RE: Driving (Full Version)

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booklover13 -> RE: Driving (4/9/2013 5:35:42 AM)

I drive very defensively. I watch all the cars around me and try to anticipate their actions. I don't talk on the phone, text, rummage around for shit on the floor or seats; don't eat, apply makeup, drink or fiddle with the radio. And...I have nerves of steel. I rarely get frazzled.



Moonlightmaddnes -> RE: Driving (4/9/2013 7:13:59 AM)


quote:

ORIGINAL: MasterCaneman

Only three were my fault, I forgot to mention. Two were while driving in fog, and one was on ice (and going to fast, to be honest).

Only 3??? LOL That sounds like my oldest son who I never ride with. My car has been hit twice once in a parking lot when a teenager backed into me and once while I sat in stopped traffic when another teenager was busy messing with his radio instead of noticing traffic stopped.



MasterCaneman -> RE: Driving (4/9/2013 7:27:48 AM)


quote:

ORIGINAL: Moonlightmaddnes


quote:

ORIGINAL: MasterCaneman

Only three were my fault, I forgot to mention. Two were while driving in fog, and one was on ice (and going to fast, to be honest).

Only 3??? LOL That sounds like my oldest son who I never ride with. My car has been hit twice once in a parking lot when a teenager backed into me and once while I sat in stopped traffic when another teenager was busy messing with his radio instead of noticing traffic stopped.


I will admit I drove too fast when I was younger, but it was the nature of the beast. I drove for a cartage company that did what they called "hotshots" to the mines and factories within a 300 mile radius of SLC. It was a part-time job (1-2 days a week) and I took them because the regular drivers liked their established routes. Some days it was in a panel van, others it was a 24' foot truck.

Five of those accidents were on motorcycles, ranging from a guy opening a car door at the wrong time to catching a 70 mph crosswind and getting picked up and dumped. In three I was a passenger, two were caused by mechanical issues (1 blowout, 1 entire wheel assembly coming off). I practice defensive driving religiously now. So there. Nyah.



OsideGirl -> RE: Driving (4/9/2013 8:13:45 AM)


quote:

ORIGINAL: Level

I drive offensively.

Yeah, traffic and goobers behind the wheel can be aggravating, but that doesn't help anything. Try to chill.



I drive that way too. I've owned Miatas for almost 20 years. You become very aware of what's going on around you because you're out of sight from some vehicles and others just don't look. (kind of like being on a motorcycle)

As for chilling, I sing with the radio.



Hillwilliam -> RE: Driving (4/9/2013 8:26:28 AM)

Drive in miami and you can drive anywhere.
I did it for 18 years.



ChatteParfaitt -> RE: Driving (4/9/2013 8:26:42 AM)

FR:

I've been driving for 45 years and gotten in one serious accident where *I* was rear-ended. I consider myself one of the few good drivers on the planet (and I'm so very humble about it).

When you're as good as I am, driving with the average driver can be blood pressure inducing, unless you have a strategy. I pretend driving is some huge strange pin ball machine game, except if I lose, I could die or kill someone else. So, no stress, when that moronic driver in front of me just slowed down while entering a clear intersection -- it's just another challenge the game presented.




playfulotter -> RE: Driving (4/9/2013 3:46:06 PM)

Well...here in California we do call drivers from Arizona "Zonies" because that state has a reputation for having bad drivers....I wish I had an answer to your question but I don't...Maybe you are not a native Arizonan.



DomKen -> RE: Driving (4/9/2013 3:59:02 PM)

quote:

ORIGINAL: TheHeretic


quote:

ORIGINAL: MasterCaneman

Only three were my fault, I forgot to mention. Two were while driving in fog, and one was on ice (and going to fast, to be honest).



And you feel that adding worse details to the abysmal record you've already described is going to help your case, how exactly???

My father drove over a million miles as a teamster with no avoidable accidents and no accidents in which he was at fault. He'd been in at least 10 accidents in those years.



OsideGirl -> RE: Driving (4/9/2013 4:15:19 PM)


quote:

ORIGINAL: Hillwilliam

Drive in miami and you can drive anywhere.
I did it for 18 years.


I think SoCal is worse than Miami.

We have a large population of immigrants that come from places where the traffic moves much slower, traffic is much less, or they didn't own a car.

One of my friends is from Moloka'i. When she first moved here, she kept getting tickets for going too slow...because top speed on the island is 45MPH. She would freak out on the freeway.



playfulotter -> RE: Driving (4/9/2013 5:19:18 PM)

Well..she wouldn't be an immigrant as Moloka'i is part of Hawaii and one of our 50 states but I can see where the driving there would be different than i is here on the mainland.



OsideGirl -> RE: Driving (4/9/2013 5:23:46 PM)


quote:

ORIGINAL: playfulotter

Well..she wouldn't be an immigrant as Moloka'i is part of Hawaii and one of our 50 states


I didn't say she was an immigrant. I said she was from Moloka'i.

It was an illustration of how people from more rural areas have problems with large freeway systems in large metro areas.

