Posted on 05/29/2011 12:00:23 PM PDT by Excuse_My_Bellicosity
There are variations in driving styles on our roads and most motorists will fall into a distinct characteristic type depending on how they approach the task of driving. As you read through this list, you are likely to recognize yourself or someone you drive with.
Which driving character are you?
Nervous Nick: This driver lacks confidence in their driving abilities and is intimidated by traffic and highway speeds. The “Nervous Nick” will always drive at the speed limit or lower and will not accelerate enough to merge safely with highway traffic. They will display moments of indecision when it comes to driving options such as making left turns and when to proceed and how fast.
The Danger: They cause traffic to “rat pack” around them on highways. This leads to multiple lane changes and drivers becoming impatient and making dangerous choices or lane changes. Driving slower than the “flow” of traffic can cause traffic mayhem behind the slower driver as others must negotiate a way around the slow moving vehicle.
Middle Lane Mike: Will head from the on-ramp directly to the middle lane and plant them selves there no matter how slow they drive or who is sitting on their rear bumper. They are convinced this is the best lane to drive in and they are the safest drivers on the road.
The Danger: Traffic will pass on either the right of left sides of this driver causing traffic flow chaos. Large trucks will sit impatiently on their rear bumper trying to intimidate this driver into moving over. They are in danger of causing a crash or being rear-ended. Vehicles moving slowly in the middle lane are like a rock in a stream. They cause turbulence and in this case traffic turbulence.
Overconfident Owen or Arrogant Andy: These drivers are usually driving in an aggressive manner as they are very sure of their capabilities. They are usually speeding and changing lanes often. This aggressive driver feels they are more important than everyone else on the road. All other drivers are just in “their” way and should not be on “their” road.
The Danger: This driver has the confidence and sometimes even the driving talent that will allow them to handle their vehicle while speeding, but when things go wrong they lack the skills to recover or avoid an incident. This driver has confidence that far out strips their “driving smarts” and they make poor choices in their driving situations. They are usually driving too fast for weather and traffic conditions. They often drive an SUV or other large vehicle that adds to their sense of superiority. This driver will tailgate others and try different means of intimidation to get others out of their way. These drivers have been known to pass on the shoulder and lane hop. During the winter months, they are often found in the ditch.
Bored Bobby or Busy Betty: Usually found talking on a cell phone or chatting with passengers. Their mind will be focused on anything but driving safely. Even though they know the distraction of talking on the cell phone is dangerous, they feel their business is more important.
The Danger: This motorist is not paying attention to driving and invariably will end up crashing or cutting someone off. The “Bored Bobby” is just as dangerous as the other drivers on this list. They are not processing all their driving information that will help them make wise driving choices. They are driving distracted which is the leading cause of crashes. After being involved in a crash, they usually cannot figure out what happened.
Solo Sandy: This driver believes they are the only one on the road. They rarely check their mirrors and have no idea other vehicles are near or beside them. You may see this motorist heading down a highway with the only other vehicle in sight directly beside them or in front of them. Also known as “Blinder Billy” as they appear to have blinders on allowing them to only see directly in front of them.
The Danger: Not knowing what is around you in your driving environment is very dangerous. Each driver needs to know what vehicles are in their immediate vicinity to make intelligent lane or avoidance choices. This driver is often hoping others will yield to their lane changes. If they encounter a “Bored Bobby” or a “Busy Betty” the results are usually costly.
Immortal Ivan: Believes no matter what they do behind the wheel, nothing bad will happen to them. When people die in car crashes, it is always going to be someone else, not them. This driving symptom tends to come in the teenage years and can last into middle age if the driver makes it to that age. Too many car crashing video games can exacerbate the problem.
The Danger: Their fearlessness leads to very poor driving decisions and reckless driving. Many younger drivers and their passengers succumb to this syndrome. If “Immortal Ivan” survives, they often age to become an “Arrogant Andy”.
Dangerous Don or Silly Stevie: These drivers believe they know it all about driving. They have been on the road for a number of years and have survived. To them, their experience means they are the best drivers on the road. All those around them are morons or crazy. For drivers like “Dangerous Don”, their frustration with other motorists can lead to high risk driving and poor decisions.
The Danger: Their survival in many ways was a product of luck and not so much skill. One day that luck will run out and the resulting crash will be anyone else’s mistake and not theirs. They will blame the other driver, black ice or anything else since they could not possibly be at fault. Their closed minds mean they will never learn the skills that could keep them from that future crash.
