Right to drive article

[Stanley]

https://www.newyorker.com/culture/annals-of-inquiry/the-fight-for-the-right-to-drive?utm_source=pocket-newtab

[Patcon]

I have been watching this coming. I am not sure they will ever legislate it out. I think they will price all but the wealthy out of self driving cars. The insurance and or property taxes will drive the majority of them off the road. Politicians can plead plausible deniability and still remove them from the road. I also agree smart phones and poorly trained drivers account for a lot of this. I know of someone just this weekend where a woman looked straight at him, the motorcyclist and still pulled out. There are just too many distractions and poorly disciplined drivers. I passed a semi the other day who was messing with his phone and wandering on and off the rumble strips!!!

[240260280]

The legislation seems stupid to the masses... but unfortunately the masses are stupid.  They are taking over like zombies!  What a sad world.  Glad to be checking out in the next 30 years or so.

[240260280]

One of the first signs were rumble strips on the sides of the road for people who can't stay in their lane or stay awake.  Training wheels for cars!!!

[siteunseen]

17 hours ago, 240260280 said:

What a sad world.  Glad to be checking out in the next 30 years or so.

Totally agree with you! 

I know I missed out on a lot of happiness in my life but I'm glad I won't be worrying about my kid/kids having to live through the misery. It ends with me. 

[Stanley]

Whatever the future may bring, I've become more aware of changes in driving habits. Couple weeks ago I was behind a driver who was all over the road. When I was able to pass safely I saw her looking down at her phone. Last fall I was one of the first to stop at an accident where an SUV rolled on it's side and a woman in the other car was trapped inside. We pulled the SUV driver out, she said she was lost and looking a map on the screen. I've been seeing a lot more "failure to yield" in the last few years, when drivers making a left turn cut off approaching cars. I don't know but I suspect they've gotten used to following orders from their navigation systems and just turn when told to. Also, on a recent road trip to Arizona there were a lot of slow big rigs in the right hand lane. Often there would be line of cars in the left lane waiting to pass, and a driver would fly past in the right lane, get behind the truck, and then slip between the left lane cars and pass. So it's 80 mph and only about a car length between cars. One little mistake and it's a tragedy. And on a 6 hour trip they might only save about a minute doing that. I usually ended up passing them later, with the cruise set at 79 mph.

[Dave WM]

long drive this past weekend, crazy drivers, either watching the iphones while driving, or texting (I don't look my passenger does). Down right scary. combine that with no concept of the correct distance to follow and then the "accident' (I prefer expected crash instead of accident). I used to tell my kids that if you are on a limited access highway then you can detect the idiot drivers very easy. You will see brake lights.... seriously on a limited access highway there is no need to use your brakes, just adjust your speed, give a safe buffer, and you can just ease off the gas if there is a slow down. Prob why my brakes go 100k easy. Best instant Karma of the trip, a Lexus from Texas was speeding going at least 85-90, not in Georgia fella... he got pulled over around Valdosta, Smile as I go by, (he had blown by me a few miles back). after a while here he comes again, blows past me just south of Tifton, sure enough just as I was getting ready to exit at Tifton, I see the blue lights ahead and my buddy from Texas in his Lexus, is pulled over again, I gave the trooper a thumbs up :)

That DA in the Lexus just does not realize the don't mess with Texas applies in Georgia too. I hope he tried it again for a 3rd strike, some how I figure he would.

One the way back massive traffic jam south of Ocala on I-75, I bailed out and got out my MAP and found an alternate route (look at map after pulling off road, memorize directions, drive home).

Gee I managed without a GPS or Smart phone to somehow drive home. Never take your eyes off the road, turn off the radio in heavy traffic, watch out for the other guy, expect animals (and humans nowadays) to walk out into traffic, and you can avoid a lot of "accidents".

 

Edited May 7, 2019 by Dave WM

[240260280]

Decisions people make when driving speaks volumes of how they think and see things. Braking on approach to green lights, waiting for the road to be completely free of all cars before entering, not creeping into intersection for left turn on green, lining up in the right lane like lemmings when the left lane going in the same direction is empty, driving below the speed limit, not maintaining a constant speed, not speeding up to merge into traffic when needed, using wheel chair parking when able-bodied, staying a car length behind at a red light, not signalling, driving with lights off, driving with high beams on, texting and driving, smoking pot when driving, littering etc.... daily occurrences. 

[Dave WM]

The staying way back and then not going when green I am convinced has something to do with the iPhone use. I swear I have seen lights completely cycle with not a single car moving. I used to be pretty reserved about getting on the horn, but nowadays I think folks are using that as the que to start rolling again, and rolling slowly thru the green light while finishing up the text. 3 cars get thru when 20 should. Driving in O town is just down right crazy.

My other pet peeve is the passing, I get it you don't drive in the passing lane BUT at least pass a safe distance before pulling back in front, least you kick up rocks that break the windshield of the guy you pulled in front of with 1 foot to spare, I have had 3 broken windshield by just that cause. Now I try to find a big truck that is doing the speed limit (which is slow to most people) I get in behind him with a bout a 5 second buffer, far enough to be safe, and close enough to discourage the fast passers from getting in front of me, they would rather just pass the truck while remaining in the left lane, least they lose their "spot" in tail gating train they are in.

Edited May 7, 2019 by Dave WM

[grannyknot]

We all hate aggressive drivers but sometimes on the Hwys I drive you have to be just to get where you are going,  the 401 Hwy north of Toronto I have heard is the heaviest traveled highway in NA, millions of cars a day, some areas are 18 lanes, 9 in each direction with the far right hand lanes always turning into an exit lane. So if you want to travel in the slowpoke lane you have to continually be merging left into faster moving traffic.

So you have 2 choices, signal or not signal,  if you signal that you want to change lanes you might find someone who will take pitty on you and let you in but if it is rush hour then signalling will result in most of the others cars packing up tight bumper to bumper to prevent you from getting in front them.  In order to get to a faster lane or move to the right to get to your exit you have to time your signal and turning of the steering wheel to occur at the same time without giving the other guy a chance to accelerate to cut you off.  It's kind of like a game of British Bulldog at 75 mph but I have to do it twice a day.

[charliekwin]

I love cars and driving, but honestly, I think in a couple hundred years or so, humanity will probably look back and see them as a "what in the world were they thinking back then?!" kind of folly: expensive, dangerous, polluting machinery that consumes a ton of resources for the benefit of (usually) just one person, and that sits idle for 99% of the time.

[Zed Head]

32 minutes ago, charliekwin said:

 in a couple hundred years or so, humanity will probably ....

be boating.  We were put on this planet to extract the oil contaminating the earth's crust, and burn it.   Each oil well in the world is, in essence, a mechanical zit popper.  We can't stop until it's all gone.  Cars, boats and planes, (and trains) are just ways to have fun while we accomplish our mission.

Just a thought.