I'm the person you cursed on the way to the school kiss and ride...let me explain

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:The person I cursed yesterday on the way to school was because they slowed to 20 in a 30 zone. Eventually they pulled over (I ended up on their tail only because they kept going slower and slower, I was never going above 30) and sure enough the driver was on the phone. 9 times out of 10 erratic drivers are on the phone.

This.

[Anonymous]

How are you sure that your speed-limit following was the reason they were upset at you? There are any number of reasons they might have been yelling at you.

[Anonymous]

Why do people think they have the right to break speed limits?

[Anonymous]

I CURSED YOU BECAUSE THE MOMENT I SAW YOU TURN ONTO THE MAIN ROAD IN FRONT OF ME I KNEW YOU WERE GOING TO BE A PROBLEM. IF YOU KNOW YOU ARE A SLOW DRIVER WHY CANT YOU WAIT UNTIL I PASS INSTEAD OF DARTING OUT IN FRONT OF ME AND THEN DRIVING SLOWER THAN ME AND EVERYONE BEHIND ME. YOU ARE SO LUCKY MY KID WAS IN THE CAR. Next time. Well you'd better just hope we dont meet again.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I CURSED YOU BECAUSE THE MOMENT I SAW YOU TURN ONTO THE MAIN ROAD IN FRONT OF ME I KNEW YOU WERE GOING TO BE A PROBLEM. IF YOU KNOW YOU ARE A SLOW DRIVER WHY CANT YOU WAIT UNTIL I PASS INSTEAD OF DARTING OUT IN FRONT OF ME AND THEN DRIVING SLOWER THAN ME AND EVERYONE BEHIND ME. YOU ARE SO LUCKY MY KID WAS IN THE CAR. Next time. Well you'd better just hope we dont meet again.

To teach you a lesson to slow down. Since you're probably not the driver the OP was referring to. But good effort with the answer.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I CURSED YOU BECAUSE THE MOMENT I SAW YOU TURN ONTO THE MAIN ROAD IN FRONT OF ME I KNEW YOU WERE GOING TO BE A PROBLEM. IF YOU KNOW YOU ARE A SLOW DRIVER WHY CANT YOU WAIT UNTIL I PASS INSTEAD OF DARTING OUT IN FRONT OF ME AND THEN DRIVING SLOWER THAN ME AND EVERYONE BEHIND ME. YOU ARE SO LUCKY MY KID WAS IN THE CAR. Next time. Well you'd better just hope we dont meet again.

OP here. I'm glad to see other people value safety. Very sad to hear someone witnessed people getting hit by a car, though it is good to know they were OK. I too cannot stand when someone is driving poorly and I notice they are on their cell phone and slightly oblivious. Call me too cautious, but I don't talk on the phone while driving. Some people can handle it, but I have seen qyite a few people who are impaired by it.

The person behind me was clearly stressed out and I don't want to add to that. I hope he doesn't end up behind me again because I will still be just as cautious and if I have to stop quickly for a child, his expensive car will go right into me with him tailgating so close. He ended up behind me for maybe a half mile of driving if that. I maybe added 3 minutes more to his commute. Was it really worth it to be so full of rage? What if your kids were walking in that neighborhood and someone sped right in.

To the poster above, I think that was someone else. I didn't dart in front of anyone. I turned onto the main street with a green arrow so no darting. When I turned into the residential area I simply got into the turning area and I signaled first. He did not signal at all so there was no way for me to know he was going to be turning as well. I would have gladly pulled over and let him pass me if there was a safe place to this.

This was in VA, but I know this is an issue in MD too because I have friends who live walking distance from a school.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I CURSED YOU BECAUSE THE MOMENT I SAW YOU TURN ONTO THE MAIN ROAD IN FRONT OF ME I KNEW YOU WERE GOING TO BE A PROBLEM. IF YOU KNOW YOU ARE A SLOW DRIVER WHY CANT YOU WAIT UNTIL I PASS INSTEAD OF DARTING OUT IN FRONT OF ME AND THEN DRIVING SLOWER THAN ME AND EVERYONE BEHIND ME. YOU ARE SO LUCKY MY KID WAS IN THE CAR. Next time. Well you'd better just hope we dont meet again.

