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Yes, I find a lot drivers to be pretty terrible. It was one of the things I noticed right away when I moved here. I am not alone, its a common complaint I hear from other transplants. Now let me specify there is a difference between terrible drivers and aggressive drivers. I haven't encountered many aggressive drivers here, just terrible drivers.
In my opinion, the drivers here lack common sense, are impatient and just plain dingy. This is what makes them terrible. I see crazy maneuvers all the time. In all my years of driving, I have witnessed more car accidents in the 6 yrs I have lived here than any other time period in my life. Really crazy stuff! Just last week I was driving downtown SB by the art museum and a woman turned onto the one way street and was cruising along like no big deal. Everyone was dodging her. It was 4 lanes of traffic! She finally realized her mistake, did a huge U turn, stopping traffic and corrected herself. She didnt even looked phased! One winter I watched a guy speeding up to a red light in a major snow storm. I was sitting at the red light on the other side of the road. I didnt even bother moving when my light turned green because the guy was speeding so fast. It was like he didnt understand that his car would slide under all that wet snow. He cruised right through the intersection, barely missing all the cars and then crashed into a large snow bank. He got out and looked at the snow bank like it jumped out him. I was in awe, as if I just watched some bizarre video. I was even talking to myself. Well look at this guy...oh no he isnt gonna do that....holy cow...whoa!
I cant even start to tell you all the wacky stuff I see on the road but its a regular event. My mother comes to visit and will remark about the drivers. It does stand out. I think my biggest gripe though is how people park. I have since learned to park in the back of the lot. Many times I have come out and found someone with a minivan has parked so close to my car I cant even open the driver door. Before moving here, I can think of 2 times that happened to me but here its a regular thing. Again the lack of common sense. One time I was sitting in my car finishing up a phone call when a woman in a large suv pulled up so close to me I thought she was gonna take my mirror off. Her truck so close to my car I wouldnt have been able to open my door at all. I had to honk my horn as she walked into the store. She looked at me and seen how I couldnt get out. She waved and jumped back into her truck and moved it so I could get out. So that is what I mean, not aggressive just dingy!
Yes, I find a lot drivers to be pretty terrible. It was one of the things I noticed right away when I moved here. I am not alone, its a common complaint I hear from other transplants. Now let me specify there is a difference between terrible drivers and aggressive drivers. I haven't encountered many aggressive drivers here, just terrible drivers.
In my opinion, the drivers here lack common sense, are impatient and just plain dingy. This is what makes them terrible. I see crazy maneuvers all the time. In all my years of driving, I have witnessed more car accidents in the 6 yrs I have lived here than any other time period in my life. Really crazy stuff! Just last week I was driving downtown SB by the art museum and a woman turned onto the one way street and was cruising along like no big deal. Everyone was dodging her. It was 4 lanes of traffic! She finally realized her mistake, did a huge U turn, stopping traffic and corrected herself. She didnt even looked phased! One winter I watched a guy speeding up to a red light in a major snow storm. I was sitting at the red light on the other side of the road. I didnt even bother moving when my light turned green because the guy was speeding so fast. It was like he didnt understand that his car would slide under all that wet snow. He cruised right through the intersection, barely missing all the cars and then crashed into a large snow bank. He got out and looked at the snow bank like it jumped out him. I was in awe, as if I just watched some bizarre video. I was even talking to myself. Well look at this guy...oh no he isnt gonna do that....holy cow...whoa!
I cant even start to tell you all the wacky stuff I see on the road but its a regular event. My mother comes to visit and will remark about the drivers. It does stand out. I think my biggest gripe though is how people park. I have since learned to park in the back of the lot. Many times I have come out and found someone with a minivan has parked so close to my car I cant even open the driver door. Before moving here, I can think of 2 times that happened to me but here its a regular thing. Again the lack of common sense. One time I was sitting in my car finishing up a phone call when a woman in a large suv pulled up so close to me I thought she was gonna take my mirror off. Her truck so close to my car I wouldnt have been able to open my door at all. I had to honk my horn as she walked into the store. She looked at me and seen how I couldnt get out. She waved and jumped back into her truck and moved it so I could get out. So that is what I mean, not aggressive just dingy!
