UTMC

Ok, obviously sport utes/minivans of any make and anyone with a brain sucking cell phone can top this list. But of the car drivers, my personal peeve is usually Volvo drivers. I was just wondering if any of you have noticed any trends. Feel free to mention yours!

So for me, it goes like this:
1. Volvo drivers. Reason - Chaotic and obliviously stupid. Large hats, reading the paper while driving and playing with the big dogs in the car are not unrealistic behaviours.

2. Big pickup trucks, usually black. The bigger and more stickered, the worse they are. Reason - The are incredibly agressive and generally poor drivers. Almost uniquley male piloted. A high tendency of behaving drunkenly. The "Alpha Male" vehicle, so to speak. The ultimate "red flag" driver has the modified diesel dually with beer cans in the back and the "stars and bars" stickers. Obviously compensating for a very small prick and likely has issues with women. Shwwweeeet! Remember, there's no word in Japanese for drunken redneck.

3. John Q. Midlife sportscars and luxo rockets. Reason- Shunning the Harley trend, these late 40somethings stopped paying alimony and buy the fastest thing they can't afford. These are the 4 wheeled equivalent to squids. The ultimate "red flag" driver is out on fri or sat night with a date. I really feel sorry for the date! triple digits on city streets is not uncommon because none of them have the forethought to take a track day school!

4. Rental cars! Reason - Almost universally lost, they are capable of literally anything. Driving an unfamiliar car in an unfamiliar city is a disaster waiting to happen! I personally contribute to this stereotype because I'm usually the instigator of "Rental car Grand Prix". With the loss damage waiver in hand, I don't consider the business trip a success till I get the cage airborn! Orange cones make great hood ornaments!

1)Hondas...locally they are driven by your description of the Volvo Drivers (which locally are totally the opposite) or driven by teenagers that have no real experience on the road trying to be Ricky Racedriver all over the roads.

2) Fullsize SUV's or Trucks driven by (not sexist just size challenged) women that can barely see over the dash. If you can barely see over the dash, how the hell can you see anything around you?

3)see number 1 and 2 in tandem.

Depends on where...

Suburbs - the big ol' pick up trucks you mentioned.

City - stupid goddamn gangsta types rollin' in their caddies... I swear they're trying to kill me.

suprisingly young guys arent my worst enemies. yeah they do the boy racer crap but they tend to be more alert when acting like cockheads. The ones who nearly kill me frequently are middleaged middleclass 10 to 5 year old family sedan driving MEN. guys who think that they havent picked up a single bad habit in 20 to 40 years of driving, have a home, kids wife all of which cause them shit, hate their jobs and have too much stress and money woes on their minds to be arsed checking their blind spot.

Any model car, in which whose driver is talking on their fuggin cell phone.

not to be sexest or racist...but ive been involved in 4 accidents...none while i was driving...and 3 out of 4 times...asian women. just the facts folks.

but my greatest peev is the kid in the honda who thinks he can....
1. race my bmw and win...
2. race my yamaha and win...

retards.

In no particular order:
1) Volvos
2) Post 1960's Caddys (I'll lump all of the other land barges in with the Caddys)
3) Those new little AWD Subarus
4) Rental cars
5) Anyone driving and talking on a cell phone
6) Full size SUV's
7) Any car that I can see a quarter inch of blue hair poking up over the top of the drivers seat. (This generally factors into #2)

I do a lot of traveling for my job-usually driving. I've observed how different areas have different problem drivers. In my area, out in the country, everybody drives pickups and there doesn't seem to really be an issue with it. Our roads tend to be curvy and mountainous. I think survival of the fittest thins out the shitty drivers. Tourists in the area seem to be the biggest threat. Dangerous roads+inexperienced drivers=dead people. I always look at the license plate holder. If it's from a town more than sixty miles from my home I use extra caution. You gotta love those people going twenty five through the cuves and then flooring it in the straights just so you can't pass them.
A lot of my working time is spent in the San Francisco Bay Area. Marin County is a bunch of retirees who are of the belief that five under the speed limit is scary. You drive across the Golden Gate Bridge and it's gloves off, no holds barred. If you're in the East Bay then you get people pimpin and rolling.

Random observations: In the Bay Area if someone is driving ten under the speed limit in the fast lane-nine times out of ten it will be an older oriental man/woman.

Men generally drive faster than women, but someone driving more than fifteen over the speed limit-generally a woman.

Just observations...

1/ sexy well paid girl looking straigth in your eyes thinking "hu, look at my boobs, does bike really count as a vehicle?, anyway you won't be mad at me becouse i'm so damn sexy in my class A mercedes"
read my lips
B I T C H

The most dangerous make/model on the road, when I'm driving/riding, is every other vehicle other than mine.

But... Volvo, BMW, Lexus, Infinity, Mercedes... pretty much all of the higher-end cars have dumbfucks behind the wheel. Especially in/around Boston. Oooh, I tell you, mistah!

