Just drive like everybody is out to kill you.

Just drive like everybody is out to kill you.

That is because they are.

I'm Ted:
6hKWM5Z1zds

Just out of curiousity . . . are you actually old enough yet to remember "The Oil Embargo of . . . [whenever]" and the "55 MPH Speed Limit"?

And, as much as I love your Positive Vision For The Future except for that Big Bad Thing On Down The Road I thought you said that you didn't drive.
(a little cognitive dissonance goin' on here, i must say)

Last things first. On rare occasions I do have to drive but for the most part it is only for 'vacations' and weekend get aways around Florida. Maybe someday we will have a train to Orlando and South Florida other than Amtrak.

Now first things last, yes I am old enough to remember the oil embargo and the 55 mph speed limit. Have you tried driving 55 mph on the interstate lately. For some reason it seems so much safer and I notice I get really good gas milage even for a Ram 1500 pickup with a 5.7 liter 390 hp Hemi V8. I probably wouldn't be oppposed to bringing 55mph back. Of course, people that have to drudge 20 miles to work on the interstate would probably hate it.

When, for a brief period of time about 15 years ago, I chose to face the "UrbanKlusterFukke" of OKCentralHighwayDesign as represented by that "freeway" exchange involving NS/MajorArteries and 39thSt. in order to court my honey who lived a long way from Jones . . . it occurred to me that if the speed limit in the vicinity of KlusterFukkes like that were reduced to about 35 mph during rush hour then many accidents could be avoided and folks in cars wouldn't be a-bangin' em all up instead of having time to merge and HOLDING UP MY PROGRESS to get to Point Be. (on my selfish journey =)

No road rage--or road rash--would be involved.
Folks moving forward--in traffic--are happy not to be going zero mph.
(on account of a fookin' accident caused by some total FukkinMoron who doesn't know how to Merge or Yield)
especially during "rush hour" =)

No improvments have yet been made to that particular stretch of Klusterfukkism . . .
Yet, the next time you exit northbound Hefner Parkway at Memorial and are thankful for two Westbound turnlanes onto Memorial by the application o' a wee bit o' pavement paint and a bit o' signage too . . . That was my suggestion . . . (not t' brag)

So: Mister Doaks! Do something about all this. Quit listening to all those "Health Care Insurance" hustlers . . .
If there is less Texting/CellPhoning in Traffic . . . there will be less need for medical care!
(Learn How to Drive Insurance Costs Down! =)

Just to lighten it up a bit.
Portrait of A Cabo Wabo Wannabee, in traffic =)
10X3zJpMDMo
what a wuss . . .

I don't know about you guys, but my driving test did not teach me anything about merging into interstates and interstate driving in general.

I think the main problem is definitely the competitiveness of driving, people don't think ahead and it just creates more problems. Like another poster said, the "me" mentality has killed driving.



I drive the OKC gauntlet everyday twice (both NB and SB I-235 in the I-44 corridor. During both rush hours there is a guaranteed traffic jam. If people would understand they don't need to speed up and slam on the brakes to follow the person in front of them while in the traffic jam, like 95% of the accidents in this area would not exist. People don't understand the concept of letting your car roll ahead in a traffic jam - and instead they think they have to always be putting their foot on the accelerator or the brake.

I develop my own rage against people's road rage in these jams every day. I have to actually laugh it off.

Thankfully I have equipped my vehicle with a dashboard camera that records everything so I have my own peace of mind for all the impatient people out there.

I think the main problem is definitely the competitiveness of driving, people don't think ahead and it just creates more problems. Like another poster said, the "me" mentality has killed driving.

Maybe some people just don't have enough to live for (at least some of them drive that way). Several years ago I was riding to lunch with several co-workers and the driver was being a bit reckless. The front seat passenger asked him to stop it but the driver continued. At the next light he said, I have too much to live for and got out of the car. I probably should have gotten out with him.

The reality of a driver of a multi occupied vehicle having essential control over the destiny of everyone on board has always disturbed me in the back of my mind. I often will play out scenarios in my head where I come up with a plan if something were to start to happen or the driver went crazy.

It is definitely some weird thoughts and it puts into perspective the meaning of trust.

