My honest opinion: Tulsans are the worst drivers i have seen!! (Broken Arrow: find a job, transfer to)

[Raelyn28]

Thanks for the compliment Brookside. You and I seem to see eye on many issues here and you have been a great help to me in so many ways. I wish you the best on your move. I am sure you will be fine and get used to where ever you are going and you will be an asset to the community. Moving is never easy for anyone but I have learned to just enjoy the positives and deal with the other as part of life.

As far as Oklahoma. I would go back to Washington/Oregon in a minute but Tulsa does have a lot of good things about it that the PNW does not have and I am focusing on those things. The driving I probably will never get used to because it is just plain ignorance on the part of people who probably have never been in an accident when they are an accident waiting to happen. Hopefully when or if it does happen it doesn't effect some innocent child that gets the raw end of the stick. I just don't have any tolerance for rude, ignorant drivers.

Anyway, unfortunately I have to make that drive from BA to the downtown area twice a day in rush hour traffic so I am being tested in my patience. Most of the time I just stay to the right and let the jerks do their thing. Sometimes if I am tired or not in the best of moods I will purposely brake if someone is tailgating.. I am not the conforming type and I refuse to speed for anyone. They can slow down or go around me...

Have a great week....

Originally Posted by Brookside

Just adding my 2c on the bad driver question.

We are moving to Dallas (sad about it, but that's another thread). We just returned from a house hunting trip, complete with drives in traffic, etc. Let me ad that I've traveled there many times to visit family so I've experienced the traffic down there on many occasions (Seattle, and Chicago too.) It's definitely heavy - frustratingly so - but overall the drivers seem competent.

Tulsa is much worse! Drivers are rude and aggressive. I've lived here 15 years and it's always the same: tailgating so as to force one to speed up; passing on the right over the shoulder of the road; ignoring yield signs on highway on-ramps.

Life was very unpleasant when I worked downtown and had to drive the BA expy. I lost count of the number of times my heart stopped when some idiot would force him/her self onto the highway from an on-ramp, expecting me to move over into the adjacent lane. But ahem --- there were other drivers in the adjacent lane...and I couldn't move over. The only way to manage was to slow down to a near-stop, let them cut in front of me and hope the driver behind me is paying enough attention not to crash into me.

It's been nice living 90 seconds from work. But even in-city driving is fraught with speeders, tailgaters and just plain obnoxious behavior. I once had a guy who tailgated me for 2 miles on 91st St., then jumped out of his car at a red light and started screaming at me for driving so slow (traffic was heavy and I was driving two miles under the speed limit, FYI). Just this morning, someone in a huge dual cab pick-up truck sat on his horn and honked at me for the duration of a green light because I wouldn't pull into the lane and turn left -- never mind that I didn't have an arrow or that traffic was so heavy there was no way I was going to be able turn without it.

BTW - I'm not a granny driver -- just a careful one. I've been rear-ended (stopped in traffic), and am still dealing with the injuries almost two years later.

I think many of us have become accustomed to this kind of behavior; therefore, we don't realize how startling it is to outsiders. But every visitor I have from out of state remarks on it.

Raelyn, you're one of the most polite and thoughtful posters on this board, so no apologies necessary. I hope Tulsa is growing on you and your family -- at least the weather has cooled off!

[Raelyn28]

Hmmmm!! You are talking to someone who lived in Southern California for 22-years. I do agree that California has terrible drivers and bad traffic but I think Tulsa has it beat... Sorry..

There is NO unity in the way people drive here. The fast drivers are over in the right passing cars, the slow drivers are in the left lane and then there are people not using turn signals, speeding like they are on the Autobon and motorcycle drivers swerving in and out of traffic with no helmets!!! At least there is a helmet law in California and people DO get tickets for speeding.. It seems like there are NO laws here and everything goes. Out of control is what I call the driving situation and there is no respect for human beings... I am very surprised with all of this and did not expect this at all.

Originally Posted by Fenderman

Have you ever driven in Atlanta Ga ? I do not think you have by your posting. Yes, Tulsa has its fair share of bad/rude drivers but I have driven in many places MUCH WORSE.
In southern CA people will move into your lane with no signal or even care that you are right there along side them. When they decide to change lanes they just do it. This is DANGEROUS as well as rude.
Try to give Tulsa some time and average out your driving experiences.

[Raelyn28]

I am sure there are places where the driving is much worse but it doesn't justify or excuse the drivers here... they still are rude no matter what anyone else is doing...

