Can you help me with ignorant drivers? (Knoxville, Franklin: fit in, coupon)

[yarddawg]

Originally Posted by NJDevil

I'm not sure what is sarcasm there and what's not.....I think it is ridiculous to come to a complete stop when making a turn. People driving 10 miles under the speed limit will break when there's absolutely no need to. Drivers here are afraid of something that I'm just not aware of.

I am filled with complete hatred for someone I am stuck behind that won't get over. It's not always possible to get away from them. I don't understand why they are torturing all the drivers behind them. Are they getting off playing God?

Again, my question is, who is teaching this kind of driving - if you're making a left turn, then get in the left lane as soon as possible and stay there, even if your turn is 20 MILES DOWN THE ROAD! Cops SHOULD pull those slow-pokes over, because they are not following the laws!

As far as I know the only Tennessee roads with minimum speed limits are the interstates. And that's 45, at least on the ones I drive. On the state highways around here you can occasionally get stuck behind log trucks and farm machinery to the tune of less than 20mph for miles. I guess when that's your benchmark some guy driving 10 mph below the speed limit doesn't seem like something to work your blood pressure up over.


You'd hate driving behind me. I'm the one sitting at the intersection waiting for the approaching cars to prove to me that they're going to stop. Been T-boned in the driver's side. Twice. First one had an epileptic seizure, second one was drunk. I can wait, I got time. I also had the thrilling experience of a truck losing a round bale of hay in front of me on a state highway once so anything carrying a load gets enough space for me to stop in case it starts falling off. And I maintain that distance, so if they slow down I slow down.


As to who's teaching them to drive..... I think the kids now have to take some kind of driving class but with people my age and older, not so much. When I took my driving test back in the '80s it was a multiple choice test on very basic driving rules, an eye test, and driving around the courthouse square without wrecking. In a town with no stoplights. And since everyone was being taught to drive by family members some local "rules" crept in. One that I've heard many complaints about from transplants is locals turning their blinker on when they stop behind someone who is signaling. Whether they plan to turn or not. That one has caused a couple of wrecks but most of the old people still do it.

[LilCabinGirl]

Originally Posted by bbkaren

Going from NJ to Tennessee is going to require some time for adjustment.

I think one thing that will help is to make sure you leave yourself a few extra minutes' time in your trips, so that you can relax if you can't go as fast as you want, wave, smile and say "Bless your heart" as you pass.

A couple months of this and you'll be past your frenetic New Jersey driving hangups!

You got that right Karen. I'm coming from New Jersey AND Florida! I have already started meditating to let go of my road rage and calm down. I have become such an aggressive driver from many years of an hour plus commute both ways! I refuse to take my bad ways to Tennessee. I am practicing deep breathing and will play pleasant music in my car as I drive.

Honestly, so far, I haven't seen any real bad driving. I only have 4 miles to go to work, how bad could it be? <her famous last words!>

[hiknapster]

For the most part, drivers are great in this area. Our biggest problem is that we sit between two major highways, and sometimes it seems like half of the country is driving through Knoxville. When I-40, through downtown, gets shut down in May it is going to get very bad.

I absolutely abhor aggressive drivers. If you are that late, you should get up earlier. I leave my house 50 minutes before work, to take a 25 minute drive. The chances are slim that I will run into a traffic problem at 5 a.m., but I did once, and I could have cared less. I still got to work 10 minutes ahead of schedule.

[Whataride]

After 13 yrs in Atlanta I became very accustomed to psychotic autobahn type of driving. I went to Dahlonega GA for a festival and was riding with a co worker that lived there - she gave me some very good advise for travelling in areas that the drivers need to be pushed out of the way and I have used her quote often to myself when driving

"The only person in a hurry is you" but I still hate to drive slow....maybe a battering ram on the front of my little car will do the trick

[NJDevil]

I appreciate all the responses cause I need to hear them. No I do not drive like a maniac. (I cannot quote George Carlin here because it will get bleeped out). I just seethe internally and pass the ass when I can. I don't consider myself an aggressive driver, (I know others would), I consider myself a considerate driver who drives the maximum allowable speed, which is 10 over the limit because cops don't even blink at that. I do not get speeding tickets.

Yarddawg....thank you for the information and I totally agree about leaving a large space behind a "load." I am afraid of things falling off and hitting me. I have not seen people signaling behind other signalers, but I actually kind of understand that. It's considerate....

Lindsey and gemkeeper - I liked your posts a lot, thank you. I listen to music in the car, that is usually relaxing. But driving requires so much concentration and focus. It's not only bad to talk on your phone, but it's bad to talk to your passengers because as soon as you do that, you lose your focus and your speed drops. Then I turn into one of "them."

LauraC - good point but I am not referring to intersection stops, sorry for not making that clear. I'm referring to driveways and stores off the main road. No need to stop to make those turns. In NJ, people get on and off the road quickly. Out of the way so the drivers behind them don't waste so much gas.

So usually flashing your lights or honking your horn won't move these people over, huh? I've been up their butt and I've given them space, that doesn't work. I guess like George said, they are constipated.

[goodbyehollywood]

Flashing your lights and honking your horn is going to be perceived as rude. That is going to gain you nothing in the South. I agree slow drivers can be frustrating, but you are driving here now, not NJ, so you are the one out of pace. You need to adapt, not the other way around. (Coming from L.A., I've already learned this lesson.)

And if you get "up the butt" of the wrong person, you're going to get your butt stomped. Or perhaps you haven't met a "good ole boy" yet?

[AlisonL]

10 over here will definitely get you a speeding ticket. 5 over very well could also.
The maxium speed limit is what is POSTED, not 10 over, not 20, not 1 over. The sign says 55, then its 55.
All too often we see impatient drivers. They are all in such a big rush to get ...... nowhere. They honk horns, pass in unsafe areas, ect, then a half mile down the road, they have pulled into a small store.
A considerate driver does not honk the horn, flash lights or flip someone off. I agree with all GBH said, you're the one who needs to change their pace, not the Tennesseans.
You'd hate it here in Maine. We just love to put rolling road blocks on impatient drivers., and the slower the better. LOL

[tn_dreamin']

What I noticed is that if you're not doing atleast 80 in the left lane you'll practically get run over by someone in a pickup truck usually, I was shocked at how agrressive some drivers are there on 40 and alcoa, geez, calm down people, you aint gonna die if you're not doing your typical 80 mph and you have to slow the pace a tad, you're gonna be ok I promise.

[CUinTN]

Personally, I think east TN drivers are pretty good. They tend to be courteous and attentive. You may call it slow and annoying. If you like fast but erratic, checked out and likely on the phone; you'd love California. In TN, folks regularly wave you into traffic and they don't honk at you if you don't jump out into an intersection immediately. When I've been in TN the rude drivers (cut in front of you and slow down, tail gate, run lights etc) tend to have out of state plates. :-)

You know NJDevil, TN may not be the place for you. Some folks never get the slower lifestyle and that's OK, but please don't spread your hostility around Knoxville. That attitude tends to be contagious and I've had my fill of it here in CA. I LOVE the laid back, slower pace of the South and don't want to see it turn into the hurried, self absorbed me, me, me way so prevalent in CA, FL and apparently the urban northeast.

[jabogitlu]

Well, it really isn't self-absorbed, it's actually being considerate, especially getting your a** off the road. When people slowwwwwly ease into a turn lane it makes me want to just floor it right into their bumpers! GO!!!!!!!!

like NJDevil, I'm a safe and considerate driver. I just have a schedule to keep, and the less de/acceleration I have to do, the better gas mileage I get.

And I grew up in Greene County. So it's not necessarily a Florida/NE thing.