Carmen's Revenge
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Thread necromancy is fine by me if we can add a few huge posts to it 
Your worst traffic annoyances
- Thread starter Stefano1337
- Start date
My personal pet peeves:
1. Tailgating. This isn't a bright idea, you dingleberry. My truck is old, it is worn out, and it is somewhat rusty. There's no telling what manner of apparently unimportant iron will fall off of it and impale your radiator. If I lose a rad hose you won't be able to see a thing. If my engine explodes you'll have bits of it in the grille and a film of oil on the window. Not only that, but if you're that close, you can't see around me, which means if I have to stop you will get my bumper in your face. Literally.
2. Prius drivers. These cretins are the most smug bastards on the road by far. I've had these twats fly past me on the right doing 95(Which AFAIK is the speed cap), I've had them give me funny looks, and I've seen them double park more often than anything else on the road. Listen buddy, I don't care that you've bought a Prius, and I don't care that you're feigning sympathy for the environment. Besides if you truly cared you'd be driving one of these.
3. People who get confused when I signal a turn. Listen, people. That funny flashing yellow light on the front corner of my truck is pretty standard. It's been there for 80+ years. It isn't rocket science what it means. It means I'm turning, the direction of said turn corresponding to which side of the truck is flashing. I've given up on my signals because of this.
4. People who don't take care of their cars. Basic vehicle maintenance isn't hard. Now, I will admit that my vehicle does look like a junkyard reject, but here's the thing. It doesn't leak a drop of anything. It doesn't burn anything. It doesn't stall, cough, snort, backfire, pop on overrun, twitch, creak, smoke or have a tough time starting. The reason behind that is that I've taken damn good care of it, and I've repaired it.
5. People that think they can pull out infront of me because I'm driving an old beater. I don't have the best brakes on the planet and I sure as hell don't have ABS. So don't do it. YOU won't like the end result...if you wake up at all. Then again, it is a good idea on one hand, since the pre-crumple-zone design of my truck means I'll be taking an idiot out of the gene pool if they try it. But I don't fancy having to replace my radiator because bits of idiot and Hyundai got through the grille.
6. People who roll up nice and close on uphill stops. I have this magical thing called a manual transmission, and no working parking brake. Thusly, I roll back on each start. I swear to god if I have to heel-and-toe for another one of you idiots I'm going to just let it roll. Get the hell off my ass. Though I suppose I should be thankful, because I would have never learned how to heel-and-toe properly.
7. People who can't park. I make do just fine with my truck, so why can't these idiots park their Civics properly?
8. People who can't reverse worth a damn. Again I can do it, and I've got eight feet of iron hanging off the back. If I can manage to back into a tight parking space first try, I'm sure you can. So get to work. Don't screw it up.
9. People who try to force me to buy something newer. Sorry, buddy, but I sure as hell ain't getting rid of the Ford. It's the most reliable vehicle I've ever been in, and I'd dare say second most reliable I've ever seen. Second only to TG's Hilux, of course. And it's paid off. And it's durable. And it's highly practical. And it's cheap to insure. And parts cost 99 cents a pop. And it's easy to work on. And it has a manul. And I can see out of it. BAH!
10. People who can't start a carburetted engine properly. This is one of the reasons I don't let people drive my truck. There's two subtypes here, Type A who thinks you pump the throttle 852942739456842976568986 times, and subtype B who thinks a carburetor is something you use to hold papers on your desk in france. Type A people are usually pretty smug and brag about it when asked, then they flood the engine and damn near trash the battery trying to get it fired, while Type B people wonder why it won't start. 1-3 pumps if it's cold, none if it's hot, that's it. All you need.
11. People who can't drive a stick. This won't really make sense to Europeans since manuals are still commonplace there, but here in America it is bloody annoying. I'm one of the few that can. I actually insist on a manual in anything I want to buy. This causes problems, though, because most new vehicles on sale here are slushomatic only, and the only nice cars on dealer lots have floppy paddle gearboxes.
12. People who dawdle. I may be in an old beater that's worth 500 dollars, but I can make 75-80MPH just fine. So why the hell can't the asshat in the Corvette ZR1? Why can't that poser in the GT-R? GET A MOVE ON, PEOPLE! Then there's people who dawdle at lights. Come on, lights green, nobody coming, time to find the pedal on the right. Don't make me use this steel bumper. If you're getting on the highway merge ASAFP. You aren't supposed to use the whole ramp, you aren't supposed to use the shoulder. You are supposed to get up to speed and get into traffic as quickly and as safely as possible.
13. People who can't enter or exit an interstate. You are supposed to floor your vehicle on the ramp. Get up to speed BEFORE merging. I can do it and I have all of 120HP on tap, so there's no excuse for Mr M5 to putt along at 35 and get his doors blown off when I jump out to overtake. As for getting off, brake once you're out of the travel lanes. If, for whatever reason, you cannot safely do so, get into the shoulder before braking. You WILL get rear ended if you brake in the travel lanes because people here don't pay attention, which brings me to...
