Driver Pet Peeves

by Tanya Davis

Many drivers who commute to work have plenty to say about “other” drivers. A plea for a list of pet peeves while driving brought out a lot of responses. Here are a few of the most common complaints, in no particular order.

People who drive with a dog on their lap.

“The dog isn’t safe. The driver isn’t safe. They’re endangering other drivers and their passengers. And, truth be known, the dog would probably be much happier left at home.”

People who pull out from a side street or parking lot.

“They either act as if they’re pulling out just as you get beside them, or they seem to not notice you’re there. Either way, you end up swerving, sometimes dangerously, in order to keep from being hit.” Another reader points out that people pulling out from the side streets “often pull too far forward, with the nose of their car sticking out in the road as if that will make you stop and let them out. They don’t want to wait their turn to merge into traffic.”

People who don’t buckle their children in.

“They bounce around the car, distracting the driver. Plus, if the driver has to stop suddenly, the child will fly around the vehicle like a missile.”
Drivers who don’t restrain their child properly can be charged with a crime. Children bouncing around in the car are a triple threat, they cause harm to not only themselves, the driver, and the other people on the road. Just as important as buckling up your children, is doing it correctly. According to AAA of New Jersey, "if all children were properly buckled, more than 5,200 children 15 years of age and under would be saved over a ten-year period."

People who drive below the speed limit in the left (fast) lane.

If you have a choice, drive in the right lane. “They stay there, hanging on to their steering wheel in a death grip. They have no idea that traffic is surging all around them like they’re sitting still.”
People who tailgate. Riding somebody’s bumper won’t make you get there any faster. In fact, several drivers said that if you’re tailgating, they will slow down—not speed up.

People who run stop signs.

This seems to be more about “I do this every day,” rather than simply a mistake. They appear to believe it is their right to blow through the sign.

Swinging Wide to Turn

“These drivers believe they are driving an 18-wheeler,” one driver reports. “When turning right, they swing wide left first, and 9 times out of 10 they take both lanes as they move into the turn, too.” Believe it or not, your vehicle does fit between the lines. Try to keep it there.

Motor vehicle crashes in the U.S. Cost us over $230 billion a year, according to the National Highway Traffic Safety Association. That divides out to $820 per person, including all children, in the country – reason enough to try to follow a few safety rules. Be careful out there!