Who do you think is the worst driver?

[slowscootin07]

Ok, here it is. Who do you think the worst driver on the road is and the most hazardous to the 2 wheeled community. Of course a teenager yapping on a cell phone with friends in the car pulling out a MC D's drivethrough would just about cover it, but who takes the cake in your opinion?

There's too many other options to list, like taxi drivers, impaired drivers, etc..., so if you choose "other," please elaborate.

[slowscootin07]

I choose teenager because I've seen first hand the lack of attention of them and have been involved in an accident because of it. All of the other choices fit too, so it's a bit hard to choose from them

[Aerostudent]

I chose commuters more because of everyone around here being in a huge rush to get home and not caring who they kill in the process. They will be doing 60 on a 35 street cutting of semis and scooter alike.

aero

[Robvious]

combine the suv/minivan with a mom a cell phone and you get my vote all day. the combination of over-sized vehicle, stressed out/in a hurry,and and (insert sexist comment here), and you have a recipe for collision. around here where i live (LA), its even worse because you get the suv driving trophy wives who only drive once or twice a week and feel entitled to the whole road. ok im stopping now.

[wildbill84]

I chose teenager w/ friends in the car.
I had one of these misfits pull right out in front of me, She was exiting the walmart parking lot making a Right turn.
She DIDN't EVEN LOOK before turning. She needs to shut her yap and pay attention.

[scooterlizard]

I have had more morons on their cells get in my lane, pull out in front of me, and drive so slow that they back up traffic. It don't matter what age,sex, race, or planet, cell phones to me are the most distracting device that can be in a vehicle. There have been a lot of wrecks in my county that envolve people running of the road and snatching it back on and loose control of the vehicle. Most were yackin on the phone. I had one in front of me one day that did that and I just knew that one on history, but they manage to keep it on the road and still kept on yackin. If I had a second choice it would it would be mommy in her land yatch. I drive big trucks and they have a lot of blind spots and a large suv is no different they have blinds spots and most of the time mommy is busy with other things be sides driving. The third is the car load of teens, I don't go anywhere at night on the weekends here because they cruise all night, race, burn outs, and any other vehicle mayhem they can get into.

The above are all valid as the worst driver some are more prolific than others. It just something for all of us to keep aware of when we ride.

[griff10]

Up through maybe 5 years ago the mom in the minivan/suv was the worst, on the freeway still is, too many distractions for them to see a little thing on two wheels.

In town though where we mostly ride the teenagers are scary, running red lights since it looked cool in some movie (writers of these should be shot <g>), worst it seems are the "tuners" the "hot rod" tiny 4 cylinder cars that the kids now drive with the wild stereos and giant exhaust pipes (that to me sound like a school bus). They really don't pay attention to the point that it's almost like they are trying to get someone hurt.

Bill H.

[slacker]

I've had problems with all of them when riding a bike... but the worst are hands down the cell phone users. They can't even stay in their own lane, much less avoid running over a bike.

["Big Guy"]

Hey, who put shorts and sandals in with crotch rockets??

I like feeling the breeze up my shorts and between my toes!
;D

[jennymrose]

Explanation for my "other" vote:

The OLD PERSON with huge sunglasses on (day or night) going 30 MPH UNDER the posted speed limit!

These drivers not only go way too slow for the rest of traffic they but also never look before changing lanes, put their blinkers on a mile before their turn, and cause everyone else on the road to get road rage!

/rant

[howardr]

I know that, statistically, teenagers with friends in their car are very dangerous, however, I voted for the cell-phone users because there are som flippin' many of them. All ages, size of vehicle, all parts of town. They are everywhere.

[Aerostudent]

Land Yachts...lol! ;D True though. The mines-bigger-than-yours SUV craze was one of the worst things in history. SUV's are not all bad, we have a smaller one that my dad drives, but the 9ft tall, 4 ton, 600HP, ones are bad IMHO, mostly because (as others have said) the owners think they come with a permission-to-drive-like-a-@$$ slip, add cell-phones, and a total lack of regard for human life and you have a very deadly mix.

