If I were a good driver I would...

[Kwesi]

I would actually stop at stop signs

I wouldn't speed... as much

I wouldn't take calls while in motion

and I would to stay in my lane in multi-lane roundabouts, the stupidest traffic (obstacles) control in existence

[Tama]

Already this year my Son twice and myself once have almost been creamed by some butt-nugget on their cell phone.

What did these people do before cell phones?
I mean, they need to flap their pie hole so bad that they regularly blow stop signs and turn right in front of people cause they just "have ta" answer that important call !!!!

People, hang up & drive like you Don't want to run someones kid over.
Jeez, wake up and smell the carelessness

[hbarcat]

Each of my two brothers have health problems because the were run into by [####### ######] who were not paying attention on the road and veered into their lane and hit them head on.

Yes, that is two totally separate and non-related occasions.

I drive the same roads they drive and I see the same inattentiveness (stupidity) nearly every single day, and I just hope that I don't get smashed into and have my healthy life routine ended.



WHEN YOU ARE DRIVING, DON'T DO ANYTHING ELSE.

Don't talk on your cell phone.
Don't text anyone.
Don't read a newspaper, letter, pamphlet, magazine or anything else.
Don't shave or put on makeup.
Don't put ketchup on your McFries.
Don't reprogram your new stereo.

JUST DRIVE!!!

[bui]

What is the point of this thread? To brag about bad driving habits? Thanks for helping to keep the premiums high for males in our age group.

I was rear-ended not too long ago by a guy who was using his Blackberry. I have absolutely no pity for these teens who are wrecking their cars b/c of texting or taking calls. NOTHING can possibly be that important that you feel the need to endanger others.

[Chunk-O-Funk]

Originally Posted by Kwesi

I would actually stop at stop signs

I wouldn't speed... as much

I wouldn't take calls while in motion

and I would to stay in my lane in multi-lane roundabouts, the stupidest traffic (obstacles) control in existence

No offense, but those are some dangerous habits to have at your age. With your lack of driving experience you should be doing just the opposite and pay more attention. Don't think about what may happen to you in an accident, think about what could happen to somebody you hit.

mother mode/

[TOOL460002]

agreed on the unfortunately high premiums for younger male drivers with cars, sporty or otherwise. i used to be proud of my multi-tasking ability to smoke a cigarette while on the phone, taking a sip or water, and dealing with a stick-shift. so stupid. 70k of insurance claims and a couple suspensions will inspire (force) change.

now, the only illegal thing i do on the road is treating the winding hwy 17 as my personal racetrack, ignoring lanes, though only in the wee hours of the night when its deserted.

i hope that doesnt come of as "im so cool because i drove like an idiot," as thats not my intent. its more that i can relate to young drivers not knowing any better, and the better judgment that comes with experience.

having said that, i was in the car with my dad driving when last he visited. he has been living in bangkok for the last four years, where they drive on the other side of the road. when you get used to rolling through stop signs and occasionally forgetting which side of the road youre supposed to be on, because there really isnt any sort of effective traffic enforcement in bangkok, it becomes a scary situation.

experience, skill, and ATTENTION dictate driver safety, not age (though that is tied to experience to some degree). the best driver would drive a stick, and would have taken his or her car out onto a closed track, and learned how to handle a car when the brakes lock up, or when the back end gets loose, things like that. controlling an out-of-control car is both fun and useful.

[FreaqyFrequency]

Three out of four. Speeding is going to be my Achilles' Heel.

[dragon574444]

Originally Posted by bui

What is the point of this thread? To brag about bad driving habits? Thanks for helping to keep the premiums high for males in our age group.

I was rear-ended not too long ago by a guy who was using his Blackberry. I have absolutely no pity for these teens who are wrecking their cars b/c of texting or taking calls. NOTHING can possibly be that important that you feel the need to endanger others.

+1

Insurance is absolutely ridiculous for people our age, who happen to be male, and happen to drive anything sportier than a minivan.

[hbarcat]

Originally Posted by Chunk-O-Funk

Don't think about what may happen to you in an accident, think about what could happen to to somebody you hit.

Good point. In my previous post I wrote about one of my brothers who was hit head on by an inattentive driver and now has chronic injuries. That inattentive driver was transported to the same hospital as my brother and I was there to witness her friends and family crying and screaming when she was pronounced 'Dead'.

In this case, she only killed herself but she could have taken out a lot more people. In any case, she left behind a whole lot of misery among her friends and family.

She had just graduated from high school.

[FreaqyFrequency]

I was pretty lucky that our insurance stayed relatively stagnant when I first got my license, but I have proven to my parents since then that I understand that the road is no playground. It is the place where by far the most attentiveness is necessary, and the least distraction is ideal.

And when I say I speed, it's normally just accelerating too quickly and then taking about ten seconds to realize that I'm doing over 60 on a 55 interstate. My natural instinct seems to be following the flow of traffic, and almost all of them do well above 55, so I have been working on that assiduously.

When I get in the car, phone off. Every time.

About the stop signs: my mother is a big fan of "rolling" stops. I have told her repeatedly there is stopped, and there is not stopped. "Rolling" falls under the latter. I never do that. Ever.

Not too many roundabouts here, but I stay in the appropriate lane when I do encounter them.