Great thread. I'd have to say Wisconsin drivers are almost as bad - just like here. Driving 10 below in the left lane, no regard whatsoever as far as signaling, etc. Another pet peeve is when you're trying to merge onto an expressway and the @$$holes in the lane you're trying to get into just don't get over, even if the lane(s) next to them are totally empty. They'll just keep cruising along at 10 below in the lane you need to get into - and since the morons who designed the interstate system in this city didn't think about building freaking ACTUAL MERGE LANES here, you run out of real estate awfully quick. Happened to me over the weekend merging on to I-240 E from Penn - the @$$hole driving his pickup just wouldn't get over. Gave him a friendly honk from the emergency shoulder where he'd forced me onto - then proceeded to follow me for the next 3 miles. What a major league douche. He has plenty of company here though that's for sure.

Just so I understand, you think it's up to the guy already going highway speeds to trip over himself to let YOU onto the highway because you haven't reached highway speeds yet? Did it occur to you that the guy in the right lane has to slow down because he has to expect you are going to force your way in at 45mph, so he slows to avoid a collision?

Quick refresher: Highway traffic has the right of way. Oncoming traffic is the intruder, hence that little "Yield" sign on the entrance ramp. The guy already on the highway has no duty to move over to accommodate some turtle on the entrance ramp.

Just so I understand, you think it's up to the guy already going highway speeds to trip over himself to let YOU onto the highway because you haven't reached highway speeds yet? Did it occur to you that the guy in the right lane has to slow down because he has to expect you are going to force your way in at 45mph, so he slows to avoid a collision?

Quick refresher: Highway traffic has the right of way. Oncoming traffic is the intruder, hence that little "Yield" sign on the entrance ramp. The guy already on the highway has no duty to move over to accommodate some turtle on the entrance ramp.

Exactly. If I know I can't be up to speed enough to safely get in without causing someone else to slow down, I mitigate my speed so I can slide in behind them. The complicated issue becomes when you have an idiot ahead of you that only gets up to 40 mph and then slams on their brakes. If they had been up to 50-55, they would have been able to merge in no problem. I never understand why people don't use their mirrors and observe the traffic on the highway already and plan where they need to be speed wise to make the merge.

Speaking of merging. If there is a sign that says your lane ends, and you continue to speed up or stay right next to me...I'm not slowing down. I love these idiots, like on Hwy 9 east of 77, that just love staying in the left lane and just force their way over when the lane ends. I'm sorry, did you not see the lane ending signs for the last half mile?

Speaking of merging. If there is a sign that says your lane ends, and you continue to speed up or stay right next to me...I'm not slowing down. I love these idiots, like on Hwy 9 east of 77, that just love staying in the left lane and just force their way over when the lane ends. I'm sorry, did you not see the lane ending signs for the last half mile?

I know that is a tempting attitude, but it isn't helpful. This is one of those times when I really piss off my wife because I do slow down to let them in. The more inconsiderate other drivers are the more considerate I have to be to keep the "courtesy pendulum" in the middle. Otherwise, we all move as a group to the "rude" side. Then where are we? Keeping the peace on the road is better than being right.

When merging, the best method is to only allow one person in. Any more than that and the person behind you has to slow down even more. So I allow room for one person at the merge point, allow them and only them in, and then I close the gap and the next person to merge needs to merge behind me. It's called zippering.

I never understand why people don't use their mirrors...

Because most people use all three of their mirrors as rear view mirrors. Most drivers don't know how to correctly set their mirrors to be able to see what is beside them without turning their heads.

Exactly. If I know I can't be up to speed enough to safely get in without causing someone else to slow down, I mitigate my speed so I can slide in behind them. The complicated issue becomes when you have an idiot ahead of you that only gets up to 40 mph and then slams on their brakes. If they had been up to 50-55, they would have been able to merge in no problem. I never understand why people don't use their mirrors and observe the traffic on the highway already and plan where they need to be speed wise to make the merge.


Yes!! This x100000!

This is just the way I learned in Texas: It is YOUR responsibility to have your vehicle at least be matching the speed of the lane you are merging in. Drivers in the lane do not have a duty to let you in and doing so may actually cause a safety issue for the drivers behind them. I think people get confused by the yield signs here. If you were on a street and there is a yield sign as you were making a right turn in a separate little turning lane yes you are supposed to stop. Not on a highway. In fact I may be wrong here but OK is the only place I've seen where there are yield signs on the end of entrance ramps.