But, thanks for assuming I'm ignorant. (Which, by the way, would pretty much make it impossible for me to do my job as a corporate travel manager.)





playfulotter -> RE: Driving (4/9/2013 5:47:39 PM)

OsideGirl,

My mistake ..I am sorry.



Zonie63 -> RE: Driving (4/9/2013 5:49:20 PM)


quote:

ORIGINAL: playfulotter

Well...here in California we do call drivers from Arizona "Zonies" because that state has a reputation for having bad drivers....I wish I had an answer to your question but I don't...Maybe you are not a native Arizonan.


You are correct, I'm not a native Arizonan. I was born in California, although I lived a number of years in upstate NY before finally landing in Arizona. I've been here for over 30 years, so I would consider myself a "semi-native" Arizonan, as some might say out here. I had relatives in L.A., so I'm pretty familiar with that area and how people drive around there. I used to go there all the time.

In AZ, we also get plenty of snowbirds, out-of-state travelers, and plenty of newcomers moving in all the time. So, we get all kinds of different driving styles from people who mostly learned how to drive elsewhere - even different countries, for some.




playfulotter -> RE: Driving (4/9/2013 5:54:38 PM)

I understand what you are saying..I met a man from Massachusetts once...he came here to visit me and some family members and for business.....he thought if the light was red for him but a green turn signal for others..it meant he could go and drive...was scary!



TallullahHk -> RE: Driving (4/9/2013 6:02:09 PM)

That has more to do with him being a dim bulb than being from MA. Turning right on red is a moving violation here.

quote:

ORIGINAL: playfulotter

I understand what you are saying..I met a man from Massachusetts once...he came here to visit me and some family members and for business.....he thought if the light was red for him but a green turn signal for others..it meant he could go and drive...was scary!




OsideGirl -> RE: Driving (4/9/2013 6:05:48 PM)


quote:

ORIGINAL: TallullahHk

That has more to do with him being a dim bulb than being from MA. Turning right on red is a moving violation here.



I grew up in MA. I had to explain to Master how to "bang a left" when he was driving there.



OsideGirl -> RE: Driving (4/9/2013 6:10:52 PM)


quote:

ORIGINAL: playfulotter

OsideGirl,

My mistake ..I am sorry.


And I apologize as well. I've had a cold for a week, I'm exhausted and it has made me cranky. I should not have snapped.



Zonie63 -> RE: Driving (4/9/2013 6:17:44 PM)

quote:

ORIGINAL: BitaTruble

quote:

ORIGINAL: Zonie63



I'm probably speaking of a minority of drivers, as I think most drivers are courteous and obey the traffic laws. But there are some people who are enough to drive you nuts. Don't get me wrong, I'm not on the edge of road rage, but I'm just trying to gauge whether anyone else gets frustrated with traffic, bad drivers, etc. and how they generally handle it.



I lived in Italy where lanes are pretty much non-existent and stoplights appear to be strictly optional. No worries, cars are people, too, which is why you will often find them sharing sidewalks with pedestrians. Given all that, driving anywhere in the US is a cakewalk. I don't get road rage cuz I've had the fear of God put into me by my fellow Italians. [8D]


My friend was stationed in Italy many years ago, and he told me all about driving in Italy.

Out of curiosity, I just looked up the stats, and it seems that Italy's fatality rate is still lower than that of the United States.

Of course, we get those massive freeway pile-ups, so that may raise our average a bit. It's amazing sometimes, out on the interstate. Sometimes I've come across situations where the speed limit may be 70 or 75, then there's some guy going along at 60 mph, with another guy passing at 61 mph. This has the effect of clogging up both lanes, with a bunch of cars clumped up behind. They'd probably like to go faster (at least up to the speed limit), but they got stuck behind Slow and Slower.



Zonie63 -> RE: Driving (4/9/2013 6:30:26 PM)


quote:

ORIGINAL: OsideGirl


quote:

ORIGINAL: TallullahHk

That has more to do with him being a dim bulb than being from MA. Turning right on red is a moving violation here.



I grew up in MA. I had to explain to Master how to "bang a left" when he was driving there.



I had to look up "bang a left" to find out what it meant:

quote:

Slang. Typically heard in Boston. It is not just making a left turn, it is to make a left as soon as the light goes green and before the oncoming traffic has a chance to react to the light changing to green. If you ever find yourself driving in Boston it has almost become customary for you to allow the first car in the turn lane to “bang a left” in front of you before you pull forward from the light.


I've seen people do that here on occasion, although it doesn't happen very much. It wouldn't really work, since everyone starts moving as soon as the light turns green. People trying to "bang a left" have a very good chance of getting creamed. Besides, most of the major intersections here have left-turn arrows, so there's no real need to do it anyway.




OsideGirl -> RE: Driving (4/9/2013 6:35:25 PM)

In the older sections of the cities of MA, there are no left turn lanes.

In the intersections with lights, there is 5 seconds between when the cross traffic light turns red and your light turns green. You put on your blinker, so oncoming traffic knows what you're doing, count to 5 and then throw it out there.

Otherwise, there is not a chance in hell that you will make a left turn.

It's regional cultural thing. When you live there, you know and expect it. Here in California, it would get you killed.



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