Does this tick anyone else off?

[MelodiousBubbles]

People who will be driving along and then when they see where they want to turn in, they'll pull into the breakdown lane about 100-200 feet BEFORE the driveway/parking lot and suddenly slow down to 10 mph while still partially in the road?

You can't fucking pull around these people half the time because they seem to ALWAYS, without fail, choose the exact moment about thirty cars are coming at you from the opposite lane to pull this bullshit. And so a turn that should only take two seconds, now takes up to thirty seconds to a minute. Yes, I'm impatient, but I would gladly wait for you to turn if you did it right.

What's worse is that this is a recent thing. Within the last year and a half because nobody did that when I first got my license about three years ago, and you're sure as hell not TAUGHT to do it in driver's ed. It impedes traffic and pisses me off. I'd let it slide a bit if they were tourists from another state who were probably just taught differently, but no. These are Mainers. Turn like you live in Maine and not some other state, if you would.

This is almost as bad as the people who come to a complete stop, wait about five seconds, and THEN turn into the driveway. And no, they're not turning left where they'd have to look for oncoming traffic. They're turning right.

[infinitemonkies]

Right around the time he turned 65, my father become absolutely incapable of using turning lanes. It's as though he just doesn't understand the concept anymore. Now he just obstructs traffic, then cuts across multiple lanes.

[LillFilly]

Yeah, bugs me a bit, but I figure maybe they're not quite sure about where they're going. I've done it a few times, mostly a quick swerve into the lane before realizing it's not the turn I want, but never so far ahead.

It's the people who drive like that the ENTIRE time you're behind them that steams me!

Once I was behind this guy as the street broke into turn left, straight and turn right. As it widened into the right turn lane, the guy indicated he was going that way and so did it. He pulled into the lane...and stopped. And parked. And got out of his car. And started walking to the store by the street.:confused::confused:

I had to pull back into the straight lane, go around him, and back to make my turn.

Not sure what he thought he was doing!

[EricKei]

My brother used to do the "lane shift polka" thing. There is an area right before our exit by my house where the roadway expands into 5 lanes as two major interstate sections all merge together into one big kerfluffle. The right-most lane becomes Exit Only about a MILE before the exit, as they want people exiting to GTFO of the way as soon as possible.

My bro has been known to move from the 2nd-rightmost lane to the LEFT by 2-3 lanes just because he "saw an opening" there, *within easy viewing distance of the exit*, then muscle his way all the way back to the right, cursing at the apparent jackasses who don't wanna let him back over to the right in the five seconds he now has to spare, so he can make it to the exit intact....He has done this when the exit lane had plenty of room for us to just slide in here, too >_>

Fortunately, he has calmed down in this regard since then. A LOT.

[MelodiousBubbles]

See, but this is the BREAKDOWN LANE these people are pulling into. It's not an actual lane meant for driving in. It's the lane that you go into in order to stop when you, well, break down.

[blas]

Oh...that's what you mean. Now I get it.

We have a lot of those where I live....and the thing is, where there's a left one, there's also a right one right by it.....and for some reason, people keep thinking it's an extra lane!

[MelodiousBubbles]

I'd get mistaking it for a third lane if it was a multi-lane road, but these are single lanes, double solid or dotted lines in the center, single solid on the passenger side. Basically, a standard road just about anywhere that I've been.

It's one of those things where people aren't mistaking it for a lane, they just pull into it when they need to turn. And however tiny an offense it really is, it's become one of those things that just really, really irks me whenever I see it happening.

[mikoyan29]

People who hit the brakes before they get into the left turn lane (when there is one) bug the hell out of me....especially if they come to a near dead stop beforehand....Gah....Usually roads with those lanes are around 40-45mph...

[MelodiousBubbles]

People who hit the brakes before they get into the left turn lane (when there is one) bug the hell out of me....especially if they come to a near dead stop beforehand....Gah....Usually roads with those lanes are around 40-45mph...

Oh! And people who, when pulling onto a street where the speed limit is about the same, come just short of cutting you off and then go 30-35 on a road you can't pass on. I hate that, too.