Aero

[griff10]

250mc54 said:

Hey, who put shorts and sandals in with crotch rockets??

I like feeling the breeze up my shorts and between my toes!
;D

Old riding rule, dress for the accident. Totally up to you, but you won't get much riding done if something happens and you end up sliding down the pavement protected only with shorts and sandals. That and with no ankle protection the scooter you'll be using will be a mobility scooter. Sorry if this sounds harsh.

Bill H.

["Big Guy"]

Hey Bill,

40 years of riding, four accidents (one at 60mph) and no mobility scooter yet... knock on wood! That's okay though, and good advise, and I'm not arguing with you! But sometimes it's just impractical or no fun at all. I also used to like skydiving and other dangerous sports... some people just like the thrill of it all.

And what about the folks that don't wear helmets? What's the old saying? "I wear mine so I can have an open casket".

I do gear up all winter, but in 100 degree heat and humidity in the New Orleans summer...


-Rich

[griff10]

Hi Rich,

Ok, it is indeed hot down there

Me too 40 years of riding and other than once falling over on the grass (can't stare behind you and ride, duh) and dirt bike crashes (gave them up as a kid) no serious bike accidents. Now days with the idiots on the road, much worse than years past, I try to wear jeans at least and shoes that cover the ankles. Big advantage on the scoot, nothing to get your shoe laces wrapped around like on a bike, so can wear running shoes Oh yeah, lots of mesh jackets out now and they are actually cooler to wear than not wearing a coat, have to try it to see, the shade they provide makes all the difference and the air goes right thru.

Bill H.

[czechmate]

Well, I had to select "Other" simply because this short survey omits old people (I mean old 80+). I think that the most dangerous driver is an old man in cowboy hat with hearing aids in both ears and thick glasses who is driving a Buick or Cadillac. It is interesting to see those kind of drives how they're completely oblivious to their sorroundins and vehicles around them. Bismarck, ND, is going through some major changes, and there is a whole bunch of new roads and traffic lights and whatnot. I have witnessed an old lady (in a Buick) running through a red ligt on a traffic light that was recently installed. I bet she's been driving on that road daily for 40 years without stopping so there's no reason to change that habbit now. I see similar situation almost on daily bases. It is sometimes very scary.

["Big Guy"]

Hey Bill,

Vespa of New Orleans just got some new armor jackets in that feel like a windbreaker... I might check one out at $159.00 (40% off sale).

==================================

As far as the poll is concerned, I voted other, and the explanation for this is - I will say that everyone falls into this category including you and me at sometime or another, even if you don't want to believe it!

Yes... I saw you do that! Shame on you! ;D


-Rich

[magnaman]

Elderly drivers. I used to manage a towing company with an impound yard. We towed for the local police department and many dealers, etc. Some of the worst accidents were elderly drivers. Many times did we get calls for someone who mistook the gas pedal for the brake pedal, and many other bizarre accidents.

[xmirage2kx]

The two WORST are Minivans and Old People.

One of my jobs has me studying traffic and Old people and minivans are the most likely not to see what is going on around them. They will run off the road, not stay in a single lane, and merge into things.

Teens are still the most likely to lose control and men most likely to speed. RV's and U-hauls are really bad too.

Cell phones are surprisingly safer drivers than most, but there is a large enough % of people using them that you see their mistakes more as you will see 10 cell phone users for every minivan.

[vatoolman]

I voted other for the 90 year old drivers out there. I had one nail me on my electric two months ago. I was on the sidewalk . She knoced me into the road backed up off my scoot and drove off as fast as she could while I was picking myself up.

John

[ireland2004]

Older drivers have a tendency to be quite bad, weither its driving waayyyyyyy to slow, say 40mph on a 70mph interstate(seen it last time I was on the interstate), or having next to no reaction time. Still, I voted for the cell phone users, because they take the cake.

