Driving habits

[mmartzall]

My bigest pet peeve is when someone is in a parking lot or something like that and is trying to turn into the lane that your waiting for the light to turn green and they stick the front of the car out there just enough so that you cant go around them but, you have to wait until their car and the person right on their butt gets out and then you have to sit at the same light again.

Also when people think that they have the right away but really dont. I'm not sure how some of these people got their license. They need to have it where if you fail, lets say three times, you can't get it untill your 18.

[OKC Heel]

I figured I'd let my first post be about the one thing I hate most about OKC drivers.

SLOWER TRAFFIC KEEP RIGHT

in other words, get out of my way. I know sometimes we all lose track of the fact that we're over there and someone has sped up on our bumper, but when it happens, get the heck over. I have called all of the news stations and begged them to do a story on this.

There seems to be a lack of education about this often times unwritten rule/agreement between drivers. Even when there are no signs telling you to get over, get over. The left lane is not there for you to poke right along and hold up traffic.

Also, don't give me this whole bit about I'm going plenty fast and you don't need to be going any faster than I am and if you'd like to go faster, go around. Because first of all, you don't get to decide what the appropriate speed for me is. If the speed limit is 65 and you're going 60 and don't get over then guess what? You're in the wrong.

If the speed limit is 65 and you're going 70 and I'm coming up behind you and you refuse to get over, then guess what? you're still in the wrong. You don't get to decide that 70 is more than fast enough for me to drive.

There is a very good reason that we pass on the left. These drivers that have decided they can put along in the left lane are the most dangerous things on Oklahoma roads and they are the only source of stress in my day.

I've been reading this board for the last couple of weeks and what most of you seem to have in common is a desire to be on the map, to get some national pub for what OKC has to offer, to be a major league city with all the ammenities that major league cities provide. Well along with the new building projects and housing developments comes a need for you to drop the grudge that someone had the audacity to speed up on your bumper and just do the right thing and get over. When you see people passing you on your right, that means you have failed the system.

Oh, and I'm glad to have found this place. Thanks for allowing me to be a part of your community.

[Ginkasa]

With the exception of interstates, if someone starts hugging, my tail, I start to just slow on down until they pass me. My interstates are a little more lenient, you should NOT speed on city streets at all, and I don't. If you want to go 50, or even 45, in a 40 MPH zone you need to just pass me on by 'cause I'm not speeding up or moving over for you.

I also really really HATE how people drive in parking lots. People drive down the center in two way lanes. People forget that there are other drivers in the parking lots and neglect to make sure there's not someone coming down when they turn into another row.

The worst, though, is when drivers sit and wait for someone to put their stuff away, get in their car, start it, and pull out just so they can get a somewhat better parking spot than the one a few spaces back, like previously mentioned. It holds up traffic. If I find myself behind someone holding up the traffic like that, I just lay the horn on 'em. I don't stop until their gone. And if someone's waiting for me to get in my car and pull out then I just let 'em wait. I'm not rewarding them for holding up traffic (even if its a slow day and there is no traffic to hold up; its the principle).

It gets so bad, that one time I got off work and went to sit in my car for my girlfriend to show up so we could see a movie (I work at a theatre). I guess this lady saw me get into my car and was waiting. When I wasn't pulling out she actually got out of her car (I looked when she left, there were at least five cars behind her), came up to me window, and asked me if I was going to go. I just waved her away. Man, it ticks me off.

[MadMonk]

With the exception of interstates, if someone starts hugging, my tail, I start to just slow on down until they pass me. My interstates are a little more lenient, you should NOT speed on city streets at all, and I don't. If you want to go 50, or even 45, in a 40 MPH zone you need to just pass me on by 'cause I'm not speeding up or moving over for you.

The proper thing to do if you aren't turning left soon is to move over and let the traffic by. You aren't responsible for traffic speed enforcement. If you were to move over once you realized that they are coming up from behind at a faster rate than you are driving you wouldn't have anyone hugging your bumper in the first place.

