[remery]

Here's a list of my top 5 pet peeves while driving so see how many you can add to the list!!!

1. People driving with a cell phone in their ear who are not paying attention to their driving. New York state had the right idea when they banned using non-hands-free phones last year. I heard a rumor that Acura of Brooklyn lobbied strongly for this law because some VIP kept calling the Service Manager on his cell phone and then putting it near the firewall and asking "can you hear the thud now?...It sounds like M&Ms in a coffee cup...NO, you can't hear it?...I'll call you back when I find a speed bump!!"

2. OPIBs (Old People in Buicks) driving slowly in the left lane with their blinker on - invariably these folks pick rush hour on the expressway to drive at a snail's pace. What ever happened to the "Little Ole Lady from Pasadena?"

3. Drivers playing their stereos loudly with the windows open - You know, these are the guys driving some type of Chevy with the 1,000 watt+ stereo systems with a subwoofer the diameter of a manhole cover creating a seismic event every time they drive down the street.

4. Driving in the Winter with snow on all the windows - haven't folks heard of this invaluable invention called the snow brush. Last month when we had a big snow here in Chicago, I saw a VW Beetle completely covered with snow on the road that looked like a Hostess Snowball with tires.

5. Having all 6 FM presets on commercial at the same time - It has to be a conspiracy amongst radio stations to be on commercial at precisely the same moment during the morning and sometimes night rush hour. How many times have you channel surfed, using the steering wheel control, only to find nothing but commericals on all six channels? Thank goodness for the 6 CD changer that can be used in these types of emergencies!!

So now it someone elses turn...

 

[MIKEinTN]

I'm with you

I agree completely about the cell phones. It seems like there are more people today driving while talking on a cell phone than those who are not. Good Grief!

I work for an industrial safety consulting firm, and one of our rules is that there is to be NO cell phone usage, including with a hands free device, while driving on company business. While I have not seen the studies, apparently ones focus becomes highly diminished when driving while talking on a cell phone. Hey, I want to make it home to my family with me and my MDX in tact, so I follow the rule.

I also agree about the booming music. Man I hate that. It seems like at every redlight there is a lowriding car with booming base that rattles every car window at the light. One good thing is the MDX is really quiet, so it blocks out a good deal of it. If you want to confirm how quiet the MDX is, open the sunroof the next time you are next to one of these lowriding, base-booming morons. Then close the sunroof and notice how quiet it becomes.

The commericals are a conspiracy. What I do like is when the same commerical or Paul Harvey is on more than one station. You can switch between them and hear the same thing. It is great for passing away long drives!

Oh well, if we are going to have pet peeves regarding driving, at least we get to have them in an MDX!

MIKEinTN
(back from my trip to Texas)

 

[DaleB]

People who think their headlights are only for when it's dark, and speed ahead with no concern in heavy rain.
Not realizing its just as important for other drivers to see you as for you to see them.

Drivers who think it's ok to cut you off because they have their signal on, esp. if their vehicle is bigger than yours. Well, less of a problem with an x.

 

[MDXcrazed]

scary cell phones

My previous boss has 2 cell phones in his car, one for work, one for home. One of them is hand free, the other one is inside the center console. There are times that both phones started to ring at the same time. He has this amazing ability to read a construction plan, check his calendar, add numbers in his head, eat, talk, make business decisions and drive all at the same time. If his phones were not ringing, he would be calling somebody instead. I sat in his car a couple times and saw his car straddled the lanes on the freeway or ended up being too close to the cars in front of him. Most of the time, I was just unconsciously braking for him.

My present boss is real smart. On one long distance trip, he took one look at the MDX, and decided that I should drive. He then climbed into the back seat, pulled down the center armrest, set his drink down and started to work and make calls in the back. He did everything that my previous boss did in the car but minus the driving. My colleague and I felt much safer that day.

 

[vip9]

OK, OK, so I did give AoB some hussle over THUD. Hell, they deserve it! As far as NY ban on cell phone - it's a sham. There are as many "chatters" on the road now as there were 6 months ago.

2 more peeves of mine are 4-way stop sign when a driver who came to an intersection after me would attempt to go first. Usually in some silly car like Civic or Ford Fiesta. People just seem to have a death wish...

