what is your biggest pet peeve???

[AKHog]

Nonsense, people are on the road because they have to get somewhere, not because they feel like driving.

If YOU (by driving slow) force them to travel less than the posted speed, and will not allow them to pass, YOU are the problem, they are not trying to break the law, they are trying to abide by and and get where they are going in a timely manner.. YOU, being arrogant and inconsiderate, decide that you want to drive slower than the posted speed, and also decide not to take into consideration the other drivers who DO wish to travel at the posted speed, so YOU force them to have 2 choices, stay stuck behind you, or face the hazard of trying to pass you..  neither is desireable, but YOU have put them in this situation.

all YOU have to do, is move over for about 10 seconds, and let them pass.. that's it..  but your an arrogant inconsiderate driver, so you just ignore everyone else on YOUR road and let the traffic stack up behind you.

Wow, road rage much? Talk about making this personal.

First of all I never said I drive way under the limit, I usually go right at the limit +/- 5mph*, because at least where I live the posted limits seem very logical and appropriate for the road (they even change them with the seasons). If you would take time to read what I wrote, you'd see that I actually agree with you in one regard, that people driving way under the limit and in the left lane or otherwise not allowing other people to pass are a problem. However they are just one part of the problem, and its people who rage up and make dangerous passes that are the main contributing factor.

But its your attitude that "YOU are the problem" that is so typical and really is the actual problem. You are unwilling to take a step back and look at the big picture and admit that you possibly may be the one taking the elevated risk or at least contributing to the situation.

*I see the problem every day I drive the front end loader, during which I am going very slow, and includes going down a highway and over a bridge. The highway is 2 lane with a very wide shoulder that I normally am mostly or completely in, but the bridge is a skinny 2 lane with no shoulder. I'm going 30 in a 55 for miles with passing lanes, but people can't wait to get around me on the 1/4 mile long bridge. They will actually pass in traffic on a skinny bridge because they are in such a hurry, sometimes cutting it REALLY close. I'm sure the whole time they are saying, "damn YOU get off MY road". Of course I'm the one going to plow out all the snow so they can actually get to work.  

[Strip]

Wingnutt,

Its called a speed limit, there is no law that says traveling the speed limit is required. Even on the interstate the minimum speed required is 40mph in Florida per this statue.

Minimum Speed Limit:
I. No person shall drive a motor vehicle at such a slow speed as to impede or block the normal and reasonable movement of traffic. §316.183(5)
II. The minimum speed limit on Interstate and Defense Highways, with at lest 4 lanes, is 40 MPH. §316.183(2)
III. A person, driving at less than the normal speed of traffic, shall drive in the right-hand lane then available for traffic or as close as practicable to the right-hand curb or edge of the roadway. §316.081(2)

On a two lane road expecting someone to pull over is absolutely ludicrous, and probably illegal. Given the 40mph-70mph example I would say traveling 10-15 mph under a normal 55mph speed limit is well within the law. Face it the only time a slow driver presents a danger is when you force the issue. Attitudes like this are what make the road in America so dangerous, not slow drivers. Seems to me the only arrogant and inconsiderate types are the ones with attitudes like yours.

A slow driver going down the road is no danger until the issue is forced by an impatient one.

Strip  

[CAP1]

On topic:  Pet Peeve, things to annoy me, are two things:  People who "race" me, I don't want to race anyone but it seems like since I drive a nice car-ish (Scion tC) people (male teens) insist on trying to out-run me.  I never play the game sine I know better...we have cops everywhere in this city.  But there are people who drive little "supped-up" cars around here who think everyone needs to race them so they can "win" and get an ego boost or something.  Sad thing is if I wanted to be stupid and race I would likely win, the idiots don't even have good cars.  I do speed (max of 5mph over unless I'm on country-roads) and accelerate fast-ish, but still...
 The other thing is people who get right on my tail at a light when we're on a hill.  I drive a manual so I am going to, naturally, drift back some before going forwards and when then sit 3" off my tail it's very disconcerting (right word?).

know what's fun? next time you get one doing this......set up as if you're gonna run him. when the light turns, just "blp" the throttle. then watch him take off like a bat outta helll, and make an arse out of himself.  

