What's worse, disregard for speed or courtesy?

I admit that I may drive a little faster then the posted limit here and there, but even though I am disobeying the speed limit, I do honor all lanes, following distances, written and unwritten rules of the road. I drive fast because I like to go fast...I am not necessarily in a hurry to get anywhere.

I have been noticing an issue with the black-car services that travel to the airport along the same route I take to the office. They go as slow as snails, especially in no-passing zones, but will cross solid white lines when merging onto the highway to avoid having to wait their turn AND drive up exit ramps and cut over solid white lines to cut ahead in a line AND swerve across 4 lanes of traffic to make a turn so they don't have to wait in lines, etc etc etc. This means that we are constantly at odds. I pass them where I can safely do so, but then they pass me when I am waiting in a line to merge and then I get stuck behind them again.

What bothers you more: a speedy car that is courteous or a slow car that is a complete A-hole?

I do a lot of commuting on suburban collector streets - 2 or 3 lanes in each direction, but with a fair number of traffic lights.

What annoys me the absolute most are the people who accelerate slowly, but to a high cruising speed. You get stuck behind one leaving a light, and fidget as he accelerates at approximately 0.001 gee while everybody else whips by you. When you finally get an opening and pass him, here he comes, a mile later, zooming by... just in time to trap you behind him again at the next red light.

My nemesis is the road narcissist. You know the guy that does 5 over until you pass him, then he accelerates to 5 more than you are going, then moves over in front of you and slows to 5 over again.

The slow shiny happy person, by a mile, sometimes miles in the case of truck passing.

as long as I can tell your intent is while on the road and you have situational awareness and you're not a wallowing indecisive waste of space then I'm not concerned with your speed.

In reply to pinchvalve:

Generally the slow car that's a complete a-hole. The ones you point out are the most annoying- they don't wait in lines, and cut in front of everyone, only to go really slow when it opens back up.

As if they are the most important person and nobody else is in the same hurry.

So many times, I've seen people cut others off in slow traffic, or even cut into the passing lane- and slow everyone down.

As long as the fast drivers don't come up on me and expect me to get out of the way when there are cars in front of me, fast drivers are ok. Or if they spend a lot of time weaving through the lanes trying to get ahead- I'm ok with the fast ones.

The slow guy by a mile. I'm with you, I drive fast because it's fun but I try my hardest to drive well.

I swear there should be some sort of graduated liscenses for people driving faaster cars who have proven they can drive well so we aren't limited to the exact same speed as the '85 POS on 4 bald tires.

Being courteous is always better than being an A-hole.

I'm pretty sure this community will overwhelmingly be against the slower jerk because most of us fall into the other camp. I'm certainly no different.

The caveat is those people whose speed differential is so great that they don't give other drivers a chance to notice them. Im talking in the range of 40mph difference, give or take. Here in Atlanta we have the highway bombers and duelists. Usually in sedans, never sports cars. One might argue that is getting another jerk move though and not really what we are discussing here.

I don't care if you're fast or slow, I just care if you're an a-hole. I swear I notice a difference now that I drive a Prius...I've never had so many people just try to jump in front of me in traffic or otherwise be disrespectful. I guess they're making assumptions about the type of person driving Prii

By far, the rude, the dumb, and the self-appointed traffic cop are worse than the speeder. But as Matt B says, we are surely biased, aren't we?

I follow only one rule when behind the wheel: do unto others as I would have others do unto me. All the other "rules" are just suggestions.