13. People not paying attention while driving. I've lost count of how many people I've had to dart into a ditch to avoid because they're on the phone. It's a damn good thing I have a truck, otherwise I'd just let 'em hit me and let their insurance cover it. You're in control of several thousand pounds of shit, best to pay attention to what it's doing.
14. People who go blasting around me as we pull up to a light, only to end up right next to me in the other lane. Now, I'm by no means over careful, but I have found it saves brake pads to brake gently over a bit longer distance. Also helps keep skidding at bay. So why do you have to suddenly dart around me, fly down the road, then trip your ABS? IF you give my style a try you'll spend half as much on brake pads as you do normally, and you won't get there any slower.
15. People who buy more vehicle than they need just because they can. These are the types of people who own 4x4 SUVs in Suburbia. I don't see why they think they need something so massive. Perhaps it's because they're trying to one-up their neighbors? Perhaps they feel safe in that thing? Perhaps they want to look like they're rich when in reality they're up to their eyeballs in credit card debt? I don't know. But it's annoying. You don't need that barge.
"But TestE, you have a pickup yourself! Surely you realize this." When all you've got is 500 dollars and your old car is wrecked you'll buy the first thing that runs good. That's why I have my F150. I looked at about four other vehicles besides it, and it was the only one that didn't knock or smoke. Besides that, I live out in the sticks where TDOT doesn't care to salt in the winter, so having a pickup truck is useful. Not only that, but I've actually carried some damned heavy stuff with it. Even towed my mom's Dakota home when the bellhousing exploded. So I do actually use it as a truck, it's not like I bought it just to be in something big. It's not even that big, if I'm honest. I've had to double take when I park next to 2010 sedans because I thought my brain was defective.
16. People who sit at a gas pump after they've pumped their fuel. When you're done fueling, PULL FORWARD and let others fuel. There's handy little spaces just outside the station where you can park while you shop for energy drinks and rubbers. You don't need to hog the gas pump.
16. People who aren't even in their car while it fills up. Now I have nothing against getting back in while the pump runs so long as you ground yourself on your door as you get back out, but when you set it to auto-pump and go in for your weekly shop, you need to rethink some priorities. If that thing catches fire there's nobody there to shut the pump off, for example.
17. People who think having an expensive car gives them the right to first access. Sorry bud, I don't care if your airbag warning sticker cost more than my whole truck, I'm not letting you in. If you ask like a normal person and traffic is barely moving, then possibly. But if you expect your expensive car to get you in you're sadly mistaken.
18. People who can't drive in the snow. It's not hard. I can do it. I've done it in a FWD minivan on economy summer tires, and I've done it in my RWD F150 with Mud and Snow tires. I have yet to put either in the ditch. So keep that in mind when you go hurtling past me going the dry speed limit in four inches of fluffy white death. I'll just point and laugh a mile later as I trundle right past your ditched wreckage. HA HA
19. People who can't drive in the rain. Again it isn't rocket science. Drop 10-15MPH, brake earlier, don't jam the throttle as far down, flip the DIM headlights and the wipers on low, and you're kosher. Intermittent settings are permissible if you have them and rain is light enough.
20. People who try to bright light me. It's only going to backfire on you. My bumper is chrome plated, and I keep it nice and polished specifically for you. So go on. Bright light me. Honestly you'd be better off brightlighting a mirror.
21. People who flash me because they mistake their own light's reflection off my bumper as my brights being on. Oh, so you think my brights are on? LET ME SHOW YOU MINE!
22. People who swerve and/or brake check for small animals. Sorry, but you're an idiot if you do this. Your car weighs between 3500 and 7500 pounds. That cat only weighs between 7 and 12. Put two and two together and you'll find it hurts a lot less if you hit the animal than if you hit that oncoming pickup truck. Now before you go ranting at me for needlessly killing small animals, just know I had one of my best childhood friends run over this way. I've been on that side of the equation too. I still aren't going to recklessly endanger my own health, my passengers, my vehicle, and anyone else on the road, because of a small animal. I will brake if I see it in time to do so smoothly and gently, as it does suck when one's pet gets flattened, but I'm not going to panic stop and cause a huge crash. Now obviously I'm not going to plow into a cow at full speed, those I will brake for but I'm not going to swerve into oncoming traffic to avoid it either. I can get a new hood for 25 bucks at the local scrapper's and have it installed in 30 minutes flat. Frames are harder to replace.
Besides, cattle are so slow moving that you'd have to be inept to not see one in time, even at night.
23. Bus drivers that don't know the size of their own vehicle. I got a bit of a laugh from one of these morons when I was in high school. I had parked my truck next to the building in spaces marked as such, around time to let out. I had about two inches between my sidewalls and the sidewalk. A school bus that was way too late was trying to turn down that street and managed to do 800 dollars of damage to his bus scraping along the rear corner of my truck. A good bus driver would have realized that there's no way in hell their bus was going to make that turn and tried again in a few minutes.
Funnily enough he did exactly no damage to my truck, and the insurance ruled in my favor, so I had the last laugh.
