Intimidating Drivers

[MossRoad]

And how many believe this?:laughing:

Study: BMW drivers are the worst « Bankrate, Inc.

Well, I read something similar last week and had the fortune of taking a road trip across Indiana, Ohio, Penn and Maryland and back this week, so I watched..... a lot of Prius' in the right lane holding up traffic. Can't remember one passing us. Many beemers sailing past us, unsafe lane changes, tailgaiting, etc.... I had to laugh.

 

[dmccarty]

And how many believe this?:laughing:

Study: BMW drivers are the worst ?ｫ Bankrate, Inc.

Not sure if the survey is worth much, but the insurance data is interesting:

Maybe that penchant for aggressive driving has something to do with why the BMW 3 Series and BMW 7 Series hold spots on the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety's list of the top 10 models that generate collision insurance losses for car insurance companies.

Those losses are based on the frequency and size of collision insurance claims, and it's important to note, collision insurance only pays out when the driver is at fault, according to the IIHS. According to data from IIHS website, the collision insurance losses on BMW 7 Series are more than twice the average for vehicles nationwide, and BMW 3 Series two-doors are more than three times.

Read more: Study: BMW drivers are the worst ｫ Bankrate, Inc.
Follow us: @Bankrate on Twitter | Bankrate on Facebook

The size of the claims could be because it is expensive to fix the expensive care and/OR the BMW are in really bad accidents. I would assume the claims include health care costs, so the higher claims size is a good indicator. Frequency would seem to be a key indicator if the BMWs are in accidents at a higher rate than other brands.

On the other hand, accidents is only one way to measure bad drivers, a good way for sure, but for years, Volvo drivers would scare the heck out of me. My guess is that the drivers were USUALLY older and they obviously were concerned about safety, and the combination seemed to make a hesitant yet careless driver. Never saw them in a wreck though.

I don't know if a study in one/two areas is valid. Driver personality/culture differs from region to region. People in South FLA drive much differently than people in NC. When I worked with a UK owned company, the people from the UK scared the heck out of me when they drove. They were either TOO cautious and hesitant or the were VERY aggressive. One guy had had either seven, or nine accidents, since he started driving and he was about 30. But as he liked to say, only 5/7 of the accidents were his fault. :shocked::laughing::laughing::laughing:

Later,
Dan

 

[MossRoad]

Modern transmissions all work that way, Prius was 10 years late to that party.


HS

Again, you are incorrect.

 

[jinman]

.... a lot of Prius' in the right lane holding up traffic.

Perhaps, you meant the left lane? I NEVER get upset with people in the right lane going slowly as long as they are doing the minimum speed limit (45 for interstate highways). I also think that there are far fewer junkers on the roads these days. In the past, it was not uncommon to get behind somebody with smoke boiling out or even getting oil droplets on your windshield. Inspections and regulations have lowered the instances of this kind of hazard. Having oil slicks at stoplights seems to be almost a thing of the past.

I love the Prius concept even though I think it's unpractical for me. I also don't think that was the point of troutsqueezer's first post. Rather, it was the way he was treated as he drove the Prius and how different vehicles often had drivers with matching personalities. I think that agrees with Bird's point. Many people buy with emotion in charge instead of function. Let's face it. Most 1-ton dually pickups I see going down the road have no great load in the bed nor are they towing anything. They are being driven by a single individual, often wearing business clothes who uses that vehicle over 80% of the time as a commuter. The prettier and shinier that pickup is, the more likely that person will be an aggressive driver. At least that's my observation. They will also be the one who pulls in the parking lot at work and straddles the line because they "deserve" two spaces for their tank. I dislike this type far more than any Prius driver I ever met.

Where I used to work, one of the instructor pilots had a 1961 Ford in pristine condition. For his birthday, his wife bought him a new Prius that he nicknamed "Sparky." This was a guy with a big booming voice and a personality to match, but he loved his little Sparky car because it was technologically advanced. He gave up his beloved Ford to drive that car. Frankly, the Prius was a perfect car for him. His wife found somebody who did gold leaf and had the whole car trimmed in that for his next birthday. Clearly, it was not all about economy.

I think Toyota is pretty darn smart. I can't help but love their new commercial for the whole Prius line. They are making a convincing argument that the Prius is fun. If you can make it fun, people won't care how much they spend on them.

