Bad drivers, mean drivers, old drivers, funny drivers.

[wagegoth]

In California, the land of the freeway, they have merge signs, not yield signs. Otherwise, no one would ever be able to get on the freeway.

Remember the scene from L.A. Story when he finds out it's the first day of spring? If you haven't, rent the movie.

[blas]

It happened just this morning.

Some senile old fool in a minivan would NOT move over to let someone merging get in. The van was going so slow that they were neck and neck while the car was starting to merge.

There is just enough room on the highway that the car stayed to the right of the van after merging (almost in the ditch!) and then yanked it around the van and sped up.

I can't believe that asshole. There was barely any traffic, no reason to not move over or at least ease off to let the guy in.

[chops]

My dislike is for those people who refuse to give you space to merge in, even thought they could easily move to the other lane, and then tailgate you and get all road-ragey for no good reason.

This happened to me one morning trying to merge onto the highway. The left lane was closed, and there was plenty of space between the car ahead of me and the little Mazda truck behind...until the asshat in the Mazda tried to speed up and attempt to prevent me from merging. He didn't close the gap quickly enough, and I still had enough room to merge. Asshat shook his head in disapproval...because I dared merge in front of him!

[ArcticChicken]

People who don't use their turn signals infuriate me.

You'd hate Jersey. See, there's this thing we Philadelphians like to call a 'Jersey Slide'. Basically it's crossing a lane of traffic without using your turn signal. Bonus points for each additional lane, double bonus points for cutting off a semi.

EDIT: I know of delivery drivers who will change their planned route to avoid anyone with a Jersey plate. They're in upstate NY though. It would be far to impractical to try that here.

[mattm04]

I always find it funny when someone with a peace sign or a "no war" bumper sticker is the most aggressive asshole cutting people off and tailgating. Bunus points if it is a hybrid and they keep gunning it and slamming on the brakes.

[Princess-Snake]

About a month ago, my dad and I went up to his dad's house for lunch and late Christmas and birthday celebration. We ate lunch at Olive Garden (I loved the seafood alfredo.) and drove back to Pop-pop's house. (that's what I call Grandpa.) My aunt was riding with us to give us directions back to the house, when this car tailgates us and kept honking the horn. This continues for about ten minutes, then the driver finally decides to stop tailgating and honking for a blissful three minutes. Then, just as we're about to make a turn, the driver speeds up, and cuts right in front us with only a few centimeters away from hitting the car. After completing this, the driver flips us the bird and says, "F### you!" My dad looks out the window to see the offending driver and discovers that said driver was his own sister. Not the one giving us directions, a different one. The aunt in the car with us comments that she found it ironic that when Grandma was alive, she would never let Aunt C (driver who cut us off) drive Grandma's car because of all the accidents that she was in. And now that she's died, Aunt C is currently in possesion of Grandma's car. When we got back to the house, Aunt C apologized because she didn't realize she was flipping off her brother until she looked in the rearview mirror. Then, she and dad started arguing over who was right, while Aunt C's kids fought over a toy camera my mom had given one of them for Christmas.

[K245five]

Merging sucks!

For most of the reasons already listed in this thread, merging is the part of driving I can least stand.

It makes me nervous, especially when somebody already on the highway will ride neck and neck with you and won't get over, meaning you have to either gun it to get ahead or slow down and slip in behind. Thus, other drivers tend to give you crap for it.

[crazylegs]

It's so full that the driver actually had the seat so far forward that his/her (can't remember the gender) body was touching the steering wheel, and the seat was inclined forward so that his/her nose was literally about an inch away from the windshield.

Well thats an easy way to rip your face off if your airbag activates. Most cars tell you in the hand book to remain a certain distance away from the steering wheel (never a problem in my case unless I want to drive like I'm giving birth).

Onto the merging thread, I'm reasonably sure the highway code states where possible you should move into the centre lane to assist motorway traffic joining, it seems to work quite nicely too.

[Zipporah]

Merging is a big problem, but people who cut me off and don't use a turn signal annoy me too.

Many drivers are immature. When my father beeped at a woman the other day, she beeped back and gave us the finger! People do this often, too. It's like they have to get back at someone for beeping at them

[Dips]

slow down and slip in behind

That's almost always the correct thing to do in that situation, for several reasons:

1. The guy in the right lane has the right of way. If he is choosing not to yield it to you, whether he's being an asshole or not is beside the point. The law states that you should merge behind him. If there were a collision, you would probably be found at fault for trying to get in front of him.

2. Slowing down slightly and merging behind him is also much safer for you. If you have a limited space and a choice to speed up or slow down slightly, slowing down a bit gives you more time before you run out of room.