24. People who blare shitty music so loud it makes my windows vibrate. Now I love to jam as much as the next guy, and I've had my music up pretty loud. But I've never had it so loud that it was rattling other driver's windows. Come on, be considerate. Not all of us want to hear about your hero cappin' people and bragging about putting six thousand dollars worth of rims on a two thousand dollar car. Besides, how the hell can your car even start in the morning? I can't imagine that amp is any good on your alternator...
25. People who think a nice car is one with big subs. Sorry, but you're just an idiot. If your subwoofers require bigger wires than your starter motor does, you're doinitrong. A nice car is one that drives nice. It may be one that drives smoothly, like a Caddy. Or it may be one that sticks to corners well, like a Lotus or a Miata. Or it could be one that will drive no matter the surface, like a proper pickup truck. It will have a good interior. It will have a balanced sound system that isn't too loud and isn't too quiet.
26. People who tell me they don't want to learn a manual because it's a pain in the rear in town. I don't buy this shit one bit. I've been driving them since day one. My first car was a 5-speed 200SX-SE, I've driven my mom's old Ranger 5-speed, my F150 has a 4-speed, I've driven my friend's V6 Mustang 5-speed, hell I've even driven my dad's 10-speed International semi. IT ISN'T THAT HARD YOU LAZY BUM! I've never once said to myself "Damn this jam sucks, but if I had an automatic I'd be more comfortable!".
Oddly enough, I've also drive my mom's very automatic '96 Caravan. My leg goes to sleep holding that damn thing back all the time, something it never does holding my clutch pedal down. That thing will go 30MPH without you even touching the throttle. Damn automatics...
27. People who don't use the parking brake when they have an automatic. Hey stupid, you wanna know what's holding that six thousand pound barge in place? It's a piece of steel, about the size of soda can pull tab, pressing into soft cast aluminum. One of these days it's either going to break, causing your barge to plummet down the hill, or it's going to wedge in, causing you to have to have it towed to a transmission shop and have the gearbox rebuilt. To prevent this from happening, carmakers put this nifty little invention called the parking brake, which, as the name implies, is designed to hold the car in place on hills, in your car. Simply activate it and it will hold your car in place. You may then freely place it in Park without fear of screwing your transmission up for the next guy that buys it.
28. Tow truck ops that don't set the parking brake on automatic vehicles. My mom's Caravan died and we had to have it towed home. The tow truck op left it in park while he loosened the winch cables, all while the van is on his tilted bed at about a 30 degree angle. He then has to climb in and wrestle the shifter out of Park, which upon succeeding, lets out the loudest CLUNK I'd ever heard a vehicle make. The whole van juttered severely as well, and the front tires rolled back about three inches. It's a wonder he didn't break the gearbox. COME ON ASSWIPE, IT'S NOT EVEN YOUR CAR, A HINT OF PROFESSIONALISM WOULD BE NICE!
29. People who flash their lights at me because I use engine braking as I come up to curves. No, I'm not going to wear out my brake linings faster because you think you're Mark Webber. Stop flashing your damn lights, get off my ass, and leave me alone. I have a manual trans, I'm going to exploit it's efficiency by engine braking going into corners, if you don't like it pass me on the next straight.
30. People who try to intimidate large trucks. It's funny to watch some idiot in a Civic hatch try to intimidate an 80,000 pound 70 foot long Peterbilt.
31. People who wait to the last minute to merge at interchanges. This causes backups. There's signs for a mile and a half telling you which lane goes where, so get in it and cruise.
A reasonable car in America is ten feet tall it seems. My F150 is dwarfed by 2010 sedans.
I actually saw one nimrod dive for a ditch when his own brightlight flash blinded him. Ahh, I love chrome bumpers.
This drives me nuts. The look on their faces when I drop a cog or two and blast by at near redline is pretty priceless though. I guess they don't expect an old rustbucket of a Ford pickup to be able to accelerate. Or maybe the sound gives them a headache? The muffler rusted off years ago and my fix was to simply dump after the catalyst.
I will thank you for spelling out two of my pet peeves, though.
This is another annoyance of mine. Just because I have a vehicle that can handle potholes without the wheels falling off doesn't mean the roads where I live should be filled with them.
Luckily my local DOT isn't an ass. They just got done repaving the road right outside my house. So buttery smooth it makes anything feel like a luxobarge.
I haven't run across any of them, but sometimes I've wanted to become one of them. Sometimes you need a horn like that in order for the person you're honking at to put 2 and 2 together.
1. Tailgating. This isn't a bright idea, you dingleberry. My truck is old, it is worn out, and it is somewhat rusty. There's no telling what manner of apparently unimportant iron will fall off of it and impale your radiator. If I lose a rad hose you won't be able to see a thing. If my engine explodes you'll have bits of it in the grille and a film of oil on the window. Not only that, but if you're that close, you can't see around me, which means if I have to stop you will get my bumper in your face. Literally.
2. Prius drivers. These cretins are the most smug bastards on the road by far. I've had these twats fly past me on the right doing 95(Which AFAIK is the speed cap), I've had them give me funny looks, and I've seen them double park more often than anything else on the road. Listen buddy, I don't care that you've bought a Prius, and I don't care that you're feigning sympathy for the environment. Besides if you truly cared you'd be driving one of these.
