Driving in Denver - Good / Bad / Agressive (Fort Collins, Lafayette: live, vs.)

[DenCoGuy]

I personally don't think that Colorado drivers are bad drivers... they're just fast drivers.

[Nadine]

Originally Posted by DenCoGuy

I personally don't think that Colorado drivers are bad drivers... they're just fast drivers.

And I think drivers who do not follow the rules and cannot read speed limit signs, don't have enough sense to slow down below the speed limit when there is poor visibility, slick etc ARE BAD DRIVERS . When they hurt someone because of speed then they are convicts.

[Mike from back east]

We came to CO from the DC area, northern VA. Drivers there are much worse, its the crowding...

When it snowed there, we saw the same behavior, that old "got a 4x4 so I'm invincible." Saw lots of them stuck on the shoulder and with their high center of gravity, many flipped over too.

My experience with driving around Denver tells me under normal conditions, those folks are a LOT nicer than the DC drivers. When this newbie finds himself in the wrong lane, Denver drivers will let you merge over politely, not so back east. I find myself in the wrong lane sometimes as the signage is not good as to which side of the road one needs in order to access I-25 from a local street...sometimes its a left turn, sometimes its a right turn....and you get almost no advance warning as to which side of the street you need to be on. So far, Denver drivers have proven themselves a breath of fresh air compared to the hatefulness back in the DC area.

s/Mike from back east...and I damned sure ain't going back

[rburtoncpa]

Mike,

As somebody who just moved here from DC (Northern Virginia), I wholeheartedly agree with you. I stay out of these discussions about bad Denver drivers and traffic, because for us it is a breath of fresh air. The traffic, roads, and drivers here are much better than in DC, so I haven't noticed it being bad here in Denver. Having also spent many years in Dallas and Houston, I can say they are also worse than Denver in most cases.

[Katarina Witt]

mike from back east and rburtoncpa: you guys are generally correct; I've driven around DC and it is AWFUL! However, that is not the whole issue. The issue, IMO, is how people are driving around here. Posted some of my examples on another thread, either Colorado or Denver. And signage is TERRIBLE. I also posted on that, but to review: use of "this right" and "next right" is not consistent on limited access roads. Sometimes "next right" means the exit coming up, sometimes it means the one after. Also, lots of left exits and drivers who don't want to let you over to get on them.

[CareFreeAZ]

Originally Posted by jazzlover

Well, there are plenty of aggressive drivers everywhere (more of our self-centered hedonistic mindset showing through), but the Front Range does exhibit some of the worst anywhere. A lot of people blame the congested roads, but Front Range drivers tend to be aggressive even when they drive out in the sticks.

The other factor is lack of enforcement. The number of State Troopers on the roads in Colorado has barely changed in 30 years, even though the traffic counts and vehicle miles driven have doubled. Many times I have driven hundreds of miles across Colorado and never seen a Trooper. In much of Colorado, there are no troopers on duty from around midnight to 6 AM.

Colorado needs more troopers, and it needs to raise traffic fines to the point that they are painful enough to discourage dangerous driving--say $1,000 or so for exceeding the speed limit by more than 10-15 mph. Also, like many states, Colorado has pretty much ended regular testing of drivers once they secure their adult license, so bad driving habits never get discovered by a driving examiner during a driving test, anymore.

People tend to forget that driving is a privilege, not a "right."

I totally agree with your second and third paragraph as this sounds exactly like it is here in Phoenix. There is aggressive driving up the Wazoo. They have even resorted to photo radar camera's on an eight mile stretch of the 101 Freeway. The first day they implemented they camera caught someone doing 125mph. You can officially do up to 10 miles over the speed limit, but if you go 11 over it flashes. Now you have some people when they come close to the cameras hitting their brakes and causing more rear end collisions. The times I have spent in Colorado, I did notice people driving at a pretty good clip on I-25 but felt safer compared to some of the Idiot moves I have seen people do on the Freeways and residential streets here in Phoenix.

[DocGSD]

ya gotta get around, move around those SUNDAY DRIVERS!

I'm just kidding, I agree witcha

[Nadine]

Originally Posted by Mike from back east

We came to CO from the DC area, northern VA. Drivers there are much worse, its the crowding...

When it snowed there, we saw the same behavior, that old "got a 4x4 so I'm invincible." Saw lots of them stuck on the shoulder and with their high center of gravity, many flipped over too.

My experience with driving around Denver tells me under normal conditions, those folks are a LOT nicer than the DC drivers. When this newbie finds himself in the wrong lane, Denver drivers will let you merge over politely, not so back east. I find myself in the wrong lane sometimes as the signage is not good as to which side of the road one needs in order to access I-25 from a local street...sometimes its a left turn, sometimes its a right turn....and you get almost no advance warning as to which side of the street you need to be on. So far, Denver drivers have proven themselves a breath of fresh air compared to the hatefulness back in the DC area.

s/Mike from back east...and I damned sure ain't going back

THEY DO? Boy I didn't think so. If DC area is worse I sure don't want to go there. You want trouble, try taking a horse trailer thro Denver on I25 headed for Fort Collins vet. hosp. at the college. I even had a sign on rear and front. WARNING Injured horse--slow turns, easy braking. Drivers gave me a wide berth passing me no horns no center fingers etc. Then blow the niceities and pass like a bat out of h*ll then cut my nose off pulling in front of me and put on the brakes. ---I hate driving anywhere near Denver. Geez. I just don't understand why it is necessary to drive like that. Yep I am the one they cuss because I drive the speed limit or at the most 10 over.

[Mike from back east]

[quote=Nadine;566865]....try taking a horse trailer thro Denver on I25 headed for Fort Collins vet. hosp. at the college.[quote]

Driving aside, is your critter okay now?

s/Mike

[webster]

Compared to Charlotte, Norfolk - Va. Beach, the DC Beltway or the NE, Colorado is a cakewalk.