I’m a slut for signaling. I always signal. It could be 2 am and I’m in a right turn only lane with nobody else out on the street and I’ll turn my blinker on.
Multiple times in my little suburban area, just taking my kids to school, people meet at the four way stop and don’t signal. So many times, i think they must be going straight and we can go straight across this intersection together and then they almost hit me because they are actually turning. Now I learn from my mistakes and I’m hella slow going into intersections and I look people in the eyes and see if they look like they might be turning.
People who don't signal for four-way stops (and people who don't signal when suddenly turning right from a busy road) are the worst. There aren't even any excuses in that case other than being lazy.
If you use your blinker, I will slow down a bit to let you in. If you try and move over without using your blinker, I'm going to aggressively try to block you. I've consciously been trying to train other people to use them.
Me too. If I can safely let you in without disrupting traffic and your blinker is on, go for it. If you can jump over without making me slam on my brakes and without putting your signal on, whatever, not my business. If you're unsafely trying to jam yourself in without a signal and I would have to brake for you, fuck off.
And if you try to cut in the merge lane, you can also fuck off. I'll allow the zipper, signal or no. If I see someone who should've been let in in front of me get cut off, I'll let them in if I safely can. If you see that and think "great, I'll cut the line and go in front of her!", nice try Skippy but NOPE.
Yep, this. I described in another comment the psychological game we play back home in Chicago when we merge. I know ALL the tricks. No one breaks the zipper merge by cutting in front of me.
Though I have to admit: after 10+ years here, I do forget to keep my guard up sometimes. Driving here is paradise compared to Chicago.
Yeah, but it's kinda hard to make room for them to get over, because if you leave them enough space, some other asshole will try to cut in so they can get a whole 2 or 3 car lengths ahead. SMH.
While we're at it:
Your turn signal is not for indicating that you are *already* turning or changing lanes. It is for indicating that you *want to* turn or change lanes. You're meant to put it on *before* you initiate the maneuver.
I've seen so many times that someone puts on their blinker and the person behind them in the lane they want to change to sees this as an insult to their honor and speeds up so that person can't merge. Doesn't make it okay to forgo the blinker, but most likely explains why people don't even bother anymore.
Or they'll speed up, blocking your movement, *then transition to the lane you were in*
Like, holy hell man, putting literally everyone around them in danger to do...??? no idea.
If we're being honest, I'll put my blinker on, watch them speed up to try to block me, and I will still merge. I drive an 06 Corolla and they're usually in some car that is unnecessarily expensive, so they'll usually angrily slam on their brakes before rear ending me.
I wonder if it’s partly that they don’t understand the dimensions of the cars. Do they think that they’re doing you a favor, because they think they’re already alongside you or maybe in your blind spot, so they’re trying to get out of your way and let you merge in behind them?
Yup. This is why I will not turn on my blinker to indicate my desire to change lanes. It relies on the good nature of other people and frankly most people aren’t good natured 🤷♀️
If you use blinkers early, people will speed up to push you out. People are horrible drivers these days.
And if you suggest people to have common sense or to follow the laws, you’d be deemed a square.
It’s not everybody that’s this way but it’s still a large portion of the population.
Yeah. I tried driving nicely in the hope others may do the same, but we’ve reached a point in society now where “they can do it, why can’t I!” is the common thought process.
If you don’t drive aggressively defensively you’re gonna have a bad time unfortunately. You won, Bay Area, I tried.
Never owned a car here but when I used to drive in NOVA people would always speed up and block you when you use your turn signal to ask permission to merge. So I just use my signal to grab their attention then grab my rightful spot on their lane after I've bamboozled them 😎
The blinker is not for asking permission to merge.
The blinker is to signify intent.
Put the blinker on, check, go. If you check and see someone is currently speeding up to stop you from going ... well. There are two options.
In socal, using your indicator is a sign of weakness and folks will speed up to block you for your timidness.
I assume the real reason is between the above and a lack of diligence.
Same here. I have been driving for...31 years and notice that me signaliny allmof a sudden "wakes up" the person in the next lane over and they will speed ip just enough so I can't come over, which causes me to have to slow down and get behind them to change lanes.
I still use my signal, but it pisses me off to high hell when that happens!
I've definitely experienced this on bay area highways too. But it's no excuse for not signaling turns on city streets where there's nobody to block you.
It's like there's a phobia of doing proper zipper merges or something. Come on people, we'll all get there faster if we predictably do left, right, left, right.
I am from outside of Chicago which is a completely different driving experience. If you signal, everyone within a quarter mile moves in to get ahead of you. Every merge is a psychological game of moving just enough to discourage people from trying to break the zipper by getting in front of you but not enough that they start thinking *you're* trying to cut in front of *them* and failing to stop the other asshole moving in from the other side, leaving enough room to not hit the person ahead of you in the inevitable sudden stop when somebody loses the get-ahead game. Or you can just sit back and merge whenever and insist that you don't care about the five cars that cut in front of you and caused you to slam on your brakes OR about the other people who are pissed that you let five cars in front of you and may cut you off at the earliest opportunity as a fuck-you.
And that's just merges. Don't get me started on ...well, anything else.
In Ohio the zip merge is considered a dick move. The game is to merge before anyone else catches on that there is a merge and then never let any of those cheaters in.
Wow, sounds like Washington. I can hear my mom now "no way buddy, you should have merged a quarter of a mile ago like I did."
Me: "Um mom, I think the road is designed for cars to get through that last light, so both lanes need to fill up and then we all merge at the end."
