What Made you Smile/What Ticked you off Today?

[prfsnl_gmr]

First I give a "polite honk". Which is a quick *beep beep*.

If that doesn't work, a give a solid *hoooooooooooooooooooooooooonk*

I find that the "polite honk" usually does the trick, and I only use the "long honk" if someone is doing something incredibly dumb.

Also, one of my biggest pet peeves is when people honk at me to make a right turn on a red light. First, I am not required to make a right turn at a red light, and it is perfectly legal for me to sit through it. (I am in just as much of a hurry as anyone else, and I will make the turn if it is safe to do so.) Second, the car behind me certainly does not have as good a view of oncoming traffic as I do (since, you know, I am sitting at the intersection), and I have on several ocassions had people honk at me to pull out into oncoming traffic. The people who do this are usually cab drivers or extremely aggressive (and generally pretty terrible) drivers, and while I used to get very angry, my current response is to just wait out the red light and, when the light changes, pull out at a snail's pace. It generally makes the person honking at me furious, and it makes me laugh.

[Ack]

cab drivers or extremely aggressive (and generally pretty terrible) drivers

That basically means the same thing in Atlanta. The worst drivers I see here are usually either driving taxis or BMWs.

[Luke]

Here are my current driving issues:

No one seems to stop at stop signs. When I come to a stop, the person behind me usually gets frustrated that I actually stopped.

People taking left turns at intersections when I'm driving straight. This happens all too often at stop lights.

Drivers riding my ass in the right lane...to race to a red light. Sure I'm doing 35 in a 45, but I'm in the right hand lane and there is a red light 1000 feet ahead. I'm not going to race to slam on my brakes. What's the rush when you know you'll have to stop?

[samsonlonghair]

Here are my current driving issues:

No one seems to stop at stop signs. When I come to a stop, the person behind me usually gets frustrated that I actually stopped.

People taking left turns at intersections when I'm driving straight. This happens all too often at stop lights.

Drivers riding my ass in the right lane...to race to a red light. Sure I'm doing 35 in a 45, but I'm in the right hand lane and there is a red light 1000 feet ahead. I'm not going to race to slam on my brakes. What's the rush when you know you'll have to stop?

I can empathize with all this.

[MrPopo]

One time I was at an intersection where the left lane is left only and the right lane is left, right, or straight. I'm in the right lane behind a guy with his right turn signal on and he stops at the intersection while the light is green (people in front of him were going straight or left). I look and I don't see any pedestrians in the crosswalk, so I honk. He continues to sit there, and still no pedestrians. So I honk again, and longer. Then he finally has the electrical signals reach his brain from wherever and proceeds to turn off his signal and make the slowest left turn ever (and I'm trying to turn left). Then he proceeds to drive down the road 20 mph below the rest of traffic before he finally realizes he has no idea where he's going and gets off the road.

People taking left turns at intersections when I'm driving straight. This happens all too often at stop lights.

I assume you mean "when there's not enough space for them to make the turn safely".

Drivers riding my ass in the right lane...to race to a red light. Sure I'm doing 35 in a 45, but I'm in the right hand lane and there is a red light 1000 feet ahead. I'm not going to race to slam on my brakes. What's the rush when you know you'll have to stop?

If there's a right turn lane that opens up next to you that you're blocking the entrance of by going slow then I completely sympathize with the guy behind you.

[BoneSnapDeez]

First I give a "polite honk". Which is a quick *beep beep*.

If that doesn't work, a give a solid *hoooooooooooooooooooooooooonk*

I find that the "polite honk" usually does the trick, and I only use the "long honk" if someone is doing something incredibly dumb.

Also, one of my biggest pet peeves is when people honk at me to make a right turn on a red light. First, I am not required to make a right turn at a red light, and it is perfectly legal for me to sit through it. (I am in just as much of a hurry as anyone else, and I will make the turn if it is safe to do so.) Second, the car behind me certainly does not have as good a view of oncoming traffic as I do (since, you know, I am sitting at the intersection), and I have on several ocassions had people honk at me to pull out into oncoming traffic. The people who do this are usually cab drivers or extremely aggressive (and generally pretty terrible) drivers, and while I used to get very angry, my current response is to just wait out the red light and, when the light changes, pull out at a snail's pace. It generally makes the person honking at me furious, and it makes me laugh.

Yeah the right-on-red honk is one I frequently get here in Augusta. So annoying.

People performing illegal U-turns is also an issue. Many roads are poorly designed and people don't have the patience to wait for the designated "turnaround" areas.

[Luke]

1) I assume you mean "when there's not enough space for them to make the turn safely".

2) If there's a right turn lane that opens up next to you that you're blocking the entrance of by going slow then I completely sympathize with the guy behind you.

1) Nope. I'm saying that when two people have a green light, the person making a left turn thinks he/she has the right of way. People don't understand people driving straight have the right of way.

2) Not the case.


Smile: This video on how the HBO sequence was made.

I enjoyed the HBO intro as much if not more than some of the movies when I was younger.

[mjmjr25]

There aren't a lot of honks where I live; the whole Minnesota-Nice thing perhaps.

The only time I honk; and anyone should honk, is for safety. Kid in street; Semi merging into your lane and doesn't see you. All of the "i'm late" and "your slow" honks defeat the intended purpose.

A car horn is a warning device and most states have laws on the books about illegal usage. At least in Minnesota, if you are observed honking in a non-emergency or pending emergency you will get a ticket.

[Jmustang1968]

I get annoyed several things. Here are 3 that stick out.

1. Most often encountered trying to turn into my neighborhood. The main street I turn off of is 2 lanes each way separated by a median. At the intersection the median opens up and has short left turn lanes.
Both intersecting roads leading into subdivisions have stops signs, and the main road does not. When I start pulling into the turn lane, for some reason the car wanting to turn left out of either neighborhood street thinks it is there go ahead to pull into that opened median area to complete their left turn. They do not have the right of way and I do not have a stop sign. So I dont stop, pull in front of them and make my turn. Sometimes that means they get stuck in the opposite lanes.

2. Merging highway traffic that shoot down as far as possible and even continue into the shoulder to try to jump as many cars as possible. Made even more annoying when cars not merging will jump into this new 'open lane' in an attempt to jump up 10 or 12 cars in line. I will attempt to cut these people off by moving over slightly so they cant go past me.

3. Similar to 2. People who wait til last second to get in exit lane of highway. The exit lane backs up and we are slowly crawling along, and these people haul ass all the way down til last possible second and try to squeeze in. Then they get pissed when those who have been waiting don't let them in.

[Luke]

A car horn is a warning device and most states have laws on the books about illegal usage.

I believe a horn can also be used as a "Hey! Wake up!" device.


When it comes to Interstate driving, screw all of you who wait for the last second to merge when you see a sign that says "Left Lane Closed 5 Miles Ahead". You know why there is traffic? You. Get over as soon as possible and a magical thing happens: you stop creating traffic and the traffic that does exist moves at a steady pace. Plus you won't have a hissy fit when I don't let in my lane.

When I had my Pathfinder I would do the same thing 18-wheelers do when you have to merge into one lane...you block the other lane. At the same time I've seen cars drive on the shoulder to prevent a truck blocking a lane.

Smile/Frown: I got an email with the subject "HELP!" last night, and a client was having an ms excel issue. Went to her office, and all was well. I got the "why does it work when you do it?" short speech that we've all had at one time.

The smile part is that the program works delightfully. The frown is driving forty minutes and sitting around for another forty for nothing.