Bad Drivers? (gated, living, legal)

[guyincognito]

I've seen it mentioned in multiple threads that NoVA has "bad drivers". I understand bad traffic - horrible traffic. But is the population's driving skills actually that bad? I think the United States as a whole has so-so skills. But compared to other metropolitan areas in the US that I've driven in, I don't see DC drivers as standing out as really any better or worse than the rest of the country. I also don't seem to have the problem where people say they're always getting cut off or tailgated.

Is it that the complainers themselves have poor driving skills and generate poor drivers around them? Or is there really some driving shangri-la where millions of people commute cooperatively every day, letting people cut in front, using their blinker, and driving the speed limit?

[ChristineVA]

I don't think the drivers here are any worse (have worse skills) than anywhere else.

Let's face it--driver education, testing, and driver's courses are pretty much all the same across the country. Sure, you might come across some excellent instructor or course here and there, but overall, nothing is different.

I *do* think that in area where the population is dense and there is a lot of gridlock, that this can contribute to people changing their driving habits into something worse. For instance, I'm sure that people who come from small towns, that don't sit in rush hour day in and day out, probably don't even think about tailgating.

I have a daugher that is 19 and a son that is 16 (who becomes a legal driver TOMORROW) and I have watched them change their driving habits based on living here. For instance, I was just out with my son yesterday and he keeps a good deal of distance between him and the car in front of him (as he was taught), he exhibits no aggression while driving, etc. Yet after 20 minutes on the road yesterday and having numerous people cut in front of him (because MY GOD he left 2-3 car lengths between him) I could see his frustration start to build. It's only a matter of time before he changes what he's been taught and starts leaving one car length (if that) between him and probably gets aggressive about people cutting him off. My daughter, after 3 years of driving is now like the rest of us.

[dkf747]

It's not much different than anywhere else. The difference is, each place you go there are certain practices that are done that are not done so often in other places. Around these parts, the one habit that stands out is the large number of drivers who won't pull up into the intersection while waiting to turn left.

[mississippimagnolia]

Absolutely not. We've lived all over this country and overseas. Drivers in Northern Virginia drive fast and sometimes very aggressively. But they are not "bad drivers".

I've driven in every part of this country. By far the worst drivers in the U.S. are in Florida, followed very closely by Maryland.

[oneasterisk]

All drivers are bad drivers and are out to kill me. I ride a motorcycle so I'm a little biased...

[jillabean]

I always figured it was something along the lines of what dfk747 said... but that we have so many people coming from so many places that we get a mix of people that learned different driving styles. The problem happens when something that's acceptable in city A isn't acceptable in city B and both those drivers move here. City B driver sees city A driver as bad, even though A's driving would have been acceptable where he lived. But just multiple that by loads an loads of people.

Anyway, all I know is that no one in a hurry here has ever tried to run me off the road like someone in a hurry tried to do when I lived in San Diego

[jillabean]

Originally Posted by oneasterisk

All drivers are bad drivers and are out to kill me. I ride a motorcycle so I'm a little biased...

Hehe... stay safe out there. I always drive around motorcycles assuming the person on them is going to fall off at any minute--so I need to leave enough space to not run over the fallen rider.

Speaking of motorcycles and my previous post, it used to drive me nuts in California when motorcycles would zip though traffic (between lanes and between cars) that was barely moving. I was convinced that they were going to get creamed the minute a car decided to make a lane change or open a car door. I am glad motorcycles don't do that here.

[oneasterisk]

Originally Posted by jillabean

Speaking of motorcycles and my previous post, it used to drive me nuts in California when motorcycles would zip though traffic (between lanes and between cars) that was barely moving. I was convinced that they were going to get creamed the minute a car decided to make a lane change or open a car door. I am glad motorcycles don't do that here.

The term is called lane splitting and it is legal in Cali, but not in VA unfortunately. It's actually a pretty safe maneuver especially when cars are in heavy traffic. It allows the motorcyclists to keep on moving, versus sitting there between cars. I'm actually afraid one day some car will plow into the back of me while I'm stopped, I'd rather be moving through the stopped cars. I wish we could do it here, but alas it is illegal though I have seen some folks do it anyways.

[Caladium]

"Bad driver" is usually code for "anyone who has a different set of driving habits than I do." Slow drivers think speeders are bad drivers. Lead foots think the slow pokes are bad drivers. Etc. Etc.

People move to Nova from a wide variety of cities and small towns. People learn different driving habits depending on the conditions in those towns, and bring them here. So it makes sense that you will encounter more people here that have different driving habits, which will be interpreted as "bad drivers".

[pcgeller]

What everyone else said is FALSE. I'm from Jersey and the drivers here are TERRIBLE. Such reckless disregard for everyone else on the road, but who cares, they'll get back 5 minutes faster than all the other *******s in their economy cars.