3. People who get confused when I signal a turn. Listen, people. That funny flashing yellow light on the front corner of my truck is pretty standard. It's been there for 80+ years. It isn't rocket science what it means. It means I'm turning, the direction of said turn corresponding to which side of the truck is flashing. I've given up on my signals because of this.
4. People who don't take care of their cars. Basic vehicle maintenance isn't hard. Now, I will admit that my vehicle does look like a junkyard reject, but here's the thing. It doesn't leak a drop of anything. It doesn't burn anything. It doesn't stall, cough, snort, backfire, pop on overrun, twitch, creak, smoke or have a tough time starting. The reason behind that is that I've taken damn good care of it, and I've repaired it.
5. People that think they can pull out infront of me because I'm driving an old beater. I don't have the best brakes on the planet and I sure as hell don't have ABS. So don't do it. YOU won't like the end result...if you wake up at all. Then again, it is a good idea on one hand, since the pre-crumple-zone design of my truck means I'll be taking an idiot out of the gene pool if they try it. But I don't fancy having to replace my radiator because bits of idiot and Hyundai got through the grille.
6. People who roll up nice and close on uphill stops. I have this magical thing called a manual transmission, and no working parking brake. Thusly, I roll back on each start. I swear to god if I have to heel-and-toe for another one of you idiots I'm going to just let it roll. Get the hell off my ass. Though I suppose I should be thankful, because I would have never learned how to heel-and-toe properly.
7. People who can't park. I make do just fine with my truck, so why can't these idiots park their Civics properly?
8. People who can't reverse worth a damn. Again I can do it, and I've got eight feet of iron hanging off the back. If I can manage to back into a tight parking space first try, I'm sure you can. So get to work. Don't screw it up.
9. People who try to force me to buy something newer. Sorry, buddy, but I sure as hell ain't getting rid of the Ford. It's the most reliable vehicle I've ever been in, and I'd dare say second most reliable I've ever seen. Second only to TG's Hilux, of course. And it's paid off. And it's durable. And it's highly practical. And it's cheap to insure. And parts cost 99 cents a pop. And it's easy to work on. And it has a manul. And I can see out of it. BAH!
10. People who can't start a carburetted engine properly. This is one of the reasons I don't let people drive my truck. There's two subtypes here, Type A who thinks you pump the throttle 852942739456842976568986 times, and subtype B who thinks a carburetor is something you use to hold papers on your desk in france. Type A people are usually pretty smug and brag about it when asked, then they flood the engine and damn near trash the battery trying to get it fired, while Type B people wonder why it won't start. 1-3 pumps if it's cold, none if it's hot, that's it. All you need.
11. People who can't drive a stick. This won't really make sense to Europeans since manuals are still commonplace there, but here in America it is bloody annoying. I'm one of the few that can. I actually insist on a manual in anything I want to buy. This causes problems, though, because most new vehicles on sale here are slushomatic only, and the only nice cars on dealer lots have floppy paddle gearboxes.
12. People who dawdle. I may be in an old beater that's worth 500 dollars, but I can make 75-80MPH just fine. So why the hell can't the asshat in the Corvette ZR1? Why can't that poser in the GT-R? GET A MOVE ON, PEOPLE! Then there's people who dawdle at lights. Come on, lights green, nobody coming, time to find the pedal on the right. Don't make me use this steel bumper. If you're getting on the highway merge ASAFP. You aren't supposed to use the whole ramp, you aren't supposed to use the shoulder. You are supposed to get up to speed and get into traffic as quickly and as safely as possible.
13. People who can't enter or exit an interstate. You are supposed to floor your vehicle on the ramp. Get up to speed BEFORE merging. I can do it and I have all of 120HP on tap, so there's no excuse for Mr M5 to putt along at 35 and get his doors blown off when I jump out to overtake. As for getting off, brake once you're out of the travel lanes. If, for whatever reason, you cannot safely do so, get into the shoulder before braking. You WILL get rear ended if you brake in the travel lanes because people here don't pay attention, which brings me to...
13. People not paying attention while driving. I've lost count of how many people I've had to dart into a ditch to avoid because they're on the phone. It's a damn good thing I have a truck, otherwise I'd just let 'em hit me and let their insurance cover it. You're in control of several thousand pounds of shit, best to pay attention to what it's doing.
14. People who go blasting around me as we pull up to a light, only to end up right next to me in the other lane. Now, I'm by no means over careful, but I have found it saves brake pads to brake gently over a bit longer distance. Also helps keep skidding at bay. So why do you have to suddenly dart around me, fly down the road, then trip your ABS? IF you give my style a try you'll spend half as much on brake pads as you do normally, and you won't get there any slower.
15. People who buy more vehicle than they need just because they can. These are the types of people who own 4x4 SUVs in Suburbia. I don't see why they think they need something so massive. Perhaps it's because they're trying to one-up their neighbors? Perhaps they feel safe in that thing? Perhaps they want to look like they're rich when in reality they're up to their eyeballs in credit card debt? I don't know. But it's annoying. You don't need that barge.
