Massachusetts driving observations (Boston, Peabody: construction, gated, live)

[dragonborn]

I've lived in Massachusetts for just over a year now. For the most part, I really like it. That aside, I'm starting to question some of the driving habits and the overall state of the roads. In particular:

* The yield when merging law is ridiculous. When I first moved here I thought people just didn't know how to merge because they'd either stop, creep onto a highway at 20mph when the average speed is 60-70 or they'd just throw their cars into the lane. Then I realised it's the yield when merging thing...very dangerous, because when you are merging onto a motorway, you don't have as much visibility as those vehicles on the motorway who can see perfectly well that you're trying to merge.

* Merge lanes are FAR too short and potentially dangerous. You don't have enough time to merge safely.

* Why do people drive so much worse in bad weather? In the summer motorists seem to much less aggressive than in the winter when the weather is bad and visibility is low. Rain seems to bring out the worst in people.

* Tailgating. Every day, I am sick and tired of the tailgaters who seem to have no concept of the 2 second rule. I do a decent speed and only use the overtaking lanes for overtaking, yet I stil get tailgated. Why do the cops not crack down on this like they do in Germany? It's a particular problem at night as people tend to use high beams when there's no need.

* Poorly lit or unlit roads. I take 128 every day and aside from the never ending construction and dangerous state that the road is in from Peabody eastwards, it's barely lit for such a busy road. I understand street lighting costs money, but given how many accidents I see and how badly a lot of people drive, I think it's a necessity that could save lives.

The worst culprits seem to be pickup truck drivers, the dreaded white can man, Honda and Infiniti drivers and many of the lorry drivers here get far too close and drive too fast. The needless aggression needs to be stopped. The police don't seem to do much other than sit stationary at certain points.

Again..this isn't meant as a criticism, but I do not like driving here and I suspect I am not alone in feeling frustrated from having to drive.

At least Massachusetts has good public transport though and motorists do seem to respect pedestrians and cyclists more than other parts of the United States.

[Greenciti]

dragonborn, as a fellow transplant to MA , I could not have said it any better! The jacked up roads, the tailgaiting, rolling out into oncoming traffic to make a left turn is just ridiculous. Everyday I pray that I am driving defensively enough to not be in a wreak. I also noticed the lack of street lights too way too dark on these heavily traveled roads. Oh and let's not forget about the round-abouts at the the highway junctions, just a damn mess. Who's bright idea were those round-abouts anyway, they are just plain awful.

[MINIcoopKJG]

I moved out of MA last year (lived there my whole life) and didn't realize just how short the merge lanes were. Where I live now, there are always long merge lanes, which really help.

I think that people are generally happier in the summer, so there isn't as much aggression. I know I was always pretty cranky by the time February rolled around. You could always do what I do when someone tailgates me...wash your windshield. I know it's immature, but it just gives me the satisfaction to see the tailgater have to put his/her windshield wipers on. They tend to back off after doing that once or twice.

As far as the rotaries, I like them. You just have to know how to drive in them, which takes some time if you are not used to them. Rotaries are fairly new where I live now, so many people stop instead of driving into the rotary. This drives me crazy!

[dragonborn]

Originally Posted by Greenciti

dragonborn, as a fellow transplant to MA , I could not have said it any better! The jacked up roads, the tailgaiting, rolling out into oncoming traffic to make a left turn is just ridiculous. Everyday I pray that I am driving defensively enough to not be in a wreak. I also noticed the lack of street lights too way too dark on these heavily traveled roads. Oh and let's not forget about the round-abouts at the the highway junctions, just a damn mess. Who's bright idea were those round-abouts anyway, they are just plain awful.

Thank you for your reply. I disagree about the roundabouts. Being born in the UK, I'm used to them. If used correctly, they work. Generally people know how to use them here. They do eliminate traffic buildup as an alternative to having large intersections.

The unlit streets baffle me. Major motorways which are basically urban are pretty much unlit. In bad weather this is highly dangerous, because you find yourself blinded by headlights coming at you from the opposite carriageway + the idiot who has decided to drive within inches of your rear end.

Driving isn't fun here. A lot of unnecessary aggression.

[MikePRU]

Driving in MA can often be an excercise in survival. As a native, I'm used to it but still notice when people are driving particularly stupid. This being said there are places in the USA where the drivers are far worse. Try driving in Miami or NYC sometime. Boston drivers seem tame by comparison.

[dragonborn]

Originally Posted by MINIcoopKJG

I moved out of MA last year (lived there my whole life) and didn't realize just how short the merge lanes were. Where I live now, there are always long merge lanes, which really help.

I think that people are generally happier in the summer, so there isn't as much aggression. I know I was always pretty cranky by the time February rolled around. You could always do what I do when someone tailgates me...wash your windshield. I know it's immature, but it just gives me the satisfaction to see the tailgater have to put his/her windshield wipers on. They tend to back off after doing that once or twice.

As far as the rotaries, I like them. You just have to know how to drive in them, which takes some time if you are not used to them. Rotaries are fairly new where I live now, so many people stop instead of driving into the rotary. This drives me crazy!

Since a picture tells a thousand words, these are the kind of merge lanes I'm used to:



The UK motorway network is nowhere near the best or most extensive in the world, but when it comes to safety, I certainly felt safe merging. The short merge lanes here are potentially deadly and look like they were designed around cars from the 50's.

The best way to deal with a tailgater is to move out of the way or gradually slow down without applying the breaks. In Germany, these idiots get stopped by the police and slapped with a fine. It's a potentially deadly form of driving that seems to be tolerated.

[dragonborn]

Originally Posted by MikePRU

Driving in MA can often be an excercise in survival. As a native, I'm used to it but still notice when people are driving particularly stupid. This being said there are places in the USA where the drivers are far worse. Try driving in Miami or NYC sometime. Boston drivers seem tame by comparison.

I actually find most US cities to be bad in that regard. I've driven in New York and New Jersey and neither were fun. I almost got into a serious accident on the Jersey Turnpike from a stupid slapper who decided to cut me off at high speed. I've driven all over the northeast US. It really doesn't get much better or worse anywhere else. I think it's a national problem overall.

[dragonborn]

Just a suggestion for the Massachusetts DOT to help save lives:



We call these chevrons. The idea is, you're supposed to keep at least 2 chevrons apart from the vehicle in front of you. I wouldn't mind seeing them on I93...IF motorists paid any attention to them as a guideline at least.

[dragonborn]

Since I know no one would dream of doing anything the dreaded British do, maybe it's better to show a French example of what a safe motorway merging system should look like:



Long, clearly marked and safe.

Ireland too:

[mmyk72]

I'm not a original from MA either and I completely agree with you guys. Weird how no one talks about improving safety on the roads except people who moved here and find it ridiculously unsafe. I guess that's not an item that gets people elected to high offices.

I like those chevron markings.....but I'm sure people just ignore them anyway. It's a miracle to have people fall back the distance of 1 of those, let alone 2. Plus, they cost the govt more to maintain so it'll never happen here.

Adding to your observations, street signs are missing / non-existent contributing to the erratic driving by people who don't know where they're.

BTW, I've a 18 year old car and when merging it just doesn't get up to speed fast. Nothing I can do, it only gets to 50 or so by the time I'm at the end of the little merging lane. Worse if the incline is steep. So every time I merge, it's like hoping the oncoming car behind me realize soon it'll hit me if it doesn't slow down. So hopefully people read this and understand that some cars just can't get any faster in the short distance that they are given.