Are you a dangerous driver?

[IRPT]

Bad habits range from road rage to eating while driving. Compare yourself with these accident magnets from Boston.

http://moneycentral.msn.com/content/...car/P41964.asp

[PTucker]

"Do you hate driving behind SUVs or other large vehicles that obstruct your view?" Ok What the doggy F'ing hell does this have to do with ANYTHING?

"There were 19 men and 11 women in the study, commissioned by RightFind Technology, a company developing new products to help insurers make better decisions on auto insurance rates for specific drivers." Translation? Helps them raise the hell out of your rates, and/or drop your a$$ like a pair ot Levis when they think they will have to pay in the future.


These "Bad Drivers" are really just stupid people[|)]

[Herschel]

What he said!!!!!

[IRPT]

quote:Originally posted by PTucker


These "Bad Drivers" are really just stupid people[|)]

ROFLOL

[Rolo]

hehehe, OMG, I just read the title and first question only, pasted the web page here, and I will answer off-the-cuff.



When you reach a stop sign and no one is coming from another direction, do you roll through instead of stopping?

-- Yes. How can you not feel totally dumb for pointlessly stopping completely! If a tree falls in a forest...


Do you talk on the cell phone while driving instead of pulling off and stopping to talk?

-- Frequently, especially on long drives. It is a great way to pass the time and get multiple things done at once.

Many people do not do this safely. 1. Use a headset, don't hold a friggin phone! 2. On divided attention: drift out of your conversation, not out of your lane! 3. Drive in the right lane to let those of us with the brain capacity to do both successfully get away from you!


Do you take your coffee and muffin or other food and drink on the road with you, driving with one hand while using the other to eat?

-- Coffee (Now really, did you even have to ask?), Diet Coke, and milkshakes. All closed, spillproof containers. Eating in the PT? Hell no! (I even have a vinyl bag under the driver's seat to place drive-thru pickup food so the food smell does not get into the interior.) However, I frequently dined in my past vehicles. McDonald's fries ruled for that, since they need no ketchup.


If you're out shopping in a crowded area and are looking for a parking space, do you become so focused on your search that you lose sight of the cars and pedestrians around you?

-- No, but I have had two woman-drivers run into me for that reason. A big friggin' smoke-blue metallic full-size Chevy longbed and they somehow missed it. My old cars: I would park in the first space I saw; I needed to walk off the calories from the McD shakes and fries anyway. PT: I park in Timbuktu.


Do you hate driving behind SUVs or other large vehicles that obstruct your view?

-- Yes, and for that reason. It is called "situational awareness". I want to know what is happening 1/4 mile ahead of me and two cars behind me at all times. It is very useful to know that the fifth car ahead, other lane turned on his turning signal, for he will decelerate and create a perfect overtaking opportunity. [8D]

Large trucks and truck hauling stuff: get away! get away! paint chips!



Does your driving change when you go into areas with higher police presence?

-- Duh!


Does listening to music while you drive sometimes leave you oblivious to all but the music?

-- It unless I am factoring equations, it helps me to focus. The rhythm also enhances my drivin' and Quake playin'. The harder it is, the more I relax. Yes, Professional Murder Music, Taproot, Pantera, Cradle of Filth, etc. slow my breathing and heart rate, and my posture de-stiffens.


Do you find yourself in confrontations on the road, either through verbal arguments or hand gestures, because of either your own driving habits or the habits of others?

-- No.
tick...tick...tick

Does your "work hard, play hard" lifestyle leave you sleepy behind the wheel at times?

-- Although I do neither, I would rather gamble with driving intoxicated rather than sleepy; you can do nothing while unconscious.


When you're driving with passengers, do you turn around to talk, taking your eyes and mind off the road?

-- Hmmmm....I wonder what demographic is guilty of that.



If your answers agree with the answers from the focus group, it's likely you tend to be a more aggressive driver than average.

-- One man's "aggressive" is another's "proactive". A chatty woman on a cell phone in an SUV with kids looking for a parking spot, ignoring stop signs is not "aggressive", it is "stupid" and "unfocused". I aggressively seek to get the hell away from those people--there is a difference between controlled and uncontrolled aggression--and one can do a lot with focused, controlled aggression.


!Outgoing, confident, and a menace
These bad drivers have other characteristics

[bobs turbo pt]

"I only have one TV, so I must not be a bad driver"

[PTucker]

Does the computer count as another screen?

The little PDA screen?
The 46" HDTV Projection in the living room?
The 36" in the bed room?

[:X]

[Mike-in-Orange]

quote:Here's a "study" for ya: An overwhelming majority of "bad" motorists (89%) have more than one television in their homes.

You've got to be kidding me! How do these supposedly correlate to each other? My wife and each have a TV in our respective home offices, one in the family room and one in the bedroom. I have three computer monitors in my office (I have latent geek tendencies). I haven't had a speeding ticket in 12 years (and I love to drive FAST!) and haven't been in an accident since 1981 and even then someone cut me off in the rain and THEY got the ticket! I can see where watching TV while driving a car wouldn't qualify you for the sharpest knife in the drawer award, but come on!

I've seen so many rear-end accidents on the freeways around L.A., and it's amazing how many SUVs are involved, and they're the ones doing the hitting. Yet every SUV owner I've ever talked to mentions how they love sitting up so high because they have a better view of the road. If you're sitting up so darn high, how come you can't see over that Miata in front of you and tell that traffic is slowing down?!?!?!?!?!?

I could go on and on about L.A. drivers, but you people have much more important things to do than listen to my rantings!