This is more of a rant than anything, but if any of you want to comment on this issue, feel free.

OKC drivers: LEARN TO DRIVE!! I'm tired of constantly being delayed driving home because traffic is backed up like crazy because of a rear-end accident!! It is a very simple concept. Put the phone down, give some space between you and the driver in front of you, and don't wait till the last minute to merge. How hard is it?? Oklahoma City easily has the worst drivers I have ever seen. Grrr....

I was almost involved in my first accident because of this idiocy. It is crazy. My vehicle sits up a little taller than others, so I can anticipate what's going on further up the road. However, this guy was driving a low-profile car, tailgating the car in front of him, and going 70 mph in a 60 when suddenly, the car in front of him stops short. This guy locks up his brakes and swerves toward me and nearly side-swipes me right before he nails the driver in front of him.

Also, I don't see how they can't make cars into a small Faraday Cages which would cancel out any cell phone signal and remove the temptation altogether. It is absolutely insane how bad drivers are in this city.

People should have to retake their driver's test every couple of years, and I'm starting to believe that if you are involved in an accident of which you caused because you were on your phone, you should get your license taken away. Maybe go into a probationary state (can't drive at night, etc) after the first such incident, and after the second accident, you lose your license for a year or something.

First off, there's an app that you can download on cell phones that tracks how fast you're going and will only allow bluetooth operation if all requirements (speed) are met. Personally it shouldn't be an app but an actual requirement of the cell phone production. Second off, I've seen worse drivers in Kansas City, but the difference between them and our crappy drivers here is that they know how to drive when precip has occurred. People here are just flat out stupid.

I once created a rant on my Myspace blog that had illustrations in it showing how people should deal with intersections where stoplights are prevalent because they are sitting in front of the sensor pad in the ground and get pissy when the light doesn't change for them, lol. Good times.

Let me preface by saying that there are bad drivers EVERYWHERE and the bad habits may differ, the overall crappy driving will be the same across the country.

With that in mind, I definitely notice drivers here tend to drive with their head in the clouds. My best guess why is that there is not a lot of traffic here, and people rarely need to get into a "shut up and drive" mode. The lack of congestion means people think they have plenty of opportunity to text, eat, read, put on makeup, change the radio station, yell at their kids in the backseat, etc. You can also see this in the way people poke in the left lane or merge on the freeway going 30 mph (for the record, OK is about the worst when it comes to merging on/off the freeway). Its pretty shocking to me how many people here think this is perfectly acceptable behavior.

Let me preface by saying that there are bad drivers EVERYWHERE and the bad habits may differ, the overall crappy driving will be the same across the country.

With that in mind, I definitely notice drivers here tend to drive with their head in the clouds. My best guess why is that there is not a lot of traffic here, and people rarely need to get into a "shut up and drive" mode. The lack of congestion means people think they have plenty of opportunity to text, eat, read, put on makeup, change the radio station, yell at their kids in the backseat, etc. You can also see this in the way people poke in the left lane or merge on the freeway going 30 mph (for the record, OK is about the worst when it comes to merging on/off the freeway). Its pretty shocking to me how many people here think this is perfectly acceptable behavior.

That is no joke! I couldn't agree with this more. I about had a semi run up my tail pipe because some guy merged going 40 mph. That one scared the crap out of me (almost literally...luckily I was fasting that day).

Please don't blame cell phones for the lousy driving you encounter. Our fair state has had its share of inconsiderate, clueless drivers long before cells existed, and them folk taught their youngins, who taught theirs, and so on. Bad driving is absolutely a multi-generational issue round these parts, and elsewhere as well.

Edit


Please don't blame cell phones for the lousy driving you encounter. Our fair state has had its share of inconsiderate, clueless drivers long before cells existed, and them folk taught their youngins, who taught theirs, and so on. Bad driving is absolutely a multi-generational issue round these parts, and elsewhere as well.

I'm pretty sure nobody here is blaming the phones per say, but the introduction of phones into a situation that requires your full attention is asking for trouble.

Also, I don't buy your argument. It doesn't matter how bad of a driver your parents are. Students take driver's ed, and they have to pass a driver's test at the dmv (or wherever they take it these days). People "know" how to drive good, but they make poor choices behind the wheel.