I also really really HATE how people drive in parking lots. People drive down the center in two way lanes. People forget that there are other drivers in the parking lots and neglect to make sure there's not someone coming down when they turn into another row.

I can't ague with you there. That and people who go the wrong way down angled parking lanes.

The worst, though, is when drivers sit and wait for someone to put their stuff away, get in their car, start it, and pull out just so they can get a somewhat better parking spot than the one a few spaces back, like previously mentioned. It holds up traffic. If I find myself behind someone holding up the traffic like that, I just lay the horn on 'em. I don't stop until their gone. And if someone's waiting for me to get in my car and pull out then I just let 'em wait. I'm not rewarding them for holding up traffic (even if its a slow day and there is no traffic to hold up; its the principle).

Also generally agree. I can park out in the "boonies" and still get into the store before some of those people can find the elusive "close" spot. However, laying on your horn isn't going to do anyone any good and is liable to get you into hot water (unless you limit your "horn-o-vengence" use to little old ladies).

[Ginkasa]

The proper thing to do if you aren't turning left soon is to move over and let the traffic by. You aren't responsible for traffic speed enforcement. If you were to move over once you realized that they are coming up from behind at a faster rate than you are driving you wouldn't have anyone hugging your bumper in the first place.

I have to disagree. The proper thing to do is simply not to speed; the limits are there for a reason. But I'm not trying to enforce that, I'm just trying to keep people off my tail so that if, for example, a child runs across the street and I have to hit my brakes suddenly, I don't get rear-ended my some guy who has to 50 in a 40 mph zone.

I'm not doing the illegal thing. I'm going to the limit, and I'm protecting my own car.

[mranderson]

I have to disagree. The proper thing to do is simply not to speed; the limits are there for a reason. But I'm not trying to enforce that, I'm just trying to keep people off my tail so that if, for example, a child runs across the street and I have to hit my brakes suddenly, I don't get rear-ended my some guy who has to 50 in a 40 mph zone.

I'm not doing the illegal thing. I'm going to the limit, and I'm protecting my own car.

The police department (and nearly every one of them across the country) has a grace limit of five to ten miles per hour except for school zones. The fine for less than five over is small. What they SHOULD do is get these scared slow-joes that crawl. Driving 15 under is just as dangerous as 15 over.

BTW. Personally, I average five over, and I am considered slow in a lot of places.

Another that bothers me is sliding. That is scooting across multiple lanes at once. Again dangerous. PLAN AHEAD!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! It pays off in the long run... And one other thing. That flashing red light on the back of my car? It means I want to change lanes. Let me. All you have to do is slow down a bit or speed up a bit.

[MadMonk]

I have to disagree. The proper thing to do is simply not to speed; the limits are there for a reason. But I'm not trying to enforce that, I'm just trying to keep people off my tail so that if, for example, a child runs across the street and I have to hit my brakes suddenly, I don't get rear-ended my some guy who has to 50 in a 40 mph zone.

I'm not doing the illegal thing. I'm going to the limit, and I'm protecting my own car.

I'm not saying that the speeder is doing the proper thing, only that your reaction to it is improper. What's the harm if you get out of the way and let them pass and then get back over? Riding your bumper is certainly unsafe, but if you move over and let them by, the problem is no longer yours to deal with. Continuing along with somone riding your bumper is also unsafe so if you're more interested in protecting your car than enforcing the speed limit on others, move over.

[Ginkasa]

Perhaps, but that feels fundamentally wrong to me. I feel like I'm rewarding the speeding, tail-hugging driver by getting out of their way and letting 'em go on. Slowing down shows them that riding my tail is not appreciated, and will not be tolerated. And if worse comes to worse, I believe the law would be on my side (although, I suppose, if worse truly did come to worse that'd be a charge of murder, but hey, who ever said the world was safe?).

