The Ten Most Annoying (And Dangerous) Driving Practices

Photo credit: Bud Adams, stock.xchng

Everyone who drives around a city for any period of time knows there are other drivers who do things that are damn annoying. I'm sure we can all list off our driving pet peeves, especially after a long rush hour commute. The problem is that some of these annoying habits are actually pretty dangerous, for the person doing them as well as any occupants in their car and in other cars around them. These are the ten most annoying driving habits (according to yours truly) that everyone should work hard to avoid.



10. Not using your turn signal. I know sometimes people forget to hit their signal, but all in all I've noticed some drivers habitually signal while others rarely or never do. Around where I live signaling is actually consciously avoided by many, even though it is a ticket-worthy traffic offense. I've asked people why they don't signal and  they have explained to me that signaling means others will close up a gap in an adjacent lane so they can't get over. I've had that happen to me, but not signaling can mean other cars think they're going to go for that gap, rushing into the gap at the same time as you. Also, I really can't stand when someone suddenly slams on their brakes and then makes a turn into a driveway or intersecting road. Signaling lets me know that person is going to be applying the brakes, allowing me to do the same before they make their turn.

9. Not allowing others to transition lanes or merge. This is a major habit around here and one that drives me absolutely nuts! When I drive in the South I'm always amazed how courteous everyone is when it comes to lane transitions and merging, sometimes even literally waving me in once I put my turn signal on. I've seen traffic study after traffic study that shows cutting others off, refusing to let  in cars from a lane that's ending, etc. actually makes traffic stack up. Stop being a jerk and let people in your lane so the traffic flows smoother for everyone! On the same note don't be that jerk who hops out of one lane that is clogged up, goes into the adjacent lane that's ending shortly up the road, and purposely drive all the way to the end so you can muscle your way further ahead in the line. It's called courtesy and respect, people; if you want to be treated with it you need to give it out.

8. Driving slow in passing lanes. I've noticed this seems to be more popular in rural areas or suburbs. The left lanes on a freeway or highway are generally for passing. This means if you aren't going faster than the traffic in the other lanes, move over and make way for those who are! I've heard some people explain that they travel slower in the left lane because they want to keep others from breaking the speed limit. That practice is incredibly self-righteous and misguided. The police are there to enforce the speed limits, not you. I've also heard from people that they were taught the left lanes are made for anyone who's going to be on the freeway for a long time, which is just plain ridiculous. Turtle drivers, move it to the right!

2012 Jaguar XKR-S. Photo courtesy Jaguar USA

7. Speeding around in the snow. I've already talked about this one before in another blog post, but it's worth bringing up again. I've noticed there are three types of vehicles I see speeding around during or after a huge snowstorm: 4x4s, all-wheel-drive vehicles and economy cars. I get that there are quite a few morons who think their four-wheel-drive or all-wheel-drive will help them not spin or slide out of control on a snowy road, but let me tell you that your tires are much bigger determining factors on whether you'll lose control on slick roads than how many wheels receive power from the transmission. I can also tell you from experience that all-wheel-drive and four-wheel-drive vehicles behave much better in snow if you go at a moderate speed. Why so many people in economy cars speed around in the snow baffles me. The only thing I can think of is economy cars are popular with younger drivers who haven't realized they're mortal and that driving with the accelerator constantly mashed to the floor is not the way to drive.

6. Not clearing snow, ice or frost from your car. After every snow storm I see morons driving around with a vehicle that looks like it is made entirely of snow, like they made a snowmanmobile or something ridiculous like that. In reality these people were too damn lazy to brush the snow off their car. I also regularly see people driving around with ice or frost covering their windows, except for a small clear patch at the bottom of the windshield. You can't really see where you're going like that, so scrape the stuff off your car before you drive off or wait for the defroster to clear up the windows. With snow, you need to brush off all you can from your vehicle before you start driving. Snow on your hood will fly up against the windshield, making it hard for you to see where you're going. Snow on your roof will fly onto the windshield of the car behind you. Stop being lazy, buy a little five dollar brush and scraper and clear off your car before you kill someone!

