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General discussion

What do you think is the biggest threat to safe driving?

May 30, 2007 4:37AM PDT

- Bad drivers (Tell us why.)
- Car stereos (Tell us why.)
- Cell phones (Tell us why.)
- DVD players (Tell us why.)
- Eating or personal grooming (Tell us why.)
- GPS/navigation systems (Tell us why.)
- Kids (Tell us why.)
- People with road rage (Tell us why.)
- Pets (Tell us why.)
- Other (What is it?)

Discussion is locked

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Start simple
Jun 7, 2007 8:25PM PDT

What happened to the the rule "slow traffic keep right"? I thought this was one of the fundamental things they taught in drivers ed, yet this is by far the most widespread problem I see on a day to day basis. States ought to invest in large signs that point this out every few miles with threats of stiff fines for ignoring it. If society could figure this simple rule out, alot of other problems would go away (tailgating, frequent lane changing, road rage, etc). The key is getting away from the notion that because the speed limit is 55 and you're going 55, it doesn't entitle you to cruise in the left lane the entire trip. It's time to get real, even if it means acknowledging that people can and will go faster than the speed limit and that it's not your responsibility to regulate them in the form of a rolling road block, only making the situation worse and forcing them into slower traveling lanes where they might pose an even greater risk to drivers who actually were trying to stay out of their way in the first place. If someone approaches you at a higher speed in the left lane (regardless of how fast either of you are going), you need to get out of the way, whenever permissible. Not when you feel like it, not when you pass all the other traffic, not 2 miles down the road when you find a more comfortable 10-car length space in the next lane over because the last eight 9-car length spaces weren't good enough.

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ONE LANE highways are the solution
Jun 9, 2007 9:11PM PDT

Every major highway in the U.S. should have an extra one-lane highway built so people like me, who know how to drive and pay attention, can cruise at 120 mph and get were we need to be safely. One lane would eliminate passing and traffic jams all together. A "special license" would have to be issued and anyone on the one lane without it would immediately be put in jail for 1 year.

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Bad drivers get distracted.
Jun 11, 2007 12:50PM PDT

Well, "Bad Drivers" encompasses darn near everything else on the list. Bad drivers let themselves be distracted by car stereos, cell phones, DVD players (and TV!), eating/grooming, nav systems, kids and pets. And, of course, bad drivers get really REALLY bad with road rage!

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Dstracted?
Jun 12, 2007 9:34AM PDT

Unless you are superhuman, everyone gets distracted, not only in the car. I bet many who like you think that they are completely devoted to the road make many small distraction errors while driving while using all the phones,loud stereos, interesting passengers, etc.in the car.

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Pet Peeve's
Jun 26, 2007 5:18AM PDT

My biggest pet peeve, is people pulling out in front of you on a highway, going 55-58 mph and the person who pulls out doesn't get their vehicle up to the speed limit. It happens everyday of my life either going to work or coming home. This is dangerous and should be recognized just as much as speeding. But local law enforcement turns the other way. This sort of thing causes road rage.

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pet peeve #2
Jul 19, 2007 9:49PM PDT

I hate the idea that the speed limit is the minimum speed that you're allowed to do. I typically go at or 5mph below the speed limit. But I'm courtious enough to stay in the right lane on the freeway or pull over on 2-lane, 2-way highways so people can pass me. But when people tailgate, I just go the minimum speed limit. That minimum for travel lanes is 10-15mph under the posted limit(unless you put on your hazard lights) or the 40mph on freeways and expressways.

I guess that makes me a passive-agressive driver, but I try not to kill people and I actually let people in the lane when they use their turn signal. I pay no attention to those who just assume everybody else should already know what direction they're going to fling their car.

My personal pet peeve is when a lane ends, there's plenty of warning. People just ignore the sign that states "lane ends, merge left/right" The lane that ends is required to yield to the lane that continues, so you should merge early. The peeve part is that it's more common in this area for people to pass in the merging lane and ride the shoulder until they can force their way into traffic. BTW if I don't give the ROW to one of those people and they hit me, it's their fault for failure to yield.

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You're the problem
Jul 22, 2007 1:28PM PDT

The best thing that you stated in your "holier than thou" attitude is that you at least stay in the right lane when you are acting like a puritan; expecting everyone to follow your rules. Tailgating is the last thing most drivers choose to do, but have no option if fools like you stop them from passing. You cannot expect everyone to behave like you. I bet when you cause an accident with your antics, you feel vindicated.

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tailgating.....puritans...hehehe
Jul 24, 2007 2:09AM PDT

What state are you in? I don't know what you're talking about, but in every state I've driven in you can't go 5 minutes on a freeway without somebody whipping by at 90+mph. Around here they tend to tailgate (you can't see below their grill in the rear-view) if you're not going at least 70-75mph. But God forbid you actually obey the law and do the speed limit or within +/-5mph. That just might keep some Excalade driving yuppie from getting to Banana Republic in time for the sale. Ohhhhhh No!