[Kwesi]

Ouch. Probably should've been more considerate before posting this thread, sorry. It'll be probably be difficult to defend myself after doing so but I'll try anyway.

I'm not really that bad but that's basically a list of stuff I need to work on.

The whole rolling stop thing I only do when I can clearly see that unless another car decides to go lightspeed, I'm good.

I can't really say much about the speeding. I'm almost always 5 to 10 mph over the speed limit unless I know there's a speed trap close by. But, I brake early and gradually and I don't tear in and out of driveways, residential areas, parking lots, or single lane roads

I don't make calls on the cell, only take them and I haven't done either in weeks and I drive on a daily basis.

The roundabouts, I'd consider my most serious issue. Wahsington DC and parts of Maryland seem to have them scattered everywhere. They completely confuse me! If I stay in the outer most lane it turns off, and if I stay in the 2nd outter most there's a good chance I'll miss my exit because 1) DC drivers refuse to give anyone any space and 2) I won't be able to squeeze over because they often have 2 or 3 stoplights smack in the middle of the thing! I still can't think of why any city planner would opt for those instead of a normal intersection but considering when DC was built I guess traffic wasn't that big an issue. I'm working on it though.

One thing I do meticulously and encourage others to as well is use signal. I ALWAYS use mine. I don't know if anyone else feels that they are as important as I do but at the very least it shows other drivers courtesy and cautiousness when driving.

[FreaqyFrequency]

Originally Posted by Kwesi

One thing I do meticulously and encourage others to as well is use signal. I ALWAYS use mine. I don't know if anyone else feels that they are as important as I do but at the very least it shows other drivers courtesy and cautiousness when driving.

This.

Signal your intentions, folks. You are the potential cause of an accident when you do not.

[L-A]

Talking on a cell phone in a car is now illegal in Quebec.

Thanks god for that, really. No one knows how to turn right on a red light (been legal for ~5 years I think), and this alone is enough that I've been hit as a pedestrian 6 times at the same intersection this year.

[FreaqyFrequency]

***? Six?

Were the drivers going so fast that you didn't have time to jump, or what?

[southernrocker]

When I drive, everyone looks at me wierd. They say "What are those flashing yellow lights on the corners of his car?"

They are turn signals, people, USE THEM!
I swear, I am one of 50 people left in the USA that uses my signals when I turn.

[southernrocker]

Originally Posted by FreaqyFrequency

This.

Signal your intentions, folks. You are the potential cause of an accident when you do not.

I'll drive with you anyday, freaqy.

[FreaqyFrequency]

Sure. Hop in the trunk.



But seriously, I see people slowing way down, and then making a random move/turn, or signaling about 6 feet away from the turn. I try not to let emotions interfere when driving, but it perplexes me to no end when I see someone bust in front of me, fully expecting me to react in time as soon as their reckless-speeding asses realize they can't maintain their speed now that they're behind the slowpokes.

[hbarcat]

Originally Posted by L-A

Talking on a cell phone in a car is now illegal in Quebec.

Let's hope this spreads throughout North America.

[Kwesi]

Originally Posted by FreaqyFrequency

Sure. Hop in the trunk.



But seriously, I see people slowing way down, and then making a random move/turn, or signaling about 6 feet away from the turn. I try not to let emotions interfere when driving, but it perplexes me to no end when I see someone bust in front of me, fully expecting me to react in time as soon as their reckless-speeding asses realize they can't maintain their speed now that they're behind the slowpokes.

Yep. Signals are pretty much useless unless used long in advance.

[beelzelboss]

Well, I am a 16 year old male, and have already had a ticket. 20 seconds of messing around can really mess you over... but on the other hand. I drive one of the biggest trucks on the road here. A Ford F-350 Dulley extended bed full cab. The biggest that truck can get. Most people don't understand that my turning radius is really big.
But with that being said, I am an active user of my blinkers. Make me number two on the list lol.
As far as texting and driving... dear lord. At school a parent has hit me. thank god it was a school zone and she wasn't going that fast. She gets out of the car. Oh my god hunny I'm so sorry are you hurt, I didn't see you walking... My response (as a side note, I'm usually very polite to elders) NO YOU ****ING IDIOT! YOU HIT ME WITH YOUR CAR! STOP TEXTING WHILE YOUR DRIVING I WAS WATCHING YOU THE ENTIRE TIME!!!!!!
but with my truck, I have maybe 5 inches on each side of lee way until I am in the other lane, so I can barely swerve to start, for me to text at the same time is like suicide (trust me I've tried, it doesn't work out to well)

For calling while driving. It really depends on the situation. I was taught to not do it, and the only time I do do it, is while in the neighborhood because I'm going 20 mph. Otherwise its plugged in to the dash playing music (iPhone)... and I don't play with the radio either because I do it while I'm waiting for my car to cool off when I get in

Oh calling while driving has been outlawed in California As of July 1 of last year! ( I think) You now have to have a hands free device which is a little bit better.

Please people, drive smart... and always always ALWAYS WEAR YOUR SEATBELT!!! I've seen too many deaths in my school from no seatbelts. on a side note though, they don't make you invulnerable, they mearly make you more resistant to being hurt in an accident.

~Craig