Smart Susie: The rarest of drivers. Understands that driving is the most dangerous daily task they will face and prepares for it. This driver realizes they need to upgrade their driving skills to be prepared for the perils of driving. They focus on the task of driving and are always making driving easier for those sharing the road with them.
The Danger: There are not enough of these drivers on our roads!
Down here in Northern Mexico.....San Diego....we call these drivers illegals!
You, my dear, are the reaction to the stupid crazy drivers. You are safe beyond a fault...but the other drivers around you tend to do everything they can to PISS YOU OFF. I love how you drive, especially when the stupid drivers give you the bird because you DARED to pass them!
The dead guy!
Did you use to live in Oklahoma, or drive through there often? That’s a daily driving hazard in Oklahoma!!
I think that’s quite common. People just don’t know they’re doing it. I tend to check my speedometer.
I’ve experienced a similar effect at stop lights. Say I’m the fourth car at a light and have a large truck next to me. Since I’m not the first car at the light I can daydream a bit. The truck driver releases the brake and rolls backwards for a second. It feels to me that I’m moving forward so I start pushing my brake through the floor. It’s an odd feeling.
>>Another thing people do on the merge is that they only get up to 45.<<
On occasion, when behind a wimpy driver that is clearly going to do that, I’ll stop at the top of the on ramp and wait until they are a good ways down. Then I’ll have room to get up to speed myself and merge correctly.
On really long drives, I like to draft trucks. But I get close enough to their bumper that I don’t blind them with my lights. ;)
how about the moron in the pickup who flashes their high beams to get everyone else to pull over. no matter how fast or over the speed limit you are going, they will want to go faster.
last time smart susie was on the road she was seen putting on makeup and changing her shoes whil driving. (and she was talking on the phone and texting at the same time as all of the above)
>>It’s a fact that 95% of ALL drivers believe they are ABOVE Average....<<
I think I am a more skilled driver than 95% of them, but not “better”. I had my sales partner, when I was driving him to an appointment in Minneapolis, as we pulled into the parking stall, say: “You’d be a great NYC cab driver”.
There are cab drivers, and there are limo drivers. I’d be fired as a limo driver.
I recently saw a man playing a guitar while driving down a major city street.
Cannot stand idiots who force themseles in front of you making you brake or slow, and there is no one for a half mile behind you.
>The dead guy!<<
No. The speed is too low. It will be a minor fender bender, if there is any contact at all. That is why “free right turn without a full stop” camera tickets are so bogus.
You are probably being tailgated because you are blocking the flow of traffic. If you are on a multilane highway and being tailgated, they are requesting you move over so they can pass. After the faster traffic has passed, you can move back over...though the left lane should be reserved for passing. If you are not passing, stay to the right!
It’s like watching a film at Imax that was shot from a moving helecopter. When you look off screen it looks like the whole theater is tilting.
it is the “sexless” writing of the PC universities infesting the language.
thankfully the feminist who pushed that nonsense is now dead and her program can die with her.
I think a lot of the “offenses” listed in this thread actually come in categories. To use the tailgater as an example of this: There is the freeway tailgater that gets right on your bumper even though there is simply solid traffic in all lanes. They should back off. Then there is the tailgater on the freeway where the car in front of him is blocking the passing lane, he’s flashed his lights, patiently waited, done it a second time, and proceeded to get closer and closer to “intimidate” the driver in front. I’m the latter. I’ve gotten so close to the guys bumper that at a glance it looks like we are touching. It only gets to that point because the guy in front of me is slowing down. He doesn’t know how to deal with someone that is willing to get CLOSER when he does that. And the closer we are, the less “impact” there will be when we touch, if we touch.
And I don’t slow down for tailgaters. I slam on my brakes and immediately release them. When they see my nose dip they go into blue smoke panic brake. But when I do it it is because it is the first type of tailgater above who is doing it in a very aggressive way. I was almost rear-ended by a guy in a BMW M series a week or so ago.
I like this line from Fried Green Tomatoes: “I’m old and I have insurance.”
I experienced that once, long ago. It was a cross-country flight sort of thing. At one point the plane banked. Very effective.
Well, if the fool did that to my family, he’d not make it alive to the next exit on the Interstate.
Blocking traffic while moving with the flow of traffic and not hanging out in the left lane? That’s a good one.
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