Driving Pet Peeves

[AVB-AMG 530]

I spend on average 3 hours a day M-F commuting via automobile from NJ into NYC and back to NJ.
Having spent over 40 years driving automobiles I have two automobile driving pet peeves that I believe I am not alone in sharing.

They really annoy and frustrate me and probably many other drivers as well and are very unsafe and could possibly lead to traffic accidents.

They are:

1. Left Lane Losers – My term for the knucklehead drivers who insist on driving in the left lane of a two lane highway, either at or less than the posted speed limit, even when the driving conditions are optimal and traffic volume may be either light or medium. It is NJ state law that slower traffic must stay in the right lane. But these folks seem content to mosey along in the left lane, even when they can easily and safely move over to the right lane to allow faster traffic behind them to pass. Usually quite a number of cars start to back up behind the slow moving car in the left lane and then, when possible race around and pass them in the right lane. I envision that the driver of that slow car in the left lane is either some stubborn old fart, (usually male, but sometimes female), who is thinking to themselves “I am going the speed limit and let everyone behind me be damned….”. Either that or they are oblivious to the law and general rules of the road and are just bad drivers. I wish American drivers had to undertake the much more rigorous driver’s education and licensing tests required in most Western European countries, (other than Italy), where the drivers are much more disciplined and religiously stay in the right lane, keeping the left lane open for faster traffic, (in countries where they drive on the right side of the road).

2. Lights Out Losers – My term for the other knucklehead drivers who are driving their cars when it is dark outside and/or in the rain and do not turn on their headlights/tail lights. This usually occurs during the early evening or anytime it is raining. This includes the naïve drivers who think that just having their front parking lights on is sufficient. Many older model automobiles are not wired to turn on their tail lights as well, when only the front parking lights are turned on, so the rear of the car is dark. Also, this includes the drivers who insist on driving many miles and days with either a burned out headlight and/or tail light, thinking they will eventually get around to having the dead lamp replaced, unaccepting the danger they are putting themselves and other drivers in.

I experienced both the aggravating LLL’s and LOL’s in NJ as well as when I am traveling through many other states on road trips, but it really seems to me to be more prevalent in New Jersey. What have you all experienced while driving on NJ’s roads and do you share my frustrations, aggravations and safety concerns about these two types of drivers?

AVB-AMG

[Displaced Texan 11,742]

I drive between 30-40K miles a year, mostly for my job. The 'left lane bandits' seem to be most prevelant in the northeast.

Most of them, I find, have NY plates. Extremely dangerous drivers.

 

They should be flogged until their skin peels from their bodies, then dipped in 100% isopropyl alcohol.

 

 

That's what goes through my head when I encounter one on the road.

[PD2K 115]

I also hate drivers who constantly pump their brakes even though there are no cars in front of them 

[T Bill 649]

NE drivers and left leaning havens, connection perhaps?

[mipafox 438]

3. Massholes.

[Frank Rizzo 59]

I drive between 30-40K miles a year, mostly for my job. The 'left lane bandits' seem to be most prevelant in the northeast.

Most of them, I find, have NY plates. Extremely dangerous drivers.

 

They should be flogged until their skin peels from their bodies, then dipped in 100% isopropyl alcohol.

 

 

That's what goes through my head when I encounter one on the road.

 

Yep...  NY drivers, almost without fail.  Nuts

[Newtonian 453]

Your two peeves are both illegal and dangerous.

 

My list:

• Aggressive drivers in general
• Tailgaters
• Horn-beepers (more prevalent the closer you get to NY City
• Cowardly bird-flippers (I pray out loud for God to strike them down right then and there)
• Turning-signal-phobics
• Picking up and dropping off people right in the middle of the street when there's plenty of room to pull over
• Individuals who use their phones while driving 
• "Women" (of both sexes) who take 3-4-5 minutes to pull out of a goddamned parking space. "Ok, got my purse, my water bottle, plugged in my iPod. Ready set...Oooooh one of my hairs is out of place!!"
• "Women" (also both males and females) who make a big leftward semi-circle before turning right
• Bird-doggers: You're trying to keep a safe distance at 70 mph and some a-hole cuts you off to move in front of you to save himself one thirtieth of a second
• Drivers who won't allow you to change lanes no matter what
• Drivers who won't allow you to park because they were tailgating and refuse to back up a few feet, and of course start beeping their horns (happened with a FedEx truck in Hoboken a few hours ago). Good thing I no longer keep a tire iron under my seat.
• Car fags who don't allow a grain of dust into their treasured "vehicles," who roll up their windows even in their own driveways when it's 100 degrees and not a cloud in the sky, who spend their weekend afternoons waxing, washing, and vacuuming their cars, who have an anxiety attack when they see a hair-thin scratch or drop of bird poo, and above all who freely use the words "detailing" and "vehicle"

I'm sure I'll think of more. 

