DMV drivers becoming even ruder than they were before

[Anonymous]

It’s official - Road rage has gotten way worse since the pandemic, according to AAA and National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) Men worse behaved than women.
• The most common types of road rage are tailgating, yelling or honking at another vehicle, and cause more than 1/2 of all fatal crashes.

• 2021 was the deadliest year for road rage with an average of 44 people per month shot and killed or wounded during a road rage shooting.

• Road rage and aggressive driving are caused by numerous factors, including traffic, running late, disregard for others and the law .

• Road rage deaths due to gun violence have doubled compared to pre-pandemic levels.

** Gender is a major contributing factor in most road rage cases, with men significantly more likely to exhibit road rage than women,

https://www.bankrate.com/insurance/car/road-rage-statistics/#road-rage-statistics


In the DMV, Md drivers are way worse than Virginian drivers for aggressive driving. A recent Forbes Advisor survey of “confrontational driving,” Maryland ranked 7th most aggressive state in the nation, while Virginia came in way down at 44.


*DC DMV advises that poor driving manners and aggressive driving are closely related.*

Aggressive Driving
research from NHTSA and AAA’s Foundation for Traffic Safety shows that aggressive driving accounts for between 1/3 and 1/2 of all traffic fatalities. They advise “Be patient and courteous to other drivers, and correct any of your own unsafe driving habits that are likely to endanger, anger, or bother other motorists.”

https://dmv.dc.gov/service/aggressive-driving

According to DC DMX, Such bad behaviors include:
• Blocking the lane

• Tailgating

• Not using signals

• Making gestures

• Using your horn

• Parking badly

• Misusing headlights

• Blocking traffic

[Anonymous]

I'm a PP who posted about having multiple (male) drivers tailgating me and flipping me off. I am well versed in proper driving etiquette, stay to the right, drive the speed limit or 5-10 miles over, don't cruise in the left lane, pull over for faster drivers, etc. It still happens. My husband is frankly not a great driver and does not follow many of these rules. He will drive slowly in the left lane, sometimes drive abnormally slowly or too fast, change lanes abruptly. He also drives a nondescript SUV. He has never once had anyone tailgate him and flip him off. The difference? He is a white man with a Marine Corps sticker on his car.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:It’s official - Road rage has gotten way worse since the pandemic, according to AAA and National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) Men worse behaved than women.
• The most common types of road rage are tailgating, yelling or honking at another vehicle, and cause more than 1/2 of all fatal crashes.

• 2021 was the deadliest year for road rage with an average of 44 people per month shot and killed or wounded during a road rage shooting.

• Road rage and aggressive driving are caused by numerous factors, including traffic, running late, disregard for others and the law .

• Road rage deaths due to gun violence have doubled compared to pre-pandemic levels.

** Gender is a major contributing factor in most road rage cases, with men significantly more likely to exhibit road rage than women,

https://www.bankrate.com/insurance/car/road-rage-statistics/#road-rage-statistics


In the DMV, Md drivers are way worse than Virginian drivers for aggressive driving. A recent Forbes Advisor survey of “confrontational driving,” Maryland ranked 7th most aggressive state in the nation, while Virginia came in way down at 44.


*DC DMV advises that poor driving manners and aggressive driving are closely related.*

Aggressive Driving
research from NHTSA and AAA’s Foundation for Traffic Safety shows that aggressive driving accounts for between 1/3 and 1/2 of all traffic fatalities. They advise “Be patient and courteous to other drivers, and correct any of your own unsafe driving habits that are likely to endanger, anger, or bother other motorists.”

https://dmv.dc.gov/service/aggressive-driving

According to DC DMX, Such bad behaviors include:
• Blocking the lane

• Tailgating

• Not using signals

• Making gestures

• Using your horn

• Parking badly

• Misusing headlights

• Blocking traffic

Interesting they don’t mention cursing.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I'm a PP who posted about having multiple (male) drivers tailgating me and flipping me off. I am well versed in proper driving etiquette, stay to the right, drive the speed limit or 5-10 miles over, don't cruise in the left lane, pull over for faster drivers, etc. It still happens. My husband is frankly not a great driver and does not follow many of these rules. He will drive slowly in the left lane, sometimes drive abnormally slowly or too fast, change lanes abruptly. He also drives a nondescript SUV. He has never once had anyone tailgate him and flip him off. The difference? He is a white man with a Marine Corps sticker on his car.