[CAP1]

Yes, very typical argument based on a small cross section of data. Read my comment above about people arguing to NOT wear a seat belt because of a few accidents. Your argument like theirs is illogical and incorrect, speeding causes more accidents and every real scientific study out there backs that up.
Completely illogical again, your two statements contradict eachother. Of course its the drivers ability to handle the speed that is the problem, but thats because the vehicle becomes more difficult to control with increased speed. Why do you think professional race car drivers crash? Do you think there would be as many crashes in races if they had 55 mph limiters on the cars?

Meh, guess I'm just waisting my time with this one.  

 if YOU look up further, you'd see that i agreed with ya on the seatbelt issue. 

 todays cars will easily handle 80mph speeds.,,,,well....most of em. it's not like you're driving a 55 lincoln land yacht, wallowing over every dip in the road.

 all it takes is more attention on the part of the driver. something most aren't doing, as they're to busy doing their makeup, texting, reading, etc.

 when ya drive faster, ya just plan further ahead...........

[AKHog]

if YOU look up further, you'd see that i agreed with ya on the seatbelt issue.  

 todays cars will easily handle 80mph speeds.,,,,well....most of em. it's not like you're driving a 55 lincoln land yacht, wallowing over every dip in the road.

 all it takes is more attention on the part of the driver. something most aren't doing, as they're to busy doing their makeup, texting, reading, etc.

 when ya drive faster, ya just plan further ahead...........

You are completely missing the point. If you can understand the seatbelt argument, and how some people really think its generally safer to go without them because of a few experiences, then simply apply that logic to what you are saying. Just because you've been in a few accidents that didn't involve speeding does NOT mean driving faster is not more dangerous.

When you make generalizations like "most cars can handle 80" it again shows you are completely missing the point of the argument. I know what the cars are capable of, but its a simple fact that going faster does significantly increase the risk. Thats because while the coeffiecent of friction basically stays constant, the kinetic energy of the vehicle increases exponentially with speed. That means increasing 10mph from 20-30 does not have nearly the same effect as going from 50-60. Thats also why even with many modern advances in vehicle safety and handling the speed limits have stayed almost the same for several decades.

The point is most speeders don't realize two things: First, that they really aren't saving as much time as they think they are by speeding (as illustrated by your very own posts). And second, that they don't realize the elevated risk they are putting themselves and everyone around them at by just going faster, no matter how good of a driver they are (or think they are).

[AKHog]

Just for the record before I get any more angry replies or PMs, I'm not bagging on the person that occasionally goes a few mph over the limit. Its the dangerous attitude that the 'road is mine and YOU are in the way', and the attitude that the speed limit is there for other people who can't drive as well, that are the real problems, and both very obvious in this thread.

[Banshee7]

...  my bigest "pet peeve" are this creatures,on high grades ,snow covered sections of Trans canada highway, specially in the night.They don't care about my big 18 wheeler truck,  always around the highway this time of the year,  licking the deicing salt from roads.

(Image removed from quote.)

(Image removed from quote.)

I'll come vulch those for you while you deliver the supplies!!!    Big #S# GHI.  I have a lot of respect for truckers.

[Saurdaukar]

There is really no point in arguing with someone who doesn't understand basic physics, so I'm not going to. If you really believe what you wrote I suggest you go read some books.

I understand basic physics just fine.  If you run into a brick wall with your car at 1mph, the energy of the impact is no different than hitting a vehicle going 65mph when you are traveling 66mph.

Again, speed, in and of itself, is not the issue.  Speed differential is.

BTW, I'm not a little old lady who never drives fast. I raced autocross for years in BMW 2002s and even did some rally racing when I lived in the south west. I know a thing or two about driving fast. There is a place and a time, and its not when you are on the road with other people, period.

I don't think anyone is claiming you are old, female or slow.  The BMW 2002 is a great car; I'd love to have one.  Personally, I'm a big fan of the E46 chassis; especially those of the S54-powered variety.  Since you have track experience, I am surprised by your position.  

