People in Bay Area don't know to drive

[ragnarkar]

Originally Posted by ccm123

You bring up a great point! Why then, did your parents assimilate and drive properly, when most of these jokers who have drivers licenses here in the Bay Area cannot, or did not?

I mean, driving down some streets here in San Framcisco, the East Bay, or Santa Clara, the driving skills
are a complete joke!

Simple, we chose to assimilate.. It helps that we immigrated to an area with almost no Asians right from the start.

I'm well aware of some immigrants who Harbor an ultra arrogant attitude of "my culture's better than yours" and refuse to assimilate both the macro and micro aspects of their lives, including their mannerisms down to their driving etiquette. It's more prevalent in areas where they are in contact with other fellow immigrants on a regular basis like the bay area as opposed to, say, the middle of Kansas or rural Wyoming.

[sonarrat]

I commute on I-880 from San Jose to San Lorenzo. I come in pretty early in the morning.. and every day, I'll be going 70-75, passing a nonstop stream of cars on the right and keeping pace with the car in front of me, and some idiot passes me in the carpool lane. Every. Single. Day. It's always in Fremont too, about the same place, but always different drivers.

[HockeyMac18]

I think most people complaining about the drivers here haven't really lived in that many places. Or driven in many places outside of CA/the west coast.

It is true that we have our fair share of slower and passive drivers here (especially in the left lane), but I actually think we have some of the most courteous drivers of any major metro in the U.S.

Compared to the ridiculousness that is rush hour in NYC and Boston (or anywhere else on the East Coast, really)...it's not even close. Until I see someone using the freaking emergency pull over lanes (left and right) to pass people at full speed on the highway (sometimes at 80-95 mph!)...it's not as bad as Boston. Sorry, that stuff is just insane. I'm sorry me going 85 MPH wasn't good enough for you...and you needed to pass me in a "non-lane" on the left at 95 MPH. Pure Insanity.

And for what it is worth, I get over for fast drivers. In these cases above, they usually don't give you anytime to make the move...they just would go for it (I saw it happen on many occasions when living in MA).

It is funny when you challenge a typical "mass-hole" driver on this type of stuff. They'll argue you all day about how "good" at driving they are. I'll take the slower drivers of the SF bay area over the east coast drivers any day.

[rca215]

I've lived in SF, Boston, Chicago, and New York, and I'll grant that SF drivers are better than Boston. But that's like saying losing one leg is better than losing two legs. Both suck. I do think New York and Chicago are better than SF, but that's just my experience and I didn't drive all that much in New York.

One thing about the left lane-hogging in SF that confuses me is people who choose to do it on the Golden Gate Bridge. They'll sit in the left lane without passing for the whole span while the right lanes are often wide open.

Why would you choose to drive three feet away from traffic going 60 MPH in the opposite direction with only a little piece of plastic every 20 feet as a safety barrier? I reluctantly enter that lane, whereas some bozos putz along in it oblivious to the world.

[Bisaro TMF]

Ridiculous generalizations. What does a region have to do with the driver being bad. A bad driver is a bad driver. You put a bad driver in one city in another city they will still be a bad driver. What's with all these posts that act like people in a region are homogenous. Most people out here are from somewhere else.

[HockeyMac18]

Originally Posted by rca215

I've lived in SF, Boston, Chicago, and New York, and I'll grant that SF drivers are better than Boston. But that's like saying losing one leg is better than losing two legs. Both suck. I do think New York and Chicago are better than SF, but that's just my experience and I didn't drive all that much in New York.

One thing about the left lane-hogging in SF that confuses me is people who choose to do it on the Golden Gate Bridge. They'll sit in the left lane without passing for the whole span while the right lanes are often wide open.

Why would you choose to drive three feet away from traffic going 60 MPH in the opposite direction with only a little piece of plastic every 20 feet as a safety barrier? I reluctantly enter that lane, whereas some bozos putz along in it oblivious to the world.

My experience from both Chicago and NY is that SF is better (lived in NY for many years, been to Chicago hundreds of times). I also think SF drivers are better than Detroit drivers (near where I grew up)...

"SF drivers" suck if you really want to go fast, and there are a lot of "new" drivers here (ones who are completely oblivious or have weird definitions of what is "normal" for driving), but I still think SF is not that bad compared to other major metros in the US. I never really get that "Fear for my life" kind of thing you get in NY or Boston when there's some major crazy drivers weaving through cars and honking at you. I've also experienced that in Chicago to a degree. That's been my experience.

I also don't think the differences are as big as people are making them out to be.

[LexusNexus]

Originally Posted by rca215

The left lane thing IS AWFUL! Just no regard for basic highway rules/etiquette.

I've noticed this more and more now. People just don't get the hell out of the left lane, as if they don't know about the etiquette or frankly just don't care. I agree, it is awful!

[TVC15]

Yes I would be insane if I did not ride my motorcycle more than driving my car. At least I can split lanes and get around the slow pokes in the left lane. You would be amazed at how many cars are in the left lane traveling 50 mph on the freeway and have miles of gap in front of them after I get around them.