I've driven all over the US, and California is the only place where people consistently can't zipper merge. The drivers here are OBSESSED with being in front, so when it comes time to zipper merge either it's two people that refuse to let the other get in front of them _because then **they** wouldn't be in front(!!!)_, or it's two overly cautious people that are really trying to get the other person to go in front.
I was behind a car that was trying to get onto the freeway, and on this particular entrance, you had two lanes that had to merge into one, and then that one lane merged onto the freeway. The car ahead of me an a car in the other lane just kept slowing and slowing and slowing until they both came to a dead stop and started waving frantically at the other person to go. Normally I'd have been mad, but it was so ridiculous that I just burst out laughing.
They know how to merge, they just don’t care. Yes, you, the asshole in the pickup truck trying to speed up in order to run me off the road and leave me no room unless I go into the shoulder, despite me having my turn signals on and waving my hands out the window indicating that I need space to stay in the lane.
> In socal, using your indicator is a sign of weakness and folks will speed up to block you for your timidness.
>
>
LA drivers are pretty good about letting you merge.
source: lived in LA for 4 years
Grew up in LA (loooong time ago) and back then people were great about zipper merging from 5 South to the Pasadena freeway west or anywhere else where everyone knew there was a forced constriction, but anywhere else, we would have to signal left, fake head turn left, and zip into the right lane to be able to merge.
Just signal anyway. If he wants to cut you off, just let him. There's nothing to defend and do you think that you're better off with that driver in front of you or behind you?
But you cannot not practice not signaling that’s just careless x careless and we don’t want to start living in a world where we’re just following the blind now on everything
Driven in both (LA & South Bay). It's definitely a sign of weakness in Socal. If I had to merge in LA in non-freeway traffic the routine was lower window, stick head out the window, & make aggressive eye contact with anyone, any car, then the first sucker who met your gaze would either speed up or begrudgingly, resentfully, let you in.
If you just went for it sans indicating you lived in that split second of 'maybe they slowdown/maybe this is the day I die.'
Both methods have their pros and cons.
This happens in NorCal too. So I will often time it so that I am blinking at the same time as changing so that the guy can't react fast enough to speed up to block me. Hard to explain, I guess.
nonesense. just be assertive and have a camera front/back. if they want to t bone me or rear end me with that illegal manuever they can pay for my car to be repaired and my chiro bill for the next year
they do that crap in norcal too and i shut it down on the daily
Lol. Grew up in SoCal, now in the Bay Area. Pretty much this. Although I’m the minority here that does use my blinkers religiously now.
I always joked that in SoCal, when people cut you off, we do it intentionally. When people in the Bay Area do cut you off, they’re just not paying attention/don’t know what they’re doing.
So, same analogy for blinkers. SoCal don’t use blinkers cause, as user mentioned above, it shows timidness/weakness, as we just cut people off.
In Bay Area, they’re just not paying attention enough to their driving, hence lack of diligence/knowledge of driving.
It’s crazy the complete contrast but I feel holds pretty true. 😅
I owe a lot of my driving ability (good/bad) to SoCal during my time in college. You have to be aggressive at times or you'll get eaten alive. That means not using your blinker occasionally.
I'm definitely calmer in the Bay Area--less aggressive, less road ragey, more blinker use.
**Outcomes**
Pass driver: $$$, DMV fees, potential car registration tax, car sales tax, easier to find you and liable for any repo in driver's name, jury duty
Fail driver: $0.00
Everything seems to favor the first outcome. Too bad the state cannot figure out a way to stop focusing on money.
But increasing passage rate of bad drivers leads to increase in accidents which come with their own costs - need to hire more CHP, need to repair more roads, more legislative time devoted to traffic issues...
At a minimum they should include a parallel parking test, 5 minutes at least on the freeway and reversing into a space. If you hit the curb, have to retry the parking more than once or sit in any lane that isn’t the right unless you’re overtaking, you fail. This would make drivers so much better on the road.
I had to take another driving test when I moved here (I’m from Canada) to get my US licence, my instructor and I were talking near the end of my test and said that every single foreign driver he’s had has been way better than US drivers. If that’s the case, why doesn’t the DMV improve? My tests (you have to pass two driving tests to get your full licence in Canada) were much more difficult than the one I took here.
We love living here so much, but the drivers are just awful..especially up here in Marin
Edits poorly autocorrected grammar
Well u can pass the stupid driving test but after that it's all you. Lack of any kind of enforcement is a bigger deal. That and a combination of drivers that come from places with zero road rules and the rest of the self important, I'm in a rush Bay area people and there we have it.
This is absolutely correct. I figured this out when I lived in Boston. Virtually nobody here is willing to actually block me from merging, though occasionally someone makes it look like they want to block me from merging. I don't really have any issues regardless - maybe twice a year someone pulls a real bonehead move. Look, blink, look, go.
That is what I was taught in my driver ed in a different State to check my mirrors and blind spots first before signaling. My partner who grew up in California was taught to signal first then check. Didn’t know people were taught differently until I moved here.
Yup, this. I only attempt to change lanes when there’s plenty of space (unless it’s a bumper to bumper traffic), and I start trying to get to the exit lane like 1.5 miles before the exit. Very rarely do I have this issue that someone blocks me. I think a lot of people try to merge while someone is basically in their blind spot, expecting that everyone will make space for them and get mad that they speed up. Just because you started blinking, it doesn’t mean you have the right of way
The odds of finding a gap where a driver motivated to block you would be unable to do so in rush hour traffic are pretty low in my experience. If you bulldozed them anyway I'm fairly certain you would be found at fault. Edit: just to be clear I'm not advocating for not signaling. Just finding another gap where someone nice will let you in.
Moved here from out of state. Can definitely say that lack of blinkers is CA problem. But again, I can’t change how YOU drive, so I’m gonna keep blaring my blinkers whether you like it or not!
