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Tom Reingold
Supporter
Username: Noglider
Post Number: 15440
Registered: 1-2003
| | Posted on Thursday, August 24, 2006 - 3:38 pm: | 
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What state and century did that happen in?
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cicely moncrieff
Citizen
Username: Cicely_m
Post Number: 89
Registered: 1-2005
| | Posted on Thursday, August 24, 2006 - 3:42 pm: |
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Somewhere around the Mason-Dixon line, about a month ago!! |
cicely moncrieff
Citizen
Username: Cicely_m
Post Number: 90
Registered: 1-2005
| | Posted on Thursday, August 24, 2006 - 3:43 pm: |
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I think the cop was very bored.
I got off with a warning. |
Buttercup
Citizen
Username: Buttercup
Post Number: 112
Registered: 12-2005
| | Posted on Thursday, August 24, 2006 - 4:08 pm: |
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I get so angry about all the things you've mentioned that I want to jump out of my car and give it to these people Michael Douglas-style (as in the film Falling Down). It also pisses me off when folks enter a town and decide that 25 mph is not slow enough, they have to go 15. A plague on all their houses!
(I need to calm down) |
Mayor McCheese
Supporter
Username: Mayor_mccheese
Post Number: 2190
Registered: 7-2004
| | Posted on Thursday, August 24, 2006 - 4:11 pm: |
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Falling Down is a good movie. |
Tom Kerns
Supporter
Username: Tom_kerns
Post Number: 392
Registered: 6-2004
| | Posted on Thursday, August 24, 2006 - 4:11 pm: |
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Road rage, anyone? |
blackcat
Citizen
Username: Blackcat
Post Number: 738
Registered: 6-2001
| | Posted on Thursday, August 24, 2006 - 5:02 pm: |
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My aunt lives in Point Lookout on Long Island. The town speed limit is 15. Everyone points out if you're going over 15. It's a small place and you can't pass through unnoticed. |
argon_smythe
Citizen
Username: Argon_smythe
Post Number: 917
Registered: 5-2001
| | Posted on Thursday, August 24, 2006 - 11:23 pm: |
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OK I got one more, you're coming up to an intersection with a traffic light, two lanes in each direction. You pick the left lane. The light turns green. The person in front of you chooses that moment to turn on their left turn signal, trapping you behind them till they can make their turn. You mean you JUST decided you were turning left?
Then, you have your right turn signal on, waiting for a gap to get around, the guy behind you doesn't signal, guns it, cuts you off. Probably 4 or 5 more follow suit, then the light turns yellow, oncoming traffic stops, the guy in front finally squeezes in his left turn, and here you are sitting at the red light yet again. You've moved up one car length in the whole cycle.
I'll take a tailgater any day over these types. A tailgater is easy, you move over, you flip him the bird, you both go on your way.
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daylaborer
Citizen
Username: Upondaroof
Post Number: 916
Registered: 4-2003
| | Posted on Thursday, August 24, 2006 - 11:54 pm: |
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Hence the rule, "Keep Right". |
Cougar86
Citizen
Username: Cougar86
Post Number: 38
Registered: 3-2006
| | Posted on Friday, August 25, 2006 - 12:11 pm: |
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Ok now I've got a few in addtion to all the fine ones posted;
1. People who feel the need to veer left in order to make a right turn!
2. Drivers who upon encountering a obstruction in their lane such as a parked car just cross a double line forcing you almost off the road to avoid a head on collission. If your lane is obstructed slow down or stop and be sure the other lane is empty prior to crossing the double line.
3. People who put their turn signals on too early! Yes your waiting to pull out onto a street and the car approaching has their signal on, so you think they are going to turn down the street your pulling out from, instead they are going to turn 3 blocks later. I never pull out in front of a car with a signal on for fear of being broadsided. |
Albatross
Citizen
Username: Albatross
Post Number: 896
Registered: 9-2004
| | Posted on Monday, August 28, 2006 - 11:55 pm: |
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Passing on the right on highways is my biggest highway pet peeve; it's not only inconsiderate and illegal, it's dangerous - ever passed a car on the left and tried to get back into the middle lane, only to find that another guy passed on the right and is trying to take the same space?
