Your worst traffic annoyances

[Stefano1337]

I'm going to kick off things with incidents that happend to me in just the last month or so.


5) People who keep parking spaces for someone else. on foot.
Parking in the city near where i live is a nightmare. But i learned that it could be worse when last week, an old women claimed the only parking space round by where i wanted to go for her husband. After being shouted at for trying to get into the parking space anyways, i decided that i had an engine and she hadnt, therefor my right to park there was superiour to hers. I'm glad she didnt do any damage to the car or something, but her anger was noticable. I want my time back. By the way, the same goes for builders who put cones in parking spaces, because they might need it some time. It's rather good fun to simply get out and move the cones though.

4) congestion where there needn't be.
I was driving on the autobahn, when i saw the end of a seemingly huge traffic jam. Since i was on my bike, i simply drove past everyone, only to find out that at the end of the jam, there was nothing there. It was a sunny day so there's no excuse for not drivin reasonably fast. If someone can explain to me how these jams occour i'd be happy to hear.

3) Self proclaimed policemen.
I was driving along on the inside lane of the autobahn and 110kph, where there is a 100kph speed limit and someone in a Mercedes C-Class pulled out in front of me (which was frankly dangerous, but thats not the point) doing 85kph for ten minutes. Overtaking on the outside lane wouldve been suicide, since there were a bunch of lorries on the slow lane. I didn't even have a chance to shout at him. This is not only annoying, but can be dangerous.

2) Unsecure, unsafe drivers.
I suspect everyone knows what i'm talking about here. You're just driving through town and suddenly you're in a demolition derby, trying to avoid either some youth in a vauxhall nova with tinted windows and puff daddy on maximume volume, or some girl who decides her lipstick is way more important than her sorroundings in traffic. My last incident with an unsafe driver was on a small road when the chap in front of me decided to break hard because someone was about to cross the road. Not having Anti lock brakes on his peugeot 205 meant he locked the wheels, with me, on wet tarmac, on my motocycle right behind me. I locked up the rear wheel and slid towards him, i didnt crash or anything, but you can probably understand my anger (allthough the locked rear wheel was totally my fault, i have to replace it). This is, almost always, a recipe for accidents.

The winner) People speeding
"What?" i hear you say, but stay with me on this one. I don't care about someone doing 70km/h on a big empty road in town, or the rep in his benz doing 250kph on the derestricted bits of the autobahn. What i'm talking about is reckless speeding, particulary in rubbish cars, on tiny roads. Even though i get that a lot, i'm glad i havent yet had to watch someone "learn from his mistake". Just a matter of time though. Another thing that bugs me about speeding is, when you have to follow someone and he's just the tyniest bit above the speed at which you loose your license when cought. Saturday night, when there's policemen with laser guns on every corner.

People say the germans have excellent road behaviour. If that's true, driving in the rest of the world must be a nightmare :lol:


what are your worst experiences on the road?

 

[klankymen]

I agree with all. And here's one more.

I hate tall vehicles... Trucks, SUVs but most of all Vans. They drive in front of you, and you can't see what's going on ahead. the only indication of an imminent need to brake is the brake lights of the van in front. you can't see if a car is braking up ahead in the line, or if a red light is coming up, or if someone is about to run into the road.

Trucks? actually not so bad, they at least have a reason for being so large - but SUVs? It's simply obnoxious, they drive an SUV as a penis-prosthesis, or because they think they are safer, but all they're doing is inconveniencing other people. Such as me. But for some reason worst of all are vans for me. Sure, they have some reason to be large (at least when they're transporting stuff). But van drivers are much crazier than truck drivers. And what often happens is, I'll be driving along at... ~121kmh down the autobahn, in the slow lane, or possibly the middle lane, just chilling. When the van behind me decides, "121 isnt fast enough", and then proceeds to pass me at 123kmh... and then pulls in in front of me. And then slows back down to 121 because he's probably masturbating, or on the phone, or reading the newspaper, or whatever. And so my range of sight is down to 50 meters. I DO NOT FEEL COMFORTABLE DRIVING 120 AND ONLY BEING ABLE TO SEE 50 METERS!!! If you're a van driver, and you're going to pass me - do it properly. Or not at all.