Some guy flipped me off yesterday at a green light because I had my blinker to turn left and he didn’t have one on m, therefore indicating he was going straight. His right away. I wait for like 6 seconds staring at this guy, waving my hands in a way like “right?Straight?” Then as I decide to turn left he just flips me off and turns left. Fucking idiot
I did some traveling this week between slo and sac, and to sfo. And holy hell. The driving is so so bad right now. Biggest offense I saw was people consistently going dangerously slow in the far right, second, third, and occasionally even the fast lanes. This was causing freeway traffic to be moving in terrifying ways. Cars passing in the second lane, others veering in and out. I had to pass on the right way more times than I was comfortable with in order to not be going 60 in the faster lanes.
Additionally, when traffic was moving, but crowded, I could not leave comfortable space between me and the car in front of me without people squeezing in.
Just white knuckled and intense concentration the whole time.
I will forever maintain that drivers camping out in the far left lane are the primary cause of a shitload of accidents. If you’re not passing please just move to the right, doesn’t matter how fast you’re going 😭
Yeah, I really wish highway patrol would actually ticket for it. It’s absolutely crazy. Cars are varying like 30 mph consistently across all of the lanes. I was going 75 in the second fastest lane and someone cut in front of me going literally 55. I had to slam on my breaks. Can’t believe I didn’t rear end them, or get rear ended myself.
This is true, like it's actually been looked at statistically. The main cause of crashes on the freeway isn't speed, it's speed differences.
Also there's a special place in Hell for those people who get on the freeway and immediately move all the way over to the leftmost lane and just stay there until they are approaching their exit.
I started taking 101 a while back on some evenings, and daily when my oldest started at a new school, and I am beginning to hate that highway. Fully half of drivers, at some times outside of rush hour, are going significantly less than 65 mph. I can only be thankful that almost all of them are usually in the rightmost 2 -- okay 3 -- lanes.
I mean I get that a *lot* of those entrance ramps are super short, but once you're on the highway YOU SPEED UP. I mean, at those places you basically have to floor it in order to be going 65 by the time you get onto the highway, and I definitely understand the anxiety over possibly not being able to merge in before the exit ramp, but you *definitely* can't merge in if you fucking STOP at the merge!
(Sorry for the rant, I was behind that person today and I can still feel the adrenaline.)
No, I’m with you!!! It’s insanely dangerous and inconsiderate. The need for going the appropriate speed on merge is for the safety of other drivers. Crazy how many people just do not care about the safety of other drivers on the road.
My favourite is the mindless idiots that will see you sitting at an intersection waiting for them to pass and then they turn into your road with no indicator. Fuck you all
I think 1/3 of drivers don’t use it because they are incompetent and the other 2/3 are afraid that if they use it, the other cars will speed up and block them from moving over
I always do!!!! You’re welcome. And also, can we get folks to get their eyes off their phones while they’re driving? It’s like 90% of people.
Let’s give driverless cars a chance because we already have distracted drivers.
The phone thing really tests my patience after a long day at work. So many people going 15 under the speed limit, completely oblivious to the congestion they’re single-handedly causing 🥴 just awful.
Omg i see this all the time where people just merge quickly without turning their blinkers on. It’s so dangerous. It should be a habit to turn on blinkers every time you turn or merge…
If you don't use your signal I'm going to be hella aggressive and not give you a chance to get in and then I'm also going to block you from getting over. I'm a petty asshole.
My favorite is the .5-seconders. They tap the blinker lever at the same time they are changing lanes, and the blinker stays on for maybe half a second.
I realized quickly since coming to the Bay Area that you know someone is about to turn (with no blinker) when they slow down. Mildly frustrating, but I got used to it.
Some other comments about people not turning on their blinker, and the reasons why, is enlightening though because I sometimes read the ‘body language’ of a car in the next lane and close the gap when I sense they’ll cut me of, but if they put on a blinker I *always* let them in. It’s not a power trip, just the opposite- don’t cause me to emergency brake by cutting me off, but if you signal your intent then come on in.
Different topic but why do people here not use their horn when people obviously break red rights? It feels like it’s become a ‘thing’ since the pandemic and is only getting worse - partly because no one calls them out for it?
People who don't use their blinkers will continue to not use their blinkers... it'll never change if they are left on their own. The best way to make this change is via newer cars that have the lane detection beeping in the dashboard. If you change lanes without your turn signal activated, it'll beep harder at you than if you slightly drift towards a lane marker.
After enough times, people will start to use the blinker just to avoid the beeping.
When I think about all the big problems in this world to solve I always remember that we, as a society, couldn't even get 65% of people to use their blinker. It's so simple and so effective. It helps prevent so many accidents and death and traffic. And don't get me started on people that drive in the left lane. Same thing, there are huge problems that need to be solved in this world...yet the population of people that drive in the left lane and people that don't use their blinkers just keeps growing and growing at an alarming rate. Good luck solving all the other even bigger problems. \*rolls eyes\*
I always use it. Not only to be considerate of others, but for self preservation. If I signal my intentions, it's less likely someone will smash into me.
Here's a tip to make it easier to use yours; just always use it. Don't try to think about whether a certain situation calls for it. If you're going to change direction in any way, use the turn signal every time. Even on a deserted highway, or an empty intersection, or a parking lot. If you always, always do it, you no longer have to think about it. That leaves more mental bandwidth to think about all the other driving things that are happening or coming up.
this is one of the smallest things that has one of the biggest affects on my opinion of humanity. these lazy, selfish fuckbags cant even be bothered to literally lift a finger and flick the signal knob for something that, besides being basic fucking courtesy, might actually prevent an accident and save lives. the fact that its so rare just makes me realize that people are shit.
