Why have Pittsburgh drivers gotten so aggressive and angry? (Butler: car rental, city hall)

[SteelCityRising]

I think people at-large not only in Pittsburgh but just in society overall are becoming ruder and more self-centered, thanks largely to social media-driven narcissism. We went to the drive-in last night to help celebrate my partner's 30th birthday, and all around us people kept turning their headlights on and off, being loud, etc. Made for a less-than-ideal experience.

[Copanut]

Originally Posted by SteelCityRising

I think people at-large not only in Pittsburgh but just in society overall are becoming ruder and more self-centered, thanks largely to social media-driven narcissism. We went to the drive-in last night to help celebrate my partner's 30th birthday, and all around us people kept turning their headlights on and off, being loud, etc. Made for a less-than-ideal experience.

Copy that. Poor driving habits are everywhere, not just in the East End. I guess that's SCR's favorite spot.


Traffic here is nothing. Go live in Philly, Phoenix, or DC. You have to plan EVERY trip you take based on the time of day. Pgh is only a PITA 2 hours in the AM and 2 in the PM. It ain't that tough to get around here if you have half a brain.

[churchill5]

Originally Posted by 8YearsinPittsburgh

Unreasonable?
Also, I was in the left lane (passing lane to the rest of the country) and I had a car in back of me that drifted from approximately three car lengths behind to nearly six car lengths behind. Unreasonable? For sure. No reason to leave that kind of gap on a highway where speeds should be at least 55 mph.

I thought it'd be pertinent to bring up a question from the Pennsylvania Drivers Manual:
Question 90.
AT HIGHWAY SPEEDS, ON A DRY ROAD, A SAFE FOLLOWING DISTANCE IS AT LEAST:
A. 3 seconds of following distance from the car ahead of you
B. 2 seconds of following distance from the car ahead of you
C. 4 seconds of following distance from the car ahead of you
D. 2 car lengths of following distance from the car ahead of you

The answer is C. 4 seconds at 55mph would be 320 feet or approximately 21 car lengths (25 at 65mph). Granted, it's totally unrealistic to give 20+ car lengths gap in city traffic. However, there is no way you could argue that giving anything more than 3 lengths (with a fraction of a second reaction time) is unreasonable. As a side note, you might need some counseling it someone following 6 car lengths behind you causes any amount of frustration.

[8YearsinPittsburgh]

Originally Posted by Copanut

Copy that. Poor driving habits are everywhere, not just in the East End. I guess that's SCR's favorite spot.


Traffic here is nothing. Go live in Philly, Phoenix, or DC. You have to plan EVERY trip you take based on the time of day. Pgh is only a PITA 2 hours in the AM and 2 in the PM. It ain't that tough to get around here if you have half a brain.

And population is exponentially higher.

[fleetiebelle]

I haven't mentioned my "favorite" driving move that I've seen more than once, so it wasn't just one terrible driver. Parkway East outbound, Forbes Ave. exit is backed up. Someone passes up the line of traffic in the exit lane, only to sit stopped with their blinker on in the center/new right lane at the point where the ramp moves away from the highway, which should be going at 55 mph. That's a jag move on a surface street, but it's a death wish on the highway.

[8YearsinPittsburgh]

Originally Posted by churchill5

As a side note, you might need some counseling it someone following 6 car lengths behind you causes any amount of frustration.

Tell me when you have ever seen ANYONE giving ANYONE 21 car lengths on any interstate highway, ANYWHERE.



The frustration in someone leaving six car lengths or more is, it's one more reason why traffic is so sluggish in this region. There's absolutely no reason to leave that much of a gap on an interstate that should be moving at least at 50mph or better

[8YearsinPittsburgh]

Originally Posted by SteelCityRising

I think people at-large not only in Pittsburgh but just in society overall are becoming ruder and more self-centered, thanks largely to social media-driven narcissism. We went to the drive-in last night to help celebrate my partner's 30th birthday, and all around us people kept turning their headlights on and off, being loud, etc. Made for a less-than-ideal experience.

That's very true, but there is an additional difference in this region. I best describe it by saying that it seems like people don't know the very basics of driving. The poor focus on keeping traffic moving is something like I've never seen.

[WhoIsStanwix?]

Originally Posted by 8YearsinPittsburgh

Tell me when you have ever seen ANYONE giving ANYONE 21 car lengths on any interstate highway, ANYWHERE.



The frustration in someone leaving six car lengths or more is, it's one more reason why traffic is so sluggish in this region. There's absolutely no reason to leave that much of a gap on an interstate that should be moving at least at 50mph or better

Please educate yourself. Gaps that are too tight to allow merging or otherwise require more sudden and disruptive actions increase the likelihood of traffic jams. Allowing for enough space so as to not be forced to suddenly brake lest you end up in the lead car's trunk is not only safer, but reduces traffic.

A little ways down the page here, there is a nice graphical representation:

The Physics Behind Traffic Jams

In the event that you would prefer a peer-reviewed study, you may want to consider beginning here:

Analysis of the Effect of Variable Lateral Gap Maintaining Behavior of Vehicles on Traffic Flow Modeling

[8YearsinPittsburgh]

Originally Posted by WhoIsStanwix?

Please educate yourself. Gaps that are too tight to allow merging or otherwise require more sudden and disruptive actions increase the likelihood of traffic jams.

There's no reason or excuse for leaving 3 car lengths or more in traffic.

[Copanut]

Originally Posted by 8YearsinPittsburgh

There's no reason or excuse for leaving 3 car lengths or more in traffic.

1 car Length for every 10 miles per hour-