Missouri drivers suck!

[blas]

Where I live there isn't any written rule about the left lane, it's just....well....courteous to go at the very least, a bit over the speed limit if you aren't passing or making room for merging vehicles.

I second the stupid Wisconsin winter drivers!

[protege]

I am truly grateful to those sensible elderly folks who know their own limitations and graciously give up driving for the safety of everyone else.

My grandmother is nearly 90, and doesn't drive much during the day, and never at night. Most of her trips include the grocery store and church. Other than that, she actually hates driving. Too many idiots on the roads, especially the highways, so I can't say I blame her. Because of that, if she wants to go shopping, she waits until the weekends so I can take her. She's already accepted that she might not be driving much longer as her vision is slowly getting worse. We've decided that if/when she can no longer drive, she's still going to keep her car--it's easier for her to get into/out of than my car, and is better on longer trips.

Grandpa, on the other hand (dad's dad) was a different story. Even though he was very ill (Alzheimer's was turning his mind into Swiss cheese), he still insisted on driving. That was, until he was backing his brand-new Sable out of the garage...and took off the passenger-side mirror, along with some of the trim. He'd already done it once before, but after the second time, he'd had enough. By then, he'd had a stroke, and had no choice but to give it up. He was pissed about losing his independence. Some people might not think that's a big deal...but when you've always been able to do everything yourself, it's a huge blow. Anyway, he didn't have a choice--between the cancer and Alzheimer's, he was dying and was in a nursing home by then. Taking his keys wasn't a problem. However, we still hated to do it though.

As for sucky winter drivers...Pennsylvania has its own breed. Nevermind that it snows *every* damn year...people still can't handle driving in it. Since I took driver's ed in a blizzard, snow and rain just don't scare me. Too many people freak out over one little snowflake. My feeling has always been that if you can't handle driving in snow/rain/traffic, stay the hell home or get out of the way of those who can

[ditchdj]

I remember coming up to a line of cars sitting at a green light. After a few seconds I just simply go around them and there's this 120-year-old-looking old woman just sitting in a small green pickup truck at the front of the line with a blank look on her face as if she was lost in China! After the person behind her started going around her she finally started moving. Then there's the idiotic old man sitting in the Walmart parking lot with his car backed into the aisle and refusing to move. Honked the horn and nothing. Finally I just turned around and shook my head at him and began going the other way when he finally started moving again. Then there's the 50-some-year-old in a pickup truck that's struggling to park it in his driveway and insists on "giving his transmission a workout" by going forward and backward back and forth, blocking the road. I came up on the line of cars waiting and one of the cars in line waves at him to go so I went around them and it just happened when the dipshit started backing out into the road again. He almost backed into me and honked. I was at the stop sign to turn and he was still going forward and backward. Why in the hell are you gonna get a huge ass truck if you dont know how to park it, let alone drive it??? Idiot.

[ditchdj]

Michigan has some very bad drivers, especially if you live near metro Detroit the home of cars. Everyone drives some SUV and thinks they're king of the road while I'm in my little car obeying traffic laws. People here tailgate you, will have their brights shining in your car, etc. One time. the day after Christmas 2 years ago, I was driving to a party and a idiot is tailgating me, the road is very icy so I don't take any risks I turn and because of the tailgater I'm fishtailing and I almost crashed into a oncoming car. I also got into a accident at my school because some lady cut through the parking lot with out seeing me back-up and she tells me that I'm a bad driver etc. The funny thing was, she was at fault because my friends saw it happen and helped me out.

Michigan is legendary in the Toledo area for being god-awful drivers. They seem to think that basically anything covered with pavement or gravel is a "passing lane". That includes shoulders, turn lanes, sidewalks, playgrounds, etc. That's why I avoid I-75 through Ohio when I have to go back up north.

I can never forget the Michigan driver in Indianapolis pulling a boat. He was flying in and out of each lane so fast his boat was fishtailing wildly back and forth. What an idiot. At one point his boat came within a couple inches of hockey-checking the car next to it.

[Cia]

Was in Orlando, Florida in May and drove around town for a couple of days. I stressed out so much that I had to take pepto to settle my poor tummie. I haven't driven in a town larger than 65,000 in 17 years.

