Woman Driver WTF



  • Yesterday, I was driving down this 6 lane divided highway. I was in the left of 3 lanes. There was about 18 inches between the solid line on my left and the concrete divider. An ambulance, lights and sirens going, was coming down on me, so I move right and it passes me by. About 3/4 mile ahead there is a red light with 3-4 cars in the two right lanes. Between the ambulance and the empty left lane at the light is an early-middle-aged woman, in the left lane, who upon seeing the ambulance, jams on the brakes and attempts to move left. At this point, the ambulance driver has no choice but to jam on the brakes. Me, and everyone behind me sees this, and we all stomp the brakes so the ambulance has room to swerve right and go around the woman.

    As each and every person goes by, we all look at the (obviously clueless) woman as if to say: WTF!?

     



  •  Women driving badly?  Come on, this isn't a WTF its just common knowledge.



  • Slamming on the brakes is typical ostrich head in the sand reflex for a lot of weak nerved drivers.  

    Don't you people have defined passing rules? The law over here in this small European country is that that if you want to pass someone, you do it on the left. If you want to let someone pass, you move to the right. That is the law.



  • @Sunstorm said:

    The law over here in this small European country is that that if you want to pass someone, you do it on the left. If you want to let someone pass, you move to the right. That is the law.

    The law is the same in the U.S., for all the good that does.



  • @Sunstorm said:

    If you want to pass someone, you do it on the left. If you want to let someone pass, you move to the right.

    The law is the same here too. That's why her attempting to move left is a wtf, why her attempting to move left into a concrete wall is a wtf, and her slamming on the brakes when she could have just moved right is a wtf as well. The thing is that it all happened pretty quickly, so in the moment that she (and the ambulance) slowed down suddenly, I caught up, and had to stop short so the ambulance driver had some place to go (my lane) to avoid killing the woman. I dunno - maybe I should have let him thin the herd...

    It was Sunday. It was a woman. Gaaa - a Sunday Woman Driver!

     



  •  @Sunstorm said:

    Slamming on the brakes is typical ostrich head in the sand reflex for a lot of weak nerved drivers.  

    Don't you people have defined passing rules? The law over here in this small European country is that that if you want to pass someone, you do it on the left. If you want to let someone pass, you move to the right. That is the law.

    We don't have set passing rules (that I know of), but cmon, this shit isn't hard, we shouldn't need them.  Ambulance is coming, GTFO of the way!  It's not complicated.

    Of course, most things relating to driving aren't complicated, and we still have tons of idiot drivers over here, so maybe it is complicated and I just didn't get the memo...



  • @spacecadet said:

    The law is the same in the U.S., for all the good that does.

    It would be a state issue, but I'm not aware of any states that require passing on the left side.  Some states also have laws that dictate the left lane is for passing only and disallow cruising in the left lane.  Finally, the left lane isn't always necessarily the passing or fast lane.  On large highways there are frequently exits on both sides so you have the right and left lanes being used to enter on-ramps, which means the middle lane(s) are for passing or traveling more quickly.



  • In my native country women are not allowed to be the driving as the Qu'ran clearly states.  Punishment is public stoning until deceased to serve warning to others. 



  •  I know, right? Women are such crappy drivers! This has nothing to do with confirmation bias!



  • @Sunstorm said:

    Slamming on the brakes is typical ostrich head in the sand reflex for a lot of weak nerved drivers.  

    I've got a better "ostrich head in the sand" reflex that my dad unfortunately encountered about 18 years ago: a woman starting to scream and taking her hands off the steering wheel. Oh, and all this while trying to overtake a bus while in a curve, in a two-way street. Guess who was in the car she crashed into.

    One of my friend's aunt did the same thing about 8 years later. This time it was because her car's brakes failed, and she did this while approaching a curve in the highway. The car went happily off the road, then plunged down 4 meters. An interesting note from this accident was that while she spent 2 weeks in the hospital; my friend's 80-year-old grandfather who was in the passenger seat was out of the hospital en 3 hours, without injuries!



