@dagosa Both. It enrages me because I don’t understand it, but what some of the posters have said makes sense. It is probably people driving incorrectly with their left foot on the brake - not realizing they are hitting the brakes.
Most accident causing behaviors don’t bother me as much because I can understand what is going on in the minds of the other drivers, even if I don’t agree with what they are doing.
I had a friend who worked as a Service Manager at a Buick dealership.
He had a customer come in with melted (plastic) wheel covers. The customer insisted he didn’t ride the brakes, so the manager replaced the wheel covers free of charge (under warranty) and watched carefully as the guy drove off - brake lights on the entire way!
@Bing …Since you have been driving this way for so many years I will never be able to change your mind. Using the left foot in my class to brake would be a failing grade though. Most people who took the class soon broke their habit and started driving in a safer manner. I never put much thought to “left foot braking” until I took a driver safety course in the Air Force. They pointed out…using theory and how the human mind functions…to show that it was an unsafe practice.
The left leg is controlled by the right side of the brain and the right leg is controlled by the left side of the brain. I tried left foot braking on a deserted parking lot and I can tell you that I was completely unsafe to the driver in the rear…had there been one. I applaud your ability because most human brains cannot switch from one hemisphere to another easily without a great deal of practice. That’s why learning to walk takes so much time to master when we are young. It’s the same for people who lose their ability to walk then have to relearn it. For the vast majority of drivers out there…left foot braking is unsafe. It’s simply because we are talking fractions of a second here to respond to some situations when driving.
Maybe it’s a state thing, but I thought u-turns were legal unless specifically placarded against. Yes, extremely ill-advised at times, but not illegal per se.
I basically agree with you, missleman. In driver ed back in the 60’s our instructor also insisted we brake with the right foot. The other day though I was pulling into my bay in the garage I work at. I wear size 11 work shoes; the soles are pretty wide. As I hit the brake my shoe hit the accelerator too. Net result was the car lurched forward toward my tool box. I threw it in neutral; probably from reading all those Toyota accounts! In this particular case it would have been better to brake with the left foot. On the other hand though this is the exception that proves the rule that it’s better on balance to brake with the right foot.
Suppose, I don’t know, a car runs a red as you’re going through the green & you panic, thinking you’re about to hit the side of the car. Wouldn’t you instinctively use your non braking foot to push against the firewall (a useless action if you have a seat belt & air bag but in a panic situation that’s the way your brain works.) In this scenario it would be better to be a right hand braker. A left hand braker might find his right foot–because of panic–trying to push on the firewall but of course hitting the accelerator instead.
Hey, never leave beer cans rolling around the floor of your car. They might lodge between the brake pedal & the firewall. Then where’ll you be?! This happened to me once but I survived…
A lot of them insisted on "riding the brake" or using the left foot to brake.
I’ll guess that is the reason for 99% of the time when you see someone with excessive braking. Last month I was behind this woman on I-93 moving along in heavy traffic at about 40. She was constantly braking and accelerating at the same time.
Sometimes you just have to give people some reality therapy regarding their driving habits. Several years back, a colleague bought a new Volvo wagon, and I noticed that whenever I drove in back of her car, the brake lights were on almost constantly.
So, even though I suspected that she was the problem–rather than the brake light switch–I mentioned to her that she should have the Volvo dealer’s service department check for a defective brake light switch in her new car. Sure enough, a couple of days later, she thanked me for making her aware that she drove most of the time with her foot on the brake pedal.
Problem solved…
Since the topic is “Odd Driving Behaviors” I will comment on another one I have trouble understanding. Why do some drivers stop at a red light 2 or more car lengths behind the vehicle that has stopped in front of them then proceed to creep forward about 1 foot and stop over and over??? The only explanation I have is that in their feeble minds they are making “progress” rather than sitting still. That makes no sense at all but is the only thing I can think of.
To each his own, there are as many advantages/disadvantages doing in one way as the other. Something like being left handed. No that’s not right. That’s much worse.
Or…how about the folks who are waiting to pull out into traffic, and who begin to creep forward before you have even passed them? A few times, I have narrowly avoided being hit by these creepers. Why can’t they wait until the approaching car has actually passed them?
I’ll add another “odd driving behavior” that drives me nuts. When I start to pass another vehicle on the road or interstate…some nutcases will speed up to match my speed once I get beside them. Not much danger on the interstate but it can be a real problem on a two-lane road with oncoming traffic.
Odd in New England…is people entering a road from a driveway or business…will stick their front-end out far enough you have to maneuver around them or crash into them. If you slow down or stop…that’s their clue to move. Oh how I wish I still had my 66 Fleetwood. They did that to me while I’m driving my Fleetwood…I’ll take the front of their vehicle right off…then claim the worse back pain imaginable and sue them for as much as I can get.
Here is another odd and very dangerous driving behavior that really drives me nuts.