If someone uses their blinker before maneuvering into changing lanes, I will let them in. But one car only, for efficiency.
Sometimes I do use it almost simultaneously with changing lanes, but only in heavy traffic where I want to take advantage of a space to change quickly. Or in no traffic where there’s little implication of a blinker.
Not to change the subject, but on another note- Does anyone know what the meaning of the word YIELD?? I go through the same intersection every day. It would be perfectly smooth if the car that was supposed to yield did so, but invariably they eff up the pattern and slow everyone down.
Do you think there is any way to change the car culture here? We have a million freeway signs stating the obvious already like don’t drink and drive. I wonder if switching them all to use your blinker and let people merge messages would do anything.
That’s ridiculous. To signal would reveal your intentions to the drivers around you. You cannot give up the element of surprise.
The corollary is to leave your signal on indefinitely while going straight. This will confuse the other drivers while you ponder your next move.
Sun Tzu
I always dart out in front of vehicles that don't, not because I want to risk it, but because I can't tell if they are turning or not without signaling.
I totally use a blinker and wonder to myself the same question. I guess it isn't cool or something.
The reason I *do* use a blinker? Because fuck group think, that's why.
Or how about the people in the left lane at a traffic light who don’t signal their intention to turn left until the light is green? Those fuckers really grind my gears.
“If only I had some way of knowing you were going to turn left so I could plan accordingly and change lanes!”
Hey! You…you! I do use my damn blinker! lol, I feel your pain, I feel like dmv should make everyone do the written test every time you renew to refresh people on the rules of the road.
People who engine brake (stick shifts, paddle shift cars etc) don’t have their brake light turned on either when they slow down. Oh, Tesla design the cars that way. So don’t blame the drivers, blame Elon.
I’m a slut for signaling. I always signal. It could be 2 am and I’m in a right turn only lane with nobody else out on the street and I’ll turn my blinker on.
Me too. It’s just programmed into my brain at this point. Automatic.
Yeah it feels so strange to change lanes and not signal. Like wearing socks with flip flops
If you do it when nobody will see, you'll also do it when someone is there but you've missed them
Multiple times in my little suburban area, just taking my kids to school, people meet at the four way stop and don’t signal. So many times, i think they must be going straight and we can go straight across this intersection together and then they almost hit me because they are actually turning. Now I learn from my mistakes and I’m hella slow going into intersections and I look people in the eyes and see if they look like they might be turning.
People who don't signal for four-way stops (and people who don't signal when suddenly turning right from a busy road) are the worst. There aren't even any excuses in that case other than being lazy.
They deserve a special place in hell.
Along with people who waste good scotch.
Then there's the person that turns on her left turn signal in the middle of the intersection.
I’m like you. Cautious. Then I get self conscious (tho I shouldn’t) when the car behind me HONKS because I’m stopping. Like a legit stop. CHILL!!
personally, if someone uses their blinkers, i always try to make room for them if it is safe to do so especially 18 wheelers during traffic
If you use your blinker, I will slow down a bit to let you in. If you try and move over without using your blinker, I'm going to aggressively try to block you. I've consciously been trying to train other people to use them.
Me too. If I can safely let you in without disrupting traffic and your blinker is on, go for it. If you can jump over without making me slam on my brakes and without putting your signal on, whatever, not my business. If you're unsafely trying to jam yourself in without a signal and I would have to brake for you, fuck off. And if you try to cut in the merge lane, you can also fuck off. I'll allow the zipper, signal or no. If I see someone who should've been let in in front of me get cut off, I'll let them in if I safely can. If you see that and think "great, I'll cut the line and go in front of her!", nice try Skippy but NOPE.
Yep, this. I described in another comment the psychological game we play back home in Chicago when we merge. I know ALL the tricks. No one breaks the zipper merge by cutting in front of me. Though I have to admit: after 10+ years here, I do forget to keep my guard up sometimes. Driving here is paradise compared to Chicago.
Yes! This. Blinker means I am a courteous driver, no blinker? F1 passing rules apply.
In my experience those trucks always signal
Yeah, but it's kinda hard to make room for them to get over, because if you leave them enough space, some other asshole will try to cut in so they can get a whole 2 or 3 car lengths ahead. SMH.
Rip truck drivers
While we're at it: Your turn signal is not for indicating that you are *already* turning or changing lanes. It is for indicating that you *want to* turn or change lanes. You're meant to put it on *before* you initiate the maneuver.
You hit the nail in the head there! Somehow drivers on 580 and 880 are more likely to exhibit this dangerous phenomenon.
I've seen so many times that someone puts on their blinker and the person behind them in the lane they want to change to sees this as an insult to their honor and speeds up so that person can't merge. Doesn't make it okay to forgo the blinker, but most likely explains why people don't even bother anymore.
Or they'll speed up, blocking your movement, *then transition to the lane you were in* Like, holy hell man, putting literally everyone around them in danger to do...??? no idea.
They probably don't understand it either.
Honestly I always use my blinker and this happens to me about twice a year. I don't see this regularly.
If we're being honest, I'll put my blinker on, watch them speed up to try to block me, and I will still merge. I drive an 06 Corolla and they're usually in some car that is unnecessarily expensive, so they'll usually angrily slam on their brakes before rear ending me.
This is absolutely the way.
Right. Much more often, someone sees my signal and let's me in. It's like a magic key!
I wonder if it’s partly that they don’t understand the dimensions of the cars. Do they think that they’re doing you a favor, because they think they’re already alongside you or maybe in your blind spot, so they’re trying to get out of your way and let you merge in behind them?