  • @morbiuswilters said:

    @spacecadet said:

    The law is the same in the U.S., for all the good that does.

    It would be a state issue, but I'm not aware of any states that require passing on the left side.  Some states also have laws that dictate the left lane is for passing only and disallow cruising in the left lane.  Finally, the left lane isn't always necessarily the passing or fast lane.  On large highways there are frequently exits on both sides so you have the right and left lanes being used to enter on-ramps, which means the middle lane(s) are for passing or traveling more quickly.

     I wish it was a law that you could not cruise in the left / passing / fast lane.  Nothing pisses me off more than some jackass on their cellphone cruising at 60 in a 65 in the left hand lane.  Makes me want to run them off the road.

     




  • @amischiefr said:

     I wish it was a law that you could not cruise in the left / passing / fast lane.  Nothing pisses me off more than some jackass on their cellphone cruising at 60 in a 65 in the left hand lane.  Makes me want to run them off the road.

    I'm even more concerned with the "elephant race" condition. There's nothing as annoying (and dangerous) like cruising away at 120 km/h just to find two 18-wheelers blocking the 4-lane freeway because one of them is trying to overtake the other one ... at 60 km/h.

    I used to think that this was only seen in Mexican highways, but then I found out that the German Autobahns have the same problem (you know, the ones without speed limits!) and they even got a word for that: "Elefantrennen". I really wish that kind of overtaking was prohibited when having < 3 lanes on each direction...



  • @amischiefr said:

    I wish it was a law that you could not cruise in the left / passing / fast lane.  Nothing pisses me off more than some jackass on their cellphone cruising at 60 in a 65 in the left hand lane.  Makes me want to run them off the road.

    That's what I just said.  It is a law in some states that you left passing lane is only to be used for passing. 



  • @snoofle said:

    @Sunstorm said:

    If you want to pass someone, you do it on the left. If you want to let someone pass, you move to the right.

    The law is the same here too. That's why her attempting to move left is a wtf, why her attempting to move left into a concrete wall is a wtf, and her slamming on the brakes when she could have just moved right is a wtf as well. The thing is that it all happened pretty quickly, so in the moment that she (and the ambulance) slowed down suddenly, I caught up, and had to stop short so the ambulance driver had some place to go (my lane) to avoid killing the woman. I dunno - maybe I should have let him thin the herd...

    It was Sunday. It was a woman. Gaaa - a Sunday Woman Driver!

     

     

     

    Leave her alone guys, if she wasn't on her cellphone (what are the odds?) than she was most likely, applying her makeup. This would clearly cause a state of shock. 



  •  Just for the record, out of the many car accidents that I or any member of my family have been involved in, only one of them was caused by a woman. (Debateable for the one involving black ice and a busy intersection, but the insurance firm paid up without hassling my mother very much.) Now drag your sorry butts into the 21st century before I show this thread to all your wives!



  • @morbiuswilters said:

    It is a law in some states that you left passing lane is only to be used for passing.
    I prefer French law: If you're rear-ended, and you're in the left lane, it's your fault. Period.



  • @DeLos said:

    Leave her alone guys, if she wasn't on her cellphone (what are the odds?) than she was most likely, applying her makeup. This would clearly cause a state of shock.

    Sorry to disappoint, but no makeup-application or cell-phones involved here. However, there was [i]another[/i] woman in the front seat and they were gabbing!



  • @TwelveBaud said:

    @morbiuswilters said:

    It is a law in some states that you left passing lane is only to be used for passing.
    I prefer French law: If you're rear-ended, and you're in the left lane, it's your fault. Period.

    Oh, that would never work in a country I drive in.  I'd be rear-ending fuckers all day just for the fun of it. 



  • @morbiuswilters said:

    Oh, that would never work in a country I drive in.  I'd be rear-ending fuckers all day just for the fun of it. 

    The rest of us are talking about cars, morbius, not what you do on Saturday nights.