Probably the sticker

[Anonymous]

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Anonymous wrote:OP, I agree. I tend to drive about 5 miles over the speed limit on windy two-lane roads where there is no passing (like the ones through Clifton). I can't tell you the number of times some jackass in a black pickup truck has tailgated me for miles and then flipped me off when he finally passed. I pull over to let faster drivers go by where I can but that is not always possible. And it's not like I am driving under the speed limit.

On the Beltway, I tend to go about 70-75 without traffic and stay in the right lanes. Same exact dynamic, and it is always, always, always some angry white dude. I'm a nondescript, mom-aged white woman driving a nondescript (not fancy) gray SUV with no bumper stickers, so it's not like there is something racial or political going on.

But it's not just here. I was in Wilmington, Delaware with kids in the back of my car and had a guy in a huge work truck tailgate me and then hang out the window to flip me off and yell "f- you" at me. This was on a multilane road in the middle of the day, so he easily could have passed me. He just wanted to intimidate me.

So much anger out there.

Intimidation is a good word …

Agree there does not seem to be a race or ethnicity thing but misogynist venting .., All the aggressive drivers who went overboard with cussing me out and hand gestures were males of different ages and ethnicities - aggressive young Latino men, middle aged white dudes, older Middle eastern guy, and more. To be fair, Black drivers may have driven aggressively around me and played super loud music that thunders at stop lights but that demo has never cussed me out or given me the drunken sailor’s royal salute.

I wonder whether DMV drivers should be required to pass a basic road civility test?

Right AFTER we require a basic road driving test that looks at real-world scenarios, like merging/existing off the highway, staying in the right lane except when passing, paying attention to the cars around you, etc.

Once we get that taken care of then we can worry about "civility".

They are not mutually exclusive

Driving proficiently >>>>> civility

False dichotomy ..,,

Civility contributes enormously to safer driving - not taking ridiculous risks to get one car ahead/ minimizing tail gating and road rage/ maintaining safe spaces between self and others on road/ allowing two lanes to merge in order/ yielding where required etc.

Courtesy requires paying attention to others on road and maintaining basic courtesy requires greater awareness of, and respect for, other drivers.

Maintaining safe distances behind other cars is both courteous and safer, especially
On wet roads.

BS.

You driving like crap is going to cause an accident. Not someone giving you the middle finger because you’re driving like crap.

The root issue is the bad driving. Not the middle finger.

Reminds me of the thread about north/south. Southerners are polite but not kind. Northerners are not polite but kind. In the end, politeness doesn’t matter, kindness does. Similarly, middle fingers don’t matter, competent driving does.

If multiple people are cursing at you or giving you the middle finger, YOU are the problem. Learn how to drive before you cause an accident.

This isn’t necessarily true. I keep to the right, go somewhat above the speed limit where possible and don’t tailgate. I still get people swerving in and out, riding up on my bumper, cutting in front of me by a hairsbreadth and otherwise pretending they’re starting in “Gone in 60 Seconds” in the middle of rush hour. People like that seem to resent sharing the road with anyone, except perhaps as an audience for their self-perceived “skill.”

The PP was specifically talking about people who take the time to (a) curse at her and/or (b) give her the middle finger. That's not typical.

Huh? Many friends say they experience this all the time on DMV roads … several PPs indicated as much here as well.

Honking, sure. Occasional middle finder, OK. But someone slowing down or stopping to CURSE at you? Multiple times? Not normal.

The cussing out is when the aggressive male drivers were parked illegally and not wanting to move to let me pass or driving into me in busy parking lots on the wrong side of the road and not wanting to reverse their illegal maneuvers to let me pass … we were at a stand still… if cars are in motion, it is mostly crass gestures … many female friends have described male tailgating drivers slowing down to say f### you and middle finger if they were driving at speed limit on roads where the aggressive drivers could not pass.

If this is the new normal, it not a good new normal.

They were cursing at you while you were waiting to pass? That doesn't even make sense.

You and your friends should stay out of the left lane - that is not for the speed limit. Or maybe just stay off the highway.

