Driving rant: PLEASE stop this!!

[somecyguy]

Maybe, but there is an astonishing number of drivers who don't regularly check their mirrors.

So is it just redundant and unnecessary or an ******* move?

Unnecessary in my opinion. Either the person is not paying attention or they have an attitude problem which flashing them likely causes them to speed up and block you. I'm pretty impatient, if they are 3-4 car lengths past the vehicle on the right and they aren't moving, I whip around them. Frankly I don't care if it pisses them off, I don't Sunday drive.

 

[Cycsk]

Just curious, does anyone else do "flash to pass"? I usually come up on someone in the left lane and give them a few moments to notice and move over. If they don't (and clearly have room to move over) I give them a quick flash of the headlights to let them know I am there. Then if all else fails I will grudgingly pass on the right.

Mrs. Velo says that "flash to pass" is aggressive and pisses people off. Is anyone else using this feature or is Mrs. Velo right and I'm just being an *******?

A quick flash of the lights is the proper and friendly thing to do for someone who needs to move over.

Improper and unfriendly things to do include: tailgating really close to them, honking, pulling around and flipping them off, pulling around and slowing down, bumping them to get them out of the way (unless you are @isufbcurt on a Friday night).

 

[Cycsk]

And while we are on driving rants, why is it that American drivers only think they can merge in front of another car? I had one earlier in the week where a driver sped past me only to make a RH turn less than a minute later forcing me to slow down. There was clear road behind me.

I’ve had European colleagues baffled by this phenomenon. Every time a car wants to merge they always speed up and get in front, never slow down to go behind. Regardless of how much space is available in front or behind or if they intend to continue to drive faster than the car they just merged in front of.

The best way to merge is to find the vehicle you want to merge behind and get right in pace with them. It isn't a race to win. Rather, it is a race to "lose." If you focus on the vehicle you want to be behind, you almost certainly won't have to worry about the vehicles that are behind you.

 

[Cycsk]

OK. Here is another gripe that I seem to be encountering often these days. Drivers in the left turn lane don't pull out at all into the intersection, so when the light turns, they are stuck there for another cycle of the lights. It is bad enough when it happens at the Dakota/Mortenson intersection in Ames, but it is super frustrating at the Grand/13th intersection where there is no turn lane. I'm not suggesting that they pull out in a manner that might block traffic coming at them. Just pull out a little bit so that you can turn on yellow if not before.

 

[VeloClone]

OK. Here is another gripe that I seem to be encountering often these days. Drivers in the left turn lane don't pull out at all into the intersection, so when the light turns, they are stuck there for another cycle of the lights. It is bad enough when it happens at the Dakota/Mortenson intersection in Ames, but it is super frustrating at the Grand/13th intersection where there is no turn lane. I'm not suggesting that they pull out in a manner that might block traffic coming at them. Just pull out a little bit so that you can turn on yellow if not before.

Some of those people get stuck on language in the drivers manual about only entering the intersection if you are able to complete your turn. But my drivers ed teacher even confirmed that pulling into the intersection on the green and completing on the yellow if necessary is the correct move. It allows at least one left turning vehicle every cycle even if traffic is so busy there are no natural breaks.

One thing that has become the mode up here in the Twin Cities is people who are turning left gunning it as soon as the light turns green and turning in front of the oncoming traffic going straight.

 

[deadeyededric]

In Marion, there are two 2 lane roundabouts on the same road about 2 miles from each other. It infuriates me due to their inconsistency. On the one roundabout, the inside lane goes straight and the outside lane turns. On the other roundabout it's exactly the opposite. It's hard enough to get people to use them correctly, but then stupid civil engineers pull that garbage and make it even more difficult.

Im not sure if even want to see how Iowa drivers handle the 2 lane roundabouts. Im up by Boyson in Hiawatha daily and almost get T-boned by some idiot on that one lane one they have just west of 380.

