Distracted drivers are the norm. We live off of a heavily trafficked 2 lane road and it's a regular occurrence to see drivers (cars, big dump trucks, landscaping trucks) drift over the yellow line because the driver is looking at their phone. We have also had close calls in our neighborhood when drivers speed up our street or blow through a stop sign when distracted. It's infuriating.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:When approaching an intersection, SLOW DOWN, look to your right, your left, front, diagonal and stop for pedestrians, bikers or other drivers. Being cautious saves lifes.

Not unless their is a light or stop sign. Good way to get rear ended.

Taking your foot off of the brake as you approach an intersection is a defensive driving technique taught by the National Safety Council in their defense driving courses. I know because I recently took it.

I was wondering how long it would take for the usual DCUM aggressive driver to show up who claims people who drive defensively are the dangerous ones.

Huge difference between this (being ready to brake) and slowing down/braking.
Did this class tell you that your #1 priority is to be predictable?

I'm glad you took the class. Sounds like you needed it. Wish more people would who did not grow up here or have forgotten.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I try to be a cautious driver and make sure to stop for pedestrians at cross walks. I’ve noticed that when I’m in the right turn lane and stop to allow someone to cross, an impatient person behind me will get into the left lane to pull around me to then cut me off and turn right in front of me … where the pedestrian is! This has happened a few times now since I’ve lived here and I don’t know if they just don’t see the pedestrian and assume I’m stopped for no reason? Or do they just no care about waiting for people to safely cross?

Don’t move to an area with lots of pedestrians, bike lanes, buses, etc. and then expect to drive as if cars are the only thing on the road. I don’t get it!

Does this happen to you a lot? It's never happened to me. It's one of two things (or both)
You are a terrible driver and the person behind you is exasperated and subsequently not making good choices because they recognize you as an idiot driver and you are not giving them good, predictable signals, so they don't trust you.
The person behind you is an a-hole
Or both

It doesn’t happen a lot, but I’ve lived in this area nearly 15 years and it’s happened probably 2-3 times that I can remember. DH was driving one of the times that I recall, so I don’t think it’s me being a bad driver. In fact I’ve never caused an accident nor gotten a traffic ticket in my entire life. I think people are just impatient and don’t want to wait behind a car to turn right. This is in Arlington near where there’s lots of cross walks and pedestrians.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I try to be a cautious driver and make sure to stop for pedestrians at cross walks. I’ve noticed that when I’m in the right turn lane and stop to allow someone to cross, an impatient person behind me will get into the left lane to pull around me to then cut me off and turn right in front of me … where the pedestrian is! This has happened a few times now since I’ve lived here and I don’t know if they just don’t see the pedestrian and assume I’m stopped for no reason? Or do they just no care about waiting for people to safely cross?

Don’t move to an area with lots of pedestrians, bike lanes, buses, etc. and then expect to drive as if cars are the only thing on the road. I don’t get it!

Does this happen to you a lot? It's never happened to me. It's one of two things (or both)
You are a terrible driver and the person behind you is exasperated and subsequently not making good choices because they recognize you as an idiot driver and you are not giving them good, predictable signals, so they don't trust you.
The person behind you is an a-hole
Or both

Well, if the person behind you rear-ended you, virtually 100% chance they would be at fault. Because they are.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:When approaching an intersection, SLOW DOWN, look to your right, your left, front, diagonal and stop for pedestrians, bikers or other drivers. Being cautious saves lifes.

Not unless their is a light or stop sign. Good way to get rear ended.

Taking your foot off of the brake as you approach an intersection is a defensive driving technique taught by the National Safety Council in their defense driving courses. I know because I recently took it.

I was wondering how long it would take for the usual DCUM aggressive driver to show up who claims people who drive defensively are the dangerous ones.

Anonymous wrote:I try to be a cautious driver and make sure to stop for pedestrians at cross walks. I’ve noticed that when I’m in the right turn lane and stop to allow someone to cross, an impatient person behind me will get into the left lane to pull around me to then cut me off and turn right in front of me … where the pedestrian is! This has happened a few times now since I’ve lived here and I don’t know if they just don’t see the pedestrian and assume I’m stopped for no reason? Or do they just no care about waiting for people to safely cross?