But as for antics, I would hardly consider driving the speed limit and staying in the right lane one of them. If a person gets closer than I'm comfortable with, I'll just slow down a little to encourage them to pass. But if you think that's an antic or an unsafe driving practice, you need to take a driver's safety course and see what laws exist and how people should drive.

So I would hardly say that I'm part of the problem because I stay aware of traffic and I leave my house/work early enough to drive the speed limit.

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Agressive drivers (and riders) trained...
Jun 26, 2007 7:44AM PDT

...apparently on gaming consoles. Scary stuff. At least the obligatory fart tube gives a little measure of pre-disaster warning.

The oblivious cellphone-stuck-to-the-ear driver comes a close second, however, mostly because there's a lot MORE of them.

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Threats to safe driving
Jul 6, 2007 1:07PM PDT

Distractions, distracted drivers. All of the topics from cell phones to kids and everything in between causes drivers to not put all their attention to their surroundings and other cars. Paying attention while at the wheel is essential at all times- period.

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Drivers themselves.
Jul 19, 2007 1:33PM PDT

There's all kinds of distractions true but there has always been those. What's the same is that people do not concentrate on driving. It's like they think the car will take care of things itself. Driver's ed should be mandatory to anyone who gets a moving violation (I know, dream on).

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People with Mini-vans!
Jul 22, 2007 5:53AM PDT

I'm sorry, am I the only person on the road that has noticed that nearly all the drivers on the highways with mini-vans think they have a license to speed??

I love slowing up in the fast lane when I get some soccer mom or a mini-van load full of people behind me.

When people go out and drop that much cash I figure they buy one for the safety of their family, soccer team, etc. But it doesn't give them the right to still put the lives of those inside the vehicle in jeopardy.

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Anybody not using a handsfree phone incl. young drivers!!
Jul 22, 2007 6:05AM PDT

Unfortunately because I still drive a manual tranmission I need one hand on the wheel and one for shifting (at times). I know personally that it's a struggle in task management to drive, shift, talk on the phone and try to keep a good eye on the driving environment.

I finally felt at ease when I got an earpiece that wired to my phone. I praise those that have the bluetooth device and don't have to worry about wires flopping around.

And even worse is the kids and inexperienced drivers who can't put the phone down while driving. Try driving in a city for two seconds (one thousand one, one thousand two, etc) without looking through the windshield and see how you end up. Sometimes it's quite scary when I do it. NOW IMAGINE TEENS PAYING MORE ATTENTION TO THE PHONE THAN THE ROAD.

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Morons
Jul 22, 2007 11:52PM PDT

They just had an episode on Mythbusters where they proved that talking on a cell phone was much worse than driving while drunk. Case closed.

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Amen!
Jul 23, 2007 12:47AM PDT

People think they can multitask on cell phone-----wrong. The law should read that people have 30 seconds to pull over and speak or get ticket. Maybe their should be an auto interlock system that cuts them off if the car is in motion.

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Safe driving: attitude plus experience
Jul 23, 2007 2:44AM PDT

Not just attention-taking gadgets, also other people in vehicle, thinking too deeply about a life-event, What to do next, What I should have said...
Good driving is many years of stopping at the neighborhood stop signs at 3am, when no traffic around, making full stops every time, until your mind SCREAMS at you, that you've done something OUT OF THE ORDINARY - ATTENTION - ATTENTION, when you do perform a tort against good driving.
You will find your subconscious is ALWAYS paying attention - even when your conscious mind is far away from your driving.
That's when you become a Safe Driver.
It takes more of the same, to STAY a Safe Driver.
Like life itself, driving is a Learning Experience.

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Overconfident Drivers
Aug 2, 2007 5:13PM PDT

Overconfident drivers tend to allow themselves to be distracted, or they assume they will be absolutely fine whilst using a device, looking down at the stereo or phone, talking to other people. You can't narrow bad driving to a certain point, but I would define a Bad Driver as someone who allows something or theirselves to hinder the safety of everyone on the road, including themself.

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Doing anything in the car other than driving!........
Aug 22, 2007 5:45AM PDT

As a visitor from the UK who regularly drives in the US I'm always amazed at the attitude towards eating/talking on the cell phone etc which seems to be common on your side of the Atlantic. I guess I'm used to the fact that any of these things are now outlawed in most European countries and attract serious fines and penalty points on your licence.

Driving in RI a couple of years ago, I was nudged from behing whilst stopped at a red light. I found that the driver behind was having his lunch with a knife and fork in his hand and two takeout containers in his lap!