Love Miami Area...Except For the Drivers (South Miami, Palm Beach: rental car, rentals)

[hurricaneMan1992]

Originally Posted by deathoftherobot

In my short time here in Miami I have found that yes the drivers are pretty bad (coming from Los Angeles area), but it's actually the pedestrians/cyclists who are the main problem. So many brain dead idiots who just use the streets without a care in the world like they are untouchable. They just start walking right into oncoming traffic or through a crosswalk when there is a green light. I almost killed someone today because I was watching one pedestrian who looked like he was about to come from my right side through the crosswalk (even though it was a green light for us) and when he stopped I was about to go when a cyclist from the left who i didn't see decided to just zoom right by. As far as the drivers go, many of the people here do not know what an indicator is or how to properly change lanes (jerking your car to the other lane at the last second isn't a great idea)

I am used to being around people who use generally use more commons sense so I'm gonna have to change my driving style to accommodate for the stupidity around me.

Which is going to kill or injure you-- the car who doesn't signal and cuts in front of you at high speed to get two car lengths ahead of you, or the pedestrian who had to catch a bus and couldn't wait the 3 minutes it takes for the signal to change? Considering there are over a hundred cars for every pedestrian, which is the greater public safety concern for you personally?

Pedestrians and cyclists are a major issue. But far from the "main problem," and frankly, too after are treated as scapegoats for the real "main problem"--the other drivers.

Finally, most pedestrians are not "brain dead idiots," they are in fact human beings who are actually trying to get somewhere, like everyone else on the road.

[deathoftherobot]

Originally Posted by hurricaneMan1992

Which is going to kill or injure you-- the car who doesn't signal and cuts in front of you at high speed to get two car lengths ahead of you, or the pedestrian who had to catch a bus and couldn't wait the 3 minutes it takes for the signal to change? Considering there are over a hundred cars for every pedestrian, which is the greater public safety concern for you personally?

Pedestrians and cyclists are a major issue. But far from the "main problem," and frankly, too after are treated as scapegoats for the real "main problem"--the other drivers.

Finally, most pedestrians are not "brain dead idiots," they are in fact human beings who are actually trying to get somewhere, like everyone else on the road.

Me killing someone or someone killing me are equally bad in my mind. Actually me killing someone is probably worse because I have to live with the consequences afterwards and it effectively destroys the rest of my life.

[hurricaneMan1992]

Originally Posted by deathoftherobot

Me killing someone or someone killing me are equally bad in my mind. Actually me killing someone is probably worse because I have to live with the consequences afterwards and it effectively destroys the rest of my life.

You don't have to kill anybody, you just have to stop. Is it really that difficult to move your right foot a few inches off of the gas and on to the brakes???? In the worse case, if you can slow to 20 mph, 9 out of 10 will survive. Even slowing to 30 mph gives a 50/50 chance. Pretty simple, IMHO. Is it an annoyance? Yes! It is to me too when I drive. Welcome to Miami traffic. (And yes, pedestrians and cyclists count as legitimate Traffic under Florida law--and yes, in the US they have equal rights to try to get somewhere safely just as all the drivers do).

This morning I witnessed two cyclists crossing using a well-marked crosswalk with 10 seconds left in the Walk signal, and a driver turning right with the green wasn't paying attention and had to break suddenly and had the nerve to blast his horn as if the cyclists shouldn't be there! (Driver was at least 50 ft back from the intersection when the cyclists first entered the crosswalk, so you can hardly say the bikers "jumped in front of" the car.) Well, I guess you can say, at least he stopped... Clearly, even when we do our part, it is not necessarily enough, and that is a serious issue in this city. Since it really goes equally both ways (yes, some pedestrians do stupid Darwin-award things) the best thing is to make the roads as safe as possible for all.

[ElGuito]

One month and a half of driving around, and I continue to behave, as one poster said "many drivers here will consider Your good manners a sign of weakness..." but already had some instances when the ignorance of the other driver was such that I had to be menacing.

But the one that, so far, is worth giving details, is a dilapidated van driven by an older gentleman, a compact car in front of him, moving along, and an ambulance approaches them from behind, with all lights and sirens. The car pulls over and waits, and the van behind the car swerves right in front of the ambulance and accelerates to stay and remain in front.

