What the hell is wrong with some of these drivers out there?!?!?! I was on 121 heading towards 114 on my way to work this morning when this moronic woman on a cell phone starts changing lanes with me RIGHT NEXT TO HER!!!! I honk to remind her that I'm RIGHT THERE, but she kept on coming! I had to swerve into the next lane (thank goodness no one was on the other side of me!)

But here's the best part! This stupid woman had the nerve to flip me off after she FINALLY realized I was next to her! WTF?!?!?

:end rant:

BTW, I was impressed at how well my little Z could handle that hard jerk--it was very stable the whole incident.

 

I used to work security and I had to direct traffic in a high volume area. I can't tell you how many times I was nearly run over and almost always by some dumbass on a cellphone. One lady was smoking a cig in one hand and talking on her phone in the other and trying to drive! She totally ignored my directions and actually hit a car turning left in front of her that I had allowed through. She was flipping mad at ME and when the cops came they bitched her out hardcore. They couldn't even issue her a ticket on private property.

Anyway, I cannot believe how dumb some people are. I don't really think its the cellphones that distract so much as I think its the problem of the people who insist on talking on their phones while driving. They tend to be the type of people that don't pay very much attention to what they're doing in the first place. Combine that with trying to do two or more things at once and its a disaster. I wish those people would, AT LEAST, buy a hands-free set.

I can't believe she had the nerve to flick you off. Talk about external justification and diffusion of responsibility. After all, it couldn't be HER fault that anyone else could be so vain as to be driving next to HER.

People are stupid and stupid is evil...

 

Which is exaclty why hubby and I think we should have the final say on whether or not someone in Texas is allowed to drive. Not saying I'm perfect, but damn! Why do these people do such STUPID things!?!?!?!?!?!

 

I've had two situations where people have gotten mad at me when they've about run into ME in the last couple of weeks.

First, I was leaving work. There is always a long backup in the right hand lane turning toward the interstate, but I can move pretty freely in the left hand lane going across the intersection. I'm always cautious, because I've personally seen three wrecks in this area at this time of day when people in the right lane will let someone out of a gas station or cross street, and the person being allowed out never checks the moving traffic in the left lane. Sure enough, I'm cruising along about 35 or so, and out comes a car. I swerve out of my lane while blowing my horn into the turn lane (there is an oncoming car, too, just for giggles). The car pulling out never slows down, but instead sticks her hand out the window flipping me a bird! Morons.

Then, a couple of days later, I'm going down an 8 lane section of interstate (4 lanes per side) doing about 80. I'm in the next to left inside lane. A Lexus comes down the ramp, comes stright across three lanes to end up right in my lane, about 3 car lengths in front of me doing about 50-55 mph. After nearly running up on his bumper due to the closing speed, I check the far left lane to make sure I'm clear, then dart around him. As I go by, the guy blows at me and is yelling at me through his window. Once again, somebody mad at me for what THEY did.

All this to say, "I feel your pain".

 

One of my biggest pissers is people not checking their rearview before initiating a pass.

Part of my commute involves 6 or so miles on a two lane road with a speed limit of 80 km/h. The other day I'm on my way to work and run into a couple of slow-pokes going 70 km/h - an old truck and a guy in an old Golf.

So we're poking along until we get a passing section. I anticipate the guy in the Golf is going to pass this truck so I wait - one one thousand, two one thousand, three one thousand - ok, he's not going.

I drop to third, signal, hit the gas and start my pass. Just as I'm pulling up to the Golf's rear bumper, I see his signal come on. I slam on the brakes just as he pulls right in front of me with maybe a couple feet to spare. Had I not hit the brakes we would of collided.

I honk the horn and turn on my brights as we pass this truck together. He pulls back into the right lane and I floor it to pass this moron as well. As I'm going by he's obviously having some sort of conniption, frothing at the mouth, etc. Right, like I'm the one who almost caused a collision.

Those shiny things on the doors and that big shine one that hangs from the windshield are there for a reason moron.

 

You know, I'm really starting to think that other cars are just attracted to our Zs. This isn't the first time some idiot has tried to change lanes right into me, and it's certainly not the first time someone has done some other incredibly stupid thing next to my car.

I don't get it. I hardly ever had people do this stuff next to me in either of my two previous vehicles. What is it about the Z that everyone just gets stupid around it?!?!?

 

People always get pissed off at me and my Z. I really don't get it. I've mentioned this phenomenon before but its related to this stuff here. I mind my own business and don't drive like a jerk but people pull stuff like this and then get really pissed off at me. People scream and swear at me even when I just cruise past them. I've never seen this with any other car I've owned, so I'm kinda shocked. No one ever behaved with so much animosity towards me when I had my VR-4. I don't know what it is about this car, but it attracts the jerks like nothing I've ever seen...

