Your thoughts about Atlanta drivers (Boston: home, travel, high school)

[neil0311]

Just as a technical aside...here is the quote from the GA driver's manual on yellow lights.

http://www.dds.ga.gov/docs/forms/FullDriversManual.pdf

"A yellow light warns the light is changing from green to red.
Slow down and prepare to stop."

It doesn't say....slam on your brakes or "you must stop". Again, it depends how far away from the intersection you are when the light changes and whether or not you will be more unsafe trying to stop, instead of continuing through the intersection. I don't condone running red lights or speeding up from a mile away to run a yellow, but going through a yellow is fine in many cases.

[mg83]

It's a chicken-egg-chicken thing here to me. First off, as we all know, whoever designed Atlanta's highways and interstates was just... way, way off.

When you have major highways feeding into one another with just ONE lane, bad things are bound to happen.

So, these bad drivers are probably bad drivers to begin with... but the way Atlanta's roads are designed doesn't HELP the situation either.

I take 285E -> 400N every day to work... can you imagine the nightmare? ONE lane feeds into 400... Feels like everyone just loses their minds when it comes to this. People try to cut in at the very last second, people honk, traffic stops, people slam on their breaks, people tailgate - I see near accidents at this location literally every day.

I also rarely see cops on 285. Big 18 wheelers passing through the city are usually going 10-20 miles over the speed limit.

The interstates here are so stressful and dangerous.

[plessthanpointohfive]

You're not supposed to pass on the right if it means leaving the road, eg, shoulder. Also, it's illegal to pass at an intersection. Why would they do that? Because intersections are negotiation points for oncoming traffic, eg, making a left turn. Since you're SUPPOSED to use your blinks to change lanes at all times, including passing, then someone making a left turn from oncoming traffic might think you're turning right. Or something.

anyway, we all break these laws...the yellow light one is probably the most subjective.

[neil0311]

Originally Posted by plessthanpointohfive

You're not supposed to pass on the right if it means leaving the road, eg, shoulder. Also, it's illegal to pass at an intersection. Why would they do that? Because intersections are negotiation points for oncoming traffic, eg, making a left turn. Since you're SUPPOSED to use your blinks to change lanes at all times, including passing, then someone making a left turn from oncoming traffic might think you're turning right. Or something.

I have no idea where you're coming from on going around a left turning car in an intersection. That is standard practice and taught in driver's ed. A driver making a left turn should pull up and into the intersection to allow drivers to pass. I'll concede to you on the legal point on going into the shoulder, but doing so is standard procedure in most places. Not doing so would get you honked at and a few odd finger gestures. I'm not sure what you gain by sitting behind the turing car when you have plenty of room to go around.

From the GA driver's license manual:

Passing On The Right

You may pass on the right of another vehicle which is making or about to make a left turn if there is sufficient pavement width for both your vehicle and the vehicle making the left turn.

[plessthanpointohfive]

http://www.dds.ga.gov/docs/forms/FullDriversManual.pdf

Page 41: It is not permissable to pass on the shoulder of a two-lane road or within 100 feet of an intersection.

Page 42 states you may pass a car on the right if it is stopped to make a turn but only if there is enough pavement. That pavement does not include the shoulder. It is always illegal to pass on the shoulder.

Page 43 states it is illegal to weave in an out of traffic. You may pass, using signals, but you may not weave.

[JPD]

Originally Posted by plessthanpointohfive

It's also illegal to block an intersection...so when people pull out into one in anticipation of turning left at the last minute before the light changes...you could get a ticket for that (think emergency vehicle trying to get through intersection).

My driving instructer at Taggart's Driving School (back in the late '80s...so maybe the rules have changed) told me that ONE car is legally allowed in the middle of an intersection while waiting to make a turn. Other cars wanting to turn must wait behind the line.

He may have been wrong, though. I witnessed him doing some really stupid and/or unsavory things...such as refueling the car with the engine running and photographing the spandexed rear ends of female cyclists as we drove past them.

[JPD]

Originally Posted by plessthanpointohfive

[url]

Page 43 states it is illegal to weave in an out of traffic. You may pass, using signals, but you may not weave.

This one DESPERATELY needs to be enforced.

[RainyRainyDay]

Originally Posted by neil0311

Just as a technical aside...here is the quote from the GA driver's manual on yellow lights.

http://www.dds.ga.gov/docs/forms/FullDriversManual.pdf

"A yellow light warns the light is changing from green to red.
Slow down and prepare to stop."

It doesn't say....slam on your brakes or "you must stop". Again, it depends how far away from the intersection you are when the light changes and whether or not you will be more unsafe trying to stop, instead of continuing through the intersection. I don't condone running red lights or speeding up from a mile away to run a yellow, but going through a yellow is fine in many cases.

I would never slam on the brakes. The whole point of a yellow light, IMO, is to allow you to proceed through the intersection if you are too close to the intersection and/or traveling too fast to be able to stop gracefully. I go through yellow lights all the time. However, whenever I have plenty of room to stop gracefully, I do as specified by the manual - slow down and prepare to stop. Then I get honked at by idiots who apparently belief that the point of a yellow light is to speed up and hope you get into the intersection before - or only shortly after - the light actually turns red.

[neil0311]

Originally Posted by RainyRainyDay

I would never slam on the brakes. The whole point of a yellow light, IMO, is to allow you to proceed through the intersection if you are too close to the intersection and/or traveling too fast to be able to stop gracefully. I go through yellow lights all the time. However, whenever I have plenty of room to stop gracefully, I do as specified by the manual - slow down and prepare to stop. Then I get honked at by idiots who apparently belief that the point of a yellow light is to speed up and hope you get into the intersection before - or only shortly after - the light actually turns red.

It's a fine line between when you should continue and when you shoud stop. It takes some common sense. Some of us don't have it. All I can say is that in many parts of the country it's not this difficult.

What I can't understand is this push back regarding moving into the intersection when making a left turn or passing someone doing so. The simple act of passing a car making a left turn is accepted practice just about everywhere that never gets a second thought. In many areas of the country, a cop would probably pull you over for not doing so, wondering if you were high or drunk.

[Trianrida]

Originally Posted by oogoi

Nope sorry. I learned to drive in NJ and learned to use the horn to tell people to wake up when zoning out at a green light. I've heard people say that it's rude to use the horn but personally I don't think there's anything wrong with it. It's just another way of saying "hey buddy the light is green" but I guess people take it the wrong way.

You must master the art of horn blowing Oogoi...

If you are in the presence of friendlys tyou simple tap the horn twice quickly....

example: mep-mep

Dont mash your horn.

example: BEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEP!~!~!~! BEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEP!~!~!~!~!~

This scares the crap out of people and leads to anger. Including the people you are not horning(is that a word?).

Learn the art of the quick tap and your horn skills will be fine my son.

No go....go into the wilderness and practice your mep-mep