Modern Vespa

When I signal to make a lane change and a driver in the lane I want into speeds up to keep me from getting in front of them.

Saw a bumper that said "Veterinarian. I drive like an animal!" It suddenly dawned on me how many proctologists are on the road.

+1+1+1

ha-and never shake hands with a proctologist.

Just never.

I have a few:

1. Failure to signal. Both in turns and lane changes which is all too common out here. I count an average of 10 times someone fails to signal or even check the adjacent lane and nearly collides with me.


2. Excessive speed for prevailing conditions. Normally I don't care if others choose to speed, but when its raining, foggy or otherwise I have visions of someone sliding right in to me at speed, or just failing to see me and mowing me down.

3. Following too closely. Both at traffic signals and in the flow of traffic people insist on being extremely close to my rear. I don't quite think they understand the repercussions of what will happen if I suddenly need to stop and they rear end me. Perhaps they simply don't think of it.

While I readily admit that a smooth "zipper" merge at the actual merge area is the most efficient way to move traffic, it's the guy (or gal) who zooms by you on the right while you are merging so that he can get a little farther up in the queue that really burns my ass. Now THAT is a wanker!

But if you were not merging early and were merging at the actual merge point there would be no place for them to zoom to. If you merge early in front of me I am going around your ass.

Likewise - especially on a scooter.

Hey gang, havent been here in a while. Sold both scooters after my Annie passed away. Now have a new love, and am wanting a Vespa....the only thing standing between me and Vespa is money....SIGH....
my pet peeves in traffic are:

tailgaters
litterbugs
agressive drivers
loud rap music, loud mufflers

that's all

Wanker!

Depends on how you define "early."

I'm talking about the point at which normal, sane, considerate drivers start to merge: i.e. where the "merge from" lane starts to taper down. THAT is the point where the "zipper" works efficiently and is the point -- I believe -- that the traffic engineers recommend merging at. Inevitably, though, inconsiderate jerks will ignore the fact that this is where the zipper is taking place, and will go around you on the right to as far as the pavement will allow without running off the road. Then, at that point, they try to pry themselves into a non-existant space... stopping the whole queue in the process and destroying the efficiency of it all.

Yes especially on a scooter. I might even do some cone weaving.

A Prius doing the exact speed limit in the fast lane whilst the other 4 lanes are wide open.



SDG

Which is the actual merge point...where it starts to taper. Not a lot of room for someone to go around you (unless it is me on a scooter behind you ) And in my experience "normal, sane, considerate drivers" start to merge way too soon causing all kinds of havoc. The real problem is the asshats in the non-blocked lanes that try to keep you from merging at the merge point because they have this misplaced sense of justice...or are smoking crack or something.

"Slower traffic keep right"

SO PLEASE DO IT NOW !!!

Specially to all my friends who drive/ride the 101 in the SF peninsula area...

Having said that... DON'T TAILGATE ME YOU IDIOT, I'm also waiting for the slower traffic ahead me, but I understand what a "safety distance" is !

while the passing on the right and people failing to move to the right annoys me I mostly don't get upset about it. The reason for this is that in California the law basically says that that is the correct thing to do, and that is something I do get upset about.

If I won the lottery I'd give a considerable amount of time to cleaning up the California vehicle code.

People who use the HOV lane as their personal passing lane, ignoring double yellow or double -double yellow lines.

Oh the joys of living where there are no traffic lights, few STOP signs, no merge lanes and only one lane in each direction. Now if we could just get rid of the off-island drivers...

Of course, most of you would get your knickers in a twist if you came upon two cars, traveling in opposite directions, stopped in the road and having a chat to catch up on "stuff", but we value relationships much more than getting somewhere in a hurry. For example, the harbor at Naousa has been there for about 5,000 years, so the odds are it will still be there three minutes later than if those two friends hadn't held you up.

i suppose something you have to get right in your head with all these annoying drivers is that it isn't the same bloke every time, even though it might seem like it is.

