Hagerty Insurance did a survey of drivers to find out what annoys them most about the behavior of other drivers. Here's their top 10, with their somewhat too cutsey shorthand names included:
10. Drivers who leave their turn signal on for miles (Morse Coders) Now let’s be fair. Perhaps these Morse Coders are part of the SETI project, their turn signals beaming out across the galaxies in search of other life forms – or not.
9. Women applying makeup and men shaving (Driving Divas) Don’t these Driving Divas have indoor plumbing? Please, spare the rest of us and handle personal grooming habits at home.
I see this all the time in LA and it drives me nuts. I even see people brushing their teeth in the car! It's a car, not a bathroom. Get up five minutes earlier and do it at home. (And let's not get started on the nose pickers. Do you think we can't see you? Does getting behind the wheel make you invisible?)
8. Motorcyclists who race down the middle of a lane, between cars (Speed Racers) This is the kind of behavior that gives some motorcyclists a bad rap. Not surprisingly, some of these Speed Racers end up high-sided, face down on the pavement, but not before they’ve left a new contour on your favorite ride or nearly given you cardiac arrest as they speed in between vehicles.
When changing lanes, I've nearly hit a couple of motorcyclists riding between lanes in my blind spot.
7. Road Rage (Road Ragers) We’ve all experienced Road Ragers. These offenders obviously will not stop until you respond to their “need to communicate” which comes in many forms including “sign language” (flipping of the middle finger), the “shout out” (using words that no good Samaritan should say), as well as the ever-popular “Honk-a-holic” (no description needed!)
Let's just say I've done penance on this one more than once.
6. Hasty drivers who change lanes without signaling (Space Invaders) Over the years, auto manufacturers have refined the operations of that little stalk that extends from every vehicle’s steering column (turn signal duh). Space Invaders obviously haven’t caught on to this radical, cutting-edge technology yet.
LA must surely be the world's capital of non-signalling lane changers. Are your lane change plans a top secret?
5. Obnoxious drivers who speed up to keep you from changing lanes (Gap Snatchers) It’s a mystery why these Gap Snatchers, who can clearly see fellow drivers’ signals to change lanes, find it necessary to keep other drivers “in their place.”
4. Drivers who weave through traffic to gain one or two car lengths (Wacky Weavers) These Wacky Weavers employ what’s known as “cut and thrust” motoring techniques, chopping off fellow motorists, changing lanes with abandon – all in an effort to roll up to the next red light 10 seconds before you do.
An LA cop once told me that he pulls wacky weavers over every time. Why I happened to be having that conversation with a LA cop is a subject I'd rather not go into.
3. Pushy drivers who tailgate (Piggybackers) Unless you’re at Daytona racing Dale Jr. for the lead, there’s no reason to climb up another driver’s bumper. Piggybackers should leave the bump-drafting to NASCAR.
2. Slow drivers in the fast lane (Turtle Racers) It doesn’t matter to these Turtle Racers that the average traffic flow is 15-20 mph faster than they are traveling; they just “cruise” at their own pace!
1. Distracted drivers talking on cell phones (Motor Mouths) Americans love to multi-task so it comes as no surprise that drivers drifting into other lanes while dialing, downloading, texting or just good old fashioned phone chatter, makes Motor Mouths the survey’s number one pet peeve.
Annoying mainly because it's so common. On a scale of absolute annoyance, I'd rank it below 2, 4, 6, and 9.