My favorite driving maneuver of the week came courtesy of a Ford SUV travelling toward South Orange Avenue on Wyoming Avenue in Maplewood. A sedan in front of the SUV is making a right turn and slowing down to make the turn. The driver of the SUV, being allergic to his brakes, passes the sedan and brings his / her entire vehicle across the double yellow line, head on toward my car. By the time the SUV was back in the proper lane, there were less than two seconds of space left between us. I leaned on my horn for as long as I've ever done it. |
Tom Reingold
Supporter
Username: Noglider
Post Number: 15471
Registered: 1-2003
| | Posted on Tuesday, August 29, 2006 - 12:08 pm: |
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Albatross, if I pass you on the right on the highway, who is (more) at fault? Is it me for passing on the right, or is it you for failing to keep to the right? If there is space to your right and you're not going to take it and I'm not supposed to pass you there, then you are effectively taking up two lanes. That doesn't seem considerate, either.
I pass on the right all the time. When people start moving over and taking up the space they should use, I'll stop passing on the right.
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Albatross
Citizen
Username: Albatross
Post Number: 897
Registered: 9-2004
| | Posted on Tuesday, August 29, 2006 - 1:51 pm: |
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Tom, what I meant to say was, if there's a car in the middle lane that both you and I are passing, and I'm passing on the left and you're passing on the right, what happens when both cars try to return to the middle lane?
Both drivers are at fault, and the other driver's illegal driving doesn't mean that your resulting illegal driving is any better or less hazardous.
As a personal driving habit, I never stay in the left lane if there is space for me on the right. I'm also more patient with drivers who travel slower in the left lane; I've found that most realize that they should be in another lane as soon as they take a look back. And if not, a flash of headlights will do the trick. |
notehead
Supporter
Username: Notehead
Post Number: 3774
Registered: 5-2001
| | Posted on Tuesday, August 29, 2006 - 1:53 pm: |
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It's a vehicle, not a phone booth.
You may think that you have the same level of alertness and competence whether or not you are on the phone. But you DON'T. Really. You DON'T. |
blackcat
Citizen
Username: Blackcat
Post Number: 743
Registered: 6-2001
| | Posted on Tuesday, August 29, 2006 - 1:54 pm: |
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Amen Tom!! That's why we can never have an Autobahn here. No one keeps right!
Also, what's with people crossing double solid yellow lines to make turns? Case in point: the corner of Laurel and Springfield next to the DD. It's a double solid yellow line yet people try and make the left onto Springfield.
This may go back to the thread or comment by someone on how the driver's test is more concerned that you are aware of the consequences of doing something rather than knowing what the legal thing is to do. |
Tom Reingold
Supporter
Username: Noglider
Post Number: 15476
Registered: 1-2003
| | Posted on Tuesday, August 29, 2006 - 2:25 pm: |
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Albatross, yes, that's a tricky situation. I think the guy in the middle lane is the biggest culprit. I'm glad you don't hang out in the left lane, but I think hanging out in the middle lane is just as bad. If the roadway has three lanes, don't use the middle lane if there is room for you in the right lane. And if you do, I'm likely to pass you on the right. One of us has to keep right. ;-)
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Cougar86
Citizen
Username: Cougar86
Post Number: 43
Registered: 3-2006
| | Posted on Tuesday, August 29, 2006 - 2:28 pm: |
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As an aside you are much more likely to get a ticket in the left lane, all the more reason to stay right |
sac
Supporter
Username: Sac
Post Number: 3739
Registered: 5-2001
| | Posted on Tuesday, August 29, 2006 - 3:35 pm: |
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I've been away for awhile and just saw this thread, so bear with me as I comment on various items I read here ...
re 'Also people on the highway who when there is no one in front of them or even near them, they tap on their brakes for what ever reason. Just take you foot off the accerator if you want to slow down. I then slow down because I think they see a smoky or something but there's none.' - They might be tapping to disengage the cruise control. Simply taking your foot off the accelerator doesn't help in that case.
re 'The "right of way" is more than a right, it's an obligation. Anything else creates uncertainty, and uncertainty causes accidents.' - I was taught that right of way is something you yield, not something you claim. Therefore, it is certainly an OBLIGATION (of the driver/vehicle that does not have right of way), but not a RIGHT.
re 'the old "1 car length for every 10 mph" rule' - I agree. But, I use the 2-second rule, which is really the same thing but much easier to do. You just count two seconds after the vehicle ahead passes a stationary landmark ("one-thousand-one, one-thousand-two") The 1 car-length per 10 mph is derived from that 2 seconds, which is supposed to approximate reaction time to hit the brake upon spotting a problem ahead. And, it is lengthened to 3-4 seconds (or more) in adverse weather conditions when the car will travel farther after the brake is applied than it would on dry pavement.
