Commuting - The worst type of driver

I've determined today that it's 50 year old ladies with plastic surgery who can't get unglued from their cellphones. She was driving a Mercedes and decided to run a red light taking a left turn and almost hit me and layed on the horn as if it was my fault.

Hmm. While I've never noticed an identifiable demographic pattern in inconsiderate drivers, the other day a 50-something lady in a Lexus first swerved towards me, then soon after cut me off. I don't think she was using a cell phone at the time, and I didn't get a good enough look to see if she had any cosmetic enhancements. I'm also unclear as to whether her actions were deliberate towards me, or if she was simply oblivious.

Hanlon's razor: Never attribute to malice that which is adequately explained by stupidity.

It's gotta be either those white work vans or bus drivers.

Both are always in a freekin hurry and don't believe in sharing the road with my hairy ass...

It seems that those who can afford to drive "luxury" vehicles have the mistaken impression that they own the road. Today's bozo de jour was driving a white BMW 7 series and despite the gridlock was trying to force his way through the intersection blocking the box and seemed completely oblivious to the ire of the other drivers.

Old geezers driving their '70s Detroit land yachts are also cause for fear. They all seem to suffer a form of tunnel vision (literally) and are completely unaware of their surroundings.

Might be the obvious choice, but my vote goes to the elderly. I was walking around downtown on my lunch break today and saw a line of cars on Main St., all backed up behind a nice looking SUV. They were all in the left lane, and the right lane was completely empty. The SUV might have been going 10 miles an hour when I first noticed it, and then all of a sudden the driver decided to make a right turn from the left lane. I was standing at the corner that he turned on, so I got a nice long look at them... They were both (I'm guessing) early 80's, and the husband had that vacant "I'm so old I've forgotten how to drive" look on his face.

I'm a firm believer that DMV should add some kind of alertness or reaction time test when dealing with elderly drivers, and not just relying on eyesight.

It seems that those who can afford to drive "luxury" vehicles have the mistaken impression that they own the road. Today's bozo de jour was driving a white BMW 7 series and despite the gridlock was trying to force his way through the intersection blocking the box and seemed completely oblivious to the ire of the other drivers.

Old geezers driving their '70s Detroit land yachts are also cause for fear. They all seem to suffer a form of tunnel vision (literally) and are completely unaware of their surroundings.

A mid-life crissee in a BMW blared his horn at me the other day while swerving around me. This was 50 yards past a stoplight where he had been stopped behind me. Apparently he hadn't noticed the hundreds of "Share the Road" signs plastered all over the city, nor the fact that I had absolutely nowhere to stop where he could safely get around me on the 5-lane street we were on. I gave him a friendly middle finger.

In a strange twist of fate, there were many Thule-racked BMW's parked at the start point of a English & metric century I rode this weekend. Apparently some BMW drivers stop after buying a car, while others continue on to get a bike as well.

I've had issues with every other type of vehicle, so I haven't developed any specific stereotypes yet, other than expecting that every single car hates the fact that I'm riding on "their" road.

I could easily engage in ageism, sexism or racism.
I think you guys have it pretty well covered, so I will, only add "Here-Here!"

Jeff, still fat

I certainly recognize the drivers described in this thread. Of course said drivers are entitled to own the road. No really. If you don't believe me, ask one of them.

Might be the obvious choice, but my vote goes to the elderly. I was walking around downtown on my lunch break today and saw a line of cars on Main St., all backed up behind a nice looking SUV. They were all in the left lane, and the right lane was completely empty. The SUV might have been going 10 miles an hour when I first noticed it, and then all of a sudden the driver decided to make a right turn from the left lane. I was standing at the corner that he turned on, so I got a nice long look at them... They were both (I'm guessing) early 80's, and the husband had that vacant "I'm so old I've forgotten how to drive" look on his face.

I'm a firm believer that DMV should add some kind of alertness or reaction time test when dealing with elderly drivers, and not just relying on eyesight.

Yeah, it's always scary when you some old guy in a car with that look. I know exactly what you're talking about...they're usually staring unwaveringly forward and not looking sideways at all. I don't know if it's a cognitive or physical limitation or what, but they have no business being licensed drivers if they're no longer physically or mentally capable of maintaining situational awareness.