5. Driving in other cars' blind spots. This is the worst when you are driving a larger vehicle, like a van, SUV or truck. Every vehicle has blind spots -- anyone who doesn't think so needs to learn a thing or two about driving. As a general rule of thumb if you can see the the other driver's face in their side mirror then they can see you. Even better, just avoid driving near the back corners of vehicles in parallel lanes. Some newer cars from companies like Volvo and Mercedes-Benz come with a blind spot indicator system that lets drivers know if something is in the vehicle's blind spot, but it's best to just avoid blind spots and stay where you can easily be seen.

4. Cutting off large trucks. I've driven a wide variety of vehicles, and the hardest ones to drive are the big trucks. I haven't driven a semi truck, but I have driven the largest delivery-style trucks I can without getting a commercial drivers license. These trucks have massive blind spots, don't handle well at all and must be driven with extreme caution. One thing that I've noticed about quite a few other drivers on the road (especially ones in compact cars) is that they don't get these huge trucks can't stop on a dime. People seriously don't understand Newton's Laws because when a truck that's hauling around a few tons of equipment, merchandise, furniture or whatever tries to stop it takes that truck a long time to completely halt its forward progress. The worst is when you are approaching a red light and you start breaking extra early (as you should) and little cars take your slowing down as an invitation to pull in front of you. The problem is that you aren't planning on stopping a good ten or so feet sooner, and slamming on the brakes can cause you to lose control of the truck, meaning you might not be able to stop in time. It's a dangerous thing to cut off another vehicle, especially when that vehicle weighs at least a good ten times more than yours and has a solid steel front bumper. Treat large trucks with respect and give them plenty of space on the road.

3. Honking at a car after it honks at you. Everyone makes mistakes on the road -- we're all human. Sometimes you need to beep your horn if a car doesn't see yours and you are trying to avoid a crash. What I just hate is when I hit my horn not out of anger but to avoid an accident, and then the other driver lays on theirs because they're angry at me. What the hell do they have to be angry about? If you're just helping avoid a car accident they should be grateful, maybe embarrassed that they screwed up, but still grateful. Instead these people choose to honk back like that'll teach you to let them know you were there. I've seen these situations turn into a honking war and then a shouting match that can spiral out of control from there. If someone honks at you, analyze why they may be honking, make any needed corrections to your driving and move on. Swallow that pride and just don't honk back like a class-A jerk, even if you think the other driver is overreacting.

2. Tailgating cars in front of you. This is one of the most annoying driving habits. When I have a car driving behind me and I cannot see its headlights in my mirrors I know that person is driving way too close. I guess some people think hunkering up to the rear bumper on your car will make you drive as fast as they want, but I actually slow down to make a point. It's even more annoying when you have multiple lanes of traffic going in your direction and there are no other cars around, yet someone still comes up from behind and tailgates you. Perhaps these people think they have lightning fast reflexes and their car has monster brake calipers and rotors, but I would love for them to explain that theory to the cops and their insurance company after they eat another car's tailpipe.

Some brainless person invented a steering wheel mount for iPads!

1.Texting, talking and webbing. this ranks as my biggest pet peeve: other drivers who use their phone or tablet device while they are driving a vehicle! Studies have shown that texting while driving is just as dangerous as driving drunk, yet people who would never get behind the wheel after having a few drinks regularly type away while speeding down the road! I can't tell you how many times I've almost been hit by someone who suddenly swerves on the road or does some other erratic maneuver, only to see that person holding a phone or tablet. Enough is enough, people! If you can't be inconvenienced by actually driving your car, leave it at home and hop the train or bus, where you can text your social butterfly heart out until your fingers become bloody little stumps!

Don't Be a Winter Driver Idiot

Even an all-wheel-drive car, like this Subaru Impreza STI, can lose control in slick winter conditions if not driven carefully.

During the past weekend the first big winter storm just hit where I live, and of course with the snow covering the roads the idiot behavior has spread around far and wide. Time after time I saw people doing the exact things they shouldn't have been doing on the road considering the slippery conditions and poor visibility. I also overheard people talking to others about winter driving habits that are just plain dangerous like they were no big deal. These people are going to wonder what happened when they suddenly find themselves pinned against an eighteen wheeler or upside down in a ditch full of icy water--but by then it might be too late.