I think a major problem today is this "me first" mentality. It is like we are all in a race to get home, and I have to beat that guy in the red car for some reason. People swerve in and out of traffic to get "ahead" in a pointless race. Also, driving isn't enjoyable for a lot of people and this results in increased road rage which adds to tailgating among other things. If people just followed the speed limit and gave themselves plenty of room, a lot of these problems would likely subside to a degree.

Yes we have the worst drivers. No doubt. I was about to make a rant also due to some of the traffic I encountered today, glad you posted.

People need to be more aggressive drivers (I don't mean road rage at all). You need to keep up with traffic (even if the traffic flow is going faster than the speed limit, if you do not want to do that you need to be in the far right lane). When merging or changing lanes, you need to indicate with your signal and then get in the lane. No 1/4 mile merging. Find a spot and get it.

Merging: same thing, get up to speed as quick as possible, find a spot, indicate, and take it. Don't dilly dally around when getting on the freeway, look in your mirrors or beside you and find a set of cars you want to merge between. Match their speed and "zipper" in. Indicate, don't force your way but make it known what spot you want. Your brake pedal should never be used unless you are making a slight speed reduction to merge in, not any significant braking. If you can't find a spot or no one will let you in, take the emergency lane if available and safe to do so, people will let you in at that point, but don't reduce your speed.

I really hate our drivers here. HATE HATE HATE.

We do not have the worst drivers, not even close. Go spend some time in San Juan Puerto Rico and you'll find 10 X worse drivers than here. Everyone's car is a beat piece due to this. You can be driving 35 mph and the next thing you know, someone is turning and stopping in front of you and making that U turn at your expense. There's nowhere else like it in the world, it's unbelievable.

This morning. Driving north on Penn in the outside lane, at just under the speed limit (43mph). A "Safeway" taxi comes flying up behind me in the other lane then starts to pass me. Apparantly, he isn't paying attention to the short line of cars, stopped in his lane, while the front car is waiting to turn left. It looks as if he is going to slam into them unless I slow down real fast and give him enough room to pull over into my lane. Instead of making the move he slams on his brakes and barely avoids causing a chain reaction accident.

The worst drivers I've encountered are in Dallas.

Something to think about the next time you are wandering the aisles of one store or another: All those zombified morons in there with you didn't walk to get there.

It must be bad here if Radical isn't typing in poet mode lol

Npthing pisses me off more than the junction to southbound I-44 from eastbound I-40 because drivers already traveling sounth on I - 44 DONT switch lanes so cars can Merge because that lane quickly turns into an "Exit Only" talking about SW 15th Street

If you can't find a spot or no one will let you in, take the emergency lane if available and safe to do so, people will let you in at that point, but don't reduce your speed.


It drives (pun intended) me insane when people don't allow other people to merge onto the interstate. Just the other day I was merging on to I35, matched the speed, and some lady zoomed up either ignorant of what was going on or trying to block me from getting on.

Another anecdote from later on in that SAME drive, I was in the right lane and to my forward left was another car. An SUV was tailgating him for quite a while despite their being plenty of room to change lanes and pass. Eventually, though, the SUV did decide to change lanes. Unfortunately, he picked my line when he was almost directly to my left and didn't feel the need to indicate he was going to be changing lanes anytime in the near future. I had to brake to avoid an accident.

So, yeah.

The worst drivers I've encountered are in Dallas.



Yes! I had some business down there just a few weeks ago. I have driven in many cities, but Dallas area roads are the only place I have actually feared for my safety. I have seriously never driven one day in Dallas where I haven't seen an overturned car on the side of the road.

Oh, and the whole shoulder-as-passing-lane mentality needs to be cracked down on hard.

Ok, enough of that rant. Back on original topic: I have driven about 25 years in OKC and I really believe that road manners have gotten much worse in the last few years than at any time I remember. There is no other way to anger a large number of people at once than driving less than five MPH over the limit, and I wasn't even in the passing lane.

I completely agree that driver re-testing be mandatory at renewal, or at least a defensive driving class every five years. I recently took that class for an insurance discount and it was very informative and made me approach my driving habits differently.

It drives (pun intended) me insane when people don't allow other people to merge onto the interstate. Just the other day I was merging on to I35, matched the speed, and some lady zoomed up either ignorant of what was going on or trying to block me from getting on.



I have seen that a lot more lately also. As soon I signal my intent to change lanes, the driver in that lane hits the accelerator! Why? It isn't a race!

