Road Rage, revisited.

[MH8675309]

Zipper and roundabouts common in Europe.

Drivers must know about zipper because I was amazed how everyone ques and seamlessly merges.

I saw many of them in Ireland - but they drive on the other side of the road there. There I was shifting with the left hand and steering with the right and then came up to a round about. That will test your skill as a driver. The round abouts seem to work very efficiently there

 

[MH8675309]

Raul - you're not wrong. As a former MA resident (currently work there), I can honestly say driving here is the worst. NJ and NY are congested, but not as entitled or aggressive. I'll add drivers from southern NH to that group too.

For nearly the last ten years I have had beater/commuter cars. These cars take the brunt of daily driving in the New England area, and take the salt, terrible parking, job sites and ridiculous drivers on the road. The best car was a 2003 Malibu with V6, rust and dents everywhere and faded red paint. I called it Nothing to Lose. I could leave the keys in it in Dorchester with no worries about being stolen. But it had the zip to really get around idiots on the road. Loved that car. Ironically, due to looking like it was owned by a careless teenager, people would stay FAR away from me!

I'm actually a pretty calm driver, but what really gets me absolutely fuming is the speed-checkers. The folks that get in the left lane and match speed with the right lane. Not folks that are simply driving a similar speed, but actually match speed and stay there. If their right lane counterparts exit or move, they blast ahead at ridiculous speed to the next right lane occupant, slow down and block the lane again.

I refuse to let them "pinch "me and speed up when they are trying to

 

[ultrarunner]

I saw many of them in Ireland - but they drive on the other side of the road there. There I was shifting with the left hand and steering with the right and then came up to a round about. That will test your skill as a driver. The round abouts seem to work very efficiently there

Never driven on the other side of the road but I have a manual shift right hand drive car and takes a little adjusting when I take it out…

Round Abouts tried in my city but removed but other cities have a few.

 

[2LaneCruzer]

We spent a week in St. Thomas, USVI and rented a car there. I was elected to drive, and believe me, it takes all of your concentration driving on the left hand side of the road. Thank goodness we didn't get in any heavy traffic.

 

[MossRoad]

Wife and I went to the Bahamas. Took a taxi. They drive on the left side of the road. But the taxi had left-hand drive. So me, sitting in the right front passenger seat, got treated to being the first to see oncoming traffic right in my face each time the taxi driver pulled out far enough to see if she could pass!

 

[Larry Caldwell]

Time a few of them get shot it would slow that crap down.

Justification for high capacity magazines. 50 rounds should slow them down.

 

[Larry Caldwell]

How does that go Lou.... 'An armed society is a polite society' Had a hard time watching that video. People like that are all bottom feeders preying on society and should be plugged.

Heinlein was wrong. The polite part didn't work out so well.

 

[Oaktree]

Never driven on the other side of the road but I have a manual shift right hand drive car and takes a little adjusting when I take it out…

Round Abouts tried in my city but removed but other cities have a few.

We call 'em rotaries (or sometimes traffic circles) in this part of the country, but it's just the opposite...a lot of them were removed (80s maybe?) and replaced with 4 way stop intersections. Didn't work out very well, so last 10-15 years ago they've been putting the rotaries back in, often in places that never had them before. For the most part, traffic does seem to move more smoothly, a lot fewer long backups on holiday weekends.

As far as right hand drive vehicles go, our mail lady has one. I asked her once if it was weird driving it, she said it was at first, but you get used to it. Hers is automatic, I'd imagine a stick shift would add a considerable layer of complexity to it.

 

[5030]

Never driven on the other side of the road but I have a manual shift right hand drive car and takes a little adjusting when I take it out…

Round Abouts tried in my city but removed but other cities have a few.

Michigan is on a round about kick lately. Don't care for them at all. Think it's a way to save on traffic lights and signage if you want to know the truth.

 

[mrmikey]

I wasn't a fan of them but I don't mind them now and like them better than rotaries.
As for driving on the left side of the road, I wouldn't. I'd be nervous that should I have to make a sudden, instinctual move I'd go the wrong way....