3. When a gap opens up in the faster second lane after you've merged, the car in back usually has access to that space before the car in front. You'll likely be able to get over to the other lane and pass the guy who paced you, which can be sweet.

[K245five]

That's almost always the correct thing to do in that situation, for several reasons:

1. The guy in the right lane has the right of way. If he is choosing not to yield it to you, whether he's being an asshole or not is beside the point. The law states that you should merge behind him. If there were a collision, you would probably be found at fault for trying to get in front of him.

2. Slowing down slightly and merging behind him is also much safer for you. If you have a limited space and a choice to speed up or slow down slightly, slowing down a bit gives you more time before you run out of room.

3. When a gap opens up in the faster second lane after you've merged, the car in back usually has access to that space before the car in front. You'll likely be able to get over to the other lane and pass the guy who paced you, which can be sweet.

I agree with slowing down and slipping in behind. It's a heckuva lot safer than gunning it and trying to slip in front of the motorist, which is akin to cutting off another motorist, IMHO.

Sometimes people who ride in the right when you are trying to merge possibly are oblivious to the fact that they are right next to a merging lane where other motorists are trying to get onto the highway. But, there are the self-righteous people who think "This is MY space, and I am NOT giving it up!" as well.

Where I live, though, we have a law where motorists on a multiple-lane highway are supposed to "keep right and pass left". Unfortunately, I live in Pennsylvania currently, and the Police NEVER enforce this law! Thus, you have people who constantly ride in the fast lane(the left) at sub speed limit speeds. So, that may be another reason why people tend to stay in the right when one is trying to merge. Too many asshats in the left poking along and blocking the flow of traffic. THAT is ANOTHER rant for a future thread!

[powerboy]

For most of the reasons already listed in this thread, merging is the part of driving I can least stand.

It makes me nervous, especially when somebody already on the highway will ride neck and neck with you and won't get over, meaning you have to either gun it to get ahead or slow down and slip in behind. Thus, other drivers tend to give you crap for it.

I hate that. Just let me in jackass.

Merging is a big problem, but people who cut me off and don't use a turn signal annoy me too.

Many drivers are immature. When my father beeped at a woman the other day, she beeped back and gave us the finger! People do this often, too. It's like they have to get back at someone for beeping at them

Same things happens to me all the time. and I only honk for the people to stay stopped at a green light.

[IT Grunt]

The worst merging scenario I hate is when traffic is backed up into one lane due to road construction ahead. Now, in this situation, you'll typically have your assholes who drive in the empty lane and then try to merge in at the last second. They deserve what they get. However, the same can not be said for those who are getting on the interstate from an entrance ramp, and have to find a spot to merge in. They have no choice. I had an asshole who, when a spot opened and I tried to merge in, would zoom up to keep me from getting in. In today's world, that is just begging for road rage.

[Sylvia727]

The worst merging scenario I hate is when traffic is backed up into one lane due to road construction ahead. Now, in this situation, you'll typically have your assholes who drive in the empty lane and then try to merge in at the last second.

The highway/main road near my house is a four lane (two each direction) road that drops to a two lane road. It's been a bottleneck for years, and my city is just now starting to expand it to four lanes. Well, during rush hour on this residential road, the right lane will be empty for, I kid you not, four or five miles before the actual cut-off. I get jackasses shooting up the five miles and wanting in at literally the last second every single day. I fight back, with honking and tailgating the car ahead of me. I refuse to let them in normally, but twice they made it in ahead of me because they forced me into oncoming traffic and I decided not to die. Complete with the one finger salute, and I am honestly surprised that my rage does not manifest by shredding their cars into half-inch wide strips of twisted, melted metal.

The other crazy thing I do, and this will probably get my car totaled one day, is when I'm driving 44 mph on 40 mph two lane road, and the car behind me is so close that I can't see the license plate in my rearview mirror. This when I check my brakes. If they still don't get the hint, I drop to 35 mph, and then 30. I've had people pass me in the opposing lane (when the road isn't zoned for it) when I do that. I guess they're in a hurry to meet their maker

[slavetotheman]

Well, during rush hour on this residential road, the right lane will be empty for, I kid you not, four or five miles before the actual cut-off. I get jackasses shooting up the five miles and wanting in at literally the last second every single day.

Why would the right lane be wide open for so long? It would make more sense for traffic to be backed up in both lanes, and the drop from 2 lanes to 1 be handled like a merge. Regardless, I'm not sure what's sucky about taking advantage of the 4-5 miles of open road (!) and then merging with the left lane, unless "last second" really is the last possible moment, and not 1/4 or a 1/2 mile early.