When I was younger I use to be pretty darn aggressive at driving. Getting a bit older (mid 30s) now, I definitely have calmed down quite a bit. I'll punch it if I need to get around someone or a situation I see developing. I guess I'm using some of that training I took in flight school when I was a kid when it comes to situational awareness and always knowing what is going on around me and well ahead of me. If I see cars stopped on the I-35 on ramp from 240, I'll bolt to Shields or start slowing down ahead of time. There is always some idiot though that speeds around only to slam on their breaks and stop on the shoulder next to the line of cars.

The biggest issues with drivers for me isn't really speed on the interstate. Yes there are some that aren't comfortable going much over 60 mph. I personally think a basic 5 over is alright. I do have a problem with people that feel like doing 20 over and riding people's asses until they get out of the way. I've been known to observe said behavior and do my part to help...slow them down. :) Interstate merging here is also terrible. Besides the short on ramps, people don't get over for on ramp traffic. I also don't care much for people that don't observe yield signs and decide to pull out in front of you going 20 mph. Not smart.

One of my biggest frustrations is with those that REFUSE to get over or slow down for cars parked on the shoulder. IT IS STATE LAW. Not only that...it is a safety issue. Move your asses over. I've seen cops get upset and just go after them for violating this and wish they did more of it.

It must be bad here if Radical isn't typing in poet mode lol

No, that was the Jack "Dragnet" Webb mode. =)

And here is a short list of Just The Other Facts involved in utilizing our pavements of various descriptions
(like, all the way from highways to byways and the rest of them too =):

1 You Drive a motor vehicle. You don't text nor chat on your electronic umbilical cord to the Hive Mind in the Cloud.
2 You learn how to "merge" on both sides of the driver--not texter nor chatter nor only steerer--sides of the equation.
3 You decide to "Yield" to the survival instinct rather than being right no matter what the sign at the intersection says.
4 You choose to "Drive Friendly" even if that slogan on old Texas license plates is ignored every day in Dallas (and Houston)
5 You understand that large, semi-trailer rigs cannot stop on a dime or accelerate like a Cobra and respect the damage they can do.
6 You are aware enough of your surroundings while piloting a motor vehicle that you pay attention to other drivers' lane change signals.
7 You survive the Asphalt Jungle to appreciate "diversity" another day.

(or not . . . your choice . . .=)

Dang . . . That sounds like some kinda "Commuterist Manifesto 'r Sumpin'" . . .

did i forget to mention: keep an eye out for motorcycles? choose to do that too.
not only will you squish them to one degree or another but it will also mess up your day and your SUV.


"Submitted . . . For your approval . . ." --as compared to the endless crapola on the "Merry-Go-Round" at the "StateHouse" regarding banning [non-driverly devices] in automobiles, use of:

The Best Anti-Texting/while "driving" Ad Ever:

The "Blog" from which it was borrowed, titled it:

Prisoners And Their Cells:
http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-77UqO9cOU4Q/URf-VZJt1WI/AAAAAAAAIoU/CdBRkMVMxsA/s640/beach.jpeg
Combine this with an automobile and nothing is left but an ugly stain on the pavement.

(someone in here knows The Local Guru of Auto Safety and Such in the paper (chuck 'a.a.a.' mai)? he seems to be more of a solution provider than a problem pointer . . . maybe he can "prod" the [drones] at The Local StateHouse into action . . . =)

When I was younger I use to be pretty darn aggressive at driving. Getting a bit older (mid 30s) now, I definitely have calmed down quite a bit. I'll punch it if I need to get around someone or a situation I see developing. I guess I'm using some of that training I took in flight school when I was a kid when it comes to situational awareness and always knowing what is going on around me and well ahead of me. If I see cars stopped on the I-35 on ramp from 240, I'll bolt to Shields or start slowing down ahead of time. There is always some idiot though that speeds around only to slam on their breaks and stop on the shoulder next to the line of cars.

The biggest issues with drivers for me isn't really speed on the interstate. Yes there are some that aren't comfortable going much over 60 mph. I personally think a basic 5 over is alright. I do have a problem with people that feel like doing 20 over and riding people's asses until they get out of the way. I've been known to observe said behavior and do my part to help...slow them down. :) Interstate merging here is also terrible. Besides the short on ramps, people don't get over for on ramp traffic. I also don't care much for people that don't observe yield signs and decide to pull out in front of you going 20 mph. Not smart.

One of my biggest frustrations is with those that REFUSE to get over or slow down for cars parked on the shoulder. IT IS STATE LAW. Not only that...it is a safety issue. Move your asses over. I've seen cops get upset and just go after them for violating this and wish they did more of it.

