Unpopular driving opinions?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:“Following” or “keeping up with” the “flow of traffic” is a hallmark of abysmal driving; it abrogates to others the driver’s duty to make reasoned decisions based on their own assessment of conditions as those intersect with the driver’s particular abilities and limitations.

“Leave yourself an out” is a fundamental driver safety practice, rendered impossible by joining a “rat pack” moving down the road as a unit.

You can keep up with the flow of traffic safelg and leave yourself an out without joining a small group of faster cars.

If you are going slower than others stay out of the left lane. It’s dangerous.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:When a lane is closed ahead, drivers should fully utilize both lanes until the lane ends and zipper merge at that point. Those who designate themself the merge police and block perfectly usable lane a quarter mile before it ends are very stupid, as are those who won’t let drivers zipper merge from the ending lane.

That depends on the situation. A lot of times merging drivers will have many, many opportunites to seamlessly merge into traffic, but instead try to zoom past everyone because it's all about them.

You don’t understand the zipper merge.

It’s much more efficient than people randomly merging in.

You don't understand the difference between a study and real life.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Raise the driving age to 21 and lower the drinking age to 18.

This!

[Anonymous]

Maryland drivers are definitely truly awful. I live on a busy street (street parking). Looked up 6 cars - 3 with VA plates, and 3 with MD plates. ALL the MD cars had open tickets/violations in DC. One for $200, the other for $500, the 3rd for $1700. One of the VA cars had one $50 ticket, and that's it. The others were clean.

The proof is in the pudding. So many MD drivers are just inept. Whether they're driving, keeping up with their vehicle registration, or parking.

[Anonymous]

Sorry I haven't read them all, but mine is this:

in parking lots, if you see that somebody is trying to get out of their space, you should let them.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:When a lane is closed ahead, drivers should fully utilize both lanes until the lane ends and zipper merge at that point. Those who designate themself the merge police and block perfectly usable lane a quarter mile before it ends are very stupid, as are those who won’t let drivers zipper merge from the ending lane.

That depends on the situation. A lot of times merging drivers will have many, many opportunites to seamlessly merge into traffic, but instead try to zoom past everyone because it's all about them.

You don’t understand the zipper merge.

It’s much more efficient than people randomly merging in.

The zipper merge will succeed as soon as everyone buys into the concept and agrees to use it as intended. As with other great ideas, it takes about 5% of the people to make it fail.
There are some legitimate questions how it applies to situations like an exit (or lane split) that is backed up or when a lane becomes exit only.

I like the zipper merge but can't even get my whole household on board!

[Anonymous]

This is something only a Maryland driver would do. The MD motto: "I do what I want when I want because I want to."

https://www.reddit.com/r/nova/comments/13tis47/a_perfectly_legitimate_parking_spot_on_gw_parkway/

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Maryland drivers are definitely truly awful. I live on a busy street (street parking). Looked up 6 cars - 3 with VA plates, and 3 with MD plates. ALL the MD cars had open tickets/violations in DC. One for $200, the other for $500, the 3rd for $1700. One of the VA cars had one $50 ticket, and that's it. The others were clean.

The proof is in the pudding. So many MD drivers are just inept. Whether they're driving, keeping up with their vehicle registration, or parking.

This is a thread about unpopular opinions. What you said is not an unpopular opinion. It's not even an opinion. It's a fact.

[Anonymous]

This should be a popular opinion, but how frequently this kind of insanity happens... it's unpopular. DON'T DO THIS PEOPLE. Do NOT block traffic because you made an error in your driving! Holy cow the selfishness and insanity of it all.

(taken from Reddit, but we all see this awful driving move every day) https://www.reddit.com/r/nova/comments/14hzqkk/instead_of_making_a_uturn_they_tried_to_switch/

[Anonymous]

I was driving on Old Keene Mill Rd this morning, and a commercial van was driving 10-15 miles BELOW the speed limit in the left lane, leading quite the parade. For miles.

Unfortunately there was someone else going slow in the right lane, and passing was only possible one car per mile.

I am so tempted to leave a negative review for that business.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:When a lane is closed ahead, drivers should fully utilize both lanes until the lane ends and zipper merge at that point. Those who designate themself the merge police and block perfectly usable lane a quarter mile before it ends are very stupid, as are those who won’t let drivers zipper merge from the ending lane.

That depends on the situation. A lot of times merging drivers will have many, many opportunites to seamlessly merge into traffic, but instead try to zoom past everyone because it's all about them.

You don’t understand the zipper merge.

It’s much more efficient than people randomly merging in.

You don't understand the difference between a study and real life.

I'm not going to do something inefficiently just because other people are ignorant.

Zipper merge FTW.

[Anonymous]

Breaking the rules in order to be nice (letting someone through when you have the right of way for example) just confuses everyone and drives me CRAZY. Don’t stop to let me turn left. Just follow the rules of the road and myob

[Anonymous]

The most dangerous unnecessary thing I’ve seen is pedestrians walking around with ear pods (or whatever u call them) as if hearing isn’t an important part of pedestrian safety.

Worse yet is when their nose is also buried in their phone (neutralizing their sense of sight in addition to their hearing).

And the grand prize goes to the parent pushing a baby carriage while wearing those ear things.

Unless God is speaking to you through those ear things about how to achieve world peace, please take your walk without them (or why not wear just one of them??). I’m tired of almost driving over you because you are oblivious to what’s going on around you.

I’m sure 90% of people reading this think I’m crazy. That doesn’t make me WRONG.

[Anonymous]

I learned to drive in the Boston area. That’s the equivalent of learning what to eat from a parent who is the Head Dietitian for the McDonald’s Corp.

Wherever I drive in this great country, I get honked at (even in Boston!). I want to apologize for my crazy driving, and wish there was something I could do about it. But I’m sorry, that’s just how I roll.

[Anonymous]

These were probably listed somewhere in this post, but I’m too lazy to read every one.

Use your turn signals.
Turn on your headlights when your wipers are on. (Md law)
If you’re towing anything, use the slow lane.
Turn on your headlights at night. I’ve seen too many drivers relying on daytime driving lights and have no illuminated tail lights. (JFC)
If you know a car is attempting to merge and you can safely move over, do it.
Yield means yield.