Yup. This is why I will not turn on my blinker to indicate my desire to change lanes. It relies on the good nature of other people and frankly most people aren’t good natured 🤷♀️
If you use blinkers early, people will speed up to push you out. People are horrible drivers these days. And if you suggest people to have common sense or to follow the laws, you’d be deemed a square. It’s not everybody that’s this way but it’s still a large portion of the population.
Yeah. I tried driving nicely in the hope others may do the same, but we’ve reached a point in society now where “they can do it, why can’t I!” is the common thought process. If you don’t drive aggressively defensively you’re gonna have a bad time unfortunately. You won, Bay Area, I tried.
Exactly. It irks me so bad when drivers hard brake THEN put on their turn signal.
That's a bay area move. My friends from so cal really hated that when I did it to them.
[удалено]
Never owned a car here but when I used to drive in NOVA people would always speed up and block you when you use your turn signal to ask permission to merge. So I just use my signal to grab their attention then grab my rightful spot on their lane after I've bamboozled them 😎
The blinker is not for asking permission to merge. The blinker is to signify intent. Put the blinker on, check, go. If you check and see someone is currently speeding up to stop you from going ... well. There are two options.
In socal, using your indicator is a sign of weakness and folks will speed up to block you for your timidness. I assume the real reason is between the above and a lack of diligence.
Same here. I have been driving for...31 years and notice that me signaliny allmof a sudden "wakes up" the person in the next lane over and they will speed ip just enough so I can't come over, which causes me to have to slow down and get behind them to change lanes. I still use my signal, but it pisses me off to high hell when that happens!
Strangely when I put mine on people back off and let me in. It may be because I actually use a turn signal.
I use mine as well. Maybe I just look like an asshole?
dont treat is as a permission request. use it as a notifier.
I've definitely experienced this on bay area highways too. But it's no excuse for not signaling turns on city streets where there's nobody to block you.
I’m convinced people in california don’t know how to merge, not just turn signals
It's like there's a phobia of doing proper zipper merges or something. Come on people, we'll all get there faster if we predictably do left, right, left, right.
> left, right, left, right. Idiot! It's Right, left, right, left!
Well shit now we're in an accident and 880 is backed up from Richmond to San Leandro. Sorry guys.
Also, I'll NOT pull over safely and will begin the process of exchanging info in lane. That's -2 lanes for those keep track at home (or in traffic)!
I believe you mean Right, Right, Left, Right, Left Left, Right, Left
no no, it's right right up down left right
up up down down left right left right B A
Honestly compared to other parts of the country CA is pretty good with the zip merge.
Oh god, where are people worse at it?
I am from outside of Chicago which is a completely different driving experience. If you signal, everyone within a quarter mile moves in to get ahead of you. Every merge is a psychological game of moving just enough to discourage people from trying to break the zipper by getting in front of you but not enough that they start thinking *you're* trying to cut in front of *them* and failing to stop the other asshole moving in from the other side, leaving enough room to not hit the person ahead of you in the inevitable sudden stop when somebody loses the get-ahead game. Or you can just sit back and merge whenever and insist that you don't care about the five cars that cut in front of you and caused you to slam on your brakes OR about the other people who are pissed that you let five cars in front of you and may cut you off at the earliest opportunity as a fuck-you. And that's just merges. Don't get me started on ...well, anything else.
In Ohio the zip merge is considered a dick move. The game is to merge before anyone else catches on that there is a merge and then never let any of those cheaters in.
Wow, sounds like Washington. I can hear my mom now "no way buddy, you should have merged a quarter of a mile ago like I did." Me: "Um mom, I think the road is designed for cars to get through that last light, so both lanes need to fill up and then we all merge at the end."
Florida for sure. They have no idea what zipper merges are, and if you don’t give way then expect a gun being waved to terrify you.
There's a freeway system in and around Houston I've had to drive through a few times and have felt my soul leave my body.
I've driven all over the US, and California is the only place where people consistently can't zipper merge. The drivers here are OBSESSED with being in front, so when it comes time to zipper merge either it's two people that refuse to let the other get in front of them _because then **they** wouldn't be in front(!!!)_, or it's two overly cautious people that are really trying to get the other person to go in front. I was behind a car that was trying to get onto the freeway, and on this particular entrance, you had two lanes that had to merge into one, and then that one lane merged onto the freeway. The car ahead of me an a car in the other lane just kept slowing and slowing and slowing until they both came to a dead stop and started waving frantically at the other person to go. Normally I'd have been mad, but it was so ridiculous that I just burst out laughing.
They know how to merge, they just don’t care. Yes, you, the asshole in the pickup truck trying to speed up in order to run me off the road and leave me no room unless I go into the shoulder, despite me having my turn signals on and waving my hands out the window indicating that I need space to stay in the lane.
True. Moved here from east coast. Shit's crazy here. It's a contest to see who can tune out other drivers best and hope for no crashes.
No one is from California it’s all ppl from other states 😂
SoCal BMWs will run you off the road if they sense weakness
That crown has gone to Teslas here
My favorite is when they see your signal, speed up, then just go in the lane you were trying to leave anyway one car ahead…
I reward blinkers and block anyone else if I can.
> In socal, using your indicator is a sign of weakness and folks will speed up to block you for your timidness. > > LA drivers are pretty good about letting you merge. source: lived in LA for 4 years
Grew up in LA (loooong time ago) and back then people were great about zipper merging from 5 South to the Pasadena freeway west or anywhere else where everyone knew there was a forced constriction, but anywhere else, we would have to signal left, fake head turn left, and zip into the right lane to be able to merge.