I agree its a safety issue to change lanes for vehicles on the shoulder, its only a required by law for emergency vehicles with lights activated.

I agree its a safety issue to change lanes for vehicles on the shoulder, its only a required by law for emergency vehicles with lights activated.

When you say "required by law" do you mean "current law"? Or do you mean "the law of human kindness and consideration"?
And how does all of this and the various interpretations thereof affect or effect the fishing in the vicinity of the area to which you have retired?
For example . . . Do you speed down the dirt roads kicking up a lot of dust to make the journey of those who follow better or worse?
Or do you drive real slow and enjoy the scenery? On the way to the lake . . .

Heck . . . I'm so into this "Learn to Drive" thing . . . i'm even a lot less pissed off about those dadgummed bicycle riders.

And, if you get right down to it . . . changing lanes to respect the vehicle on the shoulder might avoid a collision with some body who doesn't know how to change a flat tire in traffic . . . right? With or without lights flashing and cones and stuff . . .

Perhaps it is a matter of how one gets from Point A to Point Be . . . =)
(i'm still really angry about that f*ckhead driving that nearly fatal cab this morning . . . but not so much.)
(so consider the preceeding as a type of "zen cone" =)

I agree its a safety issue to change lanes for vehicles on the shoulder, its only a required by law for emergency vehicles with lights activated.

Also includes wreckers as well. However, if someone is out changing a tire there is no reason that a person shouldn't be changing lanes to give them a safety buffer. It is just common sense and failing to do so is ignorant.

Also includes wreckers as well. However, if someone is out changing a tire there is no reason that a person shouldn't be changing lanes to give them a safety buffer. It is just common sense and failing to do so is ignorant.

(over-wordy bumpersticker):
Failure to Willingly Move To The Left For The Sake of The Stranded In Traffic
Ain't Only Ignorant. It's Stoopid. Well . . . Ain't It?

(two very quick asides from my grandpa while he was driving: "Johnny, don't ever git in no hurry" "Anyone who says he has no faith in people cannot possibly sit behind the wheel of an automobile when there is oncoming traffic." I'm not sure how those words of wisdom translate into Spanish or one of the many languages of The Indian Subcontinent/Elsewhere, yet there they is. =)

This is one of the main reasons I stopped driving. Funny how driving brings out the worst in people and walking brings out the best.

This is one of the main reasons I stopped driving. Funny how driving brings out the worst in people and walking brings out the best.

Unfortunately, I can't stop driving, but I generally agree with your statement. I don't understand why people get so worked up while driving. Do they think that going an extra 10 mph over the speed limit and yelling at all the drivers who aren't is going to save them any time? Let's just say your commute is 20 miles. If you speed at 70 mph in a 60 mph zone, you save 7 minutes. Big deal! And that is without considering traffic.

I like to take my time driving home and relax. I try to refocus after a day of work so I can come home and enjoy my time with my wife. Instead, because of the stupidity in this city, I often get home P.O.'ed and have to relax there. If everybody would just relax and realize driving isn't a race, we would all probably be better off.

The problem is drivers ARE in competition with each other. When I do drive I have to make a conscious effort to stay calm and relaxed. My wife (the driving instructor) gets mad at me when I don't tailgate the car in front of me and I let others change lanes in front of me. I tell her we are living in a society and I am just trying to make it a more polite environment for everyone. That seems to make her even angrier :).

I realize not everyone can stop driving right away but I found you have to make an effort to live the kind of life you want to live. On the rare occasion I have to go somewhere at 5PM it boggles my mind that people choose to drive in rush hour traffic on a daily basis at all. Now that I don't do it, I could never go back to doing it again. That would be like breaking back into prison.

This is one of the main reasons I stopped driving. Funny how driving brings out the worst in people and walking brings out the best.


I wouldn't say that. There've been a few times I've had to wait through a stoplight again because a group of people decided to jaywalk through my green arrow.

I say make everyone go to Germany and learn to drive on the autobahn. If we adopted their laws it would alleviate a lot of road rage.

There in no "Fast Lane", it's called the "Passing Lane." No matter how fast you drive, you always stay as far to the right as possible.
It is illegal to pass on the right.
Yield to the car coming up behind you that is driving faster than you.
You only pass when it is safe enough to get back to the right lane as quickly as possible.