Another one is in traffic, a driver would use a faster lane, then try to squeeze into a slower lane that exists for a bridge or what-not right before the exit. I HATE that with passion. I long for those days when I was driving '86 Olds station wagon. NOT A SINGLE m-f would get in front of me... Oh, those days...

These people are so lucky I am of a good nature and usually do not go postal

P.S.
Remery, welcome back!!!

 

[Robyjo]

Ah ha, Rem proving the subtle, mature humor of the old-timers has only been hibernating, ready to make a voracious return at any moment...

This takes the cake for me: when a punk kid in his suped (sic) up chevy corsica speeds to within millimeters of the car in the next lane (which is barely 1 car-length ahead of you) for the pure purpose of cutting you off to.....reach the red light first. Idiot!

 

[charlieinnj]

Drivers reading newspapers/magazines/books while driving.....UGH!

 

[sgtglok]

hm... it's nice to see an old crowd get together once again!

i see remery did get to learn the new tricks! good do... boy!

the cell phones are evil, even when used with headsets, you still have to press a button or see who's calling; past 2 weeks i was in a friend's car and he is driving on manual, i.e. manual + cell phone in the same hand, the other was holding the wheel (at least most of the time) - i was lucky to get home! :0

had another encounter on the NJ Turnpike, in a heavy rain at nightime, little ford escort was flashing everyone on the road (traffic was going at 65 in 55 zone, btw). I let him thru... and followed, then in parallel lane for quarter mile just a few feet ahead. Poor soul, I lost him - do you know that feeling when a huge truck/bus drives ahead of you and dumps all those gallons of water from hydroplanning on you?...

btw, due to MDX's high stance, it was a walk in a park for me, but little 'escort' couldn't handle it for long. all-in-all, I agree with what vip said, NOT A SINGLE m-f would get in front... why bother now, just do a little side maneuver or speed up in their rear view mirror!!!

 

[dmyles]

As far as NY ban on cell phone - it's a sham. There are as many "chatters" on the road now as there were 6 months ago.

Gotta agree w/ vip9. The cell phone law is a complete JOKE. I am so dilligent/paranoid about using my handsfree device. But I can't tell you how many people I still see driving down the road everyday with the phone to their ear. It's like "what law"??? As far as I can tell, it's not being enforced at all. The worst was when I was at a stoplight and saw a guy driving a tractor-trailer and making a left turn w/ one hand because he was talking on the cell phone with the other hand. YIKES!!!

And DaleB, in NC it's law that if your wipers are on (bad weather), you better have your lights on too. I wonder why more states haven't done the same??

 

[DaleB]

They should. I don't believe we have a wipers/lights law here. But they can pull you over for not using your lights, or driving too fast, if visibility is limited for any reason besides darkness. Basically, driving in an unsafe manner.
We have had horrid multiple crashes due to heavy fog during daylight hours.

 

[BostonX]

Don't get me started!

One thing that really gets me miffed is gigantic trucks filled with about ten tons of gravel and no cover on top so that when you come up to them on the highway it's like running into a hailstorm except it's not hail, it's rocks! And all the rocks are bouncing all over the highway and you have to slingshot past the truck before one hits your delicate MDX windshield! Whew, just writing about it gets my blood pressure up...

 

[fancourt]

Hey MIKEinTN,

Did you see my white MDX when you passed through the Rock on your trip to TX? Yup, finally got it last Wednesday!

Can't get my wife to let me drive. I was ready to buy a TL S but she convinced me to order the X. So now thinks it's hers.

Boston X is sure right about those doggone uncovered gravel trucks. Gawd I hate them and the asphalt trucks.

 

[remery]

Although I poked some fun at vip9 about the NY cell phone law I believe what was the real impetus for it was an incident involving a female lawyer talking on her cell phone while driving her Mercedes at night. Apparently the woman was so involved in her conversation that she did not see a kid walking along the side of the road and hit and killed him. She kept on driving and then read or heard the news that there had been a hit and run and she then realized that she was the driver. She turned herself in the next day and I believe may be in jail right now.

I am glad to see so many people are as disturbed about this as I am. Men are the worst offenders on the highway while woman in minivans take the prize around town and parking lots. I got a ticket many years ago for using a walkman in my car with a headset which was against the law in Illinois. Tell me what level of distraction did this present versus cell phones today?

i see remery did get to learn the new tricks! good do... boy!

Sarge, I do believe I see a choke chain and no buscuits in your future!