I have plenty of track time as well.  All road course; 80% of it in rear-engined cars.  I don't require a book to tell me what is going to happen if I exceed the limit of adhesion.  I've exceeded it on more than one occasion; the line between trail braking and snap oversteer being rather thin in a car boasting a 40/60 weight distribution.

...2nd only to drunk driving, the largest cause of fatalities on the road was people speeding and loosing control of their car.

Speed is not what causes injury.  The difference between walking away from a collision and becoming a statistic is, again, speed differential.  Injury is sustained when forward momentum is abruptly altered or stopped, entirely.  

The real problem is people don't have respect for what a vehicle can do. Try being a first responder to some of these crashes, where you come up to half a body, laying on the cold asphalt grasping for air and begging for you to help, but all you can do is watch them die. THEN tell me speeding is harmless.

See above.

In concert with your point of view; please don't misunderstand me.  I agree 100% that public roads are *not* the place to be playing boy-racer or competing in the Stoplight GT.  As you stated, "keep it on the track."  

By the same token; I would suggest that an overwhelming majority of drivers on US roads have absolute no clue how to drive.  If you have track experience; especially on rally circuits; you understand.  I would expect you to agree with my opinion.

Accidents like those you are describing are horrible things, no doubt, but they are not the result of "speeding."  They are the result of driver ignorance.  Ignorance both of their vehicle's capabilities and their own.

That ignorance is to be expected when we place more emphasis on teaching little Johnny to parallel park instead of recover on a wet skid pad.

In Finland, if memory serves, it takes about three years to get a full drivers license and exhaustive lessons in car control.

Here?  Takes about five minutes.  Know what a stop sign is?  Check.  Slow down in preparation for a stop when confronted with a yellow light?  Check.  Put your seat belt on?  Check.

That last one is the most important part of our drivers education program because with the amount of training 16 year old's get in this country, that seat belt is probably going to be needed.

You appear to have plenty of experience with the result of this ignorance.  The solution is to fix the training, not vilify "speeding" as the be-all, end-all cause of automotive-related fatalities.

[CAP1]

Just for the record before I get any more angry replies or PMs, I'm not bagging on the person that occasionally goes a few mph over the limit. Its the dangerous attitude that the 'road is mine and YOU are in the way', and the attitude that the speed limit is there for other people who can't drive as well, that are the real problems, and both very obvious in this thread.

i don't know about others on here.....but i would personally never disrespect you by sending nasty or offensive pm's to ya.

[AKHog]

@Saurdaukar, I suspect we mostly agree but are just looking at things differently.

About the physics, your original comment really sounds like you were saying there is no difference in the way a car handles going 15 or 50 mph. Speed "differential" aside, the one going 50 has a lot more kinetic energy in one direction, that means everything is going to take longer including turning or stopping. Since the kinetic energy increases with the square of the speed, these negative effects increase exponentially with speed.

You say speed differential is the problem. Well the majority of speeding accidents in rural areas are one vehicle accidents, differential is irrelevant. Also consider driving on a highway in traffic. If everyone goes 20 mph faster, the differential is the same, but the overall risk is still increased significantly.

If anything my little amount of track experience has taught me to appreciate the risks we take in vehicles even more. Also like I've said, after the things that I have seen the *LAST* way I want to die is in a car accident. Those experiences alone have really gotten me to slow way down and drive more carefully, constantly on the lookout for the people who are not.

[sluggish]

I understand basic physics just fine.  If you run into a brick wall with your car at 1mph, the energy of the impact is no different than hitting a vehicle going 65mph when you are traveling 66mph.

Actually, you are wrong.  A one mile per hour collision between a brick wall and a car and a one mile per hour collision between two cars (assuming they have the same weight and bumper height)would yield significantly different results.

[PhantomBarron]

OK this really burns me up. The little rice burners with the huge rear spoilers, the gawdawfle bumble bee mufflers, and the constant reving like its some sort of race car. Its a POS 4,000 car with a bunch of bolt on crap.
I realize the muscle car is hard to come by, but really this is not the answer.

