How do drivers drive in your state????

[SSOOCH]

I don't think you can generalize one state. I've encountered unaware drivers everywhere I go. The problem is that people don't respect driving a car anymore. It's an after thought. They're too pre-occupied with iPods, applying makeup, eating, cell phones and even reading a book (I've seen it). Add to the fact that today's cars are so plush and quiet you don't get a sense that you're driving that fast. Plus people don't have respect for their fellow man anymore. They don't give a rats ass about you, they need to get where they're going and don't give a damn if it in conviences you!!

[TahoeCamaro]

Originally Posted by FI4T0MCAT

Does this happen alot in KY?

Well of course.... Jk

But that is quite a sight

[bulldog]

sorry for the length of this, but you'll appreciate the horrors of what my community provides for me on a daily basis.

I had an investigator fly out here to talk with me a while back. She told me how she was driving on the highway and there were no other cars on it. She was in the middle lane. A jeep entered the highway and made a mad dash for the left lane, cutting her off in the attempt. She said it was the strangest thing. Why was he going for the fast lane when there was NO ONE else on the freeway? (welcome to Utah).

People in Utah for the most part make a mad dash for the left lane after entering the highway, regardless of whether or not there is actually someone on the highway to be passed. Then they don’t pass anyone once there is an opportunity to do so. They stop at exactly the speed limit (albeit a rare event) or even below (more common) and ignore the traffic they are backing up behind them and ignore the traffic that is passing them on the right. In college I had to go to traffic school because this cop nailed me on this road that drops almost straight down real briefly. This was in theory designed as a reliable source of revenue for the city because of unsuspecting motorists in the area. In traffic school, the cop doing the talking decided to open it up to the class to talk about what they didn’t like about Utah drivers. One guy said, "I hate it when people pass you on the left.” Well, I couldn’t resist. I raised my hand and said, "I hate it when people in the left lane drive so slow that the only way to pass them is to pass them on the right!" To that, the entire class erupted into thunderous applause and the cops at the front of the room busted out in laughter and joined the applause. It was a glorious moment. It is not uncommon to see someone in the left lane driving 5-20 mph under the posted speed limit. Every once in a while someone who doesn’t know Utah drivers will blare on the horn. The slow turd will then wonder why everyone is blaring their horns at them and passing them. You will usually see a silhouette of this person throwing up their arms in frustration at the world around them, while they pass by a speed limit sign notifying the proper speed, while they continue their 20 mph under the limit strategy in complete and utter obliviousness to their surroundings.

I like to refer to some as former elementary school hall monitors still trying to live out their glory days. They too drive to the fast lane and then drive at a sundays pace. they allow gaps between cars to get larger in front of them. When you go to pass them and get in front they speed up just enough to prevent you from being able to get in front, then, then slow down again, but maintain enough distance just so you cannot merge in front of them. One guy, showed me his hand with the index finger acting like a metronome. Lately, this phenomenon has been happening in the left and right lane resulting in a truly irritating experience as you are boxed in. They then continue on at the exact same speed squandering any opportunity to pass them for miles to come, all while refusing to make eye contact.

Now, lets talk parking lots. of course there are the typical irritations. Full size trucks double parking, but over the past year or so, an alarming phenomenon is becoming more prevelent. As I back out of my parking stall, when the pathway is clear, there is a 65.79% chance there will come someone around the corner driving 30-40 mph or greater and instead of of slowing down, (there are no cars in the stalls facing my rear as I am backing out) they will make an evasive maneuver and drive through the unused parking stalls to my rear. It's like people forget the existence of the break peddle for that moment in time. Some call it a brain fart, I call it mental flatulence, which I believe is more scientifically appropriate (and funnier too). Now, you will notice the discrepency in speed limits for a parking log when compared to actually being on the road with posted speed limits. I have no rational explanation for this. One guy, came around the corner (he was turning to his right) driving about 30 mph. The problem is that he was talking on his cell phone and looking back over his left shoulder in the middle of the turn. I was in the middle of backing out when I saw this happening. I blared on the horn and he looked over, with out any concern whatsoever, he made the evasive maneuver through the unused parking stalls and continued on his merry way. What is this world coming too?