"But TestE, you have a pickup yourself! Surely you realize this." When all you've got is 500 dollars and your old car is wrecked you'll buy the first thing that runs good. That's why I have my F150. I looked at about four other vehicles besides it, and it was the only one that didn't knock or smoke. Besides that, I live out in the sticks where TDOT doesn't care to salt in the winter, so having a pickup truck is useful. Not only that, but I've actually carried some damned heavy stuff with it. Even towed my mom's Dakota home when the bellhousing exploded. So I do actually use it as a truck, it's not like I bought it just to be in something big. It's not even that big, if I'm honest. I've had to double take when I park next to 2010 sedans because I thought my brain was defective.
16. People who sit at a gas pump after they've pumped their fuel. When you're done fueling, PULL FORWARD and let others fuel. There's handy little spaces just outside the station where you can park while you shop for energy drinks and rubbers. You don't need to hog the gas pump.
16. People who aren't even in their car while it fills up. Now I have nothing against getting back in while the pump runs so long as you ground yourself on your door as you get back out, but when you set it to auto-pump and go in for your weekly shop, you need to rethink some priorities. If that thing catches fire there's nobody there to shut the pump off, for example.
17. People who think having an expensive car gives them the right to first access. Sorry bud, I don't care if your airbag warning sticker cost more than my whole truck, I'm not letting you in. If you ask like a normal person and traffic is barely moving, then possibly. But if you expect your expensive car to get you in you're sadly mistaken.
18. People who can't drive in the snow. It's not hard. I can do it. I've done it in a FWD minivan on economy summer tires, and I've done it in my RWD F150 with Mud and Snow tires. I have yet to put either in the ditch. So keep that in mind when you go hurtling past me going the dry speed limit in four inches of fluffy white death. I'll just point and laugh a mile later as I trundle right past your ditched wreckage. HA HA
19. People who can't drive in the rain. Again it isn't rocket science. Drop 10-15MPH, brake earlier, don't jam the throttle as far down, flip the DIM headlights and the wipers on low, and you're kosher. Intermittent settings are permissible if you have them and rain is light enough.
20. People who try to bright light me. It's only going to backfire on you. My bumper is chrome plated, and I keep it nice and polished specifically for you. So go on. Bright light me. Honestly you'd be better off brightlighting a mirror.
21. People who flash me because they mistake their own light's reflection off my bumper as my brights being on. Oh, so you think my brights are on? LET ME SHOW YOU MINE!
22. People who swerve and/or brake check for small animals. Sorry, but you're an idiot if you do this. Your car weighs between 3500 and 7500 pounds. That cat only weighs between 7 and 12. Put two and two together and you'll find it hurts a lot less if you hit the animal than if you hit that oncoming pickup truck. Now before you go ranting at me for needlessly killing small animals, just know I had one of my best childhood friends run over this way. I've been on that side of the equation too. I still aren't going to recklessly endanger my own health, my passengers, my vehicle, and anyone else on the road, because of a small animal. I will brake if I see it in time to do so smoothly and gently, as it does suck when one's pet gets flattened, but I'm not going to panic stop and cause a huge crash. Now obviously I'm not going to plow into a cow at full speed, those I will brake for but I'm not going to swerve into oncoming traffic to avoid it either. I can get a new hood for 25 bucks at the local scrapper's and have it installed in 30 minutes flat. Frames are harder to replace.
Besides, cattle are so slow moving that you'd have to be inept to not see one in time, even at night.
23. Bus drivers that don't know the size of their own vehicle. I got a bit of a laugh from one of these morons when I was in high school. I had parked my truck next to the building in spaces marked as such, around time to let out. I had about two inches between my sidewalls and the sidewalk. A school bus that was way too late was trying to turn down that street and managed to do 800 dollars of damage to his bus scraping along the rear corner of my truck. A good bus driver would have realized that there's no way in hell their bus was going to make that turn and tried again in a few minutes.
Funnily enough he did exactly no damage to my truck, and the insurance ruled in my favor, so I had the last laugh.
24. People who blare shitty music so loud it makes my windows vibrate. Now I love to jam as much as the next guy, and I've had my music up pretty loud. But I've never had it so loud that it was rattling other driver's windows. Come on, be considerate. Not all of us want to hear about your hero cappin' people and bragging about putting six thousand dollars worth of rims on a two thousand dollar car. Besides, how the hell can your car even start in the morning? I can't imagine that amp is any good on your alternator...
25. People who think a nice car is one with big subs. Sorry, but you're just an idiot. If your subwoofers require bigger wires than your starter motor does, you're doinitrong. A nice car is one that drives nice. It may be one that drives smoothly, like a Caddy. Or it may be one that sticks to corners well, like a Lotus or a Miata. Or it could be one that will drive no matter the surface, like a proper pickup truck. It will have a good interior. It will have a balanced sound system that isn't too loud and isn't too quiet.
