San Diego Drivers

[socketz]

Originally Posted by Sassberto

Don't forget about:
- pickup trucks from Mexico stacked 15 feet high with mattresses

That made me laugh. So true. What's the deal with this ? Is there some secondary market for used matresses in Mexico?

[socketz]

I lived in CA for the last 15 years and was always one of the ones in the front of the heard.

Now that I've lived in Texas for a few months, when I go back, I feel like I'm in everyone's way and am 15 seconds from getting run over. 80mph is pretty standard there. One thing I did find moving here is that my car gets much better gas mileage because I have to drive 15-20mph slower to get anywhere.

[ferretkona]

Many drivers in the San Diego are are not native. Many Marines from all states bring their own ideas to traffic. What is considered normal driving from other states is dangerous and illegal here in CA. Too many times I have been stuck in traffic on the I-5 to see some jarhead passing everyone at 55 on the shoulder.

[jksouthbay88]

Nah
not really
Its all the stupid tourist that come to this place!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Take the trolley dammit.
Rush hour is not as bad as some think it is.
Also iI think Orange County drivers are far worse than us.
90 MPH for most cars.
Even buses and cars.
San Diego is more like 70,75 MPH

[Sampaguita]

I've driven in just about every major city in the US (including NYC where I learned to drive) and in every city, I've probably said something along the lines of "...the drivers here are nimrods!".

As I've spent more time in SD though, I'm amazed by the lack of driver etiquette out on the road. At first I thought it was an age thing, but it spans from the teens to the old-timers.

*No one waves to let you pass
*No one waves to thank you when you let THEM pass
*If you want in to another lane, be prepared for the other driver to speed up so that you can't get in

As the daughter-in-law of a former 40-yr over-the-road truck driver (he was appalled by the drivers in SD), I'm also aware of being smart around trucks and giving them some courtesty (like don't come up to the back of a truck trying to make that wide turn so that he has no room to maneuver because you're sitting on his a**).

Whenever I do encounter a courteous "wave" driver, it's more often than not someone with out-of-state plates.

Rush hour is definitely not as bad in SD as in other cities (LA, NY, Houston).

And...lastly, beware the drivers with hand-held cell phones. My husband almost got hit in his wheelchair yesterday by some jerk on his cell who wasn't paying attention. I got side-swiped (sitting still) by a gal using her cell in one hand, elbow on the steering wheel & cigarette in the other hand. Know what was sad about that? While I was still writing my information down, she handed me a pre-printed card with all contact/insurance/DL information. Apparently, car accidents were the norm for her & she decided it would be handy to have these cards available.

I do realize that hand-held cell phones while driving is not a problem exclusive to SD (and yes...I have been guilty, too).

[Imperial1904]

I have lived in Denver, CO and supposedly I-25 had some of the worst traffic in the country, I don't think I can back it up, but it wasn't all that bad. The normal driving speed was anywhere between 80-95. Speed limit is 75 for highways. In California the speed limit lowers when entering a city, not in Denver. I even had the pleasure of hitting the morning rush hour traffic with a foot of unplowed snow on I-25 and no stud tires or chains. You would be lucky to get up to 5 mph.

Next is Oregon. Worst drivers ever. Whenever they use their blinker, they'll blink once and cut it off, they jerk into your lane especially coming from an exit into the center lane. They can't merge smoothly. I can go on and on about Oregon drivers.

Now to California. From the Oregon/California border, I swear, the more south I went the better the driving. Everyone knows how bad the 405 is in L.A. but it was so relaxing for some reason, only spent a couple hours in traffic. Then got to San Diego and was even more relaxing then L.A. The drivers knew what they were doing. Even the no-blinker lane-changers weren't that bad and the merging was smooth.

Occasionally, I would see other Oregon plates and notice how they would just mess up the driving flow in California. They'll happily drive fast in Oregon but when they hit California speed (in California), they might as well go out and push their car to wherever they're going.