Getting annoyed, hating, means you are not totally watching traffic. Nothing surprises me, nothing bothers me, the others on the road is just something to see and avoid.

From what I've observed, different areas/cities have different quirks. In New England, people won't let you merge unless you catch their eye (you see them looking at you) and then they're the friendliest drivers. In California, the highways are designed well for getting on and off, but it's a bit weird having a traffic jam at 70 MPH. In DC, it's a hot mess. Half of the people grew up in the area and the other have are transient. Driving wears me out because of the hightened state of alert I'm in all of the time.

/begin rant

I was at the local grocers, in the parking lot, when a lady approached me asking for directions. I had just getting into my car and was standing there with the door opened and the space next to me empty. I was trying my best to relay directions for her through a language barrier when some other lady pulled up and honked at us. I looked around and saw an open spot two spaces down. I pointed to the spot, but the lady honked again. I told her that I was giving directions and we would be out of her way in a minute. Then she proceeded to shout at us about moving and started her car forward toward us. We moved out of the way so not to get hit by this lazy and impatient woman.

The impatient driver went into the store and I finished giving directions to the lady and she went on her way. I got into my car to leave.

....

Let's just way there's a benefit to having an 89 Ford Crown Victoria with steel bumpers. Very heavy car and the bumpers take a lot of abuse. But, I digress.

I live in Florida. Right on red is legal unless posted otherwise. All you tourist make me CrAzY!!!!!!!! I once got out of my car and explained to the nice Ohio family this law. Ohio dad said, " thats a good law" Thanked me, then cut off and almost got Ohio family killed as he turned right on red. ......... Now I just sit quietly and shoot laser beams from my eye balls as I sit behind a tourist at a red light waiting to turn right.

Maybe he said, "that's a good law" because it is also the law in Ohio?

I've always understood that to be the law just about everywhere in the United States. Am I wrong about that?

Brendan

I far as I know, pretty much. If memory serves, it started in California in the late 60's and rapidly spread from there. There are, however, some jurisdictions where it is specifically not allowed... the District of Columbia for example.

Nope.

The tourist in question probably knew that too. Thus a possible reason for the smart remark and hurry to get away.

Didn't carjacking tourist and rental cars in Florida being a serious problem make the news??

It did make the news, but some years ago. It was a serious problem in the Miami area. In those days, rental cars had distinctive license plates that did not name the county as most of the locals had. That problem was recognized and subsequently corrected. Moreover, most rental cars these days have that auto-lock system that locks the doors after the first few yards of driving, so thieves can't just open the door and pull people out as they did before.
I haven't heard or read anything about this being a problem in recent years. But I'm at the extreme other end of Florida.

** this **

I give up trying to make sense of what idiots do. Makes my BP go sky high. I assume nobody will stop at a stop sign or use their directional. Thankfully no horns here. If i hear 3 a year that's a lot. However i hate people who signal to go left or right and then ditch it and pull back out onto the road almost causing me to go down. Taxi's are notorious. However the biggie is cars intentionally blocking me from using the shoulder. Scooters and bikes are allowed to do this. Their just pissed because they have to sit in traffic. Get a scooter.

Rubber neckers are another pet peeve of mine. Seriously, whatever happened doesn't concern you. If it ain't blocking the highway, there is no need for you to slow down.

I've seen wrecks on the opposite side of the highway slow down my side because these idiots want to look at what's going on. Many highways now have elevated dividing walls now to try to prevent this.

I also get really frustrated with people who don't know how to merge onto a highway. Last night I'm behind some moron who was going like 40mph trying to merge into traffic going at least 70mph. Seriously? Never took a physics class?

