Why are car drivers so stupid??

[belfert]

My house is on a moderately busy city road.  It is wide enough to have shoulders.  The road is extremely busy during rush hour as folks avoid the clogged highway two blocks over.

Why are car drivers so stupid when they see a large vehicle backing up?  I can see about 1/4 mile in one direction and maybe 750 feet the other direction.  I won't even attempt to start backing up if I can see a car coming either direction.

Today, I started backing in with no cars in sight.  By the time I backed in far enough to clear the far shoulder a car drove by on the shoulder with inches to spare.  By the time I spent the 30 additional seconds to clear the street no less than three additional cars did the same thing.  Remember, the street was perfectly clear when I started and I saw no cars before I was blocking the whole street.

Don't these people realize my bus would crush their car like a tin can if something happened?  Can't they be paitent and wait another 30 seconds.  I doubt they were rushing someone to the ER.

One time I was backing in and a car came up and stopped where I couldn't see him at all.  I stopped and waited to see if the car would move, but I ended up having to pull back out and let the car pass as there was no way I would back up if I can't see a vehicle off to the side.

[John316]

I know. We have thought the same thing. People don't think (surprise surprise ). The worst are the little cars, with the Napoleonic attitude. What scares me, is those people in the little cars, carry their own casket with them. The way that they drive, I sure hope they know where they are going to spend eternity.

For us the worst part is the people trying to squeeze past on a right turn. I like the air horn idea. Some people that drive those little cars are just plain....well I won't say.

They do the same with parking spots. There is a row of ten open spaces, and a car parks right in the middle of them . Go figure .

God bless,

John

[buddydawg]

Last Friday we were headed up Hwy 78 from Thomson GA headed towards Athens.  It is a hilly two lane hwy with a 55 mph speed limit.  We were going up one of the hills that had a curve at the top (no passing zone) when a truck whipped out to pass us.  At the same time a 18 wheeler was rounding the curve coming down the hill.  The truck could clearly see the rig but kept going anyway.  I let off and put my right tires as close to the side of the road as I could and the trucker went off onto the shoulder.  The guy in the pickup just barely made it through, it was as close to a head on collision that I have ever witnessed.  It definitely scared the hell out of the guy, because he did the speed limit until he turned off 15 miles up the road.  I guess some people just cant stand to be behind large vehicles. 

[kd5kfl]

remember - half the population has below average intelligence.

I live on a former one way street. when it was one way it was no parking on the south side. when the city made it two way, they also made it no parking either side. people still park on both sides.

speed limit 20. people drive through the street at 50. it's a shortcut. kids toys in a 20 foot wide swath in the street, people crunch right over them.

then there's walmart. people entering walmart behave as if they have a god given right to drive 45 mph right to the parking spot closest to the building. too stupid to comprehend that when a Mustang is parked between two pickups the Mustang driver has to back out past the pickups to see if anyone is driving 45 in a parking lot.

[BG6]

When I lived in Arizona, I noticed that the absolute worst drivers were in little cars with tow bar mounts on the front.

That means the people who couldn't safely handle their Toyotas brought them to AZ behind a 40-foot motorhome!!!

[Charles Seaton]

You guys don't live in NY and you don't know what you're missing.  Making a right turn from under an elevated subway structure onto 207th Street to get to the Major Deegan Expressway when a woman drove up and tried to make the same turn on my right side.  Ticked off, she asks "Didn't you see MY car?"  Of course i shot back through the open door (love those fishbowls), Didn't you see MY bus?" 

[buddydawg]

Of course i shot back through the open door (love those fishbowls), Didn't you see MY bus?" 

Of course!  Fishbowls are the best!

I just make it a point to watch out for the wreckless drivers, even if I have to put my irritation aside.