Sorry reading comprehension is so difficult for you

“The cussing out is when the aggressive male drivers were parked illegally and not wanting to move to let me pass ”

They were cursing at you while you were waiting to pass? Right. That totally makes sense.

Maybe time to let the grandkids drive you to the market.

More like time to stand up to the bullies.

Many women report this kind of obnoxious behavior on the DMV. If you choose to defend lousy drivers with poor manners, it speaks volumes about you not me. I have an excellent driving record.

It is not OK for aggressive drivers to take out their stress on women drivers. We all have stress.

I’m sorry your feelings were hurt by someone cursing at you, but “manners” are not the issue here. Unsafe driving is the issue. Whether it’s someone tailgating -or- someone who drives so poorly that they draw repeated cursing.

Sorry you seem to struggle with reading comprehension …

Sorry you are a terrible driver.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I'm a PP who posted about having multiple (male) drivers tailgating me and flipping me off. I am well versed in proper driving etiquette, stay to the right, drive the speed limit or 5-10 miles over, don't cruise in the left lane, pull over for faster drivers, etc. It still happens. My husband is frankly not a great driver and does not follow many of these rules. He will drive slowly in the left lane, sometimes drive abnormally slowly or too fast, change lanes abruptly. He also drives a nondescript SUV. He has never once had anyone tailgate him and flip him off. The difference? He is a white man with a Marine Corps sticker on his car.

It sounds like you're a terrible driver.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:It’s official - Road rage has gotten way worse since the pandemic, according to AAA and National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) Men worse behaved than women.
• The most common types of road rage are tailgating, yelling or honking at another vehicle, and cause more than 1/2 of all fatal crashes.

• 2021 was the deadliest year for road rage with an average of 44 people per month shot and killed or wounded during a road rage shooting.

• Road rage and aggressive driving are caused by numerous factors, including traffic, running late, disregard for others and the law .

• Road rage deaths due to gun violence have doubled compared to pre-pandemic levels.

** Gender is a major contributing factor in most road rage cases, with men significantly more likely to exhibit road rage than women,

https://www.bankrate.com/insurance/car/road-rage-statistics/#road-rage-statistics

It comes under the yelling category
In the DMV, Md drivers are way worse than Virginian drivers for aggressive driving. A recent Forbes Advisor survey of “confrontational driving,” Maryland ranked 7th most aggressive state in the nation, while Virginia came in way down at 44.


*DC DMV advises that poor driving manners and aggressive driving are closely related.*

Aggressive Driving
research from NHTSA and AAA’s Foundation for Traffic Safety shows that aggressive driving accounts for between 1/3 and 1/2 of all traffic fatalities. They advise “Be patient and courteous to other drivers, and correct any of your own unsafe driving habits that are likely to endanger, anger, or bother other motorists.”

https://dmv.dc.gov/service/aggressive-driving

According to DC DMX, Such bad behaviors include:
• Blocking the lane

• Tailgating

• Not using signals

• Making gestures

• Using your horn

• Parking badly

• Misusing headlights

• Blocking traffic

Interesting they don’t mention cursing.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I'm a PP who posted about having multiple (male) drivers tailgating me and flipping me off. I am well versed in proper driving etiquette, stay to the right, drive the speed limit or 5-10 miles over, don't cruise in the left lane, pull over for faster drivers, etc. It still happens. My husband is frankly not a great driver and does not follow many of these rules. He will drive slowly in the left lane, sometimes drive abnormally slowly or too fast, change lanes abruptly. He also drives a nondescript SUV. He has never once had anyone tailgate him and flip him off. The difference? He is a white man with a Marine Corps sticker on his car.

It sounds like you're a terrible driver.

No she sounds like a typical female driver / more cautious, more aware of other drivers and observing basic common sense and road rules. Her husband sounds like a terrible driver and he managed to avoid verbal abuse thanks to his gender and military virtue signaling …

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:
I'm a PP who posted about having multiple (male) drivers tailgating me and flipping me off. I am well versed in proper driving etiquette, stay to the right, drive the speed limit or 5-10 miles over, don't cruise in the left lane, pull over for faster drivers, etc. It still happens. My husband is frankly not a great driver and does not follow many of these rules. He will drive slowly in the left lane, sometimes drive abnormally slowly or too fast, change lanes abruptly. He also drives a nondescript SUV. He has never once had anyone tailgate him and flip him off. The difference? He is a white man with a Marine Corps sticker on his car.


