Stupid Drivers

[Jim Edgerly]

Who here feels like they are driving around with a big sign on their campers, visible from every directions, that says "Hey, I'm towing a trailer, please do something really freaking stupid to me?"

I tried to do a mileage test towing my teardrop today using the mileage gadget in my Subaru Forester. Tow for 5 miles, between 2 bridges on the highway, then turn around and come back the same 5 miles and average the 2 mileages together. Well that sounds pretty damn simple doesn't it! Highway speed, 10 miles, a little less than 10 minutes. During that 10 minutes, I had several people cut me off so they could exit the highway. Could they pull in behind me? NO! They pull in with marginal space in front of me, going way too fast, then hit the brakes as soon as they cut me off so they don't hit the car in front of me! I also had a couple people come onto the highway, coming up the ramp, and didn't even look to see if a car was there whey they left the ramp and pulled into the travel lane doing 30mph!

Why are people so rude, or ignorant, or is it a combination of both? Do people really think somebody towing a trailer with a car can stop on a dime and swerve to avoid idiots doing stupid stuff?

I'm very frustrated with drivers in my state, MA!

[TPMcGinty]

Who here feels like they are driving around with a big sign on their campers, visible from every directions, that says "Hey, I'm towing a trailer, please do something really freaking stupid to me?"

I tried to do a mileage test towing my teardrop today using the mileage gadget in my Subaru Forester. Tow for 5 miles, between 2 bridges on the highway, then turn around and come back the same 5 miles and average the 2 mileages together. Well that sounds pretty damn simple doesn't it! Highway speed, 10 miles, a little less than 10 minutes. During that 10 minutes, I had several people cut me off so they could exit the highway. Could they pull in behind me? NO! They pull in with marginal space in front of me, going way too fast, then hit the brakes as soon as they cut me off so they don't hit the car in front of me! I also had a couple people come onto the highway, coming up the ramp, and didn't even look to see if a car was there whey they left the ramp and pulled into the travel lane doing 30mph!

Why are people so rude, or ignorant, or is it a combination of both? Do people really think somebody towing a trailer with a car can stop on a dime and swerve to avoid idiots doing stupid stuff?

I'm very frustrated with drivers in my state, MA!

MA isn't the only state with stupid drivers. Trust me!

[Fyddler]

My first time towing a trailer (23') I was cruising along and there was an accident up ahead on the right shoulder. There was a volunteer firefighter in the left lane who decided his skills were required so urgently he cut in front of me and slammed on his brakes so he could get over to the shoulder before the scene. I had to hit the brakes so hard I locked up all 8 wheels to keep from hitting him. I looked over at my wife and stated "I guess the new brake controller works!"

[PKCSPT]

I often cuss out stupid drivers here in MN then I drive the shuttle at work with people from other states and they tell me how polite MN drivers are.
And I am sure I have been cussed out a time or two myself.

But don't get me started on people that need to learn how to merge

[pmowers]

<start rant>
deleted by author after coming down from adrenaline induced tantrum. My apologies for any offense- I did manage not to swear.
<end rant>.

Happened to me on way home tonight- I am on a 4 lane highway,going 55 mph, woman sitting at light decides that since I was about 100 feet away, and her light was red, it would be okay to pull out into my lane. I do not think that she has a clue how close she came to being roadkill, luckily I was able to move over, slam on brakes and horn, missing her vehicle by about 5 feet. As I went past her, she was just merrily talking on her cell phone, utterly oblivious.

[Shadow Catcher]

I assume folks will do stupid stuff, and I am not too often disappointed. I do drive with a three second following distance, if at all possible.

[eamarquardt]

Ya know, I seem to have the opposite experience. When I'm towing my utility trailer:



people seem to give me a wide berth. No the bed isn't up when I'm towing the trailer. I signal for a lane change and they get out of the way. PERIOD. Perhaps the 2000# of steel get their attention. Maybe it's the red oxide primer that says I don't care. Maybe it's the shape. Whatever it is they YIELD.

I was cut off once but the driver just screwed up and didn't realized that they had shut down the right lane. I couldn't believe how well the trailer handled when I jerked the wheel as hard as I could.

Maybe spikes and other accouterments mounted on trailers would help.

Cheers,

Gus

[Jim Edgerly]

I assume folks will do stupid stuff, and I am not too often disappointed. I do drive with a three second following distance, if at all possible.

The problem with a gap "that big" in MA is that people assume that there is plenty of room to pull into the gap, leaving you less than ONE second gap between you and them because they are leaving at least a two second gap between them and the car in front of them.

[Corwin C]

There's absolutely no question about the lack of intelligence of MANY on the highways. Too many have no respect for bad weather or distractions from phones, books, makeup, food, music, children, pets, and the list goes on ad-nauseum about the idiotic things that people do on the road. After 18 years on the road daily, I sometimes think I've seen it all ... then someone will surprise me.