26. People who tell me they don't want to learn a manual because it's a pain in the rear in town. I don't buy this shit one bit. I've been driving them since day one. My first car was a 5-speed 200SX-SE, I've driven my mom's old Ranger 5-speed, my F150 has a 4-speed, I've driven my friend's V6 Mustang 5-speed, hell I've even driven my dad's 10-speed International semi. IT ISN'T THAT HARD YOU LAZY BUM! I've never once said to myself "Damn this jam sucks, but if I had an automatic I'd be more comfortable!".
Oddly enough, I've also drive my mom's very automatic '96 Caravan. My leg goes to sleep holding that damn thing back all the time, something it never does holding my clutch pedal down. That thing will go 30MPH without you even touching the throttle. Damn automatics...
27. People who don't use the parking brake when they have an automatic. Hey stupid, you wanna know what's holding that six thousand pound barge in place? It's a piece of steel, about the size of soda can pull tab, pressing into soft cast aluminum. One of these days it's either going to break, causing your barge to plummet down the hill, or it's going to wedge in, causing you to have to have it towed to a transmission shop and have the gearbox rebuilt. To prevent this from happening, carmakers put this nifty little invention called the parking brake, which, as the name implies, is designed to hold the car in place on hills, in your car. Simply activate it and it will hold your car in place. You may then freely place it in Park without fear of screwing your transmission up for the next guy that buys it.
28. Tow truck ops that don't set the parking brake on automatic vehicles. My mom's Caravan died and we had to have it towed home. The tow truck op left it in park while he loosened the winch cables, all while the van is on his tilted bed at about a 30 degree angle. He then has to climb in and wrestle the shifter out of Park, which upon succeeding, lets out the loudest CLUNK I'd ever heard a vehicle make. The whole van juttered severely as well, and the front tires rolled back about three inches. It's a wonder he didn't break the gearbox. COME ON ASSWIPE, IT'S NOT EVEN YOUR CAR, A HINT OF PROFESSIONALISM WOULD BE NICE!
29. People who flash their lights at me because I use engine braking as I come up to curves. No, I'm not going to wear out my brake linings faster because you think you're Mark Webber. Stop flashing your damn lights, get off my ass, and leave me alone. I have a manual trans, I'm going to exploit it's efficiency by engine braking going into corners, if you don't like it pass me on the next straight.
30. People who try to intimidate large trucks. It's funny to watch some idiot in a Civic hatch try to intimidate an 80,000 pound 70 foot long Peterbilt.
31. People who wait to the last minute to merge at interchanges. This causes backups. There's signs for a mile and a half telling you which lane goes where, so get in it and cruise.
A reasonable car in America is ten feet tall it seems. My F150 is dwarfed by 2010 sedans.
I hate people that cut across three lanes regardless of whether or not they signal.
I get that alot too. I don't have Xenons, HIDs, or any of that nonsense. What I have instead is some simple halogen bulbs in an old American pickup truck. The sealed beam bulbs that are bright as hell anyways. AND they're aimed correctly. AND I have a chrome front bumper. So people flash me all the time.
I actually saw one nimrod dive for a ditch when his own brightlight flash blinded him. Ahh, I love chrome bumpers.
This drives me nuts. The look on their faces when I drop a cog or two and blast by at near redline is pretty priceless though. I guess they don't expect an old rustbucket of a Ford pickup to be able to accelerate. Or maybe the sound gives them a headache? The muffler rusted off years ago and my fix was to simply dump after the catalyst.
All you'd get from me is straddling the double yellow line in first gear. I've had to do that before. I've even come to a complete halt because of someone pulling dumb shit like this before.
This would cause my brakes to come on as hard as they possibly can, in the hope that your brakes cannot get you stopped fast enough. Since my truck was made before pedestrian safety laws, I can safely say it'd completely screw your machine up, and the best part is according to US laws you would be 100% at fault regardless of what you said.
I will thank you for spelling out two of my pet peeves, though.
This doesn't bother me at all. It's not like the parking space says "no large vehicles". My response when I get someone in something that big parked next to me is to slowly inch out of the spot at a speed which would make it impossible for someone to reasonably say they didn't know I was coming until I could actually see where I was going, or if I get a light honk that tells me they see me and that they've stopped.
Zipper merging doesn't work in the US. That's why we handle it differently. We tried ya'lls way and it failed.Waiting until the last moment to merge lanes seems to be a problem only when people don't realise that it's the better way to do it, if everyone would understand that it's much better, and act accordingly, it would work brilliantly.
But as countries are split on policies, we seem to be split on opinions when it comes to merging lanes.
This is another annoyance of mine. Just because I have a vehicle that can handle potholes without the wheels falling off doesn't mean the roads where I live should be filled with them.
Luckily my local DOT isn't an ass. They just got done repaving the road right outside my house. So buttery smooth it makes anything feel like a luxobarge.
I haven't run across any of them, but sometimes I've wanted to become one of them. Sometimes you need a horn like that in order for the person you're honking at to put 2 and 2 together.