  • @spacecadet said:

    @Sunstorm said:

    The law over here in this small European country is that that if you want to pass someone, you do it on the left. If you want to let someone pass, you move to the right. That is the law.

    The law is the same in the U.S., for all the good that does.

     

    I lived in Ohio for a while.  Ohio-ins beleive the left lane is for driving slowly and the right lane is for parking.  (Yes, I am talking about the interstate)  Then again, the Ohio Highway Patrol is typically pretty thick.

    That is unlike Indianapolis where the left lane is for flying, the middle lane is for passing the people in the left lane not going fast enough, and the right lane is for speeding. ahhh good ol 465.



  • @TwelveBaud said:

    @morbiuswilters said:

    It is a law in some states that you left passing lane is only to be used for passing.
    I prefer French law: If you're rear-ended, and you're in the left lane, it's your fault. Period.

    Oh god, are you serious? I would take my beat to shit 94 accord on a rampage of destruction if that were the case over here in NJ.

    And, for the record, we do have "keep left except to pass laws" except that NO ONE FOLLOWS THEM and the police don't enforce them. If they emphasized these laws and de-emphasized speeding laws, I'm willing to bet congestion would plummet.



  • Virginia recently passed some laws stating that if a Virginia resident is caught speeding above 85mph (even on camera) the fine is $3000. They had 24 pts on license before being revoked so highways were mini-autobahns. Now they have choppers hovering over the highway sending out tickets using a mounted camera. People now drive below 80 :)



  • @morbiuswilters said:

    In my native country women are not allowed to be the driving ...

    Hmm, not surprised. By the way what kind of thing is The Driving?

    But assuming you meant "be driving"

    @morbiuswilters said:

    ... be driving as the Qu'ran clearly states. ...

    Okay, I may not be totally read up on my Qu'ran, but i rather suspect that cars were not mentioned in it. Horses, carts, wheelbarrows, maybe. Cars, no.

    @morbiuswilters said:

    ... Punishment is public stoning until deceased to serve warning to others. 

    Hmm, each to their own. But i do sincerely hope you stone stupid drivers irrespective of their sex. As unless i miss the point, the only drivers over there are men, add to this that an accident on the road is probably the result of "stupid" people and the only "people" in the driving seat would be ... those men.

    Could it be, a stupid man?

    Also, might i ask who throws the first stone in these events?



  •  @amischiefr said:

     I wish it was a law that you could not cruise in the left / passing / fast lane.  Nothing pisses me off more than some jackass on their cellphone cruising at 60 in a 65 in the left hand lane.  Makes me want to run them off the road.

    Come with me to Los Angeles during rush hour, when half the time every lane is the sub-30 lane(the other half of the time the freeway is stopped because everyone HAD to stop to look at an accident).



  • In bear land we go a step further!  In some parts of Canada (at least Ontario), rather than ban left lane cruising, it is law that slow vehicles must PULL OVER and let faster traffic pass.  I hear it's law in a lot of US states too.



  • @shepd said:

    In bear land we go a step further!  In some parts of Canada (at least Ontario), rather than ban left lane cruising, it is law that slow vehicles must PULL OVER and let faster traffic pass.  I hear it's law in a lot of US states too.

     

     Never heard of that in the US, but that would be awesome.  I hate when there's a tractor moving along the shoulder of a two-lane road at 5 mph but sticking out so far that no one can go past in the right lane, and a huge line of cars builds up behind it, when no one can pass because a bunch of traffic is coming in the other direction.



  • @Master Chief said:

    We don't have set passing rules (that I know of)

    I've driven in three states long enough to get the motivation to actually look into their driving regs a bit. All three states have passing rules on the statutes. None of the states effectively have passing laws, however, because they've been unenforced to such a degree that they can no longer be upheld.