 

[troutsqueezer]

jinman, you're a man after my own heart... :thumbsup:

 

[MossRoad]

Perhaps, you meant the left lane?

No, I meant in the right lane. Going exactly the speed limit or a little less on the Pennsylvania turnpike, holding up traffic. And by holding up traffic, I mean holding up traffic. By not going even close to the flow of traffic, as in 10mph less than everyone else, they create a surge point in the flow because two lanes have to merge to one lane to get around them, which causes a long line of brake lights, which disrupts the flow of traffic and causes tempers to flare, which causes aggressive driving, which leads to accidents. If it was a three lane road and they were in the far right lane, it would be much less of a problem. But on a two lane high speed interstate it creates a real hazzard.

Don't get me wrong. They are driving the speed limit, which is supposed to be the maximum safe speed for the road in ideal conditions. They're doing nothing wrong. But they are a danger to themselves and to others because they are doing something that is unexpected. Kind of like trying to be nice by waving people through a 4 way stop as a courtesy when its not their turn and someone else slams into them.

And don't get me started on hyper-milers. :laughing:

 

[jinman]

No, I meant in the right lane. Going exactly the speed limit or a little less on the Pennsylvania turnpike, holding up traffic.

Well, don't hold your breath for it to happen, but that problem could be cured by getting the speed limit changed. That's what has happened in Texas with many highways going to 75 mph limit and at least one tollway going to 80 mph. If almost everyone is driving faster than the speed limit and doing it safely, then the problem is the limit. That's my story and I'm stickin' to it.

 

[Bird]

I have no idea what is done in this day and age, but many years ago, traffic surveys were done and speed limits usually set at what 80% of the traffic was currently doing. But then they consider all kinds of other things such as potential hazards, and of course the old 55 mph limit that was meant to reduce the amount of fuel burned.

Now I don't always like the posted speed limit, but I'm usually doing just about that limit whether other traffic likes it or not because (1) I sure don't want to pay any traffic fines and the resulting increase in insurance premiums, and (2) with my background, it'd be very embarrassing to get stopped by an officer for a violation, whether I got a ticket or not.:laughing:

 

[MossRoad]

Well, don't hold your breath for it to happen, but that problem could be cured by getting the speed limit changed. That's what has happened in Texas with many highways going to 75 mph limit and at least one tollway going to 80 mph. If almost everyone is driving faster than the speed limit and doing it safely, then the problem is the limit. That's my story and I'm stickin' to it.

The problem is the highways out east are frequently not designed for high speed and the limit is already 65. Narrow shoulders, tight curves, concrete medians, only two lanes and way too many people really making for a bad situation to get worse. White knuckle driving a lot of the time. I'd prefer to avoid the areas, but business makes me go there. Keep me in your thoughts! :laughing:

 

[Bird]

The problem is the highways out east are frequently not designed for high speed and the limit is already 65. Narrow shoulders, tight curves, concrete medians, only two lanes and way too many people really making for a bad situation to get worse. White knuckle driving a lot of the time. I'd prefer to avoid the areas, but business makes me go there. Keep me in your thoughts! :laughing:

You know I've made many trips to West Virginia in the last 46 years, and I can tell you that West Virginia (and some other eastern states) have roads that are incredibly smoother and better maintained than our Texas roads . . . but . . . "Narrow shoulders"? How about no shoulders.:laughing: Finding a place to get out of traffic in the event of car trouble or a flat tire could be a real problem; one I thought about when pulling a 32' fifth-wheel and later driving a 40' motorhome. Fortunately, I never had a problem, but narrow, shoulderless roads are common, and in West Virginia, at least, the ditches on either side are too close to the pavement to allow you to leave the road at all.

 

[aczlan]

IMO, 55 is good for "regular" roads in the northeast, but speed limits of 45-65 on the interstates? A limited access road with most of a lane on each side for the shoulder that traffic generally flows down at 75 to 85?

Aaron Z

 

[turnkey4099]

I have no idea what is done in this day and age, but many years ago, traffic surveys were done and speed limits usually set at what 80% of the traffic was currently doing. But then they consider all kinds of other things such as potential hazards, and of course the old 55 mph limit that was meant to reduce the amount of fuel burned.