What's the use of speed limit signs on I-5 if no one is going to pay attention to them?

[technical.angel]

Juwl, are you an Illinoisian?

Cause we Missiourians have a few things to say about your drivers.

Jenni

[LostMyMind]

Was in Orlando, Florida in May and drove around town for a couple of days.

Too bad you didn't drive to Tampa and drive around there too. Would have given you a new insight and desire to walk.

I do have to say, drivers in Tampa/Orlando are pretty bad. But you can't blame it all on Floridians, damn snowbirds

[ArenaBoy]

Michigan is legendary in the Toledo area for being god-awful drivers. They seem to think that basically anything covered with pavement or gravel is a "passing lane". That includes shoulders, turn lanes, sidewalks, playgrounds, etc. That's why I avoid I-75 through Ohio when I have to go back up north.

I can never forget the Michigan driver in Indianapolis pulling a boat. He was flying in and out of each lane so fast his boat was fishtailing wildly back and forth. What an idiot. At one point his boat came within a couple inches of hockey-checking the car next to it.

Ah, I-75 the freeway I always avoid unless I need to use it. At least you live in Ohio, I have to deal with these asshats everyday and one of the reasons I don't go out much. My mom got pissed off at a driver so much that she flipped him off, the look on his face was priceless.

[ditchdj]

It amazes me how people up there can drive like gas is still 99 cents a gallon! Bad enough the cost of living up there is so sickingly high and then have to pay to fill a 27-30 gallon monster tank on the Hummer or Tahoe at least once a week (which is like 80-90 dollars a week!) That's like four times as high as my gas/electric bill is a month. Do they just max out their credit cards and dont pay on them or what???

[air914]

One of the worst things it the cops that are idiot drivers. I was driving from CA to KY and there were those "you must have 2 people in the car to drive in this lane" things (don't know what it's really called, we don't have them here). Anyway, I'm driving along (it's a fast lane anyway) and all of a sudden I see this cop has pulled someone over and the whole back end of the cop's car is sitting IN the lane....... I almost hit a cop and it was b/c he was stupid and basically parked his car in the fast lane.....

I also hate the cops that pull people over in the middle of the road........ I dont' know if it is teh driver's fault or the cops - but I would motion or signal to the driver somehow to pull over in a parking lot or pull over ot the side of the road - not in the middle of the freakin road!!!! You CAN wait until you get to a safe spot to pull over when a cop is behind you - just b/c he turns his lights on doesn't mean you have to dead stop where you are..........

Oh and I totally agree we need to get old people off the streets - once you turn 55, you should have to pass a driver's test every year........ just to show you are competent enough and physically able to still drive...... I remember a story awhile back about an old guy running over 3 little girls. He didn't even stop b/c he thought he had run over "trash cans". I know I'd hate losing my independence, but we've gotta find some kind of happy medium - some way for old people to get where they need to go but w/out them actually behind the wheel or something....... granny give up your independence before you force someone to give up their life b/c you can't see them when you run over them!!! What's more important? Your independence or someone's life????

[K245five]

I've wanted to pound on the hood of several elderly people's vehicles (mostly at WalMart) because they refuse to stop for anyone. Sure, they are snailing along at the rate that rocks form, but the thing is, you see them coming, you see little gramma who can't see over the wheel, or granpa asleep at the wheel.......them and their big land yacht..........

It's harder than you think to avoid being ran over by old people. One of these days I'm throwing my shoe at their windshield. Maybe that will wake them up. Then I will seriously get into talking to the right people to hopefully get most old people off of the road (if that is even feasable).

Christmas of '02 at the Evil Bullseye:

I was headed down a thruway in the shopping center where the Bullseye was located. I had just finished up my Christmas shopping and was headed home. Now, as always, Christmas shopping is a nightmare, and I was glad I was FINALLY done with it!

As I was headed down a thruway to the main road to leave the shopping center, there was this elderly couple in a Cadillac in a handicapped spot. I was just about to the end of the thruway when the brake lights come on this elderly couple's Caddy. Normally, drivers will look before they back out of a spot and stop if something is coming.

Not these old farts! The woman driving just put that sucker in reverse and backed out! Didn't even look behind here or anything. As a result, I had to slam on my brakes, making them squeal and burn rubber on the pavement. I stopped just barely short of these two old geezers!

