Bad drivers.

[dariusz8]

Last fall I was coming back from Toronto with my boyfriend....on a freeway....and an ambulance happened to pull up beside us....and the driver was texting!!!! (and very obviously texting). My jaw hit the floor. Our lane ended up moving much faster than his and we got too far ahead of him, otherwise I would have written the plate number down and found someone to report it to. It's just scary to see people drive and text.....but to see our emergency workers doing it. I was shocked!

I think they actually are allowed too...

Emergency Response Personnel
Police, fire department and emergency medical services personnel will be permitted to use hand-held wireless communications devices and view display screens in the normal performance of their duties.
The use of hand-held radios by amateur radio operators (who provide assistance, especially in emergency situations such as severe storms and blackouts) will be phased out within three years, to allow hands-free technologies to be developed.


http://news.ontario.ca/mto/en/2009/0...t-devices.html

[wolfwoman]

How about this one for stupidly bad. I live on a side road just off a highway that is posted 80km. I have to turn left if I am coming from the city, so I have to slow down and signal and wait for oncoming traffic when it's busy. Well one idiot decided I should have pulled out in front of the oncoming traffic to turn onto my road so once the traffic cleared, I start turning left and the jacka$$ behind me decided he was going to pass me...get this...ON THE LEFT! Some people just get all the stupid in their genes seriously!
Another is the jacka$$ in some big pick up truck with monster truck wheels that will have their high beams on full blast at night and they are elevated enough that they light up the interior of the car like it's day light. I have encountered those idiots a few times coming home at night. They will tailgate you with high beams full blast and blind me. I slow down really slow so they start honking their horn like mad and eventually pass me. Seriously do they expect me to speed up and go faster when I am being blinded and can't see???
My last one for the day is idiots who think it's cool to pass then get stuck in the turning lane and will just plow through the intersection cutting you off anyway because they are too impatient to wait behind you, or turn when their lane runs out! I'm sure they are not out of towners and know the lane is a turning lane but they don't care.

Oh and this one happened one night when we were coming home on the 401. There was bumper to bumper traffic and we got stuck in the left lane with no opening in the right lane. Some idiot behind us decided we weren't going fast enough and started flashing high beams like mad completely blinding us every few seconds. It wasn't like we could just move over or anything geesh! There was too much traffic, besides we weren't moving past a crawl anyway so idk where they thought they could move any faster if we got out of the way...

I have the exact same problem. I live on a country road just off the main highway to Edmonton. When coming home from town, I have to turn LEFT across traffic to get onto my road. I pull over to the left as much as possible and signal. But there are still people who insist on passing me on my left. So I have watch for traffic in front, behind and to the side plus for the train track I have go over mere feet from my road. So stupid when the is a LARGE passing pane ahead sign clearly posted.

[roseofblack25]

I have the exact same problem. I live on a country road just off the main highway to Edmonton. When coming home from town, I have to turn LEFT across traffic to get onto my road. I pull over to the left as much as possible and signal. But there are still people who insist on passing me on my left. So I have watch for traffic in front, behind and to the side plus for the train track I have go over mere feet from my road. So stupid when the is a LARGE passing pane ahead sign clearly posted.

Ours doesn't have any passing lane or anything but the sensible idiots that can't wait 2 more seconds usually pass on the shoulder to my right LOL!

[Speckled28]

I think they actually are allowed too...

Emergency Response Personnel
Police, fire department and emergency medical services personnel will be permitted to use hand-held wireless communications devices and view display screens in the normal performance of their duties.
The use of hand-held radios by amateur radio operators (who provide assistance, especially in emergency situations such as severe storms and blackouts) will be phased out within three years, to allow hands-free technologies to be developed.


http://news.ontario.ca/mto/en/2009/0...t-devices.html

Viewing and talking maybe.....but if that allows for texting too that's a rule that definitely needs to be changed IMO. Emergency worker or not, there's no good reason I can think of for them to HAVE TO text. Though I personally feel that emergency workers/police etc etc should have to follow the same rules as everyone else when it comes to cell phones/texting. Just because you're a paramedic or police officer doesn't mean your skills for texting while driving are any better than anyone elses, or make you any less of a danger. I've ridden in an ambulance before.....and would have been horrified to see the driver texting while driving me! lol