Now I don't always like the posted speed limit, but I'm usually doing just about that limit whether other traffic likes it or not because (1) I sure don't want to pay any traffic fines and the resulting increase in insurance premiums, and (2) with my background, it'd be very embarrassing to get stopped by an officer for a violation, whether I got a ticket or not.:laughing:

The problem with setting the speed at what 80% are doing is that most people exceed the posted limit by an amount they feel "ticket safe". That speed from my experience driving in every state of the union except Hawaii and way to many coast to coast trips while in themility is usually around 'posted plus 10%'
i.e., posted at 60 the flow will be arund 65-66.

So they raise the posted to 65 and the flow instantly jumps to the low 70s

Of course if they kept raising the limit, eventually it will would be so high that most wouild not exceed it. It would probably also be an unsafe speed for the road.

Harry K

 

[dragoneggs]

My only ***** is why can't people move out of the left lane and let idiots who like to drive fast like me go by? My guess is that it would reduce road rage and ease congestion and even accidents due to people passing on the right... Just my :2cents:

 

[farmgirl19]

Now I don't always like the posted speed limit, but I'm usually doing just about that limit whether other traffic likes it or not because (1) I sure don't want to pay any traffic fines and the resulting increase in insurance premiums

Bird; There are so many ways to keep ones driving record clean now, if you only get the "occasional" ticket. Between Defensive Driving, that can be taken every 3 years, and deferred adjudication, record stays clean! Yes, there are still fees involved, but this girl hasn't had a ticket in over 20 years, at least as far as my record shows. (I've only had 2 I had to dispose of, in that time, but it sure was nice to keep those off of the record.)

And really, anyone who has driven from Fort Worth to Midland can tell ya, that speed limit has needed to be 75 for a LONG time. The boys that mandated it to be 55, didn't drive it once, much less on a monthly basis, when they set that limit. I think a minimum speed of 45 is WAY too slow for a highway. One person doing below the limit is more of a hazard than folks realize.

 

[Bird]

Between Defensive Driving, that can be taken every 3 years

I guess you know that there are a lot of different Defensive Driving courses. Naturally, I was qualified to teach it many years ago, but teaching it wouldn't qualify as taking it. So I used to go sit through one of the courses periodically, and after I retired, we started taking the AARP version (they asked me a couple of time to volunteer to teach the course), and now . . . there are versions, including AARP and AAA that you can take online. We have AAA insurance, but the AARP version, geared more toward older drivers, is cheaper, so my wife and I do that one to get the insurance discount, and refresher courses sure never hurt anyone; might even help. Of course to get the insurance premium discount, you have to do it every 3 years and the last time for us was on June 2 of this year.:laughing:

My wife has never gotten a traffic citation and my last one was in February, 1963.

 

[farmgirl19]

I don't take Defensive Driving every 3 years. Doesn't save much at all on my insurance, as rates are already really low, compared to what my friends pay, and my F-250 is on Commercial rates I have taken it online to dismiss a ticket.

I'm usually lucky and just don't get stopped for speeding. When I was young, I always drove a "hot" car, and would drag off of red lights, etc. Still, I think I had only 3 tickets by the time I finished college. Like I said, been lucky! Of course, I have probably jinxed myself now :laughing:

 

[daugen]

I'm really glad that when I finally hit the last button, the discussion was on driving vs. powering nuclear aircraft carriers with prius engines. But then I skipped a few pages. Holey Moley does this conversation go all over the place...I read for fifteen pages and couldn't go on. Wow, an Olympic medal here for topic wandering. Sure did learn about Prius engines though, thanks MossFlower.

I tried to get my wife to choose either a Passat diesel or a Lexus EShybrid, the new one. I liked both cars. I was amazed how well the Lexus drove. And it was not slow at all. An extremely high performing golf cart maneuvering around cars in a supermarket lot. Eerily quiet. A remarkable appliance.

But to get back on topic, boy it's infectious when we talk about cars..., I've driven semi's, fire trucks, large UHauls, and pulled trailers and boats. Each one had its own capability. Some you never took out of the slow lane, where they belonged. The problem is that we don't have lane control here, and likely due to the plague of distracted drivers out there, way too many people tailgating because then they don't have to drive. They just have to follow somewhere near the car in front, and closer makes sure no one else gets in. Moronic driving, but sadly all too common. Folks, just get the cell phones out of cars and much of this will go away. But I guess that's not going to happen. Now you can talk through the fidelity of your eight surround sound speakers... It's just wrong. And not safe. We make our cars safer and safer, yet we let our drivers get stupider and more distracted. ????

