well, another problem with the system over here.....I was witness to a situation last time I was at the DMV in Santa Clara.... now keep in mind I am NOT A RACIST, and am NOT RACIALLY BIASED in ANYWAY!!!!!!!!! But this particular situation really got me fired up.....I was sitting there waiting to register my subie....and a family walked in with two grandparents, about 4 kids and their mother....everyone in the family (except the Mom) was there to get their drivers license (they sat right next to me so I could clearly hear what was being said amongst themselves). And low and behold, not ONE of these family members could speak a word of english!! not one word!!!!! so the mother (she was the only one that could speak broken english), gets up and walks over to this guy standing behind me...and she asks this stranger if he will help her and her family fill out the application for the licenses because they cant understand it!!!! they couldnt read it in english!!!! AND THESE PPL ARE GETTING A DRIVERS LICENSE?!?!?!? how the HE** are they gonna read the street signs?!?!?!? If the damn state didnt hand out drivers licenses to EVERYONE that just filled out a piece of paper, and they actually made sure that these ppl could actually READ and UNDERSTAND what the road signs/markings on the pavement meant maybe, JUST MAYBE the roads would be less crazy! I could not believe my ears when I heard the mother ask if she could get help filling out the form.....I mean really....someone ELSE filled out the form for these ppl bcuz they couldnt understand!!!! GRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRR to those ppl

my 2¢

 

Exactly,
In fact while driving from Frankfurt to Koblenz I enncountered speed limits that usually were at 130kph with exception for road construction of course and although there were spots where it was wide open and people were going 180-200kph, it wasn't a problem because no one stayed in the left lane. They did their passing and moved back over. Very orderly and traffic moved much smoother than over here even in high congestion areas.
And people used their turn signals!!!!!
-xom

 

i'll admit it.. i DO NOT use my turn signals often. Here is my reasoning and why i do it. I used to use them back in the day. But then i went to SoCAL for school. I would signal when i was down there. guess what? when i signaled, people would know i was trying to get into their lane and they would BLOCK me from getting into it! Using turn signals is the kiss of death down there. no one will let u in. Therefore, the ONLY way to switch lanes there, is to NOT use turn signals. and i have been driving aggressively ever since! bay area drivers are too tame.. too slow. they slow EVERYONe down.

 

what GotBoost described from happens virtually everytime that i have to misfortune of having to go to the DMV, and i'm sure that it happens every single day. it's not rascist to expect people to be able to speak and write in the same language that our traffic signs are written in, if they want the priveledge of driving a car on a public road.

in referance to xom's post, i wouldn't mind if the speed limits in the bay area were 130pkh! unless i'm mistaken, thats roughly 78mph.

 

okay... i've been really not following the turn signal laws to the T.

for example, when i come to an intersection and all i can do is turn LEFT or RIGHT and i go into the lefthand lane, i normall wont hit the turn signal.

but when i'm changing lanes, i do use them.

 

while i understand what you are saying... i dont believe the people that cant read the signs are really much of the problem, almost everytime i come flying up on some arsehole doing 45 in the fast lane when they finally do get over... its some white guy prolly 90% of the time...

 

No way. Are you serious. The worst drivers that I have observed on the Bay Area roads are Asian women first, and middle to old aged Asian men second. No contest. They are ALWAYS driving way too slow in the fast lane, or cutting somebody off without turn signals, or not letting somebody in when they are signaling. My problems with Asian drivers could go on and on and on. To many problems to list. The worst drivers in the world.

Of course, these are only my observations.

The problem that I have with white drivers, men in particular, is that they will be in their 10 ton SUV and come FLYING up on you at like 85 or 90 miles an hour, and then ride your a$$ until you bug out. Most of the time, I will romp on it, just to show them their V8 or V10 torque monster isn't ****, then I will get over. Keep in mind, I only get in the fast line when I am driving 70+.

 

agree with BADWRX, being able to read signs is key. think about it, one way streets, no u-turn signs, yield signs...what happens when someone can't read those? i won't even touch not being able to navigate arround using street signs. numbers are easier, since they're recognizable no matter what language you speak.

oh, and anyone driving a Yukon/Suburban/Excursion thing with massive 20inch + chrome wheels can **** off how do they think they can haul that thing down from 80 in less than four football fields? having driven a Suburban to tow trailers, i know they don't stop on a dime.

the other people that can off are the people who don't realize that the gas pedal goes all the way to the floor when merging onto the freeway. when the metering lights are on, and traffic is moving at 70mph in the slow lane, the on ramp is a drag strip folks, plain and simple.

