Aggressive drivers

[CLT65]

Lots of threads on driving lately. My daughter has her learner's permit, and driving with her has been an experience. As a long-time driver, you forget just how many absolute jerks there are out there behind the wheel. Riding with a beginner, you see just how many people have absolutely no patience or tolerance for being slowed down even a fraction of a second.

She's doing very well, but she is slow and has made some minor mistakes. No wrecks or terribly close calls, but I've seen some unbelievably bad behavior from other drivers because of her slowness and indecision. Some jerk just about ran into her a few minutes ago, because she mistakenly turned in front of him. There was plenty of room for him to slow down and avoid her, but instead he kept going full speed and slammed on the brakes at the last second, and laid on the horn as hard and long as he could, bringing a young girl to tears. What in the h-e-double toothpick is wrong with people out there?! Are they so all-fired, self-important that they have to loose their cool because a beginning driver slows them down for literally two seconds?

Then again, maybe it's good for her to learn that there are plenty of those kind of people out there, and a big part of driving is learning to avoid them and just stay out of their way. Life in general- the world is full of jerks. Try not to be one.

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[Capn Jack]

Just remember.....They're all crazy....except me and thee.

 

[Kruel J]

I can see both sides of the coin. And her tears not only do no good but could also interfere with her driving.

No offense meant here but I would talk to her about that too. Emotional reactions like that could get her in trouble. Cool heads always prevail.

 

[Ura-Ki]

I mostly missed both boys learning to drive, I was looking forward to it, but it wasn't in the cards! Still, my Folks did a great job teaching them and they both turned out to be excellent drivers. Sadly, I see too many folks out there who didn't get good driver training, or what they did get went in one ear hole and out the other! Plus, people are arseholes in general, and what's worse and scares the hell out of me, nobody takes driving seriously, I see soccer moms juggling their cofveve and 3 screaming undisciplined spoiled rotten brats, a cell phone and a 5000 pound automobile, and guess which of all of those holds the least amount of attention? Yup, that 5000 pound mini van doing 10 over the limit! Same thing going town the freeway, spending a large amount of their limited brain power surfing texts and music and not paying attention to driving that 6500 pound diesel pickup doing 85 in the fast lane and holding up the cars behind them! Cars have gotten smarter, and drivers have become dumber! I have been Combat Driving for nearly 35 years now, and it's only getting worse!

 

[Tarawa86]

Do you have a 'Student driver' sign on the car? I think this helps people make allowances for mistakes and not overreact.

 

[slimmer13]

Driving isn't for the faint of heart. I have some sympathy for new bad drivers, but if those bad habits aren't corrected, they obliviously continue them and become old bad drivers. It's rough to see your kid upset, but it was probably a good learning experience.

 

[RVTECH]

I don't want to sound like I see the worst but I see some of the absolute stupidest and dangerous drivers daily between Sunriver and Bend.

80 + MPH on Hwy 97.

People passing multiple vehicles and narrowly missing the oncoming vehicle as they get back into their lane.

People fighting for 'pole position' at the bottlenecks only to gain nothing as they are back in the moving traffic at whatever speed it is moving.

Tailgating at hwy speed.

And some of the worst? Psychotic truck drivers veering over to force people off the road (seen many having to hit the dirt - or worse over the years) Truck drivers moving to the edge of the road to blow gravel on vehicles behind them. Some drive as though they have no conscience or regard for human life - and having had to deal with them in the past I believe this to be true for some - and some are genuinely excellent people.

 

[cigars]

The first thing that I absolutely drove (no pun intended) into my daughters heads when I was teaching them to drive was to drive like everyone is out to get you. So far, so good.

 

[Alexx1401]

Lots of threads on driving lately. My daughter has her learner's permit, and driving with her has been an experience. As a long-time driver, you forget just how many absolute jerks there are out there behind the wheel. Riding with a beginner, you see just how many people have absolutely no patience or tolerance for being slowed down even a fraction of a second.

She's doing very well, but she is slow and has made some minor mistakes. No wrecks or terribly close calls, but I've seen some unbelievably bad behavior from other drivers because of her slowness and indecision. Some jerk just about ran into her a few minutes ago, because she mistakenly turned in front of him. There was plenty of room for him to slow down and avoid her, but instead he kept going full speed and slammed on the brakes at the last second, and laid on the horn as hard and long as he could, bringing a young girl to tears. What in the h-e-double toothpick is wrong with people out there?! Are they so all-fired, self-important that they have to loose their cool because a beginning driver slows them down for literally two seconds?

Then again, maybe it's good for her to learn that there are plenty of those kind of people out there, and a big part of driving is learning to avoid them and just stay out of their way. Life in general- the world is full of jerks. Try not to be one.

Sadly this is probably important for her. Like you said there is a LOT of drivers like that. She may as well get used to it while you are in the car with her, rather than when she is on her own. CAMERA'S! Dash cams, like all tech, are pennies on the dollar what they used to be. May be well worth getting one facing rear and front. Those same drivers when they hit someone, will lie to the Cops and insurance in a heart beat. If it's on tape it can save you a BUNDLE.

 

[Ura-Ki]

Sadly this is probably important for her. Like you said there is a LOT of drivers like that. She may as well get used to it while you are in the car with her, rather than when she is on her own. CAMERA'S! Dash cams, like all tech, are pennies on the dollar what they used to be. May be well worth getting one facing rear and front. Those same drivers when they hit someone, will lie to the Cops and insurance in a heart beat. If it's on tape it can save you a BUNDLE.

Not only that, but having cameras tends to make YOU a better driver, after all, it's all recorded and can be used ether for you, or against you!