Even with the high speed the death rate is considerably lower, but in Germany it is a lot harder to get a license and you have to be 18.

I have thought for a long time that freeways should have lane specific speeds instead of zones that cover all lanes at once. On a three lane freeway the right lane should be 55mph, the middle lane 65mph and the left lane 75mph. Pick the speed you want to drive and get in that lane. If you do 65mph in the 55mph lane you get a ticket.

My first pet peeve as I was learning to drive was when I witnessed an accident caused by a girl, about my age, who plowed into the back of a car stopped to turn left into a shopping area because she was putting on her makeup. I couldn't believe it.

Cell phones are, essentially, the same thing, only now guys are given equal opportunity to be perpetrators. I am absolutely amazed at the number of people I see trying to enter a highway or stopped at a busy intersection, not moving because they're yapping on their cellphone. It makes me want to get out of the car, bust in the window, grab their phone, throw it on the ground, and then stomp on it gleefully while screaming to the driver "SHUT UP AND DRIVE!!!"

People who refuse to accelerate to highway speed on an entrance ramp are probably my #2 pet peeve. 2A is probably the guy who has room to enter, and I'm even slowing slightly and flicking my lights to let him know he can come in, and then STILL insists on slowing down MORE. That either forces ME to slow down if I still want (or have the option) to let him on, or accelerate to get PAST him. And I believe that dynamic, combined with a ridiculous entrance/exit ramp proximity problem, is the reason for about 80% of the accidents on the I-35/I-240 interchange in SW OKC. That place is an accident a day eastbound during rush hour, and I refuse to drive it, and I've told my family I don't want them anywhere near it for ANY reason during that time of day.

Grumble, grumble, grumble...

Glad to see all the people that think more frequent testing is a good idea.... It would be a major pain in the rear end for those of us that do know that...

....a flashing turn signal means the driver needs over and not speed up so they can't get over
... how a four way stop works
... how to merge on and off an Interstate
... a yellow signal light means slow down not break the speed limit to get through the red light

On the other hand. Considering that 1 in 4 drivers in Oklahoma are driving un-insured... How many people that failed the test would actually stop driving?

On the other hand. Considering that 1 in 4 drivers in Oklahoma are driving un-insured...

Worst accident I ever had was when an idiot woman, having a protracted rear-view-mirror obscenity exchange with the driver in front of her, decided it would Really Show That Guy if she recklessly whipped out around him and tried to cut him off. In so doing, she ran me off I-240, where I bounced on the concrete median, across three lanes of traffic, and into the barrels at the S. Walker exit. Totalled a seven-month-old car. And she had no insurance. Fortunately, my insurance subrogated the claim, went after her, and she was a no-show, thus losing a five-figure judgment in abstentia.

Right after the cell phoners, let's go after the uninsureds. Bet the real numbers are a lot worse than 1 in 4.

People who float or short-stop at stop signs also bug me. The first to go is the first to come to a complete stop at the white line. Not 10 feet before or after it. People try to cut turns by stopping 10 feet short or barely tapping their brakes and assuming their turn.

Right after the cell phoners, let's go after the uninsureds. Bet the real numbers are a lot worse than 1 in 4.

That was the number I heard John Doak give on the radio the other morning when they were discussing the new Uninsured Motorist coverage law that Oklahoma is considering.

I'm amazed at how many young drives don't take drivers training. I was a farm boy who knew how to navigate anything but given that the regulations in drivers training were pounded into my head. I see so many violations of the basic rules it confirms to me most have forgot or don't care.

I'm amazed at how many young drives don't take drivers training. I was a farm boy who knew how to navigate anything but given that the regulations in drivers training were pounded into my head. I see so many violations of the basic rules it confirms to me most have forgot or don't care.

The way I understood it when my son got his permit/license last year was that you can't GET a learner's permit WITHOUT proof of having taken an accredited driver's ed class. Thing that gets me is that driver's ed was provided at the junior high level when I was in school. We had a big simulator truck, went out on drives, but was apparently abolished long ago...

I have mixed emotions about the laws in some states that prevent getting a license until 18. On the one hand, I understand the presumptive better level of maturity at that age, but on the other, I'd like to have an 18-year-old with at least 2.5 years of driving experience on the road. And you have a lot more folks at 18 who have to be on the road by then for jobs, school, etc...

Signalling has become optional in this state. That really makes me mad. It's not hard or inconvenient and it's just a matter of being considerate. I tell my kids that driving is all about communicating. Letting other people know what you plan to do and watching what they plan to do, whether they tell you or not.

