Ranting about people's driving

[deathman53]

I have to rant about people's driving. I drive 250-300 miles a day on parkway, turnpike, Rt. 9, 18, 287 and 78 and local roads. The things I see make me sick. I drive a school bus

1. you have to stop when the red lights are out, doesn't matter what direction you are going- you know how many people run them, atleast 10 did just today.

2. stopping past the line on the road and edging up when the light is red- you aren't going anywhere faster, breaking atleast 3 traffic laws and making it impossible for a large bus/truck/truck pulling trailor to make the turn

3. slowing down for EVERYTHING on the road and nearly stopping at times- atleast 3 times a week, there is a traffic slow down and almsot everytime it is caused by "rubber-necking" stopping to look at car pulled over, accident, car fire, you name it, it will cause a major slow-down. what is it with people? you can't pay attention to your own driving and what is going on in your lane(s) and have to get a "good, hard look" at things that don't concern you.

[CJM]

I drive about 200 miles 3-5x a week, I hate driving in NJ. 9, 18, 27, 37, 88, 70, parkway..ugh..

And to top it off I got broadsided today and it was a 6mo old truck and it was my bosses..lets see how long I have a job I was suspended today.

So man do I feel ya!

ps. Im in freehold

[Scro]

The law says here that if a school bus is stopped going the opposite direction on a divided highway, you don't have to stop. Yet every morning, I'm stopped atleast twice because of idiots that don't know the law.

[trailrider894]

I am a Criminal Justice Student, and a future law enforcement officer. I agree with everything everyone says here. I currently drive close to 300 miles a week. I see some crazy stuff myself. I think that people forget that school buses have KIDS in them... its kinda like trying to run over you own kids.

[ZSK]

Originally posted by trailrider894
...I think that people forget that school buses have KIDS in them...

Around here it's the bus drivers themselves that have forgotten that. On a regular basis they block intersections while running red lights instead of waiting, pull out into traffic with no regard for other drivers, on a consistant schedule run 15-20mph above the speed limit. I think the main problem is that they are contracted out to a private company and not employees of the school district.

Maybe it's just that they happen to be driving a highly visible vehicle and the other idiots blend in too well.:eek2:

[wilkin250r]

Originally posted by Scro
The law says here that if a school bus is stopped going the opposite direction on a divided highway, you don't have to stop. Yet every morning, I'm stopped atleast twice because of idiots that don't know the law.

Just out of curiosity, what's the definition of "divided". Does it actually have to be two separate roadways, or is a center divider sufficient? What if it's not actually a concrete barrier, just a row of bushes?

[liex21]

Haha you guys should come to NY and drive the lie(I-495) into the city you would probably have a heart attack. The traffic either moves 20mph over the speed limit or 5mph-dead stop. You see some crazy stuff to Ive seen boats fall of trailers, people with dummies in their passenger seat so they can go in the hov lane, nothing surprises me anymore.

[250rAL]

Man, don't even get me started on that subject. I'll just say that the majority of drivers are idiots.

[Scro]

Originally posted by wilkin250r
Just out of curiosity, what's the definition of "divided". Does it actually have to be two separate roadways, or is a center divider sufficient? What if it's not actually a concrete barrier, just a row of bushes?

The state trooper I talked to said any four lane road divided by a median, whether it be grass or concrete barriers.

[deathman53]

per dmv, a divided highway is a highway that has a concrete, steel or other type of divider block vehicles from going one side to the other. A grass divider, isn't a divided highway. Picking up/droping off kids on any highway is nuts. I only do it on streets, 4 lanes max.

[Scro]

I know it's not the best source, but this (http://www.auburnschools.org/School_Info/Alabama%20New%20School%20Bus%20Stop%20Law%20Flyer. pdf) says median. I asked the trooper specifically about grass medians, and he said it was considered a median. Heck who knows, maybe he was wrong.:p

[slightlybent47]

I have driven an 18 wheeler for the last 20 + years and I have seen a lot of crazy things over the years. We have red light cameras and I hate them but this is one place I would welcome cameras is on board school busses so these ash holes would get caught running the red light on school busses.