Klayfish wrote: I don't care if you're fast or slow, I just care if you're an a-hole. I swear I notice a difference now that I drive a Prius...I've never had so many people just try to jump in front of me in traffic or otherwise be disrespectful. I guess they're making assumptions about the type of person driving Prii

every time i get behind a prius i reference farting into a wine glass or some other smugness.

try being the guy pulling a big white cargo trailer every day. EVERYBODY wants to get in front of me by any means. cutting off, pulling out in front, jerking it in front of me when coming to a red light. nevermind that A: i'm most likely going faster than they think, B: i'm most likely going to be going faster than them, and C: they just cut my safe stopping distance by a great deal and they're now the one in front of me who's going to get plowed if i can't stop because of their move to cut in front of me.

the worst is right now downtown our new bridge is being built, so the highway necks to one lane. it has been doing so for a couple years and will do so for 2 more. everybody knows it, and if everybody merged together smoothly ahead of time traffic would flow, but the left lane fills with people who need to fly up to the flashing arrow and then stop traffic sitting there with their signal on creeping right to get people to let them in. this in turn makes traffic jam that they are trying to avoid, yet for some reason can't get through their tiny brains that they are the cause of said traffic jam.

I don't like passing on the right, so my most hated are the entitled pricks who sit in only the left lane.

I'll give credit where credit is due, the 77 320i I had was best for making those people move over.......partly because the highbeams were "Melt your berkeleying eyeballs out" bright.

pinchvalve wrote: What bothers you more: a speedy car that is courteous or a slow car that is a complete A-hole?

Is that actually a question?

I am not the fastest person on the street. Since I started driving I generally stay fie over the limit.. but I also stay right and do my best to be courteous while doing it.

I only have one rule when it comes to other cars.. "don't slow me down". You an do whatever you want, but do not make me back down off of my five over. Then I will pass you and go along my merry way.

I do not mind faster drivers as long as they are not going excessively fast to the point where I do not have time to react. Those people are the worst at being uncourteous.

Yesterday, leaving a traffic light. Up ahaed was a construction tractor trailer, then another TT, an SUV of some sort. First truck starts off REAL slow, no passing area. Up behind comes an SUV, he/she tail gates me. It is obvious why we are moving so slow.

When we finally get rolling up to speed the tailgater is left behind

Oh, is it time for the annual other driver's bitch fest?

Yes all other drivers suck and we are the chosen few that actually pay attention to and care about our driving. Much like anything you have to try and help others learn our ways if they want to and ignore the ones that don't.

trucke wrote: Being courteous is always better than being an A-hole.

what trucke said

pinchvalve wrote: What bothers you more: a speedy car that is courteous or a slow car that is a complete A-hole?

Driving fast IS being courteous in itself. You're getting the hell out of everyone elses' way.

I was taught a very important singular rule for driving when I was 14: Drive in a manner that doesn't cause anyone else to change their driving. Don't pull out and make someone hit the brakes. Don't hang out in the left lane making faster people slow down. Things like that.

If you think about it, most accidents happen when something changes causing a reaction.

curtis73 wrote: I was taught a very important singular rule for driving when I was 14: Drive in a manner that doesn't cause anyone else to change their driving. Don't pull out and make someone hit the brakes. Don't hang out in the left lane making faster people slow down. Things like that. If you think about it, most accidents happen when something changes causing a reaction.

This naturally follows from the rule I go by.

Assume nobody can see you.

After being hit on my bike several times, I figure they probably don't. So far, it's worked.

Similar train of thought that they tell us when shagging cones at the autocross - "Be aware, Assume that every car out there is trying to kill you." I try to drive thinking like that too.

I hate slow cars on a dark 2 lane road, that WONT turn their brights on.

Hey Dummy, I'd like to see whats up ahead but you're in front of me, please for the love of God do us both a favor....

In reply to failboat:

I assume their lights suck enough to cause their slow driving, so I get as close as I can to them and turn my high beams on in order to help them along in a more timely fashion.

It's been my experience that high beams are only used when the person is on the opposite side of a divided highway. Or when tailgating you.

Not sure if this is ignorance, or a discourteous I/me/mine attitude.

When I was younger, I remember driving a customer home. He was bitching about the State telling him to fix his car because it was putting too much crap in the air, when it was running just fine (car had a dead miss...). He also bitched about turn signals, why should he use them, HE knew where he was going? On and on.

George Carlin: Idiots and Maniacs