In the spirit of the idiot winter driving skills I have recently witnessed, here is a helpful list that can aid anyone to not drive like a complete idiot in the snow:



1. Clear the snow off your car. I see this one constantly and there's just no excuse for it. People leave several inches of snow on their car's roof or the hood, thinking it will just blow off as they drive. The problem is the snow on your hood will blow onto your windshield, creating a tiny blizzard for just you to drive in, making it hard for you to see anything in front of your car. The snow on your car's roof can suddenly slide onto your windshield, completely blocking your view. Don't think your windshield wipers can move several pounds of wet snow, meaning you'll have to pull over (without being able to see in front of you) and clear the snow off your windshield. Maybe you can stick your head out the window like Ace Ventura in the meantime so you can actually see where you're going. Even more unbelievable to me, I regularly see people who don't even bother to clear the snow off their side and rear windows. Every vehicle that is driven where snow falls or ice forms on windows should have an ice scraper and snow brush in it, since it is a tool that is absolutely essential for safe winter driving.

This is how you'd have to drive with a windshield covered by snow.

2. Don't speed. When the roads are slick with snow and ice, it will take longer for you to stop. I know a lot of people think they're Ken Block or something, but they're not and they shouldn't try to drive like him. If you're speeding in snowy conditions, you're even more likely to slide out of control and get into a wreck. Speeding because you're late can actually make you even more late, since a wreck will undoubtedly chew up a good portion of your day (not to mention reward you with a pleasant ambulance ride if you're really lucky). Another thing: just because your vehicle has all-wheel-drive or four-wheel-drive doesn't mean you can speed without consequence. I've owned several vehicles where all four wheels receive power from the transmission (translation: both all-wheel and four-wheel-drive) and I always drive carefully in the snow despite the extra handling ability of the vehicle. I've driven through nasty storms in a little front-wheel-drive vehicle, where the sides of the road is literally littered with SUVs and pickup trucks that slid off because the drivers were going way too fast for the conditions. Instead of speeding, leave early and give yourself plenty of time to drive through a winter storm. Everyone else on the road will thank you for not speeding.

3. Stop tailgating. You shouldn't tailgate or follow the car in front of your too closely--it's a rude habit that could lead to your car becoming several inches shorter in a hurry. In slick road conditions, such as during a winter storm, you should be especially careful of tailgating. If you constantly find yourself slamming on the brakes hard when the driver in front of you stops, you are following too closely and need to leave more space between your car and the car in front.

4. Steer into the slide. It's natural for a driver to want to steer in the opposite direction the car is sliding. The thing is steering away from a slide on an icy, snowy road actually makes the car slide even more. By steering into the slide, or turning the wheel the way the car is sliding, you will actually stop the slide dead in its tracks (unless you are on an incredibly slippery road--then nothing will save you).

5. Maintain your tires. Most drivers don't realize it, but your tires are arguably the single most important piece of safety equipment on your car. The tires affect not only how your car handles, as well as how long it takes it to stop. Balding tires will cause your car to easily slide on slick roads. Not inflating your tires properly also reduces your tires' gripping ability, which in turn can cause your car to slide around on the slick roads. Paying close attention to your tires on a regular basis is the best policy.

6. Keep your fuel levels up. The old rule of thumb I've heard is to keep your fuel levels above the halfway mark during the winter months. If you get caught in a bad snow storm, it will take you much longer to get to your destination, which means you need more fuel to get there. Using four-wheel-drive on a vehicle also chews up additional fuel. If the storm is bad enough, you could become stranded on the road until help arrives. You will need extra fuel to run your car's heater while you wait for help, otherwise you might be sitting in a hospital for hypothermia treatments after your rescue.

7. Check your fluids often.The cold winter temperatures can do funny things with the fluid levels in your car. Low coolant levels causes your car's heaters to not operate correctly, not to mention negatively affect your engine's performance. Many people don't think to check their windshield washer fluid level, but when you have salt spraying on your windows, having enough washer fluid can mean the difference between being able to see out your windshield and not. There's nothing like a streaky windshield to help you crash into another car or an inanimate object.

8. Practice somewhere safe. The best thing I did as a young driver was I practiced driving in the snow until I had snow driving down. When snow would hit the ground I would go to a large parking lot at a nearby church where there were no other cars or anything else to hit. I would drive the car around, practicing my winter driving skills for hours. I would even intentionally put my car into a slide and spin out so I could feel what it was like and practice how to get out of those bad situations. I would also practice starting gradually so my tires wouldn't spin coming out of a dead stop. If you're nervous to drive in the snow, this is the best way to gain some snow driving experience without having to worry about getting into a wreck on the road.