I currently live in Elkhart and i dont think the driving is that bad.
Drivers here are tame and like me mostly pay attention. Like the others have said.
Driving through Indianapolis today i noticed people love to *swich* lanes without using their signals. That bothers me cause idk what the hell your doing as a driver so its much harder to anticipate.
Plus was that driver weaving out of the lanes or something? going the wrong way and not noticing it is a sign of drunk driving to me.
I currently live in Elkhart and i dont think the driving is that bad.
Drivers here are tame and like me mostly pay attention. Like the others have said.
Driving through Indianapolis today i noticed people love to *swich* lanes without using their signals. That bothers me cause idk what the hell your doing as a driver so its much harder to anticipate. Plus was that driver weaving out of the lanes or something? going the wrong way and not noticing it is a sign of drunk driving to me.
Nope. She had a look on her face like....why are all these cars coming at me? She drove right down the middle of traffic. When she stopped to do her big u turn, traffic stopped for her. She just had a look like whoopsy, I must have made a mistake. A head on collision would have been awful!
There was way to many cops looking for 1 suspect.
Even though he was a bomber I mean the amount of police power they used against 1 guy is scary.
Ron Paul couldn't of said it better himself.
I dunno. I tend to find a mad bomber on the loose with more bombs already built more scary.
But this is getting off topic. Growing up minutes from the Michigan state line where there were sometimes more Michigan plates than Indiana plates, the joke was always that Michigan drivers were the worst. Going back to my hometown of Goshen, I get annoyed at how slow people drive. Speed limits are 35 mph and they do 25-30. The bypass has been 65 for several years now and there are still a bunch of people that barely go 55.
Here in Carmel, I find people go faster when the speed limit is lower and slower when the speed limit is higher. For instance, Guilford is one of the few 35 mph streets in Carmel and I almost never see people go faster than 30. But all the other 30 mph streets I get tailgated if I'm doing less than 40.
I don't find 465 to be that bad. In Chicago, I see people instantly swerve across 4 or 5 lanes of the Dan Ryan. I very very rarely see that here in Indy. 69 can give me nightmares but that's more due to the heavy traffic volume than bad driving.
This state does seem to have an unusual number of people that pull out right in front of you only to go below the speed limit. You aren't in a hurry! Why can't you wait the few more seconds until I'm passed you??
I dunno. I tend to find a mad bomber on the loose with more bombs already built more scary.
But this is getting off topic. Growing up minutes from the Michigan state line where there were sometimes more Michigan plates than Indiana plates, the joke was always that Michigan drivers were the worst. Going back to my hometown of Goshen, I get annoyed at how slow people drive. Speed limits are 35 mph and they do 25-30. The bypass has been 65 for several years now and there are still a bunch of people that barely go 55.
Here in Carmel, I find people go faster when the speed limit is lower and slower when the speed limit is higher. For instance, Guilford is one of the few 35 mph streets in Carmel and I almost never see people go faster than 30. But all the other 30 mph streets I get tailgated if I'm doing less than 40.
I don't find 465 to be that bad. In Chicago, I see people instantly swerve across 4 or 5 lanes of the Dan Ryan. I very very rarely see that here in Indy. 69 can give me nightmares but that's more due to the heavy traffic volume than bad driving.
This state does seem to have an unusual number of people that pull out right in front of you only to go below the speed limit. You aren't in a hurry! Why can't you wait the few more seconds until I'm passed you??
I agree and I hear the same thing about Michigan drivers.
Plus ive driven up in Michigan my fair share of times and ya their drivers aren't really good at all.
If I wanted to make a generalization,
The problem isn't that Indiana drivers are bad, it's the Illinois and Michigan drivers that move here and become IN drivers that make us look horrible.