Let me also just add something. I have a feeling that people who are "speeding up" to not let you in are doing so because you are absolutely poking at 35-40 mph and you are an obvious safety hazard to let them in front of you. I recently had to do this on 235. I could not get over and I was hoping a merging car would speed up from their current speed of no more than 30 mph. When it became obvious that they were not and slowing down to their speed would get me rear-ended I had to just punch it and let them get in behind me. This has happened on several occasion to other drivers in the same area. It also doesn't help that ODOT engineers seem hell bent on designing outrageously short on/off ramps.

Merging is just one of those things where a little aggressiveness is not a bad thing. If people are too freaked out to properly get on maybe they should just stick to the back roads rather than be a major safety hazard.

Maybe some people just don't have enough to live for (at least some of them drive that way). Several years ago I was riding to lunch with several co-workers and the driver was being a bit reckless. The front seat passenger asked him to stop it but the driver continued. At the next light he said, I have too much to live for and got out of the car. I probably should have gotten out with him.



Sometimes a hard lesson learned is a lesson learned forever.

I understand some people may not have driven on a particular road before and did not realize the lane ended, these people try to make an effort to change lanes once they realize instead of riding it to the actual cut off point.

When you ride the ending lane to the cut-off, it clearly indicates you are an acehole who thinks they're better than everyone else in line who has waited their turn. This exact scenario I witness everyday on I-235 north where it is raised over 36th St. People I see who regularly are in this traffic jam do this daily. These people who repeat-offend are simply jerks.

Let me also just add something. I have a feeling that people who are "speeding up" to not let you in are doing so because you are absolutely poking at 35-40 mph and you are an obvious safety hazard to let them in front of you. I recently had to do this on 235. I could not get over and I was hoping a merging car would speed up from their current speed of no more than 30 mph. When it became obvious that they were not and slowing down to their speed would get me rear-ended I had to just punch it and let them get in behind me.

This, ladies and gentlemen, is MY daily commute! (cue ear-splitting "American Idol" theme music):lol2:

Sounds like a case of passing the buck to the guy who would have rear-ended you. (well played, btw =)
I wish somebody would stress the concept that it is the task of the person on the entry ramp/lane to match their speed as closely as possible to the traffic into which they are going to merge in a yieldy manner . . . especially those who are charged with designing highways with ramps and lanes long enough to be up to the task.

Up in Minneapolis they actually have signal lights to control the flow of even getting onto the merging lane. They also have signals about half a mile from some semi-rural, signal controlled intersections to let you know that the light will definitely be red by the time you get there. They have really, really big snowplows, too . . . along with scary drivers second only to Dallas. Not scary snowplow drivers . . . the other ones. =)

Up in Minneapolis they actually have signal lights to control the flow of even getting onto the merging lane.

Many LA freeways have the same thing.

They put those metering lights in Atlanta as well. Traffic still sucks. It does make it easier to get on the freeway but you don't go any where after you get on.

Let me also just add something. I have a feeling that people who are "speeding up" to not let you in are doing so because you are absolutely poking at 35-40 mph and you are an obvious safety hazard to let them in front of you. I recently had to do this on 235. I could not get over and I was hoping a merging car would speed up from their current speed of no more than 30 mph. When it became obvious that they were not and slowing down to their speed would get me rear-ended I had to just punch it and let them get in behind me. This has happened on several occasion to other drivers in the same area. It also doesn't help that ODOT engineers seem hell bent on designing outrageously short on/off ramps.

Sure, that's a problem, too. But its not all or nothing. Just as there are dumb people who just can't get up to speed, there are also jerks who just can not seem to stand letting someone in front of the, regardless of their speed.

They put those metering lights in Atlanta as well. Traffic still sucks. It does make it easier to get on the freeway but you don't go any where after you get on.

But Atlanta is its own special brand of traffic insanity. I'm not sure it counts as an example (or counterexample) of anything :)

But Atlanta is its own special brand of traffic insanity. I'm not sure it counts as an example (or counterexample) of anything :)

Atlanta is proof that adding more lanes doesn't solve congestion and all the metering lights did was move the on-ramp backups about 100 feet up the road. Next time I am up there (March) I can take a picture of exactly how all it did was move the problem up the on-ramp.