[Lalo 13]

Oh man, don't get me started on driving pet peeves...

 

Just this afternoon coming back into work: I'm driving on a single lane, two way street, long windy road (Horseneck Rd in Fairfield). Driving behind a brand new (still has temp tags) Lexus IS250 hatchback, girl driving. She's going about 5mph below the limit and I can tell she's on the phone, she has a passenger. Seeing this I keep my distance. The road has twists right, but on a straight piece of the road, her car starts going way off into oncoming lane. I mean her entire car was on the opposite lane for about 2 seconds with no attempt to swerve back. I see an SUV coming up on that opposite lane from afar and so I BEEP and FLASH my high beams and THEN she proceeds to swerve back into our lane. You can see the guy in the incoming SUV yelling and raining his arms as he was passing. Then I look at her rearview mirror and she's looking back with the phone on her ear smiling. Then... then.. she CONTINUES to go 5mph below the limit. I swear if I wasn't already running late I would have called the cops. Holy shit!

[1LtCAP 4,263]

i got more of an issue with the misaimed headlights than i do no lights. that, and tail gaters, the guys that'll know their lane ends, and want to come up and push their way over.....i could go on.....

[robot_hell 72]

• Car fags who don't allow a grain of dust into their treasured "vehicles," who roll up their windows even in their own driveways when it's 100 degrees and not a cloud in the sky, who spend their weekend afternoons waxing, washing, and vacuuming their cars, who have an anxiety attack when they see a hair-thin scratch or drop of bird poo, and above all who freely use the words "detailing" and "vehicle"

 

Hmm... I happen to know more than a few people who treat their firearms this way...

[Newtonian 453]

Hmm... I happen to know more than a few people who treat their firearms this way...

Although I'm far less experienced in the firearm arts than with driving and owning cars, I'd be happy to contribute to such a conversation if you start the thread

[Displaced Texan 11,742]

Not to mention the self important assholes who think they are too good to wait in line at an exit, and drive in he emergency lane to get around traffic.

 

No words for them.....other than fucktards.

[mipafox 438]

A little inside tip here. I'm not happy about it, and I've never seen it, but we do have road rage here in PA. It doesn't happen every day, or every week, but it happens. And I'm talking about the real deal.

 

If somebody cuts you off, don't flip them the bird. If somebody flips you the bird, ignore them. It's more important to spend the night eating dinner and getting a good sleep than spend it in the morgue or jail.

 

It's kind of weird. People are generally very polite around here, even scary looking people and 3-patch bikers. Something about that damn car can make things go sideways.

[Old Glock guy 1,127]

I also hate drivers who constantly pump their brakes even though there are no cars in front of them 

 

Ah yes, the random brakers, as I affectionately know them.  They are quite annoying.

 

Not to mention the self important assholes who think they are too good to wait in line at an exit, and drive in he emergency lane to get around traffic.

 

And these may indeed be the ones I most detest.

[Zeke 5,504]

Left lane dicks!

People that don't use cruise control. " I'm set, I passed you. Now I'm your pace car? Wtf now your passing me? Now I'm passing you again!"

 

I do about 30 k a yr.

[fishnut 2,358]

my list of driving pet peevs is way to long so ill just add that I hate assholes who cant follow safe following distances when the road is wet. I spent my Sunday morning getting rear ended in my jeep by some asshole from PAs jeep. Well he found out that my steel aftermarket bumper and corner panel was way stronger than his stock bumper or plastic fender.

JKU on TJ crime! JKU just jealous of its older, cooler brother.  

[JackDaWack 2,895]

[Newtonian 453]

A little inside tip here. I'm not happy about it, and I've never seen it, but we do have road rage here in PA. It doesn't happen every day, or every week, but it happens. And I'm talking about the real deal.

 

If somebody cuts you off, don't flip them the bird. If somebody flips you the bird, ignore them. It's more important to spend the night eating dinner and getting a good sleep than spend it in the morgue or jail.

 

It's kind of weird. People are generally very polite around here, even scary looking people and 3-patch bikers. Something about that damn car can make things go sideways.

Words of wisdom applying not only to gun-happy states but everywhere.

 

About 8-9 years ago a lady and her husband were driving somewhere in Queens NY and she felt the urge to stick her middle finger up at someone who'd done something or other. He pulled up next to them, at 50+ mph, and shot her dead.

 

I never met her, but she and hubby were friends of my late bridge partner George. 

 

It's just not worth it.

[Howard 538]

I would really like to do something about the assholes on the parkway that weave in and out doing 80 mph.  Why is there never a cop when you need one to lock up these assholes?

[67gtonut 847]

80mph.... ha

 

On Rt 80 ..... I have to watch the freakin PA drivers go by me at near 100 ......  Not my fault you cannot make a living in PA, but do not endanger everyone else on the road because you want to get home....

