Share Pics of People Hauling or Towing Something Wrong

[ultrarunner]

Makes sense to me as it was wide open...

 

[paulfun9]

Why not both?

Actually elders here are a nuisance sometimes driving too cautiously, but they aren't crashing.

The most dangerous freeway stretch I drive (between home and ranch) is I-80 by Travis AFB. (East of San Francisco).

Brand new BMW's, Chargers, and motorcycles race and zig-zag through 70 mph thick traffic up to 30+ mph faster. Apparently airmen who just got a re-inlistment bonus, or maybe first-time California drivers with an enlistment bonus. And lots of cops giving them tickets. I've seen motorcycles down in that area twice in the last couple of months, one in the middle of a several-car crash, all in the fast lane. Driving at non-peak hours doesn't help, that's when the loons go out to race.

Another bad stretch near that is Lakeville Hwy south of Petaluma. 2 lanes. For some reason lots of head-on crashes. There's a sign up now noting 9 crashes in the past 6 months. I came upon one last year just after missing a yellow light. When I caught up with my cohort a drunk had just come over and killed a woman. Then a few months later I dodged a pickup that was half in my lane before he swerved back at the last minute, I think he was texting. I no longer go that way. Now that widening is completed on six lane 101 down to Novato, that takes the same time although its 6 miles longer.

I don't remember driving being this dangerous in my 60+ years licensed. Am I just getting old?

Why not both?
That’s simple the young don’t seem to be doing anything that I consider dangerous compared to the elderly. I am not talking about someone driving slow to be safe. I am talking about cutting out in front of me past the point where a stop can be performed without putting myself in an other lane. Or onto a burm. Cutting into the left lane at 50 to 55 mph when your traveling on a 65 mpg highway and expecting me to be able to react and slow with only inches to spare.
Plain out simply not stopping and just driving right out in front of you on a 45 mpg road like they don’t have to stop for anything.
Yesterday I followed an elderly driver for about 5 miles, he wasn’t completely in his own lane for more than maybe ( and I am being generous with this) for 100 ft of that 5 miles. You should have seen the opposing traffic trying to avoid that.
Lastly I still haven’t had a young driver turn around on a 2 lane highway and go north in the south bound lanes thinking everything was fine!
Yes those young folks do drive a tad fast but they don’t pose half the danger the old do. They don’t seem to make nearly as many mistakes. When they cut into my lane they are accelerating and cause no sudden braking for me or the traffic behind me because they are moving away from me at a faster rate. They seem to be actually stopping at stop signs and they aren’t driving like they are totally oblivious to other traffic.
Seems sad that an old man like me has to complain about the elderly and how dangerous they are but they are and it seems the accident they cause forcing others to do the most unexpected thing trying to avoid them seems mostly to leave them not actually involved but just sqeeking out while the driver they cut off is on the burm, in the ditch, against the guard rail or trying to explain to a cop that that old fart wasn’t out in the left lane for no more than a millisecond leaving you no time to react while the old person swears they have been driving for 70 years and would never cut anyone off.
Thank God for dash cams! You should see some of the things I have!

 

[Yogi05]

Add to that frustrated drivers who take some risk to get past or around someone who is being "cautious".
A lot of doting drivers may not have an accident, but I wager some have caused an accident.
That said, texting is definitely a scourge on the roads, and I'm thinking the older drivers are not a major contributor
to that scenario.

 

[ultrarunner]

I drive the posted speed... and this makes me a slow driver that gets blown by daily... at least in the SF East Bay... don't have that problem in WA and OR...

 

[California]

the young don’t seem to be doing anything that I consider dangerous compared to the elderly. [etc]

Wow that sounds awful, as common as you describe.

I think the elders here are frightened by fast freeway or expressway traffic so we don't encounter as many of them on the road. Those experiences you described aren't unheard of, but they're not as frequent.

