Texas Drivers!!!! (Houston, Dallas, San Antonio: transplants, gated, law)

[expgc]

Originally Posted by bellestaroftexas

Texas is the only place I have seen where folks are so friendly that they will pull over to the side and wave you to pass, on two lane highways....If they are taking Sunday drives and see that you are wanting to go faster, they just pull over. That simple, with a cowboy wave.

I agree. I have never seen this happen in any other place and was surprised the first time it happened on my way to College Station. However, it seems to mostly happen outside of the Dallas area in the more rural settings.

[KewGee]

There is much road rage on the Texas interstates and also, one must be prepared to be "shot" the finger. Beer cans thrown at cars........I would imagine that's a great possibility, but it's better than a gun pointed at a person because of road rage or someone getting beaten to death.

As far as country drivers go and their politeness, there are a few. I am one of them, and I'm by far not a Texan. Belle, I think you may have been away too long in North Mexico to see how people really drive in the country. I'm not being a smart aleck, but they drive nutty in the country too. I just love it one some fool passes someone on the right. I was fortunate to catch someone doing that a while back, called 911, and by the time I got to the next town, the police were frisking the idiot. He had actually passed about six cars doing 90 to nothing, a total idiot.

I remember a while back commenting to a friend who lives in Atlanta that Sunday drives aren't what they used to be because people are so crazy when they're behind the wheel of a vehicle. Driving the speed limit is not the norm today and therefore, it makes for less peace on the highways.

[Willys]

Originally Posted by bellestaroftexas

Texas is the only place I have seen where folks are so friendly that they will pull over to the side and wave you to pass, on two lane highways....If they are taking Sunday drives and see that you are wanting to go faster, they just pull over. That simple, with a cowboy wave.

Actually, it's probly more like lead, follow or let me get out of your way.

Oh, yeah. I was raised that way, 'back when' the highway from Houston to Dallas was a two lane undivided road. I still wave after passing on the interstate, it's just polite.

[Nashcash23]

Originally Posted by twojciac

Dallas is tame compared to the DC area. My only complaint is really that most people don't use a turn signal.

For those of you that don't, it's selfish not to have the common courtesy to let those behind you know why you are slowing down, or those beside you that you are coming over.

I agree . Not using a turn signal is rude and annoying to the other drivers on the road .

[texas7]

Drivers do some weird things just about everywhere I have been but one thing that is quite common in Houston and seems to cause a lot of fender benders is where one freeway merges onto another (on the left fast lane) and is near an exit, or where you have a right entrance ramp near a left freeway entrance ramp to a different freeway. People immediately move over a lane at a time by slamminng on their brakes with a blinker on as if they are on a road at a red light or stop. If you miss the exit, there is always another one coming, just go down one more, make your u under the frway and you get where you wanted to be without causing an accident. There are an awful lot of accidents before and after these freeway intersections.

[Mayor_McCheese]

People drive 80mph to get in front of me to slam on their breaks. No point in going over 40mph on I-10. It's always stop and go.

[MSJones]

I like Dallas and have lots of family there, so don't get me wrong, but they drive like maniacs up there! I'm used to highway driving in Houston, and I just stay out of the way and do my own thing, but in Dallas, you have to pay very close attention or before you know it, somebody in the far left lane will suddenly come shooting across the freeway over four lanes of traffic and if you're in the way, oh well!

[David Pristupa]

In Laredo a guy ahead of me decided he needed to gas up after he was two blocks past the gas station. He abruptly came to a dead stop and floored the car into reverse and headed into on coming traffic playing chicken with the cars heading in opposite direction. He 'missed' the pumps but managed to knock over two stacks of tires. The moral of the story is watch the driver ahead of you in Laredo.

[catman]

There are idiotic drivers everywhere, especially between Fort Worth and Dallas. Stay out of their way if you don't like to speed! But the drivers on rural roads tend to be much more considerate. There are even a few between Fort Worth and Dallas. But sometimes the only turn signals I see are the ones that have been left on for the last thirty minutes.

[tgannaway89]

The speed limit on I-10 between El Paso and San Antonio is mostly 80mph. And even then people drive at least 5mph over. It is a big state and takes a long time to get across when your driving slow.