Traffic/Road Etiquette in Seattle area (Vancouver: real estate, rent, campers)

[OregonYeti]

I picked my user name at just the wrong time. I'll be living just north of Seattle in a few weeks.

[eskercurve]

Originally Posted by la_fuerza

Another thing that is common in Seattle on the freeway is passing on the right. I always drive 72-75 in the fast lane and if the person in front of me is going too slow I will go around them and pass them on the right. Many other drivers do the same thing.

I used to tailgate slow vehicles and flash my lights at them to get them to move out of the fast lane but I don't do that anymore. That's not Seattle etiquette on the freeway.

You may want to check that ... cops here give tickets out here for going 70. Happened to me recently! I admit to speeding ... but nevermind the huge SUV about 1/2 an inch off my rear that then passed me doing about 90 ... NOOOOOO, I get the ticket!

and ...

MO - They don't signal 100% of the time, but otherwise can't complain.

??? I found MO drivers, at least in the St. Louis area to be morons. Nowhere did I see more turnovers, wrecks, and general annoyances like STOPPING ON THE ONRAMP TO A HIGHWAY WHEN THE ONLY SIGN IS TO YIELD! It's like they don't know how to merge! Yet one more reason I'm never moving back there, not even if my job depended on it.

[Camryluvs80]

Amen.

[AlohaHuey]

One person's opinion:

Best drivers: Michigan. They go fast, very fast, and know how to get from point A to point B.

Small town drivers who wreak havoc on the freeways, east coast: North Carolina. The onramps are designed to be too short and people merge onto the freeway at 35 MPH.

Small town drivers who wreak havoc on the freeways, west coast: Washington, Puget Sound. Well documented here.

Friendliest drivers: Hawaii.

Most obnoxious stretch of road with rude drivers: I-95.

Clueless driver state award: Florida (snowbirds + graybeards = havoc)

Clueless snow/ice drivers: Texas. They drive 65 on icy freeways.

Most depressing route: NJ Turnpike, any toll road

Nicest drives: Chimney Rock NP in NC, Hwy 101 on the Pacific Coast, Route 1, coastal Maine

Unearthly drives: Anchorage to Fairbanks AK, Saddle Road on Hawaii's BI

Eager beaver speeder cops: Pennsylvania, Ohio

Worst roads, state: Mississippi, Alabama, Illinois, Michigan

Best place to run into the car in front of you while gawking: The Las Vegas Strip

[dxenopoulos]

The one issue when it comes to freeway driving that I notice is somewhat unique about our area is the lack of keeping-right. I drive the I-5 corridor very frequently, which is rural for the most part. Most of the time, I have to pass (on the right side), people going 65ish, in the left lane, in a rural 70mph stretch of highway. If I thought they were being passive-aggressive jerks I'd get mad, but I really think some people just don't get it. Is it because most of these drivers are city drivers who happen to be up in the boonies? I've wondered what the cause of this is for years. Is it Canadians? We joke in Bellingham that they're terrible drivers, but honestly up in B.C. they always get out of my way.

I do find that merging is typically easy to do, people will more often than not let you in, which I've heard isn't the case in many places. People also rarely honk. Honestly, since going to NYC a couple weeks ago, Seattle drivers are not so bad. My biggest complaints is that they are a bit slow, and a bit timid. I think the best drivers are assertive - not aggressive and not timid.

Also - why do people freak out when it starts to rain? We live in a place where it rains all the time. It starts to drizzle and there are people tapping their breaks going 10 under on the freeway. Unnecessary and potentially dangerous for other drivers on the road.

I think it would be really interesting to see more research and statistics about traffic/driving culture and etiquette in various places within the United States. I think such info could be very telling of the general culture of a place, e.g. for some reason, CA drivers just make sense.

[city_guy05]

Seattle drivers usually follow the speed limit, are passive, don't honk, polite, spaced out, and all that makes for a relatively pleasant drive. I know someone is likely to let me merge into a lane when necessary and it's unlikely I'm going to get hit by a car going 90mph. I tried driving in Los Angeles for a while and it was a nightmare. Everyone drives exceedingly over the speed limit (I usually go 70) and to make things worse people swerve in and out of lanes without using a turn signal. They also honk at you if you don't go on green immediately and nobody lets you merge. People in Los Angeles are so damn impatient, and that's not just on the streets either.

[oso_te_great]

I grew up here, and I find these are my biggest pet peeves

1. Merging - Seriously, I give you space (I saw your signal, the ones who don't signal also don't hesitate), just freaking GO
2. Green Lights - There is no need for you to brake all the way through a green, it just makes me miss my light.
3. KEEP RIGHT EXCEPT TO PASS. I am trying to get to work in Lacey from Seattle, I like to go 70, you and the car right next to you going 55 need to get in the same lane
4. Yes the Iphone headphones have two earbuds, but KEEP ONE OUT WHILE DRIVING, I have almost been in 5 accidents since september because of this.


I just moved back here from NYC, and while I would not consider an expert in driving out there, at least they were predictable. The unpredictability of West WA drivers scares the ***** out of me every day

[sekhmet1974]

Originally Posted by oso_te_great

I grew up here, and I find these are my biggest pet peeves

1. Merging - Seriously, I give you space (I saw your signal, the ones who don't signal also don't hesitate), just freaking GO
2. Green Lights - There is no need for you to brake all the way through a green, it just makes me miss my light.
3. KEEP RIGHT EXCEPT TO PASS. I am trying to get to work in Lacey from Seattle, I like to go 70, you and the car right next to you going 55 need to get in the same lane
4. Yes the Iphone headphones have two earbuds, but KEEP ONE OUT WHILE DRIVING, I have almost been in 5 accidents since september because of this.


I just moved back here from NYC, and while I would not consider an expert in driving out there, at least they were predictable. The unpredictability of West WA drivers scares the ***** out of me every day

Said *perfectly*. On top of all of the above reasons, too many also are on their cellphones (without a headset), which besides being illegal is extremely dangerous and just exponentially increases their unpredictability.

I just sold my car in our preparation for our move to NYC (in 9 days!). I could not be happier to never have to deal with WA state/Seattle drivers AGAIN.

[OregonYeti]

Well then, some think faster is better, and the slower ones, who stay near the speed limit, are timid. Others think that the speed limit is a reasonable guideline.

I think what matters most is that people are pretty near the same idea on what speed is appropriate. The speed itself does not make much difference in the time it takes to get from point A to point B, unless we're talking about a 15-20 mph difference. What matters more is the people who think a few mph more really does matter and get mad and lose their best judgement, or those who drive slower than average for a given place, and don't let the average-speed ones get by.

If you want to do 70 and you're held back by a 65 driver, and that makes you really irritated, I say you need a reality check. It will make a 7% difference, if you can actually maintain that. Most of the time you can't do much about how long it takes to get places, unless there is a lot of room. If you are holding a lot of people up because you are going slower than average and they can't get around you, you are being an obstacle.

This is a contentious subject for a lot of people, so I probably won't say any more about it. I'm not into competing, arguing, and all that. I am into having a cool head when I'm driving.

[newguy416]

I think the big problem is that a lot of people, around the world, think they are staring in their own movie and are oblivious to anyone and anything around them.