[thebigr]

Originally Posted by gumbyfly

You forgot some:

11) pull out into a lane of traffic without looking to see if it is clear - especially on a county road where the speed limit is 55 MPH

12) drive with your bright lights on 24 hours a day, regardless of oncoming traffic (or get a lift kit and don't adjust your headlights).

13) use your time at a red light to fumble around in your car for something, or read something. The sound of the honking from the other cars will let you know when the light is green. **I don't know how many times I have been stuck at a red light twice because someone wasn't paying attention, and didn't pull out until the light was about to turn yellow.

14) If you forget the 'no turn signals' rule, then make sure you turn your blinker on at least a mile before you are actually going to turn.

15) Always make sure at least one of your lights is burned out. Having a light covered with tape is also acceptable. This rule is valid anywhere in the south - along with having a NASCAR sticker.

16) tap the brakes every 10 to 15 seconds, regardless if you are stopping or not. This is mostly used to regulate one's tailgating distance, but serves to also keep the drivers in the cars behind you in a constant road-rage lather.

Those are all good ones,especially 16.
If a vehicle has any Nascar stickers they think they are in a race. And if they have Harley Davidson stickers they are very aggresive drivers. Maybe they are in a hurry to get home and ride there Harley. I do ride a Harley but I have to admit I am a safe driver. Just don't have it in me to drive like an idiot.

[oeabel]

This thread reminds me how often I wonder how I'll ever feel okay letting my kid get his permit and then his license. It is scary here! Since Nov 1st, I've been merged into many more times than I can stand. It's risky every single time I leave my house. And I've never seen anywhere with as many roll-over traffic fatalities. I worked for the police department in a large metro area (1.5 million) and I worked in two different large suburbs. When there was a traffic fatality, it was a big deal to us because it didn't happen every day. Here, there is not a thing unusual about it. And why do they roll over so much?

The things that generally get me constantly because it's just not that common in our area of the midwest:
1. Onlooker Delay... I had even forgotten there was the term rubbernecking. I'm not sure why but it was never that much of a problem. Here, traffic slows down for anything no matter how far off the road it may be.
2. Merging into people... Florida should have someone doing eye checks at the state borders and stop letting people who can't see drive on the roads. I think this is more dangerous than all the speeding idiots (and there are plenty of these).
3. Stopping before making a turn or turning right from the left-hand lane... Makes me scream!

I'm glad you started this thread so I could vent!!!

[CJaneRN]

It's true. And I though Michigan drivers were bad....until I moved to Florida. Every day that I drive to work, I almost EXPECT to end up in an accident!

[mytimenow]

Oh! I just remembered another one!

At an intersection governed by lights, UNDER NO CIRCUMSTANCES pull up to the stop line -- leave at least one car length between yourself and the stop line -- otherwise the electronic trigger in the pavement will WORK! Wait until all other traffic going in all other directions has gone thru at least two light cycles....ignore all the traffic behind you blowing their horns....it's the Florida way!!!

[gumbyfly]

Originally Posted by thebigr

Those are all good ones,especially 16.
If a vehicle has any Nascar stickers they think they are in a race. And if they have Harley Davidson stickers they are very aggresive drivers. Maybe they are in a hurry to get home and ride there Harley. I do ride a Harley but I have to admit I am a safe driver. Just don't have it in me to drive like an idiot.

I live in Tallahassee AND I ride a Harley. I feel it is 'me against the world' most times around here when I ride, as people seem to intentionally do things to put my life in jeopardy. I am not someone who rides aggressively, and I don't have loud pipes, but everyone takes their dislike for motorcycles out on anyone on a bike.

The worst part is, the police and sherrif's department personnel that live in the outlying suburbs (and use their police cruisers as their POVs) seem to drive just as bad as the general populace. Lots of speeding, cell phone use, and not a turn signal to be found... (and it is not a few isolated incidents either)

My sociology professor would call it a 'social norm'...

And I LOVED driving in Detroit. May have been a speedway, but it seemed everyone paid attention in driver's education class.

[old_cold]

Drivers can stink in any part of the country but....the only question I have had when in Florida is why....why...do I have to expect to stop when I see the light turn GREEN and cars are in front of me?????
I did learn that if anybody is front of me, I cannot expect to continue on through an upcoming intersection just because the light is green.
I really tried to figure it out....someone in the wrong lane? Cars taking lots of time to turn a corner? Nope....most often everybody is going straight through but 9 times out of ten green means.........stop, then go.
And, I am one of those 'old seniors from up north'....so don't tell me it's 'us'......we'd be more the A type that'll be trying to hurry through on the yellow*Grin*

[Ladywithafan]

ROTFLMAO...I loved #16....we practice that one heavily on Gulf of Mexico Drive....LMAO....

[tallylady46]

When I was working at the doctor's office, I had a good friend from New Jersey that was one of my co-workers. Her driving style was....interesting. I learned this because sometimes we would go on break together. Although a good person, on the road, she would speed horribly and drive too close to cars. Then she would flip people off when she got mad. When we returned to the office she said "The drivers down here are horrible!" After a few times driving with her, I decided I would do the driving or drive my own car.

[Magnulus]

Originally Posted by tallylady46

Then she would flip people off when she got mad. When we returned to the office she said "The drivers down here are horrible!" After a few times driving with her, I decided I would do the driving or drive my own car.

So true. East coast drivers are the worst, it's all down to their attitude.

The other side, people from the Islands that think traffic rules are just suggestions. Florida has a double-whammy.

[d3tsabo]

OK, after three days down here the problem I notice is you have such a variety of drivers. In DC they would all drive fast, in PA they all seemed to drive to slow, around here you have people doing 90 mph and just as you pass them you have the people doing 35 on a main highway, kinda gives you that obstacle course impression. Can't complain though, as long as the traffic is moving it beats the heck out of Baltimore/ DC market!