However, there is a special place in hell for someone sitting in the left most lane at a busy intersection that doesn't signal until the light turns green.

Grrrrrr.

Signalling has become optional in this state.
Grrrrrr.

People probably quit signalling because if you let the other drivers know your plans they are going to do their best to thwart them.

If I had the legal right to shoot someone for everytime they sped up and got beside me when they see me signal a lane change. The gene pool would be dang near pristine by now.

Also, I don't see how they can't make cars into a small Faraday Cages which would cancel out any cell phone signal and remove the temptation altogether. It is absolutely insane how bad drivers are in this city.


First off, there's an app that you can download on cell phones that tracks how fast you're going and will only allow bluetooth operation if all requirements (speed) are met. Personally it shouldn't be an app but an actual requirement of the cell phone production.

If all cars were only for a driver and no passengers, that would make sense, but there's no point in limiting the cell phone use of a passenger ... of a train, either, for that matter.

Okay . . . How about a warning light on any vehicle in which any type of cell phone is in use? If there is only one person in the vehicle it would make it easier for police to pull them over and ticket them for reckless driving--excuse me: reckless steering. In addition to the first offense fine of $500, their cellphone/other device could be seized. Since the person would have to buy another one, even the "Mobile Communications Lobby" could probably get behind this suggestion . . .

I think a major problem today is this "me first" mentality. It is like we are all in a race to get home, and I have to beat that guy in the red car for some reason. People swerve in and out of traffic to get "ahead" in a pointless race. Also, driving isn't enjoyable for a lot of people and this results in increased road rage which adds to tailgating among other things. If people just followed the speed limit and gave themselves plenty of room, a lot of these problems would likely subside to a degree.

This. Husband and I were coming back from OKC yesterday at around 5:20 (bad idea, I know). While it wasn't as bad as other rush hours I've been through, there was one hot shot A-hole in a Pontiac Firebird who was swerving in and out of traffic like a madman because he just HAD to get ahead. It really doesn't save you any time at all, especially when everyone in front of you suddenly comes to a dead stop. I always laugh when someone gets pissed and goes around me, only to have me blow by them five minutes later because the traffic in their lane slowed to a halt.

In slow traffic, I always leave a couple of car lengths between me and the vehicle in front of me, for a few reasons. Number one being that my vehicle does not like it when I slam on the brakes. Number two being that I don't like wasting a bunch of gas to speed up and close the gap when I'm just gonna have to slow down again in like two seconds. This makes people behind me SO ANGRY but I don't care. I do it anyway.

By the way, I'm a woman and I have never once put on makeup while driving! What the hell is wrong with my fellow women? Get up 15 minutes earlier and do that !@#$ at home! Besides, how do you know you're doing a good job putting it on if you can't give it your full attention...? :P

The most I'll do while driving is change the radio station or change tracks on my MP3 player. I probably shouldn't even do that, but it's a lot less distracting than using a cell phone, to be sure.

Also, if there is a hell, there should be a special place reserved for people who try to merge doing 30 MPH.

And I hate how people get all offended when you need to get on the highway, and they're like "YOU'RE NOT GETTIN' IN FRONT OF ME!" and then put the pedal to the metal. It's like, seriously? Assert yourself someplace else. The road is no place for that.

Let's all just take a big deep breath before we head home today because the roads are going to SUCK with the snow we have been getting. Good luck to everyone.

You guys have lots of great solutions, except for the only one that works everytime it is tried - just opt out. :) If you are waiting for traffic to improve - it is never going to happen. Once you realize you are fighting a losing battle the obvious solution becomes much easier to accept.

Opting out isn't an option for most people.

There was a span of years when recurring road trips were every bit as much contests as simple journeys ... did I dawdle for some reason or did I, yet again, beat my prior best for the trip. Not totally immune to such silliness, but I certainly can't call myself a serious competitor anymore.

Opting out isn't an option for most people.

Clearly a number of people on this thread are frustrated with driving so what are they going to do about it, because this problem is not going away unless they make it go away for themselves. That might mean having to move.

Clearly a number of people on this thread are frustrated with driving so what are they going to do about it, because this problem is not going away unless they make it go away for themselves. That might mean having to move.