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Cowboy
My name is Sheridan
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Topgearfanatic
is a Queen
I agree, especially 14 and 29. If I see that the light has turned yellow or is red I'm not going to shoot up to it and jam on my brakes hoping that it would magically change for me, I'd rather conserve my gas and not risk getting t-boned as I shoot through a yellow turning red light because with my luck that would happen.
prizrak
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People who can't make turns. I will admit to generally turning a bit faster than I really should (or normal people would). But wtf is up with people who slow to 5mph to make a simple turn? WTF DUDE? MOVE! I've driven shitty FWD cars and they still turn fine at 15mph...
I didn't mention it in my first post as I felt that was getting a bit long winded, but this drives me nuts too. I don't even have sway bars or functional shock absorbers and I can make turns at a decent clip.
I'm serious about the sway bars. They were optional extras in 1985, and whoever specced my truck out back then didn't opt for them.
prizrak
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When people text and drive, and almost slam into the side of my Mercedes by changing lanes and not looking. Like honestly next person I see who texts or talks on the phone while I'm driving, I'm gonna kill them. We need cell phone jammers in cars, and for emergencies they can use onstar or SOS or whatever.
And people who drive like 20 below the limit during rush hour, and keeping this huge gap between that car and the car in front, causing even more of a backup
And people who drive like 20 below the limit during rush hour, and keeping this huge gap between that car and the car in front, causing even more of a backup
https://pic.armedcats.net/e/ey/eyemwing/2010/12/03/fuuuu.png
Does anybody want to guess what happens at the point specified every rush hour? (coming from the left, you've just descended roughly 200ft to cross the bridges, and then on the right there's a steepish bit right at the arrow, which becomes much less steep and you gradually climb back up to height)
If your answer is "Traffic STOPS" you are correct. People forget how the accelerator works while coasting down the descent, and drift to a near stop on the way back up. This isn't the only point where the same thing happens - there's an even more dramatic descent/rise a few miles down which is made even worse by a speed trap at the bottom, meaning everybody brakes down the descent. And no, it has nothing to do with trucks. Truckers here know to stay the fuck on the shoulder during rush hour and have some 'rest' - and even trucks loaded down with heavy equipment manage to carry enough momentum to stay above 55.
Does anybody want to guess what happens at the point specified every rush hour? (coming from the left, you've just descended roughly 200ft to cross the bridges, and then on the right there's a steepish bit right at the arrow, which becomes much less steep and you gradually climb back up to height)
If your answer is "Traffic STOPS" you are correct. People forget how the accelerator works while coasting down the descent, and drift to a near stop on the way back up. This isn't the only point where the same thing happens - there's an even more dramatic descent/rise a few miles down which is made even worse by a speed trap at the bottom, meaning everybody brakes down the descent. And no, it has nothing to do with trucks. Truckers here know to stay the fuck on the shoulder during rush hour and have some 'rest' - and even trucks loaded down with heavy equipment manage to carry enough momentum to stay above 55.
prizrak
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More I forgot:
1) NYC Taxi/Car Service drivers, now I know that cabbies are terrible everywhere but they seem to be extra terrible in NYC for some inexplicable reason. This actually brings me to:
2) People who have the will to drive aggressively but not the skill. If you gonna cut me off you BETTER keep going fast, if you cut me off and then slowed to less than what I was doing I will make life difficult for you.
3) "Straight line warriors" those are the people who will try to race you on any empty straight but can't handle traffic or turns. I was stuck behind such an idiot getting on the highway. He was doing 50 on the street to get on the on ramp (which is a very nice S curve that you can take at 50-60 easily) as soon as he hit the first corner he took a dump and went to 30. Once on the highway he hit the hammer again until we got to some traffic at which point all of his "racing skillz yo" went out the window and he was too scared to change lanes even with ass load of space.
1) NYC Taxi/Car Service drivers, now I know that cabbies are terrible everywhere but they seem to be extra terrible in NYC for some inexplicable reason. This actually brings me to:
2) People who have the will to drive aggressively but not the skill. If you gonna cut me off you BETTER keep going fast, if you cut me off and then slowed to less than what I was doing I will make life difficult for you.
3) "Straight line warriors" those are the people who will try to race you on any empty straight but can't handle traffic or turns. I was stuck behind such an idiot getting on the highway. He was doing 50 on the street to get on the on ramp (which is a very nice S curve that you can take at 50-60 easily) as soon as he hit the first corner he took a dump and went to 30. Once on the highway he hit the hammer again until we got to some traffic at which point all of his "racing skillz yo" went out the window and he was too scared to change lanes even with ass load of space.
GerFix
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My peeve is: having to use your indicators while negotiating a roundabout
Particularly, the part of the road rules that state that you need to indicate on exiting the roundabout.
Take a simple roundabout at a cross junction. To make a right turn, you indicate right on entering (that's fine) but to exit into the intended street you are supposed to indicate left. How are you supposed to do this safely? The only way to do it is take your top hand off the wheel to operate the indicator, while you are half way through the turn, leaving only your bottom hand (which is at a mechanical disadvantage) holding the wheel and compromising your control of the car. To me, this is an unsafe road rule. I have tried to comply on a few occasions, but have given up for 2 reasons: 1. no one else seems to bother doing it and 2. I'd rather stay on the road, than end up on the verge.