In my neck of the woods, you have to watch out for stoned high-schoolers in their multi-colored beaters. The make and model can be just about anything, but it usually wears more than a few battle scars. You can also spot these cars easily because they generally have 5-6 kids in them, yelling out the windows and playing ultra-loud music. The music is either new heavy-metal or hip hop.

You also have to watch out for any asshat who wears his baseball cap sideways. Seems like the sideways baseball cap automatically turns people into mouth-breathing are-tards. Again, high-schoolers do this a lot.

Military guys tend to drive like assholes too, usually in late-model John Q. Dumbass domestic cars with 10000000000 watt stereo systems.

I live 3 minutes away from both a high school and a military base, so you could say i'm biased.

-Aston

For a while I was convinced it was a white Toyota minivan. Followed by a white anything, Toyota anything, or any minivan. Recently though, it seems that Toyota drivers are switching to Hondas (previously a happy lot). This group has also discovered that cars come in other colors but seem to gravatate to silver.

Crown Vics and Caprices are a drag to share the road with...

UVF02052 wrote:Crown Vics and Caprices are a drag to share the road with...

Especially when they are equipped with shotguns and extra colored lighting...

UVF02052 wrote:Crown Vics and Caprices are a drag to share the road with...

Geez . . . I never hit anything or anybody in my Crown Vic.

I'm constantly blown away by the quality of driving I see out there, and to me, it seems to be almost universal. From a beatup Monte Carlo with 8 or 9 migrant workers in it, to a brand new BMW X5 SUV with a 40 year old woman behind the wheel (with or without a cell phone). . . I see people of all walks of life, in all kinds of cars, driving like absolute shit.

I'm sure If I took the time to tally it up, I might see some trends, but aside from the typical prejudices, it's all scary out there.

Hanover Fist wrote: 3) Those new little AWD Subarus

Hey!!!!! I love my little WRX... when its tranmission isn't dropped.

Geez . . . I never hit anything or anybody in my Crown Vic.

Me either.

UVF02052 wrote:

Geez . . . I never hit anything or anybody in my Crown Vic.

Me either.

You know . . . I think they're putting dope in my burritos. I have felt so tired and slow all afternoon. Slow enough that "geriatric" is the first thing that came to mind with respect to Caprices and Vics. Cops did not even occur to me and I didn't click on the links.

Damn, I need a nap.

goose wrote:Yah, that means you Mr. Luxury tax Porsche Cayenne ( fuggin no sack son of a bitch who didn't have the balls to buy a 911)

You should have seen me when those things first came out. I'd be riding passenger in a friend's car, when all of a sudden the feeling to hang out of the window with two middle fingers high in the air screaming "Your car F^&%ing SUCKS!" would overwhelm me. I would also do some universal sign language if one stopped next to me in traffic. First honk to get the assholes attention, then point to them, followed by wiggling your steering wheel and finishing with the good 'ole blow-job motion with your hand, tongue and cheek. That's sign language for "Your cars blows."

I don't consider myself a Porsche purist. I like the water-cooled cars and i'm receptive to front-engine Porsche's. However, an SUV crosses the line. A 4-door sedan, which they're planning, also crosses the line. A Porsche is a sportscar. It's a toy. It's a race-winning marque with a stunning history. To sully Porsche's reputation with something as ridiculous as the fucking Cayenne is borderline sacrilege. Anybody who owns one should be burned at the stake, as well as whoever gave the go ahead to develop and build it at Porsche.

This is a very touchy topic with me. I probably hate the Cayenne as much or more than i hate anything else on the planet. God help us if Ferrari ever builds an SUV. I might just cry.

-Aston

There was this old white and rust minivan, real old like a first generation minivan, on my ride from work today. This ur-minivan stops for no reason, jamming up traffic then crawls forward and tries to drive on to the highway off ramp. Doesn't make any headway what with the ramp being full of cars so it stops there for a while to contemplate the situation. As entertaining as this was I then made my escape and so don't know how this tale ends.

Oh and cabs. Cabs that keep a wheel in each lane to like reserve a spot or something creeping at 10 under the limit and suddenly darting off in unpredictable directions.
And minivans.

I've grown to dislike threads like this because of the generalizations they require one to make. I, personally, believe that all vehicles need to be treated with a relative degree of distrust. Having driven a Volvo, and a Lexus (that my wife owned) I don't think that automatically makes me a bad driver. Nor does the fact that some of my friends drive SUV's make them more dangerous than most of the other idiots out there (actually, most of them are quite aware of motorcycles and are very decent drivers).

More to the point, would it be any less discriminatory to automatically assume that anyone on a sport-bike is a squid?

I've been hit by a large assortment, and almost hit by just about everyone driving everything. I guess you could say I'm an equal opportunity speed-bump.

A big thing I've noticed, is that although people with well restored classic cars may get a little crazy on the backroads, they are almost universally courteous, careful and respectful of others on the road. Maybe it's because they take it seriously like we do, or because they are terrified of getting even a scratch.

I've found that the ones that I have the biggest problems with depend on where I'm riding:

-If I'm in downtown, it's the yuppies in SUVs and luxury cars, yapping away on the phone and going reckless every chance they get.