    That having been said... According to one of those states, when an ambulance is coming, you need to not block it - that is, get out of its way as quickly as you can do safely, if you are in its way; otherwise, simply stay out of its way. The other two state states, and I quote,

    Upon the approach of any fire apparatus, police vehicle, ambulance or disaster vehicle which is going to a fire or responding to call, alarm or emergency situation, every person driving a vehicle on a way shall immediately drive said vehicle as far as possible toward the right-hand curb or side of said way and shall keep the same at a standstill until such fire apparatus, police vehicle, ambulance or disaster vehicle has passed.
    (The third state has slightly different language, written for those who can't handle such a long sentence.) I believe, however, actual enforcement of the regulation has weakened it to the point where it's unenforceable. I *hope* it's not so bad that the whole concept of not blocking emergency vehicles is unenforceable. However, I've lived here for over three years now, and I've not heard of one person having been ticketed for blocking an emergency vehicle.

    Note: the state I mentioned which has what I think are sane emergency vehicle laws still has in its driver's manual

    You must yield the right-of-way to police cars, fire trucks, ambulances, and other emergency vehicles which are sounding a siren or bell or flashing a red light by pulling to the right edge of the roadway and stopping.

    Also note that two of the three states have regulations limiting the distance at which one can *follow* an emergency vehicle; one at 500 feet, the other at 300 feet. But if you want to tailgate an ambulance in the third, enjoy!



  • @burntfuse said:

    @shepd said:

    In bear land we go a step further!  In some parts of Canada (at least Ontario), rather than ban left lane cruising, it is law that slow vehicles must PULL OVER and let faster traffic pass.  I hear it's law in a lot of US states too.

    Never heard of that in the US, but that would be awesome.  I hate when there's a tractor moving along the shoulder of a two-lane road at 5 mph but sticking out so far that no one can go past in the right lane, and a huge line of cars builds up behind it, when no one can pass because a bunch of traffic is coming in the other direction.

    I know the 'slow vehicles must pull over and let faster traffic pass' laws exist in at least two states, where there's a significant amount of Amish folk. (I'm not saying the Amish are slow, but I've never seen a horse-n-buggy doing 45.) However, in the case of your larger farming tractors, sometimes, there's just not enough 'over' for them to pull into. Given the amount of dependence people have on farmers, I'd be really surprised if you could get a police officer to ticket them for it, and I don't think it'd hold up in court worth a lick if you could.

    My advice to you - find another route, or learn to relax. Possibly both.



  • @tgape said:

    I'm not saying the Amish are slow, but I've never seen a horse-n-buggy doing 45.

    Yes, that is exactly what you are saying!  The Amish pride themselves on being slow!  You can say it "The Amish are motherfucking slow!"

     

    Dammit.  Have we become so politically correct that people actually think this way? 



  •  In Germany you have to pass on the left lane and switch back to the right lane as soon as there's no one left to pass. Same applies to Autobahns with 6 or more lanes, you have to change right anytime you can't pass more cars on that lane. Oh, and all exits (there is one exemption somewhere in Germany I think) are on the right side.

    I personally hate driving on the left lane. I usually drive at 130-140kph (80-86 mph), sometimes up to about 160kph (100mph) when passing fast-but-too-slow vehicles. Usually 15 seconds after I change to the left lane to pass someone, there's someone behind me approaching me at an estimated speed of 200+kmh (124mph), almost crashing into my car, then driving only a few meters behind me.



  • It could have been worse.  She could hvae been... *gasp*... ASIAN!





  •  A thread on women driving badly. This is never going to end. The thread that is. Although now that I think about it the same goes for women driving badly.

    Coincidentally I saw one today in a sidestreet that forked into two roads. On the right a bunch of construction workers had stopped about 30m from the junction and were unloading equipment into a shop being renovated. To prevent from cars being trapped behind them they had closed the road with traffic cones, so people coming up to the fork could only go left, which is what everyone did. That is until a woman driver arrived which quite simply had to go right. She had stopped at the intersection blocking everything, with 7-8 cars behind her waiting and was leaning on the horn so the construction workers would clear out. Who did they think they were getting in her way.

    I had flashbacks of playing GTA. Especially the part where you drag people out of the car and shoot them. 