The best advice I can give you is to just relax and let it roll off your back, you are never going to win and all you will do is drive yourself crazy trying to fight them.

See if they will let you mount a Go Pro dash cam on your buss and show them the video and maybe send it to the DPS and maybe they will step up there patrol during those hours you are driving.

I feel your pain and I wish you luck, just drive as defensively as you can and be careful.

[wilkin250r]

Originally posted by deathman53
Picking up/droping off kids on any highway is nuts. I only do it on streets, 4 lanes max.

But some affluent neighborhoods have divided roadways, so not all divided roads are 75mph freeways. It's certainly possible (though not common) to have divided roadways in residential neighborhoods, and thus be perfectly legal to pass by a school bus with it's lights on.

[tinkers]

well mr. "bus driver" here's an observation for you too....next time your driving along dropping kids off and stopping every 150 feet...why don't you look behind you...if you see about 30 cars lined up behind you.....how about some common courtesy and pull over and let those people by....:eek:

[ZeroLogic]

People can't drive. NJ NY and FL people are the worst. I do not care what anyone says either, I live in the Poconos and they come down there to see the leaves falling off the trees. Oh hunny look! Slam on your brakes a deer!

[yam450_53]

I hate jerks at 4 stop intersections that go before their turn, sometimes I just feel like ramming right into them.

[CJM]

Originally posted by ZeroLogic
People can't drive. NJ NY and FL people are the worst. I do not care what anyone says either, I live in the Poconos and they come down there to see the leaves falling off the trees. Oh hunny look! Slam on your brakes a deer!

Correction: people who transplanted from NY and moved to NJ are the problem.

They run me off the road all the time and cause accidents.

Sadly about 1/2 the population of NJ is full of people from NYC who cannot drive, cause driving in the city is like a crash derby.

[honda400ex2003]

i dont have any true horror stories but i know that people who dont do 5 over aggravate me. if they dont want to go anything over max or 5 over get out of the way of the people that would like to make some time. just cause everything is 55 doesnt mean that it needs to be. Gotta love WI for that and old people... only major interstates are 65 the rest are 55 and under. oh well, i try not to let it bother me but i am usually the one driving when the slowest people on the road are out. I really like the brake tappers too. yes, i know you dont want me to ride you, either get out of the way or do the speed limit perhaps. 10 under is worse for causing problems than going over. you people are the ones that cause the accidents to occur. lol rant over i guess. Ill just keep getting worse and more aggravated after my 150 mile trip for the past few hours. steve

[89trx250r]

im with liex21 i drove on the lie to go pick up a 450r from suffolk and omfg was it the worst experience of my life i was literally punching my steering wheel sitting in traffic that was caused by nothing i was blow away that some of theese people even had a license...

[trailrider894]

ha ha guys, i live in a small town in Mid-Missouri the population is right around 2,400 people. So last weekend was the biggest weekend of Oktoberfest for us. Imagine a town that can hardly handle the 2,400 people and there traffic, just bump the number of people up to 25,000 and imagine what our town looked like.... :eek2: I was driving my old muscle car that is a manual, i was just trying to get to a buddies house about 1/2 mile through town, it took me 45 minutes of nearly non-stop clutch slipping and TONS of gas... People go down all the one way streets the WRONG way, and they all never use the crosswalks then get pissed when we almost run them over. They all yell " hey watch what your doing!!" then i yell back ( over the sound of my glasspacked v8 Monza Spyder) " oh yeah?!?!?! do you see a crosswalk? ( turns head left and right) NO!!! So find one and use it, when i almost run into on a cross walk then yell!!" ( dumps clutch and does burnout) I own the damn town, so stay outta my way. lol ha ha that whole things is slightly exaggerated. It sounds way better that way.