Atlanta is proof that adding more lanes doesn't solve congestion and all the metering lights did was move the on-ramp backups about 100 feet up the road. Next time I am up there (March) I can take a picture of exactly how all it did was move the problem up the on-ramp.

Yeah I think in reality from what little I've studied about Atlanta and its traffic problems is that its a petri dish of how not to plan a metropolitan interstate. Lots of combating factions/political infighting that led to some really bizarre decisions, I guess.

The biggest mess for me personally going through Atlanta was coming back from Orlando one year, and going from northbound I-75 onto westbound I-20 back toward Birmingham. It was an absolutely idiotic design that had, as I recall, four lanes north and south merging into two, or something similar. We were backed up for something like 30-60 minutes there alone. And I think, but certainly won't swear, that that particular interchange was the source of some discussion/controversy about its design, but nothing was done, etc etc. Don't remember. Fleeting memories at best :)

Anyway, Atlanta is a mess. Just a hot mess. Hate driving through it en route to Florida, but I dislike the idea of driving through the backwoods and speedtraps of Bama and Georgia even more..... lol

The biggest sense of frustration I get is in Norman-at the Main Street interchange. People coming from I-35 to Main westbound act as though they own the road and that everyone coming from the Main Street bridge should just disappear, 'cause it's "their" road. Who cares about that yield sign CLEARLY MARKED and VISIBLE as they're coming from the interstate? "I'm not going to yield to any stinking traffic", as the attitude tells. I tell you, that re-design can't come soon enough. At least the cloverleafs are gone, one less thing to worry about. Once there was a wiseguy who saw me coming but still continued on to me while merging from the cloverleaf ramp, had I not taken a last minute action to swerve he would have definitely hit me. And then he has the audacity to act like I'm the one who's at fault.

Best phrase I remember while taking driver's ed-"Driving is a PRIVILEGE, not a right."

And the second most thing I dislike are the red-light runners. They're everywhere, it's rampant and some of them know for sure they're not going to "beat the red light", but they go ahead anyway (if you're 100 feet from the intersection and the yellow's been on for 3 seconds, trust me-you're not going to make it). What is it with drivers these days? I mean if you really don't have that much time to wait you really need to get better at time management or something, because that kind of driving is what makes it dangerous not only for yourselves but also for others.

And the second most thing I dislike are the red-light runners. They're everywhere, it's rampant and some of them know for sure they're not going to "beat the red light", but they go ahead anyway .....

I think this is one of the "underdiscussed" dangers in driving right now. It comes up for some focused attention every once in a while, and that's a good thing, but in general it is overlooked. Even if I have a clean-green light at an intersection, I'm slowing at least a bit to look for precisely those red-light runners, because I don't want to get T-boned. Tried to keep my son aware of the same thing, too.

My biggest pet peeve is folks who are service drive cutters to avoid the signal light. GRHHHH.

I think this is one of the "underdiscussed" dangers in driving right now. It comes up for some focused attention every once in a while, and that's a good thing, but in general it is overlooked. Even if I have a clean-green light at an intersection, I'm slowing at least a bit to look for precisely those red-light runners, because I don't want to get T-boned. Tried to keep my son aware of the same thing, too.

Perhaps time for Red Light cameras?

OUman I'm with you on the Main Street/I-35 thing. It is much like NB 35 to WB 240. Yes an additional lane is being added right there, but no one ever bothers to watch for people who are coming off to exit onto 35. We have the yield sign, not them, yet people will continue to keep going and cause someone to stop in the middle lane until they can get over. Of course that entire interchange is terrible...2018 won't come fast enough (if I'm even still living here to enjoy it).

Another random thought. Has anyone notice just about everyone driving a company vehicle (mostly vans) just drive with the force and don't really obey any street laws? Has anyone ever called the company directly to report the driver? I wonder if anything would even bother happening or if it just gets blown off.

Another random thought. Has anyone notice just about everyone driving a company vehicle (mostly vans) just drive with the force and don't really obey any street laws? Has anyone ever called the company directly to report the driver? I wonder if anything would even bother happening or if it just gets blown off.