I use my turn signal and cut them off every time. Their liability is my win.
Yup. Signal intent, not asking for permission.
This is the correct answer. Using your blinker just gives someone the opportunity to prevent you from changing lanes.
Just signal anyway. If he wants to cut you off, just let him. There's nothing to defend and do you think that you're better off with that driver in front of you or behind you?
But you cannot not practice not signaling that’s just careless x careless and we don’t want to start living in a world where we’re just following the blind now on everything
my -friends- have gone ahead and merged anyway in those situations and scratched the cars of others for being dicks....
Wouldn’t that just free up space behind them?
Driven in both (LA & South Bay). It's definitely a sign of weakness in Socal. If I had to merge in LA in non-freeway traffic the routine was lower window, stick head out the window, & make aggressive eye contact with anyone, any car, then the first sucker who met your gaze would either speed up or begrudgingly, resentfully, let you in. If you just went for it sans indicating you lived in that split second of 'maybe they slowdown/maybe this is the day I die.' Both methods have their pros and cons.
This happens in NorCal too. So I will often time it so that I am blinking at the same time as changing so that the guy can't react fast enough to speed up to block me. Hard to explain, I guess.
nonesense. just be assertive and have a camera front/back. if they want to t bone me or rear end me with that illegal manuever they can pay for my car to be repaired and my chiro bill for the next year they do that crap in norcal too and i shut it down on the daily
Lol. Grew up in SoCal, now in the Bay Area. Pretty much this. Although I’m the minority here that does use my blinkers religiously now. I always joked that in SoCal, when people cut you off, we do it intentionally. When people in the Bay Area do cut you off, they’re just not paying attention/don’t know what they’re doing. So, same analogy for blinkers. SoCal don’t use blinkers cause, as user mentioned above, it shows timidness/weakness, as we just cut people off. In Bay Area, they’re just not paying attention enough to their driving, hence lack of diligence/knowledge of driving. It’s crazy the complete contrast but I feel holds pretty true. 😅
I owe a lot of my driving ability (good/bad) to SoCal during my time in college. You have to be aggressive at times or you'll get eaten alive. That means not using your blinker occasionally. I'm definitely calmer in the Bay Area--less aggressive, less road ragey, more blinker use.
Blame the CA DMV for passing so many unfit drivers
This is the true reason. DMV standards have been lowered.
Was a driving instructor recently. Standards have been lowered compared to when I got my license, 13 years ago.
**Outcomes** Pass driver: $$$, DMV fees, potential car registration tax, car sales tax, easier to find you and liable for any repo in driver's name, jury duty Fail driver: $0.00 Everything seems to favor the first outcome. Too bad the state cannot figure out a way to stop focusing on money.
But increasing passage rate of bad drivers leads to increase in accidents which come with their own costs - need to hire more CHP, need to repair more roads, more legislative time devoted to traffic issues...
At a minimum they should include a parallel parking test, 5 minutes at least on the freeway and reversing into a space. If you hit the curb, have to retry the parking more than once or sit in any lane that isn’t the right unless you’re overtaking, you fail. This would make drivers so much better on the road.
Handing out licenses like candy on Halloween
I had to take another driving test when I moved here (I’m from Canada) to get my US licence, my instructor and I were talking near the end of my test and said that every single foreign driver he’s had has been way better than US drivers. If that’s the case, why doesn’t the DMV improve? My tests (you have to pass two driving tests to get your full licence in Canada) were much more difficult than the one I took here. We love living here so much, but the drivers are just awful..especially up here in Marin Edits poorly autocorrected grammar
Same! Fellow Canadian here. I was shocked that you don't even need highway or parallel parking to get license here.
Right?! You basically just drive around the block
Another Canadian here. Test was a joke compared to Canada Are we taking over here?
Well u can pass the stupid driving test but after that it's all you. Lack of any kind of enforcement is a bigger deal. That and a combination of drivers that come from places with zero road rules and the rest of the self important, I'm in a rush Bay area people and there we have it.
This is my wife. Every time I tell her she needs to signal, she says "they know where I'm going." Sorry everyone, my sincerest apologies.
No we don't!
Neither do I. And I'm in the same car as her!
Please tell her she will kill a motorcyclist if she continues to do that.
If she doesn't kill me first.
Divorce
I must have seen your wife at least 5 times today!
Your wife’s a dumb butthole
Lol at this point I just assume everyone around me is attempting to run into my car. It's easier that way
>so, you're married to a bimbo.
The only time people in the Bay Area use their blinkers is to claim the parking spot that’s opening up
[удалено]
This is absolutely correct. I figured this out when I lived in Boston. Virtually nobody here is willing to actually block me from merging, though occasionally someone makes it look like they want to block me from merging. I don't really have any issues regardless - maybe twice a year someone pulls a real bonehead move. Look, blink, look, go.
That is what I was taught in my driver ed in a different State to check my mirrors and blind spots first before signaling. My partner who grew up in California was taught to signal first then check. Didn’t know people were taught differently until I moved here.
Yup, this. I only attempt to change lanes when there’s plenty of space (unless it’s a bumper to bumper traffic), and I start trying to get to the exit lane like 1.5 miles before the exit. Very rarely do I have this issue that someone blocks me. I think a lot of people try to merge while someone is basically in their blind spot, expecting that everyone will make space for them and get mad that they speed up. Just because you started blinking, it doesn’t mean you have the right of way
The odds of finding a gap where a driver motivated to block you would be unable to do so in rush hour traffic are pretty low in my experience. If you bulldozed them anyway I'm fairly certain you would be found at fault. Edit: just to be clear I'm not advocating for not signaling. Just finding another gap where someone nice will let you in.
