Texas Drivers

[DocSavage]

Lately I've run into people that are in a rush to go nowhere. Yesterday I had to bring my car in for service,I have to take an exit off of our Route 1 to get there. Now this is a single lane that splits at one point for traffic going North or South. I'm taking the exit for North bound at 30 mph fellow in an SUV blows by me on my right side startled me for a sec and gained maybe 2 car lengths Forgot to add the exit speed is 30 mph and it's a long curve may be a tenth of a mile but a hard 180 curve the type if you're going to fast you could easily fly off the road.

[buckwheatpaul]

Had to do a whirlwind trip down to College Station and back. Now, I had a Texas Driver's license for most of the time I was in the Army, have lived in the state off and on, was born there, but it's been a few years since I really drove deep into it (most of my travels for a long time were just to Decatur from here and back).

When did Texas apparently make it a requirement to be a stupid ******* to get a driver's license? It is so prevalent that it must be a systemic thing. Funny because as a group, they tend to be pretty friendly folks in face to face interaction. I never want to have to drive there again, though.

We have over 1,000 people moving here a day.....I think that what you are talking about are mostly, not completely, the transplants......

[Thin Man]

Texas must have learned something from the Twin Cities (Minneapolis - St. Paul). The interstates up there are certified combat zones. Every time I passed by a lane for driver to enter the interstate I had to hold a foot over the brake pedal. All of the cars coming onto the interstate simply ignored all the other traffic already on the interstate and entered their lane of choice, didn't matter how many or how close other cars were already occupying those lanes. I occasionally have flashbacks of my 5 months there, wondering how we escaped without injury.

[Petrol & Powder]

I don't think there's a place on this earth free of idiots.

[Newboy]

Rural Texas is the only place I have ever driven where the cars on a two lane road will pull over on the shoulder to let you pass.


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[sparkyv]

My observation: It's because of the overwhelming influx of foreigners. They drive like they were back home in Pakistan or Hong Kong, and the native Texans have had to learn to do the same just to keep up! Used to have road signs that said "Drive Friendly". Don't see them much anymore.

[MUSTANG]

I attribute it to no longer having Driver's Ed. taught in school. You know, budget cuts in our education system.


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Budget cuts? Decades ago in Texas took Drivers Education at age 16 and had to pay for it (Summer with School Teachers "Double Dipping" at another job).

Of course; the ludicrous part was that I had been driving Grain Trucks and Pulling Cotton Wagons to the Cotton Gin since I was 8. Back then come harvest time everyone pitched in to get the "Cash Crops In". Of course; myself and the scores and score of cousins had no drivers licenses, but then again the Sheriff's Deputies and Highway Patrol were helping their families get the Harvest in unless a "Call" came in, then they would go "Police". Times have changed.

[Hickok]

We get a lot of tourists here, and I do look out for certain brands of cars. (Hope none of you take offense if you own this brand), but the most arrogant, obnoxious, self-important drivers seem to always drive a BMW.

[dbmjr1]

My experience driving in Texas is: If you're not doing at least 75mph on a two lane blacktop, they'll run you right over.

[Duckiller]

Must agree with Fish4Bugs and Battis. When I was in the service in the late 60s and stationed in New Hampshire we knew to avoid cars with Mass plates. They lived in a very corrupt state and had nothing to live for and drove like it. Texans have no hope . They have the worlds weirdest off ramps on their freeways. I assume LBJ got them an exception from the national standards. Biggest problem Calif has is recent emigrants in Mercedes Benz. They know that taxi cabs don't cost $100,000. so they think they have bought part of the road and drive like they own all of it.

[WILCO]

Had to do a whirlwind trip down to College Station and back. Now, I had a Texas Driver's license for most of the time I was in the Army, have lived in the state off and on, was born there, but it's been a few years since I really drove deep into it (most of my travels for a long time were just to Decatur from here and back).

When did Texas apparently make it a requirement to be a stupid ******* to get a driver's license? It is so prevalent that it must be a systemic thing. Funny because as a group, they tend to be pretty friendly folks in face to face interaction. I never want to have to drive there again, though.

***** drivers are universal.
When the government lowers the standards that society operates under, everyone loses.
Now that legalized pot has been added to the mix, it will get interesting................

