Idiot Drivers - Hazard Lights Mean Nothing To Them

[Wolf359]

Originally Posted By: George7941
Originally Posted By: old1
I don't quite get it? If the traffic was light enough for people to go around the OP, why wasn't he able to just move to the left lane like he wanted or needed to ??


Traffic was pretty light but I was very close to the entrance to the bank parking lot and did not have the luxury of moving to the left lane at some speed, signalling a left turn from the left lane and then completing my turn while ensuring there was no opposing traffic. This was not a main thoroughfare by any means, it was a residential street coming up to a busy street. Rather than rush the turn, I figured I would wait till the road was clear.


You basically didn't plan ahead or you should have driven around the block to try again or gone a little further, made a U-turn and then turned right into the ATM. Most people around here wouldn't do what you did, they'd just cut someone off and move to the left lane. It's called insult to injury, they cut you off and then the stop to signal left. But yeah, most people around here would go around someone automatically when their hazards are on. You just got a set of clueless drivers or bad drivers.

 

[eljefino]

Don't be this guy.

 

[PeterPolyol]

^

How do the idiots always get away unscathed??! My goodness talk about dim-witted and supremely inconsiderate!

 

[c502cid]

Originally Posted By: eljefino


Don't be this guy.


No fair using this video, that is everyday driving in China!

I am amazed at the OP calling others out and continuing to justify his actions as righteous and correct.

 

[Nick1994]

Originally Posted By: George7941
I did not stop in the middle of the road, I stopped in the right lane with a clear lane beside me.


This is a road. You stopped in it. Whether there's a lane available or not is irrelevant.

 

[Wolf359]

Originally Posted By: Nick1994
Originally Posted By: George7941
I did not stop in the middle of the road, I stopped in the right lane with a clear lane beside me.


This is a road. You stopped in it. Whether there's a lane available or not is irrelevant.



I get mad at pedestrians that just stop in the middle of the sidewalk. Usually it's a group and they're somewhat clueless and a few of them stop to chat. I walk up and say excuse me and then they feel like idiots and move aside. It's worse when there's 3-4 abreast and they keep talking, taking up the whole street, coming toward you and won't move to let you pass by. Instead of being forced into the street or have to squeeze by them. I just stop completely in the middle of the road so that they have to squeeze by me instead.

 

[George7941]

Originally Posted By: Nick1994
Originally Posted By: George7941
I did not stop in the middle of the road, I stopped in the right lane with a clear lane beside me.


This is a road. You stopped in it. Whether there's a lane available or not is irrelevant.




OP here. You are spot on with your picture of a four lane residential street with light traffic. It is very similar to the street I was on.

It is going to infuriate most of the respondents to this thread to know that I put the hazards on and slow down in the right lane if I am looking for the house number to ensure I am pulling into the correct driveway. Some drivers will change lanes and go around me but others will stay behind me and work themselves into a lather. Sometimes it will take me ten to twenty seconds to locate the right house. Do I care that the drivers are fuming? No! They could have gone around but chose to stay behind me and get held up.

 

[doitmyself]

I once chose to go around an indecisive driver with flashers on and she promptly turned directly into my car. Ever since then, I treat indecisive drivers blocking the roadway with extreme care.

Like most others here, unless the road is 100% devoid of other traffic, I was taught to drive beyond your intended target, turn around, and make the proper turn safely.

 

[69GTX]

Hazards are meant for safety situations, like your car losing power or stuttering...or big heavy trucks climbing up/down steep hills....not for people to slow down while looking for driveways or Sunday house hunting. My flashers have only come on a couple times in my life, all emergency situations.

When I'm looking for an address I often drive by it and then turn back around after a signaled left turn. I can imagine people on the interstate highways driving 40 mph with hazards on in preparation for taking the next exit...and don't want to risk missing it.

 

[George7941]

So you are going to stay behind a driver obviously looking for the correct house and waste time instead of going around when there is a clear lane available for you to do so? You follow garbage trucks too?