 

[KaJuN]

In no particular order and I'm sure I'll think of some more later:

People who don't pull into the intersection when preparing to make a left turn.

People who needlessly run red lights while I'm waiting through the yellow light to make a left turn. I intentionally start turning as they go by to give them a little scare and let them know what they did was stupid.

Tailgaters. I'm going as fast as I am and having you just a couple inches from my bumper isn't going to make me go any faster. I also hate people who get right on my bumper when it's clearly obvious they're going to have to pass me.

People in front of me who don't accelerate to above 35mph on ramps until they're actually on the interstate. There are other cars and big trucks going twice our speed and we only have a very short distance to get up to that speed. Press the right pedal and wonderful things will happen.

People who don't signal. You paid for the turn signals on your car. Use them.

People who take unfair advantage of lane closures on the interstate. Traffic is lined up as we all orderly squeeze into a small space. Some idiots insist on blasting up the soon to be closed lane and then expect to be let in ahead of everyone else. They honk angrily when you don't let them in.

People who race up to four way stop signs when they see another car coming from the other direction.

 

[Phila]

Anyone from New Jersey


They really are that bad.

 

[Jay]

Red light creepers. Ever sit at a red light, and someone in front of you creeps forward a foot, stops, creeps, stops?; and then when the light goes green they are ALWAYS the slowest to react!!! DAAHHHH!!!

People who brake for no reason whatever. And usually they are on a phone.

Speaking of phones, people who cannot drive and talk at the same time. I think, in all seriousness, that when someone takes their driving test, they should be tested to see if they can talk and drive at the same time. If not, they do not get a license, or if they currently hold one, it is instantly revoked FOREVER.

Crazed mommies in gigantic SUVs who tear across three lanes to turn into the shopping mall.

Those STUPID ASS stickers on the backs of the aforementioned SUVS that depicts the family unit via stick figures, including the dogs and cats. Wow, you can breed and bear children. Here is your sign.

The decal in question:
https://pic.armedcats.net/j/ja/jayhawk/2008/07/22/STICKFAMILY.gif

 

[klankymen]

People who take unfair advantage of lane closures on the interstate. Traffic is lined up as we all orderly squeeze into a small space. Some idiots insist on blasting up the soon to be closed lane and then expect to be let in ahead of everyone else. They honk angrily when you don't let them in.

Here in Germany, the person who doesn't take advantage of the lane is the idiot. The law says to use 2 lanes as long as possible, and then merge in a so-called "zipper-fashion", ie one care from each lane, alternatingly. You are actually obliged to let them in.
If you switch over miles ahead, you are guilty of slowing down traffic. There are 2 lanes - use them! Imagine if everyone only drove on 1 lane of the interstate, even if 3 were open? How slow you'd be going? that's basically what you're doing, except only for a mile or two.

 

[Stefano1337]

People who needlessly run red lights while I'm waiting through the yellow light to make a left turn. I intentionally start turning as they go by to give them a little scare and let them know what they did was stupid.

I never in my life saw someone running a red light. I guess it's a german thing, but people don't do that over here.

People who take unfair advantage of lane closures on the interstate. Traffic is lined up as we all orderly squeeze into a small space. Some idiots insist on blasting up the soon to be closed lane and then expect to be let in ahead of everyone else. They honk angrily when you don't let them in.

again a german thing, here, you are in fact required to wait up to the last moment until you move into the open lane. It's called zipper-policy :> (you have to let one car in, no more no less, then the one behind you has to let one car in, you get the idea) It works really well i think.

People who don't signal. You paid for the turn signals on your car. Use them.

That's something that really get's me going as well. Especially when it's creates a dangerous situation.


something else i just thought of: some councils like to put up signs marking a parking space only for women. Now that's just redicolous. And often times you get shouted at when parking there, even though it's perfectly legal.

Your comments about the interstate and all the reminded me how lucky i am to live in a country with a sensible speed limit (meaning unlimited). I'd hate to have to drive up and down the motorway at a pedestrian 112kph (70mph). The mere thought of driving 500 kilometers without ever exceeding 112kph.....