I can't tell if this is a slam against Indiana drivers or Illinois and Michigan drivers. I'm a recent transplant from Michigan and I used to take 275 ( the craziest freeway in Michigan IMHO) to work on a daily basis. I thought the drivers around me were nuts and drove too fast. But, in the 8 years making that commute I was never stuck in traffic because of an accident. Now that I drive 465 to work from Keystone to I-65 I am amazed by how fast people drive and cut in and out and ride up on others azzes on a daily basis. In my 2 1/2 months I have seen at least a dozen accidents along that stretch and even more driving around home in Carmel. While visiting the circle center mall I was talking with a worker there and he said he see's at least 1 accident a day outside his shop's window, he has also seen several people hit crossing the street and warned me to take extra caution while walking around downtown. Last Saturday night I watched 2 cars run the same red light in front of the Indiana Museum. You know the one on the curve in front of TGIF Fridays or whatever it is? Once when we were waiting to cross going to eat and then again waiting to cross after we ate heading back to the IMAX theater. We witnessed a couple almost get hit but they seen the guy and stepped back quickly on the curb. Scary stuff.
I won't and can't generalize ALL the drivers in Indiana. But I have seen some a lot of bad drivers in my time. I have driven at least a million miles or more in my life time, and in all honesty next to Phoenix. I have seen more bad drivers in my short time here than anywhere in my life. Just in case anyone is curious in that time and all those miles I have had one moving violation and zero accidents. I'm a very defensive driver, not aggressive. I'm always watching and don't take any chances. Maybe this is what happens when your almost killed being a passenger in a bad accident.
I can't tell if this is a slam against Indiana drivers or Illinois and Michigan drivers. I'm a recent transplant from Michigan and I used to take 275 ( the craziest freeway in Michigan IMHO) to work on a daily basis. I thought the drivers around me were nuts and drove too fast. But, in the 8 years making that commute I was never stuck in traffic because of an accident. Now that I drive 465 to work from Keystone to I-65 I am amazed by how fast people drive and cut in and out and ride up on others azzes on a daily basis. In my 2 1/2 months I have seen at least a dozen accidents along that stretch and even more driving around home in Carmel. While visiting the circle center mall I was talking with a worker there and he said he see's at least 1 accident a day outside his shop's window, he has also seen several people hit crossing the street and warned me to take extra caution while walking around downtown. Last Saturday night I watched 2 cars run the same red light in front of the Indiana Museum. You know the one on the curve in front of TGIF Fridays or whatever it is? Once when we were waiting to cross going to eat and then again waiting to cross after we ate heading back to the IMAX theater. We witnessed a couple almost get hit but they seen the guy and stepped back quickly on the curb. Scary stuff.
I won't and can't generalize ALL the drivers in Indiana. But I have seen some a lot of bad drivers in my time. I have driven at least a million miles or more in my life time, and in all honesty next to Phoenix. I have seen more bad drivers in my short time here than anywhere in my life. Just in case anyone is curious in that time and all those miles I have had one moving violation and zero accidents. I'm a very defensive driver, not aggressive. I'm always watching and don't take any chances. Maybe this is what happens when your almost killed being a passenger in a bad accident.
This made me chuckle because I know exactly what you are talking about. I lived in MI my whole life until 6 yrs ago. I know 275 well. For the comment about MI drivers, I dont think MI drivers that are just north of the border of Indiana to be all that great. I think when you live in an area where its somewhat rural, you dont fully learn how to be a defensive driver. So if I see someone with a MI plate, I assume they are gonna be just as terrible as someone with an IN plate. I live 3 miles from the border. Drivers dont magically change in this close proximity.
I used to take a lot of road trips and have driven in a lot of major cities. Chicago can be pretty intense but I think Phoenix and D.C. were my worst drives. My teenage son isnt sure he wants his license yet. He says the drivers around here make him too nervous. He agrees he has seen more accidents here than the whole time he lived in the Detroit area. I told him he just needs to learn to be alert and a defensive driver.
This made me chuckle because I know exactly what you are talking about. I lived in MI my whole life until 6 yrs ago. I know 275 well. For the comment about MI drivers, I dont think MI drivers that are just north of the border of Indiana to be all that great. I think when you live in an area where its somewhat rural, you dont fully learn how to be a defensive driver. So if I see someone with a MI plate, I assume they are gonna be just as terrible as someone with an IN plate. I live 3 miles from the border. Drivers dont magically change in this close proximity.