Excluding a recent dinner trip, the other several times I've come into OKC from Norman recently have involved riding the Sooner Express to&from.
Short drive on my end, park, hop bus, leave the dodge bumper fun to someone else while I read papers or email (very dependable wifi), short stroll on the OKC end, conduct my business, grab a soda, short walk to the transit center, review papers or read email on ride back to Norman, drive to post office, do my thang, pop in on a nearby friend for a brief chat, go on about my day.

Not sure when I'll see the inside of a parking garage in OKC again. It may be a while though. Tough to beat the bus fare. When compared to fuel for my old tank and the price of a hole to hide it in, bus fare, soda and lunch are usually well below in price. And, I tend to be in a better mood. Besides, as I age, my eyes seem to become slightly worse, so reading and driving ... not really a good game plan. If I ever go back to doing continuing ed at 18th and Lincoln, I'll probably bus in for those as well. Shoot, I'd bus in for dinner or other DT activities at night if only there was an available route.

Okay . . . How about a warning light on any vehicle in which any type of cell phone is in use? If there is only one person in the vehicle it would make it easier for police to pull them over and ticket them for reckless driving--excuse me: reckless steering. In addition to the first offense fine of $500, their cellphone/other device could be seized. Since the person would have to buy another one, even the "Mobile Communications Lobby" could probably get behind this suggestion . . .

This basically wouldn't work. A cellular device is in constant communication with the surrounding towers, even if you're not on it. It's "active" when receiving calls and text messages, even if you ignore it. Additionally, smart phones are opening and closing data connections in the background.

Personally, my phone is both an audio source(Podcasts and music) and my GPS navigation. I'm not inclined to give up such useful functionality because some people can't stand to get off the phone or stop texting. I'll just keep a weather eye on the road and be ready to dodge.

If all cars were only for a driver and no passengers, that would make sense, but there's no point in limiting the cell phone use of a passenger ... of a train, either, for that matter.

Tis true...but I'd like to think that if someone is on a train, that they're going to pull out their laptop and work/play on that.

The way technology is...maybe there could be some sort of signal that the passenger train emits that allows your phone, if in bluetooth mode, to have certain apps available.

Let's all just take a big deep breath before we head home today because the roads are going to SUCK with the snow we have been getting. Good luck to everyone.

ummmmmmmmmmmmmmmm, it's just wet out there. People are driving normal speeds.

ummmmmmmmmmmmmmmm, it's just wet out there. People are driving normal speeds.

Are you new around these parts? It doesn't matter if it is raining, snowing, sleeting, icing, or just foggy. People around here cannot drive in any type of weather. Adding the word snow just freaks some people out which causes added issues.

Excluding a recent dinner trip, the other several times I've come into OKC from Norman recently have involved riding the Sooner Express to&from.
Short drive on my end, park, hop bus, leave the dodge bumper fun to someone else while I read papers or email (very dependable wifi), short stroll on the OKC end, conduct my business, grab a soda, short walk to the transit center, review papers or read email on ride back to Norman, drive to post office, do my thang, pop in on a nearby friend for a brief chat, go on about my day.

That works also.

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.

Do bad drivers know they're bad drivers? It seems everybody complains about bad drivers but its always the other guy who is the menace. Well I'll admit it. I'm a horrible driver and I don't know why that is. I don't text and drive, or eat and drive, or drink and drive or speed but geeze I'm always making boneheaded moves that cause near misses or backing into something. I suck at driving yet I really have no practical alternative. All I can say is my bad... Sorry guys.

"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"


It is nice when your trying to merge onto the highway, and other drivers get over to let you on, But it's just a courtesy. The folks already on the highway are not required to get over. When your getting on the highway, there is a big red and white triangle shaped sign with the word "YIELD" printed on it. Too many driver don't seen to know what that means.

If you would move out of people's way that are doing 20 over more of them would get caught by the cops. Every day on I-35 I watch someone flying down the road only to get caged in by a do gooder blocking the fast lane and two minutes later they pass a cop sitting under a bridge. Blocking the fast lane isn't making traffic safer for anyone. The left lane is for passing so when someone comes up behind you Move Over. If everyone moves out of the left lane super speeders would quickly get caught and OHP or OKCPD would give out one of their wonderful $280 - $600 tickets. Once speeders get three or four of those hefty tickets they will slow down.

This basically wouldn't work. A cellular device is in constant communication with the surrounding towers, even if you're not on it. It's "active" when receiving calls and text messages, even if you ignore it. Additionally, smart phones are opening and closing data connections in the background.