Originally Posted by Fenderman

Have you ever driven in Atlanta Ga ? I do not think you have by your posting. Yes, Tulsa has its fair share of bad/rude drivers but I have driven in many places MUCH WORSE.
In southern CA people will move into your lane with no signal or even care that you are right there along side them. When they decide to change lanes they just do it. This is DANGEROUS as well as rude.
Try to give Tulsa some time and average out your driving experiences.

[Raelyn28]

Hello my friend. Thanks for the advise but I will not drive 5mph over the speed limit. I am not in a hurry to get to where I am going because I make the choice to leave a little early. And trust me I don't drive in the fast lane.... NEVER. I did in California, Oregon and Washington but not here. I have even stepped on my brakes a couple of times when being tailgated... I know...call me a bad/mad girl. I ask God to forgive me for becoming just like those who I am angry with... I think He does.

Originally Posted by lasomeday

I used to live in Oregon. The difference is dramatic between Oregon and anywhere. People in Oregon drive 5 miles below the speed limit and are typically not in a hurry to get anywhere.

In Oklahoma we typically drive 5 to 10 miles over the speed limit. If you are driving below the speed limit on the highway expect to get scorned! People on the highways are trying to get to work or a hot date that cannot wait!

You just need to adjust to your surroundings. I got used to people running stop lights in Denver. The light would turn red and 5 cars would go through it. We almost got rear ended twice for stopping when it turned red.

I visited Seattle a lot when I was in Oregon and those people drive like maniacs! They drive 20 MPH over!

Don't even get me started about drivers in NY.

The point is drive 5 MPH over the speed limit and don't drive in the fast lane.

[Jammie]

Raelyn, I've been wondering (aside from the driving) how you like Broken Arrow. Do you feel you chose the right burb/area?

[Raelyn28]

Yes, I am pretty happy with the area we chose although I think Jenks is prettier. I thought that the Union school system would be a better fit for my boys and so far so good with school. Both boys are doing well. We are renting right now so we are not in the home that I would like to be in but other than that I think people on the forum directed us to the right area.

I am so glad that I didn't choose Owasso because I think I would have been VERY frustrated with the drive everyday from Owasso to the downtown area.

Like I said..there are many good things about Tulsa and hopefully I haven't focused too much on the things I don't like

Anyway, thanks for asking...

Originally Posted by Jammie

Raelyn, I've been wondering (aside from the driving) how you like Broken Arrow. Do you feel you chose the right burb/area?

[Jammie]

Hey, that's great that you like the city you chose. We saw the signs, but didn't go to Broken Arrow.

Jenks~that is a VERY nice town. We loved it there. The area around the Gilcrease museum was pretty, but Jenks and the western part of Tulsa stole our hearts. It's very nice there. Now we wish we'd have snooped around the Catoosa area, too. That looks like a neat spot just from the bit we saw of it.

Have you decided where you're going for your day trip yet? I still recommend visiting Grove. You'll love it.

[Raelyn28]

I just believed my boys would be happier at Union. They are very much into different races and a variety of people so the Union school fits that critiera. It has always been about my kids in the long run. The baseball coach from Jenks never got back to me, so that pretty much made up my mind for me since we are huge baseball people. I would have preferred Jenks myself.. Maybe some day.. Anyway, no day trips yet. We are too busy with football/baseball and haven't had a free weekend since we arrived over a month ago....

I will let you know when we get ready to make the trip though. Tell me where is there to stop on that trip? How long does it take and what is there to do (destination). I just need to know so I can plan for it when we get a free weekend. Thanks...

Originally Posted by Jammie

Hey, that's great that you like the city you chose. We saw the signs, but didn't go to Broken Arrow.

Jenks~that is a VERY nice town. We loved it there. The area around the Gilcrease museum was pretty, but Jenks and the western part of Tulsa stole our hearts. It's very nice there. Now we wish we'd have snooped around the Catoosa area, too. That looks like a neat spot just from the bit we saw of it.

Have you decided where you're going for your day trip yet? I still recommend visiting Grove. You'll love it.

[Jammie]

Grove Chamber of Commerce

Here's a cool link to Grove. We did go to the gardens and they were pretty. I had heard about the antique place, but we spent so little time there that we didn't see it. They also offer a cruise. We were just so thrilled with the relaxed atmosphere and the beauty of the Lake that we just hung around there.

It seems like Brian is our only CD member who lives there so hopefully he'll come along and tell you more about it then the site provides. I'm not exactly sure how far away it is because we left Tulsa and headed way south and came up alongside the OK/Ark. border and that's when we visited Grove. My guess is an hour and a half to two hours.

I was close. LOL Just mapquested it and it's 89 miles and 1 hour and 26 min. from B.A.

[BAGuy]

Glad you are liking Broken Arrow, Raelyn