I would like to see improved, much more rigorous driver's license testing all around. I think that at least every 5 years, and probably more frequently past a certain age, you should have to pass an actual driving skills test that involves real driving. Instead of it being one of those silly "drive around the block" tests like I took as a teenager, I'd like to see a test that actually involves things like keeping control of the car at highway speeds, in heavy traffic, in rainy conditions, at night, etc. You should also have to undergo retraining by a professional periodically, as well. I realize that it would cost a lot of money to do all that, but it could be paid for via fees collected from drivers. I would gladly pay $500-$1000 to take a rigorous driving test if that meant that everyone else had to do so as well. This would have the nice side effect of removing a lot of idiots from the driving pool, as well as a lot of elderly and just plain unskilled people incapable of learning good driving skills. The biggest downside that I can see would be somehow keeping all the newly license-less people off of the road, but I think biometric technology might help there.

White pickup trucks. You know... the kind where you need a step ladder to get in. The kind that have "hemis".

It seems that those who can afford to drive "luxury" vehicles have the mistaken impression that they own the road.

And just this afternoon, I heard some honking behind me, followed shortly by an Audi SUV (or crossover, whatever those things are called) go roaring past.


I could easily engage in ageism, sexism or racism.

But yeah, like I alluded to earlier, I've experienced inconsiderate drivers of all kinds: men, women, young, old, rich, poor, and many nationalities, driving many different kinds of vehicles.

One's that won't stop fully at stop lights even when there is cross traffic, just gotta go that 1 second faster so I will step on it and jam on break, and decide to swerve around... The sad thing is, I've seen bikers doing same thing around where I live. It's not the mode of transportation, it's the person.

White van man.

I subscribe to the theory that it's the ones driving the luxury cars who have the attitude. If we're going to have special driving tests then we need to include a psychological test to weed out anyone who does not have the patience or courtesy to drive safely.

I have found there are a-holes driving all sorts of cars. It's just that you notice the vans and the SUV's more because their so big and fat and all road-hoggy. What I'm most afraid of are cabbies and bus drivers - they are some of the most inconsiderate drivers I've ever run across. What horrifies me is these are professional drivers - you would think spending their entire day on the road and witnessing multitudes of accidents would make them safer drivers. But alas, such is not the case.

I'd like to see a test that actually involves things like keeping control of the car at highway speeds, in heavy traffic, in rainy conditions, at night, etc. You should also have to undergo retraining by a professional periodically, as well. I realize that it would cost a lot of money to do all that, but it could be paid for via fees collected from drivers. I would gladly pay $500-$1000 to take a rigorous driving test if that meant that everyone else had to do so as well. This would have the nice side effect of removing a lot of idiots from the driving pool, as well as a lot of elderly and just plain unskilled people incapable of learning good driving skills. The biggest downside that I can see would be somehow keeping all the newly license-less people off of the road, but I think biometric technology might help there.
I think a higher priority is to get the drunks off the road. We have a hit-and-run traffic death in the Tampa Bay area about once a month. I would like to see traffic cameras EVERYWHERE. Anything goes down and you run, they have you on film and they find your drunk A$$. Big brother is here anyway - we might as well have him work for the good of society.

Middle Aged men/women in SUV's. Young men in expensive cars.

Young men in expensive cars.

There are a ton of those in Boston with Porches.

how about gang bangers in mid-80's american sedans with no license plates? they don't give a hoot about stop signs, red lights or bumping into other cars that are in their way. go ahead and yell at them if they get too close or cut you off. see what happens.

the ladies in their lexus/mercedes will at least have a traceable license plate to report.

I think a higher priority is to get the drunks off the road. We have a hit-and-run traffic death in the Tampa Bay area about once a month. I would like to see traffic cameras EVERYWHERE. Anything goes down and you run, they have you on film and they find your drunk A$$. Big brother is here anyway - we might as well have him work for the good of society.

