Here are my top ten traffic pet peeves. Some are fairly ordinary, some are probably sort of unique to me. Feel free to add your own in comments!
- If you're going to make a turn, put on your blinker. Don't worry about whether anyone is around. Just do it.
- Also: if you're turning right, move over to the right so other cars can pass. You don't have to make a tractor turn from the middle of the street.
- If you want to drive at the speed limit on highways, that's fine. Just don't do it in the fast lane(s).
- In parking lots, drive on the right.
- Make a full stop at stop signs. But once you've done that you don't need to wait five seconds or three seconds or even one second. If the intersection is clear, just go.
- In school zones, go 25 mph if children are present. But if children aren't present then drive at the ordinary speed limit.
- At a stop light, don't leave ten feet between you and the car ahead of you. A couple of feet is plenty, and tighter spacing makes it less likely you'll block the left turn lane when traffic is heavy.
- If you're in the right lane on a freeway, don't react to merging traffic unless you're forced to. This one sounds a little weird, but if I'm merging it's up to me to do it safely. This is a lot easier if you just keep doing whatever you're doing instead of slowing down or speeding up.
- If you have the right of way, take it.
- When turning into traffic, wait until traffic is clear. Being annoyed because you've already waited a long time is not a sufficient reason.
NOTE: Items #5 and #6 might vary depending on the laws in your state.
When you pull up to an intersection and there are 2 lanes going in your direction, and you're not turning right, stay in the left-hand lane, so people who want to (and can) turn right-on-red CAN DO IT.
"4. In parking lots, drive on the right."
Uhhh how big are the parking lots in Orange County, in Los Angeles they don't have multiple lanes in both directions.
Still keep right. Then it's more predictable.
The Children zone one
How do you know if there are kids about??
The low limit is BECAUSE children are unpredictable - obey it at ALL times.
...because they're visible, or there are obvious objects that might hide them. They generally don't allow on-street parking in school zones in California.
It's usually pretty obvious when no one is in a school zone - the parking and fields will be empty.
Ours saying 'while children are present'.
As do ours in Ohio. My question is, "how does the law interpret 'present'?" If there are kids in the building, then I go the school speed limit. I don't know exactly when recess starts or ends, or whether someone is going to try and sneak out.
Around here, school zone signs have flashing lights. You slow down only when they're flashing, whis is typically at the beginning and end of the school day.
1A: Being in a turn lane is not an excuse not to use your blinker. It is not always obvious to people coming from other directions which, if any, of your lanes are turn lanes.
"If you're going to make a turn, put on your blinker. Don't worry about whether anyone is around. Just do it."
Within a quarter mile of your turn in busy traffic. Give the people behind you a chance to not rear-end you when you slow down or stop.
In my jurisdiction, those thick white lines in each lane at a light or stop are intersection markers. If you are a foot over them, and some jackhole hits you in a turn or going through, you are a contributing factor for "entering the intersection". I know it's horseshit but that's the law.
I would add a couple. First, if it is even a little foggy or dusty or starting to get dark, turn on your lights. You may not need them to see but other drivers can see you much better both from behind and ahead especially in rural areas. Second, the rule in most of europe is to keep right except to pass and this rule works well. In the UK, for instance, passing on the left lane (remember they drive on the left) is an instant ticket. this is also why the autobahn works. You only have to worry about cars overtaking on one sid, One other stop at yellow lights if you can. Running red lights is actually dangerous.
All good points.
If you're on a bike, you're driving a vehicle and you are subject to the same laws as cars. If you can't drive a car through a red light, you can't drive a bike through it either.
Do you speed? Tailgate? Rolling stop? Fail to signal? No lying!
Given that drivers are nearly ubiquitously violating laws written for cars, why should cycling strictly obey laws that are written for cars and are often useless or dangerous for cyclists?
In my state, if you are in the left lane and slower than the flow of traffic, you can be ticketed. That's true even if the flow of traffic is speeding.
I have to disagree about merging.
Nine times out of ten the right lane drive sees you long before you see them and can speed up, slow down or move over to let you in seamlessly without you even noticing. Once in a while though, traffic does not permit this, and the two cars are merging together.
In that case you seem to arguing that the right lane driver should just ignore the moving car and trust them not to cause an accident in a difficult situation.
Hell no to that. I am not going to entrust my life to a driver who may well not even see me. At that point all I can do is pick the least unsafe option in the tiny slip of time I have to make a decision.
I disagree with number 8. The car on the freeway has better visibility than the merging car. Making minor adjustments to make it easier for the merging car to merge is the right thing to do.
I know highway on-ramps are usually marked 25 to 45 mph, depending on how tight the turn is. But 90% of all on-ramps will have a nice straightaway leading into the merge lane, plus the merge lane itself. Find your gas pedal and f*cking accelerate to match highway speeds ASAP. Trying to merge at 45 mph into highway traffic going 70+ mph is incredibly dangerous and disruptive.
About 2: But moving to the right can seriously endanger bicyclists. Don't do this!! If there is no right turner lane stay in the lane up to the intersection. Check for bicyclists on your right (by turning your head, bicyclists are not visible in the mirrors!) before turning. You'll save lives!
About 7: If everybody goes to 2 feet this allows at most ONE CAR to get onto the left turn lane (if it is too short in the first place). Not worth it. Ignore 7.
(Plus about 3: In a rational world we would all drive at speed limit or less. It would make a major contribution to reducing greenhouse gases given that energy use and CO2 exhaust rise with the square of speed)
About 2: But moving to the right can seriously endanger bicyclists. Don't do this!! If there is no right turner lane stay in the lane up to the intersection. Check for bicyclists on your right (by turning your head, bicyclists are not visible in the mirrors!) before turning. You'll save lives!
About 7: If everybody goes to 2 feet this allows at most ONE CAR to get onto the left turn lane (if the left turner lane is too short in the first place). Not worth it. Ignore 7.
(Plus about 3: In a rational world we would all drive at speed limit or less. It would make a major contribution to reducing greenhouse gases given that energy use and CO2 exhaust rise with the square of speed)
More generally: Don't be so impatient. It only damages your nerves.
You really need to try out a 4-way stop in Texas.