My DH lays some of the blame on bad driving to kids brought up on videogames, who have learned that you are competing with other drivers, rather than sharing with them.
Natter 54: Right here, dammit.
Off-topic discussion. Wanna talk about corsets, duct tape, or physics? This is the place. Detailed discussion of any current-season TV must be whitefonted.
One thing I like about Chicagoland drivers is that it's ingrained in them to pull over to the right lane/shoulder and stop as soon as you hear a siren. When I was out at my sister's in Las Vegas last week, I was shocked that nobody pulled over until the last possible minute for an ambulance.
1) Enter freeway
2) Realize that there's no acceleration lane
3) Realize that there's no shoulder to your right, only a concrete wall
4) Realize that oncoming traffic is screaming toward you at 70mph
5) Wish you'd just stayed home
This reminds of how you used to have to get to Storrow drive from coming in to Boston from the north, except step 5 would be "Cross five lanes of 70 mph traffic in approximately 200 yards". Step 6 would be "Scream and watch your life pass before you".
My favorite is 35 meeting up with 30 and 75. It's all, "Chane lanes! Now! To the right! 10 seconds to get all the way to the left! Go! Go! Go!"
L.A. does this all the time. It's very disconcerting.
Also disconcerting in L.A. is portions of the 10 where the road is sort of slotted concrete; when the sun hits it the right way, you can't see the lane markings-- you try to follow the slotted paving, but that just drifts you into a new lane.
I hate driving in L.A.
I have a theory that at least some of the not-signalling happens because getting through traffic is an antagonistic process with eth other drivers as your enemies, and so you don't want to give them the valuable intel that you're about to move into their lane.
Bumper sticker: "Using your turn signal is not giving information to the enemy"
Scariest sight recently - standing on the corner on my narrow, residential, one-way street watching someone going too fast the wrong way. In reverse.
Also disconcerting in L.A. is portions of the 10 where the road is sort of slotted concrete; when the sun hits it the right way, you can't see the lane markings-- you try to follow the slotted paving, but that just drifts you into a new lane.
They mostly just never repaint the lanes here.
Have I mentioned recently how happy I am that I don't have to drive?
Yeah, and before Videogames there was Hawaii 5-0 to blame it on. There is a certain percentage of the population who becomes assholes behind the wheel regardless of personality under other circumstances.
Incidentally I have a question about the study where x percentage of driver violate the speed limit. Does the percentage change as the speed limit increases? I have 55 mph highways and 75 mph within a few miles of each other. And it looks to me like every time I move from the 55 mph segment to the 75 mph segment, all the people who were going 75 mph in the 55 mph zone speed up some more when they enter the 75 mph zone.