Apologies to left hand drive owners. This description is applicable to a right hand drive car with the indicator stalk on the left of the column (as all mine are).
Particularly, the part of the road rules that state that you need to indicate on exiting the roundabout.
Take a simple roundabout at a cross junction. To make a right turn, you indicate right on entering (that's fine) but to exit into the intended street you are supposed to indicate left. How are you supposed to do this safely? The only way to do it is take your top hand off the wheel to operate the indicator, while you are half way through the turn, leaving only your bottom hand (which is at a mechanical disadvantage) holding the wheel and compromising your control of the car. To me, this is an unsafe road rule. I have tried to comply on a few occasions, but have given up for 2 reasons: 1. no one else seems to bother doing it and 2. I'd rather stay on the road, than end up on the verge.
Apologies to left hand drive owners. This description is applicable to a right hand drive car with the indicator stalk on the left of the column (as all mine are).
I just remembered another one of my pet peeves. It isn't so much with drivers as it is with carmakers, and that is controls that are bespoke to the automatic and just don't work when you opt for the manual, yet aren't replaced with those bespoke to the manual. We used to have a 2003 Ford Ranger with a 5-speed. Now, with an automatic, one's left leg does very little, so it's fine to have the blinker stalk come out of the left side of the column, dip down a bit, then level out. But with the manual, anyone with long legs is going to be kneeing that lever all the time. Then there's carmakers which put pedals on the manual so small you wonder if it's designed for child use, another fault the Ranger had. Now I don't have clown feet but the clutch and brake pedals in that thing were so close together that sometimes, especially if I had to do it quickly, I'd end up actuating clutch and brake with one foot. The parking brake was also a pedal, further to the left, and that sometimes saw accidental use as well. Then there's cars which have their manual shifters in very odd locations. I haven't driven one of these but I've seen some oddball H-gates that look like they're coming out of the dashboard. Can we please not do this, Detroit?
I've never had trouble keeping control of my vehicles driving one handed, which is something one has to do in town with a manual. I just put whatever hand is steering at the top of the wheel.
My blinker stalk is on the left of the column too. Pretty standard in America to have it there, I haven't seen anything that had them in any other place. It was actually an annoyance of mine in my mom's old Ranger, a 2003 model. Every time I took off while indicating left I'd cancel the signal, and sometimes even indicate right.
GerFix
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^ It seems (in Australia) that all European cars (including British) have the indicator stalk on the left, whilst Japanese cars have the indicator stalk on the right.
Hbriz
Ballroom Blitz
I thought this, until I drove a friends last-model Nissan Pulsar hatch on the weekend which had the stalk on the left. But I suppose thats because it was designed for the European market, being an Almera.
sparks50
Member
Just hold it with the clutch and a little gas instead of the brake.
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Because dumping heat into your clutch for the entire duration of a 5-minute light is TOTALLY a good idea.
It's always expensive Porsches that stop right up your ass, too.
prizrak
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In all honesty this is mostly due to the fact that a manual is exotic in the US.
lws1984
This title intentionally left blank.
I see this every morning.
I cross a major 4-lane road every day on the way to and from school. The intersection is protected by a traffic light. Normally, people who are proceeding directly across without turning have the right-of-way. In the morning commute, however, everyone turns onto the 4-lane from the other side of the intersection, and for them it's a left turn. Left turns cross in front of me, and I legally have priority.
However, I don't much fancy having a 3-series grill embedded in my door, so I have to wait halfway across the intersection for a bunch of law-breaking halfwits. Ugh.
I cross a major 4-lane road every day on the way to and from school. The intersection is protected by a traffic light. Normally, people who are proceeding directly across without turning have the right-of-way. In the morning commute, however, everyone turns onto the 4-lane from the other side of the intersection, and for them it's a left turn. Left turns cross in front of me, and I legally have priority.
However, I don't much fancy having a 3-series grill embedded in my door, so I have to wait halfway across the intersection for a bunch of law-breaking halfwits. Ugh.
when your about to turn into a 3 lane road, and a car in the middle lane decides to change into the lane your about to go into without blinkering, especially at night when it's harder to see, and all the headlights look alike. You wait for the clearing, and you see the chance to go, then the douche decides to make me wait longer than I have to almost making him crash into me.
drnick
Active Member
people who park like this:
I saw this guy park his car there as i was crossing the street. Its just selfish and irresponsible to take up that much space, when moving forwards or backwards a few more feet will allow someone else to park there too. As it is, even a smart would struggle to fit... (may cameraphone may have a slight fish-eye effect that exaggerating the distances - it may look like someone could fit behind him, but trust me, they couldnt)
I saw this guy park his car there as i was crossing the street. Its just selfish and irresponsible to take up that much space, when moving forwards or backwards a few more feet will allow someone else to park there too. As it is, even a smart would struggle to fit... (may cameraphone may have a slight fish-eye effect that exaggerating the distances - it may look like someone could fit behind him, but trust me, they couldnt)
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