[Serenity]

I understand basic physics just fine.  If you run into a brick wall with your car at 1mph, the energy of the impact is no different than hitting a vehicle going 65mph when you are traveling 66mph.

Again, speed, in and of itself, is not the issue.  Speed differential is.

I don't think anyone is claiming you are old, female or slow.  The BMW 2002 is a great car; I'd love to have one.  Personally, I'm a big fan of the E46 chassis; especially those of the S54-powered variety.  Since you have track experience, I am surprised by your position.  

I have plenty of track time as well.  All road course; 80% of it in rear-engined cars.  I don't require a book to tell me what is going to happen if I exceed the limit of adhesion.  I've exceeded it on more than one occasion; the line between trail braking and snap oversteer being rather thin in a car boasting a 40/60 weight distribution.

Speed is not what causes injury.  The difference between walking away from a collision and becoming a statistic is, again, speed differential.  Injury is sustained when forward momentum is abruptly altered or stopped, entirely.  

See above.

In concert with your point of view; please don't misunderstand me.  I agree 100% that public roads are *not* the place to be playing boy-racer or competing in the Stoplight GT.  As you stated, "keep it on the track."  

By the same token; I would suggest that an overwhelming majority of drivers on US roads have absolute no clue how to drive.  If you have track experience; especially on rally circuits; you understand.  I would expect you to agree with my opinion.

Accidents like those you are describing are horrible things, no doubt, but they are not the result of "speeding."  They are the result of driver ignorance.  Ignorance both of their vehicle's capabilities and their own.

That ignorance is to be expected when we place more emphasis on teaching little Johnny to parallel park instead of recover on a wet skid pad.

In Finland, if memory serves, it takes about three years to get a full drivers license and exhaustive lessons in car control.

Here?  Takes about five minutes.  Know what a stop sign is?  Check.  Slow down in preparation for a stop when confronted with a yellow light?  Check.  Put your seat belt on?  Check.

That last one is the most important part of our drivers education program because with the amount of training 16 year old's get in this country, that seat belt is probably going to be needed.

You appear to have plenty of experience with the result of this ignorance.  The solution is to fix the training, not vilify "speeding" as the be-all, end-all cause of automotive-related fatalities.

Gotta agree, ESPECIALLY on driver's education. My teacher preached fear. "If you exceed 15 mph, it WILL kill you!" "If you drive a car, you are going to DIE!" "Cars ARE LETHAL DEATH TRAPS!!!" She basically made kids shivering chihuahuas whenever they got anywhere near a car. Having grown up with my father being a skilled but fast driver, I had no fear of vehicles in and of themselves, and she hated me because she could never instill that fear in me. A vehicle is not inherently dangerous. The driver of the vehicle determines whether or not it is dangerous. Classroom lessons in fear replaced practical education, and almost no mind was paid to recovery from an unsafe situation, because we we're programmed to be so terrified of driving we would "NEVER find ourselves in an adverse condition!". The end result of this? With no education in skid recovery, I find myself in an adverse situation one day. I was not speeding or driving recklessly. I was coming through a rather sharp turn when the guy in front of me decides to turn off the road without signaling, and to do so, slams on his brakes. Behind him, I have to slam on mine too, and the combination of the grade of the road, the low quality of the tread on my tires, and several other unenviable factors, I wind up in a skid. A particularly nasty skid. With no knowledge of what to properly do, the best I can do is run with my instinct and try to regain control. I manage to avoid hitting the car in front of me, or the oncoming traffic in the other lane, but it was NOT a nice situation, and something I would CERTAINLY want to be taught about in advance.

[ink]

This argument is just illogical. Its not the people going slow that cause accidents, it's the impatient people behind them trying to 'make a move', speed, and break the law that cause them.

It's this attitude that the road is mine and YOU are in the way that causes most accidents. Just remember, in the USA driving is not a right, it's a privilege, and just like other privileges, it can easily be taken away.

 
edited so I dont get skuzzied....


...there is a old word---Bamboozled---    you have been.  

[sluggish]

 
edited so I dont get skuzzied....


...there is a old word---Bamboozled---    you have been.  

I liked your other post better.