I don't disagree that the drunks are still a HUGE problem (my sister was hit head on by one who crossed the center line on a 55 mph road while borrowing my car and was very lucky to escape without more serious injuries than she received). The drunk middle aged woman involved in my sister's collision had a really high BAC, was smoking pot while driving, and had no insurance or drivers' license, and STILL only went to jail for a night or two when she was first arrested and escaped with probation and a fine. She ended up getting sued by us (me included, since it was my car that was destroyed) and our insurance company, and had a $50,000+ civil judgment found against her for the injuries, car, etc. She still hasn't paid a dime 5+ years later, claiming that she has no income (she works under the table, apparently). The fact is that the authorities simply aren't interested in harshly enforcing the traffic laws, even in serious cases. So you're 100% correct that that has to change, and it might well be worth it to use a technological solution to try to cut down on this crap. Hit and run should be punished by 10 years in jail if we want to put a stop to it, as it seems to be becoming disturbingly more common.

All that being said, I think that my solution is complementary to yours. Better driver training and testing has been proven to greatly reduce traffic accidents and fatalities in many other countries. And I think that people might be less likely to drive drunk if driving weren't taken so "casually" in general here, and they had a better understanding of why they need to be in complete control of their mental faculties while doing it. If driving were treated by the authorities as the serious undertaking that is, requiring expensive training and testing, and privileges to do it were revoked upon any sort of serious irresponsibility, people would pay attention more and take it more seriously. There would be less driving drunk, less texting, less cell phone use, etc. So effective enforcement of the laws is necessary, but we also need to seriously address the roots of people's poor driving behavior. And my solution is essentially "free" for the government if it's paid for by licensing fees. And furthermore if benefits the driver who is having to pay for it nearly as much as it benefits others, because it teaches them how to be a safer driver. I don't understand why there would be serious opposition to that plan.

...<snip-sensible suggestions-> I don't understand why there would be serious opposition to that plan.

Because the lawmakers who would have to pass it are elderly, drunken luxury car driving, cell phoners who don't want to have to pass a test.

Yeah, it's always scary when you some old guy in a car with that look. I know exactly what you're talking about...they're usually staring unwaveringly forward and not looking sideways at all. I don't know if it's a cognitive or physical limitation or what, but they have no business being licensed drivers if they're no longer physically or mentally capable of maintaining situational awareness.

I would like to see improved, much more rigorous driver's license testing all around. I think that at least every 5 years, and probably more frequently past a certain age, you should have to pass an actual driving skills test that involves real driving. Instead of it being one of those silly "drive around the block" tests like I took as a teenager, I'd like to see a test that actually involves things like keeping control of the car at highway speeds, in heavy traffic, in rainy conditions, at night, etc. You should also have to undergo retraining by a professional periodically, as well. I realize that it would cost a lot of money to do all that, but it could be paid for via fees collected from drivers. I would gladly pay $500-$1000 to take a rigorous driving test if that meant that everyone else had to do so as well. This would have the nice side effect of removing a lot of idiots from the driving pool, as well as a lot of elderly and just plain unskilled people incapable of learning good driving skills. The biggest downside that I can see would be somehow keeping all the newly license-less people off of the road, but I think biometric technology might help there.
I agree with you, but the "$500-$1000" test wouldn't really help much. Think about the number of people with DUI's. A DUI generally comes with a suspended liscense. Some will use public transportation or start biking, but Many of those people still drive. Regulations like that only work if you get caught.

I could easily engage in ageism, sexism or racism.

bingo. good and bad drivers come from all walks of life and demographic slices.

having said that, i am always wary of the u-haul. they often tend to be driven by people who
a) have never driven a large truck before
b) come from a different city and are spending more time paying attention the street signs, maps and gps's than the road
that's a bad combo.

I agree with you, but the "$500-$1000" test wouldn't really help much. Think about the number of people with DUI's. A DUI generally comes with a suspended liscense. Some will use public transportation or start biking, but Many of those people still drive. Regulations like that only work if you get caught.

Yes, I agree that enforcement is going to be a problem if people are still tempted to drive. Nothing is going to stop some people from driving if the only deterrent is getting caught again. But again, in that area we could do a lot more that would be more effective. Technology is one possible answer: closer monitoring/surveillance of who is driving on public roads might be able to catch a lot of the hit and runs as well as people with no or suspended licenses. You could, for example, use facial recognition systems in the near future: have automated monitoring systems set up at random locations that take a picture of the drivers' face as cars drive by and feed that information to a facial recognition system that checks against a database of known suspended or drunk drivers. You could, at least at some point, have laws that result in seizure of vehicles and a ban on owning any other motor vehicle. If such a law applied to any vehicle driven by a suspended driver, whether owned by them or not, there would be a huge incentive against family members or friends loaning them vehicles to get around the enforcement. The proceeds from the seizures could be used to pay restitution to victims (as I mentioned, many drunks and such are losers who never pay their civil judgments). We could do much more to stop suspended drivers from driving, but we haven't.