Allthough i will confess that germany is not the place to live :lol:

Those STUPID ASS stickers on the backs of the aforementioned SUVS that depicts the family unit via stick figures, including the dogs and cats. Wow, you can breed and bear children. Here is your sign.

The decal in question:
https://pic.armedcats.net/j/ja/jayhawk/2008/07/22/STICKFAMILY.gif

Oh. my. word.

 

[klankymen]

again a german thing, here, you are in fact required to wait up to the last moment until you move into the open lane. It's called zipper-policy :> (you have to let one car in, no more no less, then the one behind you has to let one car in, you get the idea) It works really well i think.

I was quicker

That's something that really get's me going as well. Especially when it's creates a dangerous situation.

Yeah, not blinking is really annoying, especially on the autobahn. It seems to me that the offenders in question almost always are french. Don't ask me why. But out of the half dozen cars I've seen pull out of a lane dangerously without signalling, at least 4 were french.

Your comments about the interstate and all the reminded me how lucky i am to live in a country with a sensible speed limit (meaning unlimited). I'd hate to have to drive up and down the motorway at a pedestrian 112kph (70mph). The mere thought of driving 500 kilometers without ever exceeding 112kph.....

Allthough i will confess that germany is not the place to live :lol:

You might well be in the wrong place... try Bavaria

 

[Brother Michael]

Pretty much the entire nation that is Finland and Helsinki especially (that's where I live).

Now Helsinki is not a huge city. It's not even big. On international standards it's actually tiny. about 560,000 inhabitants. So therefore the number of cars is quite low. And still somehow, in some really very very truly distorted way these idiots around me manage to block all the roads and create jams. And it isn't because the roads are small or horrible. It is simply because nobody realises the point of being in a car: getting from point A to point B as quickly as possible (within the traffic laws). But noooooooo.....80km/h limit means, of course, 65km/h for the finnish driver. Just as every single f'n pedestrian has to be let across the road even if that means holding up 15-20 cars behind you. And don't even let me get started on how difficult it is for the finnish driver/idiot to make a simple TURN.....you are carrying speed, let's say 35km/h. You see an intersection, you have to turn right. Oc course you will basically lock the brakes 400m before the turn, then crawl aaaaall the way there doing about -15km/h (yes, the minus is there for purpose) and then when you eventually get to your turn, you execute it firmly pressing on the brakes, making sure NOBODY behind is able to make any forward motion....


Then there is the way people leave from the lights when they turn green....I have to wake up at least 10 people every single day with my horn, because the morons don't understand that the green light actually means you can go. Now I don't mean you have to have F1 driver like starts, but I would like to get moving within the first 5-10 seconds after the light has turned green...

Then there is of course the SUVs, but they are not such a big problem around here. Trucks I don't mind at all since finnish truck drivers tend to be very good, professionals who actually know what they are doing and understand that they are driving a huge lorry and the responsibility that comes along with it.

The unsafe/unsecure drivers....yyyyeeeees, those too, but luckily I have learnt to spot them from far away so I know to avoid them.

However there are two biggest groups that make my blood boil instantly, without any lag.

2. The self proclaimed policemen here also....I'm not gonna rant about them very much, since the OP already got it well enough. I will just say this: mind your own freakin' business and let me drive the way I want, at the speed I want. That is it. Until you can flash your silly badge, that you DIDN't find in a cerial box, an actual polic badge at me, piss off and leave me alone.

1. The number one is eeeeeasy, by a huge margin.

Pedestrians.