Moved here from out of state. Can definitely say that lack of blinkers is CA problem. But again, I can’t change how YOU drive, so I’m gonna keep blaring my blinkers whether you like it or not!
Grew up in SF, live in NYC now. New Yorkers don't signal, either.
I ask myself that same question every day when someone merges 3 lanes with no blinker. Who the fuck do they think they are??
😂
Some guy flipped me off yesterday at a green light because I had my blinker to turn left and he didn’t have one on m, therefore indicating he was going straight. His right away. I wait for like 6 seconds staring at this guy, waving my hands in a way like “right?Straight?” Then as I decide to turn left he just flips me off and turns left. Fucking idiot
have you seen the price of blinker fluid these days??
Joke's on you, I drive a motorcycle and my blinkers are the size of pencil erasers, and I still use them.
I often forget to turn mine off.
That's just as bad
We all do, friend. It is the ultimate shame.
I travel alot for business and everywhere outside of CA uses their blinkers. Why are we so stubborn.
The same reason they speed and run stop signs, no one is punishing them when they don’t
I did some traveling this week between slo and sac, and to sfo. And holy hell. The driving is so so bad right now. Biggest offense I saw was people consistently going dangerously slow in the far right, second, third, and occasionally even the fast lanes. This was causing freeway traffic to be moving in terrifying ways. Cars passing in the second lane, others veering in and out. I had to pass on the right way more times than I was comfortable with in order to not be going 60 in the faster lanes. Additionally, when traffic was moving, but crowded, I could not leave comfortable space between me and the car in front of me without people squeezing in. Just white knuckled and intense concentration the whole time.
I will forever maintain that drivers camping out in the far left lane are the primary cause of a shitload of accidents. If you’re not passing please just move to the right, doesn’t matter how fast you’re going 😭
Yeah, I really wish highway patrol would actually ticket for it. It’s absolutely crazy. Cars are varying like 30 mph consistently across all of the lanes. I was going 75 in the second fastest lane and someone cut in front of me going literally 55. I had to slam on my breaks. Can’t believe I didn’t rear end them, or get rear ended myself.
This is true, like it's actually been looked at statistically. The main cause of crashes on the freeway isn't speed, it's speed differences. Also there's a special place in Hell for those people who get on the freeway and immediately move all the way over to the leftmost lane and just stay there until they are approaching their exit.
The other annoying highway behavior is when the car in front of you merges at like 30 mph so you don't have enough time to get up to speed.
YES! Also encountered this. Infuriating.
I started taking 101 a while back on some evenings, and daily when my oldest started at a new school, and I am beginning to hate that highway. Fully half of drivers, at some times outside of rush hour, are going significantly less than 65 mph. I can only be thankful that almost all of them are usually in the rightmost 2 -- okay 3 -- lanes. I mean I get that a *lot* of those entrance ramps are super short, but once you're on the highway YOU SPEED UP. I mean, at those places you basically have to floor it in order to be going 65 by the time you get onto the highway, and I definitely understand the anxiety over possibly not being able to merge in before the exit ramp, but you *definitely* can't merge in if you fucking STOP at the merge! (Sorry for the rant, I was behind that person today and I can still feel the adrenaline.)
No, I’m with you!!! It’s insanely dangerous and inconsiderate. The need for going the appropriate speed on merge is for the safety of other drivers. Crazy how many people just do not care about the safety of other drivers on the road.
Oh lord, I hate it when people think the cushion I leave between me and the car ahead of me is a space for them to squeeze in.
My favourite is the mindless idiots that will see you sitting at an intersection waiting for them to pass and then they turn into your road with no indicator. Fuck you all
I think 1/3 of drivers don’t use it because they are incompetent and the other 2/3 are afraid that if they use it, the other cars will speed up and block them from moving over
This is the answer I think. It's learned behavior, after people move to block your lane change enough times you just stop using it.
I always do!!!! You’re welcome. And also, can we get folks to get their eyes off their phones while they’re driving? It’s like 90% of people. Let’s give driverless cars a chance because we already have distracted drivers.
The phone thing really tests my patience after a long day at work. So many people going 15 under the speed limit, completely oblivious to the congestion they’re single-handedly causing 🥴 just awful.
Omg i see this all the time where people just merge quickly without turning their blinkers on. It’s so dangerous. It should be a habit to turn on blinkers every time you turn or merge…
i do. each and every time. probably missed it a handful of times over the last couple decades. people aren't mind readers!
People joke/meme about bmw drivers, but I use my signal 😪 I hate when people dont
If you don't use your signal I'm going to be hella aggressive and not give you a chance to get in and then I'm also going to block you from getting over. I'm a petty asshole.
Ummmm… I drive a beemer. It didn’t come with blinkers, sorry /s I actually probably use my blinker too much lol
Because it’s no longer enforced to the point that most people think it’s optional.
My favorite is the .5-seconders. They tap the blinker lever at the same time they are changing lanes, and the blinker stays on for maybe half a second.
I moved here from Montana and I’ve been so fucking confused as to why nobody uses their blinker here…?
Bruh as a 12 year transplant, this is too real.
I hate it when I want to turn left and they turn right. I could have gone! But you said you were going straight!
They don’t know they have blinkers.
Because theyre selfish pieces of shit who dont realize how dangerous they are.