[einism]

cell phone users every time I had a close call the driver was on the phone wandering into my lane now they are texting while driving it should be illegal what happened to both hands on the wheel 10 and 2

[griff10]

Ok, the driver I found while riding home on the scoot last week (the last day it was warm enough and dry enough to ride <sigh>), driver in a Hummer (figures) with two cell phones, one in each ear and a newspaper covering the steering wheel. Either steering with his knees or not steering, hard to tell.

Bill H.

[nikolai]

Sandal-and-shorts type in my neck of the woods. They ride mostly insanely modified "underbones" (Asian market-only cubs and motorcycles) sometimes running with ridiculously narrow rims and tires (the rims actually scrape when cornering hard !) lighted up with LED's and neons that would shame a UFO mothership but still run with a headlight only slightly better than a pocket flashlight, and tailights visible only if you looked real hard... ground clearance so low that you can throw away the sidestand, and just rest it on the footpegs (!) Many of them run on the ragged edge of traction and control, and the wrecks they end up in often make it into the papers (or if it's bad enough, they end up covered with one.)

Sorry for the long post.

[90GTVert]

I voted other, then noticed you mentioned tennagers with friends in the car on the cell phone. I see that plenty where I ride. I also seem to get a lot of elderly people that will ride my ass. That worries me because I know an 80yr old's reaction time is not good enough to avoid crushing me between them and the car in front of me. It's obvious, but drunk drivers are actually the worst. Some of the road around here are commonly traveled by people leaving bars late at night. I've watched them swerve into the shoulder and everywhere else before while in a car... makes you feel real safe on a 50cc driving the shoulder on those certain roads at night. The fact of the matter is that it doesn't matter who the most dangerous is, they/we are all dangerous. Not to sound like a cliche, but 1 mistake from an otherwise great driver can end someone's life.

[pmperry]

I choose Other because I don't believe you can classify this that simply...

Seriously, any Jerk can be totally blatent to the rules of the road and totally self indulged in themselves...

Crud, anyone riding in Atlanta will surely tell you that bad drivers come in all types of packages and here in Florida, both Stop Lights and Turn Signals are Optional!

[hardtimes]

The last collision accident I was in involved a car load of teenage girls rear ending me as I was stopped for a school bus. That was thirty years ago, and I was in a V.W. Thing. I don't care what I am driving or riding, I assume that every thing or person in my environment is a potential threat to my life. Just remember that no one can see you, even when making eye contact. They just aren't looking for anything smaller than what they are driving.

[gottascoot]

If you come to Georgia look out for the old man in the pickup truck.the old man in the old pickup truck=he is ok out on his farm on his tractor all by himself,where he can stop/make a u-turn or anything else all by himself (never seen a tractor with rear view mirrors) he drives his truck the same way,that is where he learned to drive and just as slow. The old man with the new pick-up truck=he comes thru the Walmart parking lot on sat. morning 60 mph in his new cowboy shirt with his whitewall haircut thats the way he shows hes still top dog in this neck of the woods.(owns two or three trailer parks that rent by the week) now that i`m an old man I can call these guys out without disrespect,they are dangerous. See ya gotta scoot

[bgray]

I live near Harrisburg Pa and 81, 322, 11&15 are all major roadways for big trucks every time I had a prob it was with a big rig!

But I am the same way I run a E350 service van and when I pull into traffic or someone is pulling in beside me they will stay in my blind spots. They don't slow down or speed up they just stay their until I start coming over.

I have found the more a person drives the more they complacent they become and that is when you do not see the other guy.

2nd OLD drivers! yea how could i forget granny stoping at a yeild sign then trying to pull out in a 65!

Why don't they make you retake your test every time you get a new photo?! i would gladly do that !

[jtrnp]

Did anyone notice the wording in the poll? The drivers were called mom, teenager, rider, driver, commuter....idiot. While I'm not debating that commuters talking on their cell phones are unsafe, I do believe that the wording used does have the ability to effect people's decisions.

travis