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This is the problem. Everyone ELSE exhibits stupid behavior. But what I DO is fine.
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Well when ya spend 30k on a engine build you gotta get your moneys worth. Plus the WOT burst are done way away from other people with no side roads way out away from any cities kitty. Sure not gonna do 160 to 200mph in normal traffic areas.
I drive on the expressway that goes right thru downtown Cincinnati everyday, on the way home, going south, at the point where i-75 breaks off, 2 lanes going to KY, other 2 going east, traffic always builds up here, as people going to KY that work in OH, it will usually back up for miles.
Alot of people will stay in the left 2 lanes until they get very close to the split and then jump over, and cut everyone that has been sitting in the traffic, they usually jump over in front of tractor trailers, because they will leave huge gaps between them and the car in front of them in traffic.
Someone once told me this was illegal to do, but Im not sure if that is true or not, it just makes people mad.
We all do stupid things at one time or another. But it is a lot easier to blame others for doing stupid things, that it is for one to notice the stupid things one does. Not trying to preach, just admitting that I have made stupid mistakes, and realizing what has happened after the fact. Maybe it becomes much easier to forgive and forget as I get older?
Because stupid has few if any limits where it's committed.
Correct.
My answer to the question is, "Because if they didn't, actuaries wouldn't have anything better to do!" Okay, that's bass-ackwards, but you get the point...
They do because people are stupid, by and large.
"President Eisenhower was said to have grown quite concerned when advised by his economics team that half of Americans had below-average IQs." -Apocryphal story, unknown attribution
In the Twin Cities, I would go add a serious lack of traffic law enforcement to the list.
I drive rush hour both ways across from the eastern 'burbs through St. Paul into Minneapolis weekdays, often on interstate but much of it is major arteries (in the 'burbs to get to the interstate as well as 'burbs when the interstate is too packed to use, so I take other routes).
Every single day, I see speeding, tailgating, illegal turns, blown stop signs, blown traffic lights, distracted driving ... but what I rarely ever see if a city, county or state LEO dealing with it. Occasionally, a state trooper runs radar on the interstate. Less often, my city is running radar on the interstate. Otherwise, no enforcement at all. It is all on the honor system, and our honor is lacking.
Well when ya spend 30k on a engine build you gotta get your moneys worth. Plus the WOT burst are done way away from other people with no side roads way out away from any cities kitty. Sure not gonna do 160 to 200mph in normal traffic areas.
You're digging your hole deeper and deeper (or enjoying the sound of little goat hooves crossing your bridge).
I used to hang out with professionals who drove on the track, off road, and at the Bonneville Salt Flats seeking to break the world land speed record. To a man, they drove extremely conservatively on the public roads, sort of like a black belt doesn't go into a bar and start a fight. They knew that as professionals and true experts they were responsible for being aware that they were sharing the public roads with people of varying degrees of experience and ability with vehicles same, and if something went wrong they themselves had a greater degree of responsibility than those who were not as good. And, of course, they had nothing to prove - people who have nothing to prove don't try to do it on public roads because they are proving the exact opposite of what they think they are.
Whenever I see someone driving like they need to prove something on the public road, the first thing that comes to mind is compensation. Which is responsible for a lot of the stupid stuff people do on the roads.
I don't know why some drive that way, but I haven't noticed there's a particular type being careless.
In Boston, I've seen rather meek men tailgating & screaming at other cars (they were coworkers on their way to work, so I knew them)... I guess cuz they felt powerless everywhere but behind the wheel... & I've known men who were brutes with everyone drive the same way.
I've seen little ol' gray haired church ladies with a short perm & yellow sweater pass me in Indiana with a gnarly look (cuz I was too slow), when the speed limit was 75.
In D.C., I saw a 30-something man "driving" at 55, while both hands were off the wheel for 30-seconds or more, as he was using an electric shaver, while looking in the rear view mirror.
I've almost been taken out (I typically drive small cars) several times by giant SUVs changing lanes without the driver looking, either by 20-something girls talking on the phone or soccer moms screaming at their kids in the back seat.
I've also found that in the rare times I've approached someone to tell them to be more careful cuz they almost ran me off the road, they've either said nothing & gave me a disgusted look or screamed at me. So, I guess it's apathy for others & an all around "I don't care about you" attitude.
When someone is driving aggressively or erratically in any way, I've learned to just get out of their way. I'm not looking for bodily injury in any way or to chase someone down to glare at them cuz they cut me off. They already know. They don't care. And, btw, I've seen fistfights in parking lots a couple of times because of small infractions, so it's best to walk away.
And, I will add that in the dumb times when I've accidentally cut someone off or started to pull out of a parking space & didn't see another, I always wave & mouth 'sorry'. It's rare that it happens, but we all are careless from time to time & there's no reason for lack of manners.
OK, I'm going to play devils advocate here. First thing LKJ1988: You have a fast ride. Don't apologize for it. A WOT to 160+ is an unbeatable thrill, and it's worth every second, regardless of where its done.
I do a lot of speeding and tight passing, often. I don't apologize for it. Everytime somebody wants to be angry about this behavior, they always resort to the moral crusade. 'The speed limit is 55!' 'That was a bad pass!'
Most people will not have an explanation for their behavior. Everything that is done behind the wheel is done because of the feeling of the situation. Words don't describe it. I don't pass cars because I'm targeting them, I simply pass because I want to go faster than they are.
As for the OP: 1. Passing into a curve over a solid line is stupid. Definitely have no debates there.
2. People passing in a double lane at the last minute can range from, they realize how slow the driver is going to be at the last minute, to they didn't realize the lane was closing so soon.
3. The merging lane is actually an argument backed even by engineering professionals. They want you to occupy that right lane until the end and then 'zipper merge'. If cars are occupying the right lane until the end, then pressure is removed from the left lane: All the cars are spread out. The question for you is, why is that lane the length that it is if nobody is 'supposed' to be using it?
I've driven fast cars too. I still drive fast, I still drive crazy. Nothing I do is stupid. You can label it as stupid if that makes you feel better about your own skills and preferences. If something is illegal, it doesn't automatically become stupid, it's just illegal.
During prohibition, drinking alcohol was considered a stupid thing to do. Did it become unstupid just because it became legal?
We all do stupid things at one time or another. But it is a lot easier to blame others for doing stupid things, that it is for one to notice the stupid things one does. Not trying to preach, just admitting that I have made stupid mistakes, and realizing what has happened after the fact. Maybe it becomes much easier to forgive and forget as I get older?
I see where your coming from....a sensibility.
I though tend to not jeopardize intentionally the lives of others in my daily drives. Yet today I had a lady Jet over two lanes as I was in a turning lane and Squeeze in front of me...to the point that I had to slam on my brakes to not hit her back end. The funny part was...she got caught having to WAIT at the light anyways. Its one of the rare times where I Cursed and the lady knew it. I have zero tolerance for car cutters. I tend to be polite and wave to the person for permission to move in front of them. Its one thing to ask ...(polite) its another to be like this lady and her "entitlement" to just cut in.
I'm the first to admit my driving errors and even make a motion when I have erred. Big difference in making a mistake and causing a mistake... Capisce?
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