r/driving

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I hate that I even have to preface this because I know some people don’t read before jumping to conclusions, but I’m a good driver. I’m not hogging the left lane, driving below the speed limit, or holding anyone up.

That said, what the fuck is wrong with drivers lately? The amount of unnecessary aggression and impatience is ridiculous.

I’ll be accelerating normally after a light turns green, and someone’s already riding my ass. Or I’ll be driving next to someone who suddenly floors it just to beat me to the next red light. Even better is when I’m in a dedicated turn lane and someone beside me speeds up because they’ve apparently convinced themselves I’m about to cut them off. Dude, relax. Nobody is trying to get in front of you.

Why does everything have to be a competition? And spare me the excuse that everyone’s in a hurry. I refuse to believe this many people are racing against some critical deadline. Most of you are going to Kroger, picking up McDonald’s, or heading home. Congratulations on saving eight seconds, I guess.

My completely unscientific theory is that people’s attention spans and patience are fried. I’m not some boomer blaming everything on social media, but I genuinely wonder if we’ve become so accustomed to instant gratification that even driving at a normal pace feels unbearable. It’s like people constantly need to be getting ahead of something, even when it accomplishes absolutely nothing.

Maybe I’m wrong, but I just don’t understand why so many people are in such a goddamn hurry to get nowhere.

Edit: all these negative comments are typical and echo the exact same sentiment… “I have somewhere to be. Get out of my way. Me. Me. Me.”

Hey… if you’re remotely triggered by my post, GOOD. You’re the exact person I’m speaking about.

Round-a-bouts have been slowly becoming more popular in my area, as it helps replace 4-way stop signs and keeps the flow of traffic moving. HOWEVER, people need to learn when to YIELD before entering the round-a-bout and let people who are actually in IT to drive and exit safely. But also, don't STOP in the round-a-bout to let people in. You have the right-of-way.

I almost got into a fucking car accident the other week because one driver wanted to suddenly stop in the round-a-bout to let someone in. And then, what appeared to be a new driver, didn't yield and ran through the round-a-bout instead of yielding.

Round-a-bouts are not complicated contraptions.

You know the car: sitting right outside the store entrance with hazard lights on, while everyone else has to squeeze around it. They're waiting for someone who's “just running in for a minute.”

If you're actively dropping someone off or picking them up, fine. But if you're waiting, the parking lot is right there. Pull into a spot.

Hazard lights don't make you less in the way.

Why don’t cops pull over left lane campers? 10th time I watched a cop ride someone’s ass for camping the left lane but each time the camper didn’t get pulled over. Clearly riding their ass isn’t doing anything so just pull them over. Also to the 10 brain dead idiots who can’t catch a hint even when it’s a cop just hand your license in no one should be this oblivious on the road.

An open highway, traffic is light. All the room in the world. And someone STILL chooses to tailgate

When will get AI traffic signals? As a retired engineer, every time I stop at the light, I'm looking at all the wasted time and gas from the dumb signals we have.

For example, there is a light I stop at regularly that is a small two lane road entering a 6 lane road. It makes me wait 1.5 minutes no mater if it just turned red for me, or if it has been red for 10 min. While I sit there, I'll see that there are no cars coming in either direction for for quite a distance. A smart AI signal could look down the road, see nobody was coming, quickly change to green for me, maybe even eliminating the yellow light on the lard road to save time, let me on the road, and switch back to green for the large road. Instead I see the cars coming, and just before they get to the light, it will change to let me on the road, stopping 10-20 cars, when it could have let me on earlier.

We have self driving cars, do we not have the technology to do the same with signals? I believe the technology is there (cameras/embedder sensors), but that cost vs benefit is not there for the cities.

Your thoughts?

I know there are a million posts complaining about modern headlights, but I’m at my wit's end and genuinely looking for advice on how you all manage. Nighttime driving has become so stressful for me. The main issue I have is when a large truck or SUV gets right on my bumper with those blazing bright LED headlights. It completely blinds me. My rearview and side mirrors turn into blinding laser beams, and I literally cannot see the road ahead of me. Because I can't see, I'm forced to constantly adjust my mirrors, slow way down and try to react safely. But then I get people right on my tail getting pissed off that I'm slowing down. I'm sorry, but I just don't feel comfortable driving 75 mph when someone is glued to my bumper and I'm functionally temporarily blinded! It’s equally awful when they're coming toward me in the opposite lane, though at least then I can try the trick of looking down and to the right at the edge of the road. But when they're behind me, there's nowhere to look to escape it. I always have to slow down and adjust my mirrors or else I literally can’t see where I’m going. It probably doesn’t help either that I must wear prescription lenses to drive, which unfortunately just bounces in more light around. Dealing with this is making me, like many others, hate driving at night.

So, I have to ask:

1. How do you guys actually manage to stay safe and see what’s going on?
2. Are there any products open to the public that actually help offset or fix this? (Like anti glare films for side mirrors, specific glasses, clip on mirrors, etc.)

 

If you’ve found any tips that are saving your sanity please,
Share. I’m exhausted you guys.

P.s if you’re a truck or suv owner and you know those lights are too bright please stop tailgating you’re blinding us which is why we slow down. K bye ✌🏼

I've been driving in Chicago for 15 years, and I've lived here my whole life.

Over the past three years, I've encountered the insufferably self-righteous trend of certain drivers (notably transplants, going off the license plates, or younger drivers with IL plates,) actively pulling themselves out of lanes to "block?" anyone prior to reaching the end of their merge lane while they're approaching an expressway during rush hour or slowed traffic.

Seen it on multiple expressways, regardless of whether the driver they're blocking is "shortcutting" or *simply gaining momentum* for a "sincere" and *safe* merge.

I *believe* it's something done based on the indignant presumption that anyone merging must be trying to "cut the line."

And yes, some are. *Some aren't.* This is Chicago. We see people doing what they've gotta do and let them be.

On the same note, if you're merging *yourself,* and *especially* if you've got vehicles *behind you,* you need to go to *the end* of the merge lane. When y'all be braking with half the lane in front of you, you quite literally create a slow-down of brake lights and five-car margins that no one's got time for.

Thank you.