 

[houjix]

Im not sure if even want to see how Iowa drivers handle the 2 lane roundabouts. Im up by Boyson in Hiawatha daily and almost get T-boned by some idiot on that one lane one they have just west of 380.

There's like 5 two-laners on 62nd in Johnston, another 3 on NW 70th, and another 3 near the HS on 100th. They're not that hard.

 

[LarryISU]

Some of those people get stuck on language in the drivers manual about only entering the intersection if you are able to complete your turn. But my drivers ed teacher even confirmed that pulling into the intersection on the green and completing on the yellow if necessary is the correct move. It allows at least one left turning vehicle every cycle even if traffic is so busy there are no natural breaks.

One thing that has become the mode up here in the Twin Cities is people who are turning left gunning it as soon as the light turns green and turning in front of the oncoming traffic going straight.

The problem today is that you don't complete your left turn on the yellow. That used to be the usual case. But today the cars coming toward you keep going through the light until after it turns red. Then you are completing your turn on a red light. And technically, you are running the red light. I know because I was ticketed for it. I know most policemen wouldn't bother with it, but by law, you cannot be in the intersection on a red light, which makes sense I suppose.

 

[BigBake]

My wife and I have been having this traffic debate for years. It's about the right-of-way protocol at a stop sign...

- Two cars are traveling in opposite directions, one north one south, approaching their respective stop signs at the intersection with a busier street.
- The car traveling south intends to continue heading south after passing through the intersection, the car traveling north intends to turn left at the intersection.
- The car traveling north, which intends to turn left, reaches its stop sign 5 seconds before the car traveling south reaches its stop sign.
- There's a steady flow of traffic on the busier east/west street, which does not have a stop sign at the intersection, prior to both of the north/south cars reaching their stop sign.
- The steady flow of traffic on the busier east/west street continues for 20 seconds after both of the north/south cars reach their stop signs.
- Traffic on the busier east/west street clears, and the north/south cars can now make their move.
- Again, the car traveling north that intends to turn left got to its stop sign first, before the car traveling south that intends to go straight, but they both sat there at the stop for 20 seconds.

Which car has the right of way?

One of us believes the car traveling north turning left at the intersection has the right of way, because it got to its stop sign first and has the right to make its left turn before the other car crosses.

One of us believes the car traveling south heading straight through the intersection has the right of way, because they both sat there for an extended period of time, making who got there first a moot point.

What say you?

Per Grok:

The car traveling south going straight has the right-of-way.Why, According to Standard Rules (Including Iowa)This is a two-way stop intersection (stops only on the north-south road; east-west is the major through street with no stops). The key factors are:

1. Left-turn yielding rule (universal in the US, including Iowa Code §321.320):
   The driver turning left must yield to oncoming traffic approaching from the opposite direction that is going straight (or turning right). The northbound driver (turning left) is crossing the path of the southbound straight-through driver, so they must yield.
   
   legis.iowa.gov
2. Arrival time becomes less relevant here
   The "first to arrive at the stop sign" rule primarily applies to all-way stops (4-way stops) or fully uncontrolled intersections. In a two-way stop like this, once both vehicles are stopped and waiting for the same cross traffic (east-west), and especially after a long wait where both are ready to go at the same moment, the straight-through vs. left-turn priority takes precedence over the minor 5-second arrival difference.
   
   legalclarity.org
   The 20-second shared wait essentially resets the situation to "simultaneous readiness." The left-turner must still yield.

 

[TitanClone]

The problem today is that you don't complete your left turn on the yellow. That used to be the usual case. But today the cars coming toward you keep going through the light until after it turns red. Then you are completing your turn on a red light. And technically, you are running the red light. I know because I was ticketed for it. I know most policemen wouldn't bother with it, but by law, you cannot be in the intersection on a red light, which makes sense I suppose.

I would go to court if I got ticketed in that scenario where someone running a red caused me to run a red after being out in the lane ready to turn. Dashboard cam would help show the case. And it would be more out of spite than caring about paying the ticket.