Don’t move to an area with lots of pedestrians, bike lanes, buses, etc. and then expect to drive as if cars are the only thing on the road. I don’t get it!

Does this happen to you a lot? It's never happened to me. It's one of two things (or both)
You are a terrible driver and the person behind you is exasperated and subsequently not making good choices because they recognize you as an idiot driver and you are not giving them good, predictable signals, so they don't trust you.
The person behind you is an a-hole
Or both

I try to be a cautious driver and make sure to stop for pedestrians at cross walks. I’ve noticed that when I’m in the right turn lane and stop to allow someone to cross, an impatient person behind me will get into the left lane to pull around me to then cut me off and turn right in front of me … where the pedestrian is! This has happened a few times now since I’ve lived here and I don’t know if they just don’t see the pedestrian and assume I’m stopped for no reason? Or do they just no care about waiting for people to safely cross?

Don’t move to an area with lots of pedestrians, bike lanes, buses, etc. and then expect to drive as if cars are the only thing on the road. I don’t get it!

DC is number 1 in the USA for traffic collisions.

Put the phone down!

I think the problem is drivers from all over who don’t know the rules and laws. Some of the advice on this board is mind boggling to downright dangerous. Slow down at intersections? Traffic in the right lane of a highway YIELD to onramping traffic?

People, learn the laws if you don’t remember them from high school. I grew up Defensive Driving in Boston and it has served me well.

Everyone giving advice needs to say where they learned to drive.

Oh, another one. Once when pushing my toddler in a stroller through my residential neighborhood, I approached a crosswalk. It was a four way stop but an approaching car was going awfully fast so I stopped to make sure they would stop.

Not only did they not stop, but as they sped straight through the stop sign, the driver made eye contact with me and gave me the middle finger. It was confusing. My offense was… stopping so she could run a stop sign with murdering me and my kid? What the hell?

There is so much unbridled aggression here. I don’t get it.

It’s true, drivers here are nuts. And I lived in LA for years. Traffic there is bad, but drivers themselves are much more chill.

Something I see with alarming frequency in DC: cars queued up in the left lane for a left turn, and a driver in back if the line gets sick of waiting, so they either pull into the right lane to go around and cut off the car in front to go left, or pull into the oncoming lane to do the same. Generally in the face of a lot of oncoming traffic (which is why drivers wee cautious making the left turn). I have never seen this anywhere but in DC, and I’ve seen it many times here.

It perfectly encapsulates the DMV driving ethos, which is: you are slowing me down by seconds, so I am going to risk my life and the life of at least 10 other people to get around you.

Bonus if the reason people are slow to turn left is that there are pedestrians or cyclists in the crosswalk, because the people who will do this don’t care about non-car traffic at all and would like you to please run human beings over to speed things along.

The tailgaters deserve death

Nothing worst that super fast/agressive drivers on neighborhood residential streets. I've had drivers literally drive on my bumper going 5 miles an hour over the speed limit in residential neighborhoods.

Anonymous wrote:A young woman driving a white jeep Cherokee nearly killed my family last night. She was speeding around the Rio garage over by la madeleine. Easily going 50mph and whipped around a blind curve while we were crossing.

Slow the F down!

Were you actually in a crosswalk? I'm a pretty cautious driver but I get very frustrated at people who wander across the street either completely away from a crosswalk or when the 'stop do not cross' sign is on. I'm shocked more of these jaywalkers don't get hit.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I am with you except for who puts their hamburger donut or coffee in the TRUNK??WTF? Maybe you need to go find your coffee in the trunk and have some.

Enjoy them before or after driving. Put them in the trunk so you don’t get tempted during your trip.

This . I'm sure PP was using hyperbole but if you are distracted by anything, put it in the trunk. If you can't resist the ping of your phone PUT IT IN THE TRUNK. Chatty passengers? Right in the trunk.

I did this, but my chatty passengers ate all my donuts. I want to be a safe driver but I want my donuts too. What should I do?