Some companies have trackers in their vehicles. Just give a date/time/location.

Good Driving or Bad Driving?
Intersection: May and Britton. Location: Outside lane on westbound Britton, in first vehicle in what will be shortly become a line of people, in cars, mostly waiting to turn right onto southbound May.

"Role Play/Example":
The light turns green and I have already merged--from the ending lane that I intentionally selected, on account of it was empty--into the westbound lane (about half a block down the road) and before the "driver"--sitting in front of the long, long line in the center lane at the light--has realized the light has turned green and started to move forward on account of the cell phone conversation in which he or she was or were involved. No "cutting off" . . . no "yielding" . . . just getting from Point A to Point B with the minimum about of wasted time and the maximum amount of safety. =)

The move is not prohibited by any signage . . . promotes traffic flow . . . and is sort of like merging Chess with NASCAR.

The reason people run red lights is to make up for all the time lost unnecessarily zoning out on cellphones at lights that have turned green.=)

I suggest that when people buy big, road barge SUV's they be required to take a driving test in that vehicle to prove that they are capable of making a right turn into a parking lot without coming to a complete stop in traffic to do so. And to maintain a level playing field, without being double-challenged by having the power steering turned off. It would be like a "motorcycle endorsement" on their Driver's License/License to Kill except for being more of the defensively offensive persuasion.

Another one is the folks that don't know how to use the center left turn lane. They hit their brakes and their left turn signal at the same time, pull into the left turn lane right at the entrance they're wanting to turn into and stop with their tail end sticking out in the traffic la

To those folks,... it is OK to move into the center turn lane BEFORE you have to turn left. Traffic laws allow 200 ft.

Not sure if this is what you mean, but I hate it when people do this:

They are trying to turn across a median and they are sitting in the opposite lane of traffic (essentially head-on).

The beginning of this Edmond Police video actually shows this violation clearly:

The Edmond Way I "Traffic Stop" - YouTube (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=txBrlx3jBgA)

Another one is the folks that don't know how to use the center left turn lane. They hit their brakes and their left turn signal at the same time, pull into the left turn lane right at the entrance they're wanting to turn into and stop with their tail end sticking out in the traffic la

To those folks,... it is OK to move into the center turn lane BEFORE you have to turn left. Traffic laws allow 200 ft.

But can they still text in the center lane?

Perhaps time for Red Light cameras?


Another random thought. Has anyone notice just about everyone driving a company vehicle (mostly vans) just drive with the force and don't really obey any street laws? Has anyone ever called the company directly to report the driver? I wonder if anything would even bother happening or if it just gets blown off.

I've noticed this a lot more also. I have called several companies and most seemed concerned at least. A couple acted like it was no big deal and one hung up on me.

Not sure if this is what you mean, but I hate it when people do this:

They are trying to turn across a median and they are sitting in the opposite lane of traffic (essentially head-on).

The beginning of this Edmond Police video actually shows this violation clearly:

The Edmond Way I "Traffic Stop" - YouTube (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=txBrlx3jBgA)

No, I'm talking about when there are 5 lanes, two in echo direction with the center lane designated as a left turn lane for both directions.

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That video of an Edmond police officer stopping a motorist for facing opposing traffic in the crossover makes me laugh because I witnessed first hand Edmond officers doing the same thing at the corner of 33rd and Broadway while performing traffic enforcement on red light runners.

Here's how it worked. Some motorists who are westbound on 33rd are running the red as they turn left on to southbound Broadway. Edmond police sit in the old Pepperoni Grill / Kabuki parking lot facing west so they can see the light change. When the left turn light does change to red, the east/west traffic on 33rd then get the green. When the officer sees an offender, he has to come speeding out of the parking lot travelling westbound in the eastbound lanes of the intersection, in the face of eastbound traffic already started through the intersection, before he ultimately turns left onto southbound Broadway to catch the offender. Granted, the come out with lights and sirens, but they have a very small window to fit through.



P

This was in the paper today: Oklahoma law seems to give 100 mph speeders a pass | News OK (http://newsok.com/oklahoma-law-seems-to-give-100-mph-speeders-a-pass/article/3756313)


On Nov. 30, 2011, an Oklahoma Highway Patrol trooper ticketed Brandon L. Maples for driving 111 mph on Interstate 44 in Comanche County.A week later, another trooper cited Maples for traveling 101 mph in Grady County.
Then, in March, Maples received another ticket in Grady County, this time for doing 102 mph.
In every instance, Maples, 34, of Oklahoma City, was found guilty.