 

[sgtglok]

Sarge, I do believe I see a choke chain and no buscuits in your future!

watch out, i'd bite!!!! no puppy luv, no tail wigglin' in your direction either!

 

[DMor]

Gap Closers! ... Road huggars who 'gun it' at 'first light' of my lane change signal. It's OK tho...I've perfected the motionless "pre-glance" so they only THINK I didn't see their rapid advance. "Hey...who put that Mesa Beige wall there!"

Weavers! ... People who routinely zig-zag (w/o alcohol) in a straight lane which cuts their speed and my patience.

Driving Headrests!... They routinely travel 10mph slower and you SWEAR there's nobody driving the car! Get a booster chair and pedal blocks!

Pre-Stoppers!... What's this business about stopping 3 car lengths behind the person in front? Makes me want to hop out and carjack them myself!

Fastlane novices!... "Damn, is that my old English professor?" Is passing on the blacktop legal?

 

[baxter]

I am surprised no one else has mentioned this, but what about women putting on make-up in the mornings on their way to work? How do they do that? I would much rather see her on a cell phone (I think).

BostonX: We lost a windshield and got rock chips the first week we had our X to such a truck. Had to replace the windshield, and we put a bra on the front to hid the chips. But it made us sick. So someday we will have it painted. In the meantime, every time I see one of those trucks, I want to ......... well, you know.

 

[DaleB]

We regularly have big Kaiser Permanente gravel trucks frequenting some of our main roads.

They don't seem to be the hazard they used to be. I understand people were calling them up and leaving damage claims along with the truck's license number.
I guess they had been paying off through their own insurance co. for some time until the economy got the better of them.
They don't seem to loose as many rocks now as they use to.
But every so often as you pass one a small one will get tossed out from a tire, ricocheting off the mud flap I guess and 'ping' your window or hood. I have not noticed anything of significance yet.

 

[ghost]

OK, here goes:

Left lane campers Usually 3-5 miles under the speed limit

People who pass you at 65.25 Here's the deal, you're doing 65, someone creeps up to pass going about 1/4 mph faster than you are, and for the next 8 minutes they try to pass you. About 3 minutes into the pass you're in their blind spot and know damn well they've completely forgotten you're there. What are they thinking? I usually kick in the overdrive and leave them 1 mile or two behind.

Logging trucks passing you at 70 You know they couldn't stop if their life depended on it (or yours, for that matter)

One logging truck loaded with aspen, headed north on the highway, passing a logging truck, loaded with aspen, headed south on the highway And they wonder why the forest products industry is in decline...

Hey, that felt good!

 

[megabuck2]

Or how about people trying to pass a truck going at 65 mph on a 70 mph?

Scenerio:
you are going on 5 to L.A from S.F. You are on the left lane going about 70-75mph. Some nuts going on at 60 miles following a semi turns the blinker on and eases to the left lane...you would think they saw your MDX coming up fast and speed up...nope, semi in going at 60mph, the nut is going at 61mph, takes about 10 minutes to pass the semi....

You give em the high beam and all they flash is the "bird"...

Or people who are oblivious to the left lane rule....use the left lane to pass and get back on the right....

Go figure..

Mike

 

[sgtglok]

all-in-all, the american (hell, and canadians are no better i see) drivers need to LEARN how to drive on the HIGHWAY...
i was in germany recently, and it was my 2nd time driving there - i was amazed even the first time at how well-behaved and educated drivers were (in a mass) on autobahn.

driving without a speed limit is a myth, you couldn't hit over 120 mph without having to slow down in next 1/4 to 50 mph (speed zones all over). yet, still, i clocked once 255 km ~ 150+ mph (just pushed the pedal of my opel omega 3.0 = caddy catera to the floor). uh, sorry got carried away...

back to driving, even at higher speeds (over 100 mph), everyone obeys simple traffic rules: use left lane only for passing, the middle lane for most, and right lane for slow-moving vehicles, trucks, etc. if you happen to be in a fast lane, the passer will use the left blinker first, then, if you asleep, flash at you ( i hate flashing - makes kinda the same effect as to flash red colors infront of enraged bull on me). otherwise, no swirling from lane to lane, no honking, no 'birds', etc. - it was a driver's paradise for 2 weeks...

then i had to come home, and... hell-o, new york, new york, screw the rulz, welcome, mother road-anarchy, oh, what's another fender-bender????