-In the neighborhood I used to live in here, it was all the rich college brats in cars that daddy bought em.

-If I'm in the 'hood, it's Escalades and other luxury tanks being driven by "playas" that want to show their dominance.

The ones I watch out for more than anything:

Trucks with dogs in the back (especially if they have confederate flags or are lifted).

-Cars that are really beat to shit, as they obviously have some habitual behavior.

-Any vehicle with spinners.

-Any vehicle that seems to be over it's capacity.

-Anyone in a Mustang (they think they are fast).

-Anything that looks expensive, leased and has a suit at the wheel.

-Pretty much anywhere on the east coast, the taxicabs want to race and and do everything possible to cause a crash, I just let the fuggers go.

-Old people. Sorry, not ageism here, I've met plenty of people that were full gray and could drive better than me. But the ones that can't, really can't.

Stereotyping a particular race/age/religion/sex/etc., is pretty much unacceptable in conversation, but to do it on the road isn't always a bad idea. It's good to notice recurring dangers and be able to spot them before you end up under them. The key is to figure out as many as possible, and watch for everyone. It's also important to watch the other random people, as they are just as likely to send you to the hospital.

Also, that dumbass in the cheap sportscar trying to race is truly delusional, and really annoying, but at least he sees you. More than once I've let these assclowns go roaring off the line, only to watch them get pulled over a few blocks later.

Ames, how many times do you need to be bit by a rattlesnake before the red flags go up when you see one?? And spare us the "moral high ground" bullshit. Everyone but you seems to realize this is venting, in fun, ffs. We're not going to start putting people up against the wall based on what they drive, no matter how much they deserve it!

Cab drivers:
On a different note, the most insane ride I've ever had in any vehicle (military included) came when I promised a $20 tip to a Philly cab driver if he could get me to the airport in 35 minutes to make a flight. I was about 15 miles on the other side of Philly. Normally almost an hours drive. Triple digits at 6am lane splitting in a battered Chevy! I bounced off every interior surface in the back of that cab! Now I know why there's plastic barrier between the front and back seats. I made the flight with 10 minutes to spare. Just enough time for my stomach to catch up!
I highly recomend it!

Maniacles,

It's not bullshit.

Yeah, I've had problems with certain types of vehicles, but by and large I don't think I have the time to stop focusing on all the cars around me to worry about one that's kinda sort of similiar to one that might have almost hit me a couple of months earlier.

Sorry if you think I'm being a buzzkiller, I appreciate venting as much as anyone else, but you didn't answer my question about sport-bikes.

Only squeetor on a sportbike, riding in shorts and sandals is a squid.

I mostly fear well dressed women in SUV's on cell phones.
A close second in redneck/jock assholes in pickups blaring KBPI.

I've found that the'gangstas' and 'playaz' seem to notice motorcycles better than your average cage driver.

So there, nyah

Yeah...I know I'm posting late, but I just got back from vacation.

Not mini fans... not all the rest of that crap.

Standard work appointed vans. Fully encased in metal with only the side mirrors to work with...and work with very ineptly.

I've been run out of many lanes with people that either don't check the mirrors...or don't care.

They don't mean to be assholes...they just can't see.

D

More to the point, would it be any less discriminatory to automatically assume that anyone on a sport-bike is a squid?

-sez Ames

Is that by your definition of a "sportbike" or mine?

Looks like you all coverd most of them , but I think you missed folks over 80 . Like the one that tried to take me out yesterday. You ever notice that when they are driving they look right they turn right, and when you pass them they look left and they turn left. Not good!!!
People in S U V 's they seem to think they don't have to stick around for the cops at a fender bender. Just an observation.

I'm positive Indiana used to require a test before you can get a license but I think they just give 'em out like candy now. Even driving my rusty VW Golf, I watch my ass regardless of who or what is around me. I spent too many years traveling for work to drive in a daze. When I visit Chicago, I'm relieved because even though they drive like mad, they seem to atleast have some degree of common sense. But here in Indy, holy crap, it's a fucking nightmare.

It's not just cagers either... we have tons of tshirt, sandal, shorts and brand new crotch rocket guys everywhere. I'm cool for letting people learn the hard way but some of those guys are worse than cagers. We had a guy a few years back doing +60mph down a busy street, drunk and doing a wheelie w/o a wheelie light. A car pulled out in front of him and *squish*. All the rocket riders were up in arms about how it was the cagers fault. Nope, sorry... it wasn't. Oops.. bit of a tangent there....back to the regularly scheduled program.

Last week, I rode with my neighbor on his 750, I had to ride bitch but I did my duty of staring down tailgaters and making sure no one killed us. Plus, while the driver is doing his thing, you can pop the visor, yell and put the fear of god into them.

I just assume that every driver was dropped on their head a few times or was fed lead paint. Unless it's someone I know and even then, there are exceptions....

No particular make or model disturbs me....well, that's not true. I don't enjoy riding next to anything where the tire is level with my head. Anytime I see someone talking on a cell phone, a vehicle equiped with television, or vehicles full of uncontrolled children, I attempt to steer clear.