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There is one that has been left out, and coming from New York, we thought it was only a Staten Island thing, but I have noticed it now in several states.... Slowing down when going uphill as if you are afraid that there is no road on the other side of the hill!!!
My husband when we lived in NY used to refer to it as the Staten Island Chemical Imbalance from living by the landfill.
His theory was that Staten Islanders, due to landfill exposure, had a chemical in their brain that when they were going uphill the chemical shift to the back of the brain would cause their foot to lift from the gas pedal, then when they would go downhill, the chemical would roll to the front of the brain thus causing the foot to press down on the gas pedal.
I tread VERY carefully when I say this because I am sure it is everyone and not any one type of person in particular (ex. locals vs. transplants), but at least a dozen times while driving in Cary and on the highways around here, I have seen some crazy driving manuevers where people LITERALLY slam on their brakes, and without looking, with no blinker, and with no regard for other cars they cut across 2 or 3 or even 4 lanes of traffic because they suddenly realize they have almost missed their exit or turn. I have been here only 2 months. Call me crazy, but usually when you realize you miss your turn, you say "oh sh--!", but you keep going and turn around at the next light or exit. It happened to me last week on Cary Parkway. Someone literally slammed on their breaks in front of me, out of nowhere, because they wanted to get on 64 on the right and they were in the left lane. I almost got rearended because I had to put my brakes on so fast. On Tryon road just this morning, a woman literally cut the wheel of her car to the left so fast in an attempt to get in my lane, and was centimeters from my passenger door. I had to slam on my horn before she woke up out of her daze to even comprehend that she was about to crash into my car. I am guessing that she realized too late that her lane turned into a right turn only lane, but guess what? Tough beans honey, take the right and turn back around instead of nearly killing those around you. And this past weekend was the most ridiculous all star move. We saw a guy cut across 4, yes 4 lanes of traffic on the highway and just nearly miss hitting about 3 cars because he suddenly wanted to take that exit. I just can't beleive my eyes sometimes? What is the problem? Is it because half the people are new to the area and don't know where the heck they are going? I am from MA and we are known for having the most aggressive drivers around and some of the driving maneuvers I have seen there can not even be believed, but this isn't agressive driving, its almost absent minded driving with no awareness that you are inches from crashing into someone. In MA, the drivers know and just don't care. I am venting because whenever I am driving I am with my toddler and it pisses me off that she could be hurt because someone can't take 2 minutes to backtrack if they miss a turn. Does anyone else experience this or is it just me??? I am not exaggerating either. I see it happen almost every time I get in my car to go somewhere. I was hoping to get away from some of the stressful driving coming from MA to NC but now it just looks like I've gotten away from agressive drivers and am now dealing with just bad drivers. I don't want to be negative because I have also experienced many positive great things about the area which far outweigh this, but this morning when it happened again, I just had to vent....it may just be a result of all the new roads and widening the roads and it will just take people time to get acclimated....I just wish people would look first or at least use a blinker....
I'm only glad that it isn't just me that has taken notice of the dangerous driving going on out here. The first thing I noticed was the lack of directional usage. Very dangerous! Secondly, the tail-gating situation is rampant. I am learning to leave a lot of space between me and the car in front. Some people do not appreciate this but it is necessary to stay alive here. Do you listen to the traffic news? There are more accidents than you can shake a stick at. I blame a lot of this on incessant cell phone usage which is not being addressed by our local law enforcement. I hardly even see a police car in my travels.
Drivers are d-r-i-v-e-r-s, regardless. Good ones and bad ones everywhere. The best you can do is drive defensively. I always assume the other guy is going to do something totally inane, and he usually proves me right-on-the-mark.
I actually felt encouraged on a recent trip to the DMV in downtown Cary. The officer came in with what appeared to be a 16-18 year-old, and she flunked the kid on the driving exam, telling her she needed to use her mirrors, and be mindful that just because a light had turned green, it didn't necessarily mean "go."
The little girl responded with, "well, it's my turn, isn't it?"