re 'Passing on the right on highways is my biggest highway pet peeve; it's not only inconsiderate and illegal, it's dangerous' - While I agree that it can be dangerous, I don't believe that passing on the right is illegal when it is in a marked traveling lane (as is the case on highways.) I was taught that what is illegal is using the shoulder to pass on the right. And I also was taught that even that is permissable if passing a stopped car (such as one turning left.) |
Tom Reingold
Supporter
Username: Noglider
Post Number: 15479
Registered: 1-2003
| | Posted on Tuesday, August 29, 2006 - 4:03 pm: |
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Actually, passing on the shoulder when stuck behind a stopped car (such as one turning left) is illegal, and for good reason. You are on a major road, he is turning left onto a minor road. Someone coming from the left on the minor road wants to turn left onto the major road, which would put him in front of you, in the direction you are travelling in. He may not see you slinking by the stopped car. He has no reason to expect you are passing on the shoulder.
This is discussed in the NJ Driver's Manual.
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notehead
Supporter
Username: Notehead
Post Number: 3776
Registered: 5-2001
| | Posted on Tuesday, August 29, 2006 - 4:22 pm: |
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When traffic piles up on the ramp leading to the Holland Tunnel from the Turnpike, there are always drivers who cruise right on by in the shoulder, confident that their need to get where they're going is more important than anybody else's. It's not as if they're just trying to get to a nearby exit or right turn... there is none. The shoulder disappears toward the end of the ramp, so these drivers then expect to be allowed to merge back in with the rest of us. Sometimes, I pull half-way into the shoulder for the express purpose of blocking these people. They honk and holler at me as if I'm the one doing something wrong. I should probably refrain from doing this, as somebody may decide to get violent with me over it, but I get so mad at these people. I think the best solution is some sort of crane that will reach over the roadway, pluck these vehicles up, and hurl them into the Hudson. (Note to self: call Corzine about this.) |
Tom Reingold
Supporter
Username: Noglider
Post Number: 15481
Registered: 1-2003
| | Posted on Tuesday, August 29, 2006 - 4:25 pm: |
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I do that, too, against my better judgement. I better not tell my family about it, because they'd make me stop. Maybe I should just stop.
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Seagull
Citizen
Username: Seagull
Post Number: 166
Registered: 9-2002
| | Posted on Tuesday, August 29, 2006 - 4:27 pm: |
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My pet peeve is when stuck in heavy stop & go traffic on the highway and people switch from lane to lane in an effort to get ahead (causing everyone behind them in the lane they are entering to slam on the brakes) I swear that if everyone just stayed in their lane, we'd all be moving along at a consistent pace! |
sac
Supporter
Username: Sac
Post Number: 3742
Registered: 5-2001
| | Posted on Tuesday, August 29, 2006 - 5:20 pm: |
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I guess that New Jersey and Texas have slightly different rules about passing, at least in regards to using the shoulder. (Of course, when I moved here and had to get my NJ license, most of what I had to worry about to pass the test was the allowable blood alcohol levels and penalties associated with various infractions ... they didn't spend much time on ACTUAL rules and driving practices, which is a major peeve of mine. But, I think that was discussed on another thread.)