 

I have issues with higher-middle class older white women. For some reason, they dont know that their cars have rear view mirrors... Im about to just start tapping their bumpers to make them notice me along with the other 20 cars pilled up behind them waiting

I have noticed an odd thing, that if you drive to the letter on the freeway, staying at a reasonable 5-10mph range over the speedlimit and constantly stay over to the right to allow people going faster to pass and only go in the left lane to pass (using your turn signal of course) kind of like how they drive in Germany, after awhile it starts to become contageous... Other drivers start following your lead (exept of course for the oblivious drivers )

I think there have been some studies about these freeway issues. The conclusion was that alot of our driving habits are the result of our wide open rather straight highway system. The autobahn and most other european roads tend to have more curves and more activity in terms of driving, which tends to increase the driving skills of the average driver over time as well as disuade other activities while driving.

 

well, all of the things you guys have mentioned makes my blood boil. these freaking retards think that getting passed is like getting beat in a fight or getting "disrespected" or something. if you start to pass them, they will speed up. if you're behind them, it's their job to make sure you stay there. i want to drag each and every one of those people out of their car and beat them within an inch of their life. two lane roads are the worst. people REFUSE to use these things called turnouts. do you guys know what these are? because 99% of people here think they are when the paving people have too much pavement and have to use is all so they make the road a little wider in some spots. there are so many god awful drivers out there, it's just ridiculous. the worst part is that there is no end in sight. things will only get worse. sometimes i just want to be the one man enforcer and go nuts on people for being idiots.

you know what i want to do? install a big sign on the back of my car so that i can have different messages to put up for people who don't know how to drive. like when you pass that 30 something soccer mom in the megamonsterSUV talking on her cell phone, you can pass her and put up: HANG UP YOUR PHONE. C*NT.

or when you pass the meathead in the chevy pickup with 44s that's going 50 mph in the left lane because his engine can't get out of second gear because his tires are too focking big, you can put up, "get out of the left lane. JERKOFF."

or when the azzwipe in the bright yellow ford escape with tennesee plates cuts right in front of you on the freeway even though there are no other cars around and you're in the second lane, you can pull in front and put up, "pull your vehicle over so i can back over your skull a few times."

i could go on, but can we form some kind of civilian traffic squad where we pull over bad drivers, inflict pain, and teach people how to drive?

 

You are always supposed to signal. It insures that the shiz head who doesn't know how to drive, has a idea of where you are going.

Signaling protects you. If you look it up, signals were originally called INDICATORS : to indicate where you are going to go, not where you are currently moving.....

Plenty of people don't know the order at a 4way stop. There is a 5 way stop where I live, and all the yuppy shiz heads still have not figured it out...

 

Well I tend to not use my turn signals at some of the very very long lights I have where I drive for the left hand lanes that I have to sit through a couple lights to actually get through and I dont need to sit there listening to the signal listening to my rather loud indicator for 10 minutes...

But you are right wrexr, when you need to Indicate what you are doing is when you need to use the turn signal. Not to point out anyone, but ive been to a couple club meets where ive noticed alot of innadequate use of the turn signal from members of this club Its not a mortal sin or anything though, just a bad habit that some folks need to fix.

 

I was stationed in germany for only 2 months and the driving style there is something the USA could learn from.

If the USA adopted their driving pattern we'd have VERY LITTLE TRAFFIC PROBLEMS.

In Germany (depending on how many lanes on the Autobahn) the Slow Big Rigs and Buses stayed in the #4 lane PERIOD.

The slower drivers and mid size trucks stayed in the #3 lane PERIOD because they're going a little faster then those in #4.

The #2 lane had your average drivers that occasionally punched the gas but were in no major rush PERIOD.

Finally, the #1 lane... not for the faint-hearted... this was for LUDACRIS SPEED PERIOD....if you didn't have an italian sports car or 500series Mercedes or something similar STAY THE F**K OUT!!! THERE WERE NEVER OLD PEOPLE IN FRONT OF YOU IN THE FAST LANE SAYING, "THOSE DAMN KIDS" AS THEY PUTTER IN FRONT OF YOU!!!!!

God I loved Germany... BTW every, and i mean every woman there seemed to be a 10 on the hottness scale when compared to US women. Holland was the same way too.. Nijmegen and Amsterdam Kick A$$...i wanna go back

ERIC