These people are terrorists. And I do mean it in every single sence of the word. The finnish mentality is roughly this: we have shitloads of liberties and rights but no duties or obligations what-so-ever. If a finnish pedestrian sees a car coming at 50-60km/h about 100m away, there will be no chance that he/she will even think about letting the car go first. Oooooh no. And it get's worse when you happen to come across a whole bunch of them, a horde. Add to that a helpful samaritan who insists on letting everyone across the road and you have one very, VERY angry driver (=me)....And all this because the finnish law states that yes, a driver in a car comes always second to a pedestrian when regarding who goes first. And every single sheepminded twat on foot has that thought buried deep inside their heads. Nevermind things like traffic flow or common sense.....nnnnnno way. Just as long as they get to.....no NEED to go first, all is well. And dear god if you do go first with a car or even try that.....it's a barfight just ready to happen. It just makes my blood boil everyday, every single time I get behind the wheel and have to go to city center, because I know they are there....they are waiting, stalking for their prey so once again they can succesfully ruin yet another innocent drivers day just by being egoistic, sheepheaded leftwinged cocks.

I'm sorry about this rant, I got a bit carried away here. My apologies, I'll get my coat...

 

[73GMCSprint]

1. Tailgaters.

2. People who speed while towing trailers. I would fully support double or triple fines for speeding with a trailer.

3. Indecisive drivers. Go or don't. Turn or don't. Don't be half-assed about it because no one else can tell what you're doing.

4. People who don't use signals. I know people who are proud of the fact that they never use them. It's all I can do to not break their nose.

5. People who don't use on- and off-ramps like they should. When you get on the freeway speed up BEFORE you get there, and don't slow down until you've actually exited.

6. People who yak on their cell phones while driving. It's a car, not a phonebooth. Too many people can't even walk right while talking. I sure as hell don't want them driving while they do it.

 

[Shano]

the worst annoyance where i live is the old people driving, they creep along the roads at 20 - 30kp/h in 50 - 60 zones, drives me absolutly nuts

 

[KaJuN]

Here in Germany, the person who doesn't take advantage of the lane is the idiot. The law says to use 2 lanes as long as possible, and then merge in a so-called "zipper-fashion", ie one care from each lane, alternatingly. You are actually obliged to let them in.
If you switch over miles ahead, you are guilty of slowing down traffic. There are 2 lanes - use them! Imagine if everyone only drove on 1 lane of the interstate, even if 3 were open? How slow you'd be going? that's basically what you're doing, except only for a mile or two.

I've had that happen a couple of times when lots of people are exiting a busy parking lot all at the same time. I would absolutely love for that to become policy here. But then I think about American drivers being nice to each other and I just laugh. Then I'm sad and depressed at the reality that most drivers here seem to forget that there are other human beings in the cars around them.

 

[C53A_4G63T]

1. Other people on MY roads!

2. People who steal parking spaces when you are stopped on the road about to make a left into the spot in front of a store but can not turn because of the on comming traffic. Especially if it is the last spot. Next time someone does that to me. I am smashing all their windows with my baseball bat.

3. Old fucks who have such poor eye sight that they wait until they are 10 feet from their turn then SLAM ON THEIR BRAKES and signal half way into the turn. I followed a guy doing this the other day. I wanted to PIT him into on comming traffic.

4. More old fucks who go 25 in a 40. Then flash their high beams at me when I roar past them with me v8. GET THE FUCK OF MY ROADS AND DIE ALREADY.

Ugh.

 

[73GMCSprint]

An addition to my previous post:

6.

1. Other people on MY roads!

People like you.

 

[Brother Michael]

Here in Germany, the person who doesn't take advantage of the lane is the idiot. The law says to use 2 lanes as long as possible, and then merge in a so-called "zipper-fashion", ie one care from each lane, alternatingly. You are actually obliged to let them in.
If you switch over miles ahead, you are guilty of slowing down traffic. There are 2 lanes - use them! Imagine if everyone only drove on 1 lane of the interstate, even if 3 were open? How slow you'd be going? that's basically what you're doing, except only for a mile or two.

Yes.....imagine that. Welcome to Finland.

The traffic law here states the exact opposite: you have to use the most right sided lane that is free. Usually we have here two lanes, sometimes perhaps three lanes side by side in one direction. So according to the law everyone must use the one on the far right side of the road. If that lane happens to be clogged up or closed all together, only then can you (according to the law) use the left lane. I of course don't care about this insanity, because I am a (somewhat) logical human being and want to move forward. Therefore I always use the left lane, because it is empty. And time and time again some idiot thinks they are the police and intentionally come in front of me to block me. Because I am using the left lane, which is technically illegal.