I know that I will always choose to go around instead of following and fuming. This brings us to the heart of the debate - what does coming to a stop behind an obviously stopped car accomplish when you could have easily gone around? Answer - waste your time.

 

[Yah-Tah-Hey]

I've watched my share of Russian drivers on YouTube but can't recall seeing anything like that. Of course I don't recall seeing Russian drivers using the four way flashers. Not even sure if vehicles built for that market even have that safety feature. And maybe somebody here knows if U-turns are legal in Russia.

 

[hatt]

Originally Posted By: George7941
So you are going to stay behind a driver obviously looking for the correct house and waste time instead of going around when there is a clear lane available for you to do so? You follow garbage trucks too?

I know that I will always choose to go around instead of following and fuming. I fail to see what following accomplishes other than waste time.
I'd call the highway patrol and report an impared/distressed driver if I get behind you.

 

[George7941]

That is not what highway patrols are for. Just because it does not cost you anything to make the call does not mean you should. Law enforcement costs taxpayers a tremendous amount and their time should not be wasted. Same with 911, there is a lot of abuse of the system because it does not cost anything to make the call.

 

[mk378]

Suddenly deciding to go to a bank that is on the other side of the road but you're not in the correct lane to make the turn, is not a valid reason to stop in a travel lane. Such a driver should get a ticket.

 

[hatt]

Originally Posted By: George7941
That is not what highway patrols are for. Just because it does not cost you anything to make the call does not mean you should. Law enforcement costs taxpayers a tremendous amount and their time should not be wasted. Same with 911, there is a lot of abuse of the system because it does not cost anything to make the call.
Getting dangerous drivers off the road is one of the main reasons for law enforcement.

 

[Andrew1972]

As the driver sitting and blocking traffic why do you even care if people come up behind you and wait?

 

[eljefino]

Originally Posted By: George7941
So you are going to stay behind a driver obviously looking for the correct house and waste time instead of going around when there is a clear lane available for you to do so? You follow garbage trucks too?



You weren't looking for a house. You had bank errands and forgot. The bank has a nice big sign. Then you slammed on the brakes and put on your hazards. And you won't own any of the confusion that resulted. If I were your next of kin I'd take your keys.

 

[Wolf359]

Originally Posted By: eljefino
Originally Posted By: George7941
So you are going to stay behind a driver obviously looking for the correct house and waste time instead of going around when there is a clear lane available for you to do so? You follow garbage trucks too?



You weren't looking for a house. You had bank errands and forgot. The bank has a nice big sign. Then you slammed on the brakes and put on your hazards. And you won't own any of the confusion that resulted. If I were your next of kin I'd take your keys.


To sum up, basically no one here would do what you did. As others said, I hardly ever put my hazards on unless I'm double parking and I know I'm wrong, I'm just running in to grab something. If I miss my turn, I'll drive down a block and flip over. And I've realized too late I'm missing my exit, I just drive down to the next one and flip over, nothing crazy like come to a complete stop on the highway. They use to run ads on TV a long time ago about being a courteous driver, what the OP did was not.

 

[kschachn]

Originally Posted By: mk378
Suddenly deciding to go to a bank that is on the other side of the road but you're not in the correct lane to make the turn, is not a valid reason to stop in a travel lane. Such a driver should get a ticket.

Especially with your hazard signals on. At least if he had his left turn signal on someone might have figured it out, as wrong as that would be by itself. But with the hazards on the logical interpretation would be he was broken down in the lane, not waiting to shoot across traffic to make it to the bank on the other side.

 

[George7941]

Anybody who does not use their hazards need not bother applying for a UPS driver job in Toronto because all UPS trucks I see here put their hazards on when they slow down and are looking for the right house to pull over. It must be company policy. Just a heads up if you were thinking of applying.

"slamming on the brakes", "breakdown lane", "highway patrol", "stopping a lane of traffic on the highway" etc all products of vivid imaginations, none of which apply in my case.

No one answered my question about staying behind someone looking for the correct house. I still maintain it is idiotic to stay behind this driver and waste your time when there is a lane available to use to go around.