I'm only glad that it isn't just me that has taken notice of the dangerous driving going on out here. The first thing I noticed was the lack of directional usage. Very dangerous! Secondly, the tail-gating situation is rampant. I am learning to leave a lot of space between me and the car in front. Some people do not appreciate this but it is necessary to stay alive here. Do you listen to the traffic news? There are more accidents than you can shake a stick at. I blame a lot of this on incessant cell phone usage which is not being addressed by our local law enforcement. I hardly even see a police car in my travels.
I agree with every word you say. I don't know if native NC'ers know this or not, but agressive driving enforcement STINKS around here. I wish it was not so, but it's what I've seen (or not seen) on a daily basis. Turn signals..what are they? Tailgating is huge here as well. I come from the DC area and have seen people drive like this so don't get me wrong, but it seems like the majority (70-80%) of drivers here all do at least 10 mph over the speed limit and don't like leaving enough space between cars. There is a reason that accident fatality rate in NC is higher than any north eastern state and it's not because you just have country roads here. Pennsylvania and NY have plenty country roads as well.
I do love living here, but thought the driving would be more laid back. I used to live on the NC Coast in the mid/late's 90's when I was in the military and don't remember people driving there like they do here.
Boy, do you need a trip down Memory Lane to Wilmington, Waterboy. I grew up in Wilmington, and you never saw such poor planning. I remember as a HS student hearing in the news how the plans needed to be laid then for roads, and some 30+ years later, it is no better -- actually much worse.
Highest accident rate in the State, and some of the most aggressive drivers. My INS rates went down almost $300 just by moving to the Cary area.
I lived in Carteret county and paid about $500 a year being a 18-22 y/o male with a new truck. I considered that pretty cheap. Wilmington didn't seem too crazy as far as the driving went (maybe made about 15 or so trips there), but it was crowded for the area and the kinds of roads they had/have.
There is one that has been left out, and coming from New York, we thought it was only a Staten Island thing, but I have noticed it now in several states.... Slowing down when going uphill as if you are afraid that there is no road on the other side of the hill!!!
My husband when we lived in NY used to refer to it as the Staten Island Chemical Imbalance from living by the landfill.
His theory was that Staten Islanders, due to landfill exposure, had a chemical in their brain that when they were going uphill the chemical shift to the back of the brain would cause their foot to lift from the gas pedal, then when they would go downhill, the chemical would roll to the front of the brain thus causing the foot to press down on the gas pedal.
Might not be no road but might be a stalled vehicle, a wreck, or a stupidly placed driveway invisible until you crest the hill.
Many wrecks on New Hope Church Rd near walmart because the moronic city planners allowed a driveway to be cut at the top of a blind hill. Only at night, it's somewhat safe because you can see the headlights.
If you knew the moronic road planning here, you'd understand why the drivers may choose to be extra careful.
I'm originally from the South Shore in MA. Up in MA, once I saw a person actually back up on the highway because he missed an exit...I've seen that 3x in the year I've been in NC. The daily tailgating and unsafe lane changes don't seem to happen up North. I think the reason is that you'd be taking your life in your hands if you did, the guy would follow you home. Maybe we need some good old new england road rage down here...:-)
There is one that has been left out, and coming from New York, we thought it was only a Staten Island thing, but I have noticed it now in several states.... Slowing down when going uphill as if you are afraid that there is no road on the other side of the hill!!!
My husband when we lived in NY used to refer to it as the Staten Island Chemical Imbalance from living by the landfill.
His theory was that Staten Islanders, due to landfill exposure, had a chemical in their brain that when they were going uphill the chemical shift to the back of the brain would cause their foot to lift from the gas pedal, then when they would go downhill, the chemical would roll to the front of the brain thus causing the foot to press down on the gas pedal.
My father-in-law totaled a car when he plowed into a stopped car just over the crest of a hill on an interstate; traffic was jammed trying to get off at an upcoming exit. So slowing down a bit when nearing the top of a hill is not that dumb, really.
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I don't want to be negative because I have also experienced many positive great things about the area which far outweigh this, but this morning when it happened again, I just had to vent....it may just be a result of all the new roads and widening the roads and it will just take people time to get acclimated....I just wish people would look first or at least use a blinker....
Hmm. . . it's all relative, don't ya think?
