007....

  mis-use of brights is a pretty key offense in my book. usually i'll pull over and let 'em go first. if they drive slowly, i return the favor. :>
  
  ed

• Brunettebmshell said on Nov 09, 2007....

  
  
  Ok, I could probably go on forever about this but I'll just list a few ;P
  
  
  1. When I am in the car with someone who is driving, and they let on the gas, let off the gas, let on the gas, let off... God damnit! Speed up or slow down, one or the other, just don't keep making me car sick with your erratic slowing down and speeing up!
  
  
  2. Do not cut me off. I can almost guarantee that where you are going isn't important enough to have me almost slam into you, so I would appreciate it if you wouldn't do that.
  
  
  3. I love my Grandma and Grandpa SO much, but for crying out loud! Please drive in the slow lane Grammy. It will make your life and everyone else's a lot easier and less stressful... I know that is a somewhat prejudice statement given that all older people are not bad drivers, but you catch my drift right?
  
  
  4. If you can not multi-task well people, DO NOT talk on your cell phone and drive. That is how I got in my car accident because some guy couldn't drive and talk at the same time. Put the cell phones down!
  
  
  *whew*
  
  
  I feel better ;-)
  
  
  
  
  BB

• silverwhisper said on Nov 10, 2007....

  brunette: man, all of those are such classics and of course, ones i know well. :>
  
  ed

• one_wired_kitty said on Jul 28, 2008....

  Hey Cotter ... Got a quick question for ya ... not tryin to be rude ... but ... how can you drive 10 - 15 OVER the limit and not be speeding??

   

  "some people drive ten or fifteen km over the limit but they're good drivers and they're not speeding"

• silverwhisper said on Jul 29, 2008....

  1WK, i wouldn't expect a response from cotterall. at least, not any time soon.
  
  ed

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