Personally, my phone is both an audio source(Podcasts and music) and my GPS navigation. I'm not inclined to give up such useful functionality because some people can't stand to get off the phone or stop texting. I'll just keep a weather eye on the road and be ready to dodge.

Dang. Oh well . . . another idea shot down . . . =)
To me it isn't so much about "dodging" cellphoneys and textaddicts on the road. It's more about having to sit behind them for an extra ten seconds at a light that turned green, or having to change lanes to pass because they are going about 30 in a 45. Oh! And I'm not one of those people who like to drive fast. I just like traffic to move at the posted speed limit.

I think that the real problem comes down to the fact that--as I've said many times before--a large number of people don't actually drive. They simply steer. Their minds are off somewhere else rather than being "in the reality zone" occupied by their moving automobile. I used to drive an 18-wheeler and also rode a motorcycle. Both of those activities demand nearly total focus on what you are doing in order not to not kill someone else or be killed yourself.

This thread reminds me of a post elsewhere on this forum. The poster (I forget who) said that they drove for the government, so they were required to undergo periodic driving tests. The instructor said that there was only one correct answer to the question "What are you doing?" while driving. Most people, when asked that, answer something like "I'm going to the grocery store" or "I'm picking up my kids from school." No. The only correct answer here is "I am operating a motor vehicle." If more people took this mindset when they got behind the wheel, our streets would be so much safer.

As I said, above, I've said it many times in many different ways . . . =)
(this post reminded me of the other one as well . . . =)
Thank you for remembering accurately a tiny bit of Truth.
I thank you and the guy who shared that bit of Wisdom with me thanks you.
Even if he doesn't know he does. =)

This thread also reminds me of one of the best chapters in one of the best "general common sense" guides ever: Everything I Need To Know I Learned in Kindergarten by . . . let me think . . . Robert Fulguhm? (sp?). There was a chapter in there about a Driving Instructor. There was nothing hackneyed or corny about it. Simply what should be common sense regarding operating a motor vehicle.

Disclaimer: This is in no way to be taken as an endorsement from the radical left or radical right as a proposal that we need to allow Kindergardners to operate motor vehicles until their feet can reach the pedals.

If you would move out of people's way that are doing 20 over more of them would get caught by the cops. Every day on I-35 I watch someone flying down the road only to get caged in by a do gooder blocking the fast lane and two minutes later they pass a cop sitting under a bridge. Blocking the fast lane isn't making traffic safer for anyone. The left lane is for passing so when someone comes up behind you Move Over. If everyone moves out of the left lane super speeders would quickly get caught and OHP or OKCPD would give out one of their wonderful $280 - $600 tickets. Once speeders get three or four of those hefty tickets they will slow down.

If I have anything that irritates me while driving, it is the people that flash their headlights to warn of police with radar. I WANT the speeders to get a ticket. Helping someone break the law is not helping the rest of us.

Kerry, the solution is to continually flash your headlights at everyone you pass so that they all think a speed trap is ahead. Then everyone will always be driving nice and slow.

Unless the "enforcers of law and order" have set up a "speed trap" . . .
[Luther . . . Forest Park . . . et cetera and so forth . . . 'cept in Piedmont it cud be a 'peed trap . . . heh heh heh]
Then it is the visual signal of "we are all in this together" . . . (except for the Speed-Trappers)

sheeeeeeit . . . i'm feelin' so friendly now that i can even begin to accept designated bicycle lanes and rules . . . =)

fyi jtf: before the invention of cb radios truckers--who bring all the goods to those quaint shoppes that you choose to bike or walk to to meet your needs--had extra secret symbols beyond "flashing the lights" in order to avoid the delays in keeping the world on a path toward perfect . . .

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 =)

To put things in proper perspective: Please be advised that I have never, ever--not once--failed to yield the right of way to a pedestrian. Or even a person in a wheelchair. Fortunately, I have never personally been faced with the dilemma of taking out a rickshaw puller or one of those Amish contraptions.

Please do not misinterpret any of the above as an unappreciation or misapprehension of your Idealistic Vision for a better tomorrow.
Thank you.

Rather than simply "talking about [the weather/problem]" . . . How about someone in here who knows Chuck Mai of AAA and John Doak "Insurance Czar" suggest they get together in The Lobby at The State House and actually Make Something Happen regarding . . . oh, i dunno . . . "Using Mobile Communication Devices In Traffic" . . .?

(sorry . . . that's crazy talk)