What is it with Mississippi Drivers? (Jackson, Pearl: insurance, gated, live in)

[GrandviewGloria]

Another friend just called from my old town in hysterics, bordering on Shock. Another tailgaiter just put a thousand Dollars worth of damage on a new car's Bumper. No reason, except the woman was in the habit of pulling up waaaaaaay too close to other people's bumbers, waiting for a light. The victim here is just barely hanging on, one of many people I halfway expect to soon hear was in worse shape than I thought, and has pulled the plug. The Obama Depression has hit a lot of people hard, and a thousand Dollars is HUGE right now. Now, if the car has to be sold, there will still be money owed, because its value has plummeted. All because someone is in the habit of driving cluelessly.

A week or two back, I get a detailed account, from another friend, who was almost murdered, on the bridge that connects the interstate with State Street, in Jackson. There's a 30 Mph speed limit there, for a very good reason: you go over a rise, which obstructs your view of what's ahead, and immediately come upon the Redlight at State and Pearl. "Fiery twenty-car pileup" would be what would happen, if people got to drive as fast as they wanted to, there. Maybe something like that has already happened. Considering how they drive anyway, it probably is only a matter of time until it does happen.

Anyway, my friend was driving 40 on that bridge (most people zoom around you doing 50 or 60, so he really didn't have a lot of choice). That's what I used to do, and people would honk at me, and flip me off, because I was ONLY going 10mph over the limit. OY! So glad I never have to take that route again!

Well, he looks in his mirror, and there's this giant, Dark Green Suburban-type vehicle (like all of Fashionable Northeast Jackson drove, a decade back), flashing its lights, like "get over", and bearing down on him at probably 70mph. This was right before the light came into view, and there was really no time (plus, it obviously was not an emergency vehicle, and the emergency blinkers were not on...so it was obviously just another nutjob being pushy and narcissistic). So the Suburban swerves around him, and the driver throws his brakes on, deliberately trying to cause an accident. Lucky for my friend, that he has fast reflexes and state-of-the-art Brakes (and that nobody was behind him).

The Suburban continued forward to the light, and the would-be Victim put on his emergency blinkers, moved to the center lane (maximizing options), and stayed put.

Out from the Suburban (which naturally had a Colonel Reb sticker on the back window) came this big, blondish forty-something bruiser, who's motioning like "Come on! Come on!" (and probably with a sawed-off Shotgun, out of view, on the seat) My Bud just sat there (with Me on Speed-dial, and his Dashboard Camera activated). So the light goes green, and the Perp has no choice but to continue down Pearl (remember this, kids: if you're in the center lane, the Attacker cannot figure out which way you're going to turn, and so cannot anticipate your next move).

It got so bad, in the last years we spent in the Jackson Metro, that you truly could expect several close calls, no matter where you went. I'm truly surprised that I wasn't involved in something unfortunate, and that my kids made it out of Mississippi unscathed. Far too many people seemed to feel entitled to drive as if the Laws of Physics did not apply to them. "I'm a Soccer Mom, and I have to be on time!" "I'm an important Bidnisman." "I'm a pretty Teen Princess!" "I'm a hot jock Bubba! An' my jacked-up Pickup Truck makes me invincible!"

And the attitude that aggressive, irresponsible drivers are somehow the Good Guys is beyond my comprehension. I know that Narcissism is rampant there, and that Narcissists recognize each other and reinforce each others' actions. Still...

One extra-spectacular bit of Jackson Driving made National News, and cost two young Doctors their lives. I'm not a cryer, but I cry when I think too long about that story. Unfortunately, that sort of driving is something I experienced most times I had to go down that narrow thoroughfare. And unfortunately, that sort of driving is considered normal. All that was really different is that the car veered into the wrong lane. I've snatched friends' kids, and my own kids, out of quiet residential streets, as G-class Mercedes piloted by Blonde Bowheads whizzed, double-the-limit, to or from Ballet Classes, or Little League, or whatever activities 'entitled' them to endanger others. (not ragging on Blondes, who actually seem, on average, to be kind and responsible...it's just that blonde hair is all one can see through the illegally-dark glass those Aircraft-Carriers-on-Wheels seem to all have).

Why is the local consensus such that these behaviors are considered OK?

When we go down to LA, or up to Seattle, we see such driving, to an extent. But it's usually done by people from countries where Driver's Ed and Literacy are not universal. They sort of have an excuse to drive like that. And I've sat, white-knuckled, while being driven through Palermo, Cairo, and Moscow, and along the Amalfi Coast (again, I'll assume those people have excuses). And I can grimly excuse the bad driving of Mississippi's Poor and illiterate.

But what about the rest of the people there? Why is horrible driving so much an accepted part of the culture? I've lived the life in Mississippi, and so know that there is no excuse for habitually driving without turning signals, or speed limits...or clues.