Here is the quote from the NJ driver manual that I found online:
"Most passing should be made on the left. Pass on the right only on
roads with more than one lane going in the same direction if vehicles
on the roadway are moving in two or more substantially continuous
lines, or if the driver ahead is making a left turn. New Jersey
law prohibits passing on the right shoulder of the roadway." |
Zoesky1
Citizen
Username: Zoesky1
Post Number: 1652
Registered: 6-2003
| | Posted on Tuesday, August 29, 2006 - 8:12 pm: |
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Notehead, when I got rear-ended in July, it was on Rt 72, that road leading up to the LBI Causeway, that gets jammed bumper to bumper on summer Saturdays, by a guy doing exactly what you describe. He was cruising up the shoulder looking for a way in. I went past him, but he edged in after me, and then wham! The idiot rear-ended me. I had my two daughters in the car with me, and we were all shaken up, not to mention my Honda CRV had what turned out to be about $2500 of damage to its rear door and bumper. But here's the poetic justice of it all. He not only got issued a "careless driving" ticket when the cops showed up, and his insurance rates will not only go sky-high now, but he wrecked -- and I mean WRECKED, because it was undriveable -- a vintage 1969 Thunderbird that he'd just finished paying to have restored. I mean, it was a classic car, complete with "Collectible" license plates. He was practically in tears. It was real poetic justice for all those people who cruise along shoulders expecting everyone to yield to them. THing is, I wonder if he has learned his lesson or if he will still do it. |
blackcat
Citizen
Username: Blackcat
Post Number: 750
Registered: 6-2001
| | Posted on Wednesday, August 30, 2006 - 1:30 pm: |
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It's also nice for the shoulder-passer to have a friendly State Trooper waiting down the road Love when that happens |
jet
Citizen
Username: Jet
Post Number: 1210
Registered: 7-2001
| | Posted on Wednesday, August 30, 2006 - 2:53 pm: |
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notehead , what you are seeing driving down the shoulder to the HT are NYC gov. employees, some with police packages, the plates begin w/ DV denoting nyc gov reg. They also live in NJ illegally . Also you got the JCPD on their way to the 8:00am shift @ the Erie st station & PA employees . I was once "pulled over" by a lady with NYPD parking card for blocking her in the shoulder of the ramp , I got a cell phone out called JCPD , told her I would have her charged with impersonating a police officer . She jumped back in her car & drove off. |
Tom Reingold
Supporter
Username: Noglider
Post Number: 15497
Registered: 1-2003
| | Posted on Wednesday, August 30, 2006 - 6:25 pm: |
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<rant>
For those who haven't thought very hard about it, please let me explain what the word "yield" means. It means let me go. Slow down if you have to. Stop if you have to. For me, if you have a yield sign.
It does not mean "merge nicely" or "take turns" or something like that.
It means if I slowed down or changed course to avoid hitting you, you didn't yield. It's perfectly OK to stop at a yield sign. In fact, if you do so, you will be sure not to cause me to slow down or change course.
Now, to be reasonable, if you make me slow down slightly and I don't have to react to your merge quickly then it's not so bad. But you should know that you didn't properly yield to me.
OK, is that clear?
</rant>
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Albatross
Citizen
Username: Albatross
Post Number: 898
Registered: 9-2004
| | Posted on Wednesday, August 30, 2006 - 10:25 pm: |
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Tom - Agree completely.
And I'm pleasantly surprised that I'm not the only one who uses <rant> </rant>, I've never seen anyone else do it. |
fabulouswalls
Citizen
Username: Fabulouswalls
Post Number: 254
Registered: 10-2005
| | Posted on Thursday, August 31, 2006 - 12:15 am: |
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I don't understand why, when I am coming down the road in my giant SUV, people don't just get the f**k out of my way. Big truck vs Little Truck, I win. Big truck vs pedestrian, I win. Big truck vs little or big car, I win. So move your ••• when you see me coming. And don't put a stroller in the way either because that makes you a bad parent or babysitter or caregiver or whatever. |
TomR
Citizen
Username: Tomr
Post Number: 1281
Registered: 6-2001
| | Posted on Thursday, August 31, 2006 - 12:21 am: |
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Noglider,
For the sake of clarity, when you wrote that you do that too, were you referring to driving on the shoulder; or to blocking people who drive on the shoulder?
TomR |
Tom Reingold
Supporter
Username: Noglider
Post Number: 15502
Registered: 1-2003
| | Posted on Thursday, August 31, 2006 - 6:44 am: |
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No, I was saying I have blocked people from driving on the shoulder, as notehead has. Actually, I've done it only about twice, because it is rather scary. I suppose it's scary because it's foolish. Pissing people off doesn't enhance anyone's safety.
Yesterday, after writing the above rant, I stoped at a Yield sign. It was a two-lanes-into-one highway ramp (from Rt 35 onto the Parkway in Keyport or Hazlet). If I hadn't stopped, I would have cut off the steady stream of traffic in the lane that doesn't have the Yield sign. The guy behind me honked. I turned around and waved at him. There were lots of cars coming from the other lane, so I waited. He and several behind him went around me on the shoulder and merged illegally into the lane of traffic. I guess there attitude was "Ya don't gotta stop at a yield sign." Uh, if it's necessary to avoid rude or dangerous merges, yes it is. It's not an option, it's required. Stop at a Yield sign. Wow, what a foreign concept.
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