The other scary trend is to see people not paying attention to the position of their vehicle in regards to the painted stripes on either side of the position of their vehicle. The driving community refers to these stripes as "lanes" but some people forget the basic concept of said "lanes". they could be talking on the phone, texting, typing an email on their lap top, or even spanking their kid, all while driving, but they will inevitably lurch into your lane 2-3 feet, while you blare on your horn and they look at you in utter disgust being completely oblivious that you just envisioned your vehicles fate of being worse than if R2D2 didn’t come to the rescue in that trash compactor scene in Star Wars Episode 4.

One ancient tradition among impressive driving habits in Utah is the completely unnecessary practice of rubbernecking. This occurs usually under three events. One is after an accident. It is understandable that this would back up traffic for a while, but people just have to stop for a view of the accident scene. My question is why? Why do so many drivers want to slow their day down just to witness the twisted metal, fiberglass and leaky vehicle fluids all over the pavement that has just become some ones new insurance headache? Its like people need to have a family lesson right there on the spot to establish one of those defining moment in their childs lives....all the while creating a huge driving hazard behind them in the form of a TRAFFIC JAM, which will indisputably create future teaching opportunities for the lingering citizens. Rubbernecking can also be caused by a person getting a traffic ticket, which will undoubtedly result in another teaching moment...also while creating another TRAFFIC JAM and potential death opportunity to a potentially former glistening paint job on your vehicle. The final creator of rubbernecking usually happens when there is an attractive maiden in distress on the side of the road with the inevitable flat tire, (probably caused by auto debris created from the previous auto tragedy cause by another rubbernecker). The size of the traffic jam resulting from this episode of rubbernecking will be determined based on this maidens feminine features (hey ladies, it is what it is). It could be that she has very desirable hair, the shape of her...well, you get it. Since there is a reasonable 50% or greater chance of the surrounding drivers in the vicinity being male, you will mostly like get a traffic jam caused by hormone driven rubberneckers whose sole purpose of existence at that moment is to catch a glimpse of the distressed damsel.

The other problem is with diesel full sized pickup trucks. Some trucks are wonderful, but then there are those that have, shall we say, problems with expelling leftovers? You will recognize these trucks as those with the mushroom cloud of black smoke coming out of the tailpipe for the entire community to witness and to be subsequently & temporally blinded. If this were the American version of a James Bond vehicle creating the smoke screen, it would be cool, but the problem is, this is a never ending problem and is an unintentional feature of the vehicle (Sorry Cats, Q is not responsible for this one).

While I am on the subject of full size trucks, what is it with some of the fullsize truck out there with sports car envy? You will see this phenomenon when a pimped american made truck pulls up to a Japanese made vehicle with any indication of customized goods on it (custom rims, body kit or especially a custom exhaust of some sort). Light turns green and the truck is off to the races with NASCAR dreams of grandeur. Then there are the bullies in the full size truck who are aggressive beyond all reason who will cut you off without a second thought, even if you have to pull a Fred Flintstone style breaking maneuver by slaming your foot through the brake peddle, floor board and eventually the pavement itself just to stop in time. One of the sweetest justices I have ever witnessed was when a full size Dodge I was following tried to nudge his truck in front of a vehicle in the lane to our right. the car he was trying to jump in front of blared on the horn but didnt let up, well, neither did the big bad truck. he forced his way over into the left lane causing the vehicle next to me, who was the one blaring on the horn to slam on his brakes. Well, the sweet vindication came when the car that was blaring on the horn and slamming on the brakes, flipped on the roof mounted lights and sirens started blaring (yes, thats right, a MARKED police car was the victim here). Again...what is this world coming too?