 

[paulfun9]

Add to that frustrated drivers who take some risk to get past or around someone who is being "cautious".
A lot of doting drivers may not have an accident, but I wager some have caused an accident.
That said, texting is definitely a scourge on the roads, and I'm thinking the older drivers are not a major contributor
to that scenario.

The texting doesn’t seem to be an issue with the elderly but it also doesn’t seem to be an issue with the young. Most of the texters I see being in a Class A truck you can see a lot more going on are middle aged. Many of the young seem to be on hands free things but there are a few, they seem to be mostly women.

My favorite was the lady who slowed to about 25 as she went threw one of the tunnels on the PA turnpike. Apparently she was trying to dial or something but she used no brake brakes while slowing, guess she had no clue her phone wouldn’t work in there or that with no brake lights the oncoming traffic would not be able to tell she slowed so drastically till they were on her. She appeared to be in her 30’s if I had to guess and by the looks she gave to others as we went around her told me she had no clue how insane her actions really were.
My second favorite is the guy who got angry at me and expected me to wait for him to finish his conversation at the light.

The ones taking risk seem not to be frustrated at someone being careful around things that need some caution, they seem to be frustrated that someone is blocking traffic and won’t move to the right lane to let people around. My guess at it is for every ten bad drivers those bad drivers push at least one person to become aggressive and try to get around them. At rush hour that number increases dramatically and also increases drastically when the left laner creates a backlog on an otherwise free flowing highway for more than a 5 mile stretch. Panic breakers and people who have a need to be 200 ft behind anything in front of them always seem to be so unpredictable that almost everyone will aggressively pass them at the first and even slightest opportunity.

 

[California]

My second favorite is the guy who got angry at me and expected me to wait for him to finish his conversation at the light.

Yeah. Early in the phone era, I saw a guy oblivious to business-district traffic as he wandered randomly in the street, intent in his conversation, apparently thinking his nose in a phone magically routed traffic around him. Unbelievable!

 

[Yogi05]

The texting doesn’t seem to be an issue with the elderly but it also doesn’t seem to be an issue with the young. Most of the texters I see being in a Class A truck you can see a lot more going on are middle aged. Many of the young seem to be on hands free things but there are a few, they seem to be mostly women.

My favorite was the lady who slowed to about 25 as she went threw one of the tunnels on the PA turnpike. Apparently she was trying to dial or something but she used no brake brakes while slowing, guess she had no clue her phone wouldn’t work in there or that with no brake lights the oncoming traffic would not be able to tell she slowed so drastically till they were on her. She appeared to be in her 30’s if I had to guess and by the looks she gave to others as we went around her told me she had no clue how insane her actions really were.
My second favorite is the guy who got angry at me and expected me to wait for him to finish his conversation at the light.

The ones taking risk seem not to be frustrated at someone being careful around things that need some caution, they seem to be frustrated that someone is blocking traffic and won’t move to the right lane to let people around. My guess at it is for every ten bad drivers those bad drivers push at least one person to become aggressive and try to get around them. At rush hour that number increases dramatically and also increases drastically when the left laner creates a backlog on an otherwise free flowing highway for more than a 5 mile stretch. Panic breakers and people who have a need to be 200 ft behind anything in front of them always seem to be so unpredictable that almost everyone will aggressively pass them at the first and even slightest opportunity.

I didn't say it was the young drivers. My observations are the same as yours.
I also drive class A and in rush hour I would estimate 7 out of 10 drivers have their heads down at their phones.
IMO it's as easy to collide at slow speed as higher speed. Less injury I guess, but what the hell is so important.
I MAY look at my screen if I get a notification (visible without picking it up) and if it's actually important I'll pull over
eventually.

 

[Frankenkubota]

I keep threatening to get a bunper sticker that says


Where are all those MADD gals?

Texting their daughters!

 

[Jstpssng]

That’s why I like Bluetooth. If I get a call I check to see who it is, then if the signal is decent, and lastly start looking for a place to pull over. Most times my phone is in my laptop bag, unless it’s on charge or I’m in an area which needs the booster.