[Aimz]

I agree with so many of the points that have been brought up. My main pet peeves when it comes to how some people drive include:

*People who refuse to heed "lane-ending" signs until the very end of their lane, and then rather than waiting for somebody to let them merge in, they sort of ram their car into the other lane. It boggles my mind - it's an accident waiting to happen, and a close call so many times. I guess they figure at least they'll be hit from behind, thereby avoiding liability?
*People who slow and almost come to a complete stop before turning.
*Slow drivers who hold up traffic by refusing to move out of the left lane. I am amazed when huge trucks insist on driving in the passing lane.
*When there is a long line for a left turn and drivers stay in the lane to the right of the left lane, but when the light turns green and cars begin making their left turns, they cut someone off and get into the left turn - again, an accident just waiting to happen.

I've also noticed that the courtesy wave/gesture is almost extinct. I think letting someone merge in front of you is considered a RAOK, so I try to do it often. It's nice to be acknowledged when you allow someone into your lane out of a tight spot, by something as simple as a little wave/nod of acknowledgement, but it rarely happens anymore.

[DeeThomas]

As a cyclist I HATE drivers who don't treat me like a vehicle.

Currently topping my list of gripes is drivers who don't wait their turn at four ways - if I was there before you, then it's my turn before it's your turn - even if I am on a bike! There's one particular four way in town where I've been nearly taken out weekly by drivers who just won't wait. BAH!

[abbasgirl]

I was reminded of how much I hate red light runners yesterday. I was on foot at an intersection. My light had turned green. I had just stepped off the curb when a car came speeding past me, through the red light. If I had taken one more step I would have been dead.
I go jogging a lot and another really dangerous habit a lot of drivers have is turning right, either from a parking lot or at a red light without looking right first to see if there's a pedestrian in the intersection. I've almost been hit many times. I usually try to make eye contact with drivers before I cross in front of them. But that doesn't work when you get people flying into the cross walk without even slowing down.

[marstec]

As a cyclist I HATE drivers who don't treat me like a vehicle.

Currently topping my list of gripes is drivers who don't wait their turn at four ways - if I was there before you, then it's my turn before it's your turn - even if I am on a bike! There's one particular four way in town where I've been nearly taken out weekly by drivers who just won't wait. BAH!

You certainly have to have your wits about you when you bike on a daily basis.

I can see your point about cars needing to recognize that bikes are vehicles too, but how often do you see a bicyclist actually stop at a stop sign, particularly if there are no other vehicles present?

abbasgirl,

Good thing you were paying attention! Everyone is in such a hurry these days...do we save more than a few minutes by rushing from one red light to the other?

Some idiot parked next to me at the grocery store the other day...his truck was so close to my car that I could hardly get into my car! The parking lot was half empty, why would anyone need to park that close? Grr.

[Speckled28]

I was reminded of how much I hate red light runners yesterday. I was on foot at an intersection. My light had turned green. I had just stepped off the curb when a car came speeding past me, through the red light. If I had taken one more step I would have been dead.
I go jogging a lot and another really dangerous habit a lot of drivers have is turning right, either from a parking lot or at a red light without looking right first to see if there's a pedestrian in the intersection. I've almost been hit many times. I usually try to make eye contact with drivers before I cross in front of them. But that doesn't work when you get people flying into the cross walk without even slowing down.

I completely agree. It can be so dangerous to be a pedestrian. About 6 years ago I was hit (as a pedestrian) while crossing the street. The crossing signal was up....I looked around/double checked and there was one car waiting to make a left hand turn.....but after she had eased up and into her turn she stopped......I walked.......she accelerated......I was hit. She was quite elderly....and ended up being charged with careless. And while I wouldn't rank it as my top ten most enjoyable moments, it definitely could have been so much worse.

Now I often refuse to go when drivers wave me across (when not at a light)....I wait until it's completely clear....which has gotten me quite a few dirty looks, lol.

[abbasgirl]

I completely agree. It can be so dangerous to be a pedestrian. About 6 years ago I was hit (as a pedestrian) while crossing the street. The crossing signal was up....I looked around/double checked and there was one car waiting to make a left hand turn.....but after she had eased up and into her turn she stopped......I walked.......she accelerated......I was hit. She was quite elderly....and ended up being charged with careless. And while I wouldn't rank it as my top ten most enjoyable moments, it definitely could have been so much worse.