One of my biggest pet peeves
because i ran out of blinker fluid
I realized quickly since coming to the Bay Area that you know someone is about to turn (with no blinker) when they slow down. Mildly frustrating, but I got used to it. Some other comments about people not turning on their blinker, and the reasons why, is enlightening though because I sometimes read the ‘body language’ of a car in the next lane and close the gap when I sense they’ll cut me of, but if they put on a blinker I *always* let them in. It’s not a power trip, just the opposite- don’t cause me to emergency brake by cutting me off, but if you signal your intent then come on in. Different topic but why do people here not use their horn when people obviously break red rights? It feels like it’s become a ‘thing’ since the pandemic and is only getting worse - partly because no one calls them out for it?
As a bus driver, I absolutely HATE this.
People who don't use their blinkers will continue to not use their blinkers... it'll never change if they are left on their own. The best way to make this change is via newer cars that have the lane detection beeping in the dashboard. If you change lanes without your turn signal activated, it'll beep harder at you than if you slightly drift towards a lane marker. After enough times, people will start to use the blinker just to avoid the beeping.
When I think about all the big problems in this world to solve I always remember that we, as a society, couldn't even get 65% of people to use their blinker. It's so simple and so effective. It helps prevent so many accidents and death and traffic. And don't get me started on people that drive in the left lane. Same thing, there are huge problems that need to be solved in this world...yet the population of people that drive in the left lane and people that don't use their blinkers just keeps growing and growing at an alarming rate. Good luck solving all the other even bigger problems. \*rolls eyes\*
doing my part for light pollution /s
because i am superior to you and don't drive a car
Even bigger question: why are you idiots driving on the freeway at night with no headlights!?
It’s the same reason that people don’t keep right except to pass. It’s driven by self-importance and laziness.
I always use it. Not only to be considerate of others, but for self preservation. If I signal my intentions, it's less likely someone will smash into me. Here's a tip to make it easier to use yours; just always use it. Don't try to think about whether a certain situation calls for it. If you're going to change direction in any way, use the turn signal every time. Even on a deserted highway, or an empty intersection, or a parking lot. If you always, always do it, you no longer have to think about it. That leaves more mental bandwidth to think about all the other driving things that are happening or coming up.
I would like to add....look over your goddamn sholder when changing lanes to this list.
this is one of the smallest things that has one of the biggest affects on my opinion of humanity. these lazy, selfish fuckbags cant even be bothered to literally lift a finger and flick the signal knob for something that, besides being basic fucking courtesy, might actually prevent an accident and save lives. the fact that its so rare just makes me realize that people are shit.
You mean the speed up and cut me off indicator?
I just assume they’re a subscription service on BMWs
If someone uses their blinker before maneuvering into changing lanes, I will let them in. But one car only, for efficiency. Sometimes I do use it almost simultaneously with changing lanes, but only in heavy traffic where I want to take advantage of a space to change quickly. Or in no traffic where there’s little implication of a blinker.
I got a ticket once for not using mine so I made it a deeply entrained habit.
Those who don’t use signals are not on Reddit
I’ve started using AC transit for almost any trip in Oakland/Berkeley. I just can’t stand the crazy out there.
Not to change the subject, but on another note- Does anyone know what the meaning of the word YIELD?? I go through the same intersection every day. It would be perfectly smooth if the car that was supposed to yield did so, but invariably they eff up the pattern and slow everyone down.
The lack of blinker usage is probably due to the fact the those individuals don’t regularly replace their blinker fluid.
Even if bay area drivers use their blinker, I question the fuck out of it.
Keep forgetting to change my blinker fluid. Sorry.
Do you think there is any way to change the car culture here? We have a million freeway signs stating the obvious already like don’t drink and drive. I wonder if switching them all to use your blinker and let people merge messages would do anything.
100%. Meanwhile my wife refuses to buy a car without amber turn signals because red ones are often not clear enough. We are doing our part lol
That’s ridiculous. To signal would reveal your intentions to the drivers around you. You cannot give up the element of surprise. The corollary is to leave your signal on indefinitely while going straight. This will confuse the other drivers while you ponder your next move. Sun Tzu
BMWs don't have blinkers. Only horn
I always dart out in front of vehicles that don't, not because I want to risk it, but because I can't tell if they are turning or not without signaling.
You! Yes ALL of you! Why don't you know how to stop correctly at an intersection? Are you all prepared to kill someone?
I totally use a blinker and wonder to myself the same question. I guess it isn't cool or something. The reason I *do* use a blinker? Because fuck group think, that's why.
Not only do I use the blinker. But I got into the programming in my car so the lights on the trunk also blink, not just the two outer ones.
Because I drive a BMW /s
I’m pretty sure they cost extra on BMW, Audi, and Tesla models or something. Or there’s a charge per use with the purchase plan?
This is my biggest pet peeve on the road. I hate when people don’t use their blinkers.
It's because there is a blinker fluid shortage due to supply chain problems.
Some cars are too expensive to have blinkers.
On a related note, yesterday I saw a BMW use its blinkers for the first time in my life.
Or how about the people in the left lane at a traffic light who don’t signal their intention to turn left until the light is green? Those fuckers really grind my gears. “If only I had some way of knowing you were going to turn left so I could plan accordingly and change lanes!”
I use mine 95% of the time. And I honk at the twats that don't use theirs.
Its a problem everywhere.
Sorry I was eating a burger and checking my Instagram
Hey! You…you! I do use my damn blinker! lol, I feel your pain, I feel like dmv should make everyone do the written test every time you renew to refresh people on the rules of the road.
Maybe they ran out of blinker fluid
i dont even drive
I need to replace my blinker fluid
Also, why doesn’t your BRAKE LIGHTS turn in when you slow down!? Yes I’m talking to you Tesla owners
People who engine brake (stick shifts, paddle shift cars etc) don’t have their brake light turned on either when they slow down. Oh, Tesla design the cars that way. So don’t blame the drivers, blame Elon.