Most of the roads in my area are one lane in each direction, with either an extremely narrow (5 ft or less) shoulder or no shoulder.
When farm tractors are driving on these roads, or when utility trucks are working on the side of the road, people naturally want to pass those tractors and utility trucks. But…before they cross the yellow line and enter the opposing lane…Wouldn’t you think that they would look to see if anyone is coming from the opposite direction? Over the past couple of years, I have had a few very close calls from people who suddenly appeared in my lane when they pulled out to pass the tractors and/or utility trucks.
I have noted that, in almost every case, the offending driver was an elderly woman, so I am assuming that these people have either very poor eyesight or that they have very little judgment regarding what they decide to impulsively do when they are driving.
As a result of these close calls, when I see a farm tractor or a parked utility truck on the other side of the road, I now slow down and prepare to take evasive action, just in case one of those Kamikaze drivers decides to suddenly veer into my lane.
@missileman That reminds me of a highway habit I don’t understand - People that slow down in order to pass 18 wheelers. Say if theres a tractor trailer going 60 in the right lane, and the person that wants to pass is going 70-75, but when they pull next to the thing they slow down to 65. Then, once they are ahead of the truck they go back up to 70-75. This happens ALL THE TIME and it is very dangerous.
@VDCdriver On that note, often I see people give an excessively wide berth when passing vehicles stopped in the shoulder. At least twice in the past couple months I’ve been behind someone that gave so much room, completely crossing into the oncoming traffic lane, I could have easily driven my car in between them and whatever they were avoiding.
VDC hit on one of my pet peeves. If the hazard is on your side of the road, it is your responsibility and obligation to wait until it is safe to pass around them. Not just keep going and force the oncoming driver to stop or make evasive maneuvers to accommodate you. This is especially maddening when the obstruction is a pedestrian and the oncoming car squeezes through coming perilously close to the pedestrian because they couldn’t be bothered to make the effort to slow down or stop and wait for oncoming traffic to clear.
Here’s another one- if you get caught in a left turn lane but want to go straight, TURN LEFT. Then turn around and go in the direction you missed. Don’t go straight and force everyone else to accommodate your mistake. People around here will even do it on purpose because they can skip the long line of cars going straight and force their way in at the end. One of my co workers was hit when a guy tried to force his way into the line from the left turn only lane. His excuse? What was I supposed to do? The cop says, TURN LEFT!
It become more common for people to do this on a left hand turn now too. They cut in front of the guy making the left hand turn legally, bypassing the long line waiting patiently for their turn. Of course, they are far too important to do that…
@TwinTurbo Oh that left lane must turn left situation brings out the worst in me. Any time I visit my parents there is a road where so many people get in the left lane on purpose to avoid waiting in line to go straight. Honestly there is a 1 in 2 or 1 in 3 chance the person stopped in the front on the left is going to try to floor it to get ahead. If I’m in the front at the light, I’m in the proper lane, and I go out of my way to screw with driver trying to go straight through. As they floor it, I’ll match, and if they slow down, I match it too, forcing them to drive into oncoming traffic.
Do I feel bad about my behavior here? Yes. Do I feel great about my behavior? Also yes!
Constuction zone ‘‘right lane ends 500 ft’’.
Eight of us are gently forming one lane ready for the zone.
One butthead races up the ever narrowing remainder of the right lane hoping…hoping to squeeze in five cars ahead of where he would’ve been.
Do I let him in ?
NO
Do I feel bad about it ?
NO
Now, if this were some sort of surprize situation where equal numbers of cars in each lane needed to merge together in one ( like an accident or breakdown ) then I graciously let one in in front and one in back as we ‘‘fold’’ the two lanes together.
But when there’s bees six signs telling this jerk to get over…and he’s the only wierdo trying that game…
@ken green:
Actually, the “zipper merge” is how it’s SUPPOSED to be done: use both lanes to the merge point, then alternate. PENNDOT even puts up signs to that effect in every work zone. If you want to merge early, fine, but don’t expect me to indulge your early-merging fantasies!
Here's another one- if you get caught in a left turn lane but want to go straight, TURN LEFT. Then turn around and go in the direction you missed. Don't go straight and force everyone else to accommodate your mistake.
I’ve NEVER EVER seen another driver in MA or NH ever do that. They ALWAYS will go straight and force everyone else to accommodate them. And one of those drives who REFUSE to let them in. Go ahead…hit me if you want.
Actually, the "zipper merge" is how it's SUPPOSED to be done: use both lanes to the merge point, then alternate.
Unfortunately that’s NOT the way it works here in New England. You let ONE person in…then there’ll be 10-20 cars on the car in front of them bumper pushing their way into that 20’ gap you just gave them. When there’s a sign saying lane merge 2 miles ahead…and you wait til the last 100’ to merge…that causes nothing but a backup.