 

Here is what always happens to me:

Woman drive a suburban or excursion talking on cell phone while 4 kids are running around in the back and she never looks when turning. My wife and I think it should be illegal for woman to talk on cell phones and drive suburbans at the same time.


BTW - I work right off 114 in Grapevine. Small world.

Richard

 

Huh,

Usually for me its a woman in a Suburban/Expedition/Excursion but she's all by herself.

But hey, she needs this monstrosity because once a year her in-laws come to town. You know, plus her son is on the hockey team and that stuff just don't fit in other vehicles.

The rest is the same - too busy doing other stuff to actually drive, not realizing that the little sports car in front can stop in about half the distance, taking turns too fast, etc, etc.

 

... I think I've met the woman you guys are talking about. LOL! I'm really glad you didn't get hit, 350zSpeedRacer.

This "babe" in her oversized SUV was entering 121 S on an exit ramp as I was exiting (Colleyville here, btw). Anyway, she was on her cell phone the entire time and flipped me off as I pulled over to the side to avoid a direct head on collision with her. I wonder if she ever figured out she'd just entered a state highway from the exit ramp. I'll bet to this day she's still clueless.

I'm originally from south Louisiana ... lived in NJ with a commute to NYC for a bit ... and I've never in my life encountered so many careless drivers as I have the DFW area in the past year and a half I've lived here. Not too long ago, someone slammed into the side of my Yukon after running a stop sign and drove off. Course he didn't get far ... thanks to modifications and a cell phone, I was able to keep up with him until the police stepped in. My SUV wasn't disabled but there were several thousands of dollars damage to it.

People act crazier around Z's than in them. You guys all be really careful out there. Texas will get smart soon and outlaw the use of cell phones in moving vehicles. Til then, we'll just have to do a little more defensive driving ...

 

just one more reason why i wish i drove a junker. mount cameras all around thew car, and when someone cuts you off, let em hit you, you have proof it was their fault.

 

The problem is that people don't hit junkers. lol I can't tell you how many times I've had some guy cut me off and not care because he KNOWS I'm going to let him go, since he's driving a crapper and I have a vested interest in my new car. The guys in the beaters know damn well they can do whatever they please... lol

 

Well, thank God the police pay no attention to any of this because, as we all know, the majority of accidents are caused by people going 10 mph over the speed-limit.

All this other stuff - changing lanes without checking the mirrors, pulling out blindly into traffic, following by half a car length in a 3 ton SUV - this just pales in comparison to the threat caused by some shmuck in his Z going 70 in a 60 zone.

 

Here's another fun twist. She wasn't even driving an oversized SUV! She was in a little VW Jetta, AND going faster than I was because she came up from behind me and waited until I was right next to her to change lanes. What does she think this is, demolition derby?!?!?

 

This may not be politically correct, but I've noticed that women, especially young women, are oftentimes more aggressive drivers than their male counterparts. And they're ruder too. I can't believe how many women are foul mouthed and how readily they flip people off. It's a sad commentary on the state of our society today.

 

All of the above is why i'll likely wind up using my little old truck for the daily commute - I might put a couple of good sized dents in it just so people avoid me

 

Cell phones and cars are not a good mix and these mindless, inconsiderate, self-important A-holes need to be stopped. I applaud states that have passed laws against cell phones while driving. I find it hard to belive that anyone is that important that what they have to say cannot wait until they can stop. Car Talk used to offer window decals as part of their "Shutup and Drive" campaign. I suggest that everyone sport one ..

 

I don't think it is the cell phone any more than a passenger sitting in the other seat talking. Especially if used with a handsfree device, I have no problem with them.

There are plenty of ways people can be distracted in a car if they allow themselves to be. I don't want my government to be a nanny and tell me that I can't have a drink, talk on a phone, talk to a passenger, etc if I'm doing it without being distracted.

If I'm driving dangerously, ticket me for that, whatever the cause.

Actually, if you look at NTHSB stuff, cell phones are actually only very infrequently the cause of wrecks (low single digits, if I remember correctly what I saw a couple of months ago).

I'm tired of nanny laws.

 

So adding one more distraction is a good thing? I agree that I want less government intrusion into my life but, I do not want to lose my life, or car, because someone was distracted beacuse of a very intense argument. I think that eventually the cell phone laws will be national.

 

A couple friends and I were just talking about this yesterday.

Totalled cars tally -

me - 0
my sister - 3
my friend - 0
his sister - 2

Between 3 of my friends and myself, we've been rear-ended 6 times and every time it was a girl driving. This may be just a statistical annomily, but that's a hell of a coincidence.

Yet, for some reason, our insurance is still higher. Go figure.