Yes.....just imagine if everyone drove only on one lane if 1, maybe 2 more, are open and availabel. Imagine that....

 

[Das_Idiot]

assholes who take up two (or three) parking spaces for no goddamn reason other than laziness. If you fuck up the park, reverse and fix it.

fuckwads who flash their high beams at you because they don't know what the fuck HIDs are.

aaaand the person who pulls right up on your ass when you're stopped at a red light up a very steep incline, just begging you to roll back on his nose.

also I hate the US laws that don't make these giant ass trucks have lower pointed headligihts because ina reasonable car, they shine right in your fucking face through the rear glass or from oncoming traffic. European laws I believe eliminate this annoyance. Not really a behavior, just irritating.

also, the dude who cuts across three lanes of traffic at the last second to turn into the QuikTrip without even signaling. Total jerk.

 

[Stefano1337]

aaaand the person who pulls right up on your ass when you're stopped at a red light up a very steep incline, just begging you to roll back on his nose.

I agree completely, it's not like it's very hard to get going on a hill, you just have to learn it. Some poeple seem to believe that if you happen to not know how to do a specific manouvre in a car, you just avoid it instead of learn how to do it.

Oh and by the way, what are HIDs? :lol:

edit: found it, we call them xenon blubs. but they're not nearly as annoying as people who have their rear fog-light on for no reason.


i just thought of something else:
a couple of days ago one of my neighbours was angry with someone because he had parked on the right side of the street facing the other way. (meaning he had parked pointing in the wrong direction). now, why the hell would you possibly have a problem with that?

 

[BlaRo]

Every time I see this

my heartbeat quickens.

 

[C53A_4G63T]

assholes who take up two (or three) parking spaces for no goddamn reason other than laziness. If you fuck up the park, reverse and fix it.

fuckwads who flash their high beams at you because they don't know what the fuck HIDs are.

I take up a few spots with my car. but I also park in the back of the parking lot, where there are no cars. I don't want people to open their doors on my new paint.

I also get the flashes with my HID's, but I also put 8000k bulbs in so they are unlike 99% of the cars around here. So I just flash them with my high beams and blind the shit out of them. I think they might be adjusted a little too high. Ooops.

Every time I see this

my heartbeat quickens.

Funny. Everytime I see a Mass plate. I give berth.

 

[klankymen]

Yes.....imagine that. Welcome to Finland.

The traffic law here states the exact opposite: you have to use the most right sided lane that is free. Usually we have here two lanes, sometimes perhaps three lanes side by side in one direction. So according to the law everyone must use the one on the far right side of the road. If that lane happens to be clogged up or closed all together, only then can you (according to the law) use the left lane. I of course don't care about this insanity, because I am a (somewhat) logical human being and want to move forward. Therefore I always use the left lane, because it is empty. And time and time again some idiot thinks they are the police and intentionally come in front of me to block me. Because I am using the left lane, which is technically illegal.

Yes.....just imagine if everyone drove only on one lane if 1, maybe 2 more, are open and availabel. Imagine that....

Oh, we do have the "Rechtsfahrgebot" right-drive-law here, and people who don't follow it severely annoy me. If you're going as fast as the right lane is, or if there's no-one there - get into the right lane.

BUT GET THE FFFF OUT OF MY WAY WHEN I'M TRYING TO ACTUALLY GET SOMEWHERE!!!
And no, I won't stoop to passing on the right. It's illegal, and it's goddamned dangerous.

However, once you're in town, the right-drive-law doesn't count, and you are supposed to utilize all lanes. Also, when there's a speed limit, the law does still count, but as soon as one lane get's so full that it would be slowing down traffic, you are of course allowed to spread out to the left (but only as far as necessary - if a guy in a beamer wants to risk losing his license for going 130 in a construction site where the limit is 80 - you're obliged by law to let him go by and do that).

EDIT:

a couple of days ago one of my neighbours was angry with someone because he had parked on the right side of the street facing the other way. (meaning he had parked pointing in the wrong direction). now, why the hell would you possibly have a problem with that?

because he is a German?