[mikoyan29]

Oh! And people who, when pulling onto a street where the speed limit is about the same, come just short of cutting you off and then go 30-35 on a road you can't pass on. I hate that, too.
That annoys me even more when I look in my rear view mirror and see no cars behind me. It's like they couldn't wait the 30 seconds or whatever it would take for me to pass them.

[MelodiousBubbles]

That annoys me even more when I look in my rear view mirror and see no cars behind me. It's like they couldn't wait the 30 seconds or whatever it would take for me to pass them.

Nope. They wouldn't be an inconvenience otherwise, and I swear that sometimes, that's all they're looking to do.

[HeatherWolf]

How bout when the person in front of you starts to slow, and they turn in EXACTLY a MILE?????? GAH!!! Pisses me off to no end. :rant:

[blas]

I get this huge urge to rear end every single drooling moron who has to come to a near complete stop or a complete stop before they turn......when there is NO yield or stop sign and NO ONE is coming, when it's a gloriously nice day with dry conditions.

Seriously, why?

[MelodiousBubbles]

I get this huge urge to rear end every single drooling moron who has to come to a near complete stop or a complete stop before they turn......when there is NO yield or stop sign and NO ONE is coming, when it's a gloriously nice day with dry conditions.

Seriously, why?

Because they're lacking in the brain department.

And I wouldn't rear end them because it'd be my fault, but I must admit it is tempting.

[blas]

I know better than to do it, but I really can't help wanting to.

[Chromatix]

The first British motorways were built without "breakdown lanes", which we call "hard shoulders". This was quickly corrected since the cars in common use at that time couldn't cope with constant high-speed running (no speed limit either back then), and the stationary cars were proving a major hazard to following traffic.

But British roads have a very simple lining scheme - if it's a dashed line, you can cross it, but if it's solid, you can't (except when using T or cross junctions, or in emergencies). The lines between lanes are dashed, and the ones by the central barrier and the hard shoulder are solid. More recently, the hard-shoulder line has even been made textured to warn drivers who stray over it.

[BookstoreEscapee]

More recently, the hard-shoulder line has even been made textured to warn drivers who stray over it.

Most major highways in the US (the sort that people drive on for hours at a time) have those to wake you up should you drift over the line.


Was behind someone today who signalled to turn left, and slowed, and kept going, and could have been turning at any one of 5 spots before they finally did. The shoulder was wide enough for me to go around on the right but they were still going too fast for me to feel safe doing it, since I couldn't tell where the hell they were actually planning to turn and I was afraid they'd just keep going straight.

[dalesys]

Most major highways in the US (the sort that people drive on for hours at a time) have those to wake you up should you drift over the line.


Was behind someone today who signalled to turn left, and slowed, and kept going, and could have been turning at any one of 5 spots before they finally did. The shoulder was wide enough for me to go around on the right but they were still going too fast for me to feel safe doing it, since I couldn't tell where the hell they were actually planning to turn and I was afraid they'd just keep going straight.
Or turn right:eek:

[MelodiousBubbles]

But British roads have a very simple lining scheme - if it's a dashed line, you can cross it, but if it's solid, you can't (except when using T or cross junctions, or in emergencies). The lines between lanes are dashed, and the ones by the central barrier and the hard shoulder are solid. More recently, the hard-shoulder line has even been made textured to warn drivers who stray over it.

We have basically the same setup. Major roads have double lines so they can indicate when cars in one lane can pass, but the ones in the next lane can't. On highways, the lanes are separated by dotted lines the entire way, and the breakdown lane (accompanied by the rumble strip) is indicated by a single solid line.

So it's rather difficult to mistake the breakdown lane for an actual lane, though I doubt they're mistaking it for one and are just using it as their turning point.

[Geek King]

Honestly, there are a few places were I do this. They are located with driveways directly off major roads that are speed limit 55+. It would just not be safe to slow for the turn while in the driving lanes themselves. I do make sure to be all the way into the breakdown lane so not to impede traffic, and indicate with turn signals as proper.