[UKWildcat1981]

Originally Posted by doom1001

I'm from Miami and the bad drivers are the locals and the non locals,this is the biggest mish mosh of people who have no idea how to drive.Old people,people who live here now who came from some other country where driving was even more dangerous than Miami so the stuff they do here even though crazy seems sane to them.The young drivers with the souped up cars swerving in and out of traffic,the 30 year olds that haven't gotten over their 17 year old stage of swerving their souped up car in and out of traffic.The texters,the late for work lady applying makeup while driving,the cell phone users doing everything from driving 15 mph while everyone else gets pissed or the others who can't stay in their lane.Miami as a whole is not a sane place to live in.

That sums up Miami for ya lol good post

[ElGuito]

As the quote above says "...people...who came from some other Country..."

I've seen three (new) examples; an elder guy who goes bananas with the horn, when a School Bus stops, deploys its STOP signs and the kids have to go across the street to the opposite sidewalk. Really? At his possible 105 years of age, 4 minutes of wait is going to kill him. I really felt tempted to just go and explain to him, since, obviously in his original Country no one cares about protecting the children, and in aaaaall the years he's been here no one has shown him the very basics of safety while driving. Possibly driving without a License.
Which leads to the next case, a worker from my building was crashed - on the bridge - by two other vehicles, one without License or Insurance, the other with a suspended License.

And last, for this episode, at the parking lot in the Medical Center/Civic Center, a lady, mid 30s I guesstimate, walking around talking loudly to her phone: "HOW DO I GET OUR OF HERE!!" Until I realized she was also asking me that question. Thru the lane that says EXIT, I said, IT WON'T OPEN!!! Take your ticket to the machine and pay if You have been parked for more than 30 minutes.
After my transactions I myself go check if I have to pay, no, and find this lady with her car, over the curb and into the garden area: MOVE THE CAR OUT OF THIS THING!! she orders me.
Nice sedan, looking new.
Best fake smile I have given. Yeah right, I am going to get into a complete unknown car involved in a minor accident and drive it.

[ElGuito]

No, really...those idiots, because they are, who start honking like crazy when the school bus stops and deploys the STOP - flashing - signs AND the children start crossing the street. My respects to the bus drivers who come out and check to make sure cars are not going to try to move, they have to deal with those idiots every day.

[SDPMiami]

I noticed that honking here is more common but other than that these threads exist in every city's section on this website.

I also noticed a jump in my car insurance from Houston Texas, which was funny because everyone said in Houston to expect a jump there (supposedly Houston has a high rate). It jumped between 30-40% when I gave them my Miami Beach address. This is the highest insurance I paid since my first car and insurance policy as a kid in California .

But then, I did earn that rate back in California since I totaled my car shortly thereafter.

[Cubanchic]

The problem with Miami drivers is mostly due to the poor to idiot planning for this city that is growing faster then it can handle it.

To go anywhere in the weekend becomes a mission, to handle any traffic in urban areas or suburban areas like Kendall are stress filled and hectic.

We thought we purchased our forever home and come to discover if Miami grows at this rate we will be very unhappy in the future.

All those displaced liberty city, grove, and edge water, folks are gonna come south, those displaced gentrified folks have to live somewhere and I would hate to have a house in homestead.

So far perrine has become more of a mixed Hispanic, and black Hispanic Caribbean place. The crime in my area is mostly along US1 and mostly car burglary.

I am mentoring developing projects because commissioners want affordable living and projects and they all want them in the south or in the western areas and homestead.

When ever these projects are built I want to see where they will spend the money on these projects.

I would love for those folks that LIVED there all their lives to have a strong hold there as well, why chase them out of your area, the folks that are crime free folks that lived there and are grandfathered in should live there. Provided a nice place for them, and don't do lawsuit against law suit to ruin them.

[Pancrace Mortimerius]

Originally Posted by Travelassie

Those lousy drivers also come from south of the US border and the Caribbean as well. Quite a few of them, to put it not PC, aren't in the country legally and don't even have driver's licenses, let alone insurance.

And there aren't enough FHP troopers to work all the accidents that occur along those roads, let alone traffic enforcement- the State of Florida pays very poorly as an employer- so people generally get away with whatever they pull on the highways...

The lousy drivers in Naples, FL ARE likely to be NY visitors.

No...Miami driving habits are contagious. I've seen people land from Maine and after a few months they start to driving like real clunks, tailgating, cutting and even screaming obscenities in Spanish. Driving in Miami is very easy, you only have to assume the worse, that the guy is going to stop to buy a cafecito, etc.


But worse are old ladies above 200 years driving large cars and yes, the insurance is a scam.