 

[Alexx1401]

Not only that, but having cameras tends to make YOU a better driver, after all, it's all recorded and can be used ether for you, or against you!

My favorite is listening to Wife when she has a close call. She has been known to use words she will swear she NEVER uses, that and her singing along to whatever song was on just before

 

[cigars]

My favorite is listening to Wife when she has a close call. She has been known to use words she will swear she NEVER uses, that and her singing along to whatever song was on just before

My wife got a photo radar ticket years back. She was singing along to one of her Japanese CD's. When I saw the picture I burst out laughing because I knew exactly what she was doing when she drove by that big photo radar van. It was the best picture ever. It was also the last ticket she ever got.

 

[gmerkt]

Some drivers are never happy unless they are in front of the car that is in front of them.

 

[billdeserthills]

Do you have a 'Student driver' sign on the car? I think this helps people make allowances for mistakes and not overreact.

Student driver sign sure works for me, whenever I see one I get the hell away from them

 

[billdeserthills]

..

 

[CLT65]

You guys are right that this is ultimately a good thing for her. My instinct is to protect my little girl, but it is important to learn that when you're on the road, you have to watch out for yourself, and whatever unexpected thing other crazy people might do.

We do have a "Student Driver" sticker on the car, but this guy would have seen her from the front only, so he couldn't have seen it. What burned me up was the fact that even though she misjudged the situation and should have waited for him to go by, all he would have had to do was let off the gas, and maybe touch the brake slightly. He'd have given her room and it would have been safe.

No, instead he got all pissed off that someone dared to slow him down for a nanosecond, and instead of slowing down slightly, he came at her full speed and slammed on the brakes. People with that sort of disposition shouldn't even be driving.

The other one a few weeks back was when she was waiting to make a left turn into the public library. She was waiting for cars to go by before she could turn, and a guy was waiting impatiently behind her. She hesitated for a couple seconds when it was clear, and the guy behind her drove around her, in the other lane, and turned into the library in front of her! Worst of all, this was right in front of the local police station!

We had a talk about controlling your emotions when driving, and other people are rude, inconsiderate jerks, and we talked about the importance of watching out for crazy!

 

[thorborg]

We drive slow everywhere, we like looking around but in deference to others we try to stay off the busy roads and freeways. We also pull over (a lot) to let folks go by, nearly as much as i drive sometimes and still get honked at and flipped off. I do the speed limit if pulling over isn't possible but even then sometimes that not good enough for some either.
One thing i have noticed, almost no one flips off or honks at antique cars going slow. For that reason, I always wanted a 30 something ford sedan or the like. Only I want it to have modern engine, air conditioner, trans wipers etc on the inside all hidden to move out and ride in quiet comfort when I want, but antique on the outside so when we go slow folks think its just another old guy driving an old car that won't go any faster. Never quite made that happen though.

 

[nwslopoke]

What has increased in the last few years IMO is the entitlement to space. Someone trying to squeeze in at any cost to your space. My wife's car was hit twice. Once in a parking lot and once when a driver decided they didn't want to make a left turn and jumped back into traffic without looking.

About a week ago in Walmart parking lot I watched a girl back into a car in line behind her. He was honking for her to stop but of course she didn't and was angry at him. No way she checked her mirror and no way the honking horn could be for her.

 

[NW Backpacker]

Driving is frustrating today with so many cars on the road (before COVID reduced traffic). EVERY TIME I drive I see bad driving behavior. Most of the time, one of the bad drivers will be on your a$$ tailgating. If I'm on a 2 lane rural road, I usually pull over and let them pass so they can tailgate the person in front of me.
Left turns account for 20-25% of fatalities. Intersections with only a green ball for left turns (no arrow) are deadly, for drivers and for pedestrians. A green ball should NEVER be allowed when the walk signal gives permission to walk across the path of traffic, but it is common.

https://crashstats.nhtsa.dot.gov/Api/Public/ViewPublication/810682

Another dangerous aspect of driving is passing on hills and curves on 2 lane rural roads. Be patient, you'll get a chance to do it safely on the other side.
On holding the steering wheel, I hold it at the 4 and 8 o'clock position if it has an air bag. If it inflates when you are holding it in the 10 and 2 position, the bag will slam your arm/hand into the window or other interior structures about like Hank Aaron hitting it with a baseball bat (or so I have heard). First page of this report describes some of the injuries:

https://www-nrd.nhtsa.dot.gov/pdf/ESV/esv16/98S5O09.PDF

More road safety stats:

2023 Driving Statistics: The Ultimate List of Driving Stats

Discover accurate driving statistics on road safety, drunk driving statistics and fatalities, teen and commercial driving, vehicle safety, and more. Car accidents by location, gender, age.

driving-tests.org

One other dangerous thing is a rural railroad crossing with no crossing gate. At night if the rail cars are old and rusty it is almost impossible to see them!

 

[CLT65]

Along with being a competent driver, I really want her to learn to be a courteous driver, and her brothers when it's their turn. It's not a race. If someone's behind you that wants to go faster than you, do your best to let them by. If someone's in front of you going slow, take a deep breath and patiently bide your time until you can safely get around them. If someone does something dumb on the road that inconveniences you somehow, give them the benefit of the doubt and shrug it off. It might just be someone who's lost or confused, or a new driver learning how to drive. No need to get worked up.

I have good friends who are aggressive drivers, a couple down the coast (brothers) who are young hotshots and I worry about them. They have big fancy trucks and lots of expensive toys. They drive like they own the road, 20+ over, everywhere they go. They are otherwise good, decent people, and I hope they can learn to tone it down before someone gets hurt badly. I tell my kids, don't drive like they do!