Now I often refuse to go when drivers wave me across (when not at a light)....I wait until it's completely clear....which has gotten me quite a few dirty looks, lol.

I'm glad you're OK! My scariest so far was when I was walking through a crosswalk when a lady in a sports car came barreling through. She had her neck craned to the left the entire time, looking for oncoming traffic. I had to run to get out of her way. She would never have even known about it if I hadn't come back and pounded on her car to get her attention.

[mastersaver]

As a cyclist I HATE drivers who don't treat me like a vehicle.

Currently topping my list of gripes is drivers who don't wait their turn at four ways - if I was there before you, then it's my turn before it's your turn - even if I am on a bike! There's one particular four way in town where I've been nearly taken out weekly by drivers who just won't wait. BAH!

Cyclists want to be treated like vehicles, but I have almost hit a cyclist on several occasions because they don't stop at a stop sign. Obey the rules of the road if you want to be treated as a vehicle.
If you have ever driven downtown Toronto you know those cyclists are crazy and weave through traffic like crazy, they are just asking to get hit Imo.

[matrix82]

Almost rear ended my own car that my husband was driving a head of me today. Husband was driving a head of me, an idiot pulls out in front of him to turn into a driveway. He almost t-bones the idiot, and because he has to brake quickly in front of me I almost rear end my husband who was driving in front of me. Only thing that saved me was keeping a three car length distance between my vehicle and his.

It should be illegal to pull out in front of someone to turn into a driveway. The cops were right there too across the street. So tired of idiots.

[couponfreak]

I live in Manitoba from Alberta and drive in Sask all the time so here goes what I have seen
Manitoba drivers drive slower (lower speed limits) they fail to signal and assume way to much assume people will stop assume people see them and worst assume trucks can stop for them(BIG TRUCKS tAKE LONGER TO STOP!!!)
SASK Drivers drive a little faster don't shoulder check or maye just don't look behind them and believe they can drive anywhere (including sidewalks yes I have seen this train crossing the road so they drove up into cross walk down the street on sidewalk and then back onto the other street) plus they have a habit of stopping in middle of street to talk to on coming traffic(I know happens everywhere bur Sask people have got to be most friendly cause they are always stopped to talk to oncoming traffic pedestrians etc)
Alberta Drivers drive fastest and cut people off the worst tickets are cheaper speed limits are faster (so bad that my hubby who drives oilfield was actually told to hit them on the way to the ditch so there is proof that someone cut them off and that they didn't just fall asleep at the wheel)
I also lived in Ontario for a while from my experience there the only thing I figure is cars in Ontario must be a lot cheaper if you don't buy the "optional" signal lights because no one uses them.

THE WORST DRIVER THO HAPPENS IN ALL PLACES!! Its the driver that thinks they are a good driver and feels they need to keep other drivers in line they speed up to prevent people from passing tailgate to teach a lesson cut off and slow down to make other drivers slow down..and of course phone people in from their phone without pulling over first!!

I will be honest I am the Worst Passenger on the road way...A drivers ed teacher (my proffesional driver husband routinely reminds me I am not working when I drive with him...good thing to I'd probably fail him!)

[DeeThomas]

Obey the rules of the road if you want to be treated as a vehicle.

hand on my heart - I always do. I'm sure 'bad cyclists' could be a whole other thread - I personally hate to see cyclists: bike down the wrong side of the road, bike with earbuds in, not stop at red lights - I could go on....

That said - nobody actually deserves to be hit. Just politely re-educated!

[DaveP]

Insane people with a death wish I find the most annoying. I have a minivan now but I had one of these for the 4 years before that:



On the highway I've had people cut in front of me, pull out in front of me from side roads forcing me to brake, and make me brake when they're merging so I don't squash them like a bug. These were people in tiny cars. If I hit one of them I'm not sure it would even stop a Suburban. Don't people have any sense of self preservation? They are trusting me to hit my brakes, but they have no idea who I am. I could be a drunk or something and then they'd be road splatter. People!!