At that point, I was ticked off not only because of the incident, but because of the fact that I was driving my folks' jeep(my car was in the shop) and I didn't want my folks' ride smashed up! Combine that with the Christmas shopping, and I was fit to be tied. I rolled down my drivers side window and yelled:

"NEXT TIME F***ING LOOK BEHIND YOU BEFORE YOU F***ING BACK OUT OF A PARKING SPOT YOU F***ING OLD MORONS!!!"

The woman driving had that open mouthed, trout like look of shock that most elderly people have in situations like that, and her husband in the passenger side was giving me a death glare.

That was the first and only time I've ever actually yelled at somebody for driving stupid. I felt bad about it later after I'd calmed down a little bit. Usually I just shake my head in disgust and let it go right after.

[protege]

That was the first and only time I've ever actually yelled at somebody for driving stupid. I felt bad about it later after I'd calmed down a little bit. Usually I just shake my head in disgust and let it go right after.

I'm usually pretty calm while driving. There's no point in escalating things further.

This one time though, I just lost it. On the way home one night, some idiot in a Buick tried to merge into the front of my car We were both in the right lane, I was behind him. My exit ramp was coming up, so I put my signal on, and started to move over. As I'm about to pass the Buick, he nearly forced me off the road! I laid on the horn, and yelled something like "learn to drive, you fucking moron." He *had* to have heard me, since I had my window down, and yes, he *did* flip me off. Um, let me get this straight--you nearly hit me because you're an idiot, and somehow *I'm* the asshole I don't think so!

[ditchdj]

About three years ago my wife was in an accident. She told me some idiot was yapping away on his cellphone and rear-ended a car waiting to pull out onto the highway. That car ended up being pushed out, the guy in front of her had to slam on his brakes. My wife wasnt as lucky and hit him, smashing up her front end. Now, my wife is normally quiet and passive. When she's yelling and cussing and in tears you know something's up. She said she stormed out yelling and cussing and was like, "GD/MF/I just bought this f- car look at it! Get away from me before I knock you the f- out!" She told one of the guys involved when he told her to calm down. My wife takes great pride in owning a car and paying it off so you dont tell her to calm down when her car is the only one wrecked and you were part of the whole thing. So it got fixed under warranty and we still have the car.

[Imogene]

Juwl, are you an Illinoisian?

Cause we Missiourians have a few things to say about your drivers.

Jenni

Nope... *grabs the two states mentioned and swaps them for you*

New story, now that I've finally returned to this thread...
The other day, I was driving into a strip mall area, heading to Slacker's, driving the correct way up a lane, and about to pull into a spot I saw on my left. Suddeny, a van turns into my lane (wrong direction!) and nearly hits me, luckily, I was paying attention, and stopped. Once he passed, two morons in a jeep came into the lane as well. I had already had it with morons coming up the lane at me, and threw my hands in the air over the steering wheel. I saw the guy driving the jeep smirk, but they stopped to let me park, then drove to the end of the lane, swerved three lanes over, and looped back to grab a parking spot three spots away from me.

Ah, yes, forgot this little story. Last Friday, mom and I went to pick up Dad from the airport. On our drive home, we start to travel along side a procession of Ameren cherry picker trucks. This was the week of the huge power outage. We figured these trucks had been on loan, and were heading home... Dad's driving, and suddenly lays on the horn, and I looked up just in time to see one of these trucks trying to creep into the lane right where we were driving. Dad was driving, not me.

[Sunsetsky]

but it sounded more like you were just driving in the inside lane for the heck of it.

It's to my understanding the law varies from state to state. It was during rush hour when it happened. During rush hour here you're permitted to drive in both lanes because it is so busy. It was hard to switch lanes while in Denver so I just stayed where I was. It happened once the traffic began to speed up again (in the outskirts of Denver) and I didn't switch to the slow lane right off the bat.

I was told by another cashier that someone was hit in our parking lot. Although...I have to say the driver and the person hit were both stupid in this situation. Apparently a girl and her boyfriend had gotten into an argument. The boyfriend jumped into his car and began to drive off...leaving the girl behind. Well...she stupidly jumped onto the hood of his car while he was moving. And he stupidly didn't stop. She fell off and was hit.