[TomC]

Try living in L.A. with all the illegal immigrants driving without many times both license or insurance.  They drive like they are on ice-as timid as could be.  I drive about 25,000 miles a year (salesman) and like to go at least the speed limit, more like 5 above.  Living in a city as sprawled out as L.A. you just have to keep it cool.  When someone cuts me off, I just say to myself "at the end of the day-is that idiot going to make a difference-NO!"  If I get flipped off, I smile and wave vigorously back at them-it usually gets them extra mad!  And because of the lovely gangs, have learned not to flash your headlights at someone who doesn't have their lights on-it is a game that gangs play with normal people-and then go after them if they flash.  By the way-gangs have infiltrated into just about every city in the U.S.-lovely right?  Good Luck, TomC

[Eagle Andy]

 I ride a Harley on my days off , I also drive a very large otr truck for a living and the only thing I can say is ride or drive like they are out to GET you and maybe just maybe you will come thur this ALIVE lol .

[Slow Rider]

Second largest concentration of MS-13 is in northern Virginia, gotta love it.

[NJT 5573]

I look at it like they are all idiots.

I get up in the morning and tell myself I'm going to do everything I can to help all of them get where they are going safely, without killing any of them or having to hand my ID to a cop for letting one of them run into me. So if  possible, I let them go on about their business and then I take my turn.

I gotta be out there everyday anyway and the only way to stay out there is to keep a low profile. Otherwise, sooner or later, Smokey gets your credentials.

Sometimes when they are dead on the roadside I will throw them a blanket, but usually I just roll on by with a toot from the air horn and a shouted compliment like "Hey, Nice Driving There Moron!

I have learned over the years not to help at accident scenes, it's a good way to lose your life because usually the accident is going to continue happening for a while. My family is trained to always stay in our vehicle. I have seen to many people get their legs cut off by the next car to join an accident. When I drove circle burners, drivers would block traffic for wrecked cars with their car, I will try to do that with my truck if needed, but you don't even see that much anymore.

[belfert]

I remember driving through Paducah, Ky on the way to BK's first rally.  Someone pulled out of a shopping center at a high rate of speed ahead of me and I had to slam on the brakes.  I guess they just didn't want to be behind a "slow" bus.

What happened this morning didn't make me upset or really bother me at all.  I expect it to happen as a lot of drivers are stupid.

[John316]

NJT,

I know what you mean. However, I don't want to be guilty of passing (leaving), the scene of an accident, when there is nobody else there. We don't stop if there are others there, but I am not going to have the possibility of somebody dying, because of my negligence to stop and help. I do know where you are coming from, though. Often being a good Samaritan, can have consequences, but I still will stop if nobody else is there.

For example, I have seen motorcycle wrecks happen. When I see to cyclists flying through the air, like black trash bags, and then hit the ground, I am not going to sail by and say, "nice driving you moron." NO SIR. I am going to stop, and see if I can save their lives. Not to mention, I think it is illegal.

YMMV

God bless,

John

[Gary '79 5C]

TomC,
Hey they are NOT illegal, just Undocumented, no papers to be here, no drivers license, no insurance,   Ohhh, Yeah I get it.......

You are correct, as well all else who weighed in. I drive about 38,000/yr, and with two old Mercedes I also get the class warfare BS. Mind you both diesel MB's have 200K+ miles on them, each, one 10yrs, the other 26yrs old.  Who the heck is jealous of those. But I get cut off, flipped off more in those cars than others...
I think the class jealously works the same about a bus conversion as well. NO ONE takes in consideration all of the work it took to pay for the pleasure.

I have resorted to driving about 65-67 mph and let everyone pass me..  I live on a barrier island and the summer time traffic & pedestrians are just crazy in vacation mode... My son wanted to drive the motorcycle, but I have put the brakes on that so far, Just too crowded & no consideration.

Be Safe.

[Frank @ TX]

I think some of the stupid drivers know there could be an up side to an accident, they win the lottery .
If they don't get killed then they "earn" a few years of money from your insurance & maybe even from you directly and if they do get killed their folks are set for life..