Thank you to you and people like you. My company owns the company that operates the speed cameras for my county. Every one of you bozos who speeds in the school zones and gets a well deserved ticket just help both the county and my company take money from your pocket. And frankly, you all deserve it. All of you think you are so safe, but you know what? Accidents can happen to even the best drivers. And one of the reasons for the speed limits is that if you hit a pedestrian at 25 mph, they have a much better chance of surviving the crash than if you hit a pedestrian at 35 mph or higher. If you really want to speed in a school zone, you're a reckless driver. Speed on the highway or on a major thoroughfare, but lay off the pedal in school zones.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I certainly wouldn't want anyone to drive unsafely, especially around a school. But refusing to exceed the speed limit can be pretty ridiculous in many neighborhoods.

I challenge everyone reading this to drive right at the speed limit for the rest of the week. Not 5 miles over, not even 1 mile over. Just refuse to exceed the speed limit at all until sundown on Sunday. I think you'll be surprised at how slow you're driving, and how many other drivers you're annoying.

OP, if you considered the speed unsafe, maybe the safest solution would have been for you to pull over and let the other driver pass?

Done. Do it all the time in my 25mph neighborhood. Couldn't give a shit less how many drivers I annoy.

[Anonymous]

And so should Montgomery County which makes ZERO effort to enforce the speed limits in school zones.

What? Montgomery County has installed speed cameras almost everywhere - they are ubiquitous. I think every thoroughfare in front of high schools and middle schools have them (East-West by B-CC, Democracy by WJ, Randolph by Wheaton, Mass by Westland, Wilson by Pyle) just off the top of my head. They are working on adding cameras for the ESs, too. How much more enforcement are you looking for?

[Anonymous]

Slow ass drivers are the WORST.

[Anonymous]

And so should Montgomery County which makes ZERO effort to enforce the speed limits in school zones.


What? Montgomery County has installed speed cameras almost everywhere - they are ubiquitous. I think every thoroughfare in front of high schools and middle schools have them (East-West by B-CC, Democracy by WJ, Randolph by Wheaton, Mass by Westland, Wilson by Pyle) just off the top of my head. They are working on adding cameras for the ESs, too. How much more enforcement are you looking for?

I'm the PP who said there is no enforcement. You do realize that MCPS has dozens of schools, and I'd guess at least 90 percent don't have any kind of speed camera much less periodic police presence to deter commuters from speeding along streets near schools. While I'm happy that there is a speed camera near BCC, there are NONE near any of the elementary schools that feed into BCC. I am specifically referring to North Chevy Chase Elementary, where there was briefly a speed camera - only to have it removed without explanation or return. There are no flashing school lights near NCC. In 10 years living near the school I have never seen police enforcement, whereas I drive near Lafayette all the time in NWDC where there are frequently police monitoring speed and stop sign adherence. And this is all in area that has been inundated by traffic thanks to BRAC. Yes, we need more enforcement, and anyone whose kids walk to school (at NCC and lots of others) would agree.

[Anonymous]

Ubiquitous poster back again. I actually have a child who walks to North Chevy Chase and there was a policewoman at the Jones Bridge crosswalk this very morning alongside the crossing guard and safety patrols. I'm not sure what happened to the speed camera that was in that area, other than MCPD switches them around to keep the element of surprise in place. I would suggest calling the District 2 non-emergency number and asking them whether it will return.

As for the other B-CC feeder ESs, many are not on major roads like NCCES is. RHPS, Somerset, CCES and Westbrook are buried within neighborhoods. Bethesda ES and Rock Creek Forest should definitely have enforcement, though.

[Anonymous]

Interesting PP - DCUM is a small world. I was also at NCC this AM walking a child there and did not see a police officer - and never have. There was an accident just last week where a driver ran up on the sidewalk and hit tree and a metrobus sign about one block from the school. The driving near that school is insane and the state actually wants to widen the road right in front of the school.

[Anonymous]

This thread made me laugh a bit because I recently read about this same problem with Google's self-driving car. The cars can drive just fine if there are no other cars and they are starting to study the interaction between the Google car and regular cars, which is more complex.

from the article:
“The current biggest problem is that it runs at the speed limit and nobody drives at the speed limit.” You think you get frustrated today when someone in front of you is poking along at 55 even though everyone else is doing 65? Just wait until your commute is clogged with autonomous cars all doing the same thing—and honking does no good, because robots do not care if you honk at them.

http://www.slate.com/blogs/future_tense/2012/07/13/eric_schmidt_on_self_driving_cars_biggest_problem_they_obey_speed_limits.html

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Slow ass drivers are the WORST.

Not as bad as people who drive while texting or chatting on a cell phone.