Finally, this one really gets me. I've seen drivers change lanes into the merge point on a highway. So I'm trying to merge on to the highway and some idiot decides to move into the far right lane right where cars are merging. The merging cars have no where to go. It is like you couldn't wait another 1/10 of a mile or something to move into the far right lane so you aren't interferring with cars merging onto the highway?

reckon there's a lot of hypertension happening round here

AV we have those cars out by me. I do it on my scooter. People sit there while you talk,even our cops. Way of life out here. That's why i live out here. Doesn't work in Honolulu tho. We don't have any stoplights here and if we could get rid of the tourists i'd be a happy camper. We don't get many out by me. My bad yesterday when this couple on a rented Harley asked me about a "private beach out my way where they could see turtles". Turtles are everywhere. I sent them elsewhere. Only friends know where it is. If it ends up on the internet were screwed. Gotta keep some places to yourself.

I think we agree on what is the right thing... we just disagree on who is the worst asshat.

Slow drivers in the Left Lane.
Driving and using Cell Phones, talking or texting.
Lack of Blinkers or late blinking.
Tail Gaiters
Hell, everyone on the road except me! Just kidding.

+1, But especially at toll plazas! I have been hit twice now by single occupants in a vehicle cutting in and then over to avoid traffic in the HOV lane. Never in the designated broken line area, always in the solid line area.

The cager that parks in the middle of two spaces is trying to save from getting nicks out of the paint on the doors of his own car from the adjacent parking cagers opening their doors.

Most of the above can irritate me as well, I try mostly to expect the worse from car drivers. I'm still often surprised.

I cannot stand Audi drivers. Over here they are the most rowdy crowd on the road, and they do not like Vespas getting in front of them!!!

50 meters before the light they'll still rev up and pass me, only to get stopped by the light.

I do though, make it a point to get right up in front of his shiny aggressive grill and front bumper!

I have fun with 'em.

I'l def. third or fouth the tailgaters.

I just get over in an area with fewer parked cars and let them pass, even if I have to stop. Then I get behind them an leave a very uncomfortably long distance between me and them.

Apologies to those who hate the 4 car length stop, but I want to keep away from THAT ASSHAT in front of me.

I just treat it as a safety thing. If this moron is on a mission to murder other people and the government couldn't care less about it...fine, I'll just do what I can to keep myself safe.

I mean seriously...when has an aggressive driver ticket ever been issued when not in conjunction with an accident or several other offences? Fine that a little more heavily and keep dumbass people 2-3 seconds behind me and not 2-3 milliseconds behind me.

Instead it is all random breath tests and speeding tickets for the traffic cops.

I think I'm in a more contented space with it now and don't get upset. When I make it home alive and having not gone down, I win. Screw the rest of them.

Someone very close to me got a ticket for following too close some years ago.

So it has happened at least once.

I won't mention who it was as I have to live with her and I really like conjugal relations.

Looking into mirrors after beginning a turn. Useless.
Indicating when in a turn. Useless.
Following too closely in dense traffic. Dense.
On phone. Negligent.

Solution to problem one is fold in the mirror of the offender as they were not using it;

Solution to problem two is to knock on the window of the offender and tell them their indicators are broken;

Solution to problem three is to apparently stomp on the brake;

Solution to problem four is, if window open, draw up alongside, take phone, switch it off, throw back through window. If one is feeling really annoyed, the option remains to place the phone on the car bonnet so that they cannot drive away without it falling off.

Leaving their driveways. Basically, they are all a menace and are irresponsible.

There are far too many things to mention to highlight one as special. I've not seen someone eating their breakfast cereal from a bowl with milk and spoon yet.

http://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/home-news/brake-fast-for-breakfast-video-shows-motorist-tucking-into-bowl-of-cereal-while-driving-8917196.html

Got behind a moped last nite around dark. At first i thought what a good rider. He was going slow and using his directional but then as i got closer he was smoking a ciggie. Flicking the ash right at me. Did something i never do,passed him in his lane and yelled "flick your ashes on somebody else asshole". Yes, i was tired and my back was killing me. Who smokes while their riding on 2 wheels? Gah.