I've driven on the autobahn. Pure heaven. All these people consistently obeying lane priorities and the traffic flow was a joy to watch. And the fast cars weren't the Porsches, they were the big BMW's and S classes from what I saw.
Fast meaning they would drive at 100-110 like our 65. And you just can't do that when some numbnuts is sitting in the left lane eating their burger and talking on the phone. And from what I saw, not very much following too close.

What ever happened to one car length for every ten miles? I still follow it and always keep a car length behind the one ahead, even when stopped at a light, well , maybe a little less. But i never ever climb up on a bumper. Who wants to breath their exhaust? Really...

I leave the big chrome tri-ball hitch on the Suburban because no one tailgates me then. When I take it off, the tailgating increases. No one wants that sucker in their grill, though the oblivious will always be out there.
I also pull over to the right a little in a long line of traffic so the person behind me can see that I am pretty far behind the person in front of me, so all the "pushing" of me to go faster isn't going to work one tiny little bit, so back off fool.
or go around. I don't care, just don't increase my risk of driving. I check my rear view mirror all the time, situational awareness I guess. Learned that from driving a big truck.

Lastly, in my observation, Prius drivers are very black/white. They either go like heck and floor it at the lights, clearly trying to show everyone, hey I'm not slow, and frankly, they aren't if they floor it. Or they drive right at 55, causing massive traffic shifts to get around them. But I'm glad they are there, really, there are millions of prius's on the road, and I agree they are the game changer in our time. I have a BIL with one and they love it. Even the smaller one which looks awfully bare bones inside.

My wife and I are looking at golf carts that are legal to drive on the roads. We were in the PA Dutch country recently and had to patiently sit behind a little black buggy for almost half a mile until we could safely pass. Well, at least the golf cart goes 24mph, though not sure I'd trust the suspension on it at top speed. And then I'll have someone on my truly tiny rear bumper, trying to get around me, and definitely intimidating to me. We need to drive like it might be us in that smaller or slow car. Someday it might be. But if I'm dumb enough to block traffic in the passing lane, I deserve, and always will deserve about a 150db train horn to wake me up. Actually I always flash my lights first, once, and back far enough that I'm reasonably sure they can see the light.

Not sure it's a hybrid issue to some...when the troglodyte driving the lifted F350 three feet off the bumper of a Prius, just to intimidate the little car, would they do the same to a Chevy Volt? Hmmm.

 

[kirkmcquest]

Studies have proven that the so-called "Napolean complex" actually only exists in the minds of those who are observing. In other words, people expect the smaller guy to be humble at all times and when he isn't, they label him a "napolean". When people observed a large man being loud and aggressive they did not have the same reaction. Further studies have shown that larger men are actually much MORE aggressive, and smaller men much more likely to be patient and think through obstacles than resort to violence and anger.

The Napolean complex is not that small guys try to compensate by increased aggression as many in past have thought, but the complex is how people view a smaller man who is displaying aggression. When the large man is loud and violent it is passed off and assumed to be "his right", but when the smaller man loses his temper he is immediately assumed to be compensating. My guess is, the poster would have looked the other way and would not have posted this at all, had the other driver happened to be a large person. But because, by chance, the other driver was smaller he was moved to observe this as a "syndrome". The post really tells us quite a bit about the poster.

 

[MossRoad]

my last one was in February, 1963.

Bird, in 1963 I was two. :laughing:

 

[dmccarty]

When I was young, I always drove a "hot" car, and would drag off of red lights, etc. Still, I think I had only 3 tickets by the time I finished college. Like I said, been lucky! Of course, I have probably jinxed myself now :laughing:

:laughing::laughing::laughing: Farmgirl19 continues to amaze! She is forever 28, is a blonde, who packs heat and used to like to drive a fast car but has no traded up to a truck. :thumbsup::laughing::laughing::laughing:

I used to be a blonde, but I have aged, i.e. turned gray, left 28 a few years ago, gave up on fast cars, and now drive a slow truck.

Later,
Dan