Bad Drivers

[snip sad tale of common occurance]

No flames here, Dave. Go to rec.autos.driving - this is the biggest issue for folks over there. LLBs and folks oblivious to their surroundings are a blight on our roadways.

Over there, the term used for the Saturn occupant (not to call her a driver in any sense) is MFFY - me first, fsck you.

I get it driving here in WA as well - the I-5 corridor is filled with folks who cannot grasp the state law saying "keep right except to pass." (KRETP). Oh, and those brain-dead "enablers" - the folks that will let anyone zoom up and cut into line, or wave at you at an intersection where they legally have the right of way, but feel the need to show "courtesy."

Yes, r.a.d. is the place where we talk about this...

E.P.

The message from Dave LaCourse contains these words:

I thought you were allowed to pass on either side in the US?

No, you're supposed to pass on the left only.

The message from KLS contains these words:

Ah. There goes another myth!

As I remember, it your "allowed" to pass on the right on a divided road. (In MA laws) Now in VT your able to pass on a double yellow as long as there isn't a sign saying that you can't.

Dave, Sorry to say I had to stifle a chuckle when I thought of you holding back the reins of the RS6, surrounded by dozy drivers....talk about frusternation (in Virginia-speak). Sorry to hear about it.....no really.....I am. Cheers! Steve Sears

1987 Audi 5kTQ - people don't get out of the way for me, either, and I'm in Ontario! 1980 Audi 5k - people don't need to get out of the way 1962 and '64 Auto Union DKW Junior deLuxes - can't get out of it's own way. (SPAM Blocker NOTE: Remove SHOES to reply)

Actually, you can pass on the right. Folks do it all the time. But, if there is someone in the right lane going about the same speed as the jerk in the left lane, it creates a traffic jam. People were passing the offending woman on the right, blowing their horns as they did so.

Dave

Correct. In VT the pass on double yellow also includes "if it is safe to do," meaning, if you cause an accident, you're dead meat.

Another traffic law in VT is: if the speed limit is not posted, you revert to the state's official speed limit which is 55 mph. My wife and I used to rally in New England and once on one in Vermont, I passed several cars on a dirt road *without a posted speed limit*.

At rally headquarters later that afternoon, a Trooper came looking for me and my silver 200 Turbo Quattro. He backed off when told the law about unposted roads. I passed the cars safely and without shooting gravel at them. They were locals and didn't like the fact that 40 strange cars were going down their roads. And, I don't blame them.

Dave RS6

Although I do drive fast, I've never caused an accident except the time I hit a male deer with my '94 S4. I wasn't the only driver suffering "frusternation" (like that word) trying to get by that women. Even truck drivers were blowing their horns. d;o(

Now *that* is funny! d;o)

Dave

The message from Dave LaCourse contains these words:

We have a similar system in the UK, except that the default speed limit is variable according to the class of road.

Would that that were true. In most places in the US, there is no law that says you must pass on the left, or that you must stay right when not passing. That sure would be nice, but it just ain't so.

-- Mike Smith

Most states that I am familiar with have a "keep right except to pass" traffic law, and you will see the signs saying so. Some states even give a diagram sign that points out the passing lane, travel lane, and merge/slow lane.

Dave

This is what I see where I drive, mostly in New York and Ohio.

Don't want to make this a UK/US debate - but you've pretty much summed up all of my driving experiences in the US - anywhere!!

Still, we get our fair share of "fast lane hoggers" in the UK too. Problem here is that the driving test doesn't include any motorway driving, so no-one learns how to do it properly.

Just come back from nearly 3 weeks in France - now they know how to drive! the vast majority of motorways are 2-lanes and they all flow beautifully no mater how much traffic there is, but I think that comes from the fact that they are taught to drive properly in the first place.

Matt.

Dave LaCourse wrote:

I once taught police officers high performance driving but had to give it up a couple of years ago because of health (age). Most will tell you that the worst thing out there is tailgating, but they give few tickets for it because they have no hard evidence (i.e., radar) to use in court. Most won't bother to give a ticket for 10 mph over in a 65 mph because that is usually the speed most folks are going.

The trouble begins at the learner's level. Most driving schools emphasize parallell and can't even get hand positioning correct. The same school I taught is now teaching teenagers. I've sponsored several friends' children and attend the school and teach that day. These kids know nothing about driving except how to put the car in gear and move. They all know how to parallell park, however. It is very scarey. Hopefully the school will leave a lasting impression on them and help them to survive today's crowded highways.

Their parents attend the school to observe, and I usually take them for a demo ride through each of the exercises. Hopefully they too will take home some proper driving techniques.

I have driven in France, Switzerland, and Germany. You are correct - they are excellent drivers and very unforgiving for us rude Americans.

Dave

The message from Matthew Maddock contains these words:

That's not entirely true. As an instructor (some years ago) I used to take learners on the A40 round Uxbridge 'cos it was so like a motorway (hard shoulders, emergency phones, slip-roads etc) that it gave 'em a chance to see what a motorway was like. I also gave away a 2hr motorway lesson to anyone who recommended a friend. About a third of drivers got on in the long run. There's also the PassPlus system which involves motoway driving.

The message from Dave LaCourse contains these words:

It's very regional. My wife and I lived in West London for several years, but now when we go back we're startled at how aggressive the driving is compared to here in Telford. We don't really get traffic here so people don't get het up so easily.

As for the continent - well, Madrid's dreadful to drive in, but the Spanish countryside is fine - the drivers are relaxed and don't bother pushing.

Paris is a hoot if you don't mind joining in the spirit of adventure the Parisians have in their driving. Place d'Etoiles for example, has lane markings, but no on uses 'em - you just choose an exit and head for it however you fancy.

So Dave, you only had a hint of NJ drivers, assuming you took the NJ Turnpike.... I learned to drive in Massachusetts and lived there for 15 years and thought THEY were bad until I moved to NJ.... They are the WORST here, as you have a lot of people that really don't know how to drive but do it fast anyways. And the more clapped-out the car is, the faster they go. Talk about frusternation!

Dan D '04 A4 1.8Tq MT-6 Central NJ USA

I didn't take the NJ turnpike. I used I84 and I81 to avoid NY, NJ, MD, and DC. You are correct about Mass drivers, but they aren't as bad as VA or CT, and we won't even mention NY. d;o)

I have avoided the I95 corridor for more than 20 years, and do not miss it.