I used to take a lot of road trips and have driven in a lot of major cities. Chicago can be pretty intense but I think Phoenix and D.C. were my worst drives. My teenage son isnt sure he wants his license yet. He says the drivers around here make him too nervous. He agrees he has seen more accidents here than the whole time he lived in the Detroit area. I told him he just needs to learn to be alert and a defensive driver.
I can't tell if this is a slam against Indiana drivers or Illinois and Michigan drivers. I'm a recent transplant from Michigan and I used to take 275 ( the craziest freeway in Michigan IMHO) to work on a daily basis. I thought the drivers around me were nuts and drove too fast. But, in the 8 years making that commute I was never stuck in traffic because of an accident. Now that I drive 465 to work from Keystone to I-65 I am amazed by how fast people drive and cut in and out and ride up on others azzes on a daily basis. In my 2 1/2 months I have seen at least a dozen accidents along that stretch and even more driving around home in Carmel. While visiting the circle center mall I was talking with a worker there and he said he see's at least 1 accident a day outside his shop's window, he has also seen several people hit crossing the street and warned me to take extra caution while walking around downtown. Last Saturday night I watched 2 cars run the same red light in front of the Indiana Museum. You know the one on the curve in front of TGIF Fridays or whatever it is? Once when we were waiting to cross going to eat and then again waiting to cross after we ate heading back to the IMAX theater. We witnessed a couple almost get hit but they seen the guy and stepped back quickly on the curb. Scary stuff.
I won't and can't generalize ALL the drivers in Indiana. But I have seen some a lot of bad drivers in my time. I have driven at least a million miles or more in my life time, and in all honesty next to Phoenix. I have seen more bad drivers in my short time here than anywhere in my life. Just in case anyone is curious in that time and all those miles I have had one moving violation and zero accidents. I'm a very defensive driver, not aggressive. I'm always watching and don't take any chances. Maybe this is what happens when your almost killed being a passenger in a bad accident.
See when I drive around Indianapolis I get more aggressive than up in Michiana.
However I am still alert/focused and defensive.
I like to phrase it this way. When you're in the big city like Indianapolis you have to be both aggressive and defensive. at the same time
I haven't had an accident and I've been driving for 2 years now. Also it does help that my truck has extra horsepower If I pull out in front of someone cause I didn't see them I can gun it and avoid an accident. I had to do that getting off 465 onto Meridian Street. Had no choice but to gun it and when I did I avoided an accident and the car that came up was about 8-10 feet from my rear bumper. Ironically as soon as I looked down at my Speedometer about ah say 4-5 seconds after that it was over 50.
Hence why I will only drive my truck around Indianapolis. Im used to it and its dimensions/handling and power.
Granted my truck only gets 15-17 on the highway and 13ish in the city. Oh well ill pay the extra in gas than the thousands of dollars with an accident and the extra insurance costs.
For work I have to drive into Michigan a few times a week, sometimes up to Kalamazoo. And I have to say Michigan drivers are the worst I have encountered. They tend to take more chances, like not slowing down with enough time or pulling out right in front of you. And I too get annoyed by some of the country bumpkin drivers that are to hesitant, but I would prefer that to the drivers who are too quick to shoot out.
Quote:
Originally Posted by fallingwater
Nope. She had a look on her face like....why are all these cars coming at me? She drove right down the middle of traffic. When she stopped to do her big u turn, traffic stopped for her. She just had a look like whoopsy, I must have made a mistake. A head on collision would have been awful!
^^^^she probably had one too many martinis. I don't think Indiana is that bad. I've noticed that
the farther south you go they drive slow ( a bit under the speed limit) but are courteous, Indy
drivers are tame & don't bother me but I have to say that it was usually Michigan drivers that
were the worst. When ever we would drive, being Indiana, Illinois, Ohio & even southeast if there
was some nutty driver who took 2 lanes, went way under the speed limit, ran red lights, drove
erratically...when we got close enough or saw their plates - it would be a Michigan plate.
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I live 3 miles from the border. Drivers dont magically change in this close proximity. 