The story just sorta made my blood boil. Especially with these repeat offenders just paying the find and moving on.

I'm sorry, you have no reason to go 100+ at any time. It seems those that Oklahoma really isn't on its game to address the issue. So some thoughts...

25+ over posted limit = Wreckless Driving Charges
1st Violation: Fine + Probation
2nd Violation: Fine, Suspended License for 6 months, Mandatory Drivers Safety Course, Re-Exam, Unique Bright Yellow license tag to highlight driving offender (these should also be used for DUIs like other states), and 100 hours of community service
3rd Violation: All of the above, plus 3 days jail time and license suspension for 1 year and 300 hours of community service
4th Violation: All above, license suspended for 5+ years, immediate confiscation of the vehicle, 30 days in jail plus 500 hours community service

Just today . . . I'm southbound on Penn, in the inside lane, behind some "courteous" prick in a black Ford Focus (note the irony), at the last unsignaled/unsigned left turn opportunity for northbound traffic on Penn, north of the Turnpike Frontage road light (a.k.a. Memorial Road, westbound).

Mr. Focus has decided not to block the opportunity for people--in this case a motorcycle--to make that tricky left turn, across two lanes of "Sunday Rush Hours" traffic in the vicinity of Walmartia/The KlusterFukke From Hell. Of course, the alert motorcyclist is carefully watching the traffic to the left of Mr. Focus to be sure that he--the motorcyclist and his passenger--don't get creamed by the "non-yielding" traffic that apparently doesn't appear in Mr. Focus' right-side rear-view mirror.

The light ahead turns green and Mr. Focus continues to sit there, being polite, long enough for the biker and the car behind him to catch a break in the other lane's traffic and make that left turn. Then, Mr. Focus heads south, down the lane that has been empty for awhile, and RUNS THE FRIGGIN' LIGHT THAT TURNED RED ABOUT FIVE SECONDS BEFORE HE GOT TO THE INTERSECTION.

All I could do was sit there and [anti-"bless"] him on at least two levels of "idiocy in traffic" while I waited for the light to turn green . . . again.
(This might be unfair: Mr. Focus might have been Mrs. or Ms. Focus. In any case, I feel better now. =)

Not t' nit-pick, Venture . . . but isn't "Wreckless" Driving a good thing? =)

Not sure if this is what you mean, but I hate it when people do this:

They are trying to turn across a median and they are sitting in the opposite lane of traffic (essentially head-on).

The beginning of this Edmond Police video actually shows this violation clearly:

The Edmond Way I "Traffic Stop" - YouTube (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=txBrlx3jBgA)

Just watched this. I can't find a single flaw in the reason for the stop or the procedure.
(as long as the person who was pulled over was only given a warning/suggestion for improvment)
(dang . . . i actually had something positive t' say about Edmond PD . . . =)

Thanks Anon . . . I guess that nice friendly wave-back from that danged ol' bicycle rider a corner-cuttin' a parking lot who realized I wuz a-watchin' out for him kinda made me more aware of stuff like this here . . . =) (again: thanks, sincerely.)

How about this: New Oklahoma Vanity License Plate (including bringing back the "Dreamcatcher/WarShield" icon:
Drive Friendly Or Else OK?
Oklahoma is OK Stupid Driving is Not =)

I made a few observations driving I-35 North on the way to work this morning (7:35 AM to 7:50 AM).

I didn't see anyone weaving in and out of traffic.

No one crossed 2 lanes of traffic at the last second to take an off ramp

I never had to touch my brakes one time. Traffic ran smoothly from Moore to Downtown OKC.

It's a federal holiday... There are no government employees on the road today...... Coincidence?

I made a few observations driving I-35 North on the way to work this morning (7:35 AM to 7:50 AM).

I didn't see anyone weaving in and out of traffic.

No one crossed 2 lanes of traffic at the last second to take an off ramp

I never had to touch my brakes one time. Traffic ran smoothly from Moore to Downtown OKC.