A Top-10 list of what I've witnessed myself ...

10. Car passes snowplow during snowstorm, finds out road conditions are poor in front of the plow. (DUH ... amazingly common)

9. Slalom through a line of construction barrels causing severe damage to incompletely cured concrete. (officer later told us it was a grandfather entertaining his grandchildren?!)

8. Highway patrol calling dispatch for a snowplow after I followed him closely for about ten miles in a snowplow. (conditions were too bad for me to pass him)

7. Driver getting a haircut from a lady in the back seat while traveling on the freeway. (activities other than haircuts happen as well)

6. Driving a large number of children while reading to them, book held up high in the center of the car so they could see the pictures. (I see variations of this frighteningly often)

5. In a snow storm, semi #1 spins out and slides to shoulder, semi #2 tries to pass #1 and slides into #1, delivery truck #3 tries to pass #1 and #2 and slides into #2, semi #4 tries to pass #1, #2, and #3 and ends up jackknifed across what's left of the freeway, caught between #3 and median barrier. All received citations for passing a flashing "chains required" sign without installing them.

4. Young woman hits a deer at night with poor visibility (ground fog and black ice.) We assist her in temporarily fixing dislodged headlight and broken grill with duct tape. She zooms away. 8 miles later ... another deer. We assist her by pulling fender and front bumper away from tire. She zooms away. 12 miles later ... YUP ... another deer. Mangled radiator, we call a tow truck for her.

3. Sandwich in one hand, coffee in the other, cell phone perched between shoulder and ear, pen between teeth, folder of paperwork tucked in steering wheel, in stop and go traffic through construction zone.

2. Shaving with (get this) a straight razor while driving! He had shaving brush & mug on the dash and basin of steaming hot water propped on a folded towel in his lap.

And my favorite ...

1. Cooking breakfast (sausage, eggs, toast) on a coleman stove in the passenger seat while driving.

[pmowers]

...

1. Cooking breakfast (sausage, eggs, toast) on a coleman stove in the passenger seat while driving. [/list]

Wow, and I couldn't decide who were the bigger morons, the tourists who put their rented Winnebago on cruise and went to use the bathroom, or the jurors who awarded them money for it not having a sign saying that you could not do that. Compared to the "chef", those people were brilliant.

[Woodbutcher]

The comedian Gallagher use to say, "all drivers are equipped with a suction cup darts that say "STUPID" on them". Someone does something stupid on the road you shoot them with a stupid dart. When they get 5 darts on their trunk the cops pull them over and give them a ticket for just being stupid. You see a guy driving across a long bridge with his turn signal on, hit him with a stupid dart!

[48Rob]

Do people really think somebody towing a trailer with a car can stop on a dime

Jim,

I feel for you.
It is a common problem with vehicles that are hard to see around/over, no one wants to be stuck behind them.

Your post is a great example of why good, working trailer brakes are so important.
Many who tow trailers feel they are very good drivers and are capable of allowing extra room, and avoiding bad situations, and generally they are.
Towing a trailer gives you better "training" that you get simply driving a car.
But, there are always those sudden, unforseen, no time to think situations when having trailer brakes make the difference between being in an accident, and avoiding one.

Rob

[jstrubberg]

I'm amazed at the number of people who just can't be bothered to acknowledge that there are other people on the road who matter.

It's not even about stupid, it's total, callous indifference to those around them.

[Jim Edgerly]

Do people really think somebody towing a trailer with a car can stop on a dime

Jim,

I feel for you.
It is a common problem with vehicles that are hard to see around/over, no one wants to be stuck behind them.

Your post is a great example of why good, working trailer brakes are so important.
Many who tow trailers feel they are very good drivers and are capable of allowing extra room, and avoiding bad situations, and generally they are.
Towing a trailer gives you better "training" that you get simply driving a car.
But, there are always those sudden, unforseen, no time to think situations when having trailer brakes make the difference between being in an accident, and avoiding one.

Rob

Rob, I agree with you that trailer brakes, properly adjusted trailer brakes, are a must. Even though I can see behind me with the regular mirrors on my Forester I also strap on "tow mirrors" so I can see even closer to the rear of my trailer. If there is somebody tailgating me I want to know about it before it becomes an issue. I also like going a little slower than prevailing traffic that way when somebody does cut me off they are normally pulling away from me increasing the gap instead of staying really close in front of me. I however do not enjoy those initial few seconds where at highway speeds I have a car 2 car lengths in front of me not knowing if they intend to hit the brakes fast to get off at the fast approaching exit.

[48Rob]

Jim, it is scary indeed!
Too bad people can't be more considerate, and more importantly educated.
If everyone could experience riding a motorcycle, completely exposed at 70 mph with cars, semis, travel trailers, etc. all around them, everyone would give a litte extra space...

Rob