[WILCO]

Rural Texas is the only place I have ever driven where the cars on a two lane road will pull over on the shoulder to let you pass.


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I do that from time to time. Let the idiots go by.

[ghh3rd]

I live in Florida… we get them all.

[Biggin]

I've driven a bucket truck in a lot of different states. I used to think Miami Florida was the worst I'd seen until last winter. We did 3600 miles up to the northeast for the snow storms. I did most of the driving. Driving through new York city was a new experience!! Speed limits said 55 our trucks are governed at 65 and everyone else was running 85. Then everything would stop with no warning. I thought my pole buddy was gonna stomp a hole in the floor looking for the brakes and i was the one driving!!!

[dg31872]

I drive in College Station all the time. It's a lot better when the Aggies are gone for the summer.
But Houston is where the crazies live. We go there about once or twice a month and if you are not doing 80 you better have a ramp built over your truck so they go over you.

[472x1B/A]

Now wait just a minute. In 35 post not once did I see the state of Illinois mentioned. Going out on a limb here ok, but we have everybody beat for horrible automobile operators, point blank! The worst of the worst. ( This Not a thread hijack by the way OP.) Thank you all for the heads up everyone.

[fatelk]

I hear people complain about the drivers here in the Pacific Northwest all the time. We had a couple engineers from the east coast at work a while back, and one of them was complaining about how slow everyone drives here; he was aghast that so many people drive the speed limit! He loudly proclaimed, several times, that where he's from, he never drives slower than 80 mph! Congrats to you buddy, I was thinking; here's to a long and healthy life.

What's so wrong about slowing down a bit and following the rules of the road? Why does everyone have to be in such a dang hurry all the time, so uptight and aggressive? I hate aggressive drivers, can't stand them. Yes, I know some of them just grew up that way and don't know any better, but I try my best to stay as far away from them as possible on the road.

My theory is that the denser the population, the more aggressive and inconsiderate the drivers tend to be. In rural Oregon where I grew up, I don't remember it being like that at all. In big, crowded cities you have to learn to be an aggressive jerk or you'll get run over.

A friend of mine lived in the Portland area for a while. There is a large Russian immigrant population there. He once told me that if you see someone driving like the proverbial bat-out-of-hell with complete reckless abandon and disregard for rules and safety, you can bet it's a Russian. He said he had Russian friends and they all drove that way. That's how they all drove in Russia so that's how they drive here.

Another friend went to Italy on vacation and came back talking about Rome. He said absolutely nothing in America comes close for scary bad driving.

[fatelk]

Once last little anecdote about Texas drivers: my wife has a friend who moved here from Texas, Dallas I think, Texas born and raised. She's a very nice person, but the absolute worst driver I've ever seen. She got so many tickets here that they pulled her license. She really couldn't understand what the problem was; she never had that much trouble in Texas.

[Walks]

In CALIFORNIA, we have asian female drivers in their 40's-50's that were never behind the wheel of a car until they came here. I have no idea how they pass A DRIVER'S TEST. Unfortunately our CA DMV will give written tests in over 20 Languages. And they allow an Interpreter in the back seat for the actual PHYSICAL DRIVERS TEST. Usually the woman's husband.

GhostHawk,
That "Dakota slide" is actually a "VALLEY LANE CHANGE". It was "invented" in the SAN FERNANDO VALLEY in Los Angeles, CA back in the mid 1960's.

It consists of "flooring it" at the bottom of the on ramp, upon reaching the top of the ramp, you make a 90 degree left turn until you reach the #1/ inside lane. Then you make a right turn to straighten out into the lane.

You don't see it too much anymore. Too much traffic these days.

[Col4570]

I must say the Police in VA are most courteous,1974 on I 95 Driving a Chevrolet Pickup it was pouring down with Rain and the wipers had stopped working so I pulled into the hard shoulder trying to find the Fuse Box (Englishman Driving a American Car)I had the Bonnet Lifted (Hood)searching when I was aware of a cruiser pulling in,a trooper abot 7 ft tall approaching undoing the pressstud on his holster.He asked me what was the problem then told me I was looking in the wrong place and that U S A cars where sophisticated and had the Fuse box in the Cab.Anyway to make along story short he found there where no spare fuses so he supplied some (no Charge) and got me on my way.Just a minor event during my 6 month working stay in your great country but it sticks in my mind to this day.