It's a federal holiday... There are no government employees on the road today...... Coincidence?

LIKE LIKE (a pox on ya broken lil' Like Button) LIKE LIKE LIKE

Okay, stand by for Personally Observed Rant Mode.

I'm driving my family home from a birthday lunch for my mother-in-law, who lives in the Mustang/Yukon area. I'm going east on (as I recall? 15th), and I notice in my rear-view mirror a small, pukish red car weaving in and out of their inside line as if they were drunk. And I mean big swerves; halfway into westbound traffic, then swerves back halfway into the rightmost lane.

I have to slow and move to the rightmost lane to turn south, meaning this joker is going to be at my side. And as they pull up...I notice its some idiot about 18 years of age, head stuck on her phone, texting her brains out. And she's still weaving. I slow even further to allow her to get distinctly ahead of me, and then I honk my horn in abject frustration. When we get to the intersection, I notice she's put the phone down, so I at least make my turn in the hopes the horn-honk startled her out of her texting mode for a couple hundred yards. That's the kind of thing that gets people killed. I would have called the cops myself and reported her myself, but the only way I could have done that was to use the phone while driving myself. Didn't think hypocrisy was the best course to take.

I don't know what we've got to do to keep idiots like this from using their phones and driving their four-wheeled missiles into innocent drivers, pedestrians, or other bystanders. But I'm ready for selecting tasing. These idiots have to be stopped. I'm beginning to realize that it is so pervasive, its actually more of a public health and safety risk than drunk driving.

Rant mode off.

Banks are also closed. However, are you insinuating that the government employees are bad drivers or that government employees make other drivers worse? Myth Busters tackled this subject and found that frustration, stress, and pressure are the sources of bad driving. Add more cars and frustration/stress/pressure go up causing otherwise sane people to do insane things.

Banks are also closed. However, are you insinuating that the government employees are bad drivers or that government employees make other drivers worse? Myth Busters tackled this subject and found that frustration, stress, and pressure are the sources of bad driving. Add more cars and frustration/stress/pressure go up causing otherwise sane people to do insane things.

Even during normal days of operation, bank employees aren't adding traffic at 6-7AM.

Okay, stand by for Personally Observed Rant Mode.
And as they pull up...I notice its some idiot about 18 years of age, head stuck on her phone, texting her brains out. And she's still weaving. That's the kind of thing that gets people killed.
I don't know what we've got to do to keep idiots like this from using their phones and driving their four-wheeled missiles into innocent drivers, pedestrians, or other bystanders. These idiots have to be stopped. I'm beginning to realize that it is so pervasive, its actually more of a public health and safety risk than drunk driving.

Rant mode off.

Question: How many accidents have been caused by not wearing a seatbelt?
Answer: Zero

Question: How many accidents have been caused by the use of mobile devices while steering?
Answer: Thousands upon thousands.

Question: How many traffic stops and tickets are based on not wearing a seatbelt?
Answer: Too many.

Question: How many traffic stops and tickets are based on failing to pay full time and attention to driving, specifically in regard to using mobile communication devices?
Answer: Not nearly enough (if any).

Does this really make sense? (no)

Just watched this. I can't find a single flaw in the reason for the stop or the procedure.
(as long as the person who was pulled over was only given a warning/suggestion for improvment)
(dang . . . i actually had something positive t' say about Edmond PD . . . =)

Thanks Anon . . . I guess that nice friendly wave-back from that danged ol' bicycle rider a corner-cuttin' a parking lot who realized I wuz a-watchin' out for him kinda made me more aware of stuff like this here . . . =) (again: thanks, sincerely.)

How about this: New Oklahoma Vanity License Plate (including bringing back the "Dreamcatcher/WarShield" icon:
Drive Friendly Or Else OK?
Oklahoma is OK Stupid Driving is Not =)

I would say they are dead on as well. The problem I have is that there is little education pertaining to this matter, and no signs or street markings anywhere, so just like the seatbelt laws, this is used as probable cause to see what else they can dig up.

Question: How many accidents have been caused by not wearing a seatbelt?
Answer: Zero

Question: How many accidents have been caused by the use of mobile devices while steering?
Answer: Thousands upon thousands.

Question: How many traffic stops and tickets are based on not wearing a seatbelt?
Answer: Too many.