And now, for some levity: YouTube - Mad TV - Leona Campbell Car Accident

[covedweller]

Another friend just called from my old town in hysterics, bordering on Shock. Another tailgaiter just put a thousand Dollars worth of damage on a new car's Bumper. No reason, except the woman was in the habit of pulling up waaaaaaay too close to other people's bumbers, waiting for a light. The victim here is just barely hanging on, one of many people I halfway expect to soon hear was in worse shape than I thought, and has pulled the plug. The Obama Depression has hit a lot of people hard, and a thousand Dollars is HUGE right now. Now, if the car has to be sold, there will still be money owed, because its value has plummeted. All because someone is in the habit of driving cluelessly.

...........

Would seem $1,000 worth of damage to a new car's bumper is minor in today's world, so I'm not sure exactly what the victim is barely hanging on to (I'd guess sanity, given the company they keep). Other than that, sounds like your friend needs counseling on managing money. They are obviously upside down on their new car, and if $1,000 is that huge to them, he/she shouldn't have purchased a new car. Your friend should also carry insurance, since the person who hit them obviously must have had none. You should create another thread with a rant about uninsured motorists in MS. Obamacare must have also hit you pretty hard. Sounds like you may be off your meds again.....

[KaoCT]

Granted, I've been to Mississippi only a few times (heading back down again this Friday) but I didn't see that type of crazy driving in Jackson. Have you ever driven in Connecticut ? It's the epitome of hostile driving. Tailgating, speeding, no signaling, lane weaving, "No, I'm not going to let you pass me I'm going to speed up" or "No, I'm not going to move over so you can merge onto the highway" drivers - it's part of my daily commute. I expect to be tailgated or cut off every day, and it could be a Mercedes, a Town and Country minivan, a Ford F-150, or a 25 year old rust bucket.

I don't think aggressive/obnoxious driving is unique to Mississippi.

[covedweller]

Plenty of bad / inconsiderate drivers in the Jackson area, but as you say no more than anywhere else. After frequenting this site for some time, it is obvious the original poster just has an odd infatuation with MS that appears to be the result of some tpe of disorder she suffers from, so take her comments with a grain of salt.

[Alluvial]

You seriously think people drive around here with sawed-off shotguns in their front seats??

[An Einnseanair]

I'm trying to figure out how this is different than any other city in the USA... I lived in Kansas City, MO for a while, currently live in Chattanooga, TN, and regularly drive in Atlanta, Knoxville, Birmingham, Los Angeles, CA (and surrounding cities), and occasionally even Jackson.

There's nothing special about "Mississippi Drivers."

[WestbankNOLA]

Honestly, I actually find Mississippi drivers slow. The times that have to drive through Jackson I actually find myself annoyed by the drivers. People drive slow in the inside lanes, and merging is a joke. Instead of the freeway lanes flowing at a steady speed, there's someone in the left lane doing 40, someone in the middle doing 80, and someone in the right doing the speed limit. When I drive through Mississippi I look like a bat out of hell, versus being one of the tame drivers at home. Mississippi drivers also lack aggresiveness when it comes to heavy traffic as well from my observation.

I'm not saying that they are bad drivers or anything like that, it's just that they have a different driving style than I'm used to and prefer.

[Alluvial]

I've been driving in Mississippi for 37 years, and I'll agree with you on the slowness. Life here is slower in many ways, not just in people's driving.

The one thing that I wish more people knew how to do is that "zipper" thing. You know, when there is merging traffic, you are supposed to fit the cars on the road in with the cars coming on from the ramp: one - two, one -two, just like the teeth of the zipper. Too many people here either bust their britches to "be in front" or just blithely move on into traffic without even looking.

My top pick of worst city to drive in: Memphis, TN.

[Listener2307]

Originally Posted by Alluvial

............My top pick of worst city to drive in: Memphis, TN.

I logged 750,000 miles the last five years (I'm a professional driver) and I agree. Birmingham is right up there. Jackson, MS is pretty bad, but not the worst. People fly in Atlanta, but they are among the most skilled.

No. There is nothing special about Mississippi drivers.

[WestbankNOLA]

Originally Posted by Alluvial

The one thing that I wish more people knew how to do is that "zipper" thing. You know, when there is merging traffic, you are supposed to fit the cars on the road in with the cars coming on from the ramp: one - two, one -two, just like the teeth of the zipper. Too many people here either bust their britches to "be in front" or just blithely move on into traffic without even looking.

That's exactly what I was talking about. EXACTLY!
Here, people on the freeway let "one car in, one car out" just like you're zipping up a sweater. When I'm in Mississippi it seems like the car on the freeway is speeding to beat the car getting in or the car on the ramp is either speeding up to jump in or slowing down to wait the cars on the freeway to pass.