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!
That would be hogging the fast lane while driving at or below the speed limit. The only justifiable reason I know for a driveby shooting.
>>It causes me to have the urge to Ram.<<
My king for a day ultimate scenario: I drive an H1 hummer with big cow catcher in the front. I come up on cars in the passing lane not passing anybody. I flash my lights. If they don’t move over within five seconds, I flash them again. If they still do not respond, I rear end them, spinning them off the road. Fewer people would block if this happened more often.
A guy can dream, right?
Amen, to those idiots. I wish I had a rear mounted RPG to get tailgaters off my tail. And, to slow drivers, don’t they pay attention to what’s going around them?
Been doing that for 40 years.
Same here in San Diego. Green doesn’t mean “go” like on the drag strip. We get used to the line of cars making a left through amber-to-red left arrows in heavy traffic conditions as you stated.
However, I have witnessed individuals who will speed through a red left arrow while the intersection is somewhat clear of oncoming traffic only to narrowly hit someone. They usually speed up from further down the lane in hopes they will make it through, only to find they are going too fast and are committed to the action.
Of course, Cyber Liberty is right. There are those who will insist on their right-of-way (green light) even if it means flirting with disaster.
I rather have Grave Digger and go right over top of them. Then there is the guy at the light in the left turn lane that waits till it turns Red instead of pulling out where you can turn after the red. Then you have to wait 5 more minutes for the green arrow. Urge to Ram.
I don’t know which is worse, the drivers who think a turn signal is a magic forcefield that causes traffic to give way (usually female) or the rolling roadblock control freaks who will actually speed up and slow down, blocking and refusing to move over to let you merge from the onramp (usually male).
Hint to both: nobody knows nor cares who you are, you’re just going down the road like so many thousands of anonymous others. Just play nice, that’s all that’s required to keep somebody from being killed or injured, again, today, tomorrow, the next day and days on end after that. That’s all it takes.
When I took Driver's Ed (remember that?) in school, we were taught to brake with our left foot. That way, in tricky situations where you may need to rapidly alternate braking and accelerating, your foot can hover over your brake while your right foot is still on the accelerator. You also never mistake the brake for the accelerator.
>>In theory, that is perfectly correct. Unfortunately, zippers don’t have independent unpredictable brains on each half of the device.<<
Actually I see it work like a zipper all the time. The biggest problem is the guys in the merging lane that cross the gore strip to enter too early, or the ones that push it as far as possible where they start entering the shoulder before forcing them in. And the worst is the guy on the highway passin and onramp where cars are trying to enter the flow of traffic and he won’t let them in.My ex-father in law was classic. I watched him actually speed up to block a guy on an on-ramp because the guy should “wait his turn”, whatever that means.
Nate is the kind of guy that I love to trap behind slow traffic by driving abreast of him. I never give him the courtesy of acknowledging him by flipping the bird or even glaring at him. I just trap him until he makes some futile move to get out of his little box then I just accelerate to normal driving speed. Fun for me and instructive for ole Nate.
That would be the right lane in Oklahoma. The slow lane is the left lane...
My Uncle told me the most dangerous animal on the planet was a 16-24 year old female driver.
And he told me that BEFORE cell phones.
>>That would be hogging the fast lane while driving at or below the speed limit.<<
Actually, even above the speed limit.
I’m mostly Overconfident Owen due to Middle Lane Mike....
My Uncle told me the most dangerous animal on the planet was a 16-24 year old female driver.
Insurance companies would disagree with your uncle, and they have to know statistics--as opposed to anecdotal evidence and bias--in order to stay in business. The most dangerous driver is the young male.
Another time Copo parked his car in the slow lane of a 4-laner in order to run a check on another car which was on the shoulder, forcing me to veer into the fast lane. Traffic was very light, so the fast lane was nothing but about 6" of slippery slush.
I always pretend I’m early to an IRS appointment when I’m driving...lol...
My brother used to always drive the left-turn like that, because he was confident nobody would drag race the light and clobber him. I think he’s since wised up. Haven’t seen him do it in decades.
I had two people yesterday wait at a red light with a green right arrow before they took their right turn. It turned red just as I was trying to get in before the mass of cars that was going to enter from the left. I do give these guys some slack because I find it common that people who will always notice a green left arrow don’t notice that they have a green right arrow. I’ve done it myself a couple of times and I am a VERY attentive driver. I have to be to drive the way I do and still survive.
They should be charged an aggravation tax.
“Probably the same one that pounces on a fresh green light without checking for oncoming traffic...”
If I take them out, it’s their fault!
My 65 pickup probably won’t get hurt but i will total their rice rocket!
Drive no less than 15 mph over the speed limit!
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