I mean, its like letting a bully take my lunch money. I can give him my money, sure, and save myself a beating, but then he'll just come and take some more. Or I could refuse, save my money, and, worse comes to worse, the bully gets suspended for starting a fight.

[OKC Heel]

[MadMonk]

Perhaps, but that feels fundamentally wrong to me. I feel like I'm rewarding the speeding, tail-hugging driver by getting out of their way and letting 'em go on. Slowing down shows them that riding my tail is not appreciated, and will not be tolerated. And if worse comes to worse, I believe the law would be on my side (although, I suppose, if worse truly did come to worse that'd be a charge of murder, but hey, who ever said the world was safe?).

That's exactly what I was talking about -thinking that it's your responsibility to control other driver's behavior. It's not. The only thing you have control over on the road is your own behavior. There is a commonly understood rule that slower traffic keeps to the right. If you choose not to follow that rule then many times the consequences are having people ride your bumper. You may not like it, you may not agree with it, the law may not agree with it, but in reality that's the way it is.

Think about this; you don't know why that person is speeding. It could be something trivial like being late for an appointment, but it could also be something like the person just found out a spouse or kids are in the emergency room. Wouldn't you feel bad about possibly making someone miss the last minutes of a loved one's life because you have a thing for making sure everyone goes the speed limit? That's a little melodramatic, but the point is that you just don't know.

[Martin]

the proper thing to do is simply not to speed; the limits are there for a reason. but i'm not trying to enforce that, i'm just trying to keep people off my tail...

i feel like i'm rewarding the speeding, tail-hugging driver by getting out of their way and letting 'em go on.

seems like you're contradicting yourself... by not simply getting out of the way and even slowing down in some cases, you are trying to enforce the speed limit. basically, you're trying to force others to follow traffic rules as strictly as you do... that appears to be your chief concern, not safety.

i'll also add that i'm not perfect when it comes to enforcing my traffic values on others. i can think of a couple times when i managed to get around the 'activist' driver who was trying to blockade the passing lane and started going even slower than he was to see how much he liked it.

-M

[Easy180]

Perhaps, but that feels fundamentally wrong to me. I feel like I'm rewarding the speeding, tail-hugging driver by getting out of their way and letting 'em go on. Slowing down shows them that riding my tail is not appreciated, and will not be tolerated.

Ginkasa...That's also a good way to get your car run off the road by a crazy driver...Lot of freaks on the highways and if you don't want to be followed home by a pissed off driver, or have them jump in front of you and slam on their brakes just stay in the middle or right lane...Highways aren't the places to try and teach people lessons or driving etiquette

Too many short guys with Hemi's and attitudes out there

[traxx]

I HATE when the light turns green and the person at the front of the line waits several seconds and then crawls through the intersection when there's a mile and a half of cars behind him/her and we all have to wait through another traffic light cycle because he/she was slow/not paying attention/inconsiderate etc. We would all like to get home/where we're going and so on. I'm not asking ya to break the speed limit or anything just go when it turns green and the same goes for the next 2 or 3 cars as well.

I don't tend to wait for parking spots much but when I do I can't stand when it's just one or two adults with little or no stuff and they get in and sit and fiddle with the radio, fix make up, get on the phone etc. when they can see that people are waiting for them. I think it just swells their head that they are in control and a lot of times they do it on purpose. But I try to be reasonable, if someone has a lot of stuff or kids I go on to the next spot. I hate when I have my wife, 3 kids and a basket full of groceries and there's someone waiting impatiently for me as we buckle in the kids and load our bags and return the cart.

As far as speeders are concerned; I am one alot of times ( 5-10 over) but when someone comes up on my tail doing 90 to nothin I move. Especially if they're doing alot of lane changing etc. I just get out of the way and let them go their merry way and that puts me and mine in less danger.