Question: How many traffic stops and tickets are based on failing to pay full time and attention to driving, specifically in regard to using mobile communication devices?
Answer: Not nearly enough (if any).

Does this really make sense? (no)

Unfortunately, this very notion is in keeping with our general trend in terms of government - protect you from yourself rather than from the other guy. Combine that with the fact that seat belt laws make for lucrative, high-opportunity, low-overhead enforcement, and the rest falls out pretty readily.

Can't quite remember the last time I was quite as angry at another driver as I was this woman I mentioned earlier. Not just that she was texting while driving, but that she was completely oblivious to the fact that she was weaving every bit as recklessly and dangerously as a drunk driver. My first thought was that she was either drunk, high, or maybe both. (Who knows; in retrospect, maybe she was). And she goes merrily along her way until she kills someone. But we're safe from all those non-seat-belters! (Insert more Yosemite Sam swearing...)

No seat-belt laws would be great if the taxpayers and other insured people didn't have to pick up the bill for the injuries. But since we do, buckle up.

FWIW, not all banks are closed today. A :tiphat: to the friendly folks at IBC (my local branch was open anyway.)

No seat-belt laws would be great if the taxpayers and other insured people didn't have to pick up the bill for the injuries. But since we do, buckle up.

Agreed. SoonerDave in OKC a seatbelt ticket is only $20.00. Hardly a high profit/lucrative enforcement tool.

a seatbelt ticket is only $20.00. Hardly a high profit/lucrative enforcement tool.

But makes for a right handy LEO excuse .... sometimes.

No seat-belt laws would be great if the taxpayers and other insured people didn't have to pick up the bill for the injuries. But since we do, buckle up.

Go after the real cause of the overwhelming majority of the things that create the need for seatbelts - the drunks, the junkies, the texters, the chronic incompetents, the red-light runners, the speeders - and you'll drop "taxpayer/other insureds" costs a bunch more than ticketing the perpetrators of the cause of exactly *zero* accidents - seatbelt violators.

Just a matter of proper priority.

Are you saying that seat-belt enforcement is taking preciously law enforcement time and money away from those other issues?

Are you saying that seat-belt enforcement is taking preciously law enforcement time and money away from those other issues?

If *one* seat belt ticket is written, youbetcha.

Sorry, just not a fan of seat belt laws. I buckle up, always did, always will, but don't need the Nanny State to require it. As for the rest, its because of the reasons I've already stated - plenty of other urgent actual threats on the road that should be addressed.

I believe that focusing on accident prevention is more important than focusing on accident survivability.

(e.g.: If the f**in' moron hadn't been texting in traffic the accident--that I was buckled up for--wouldn't have happened in the first place. Even insurance companies--and the rest of us--should be able to get behind THIS order of priorities/cause and effect.)

Oh! And if seatbelts are such a great idea then why aren't automobile drivers required to wear helmets too as some states require of motorcycle riders? If one ounce of survivablity is good then a couple more pounds has to be great!

But this thread is about sh*tty drivers . . . not sh*tty laws. Please forgive my swerving off topic. =)

This one just flew in from ancient childhood memories (I don't know how because I wasn't even born when this was):
mZAZ_xu0DCg
I guess it's true that the more things change, the more they stay the same (except for a general downtrend in common sense and intelligence)

Are you saying that seat-belt enforcement is taking preciously law enforcement time and money away from those other issues?

It obviously takes time away from this important issue.

http://www.okctalk.com/current-events-open-topic/33316-oklahoma-senate-approves-littering-fine-hike.html

It obviously takes time away from this important issue.

http://www.okctalk.com/current-events-open-topic/33316-oklahoma-senate-approves-littering-fine-hike.html

Surely, you can't be inferring that the funds generated from The Littery couldn't be used for a wee bit o' pavement paint in the vicinity of . . . oh, i dunno . . . left turns adjacent to "traffic islands" . . . say . . . in Edmond to provide motorists with a reminder of proper vehicle placement in terms of safely executing the turn without fear of being pulled over and reminded of their mistake . . . r' u'? =)

BumperSticker/Vanity License Plate Suggestion:
"Don't Lay That Trash on Oklahoma. Not OK. Or Else."

(p.s.: i don't litter.)