I don't know how people would feel about all that surveillance, but at some point you have to wonder about which is more valuable to people: the illusion of "privacy" while driving on public roads (something that doesn't really exist anyway), or the tens of thousands of lives lost on our highways and roads every year. And of course, this is all the more reason to make it viable for people to use means of transportation other than driving: then it becomes more reasonable in the eyes of the public to strip bad drivers of their privileges. And it would be a beneficial cycle, as well: the more bad drivers are kicked off the road, the safer it will become to bike or use other alternatives to driving.

I could easily engage in ageism, sexism or racism.
I think you guys have it pretty well covered, so I will, only add "Here-Here!"

Jeff, still fat

You forgot "classism."

To me the worst kind of driver is the inattentive one. The ones that are not paying attention because they are, texting, talking on their cell phones, eating their #2 combo, putting on mascara, etc. It doesn't matter what kind of person they are or what kind of driver, good or bad, their distracted driving will assure that you as a bike rider will not bee seen by them which is crucial to your survival on the shared roads. Other drivers are affected by these type of people too but at least that have a steel cage around them for some protection.

I despise indecision.

When riding I base all my navigation on years of anticipating where certain types of people and or vehicle will go. When someone has indecision and I can't act it becomes dangerous. Simply put I have no problem swerving to avoid X, but if I can't have enough data to decide left or right in the half second I have, it pisses me off.

I think a higher priority is to get the drunks off the road. We have a hit-and-run traffic death in the Tampa Bay area about once a month. I would like to see traffic cameras EVERYWHERE. Anything goes down and you run, they have you on film and they find your drunk A$$. Big brother is here anyway - we might as well have him work for the good of society.

My area has a camera where an accident happened. Unfortunately the photo was of such poor quality it was utterly useless. The local paper ran a front page article asking the public for help identifying the vehicle after 3 months. My coworker and myself came up with 5-6 possible cars based off the photo. The sad thing is my coworker knew the guy who was injured and I ride past the spot everyday after work. I wonder how much our county payed for a worthless piece of equipment?

Ageism / sexism incoming: 80+ year old ladys. Twice ive nearly had them run me off the road. Worst time was when two of em were in a car together and they started laying on the horn as they passed. Nearly caused an accident with me and my dad.

The red-neck stereo-type has proven two opposite ends on some occasions. One time I had them spit at me and try to door me. Other times they have stopped pulling out of a parking lot and backed up to let me pass and added a kind nod just to spite me :rolleyes:

I would have to say it is really up in the air. Worst drivers are either rushed drivers or inattentive drivers though.

Rain seems to induce both on a good number of drivers though.

a vote for bmw & lexus drivers.

a vote for bmw & lexus drivers.

A vote for older luxury car drivers.

The most inconsiderate drivers that I've encountered have usually been driving imported luxury vehicles. Especially Land Rovers and Volvos. Yobs in pickup trucks come a close second.

Perhaps there aren't as many sport cars on the road here, but 'real' sport cars (as in not rice rockets) don't seem to be as inconsiderate.
For those that are with expensive cars, I should mention that a benefit of commuting with clip-less pedals and cleats is the ability to leave a scratch while on the road.

I live in a college town. To me, that means two things. One: All of the students (including me) who bike or walk respect each other. And two: "Townies" (residents of the town) have no tolerance for bikers on the road.

Our last mayor did a stellar job of getting bike lanes put downtown and advocating the share-the-road mentality overall. Nevertheless, in this town, I have to say that the worst drivers are other students.

If I'm on campus or downtown, I seldom get harassed. But when I'm on one the roads that connects the surrounding 'burbs with the hub of the university, I need to watch my ass. (A lot of students live south and east of campus, then drive to class.) During the summer, when the town was a lot quieter, I didn't get bothered. Within two days of people coming back in August, I had several drivers yell at me to get on the sidewalk. Stupid, since "walk" is in that word. Also, getting yelled at tends to startle me when I can't see it coming.

So yeah, my vote is for intolerant, hormonal young drivers.