But I had a friend of mine that changed my view on policing others' speed habits. She was going through the Village and had a car come up behind her going fast and she thought "Don't these crazy people know the speed limit is like 30 here?" So she slowed down to try to police their speed and (I think) to tick them off a bit. When it got to four lanes and they passed her she saw that the passenger in the back had a child in her arms with blood all over and was turning blue and the passenger was screaming at her with tears running down her face. They were obviously taking their injured child to the emergency room. My friend felt horrible and realized it wasn't her place to police others' speed as in this case every second counted and she had cost them those precious seconds.

[mranderson]

"I HATE when the light turns green and the person at the front of the line waits several seconds and then crawls through the intersection when there's a mile and a half of cars behind him/her and we all have to wait through another traffic light cycle because he/she was slow/not paying attention/inconsiderate etc. We would all like to get home/where we're going and so on. I'm not asking ya to break the speed limit or anything just go when it turns green and the same goes for the next 2 or 3 cars as well."

It is dangerous to slam the accelerator immediatly after the light turns green. Wait a couple of seconds to make sure no one runs a light. Why? Failure to do so can land you on a funeral directors prep table after you have been sliced to pieces by an Forensic Pathologist.

[Martin]

well anderson, there's a difference between 'slamming the accelerator' and moving promptly after the light turns green. i agree that one should make sure that nobody's gonna run the light before proceeding, but that doesn't take a couple seconds. -M

[traxx]

"I HATE when the light turns green and the person at the front of the line waits several seconds and then crawls through the intersection when there's a mile and a half of cars behind him/her and we all have to wait through another traffic light cycle because he/she was slow/not paying attention/inconsiderate etc. We would all like to get home/where we're going and so on. I'm not asking ya to break the speed limit or anything just go when it turns green and the same goes for the next 2 or 3 cars as well."

It is dangerous to slam the accelerator immediatly after the light turns green. Wait a couple of seconds to make sure no one runs a light. Why? Failure to do so can land you on a funeral directors prep table after you have been sliced to pieces by an Forensic Pathologist.

Let's all take up a collection and get Anderson some reading glasses for his birthday.

Re-read the post.

I said several, not one or two seconds. And in addition to that, I said they then crawl through the intersection. I also said that I'm not asking them to break the speed limit either. Just get through the intersection in a timely fashion so the rest of us have a chance. That's what I do when I'm at the front of the line, but these other people act like they've got all day to get through the light. Just because you're not in a hurry doesn't mean I'm not. You ever stop to think that I might have alot further to travel than you and this only the beginning of my trek whereas you maybe only have to drive a few miles. When only two maybe three cars get through the light, something's wrong.

[dismayed]

I did some googling and came up with some interesting information. There are several states where it is illegal to obstruct the flow of traffic in the left hand lane; that lane is to be used for passing only. Unfortunately Oklahoma is apparently not one of them. Here they are according to NHTSA:

Arkansas, Connecticut, Hawaii, Idaho, Illinois, Indiana, Kentucky, Maine, assachusetts, Michigan, Mississippi, Missouri, Nevada, New Jersey, Ohio, Oregon, Rhode Island, Tennessee, Utah, Virginia, and Washington. However, restrictions vary from state to state. Check with your motor vehicle department.


I couldn't find a law addressing the left lane in the Oklahoma statutes. Occasionally the highways in Oklahoma are marked with signs that say "Slower Traffic Keep Right" or "Left Lane for Passing Only" -- in areas such as this you can be ticketed for not moving out of the left lane and letting others pass.

In any case although you shouldn't speed it is also just generally rude to hold down the left lane. Interestingly enough though, except in the above circumstances it doesn't appear to be a crime in OK.

[Ginkasa]

Highways aren't the places to try and teach people lessons or driving etiquette

I don't do it on highways or interstates, I believe I said that. I realize that interstates and such follow more of a "flow of traffic" limit than the actual posted limit (although I think that that's stupid, too, and wish people would go 60, not 80, if the sign says 60). I just tap my breaks and think evil thoughts.