It sounds like you're a terrible driver.

So I -- the wife who does not cruise in the left lane and follows the rules of the road but nonetheless have been subjected to road rage -- am the terrible driver? And my husband, who many times forgets to turn on his turn signal and abruptly changes lanes, but nonetheless has never faced this, is the good driver? I see. You believe women can't be good drivers and deserve random hostility on the road. Good to know.

[Anonymous]

Honking & middle fingers are common.

If people have cursed at you multiple times…that’s not normal.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Honking & middle fingers are common.

If people have cursed at you multiple times…that’s not normal.

That is my point - it was never normal for many years - the new lows by drivers blocking the road or driving on the wrong side of road in parking lots has only become more common recently.

I only received a middle finger once before the pandemic and now it is a weekly occurrence.

The stats confirm it - road rage has increased dramatically since the pandemic and men are much more likely to be highly aggressive drivers.

I follow all the guidelines to avoid road rage recommended by AAA and the national highway safety organization.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:
I'm a PP who posted about having multiple (male) drivers tailgating me and flipping me off. I am well versed in proper driving etiquette, stay to the right, drive the speed limit or 5-10 miles over, don't cruise in the left lane, pull over for faster drivers, etc. It still happens. My husband is frankly not a great driver and does not follow many of these rules. He will drive slowly in the left lane, sometimes drive abnormally slowly or too fast, change lanes abruptly. He also drives a nondescript SUV. He has never once had anyone tailgate him and flip him off. The difference? He is a white man with a Marine Corps sticker on his car.


It sounds like you're a terrible driver.

So I -- the wife who does not cruise in the left lane and follows the rules of the road but nonetheless have been subjected to road rage -- am the terrible driver? And my husband, who many times forgets to turn on his turn signal and abruptly changes lanes, but nonetheless has never faced this, is the good driver? I see. You believe women can't be good drivers and deserve random hostility on the road. Good to know.

Plus 1,000,000

What ridiculous victim blaming logic

[Anonymous]

I see a lot of terrible driving, but the only thing that really makes me angry is incorrect lane usage. So yes, I am that person who will ride your tail if you're slowly cruising in the left lane oblivious to everyone trying to pass, and I will lay on my horn if you stop and put on your hazards in a travel lane to wait for your rideshare customer. And I have a tiny car, so if you help yourself to two parking spaces at the front of a crowded lot, you might find you'll have to climb over your passenger seat to get back in.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I agree with most of what you said, but driving practice means not staying in the fast lane if you are going the same speed or slower than everyone else.

I drove at the speed limit on a road that only had two lanes so there was no fast lanes or slow lanes.

But yea people who drive too slow on the fast lanes of the beltway or 270 or whatever highway can be dangerous.

If it's a mutli lane road, stay out of the left lane if you're driving slower than others. It doesn't have to be a highway.

By two lane I meant one lane in either direction. It was similar experience to PP above. I usually drive 5 miles above speed limit on these windy suburban non pass roads and they still tailgate me and take time to make vulgar gestures and cuss me out. I always use the slow lane on the beltway or highways unless overtaking.

There is so much anger out there. The expression of it is way more intense than before in my experience.

I spent years driving on windy, mountainous country roads in New England. The difference was that it was standard for a slow driver to pull over to let someone pass. Here, people feel like because they're not comfortable going faster than 20mph, no one else should either. Being stuck behind one of these Nervous Nellies for miles on end is infuriating. They make the roads more dangerous for everyone because those who won't wait will try to pass and pray for no oncoming traffic, drive on the shoulder, and then speed recklessly to make up for lost time.

[Anonymous]

DMV drivers bring that road rage with them elsewhere. We were leaving Hershey Park this summer, waiting to turn left toward the highway. A car with DC plates purposely drove up toward the light and tried to wedge themselves in at the front of the line, in front of our car. DH shook his head ‘no’ and refused to let them in, as it was clearly not an accident that they missed the long line in the turn lane. The mom driving and teens in the back all rolled their windows down to scream expletives at us. They cut off the car behind us, sped up once we were all on the highway, and chucked a red slushee at our car.