     



  • I personally find the hypocrisy in this thread quite entertaining: "We are hypertolerant, hyperpolitcallycorrect, hypersociallyresponsible europeans, but yeah, women cannot drive properly etc. etc."



  • I once double-parked. There was enough room to get a full-sized van though between my right side and the parked cars. This woman who had a tiny SUV stopped, and would not move, honking at me to move my car... And of course caused traffic about 20 cars long. The problem is that I was not in the car, I was moving a TV into a friend's house (was a 5 minute task). She could have fit that SUV with a foot on each side of empty space.



    And no she was not 18 and just learned to drive, she was in her 50s it seemed.



    This happened a few times, I actually had to once help a woman fit a Honda Civic though a spot that could fit an 18 fucking wheeler because I was double parked.



  • @DrJokepu said:

    I personally find the hypocrisy in this thread quite entertaining: "We are hypertolerant, hyperpolitcallycorrect, hypersociallyresponsible europeans, but yeah, women cannot drive properly etc. etc."
    It's like blonde jokes. You can't brand all blondes idiots, but that wont stop us from having our fun. Besides it's better if I vent on an internet forum. Otherwise I just might snap while doing 80kph on a crowded highway.



  • @DOA said:

    You can't brand all blondes idiots, but that wont stop us from having our fun.

    Not all black people are criminal/retarded but that wont stop me having fun and telling racist jokes.

    Seriously, making fun of stereotypes is the lowest possible level of humour. There is no way to sink even deeper.



  • @DrJokepu said:

    I personally find the hypocrisy in this thread quite entertaining: "We are hypertolerant, hyperpolitcallycorrect, hypersociallyresponsible europeans, but yeah, women cannot drive properly etc. etc."

    Asians, too! 



  • @DrJokepu said:

    Not all black people are criminal/retarded...

    [citation needed]

     

    @DrJokepu said:

    Seriously, making fun of stereotypes is the lowest possible level of humour. There is no way to sink even deeper.

    You Hungarians have no sense of humor.



  • @astonerbum said:

    Virginia recently passed some laws stating that if a Virginia resident is caught speeding above 85mph (even on camera) the fine is $3000. They had 24 pts on license before being revoked so highways were mini-autobahns.
     

    Gee, maybe the lenient points system is the problem, and not the fines.  Of course, money is more important than safety (see red-light cameras).

    I don't have a problem with autobahns; they work fine in Germany.  If there were a lot of fatal accidents, that's another matter.  We have speed limits because driving too fast is unsafe; now driving "fast" is considered "bad" in all circumstances and speeding is its own justification for penalty.



  • @DrJokepu said:

    Not all black people are criminal/retarded...

    [citation needed]

    Huh. Any chance you've ever conveyed this opinion to a black person in the flesh? I'm not so sure your little "dark humour" CYA act would be of much help...

     



  • Ok, second time round: 

    @morbiuswilters said:

    @DrJokepu said:

    Not all black people are criminal/retarded...

    [citation needed]

     Any chance you've ever conveyed this opinion to a black person in the flesh? I'm not so sure your little "dark humour" CYA act would be of much help...

    @MasterPlanSoftware said:

    Edit: And a double post fail! AWESOME!

    ...glad to have bought some cheer to your day.



  • @Digit17 said:

    Ok, second time round: 

    Man, you're having trouble with the forum software...  you're not black, perchance?

     

    @Digit17 said:

    @morbiuswilters said:

    @DrJokepu said:

    Not all black people are criminal/retarded...

    [citation needed]

     Any chance you've ever conveyed this opinion to a black person in the flesh? I'm not so sure your little "dark humour" CYA act would be of much help...

    It's not an opinion, it's a joke.  And yes, I've joked with many of my black friends in this way.  I wouldn't say it to a random black person because the context would be wrong and it would be insulting.  It's just like my black friends wouldn't say the shit they say to me about whites to random white people.



  • @morbiuswilters said:

    ...I wouldn't say it to a random black person because the context would be wrong and it would be insulting.

    Oh right. But you just made this joke on a forum where "random black people" could read it and be insulted...

     


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