And I'm not just holding up the left lane. Its in all lanes, believe it or not. And I make sure that they could pass if they chose. I don't just go 30 on an already crowded street. And if they choose to do something about it, then I believe the law would be on my side.

People trying to get to the ER, though... Something to think about.

Anyway...

Speaking of going on the green light, I really hate when people crawl along at 20 just because they're going to turn a block down the road. Sure, you got to turn soon, but you don't have to go at "turning speed" until just before the turn. Gosh...

[Karried]

Nothing brings out road rage more than someone in the fast lane refusing to yield.. I've seen it over and over. Drivers riding bumpers flashing lights and brights ( dangerous ), cutting off cars to switch lanes just to get past the 'enforcer', and the worst I've seen is an enraged driver cut in front of the 'enforcer' and slam on his brakes causing the 'enforcer' to have to go off the road.

It's not worth it. Get out of the fast lane and let them pass. Hopefully, the blatant speeders will get caught by the authorities.

[Ginkasa]

I'm not in the fast lane, though. Not always. I just said that. And if they get in front of me I could get their license plate. I think it is worth it *shrugs*

[PUGalicious]

I've seen is an enraged driver cut in front of the 'enforcer' and slam on his brakes causing the 'enforcer' to have to go off the road.

Been there, done that...

Get out of the fast lane and let them pass.

Indeed.

The worst thing is when you have three lanes of traffic and three "enforcers" (and/or slow, inconsiderate drivers) side-by-side in all three lanes. I've seen it countless times on Hefner Parkway and it literally backs up traffic and looks like a pace lap for a NASCAR race.

Let the cops enforce the traffic laws, not self-appointed, holier-than-thou "enforcers." If you don't like others' speed, drive on the side streets and get out of the way of the rest of us who need to be somewhere.

[traxx]

Let the cops enforce the traffic laws, not self-appointed, holier-than-thou "enforcers."

Reminds me of the Andy Griffith episode where Gomer keeps trying to arrest Barney for violations by yelling "Citizen's A-Ray-Ust, Citizize's A-Ray-Ust!"

[SoonerDave]

One of the most satisfying instances of a bumper-rider getting precisely what he deserved happened to me about fifteen years ago in near-SW Oklahoma - (not OKC). Two-lane road, double-striped; I was doing slightly over the limit, but the guy behind me was obviously wanting more. After dealing with a few seconds of his idiocy in my rear-view mirror, I eased over to the right for whatever shoulder there was (which was not much), and the idiot flew past me.

And just as he flew past me, he also flew past a police car coming the opposite direction - who instantly turned on his lights and siren, spun around, and nailed the guy. If I hadn't witnessed it personally, I'd never have believed it could have really worked that way. It was sweet.

-SoonerDave

[kmf563]

This is what I am most curious about....why do you care how fast or slow other people are going??? As long as the fast stay left and the slow stay right - who cares! I am so tired of hearing about these people who are going the speed limit in the fast lane and get mad because they get some "jerk" riding their tail. NO buddy...you are the jerk! You can go as slow as you want, just do it to the right and don't tell me how fast I should drive unless you are in a black and white with a badge. grrr.

And if I see people waiting until the last minute to merge it drives me nuts. Every morning on the way to work (I-44 West bound) there is some yahoo that thinks it's ok to stop in the middle of the interstate so they can get over to exit onto I- 40East bound. And then I hear someboday mention "it saves me like 10 minutes" IDIOT. It backs everyone else up and makes us 10 minutes late because of your existentialism.

My answer for these people --- I love the litter hotline. 1-888-5-LITTER Do you have any idea how much the fine is for littering in the state of Oklahoma?? And those that do it on the way home - I love *55. The highway patrol loves to hear about drunk people in 5:00 traffic.

[TastyThaiRibs]

hahaha I'm so guilty of waiting til the last minute to merge into my lane. It buys me like 10 mins during the morning traffic! That's just how I roll I guess...

that is awesome! at least somebody is getting to work on time! more power to you man. RESPECT.