We all have stories about bad drivers talking on the phone, eating food, picking their noses, and generally not paying attention. What's the worst driver you've personally witnessed?
Extra points if you tell about a particular situation where you were a bad driver and regretted it later.
And how about nice driver stories (if any exist)? It's a lot harder to notice good drivers, but if you've got a story, please share!
NOTE: Please don't post names or license plates, and keep it clean.
9 comments:
Somewhere in San Mateo County, California, March 10th 2006. A truck going 45 on 101 South (where traffic usually goes upwards of 90mph) in the left lane, spewing debris all over the road. I merge right to pass, he merges right. I merge back left, me merges back left. Finally, I merged right two lanes, passed him and looked back.
It was a ninety nine year old grandma driving the truck. A HUGE semi and a tiny little grandma. So crazy.
Any jerk in a beamer. Those guys all suck at driving.
they say confession is good for the soul ...
My name is Bill W., and I am the worst driver. I know it's wrong, and I know I should quit, and I'm going to dropping by here regularly to stay clean.
Besides being a nose-pick-a-holic, I have seatbelted my laptop onto the passenger seat, and composed e-mails while in bumper-to-bumper traffic on I-405.
I have steered with my knees at 65 mph, while using the QWERTY keyboard on my phone to respond to messages, and even taught myself how to play the Irish pennywhistle (requires two hands) while going nowhere fast ...
I don't remember which of the Steps this is, but I have some more confessing to do, and will use this forum to do so, and to help make amends ...
BillW
Welcome to I Am Seattle Traffic Bill. We'd be glad to have your thouhgts and contributions.
It's a difficult step to acknowledge that you cause traffic and act irrepsonsibly, but it is important.
Thanks for the honesty.
heh, today i saw a lady with her poodle out the window, passenger's said, that dog can't drive! after she meandered...then as we passed she was on the phone ..ugh in a prius too
When I was driving today, I had to get on SB I-5 from the Howell street entrance, and, as you may or may not know, in order to continue on SB I-5, you need to cross at least 2 lanes. At first, I was unable to merge, since the spot I picked, going with the flow, was rapidly taken up by someone not wanting to get 'cut'. However, soon after that, I was able to merge in, due to people slowing, or at least, not speeding up, and actually get all the way over 5 lanes to the HOV lane. This reminded me of this post, and made me think that one tends to remember the bad drivers, but forget about the good ones. If this is an average example, there are 4, 5 good drivers for every bad one :)
Bill you Bastard. You stole my self confessional thunder!!
I am a bad older driver. I am an agressive speeder. I have made efforts over the past two months to reduce my speed to 60-65, but not always with success.
Usually I am triggered by a driver being slightly or grossly more aggressive than I am. Not to excuse my problem, but to maybe put this disease in a context others can understand. I see myself as hyper-competitive on the road. If I'm passed I'm in second. Sometimes I don't care (I'm trying to make it more often than sometimes) but when I do and it happens, rpms rise and I'm in a world where speed soothes.
By the same token, I do not drink, eat, cell, apply makeup, read, shower, shit, or shave while on the road. My focus is what is around me and what is down the road. I speed, but I am aware of who is behind me and approaching, who is in front of me and slowing down, where the next ramp or intersection is, and who may or may not be paying attetion. Like most US citizens, I think I am right and everyone around me is wrong. Unlike most US citizens, I've been to school for driving a tractor trailor and a body load.
My rant follows:
I cruise north doing 70 (I admitted I'm a speeder) on a two lane state road. I approach a curve to the right with an entrance ramp on the left. I notice a white car with a pickup behind but rapidly approaching the rear of the car. As I negotiate the curve on the outside lane, the pickup moves from the merge ramp to the inside lane. The car is still in the merge lane but appears intimidated by the pickup which is relatively 'on it's ass'. I slow for the pickup to pull in front of me. It continues to dog the white car's ass doing 45-50 while the white car rides the merge lane as far as possible. I am doing 60-65 because I'm no saint. The pickup continues in the inside lane till I'm within 20 yds and veers in front of me. Freaks me out but I have time to hit the non skid binders. I brake hard. I know I should do something but my hand hits the high beams. I flash twice. The brain kicks in and I hit the horn but by this time the guy is accelerating away from me. He probably thinks I'm an ass. He's probably right.
This dude may never have seen me. This dude may have been a saint. When I hit the horn we're gapped and widening. He may never know how close I got to the berm or his back bumper. Or he knows and is laughing. Don't matter.
I got ticked, cause I'm also a doofus and egocentric. I rode his bumper till we were both past the white car. As soon as I could, I was riding the inside lane trying to pass. He punched the gas. He's pissed and I'm pissed. I pass though his foot is doing everything to prevent it, I see carbon suddenly shooting out his exhaust. I look down. Shit, I'm doing over 90. He's gotta be doing 87-88. But I'm in front and now he's riding my bumper. This guy is just like me and I hate him. He suddenly slows down and I feel a fool because he recognized the idiocy of the situation before I did. (Bastard)
We're both alive and we both survived. I apologize to him here because I don't know who or where or how and it's none of my business. I will think of him when I get in my rage zone and hope I can snap out.
Meantime I ride the fast lane as safely as I'm able and sometimes beyond. I do bend and break speed laws but I am always aware of you and yours when I do.
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