[oneshot 45]

ahole Pa and NY drivers never yield the left lane . . total douche bags.

[AVB-AMG 530]

JackDaWack:

 

Excellent video! I can relate.....

 

AVB-AMG

[mipafox 438]

80mph.... ha

 

On Rt 80 ..... I have to watch the freakin PA drivers go by me at near 100 ...... Not my fault you cannot make a living in PA, but do not endanger everyone else on the road because you want to get home....

This is one thing I love about having clients in Jersey. I pull so much money out of Jersey it's almost like robbery. And I pay $50 for LLC and $100 (I think?) for S Corp business registration taxes and like $200 NJ taxes. All my income taxes are paid in PA.

 

Jersey has some shitty laws, but one person's financial misery is another's vacation home

[WP22 1,558]

80mph.... ha

 

On Rt 80 ..... I have to watch the freakin PA drivers go by me at near 100 ......  Not my fault you cannot make a living in PA, but do not endanger everyone else on the road because you want to get home....

 

I must drive on a different rt80, because the assholes from PA sit on the left lane doing 55mph. And they will not get out of the way. The jackwagons do not get out of the way.

[InFamous 311]

80mph.... ha

 

On Rt 80 ..... I have to watch the freakin PA drivers go by me at near 100 ......  Not my fault you cannot make a living in PA, but do not endanger everyone else on the road because you want to get home....

 

I do the exit 26-34 stretch 3-4 times a week at around 9:15 AM and home around 6:00 PM. So even though I'm not in the midst of the heavy traffic I'm still in the "congestion" most days. What pisses me off to no end are the ass holes that just HAVE to cut in an out in all 3 lanes going 15 MPH OVER what every one else is going. Traffic is going at 50 MPH and they still want to hit 70+ MPH the entire drive and I just watch them cutting people off and slamming on their brakes every 5 fucking seconds. Nothing else makes me want to see you slammed into a tree more then that.

[InFamous 311]

I remember picking my daughter up in Clifton one day driving home to Budd Lake and we were on 80E a bit before the 287 split. NYS driver in left lane going 63-65 MPH. It wasn't congested but enough cars on the road where it wasn't easy to go around him on the right all that often. Few cars in front of me finally got around him, I finally get behind him. There's NO ONE in the middle lane so I flash my lights...doesn't move...wait a bit...flash my lights again...still doesn't move. We then get up to where there's a car in the middle lane so I give him some space. Pass that car, plenty of space for him to move over and still doesn't move. I flash my lights again and lay on the horn. He still doesn't move so I finally go around him as I'm blowing my horn cursing him him out and wanting to rip his face off. As I pass I see it's two younger guys in their early 20s laughing their ass off cause they were doing the shit on purpose. I swear I've never wanted to swerve into someone so bad in my life.

[AverageJoe 95]

Not having read thru all the comments but this is my take. Most of these things occur because people are oblivious as to what is going on around them and they don't realize that their action(s) on the road(and in life in general) don't only affect them...so they can have cars backed up behind them and won't have a clue to move over OR theyre douche bags and have the "fuck off" attitude both of which are infuriating. Secondly, is the "Sunday driver"...we've all seen it...What I think happens here is these people take mass transit to commute during the week, then come Saturday they get behind the wheel to go to home depot and its like they're all stunnod. Partly why I like working every other weekend, gives me days off during the week to do what i have to do while all the momos are at work lol. Oh and don't get started on the "middle lane(or left lane) darter"...people who are getting onto a highway and dart straight for the middle(on a 3 lane hywy) or left lane for a two lane road when theyre not up to speed...hey you wanna do that great, but step on it and get a move on.

 

I always say I should have been a race car driver lol...having raced motorcycles for a number of years, being 6" away from the guy next to me at 150 mph...you learn real quick where every inch of your vehicle is. Always have an out, just like chess think 3 moves ahead lol.

[SuRrEaLNJ 294]

There is almost no reason to use high beams in built p areas like most of Bergen county, why is it that it seems like atleas 1 in 10 cars on Well lit Main Street in built up suburbia has their high beams on? Why is it illegal to bludgeon this stupidity to death. I should be able to beat them then stand before a jury and say they didn't turn off their high beams when flashed them,and I should get a reward for doing so, or atleast a high five.

Did I mention needless high beams piss me off?

[302w 83]

I make a DWG to Hudson County trip daily. 80 to 280 at 5:00 AM.

 

The most annoying thing for me is highbeams. I'd love to wire in driving lights on my roof rack in both directions to flash people.

[1LtCAP 4,263]

I would really like to do something about the assholes on the parkway that weave in and out doing 80 mph.  Why is there never a cop when you need one to lock up these assholes?

'cause those assholes are more than likely going around the left lane dicks?