So this has been annoying me lately; drivers leaving excessive spacing when stopped for a red light. I get it, you don’t want to be right on the next guys bumper, you should leave space to escape if the guy in front stalls or somebody tries to carjack you. But 2-3 car lengths? It really bugs me when they do it in a left turn lane causing a back up to the travel lane resulting in overall congestion. Or, if they’re first at the light, they don’t pull up far enough to reach the road sensors that trigger a light change. I haven’t been able to isolate to a specific demographic, seems to be young, old, black, white, you name it. Maybe they’re just stoned at the wheel. I’m tempted to roll down my window and ask ‘wtf’? I’m in the Northeast US. Has anybody else witnessed this?

  • Tolookah@discuss.tchncs.de
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    28 days ago

    I got the advice once to make sure you can see the bottom of the tires in front of you. As a general rule, your turning radius tends to align with that. This falls apart with big trailers and snub nose trucks, but it’s a good start.

    • Evkob (they/them)@lemmy.ca
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      28 days ago

      I think this advice made more sense when the majority drove reasonably-sized vehicles rather than the huge trucks and SUVs that pollute our roads now (at least in North America).

      I wouldn’t be surprised if this bit of advice contributes to the problem in OP.

  • reddig33@lemmy.world
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    28 days ago

    You should just be able to see the ground under the back tires of the car in front of you. That’s the appropriate distance.

  • Diddlydee@feddit.uk
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    28 days ago

    Are ‘road sensors that trigger a light change’ a real thing? I thought lights are on a timed cycle.

  • SinningStromgald@lemmy.world
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    28 days ago

    Usually this is the result of distracted driving. At a stop light? Perfect time to check your phone! Once the light turns green I give a solid three count then I honk. I’ll probably end up shot dead sooner than later but fuck it and fuck those assholes on their phones.

    • BussyCat@lemmy.world
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      28 days ago

      I usually flash my high beams first as a more gentle “look up” and then do the horn if they don’t notice that one

    • zorb@piefed.social
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      28 days ago

      Yup, I see this shit all the time. “The sooner I stop the faster I can stare at my fucking phone!” It’s one thing I wish was actually policed, cause these people are a menace. It’s one thing to risk your own life, but those dumb asses are making it dangerous for all of us around them. Throw in two or more and baby you’ve got a stew going.

  • Lifecoach5000@lemmy.world
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    28 days ago

    I believe this happens everywhere. I think maybe some people lack correct depth perception or something and maybe they are overcompensating for it? It is highly annoying though, I would agree.

    Also: TURN SIGNALS, PEOPLE!!! USE THEM EVERY SINGLE TIME FOR THE LOVE OF GOD. EVEN IF YOU THINK NO ONE IS LOOKING OR YOU’RE IN A TURN ONLY LANE. No excuses

    • FirstCircle@lemmy.ml
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      27 days ago

      Though, of course, don’t use them until you’re already halfway through the turn or lane change. It’s not like the signal is to show your intention, it’s to assert that You Had The Right Goddamn It to have just made that abrupt and dangerous maneuver that you just made. You signaled, so all’s OK, you’re in the right, no matter what happens.

    • orclev@lemmy.world
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      28 days ago

      You don’t need them in turn only lanes, but otherwise yes, use the damn turn signals.

      • Lifecoach5000@lemmy.world
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        28 days ago

        I disagree. Mainly for the reason that if pedestrians are around, they might not know the lane your vehicle is in is a turn only. It’s just good etiquette and makes things safer.

        • orclev@lemmy.world
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          28 days ago

          No it isn’t, you’re not required by law to use a turn signal in a turn only lane. If I was giving a driving test I’d fail you for using a turn signal in the turn only lane as it demonstrates you don’t know the law.

          • BassTurd@lemmy.world
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            28 days ago

            There isn’t a federal law on turn signal use that I can find and it’s left up to the individual states. Every law I looked at said you have to have a continuous signal before the turn and when turning into a different lane. I did not see any exceptions listed anywhere, including turn lanes.

            When turning from a turn lane, to a different lane, that is a change of lane and therefore falls under the law. If you have any other evidence to the contrary or happen to live in a state that I didn’t check where that is an exception, I and the others here would love if you’d source that. If you can’t, then you’re just making shit up and should just take the “L”.

            • orclev@lemmy.world
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              28 days ago

              The only law in my state that requires usage of turn signals states this:

              No person may turn a vehicle from a direct course or move right or left upon a highway unless and until such movement can be made with reasonable safety, and then only after giving an appropriate signal in the manner hereinafter provided, in the event any other vehicle may be affected by the movement.

              The key there is “direct course”. The direct course in a dedicated turn lane is the turn, so no signal is required. If it’s a turn or straight lane it is required as in that case the direct course is straight.

          • miss_demeanour@lemmy.dbzer0.com
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            28 days ago

            I was a Driver Examiner in the Province of Ontario.
            You wouldn’t fail for this, but it is an infraction.
            You must ALWAYS SIGNAL YOUR INTENTION.

            Also, cite this ‘law’ you pulled from your ass.

            • orclev@lemmy.world
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              28 days ago

              What law, that’s the point, no law requires usage of a turn signal in a turn only lane. There is no law that requires that and a driving test is testing that you’re following the laws. It’s the same as if you turned on your turn signal in a straight lane and then didn’t change lanes.

                • orclev@lemmy.world
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                  28 days ago

                  You can’t prove a negative. You cite the law that says you need to use a turn signal in a turn only lane. Or are you full of shit?

  • AlphaOmega@lemmy.world
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    27 days ago

    When I took my driving test. The correct spacing was taught as, if you can see their bottom back tires visible above your hood, then that’s the correct distance.

  • FirstCircle@lemmy.ml
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    27 days ago

    I leave a couple of feet between the front of my Miata or Wrangler and the next car ahead. I’ve been driving since the late 70s and this is the first I’ve heard of the “botton of the tires” rule of thumb. It wasn’t taught back in the day (is it, widely, now?) and it doesn’t make much sense to me since it’s a function of the size and the shape and height of one’s vehicle, which can vary greatly, whereas I know where my front bumper is and I can (usually) clearly see where the rear of the car in front of me is, and hence create the appropriate gap. Sure, I might leave more space if I’m on a steep hill and think the person in front might have a manual (another Miata for example) but that’s rare.

    Up until very recently people seemed to always keep just a couple of feet between cars at stops like I did. This business of “a car length or two” seems like a very new thing - the past 5 years mostly - and that led me to think it’s some kind of stupid new internet cancer. Probably some “influencer” telling his/her audience that you should put your dominance on display at stoplights by pissing people off and preventing them from getting through intersections. Or putting your dominance and alpha-hood on display by blocking them from getting into the turn lane at all. Anything to get attention, anything to show that you’re not (truly) a nobody, even when you are, because you have power!

    I’ve only been rear-ended once in 45 years of driving. Being a d*ck on the road in order to (allegedly) absolutely f-ing MAXIMIZE your own self-perceived “safety” (from highly unlikely events) at the expense of everyone else is a totally modern-American sort of thing to do I guess. But I’m not doing it.

      • SatansMaggotyCumFart@lemmy.world
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        28 days ago

        I turned up my music and ignored him because historically nothing good happens when someone gets out of their car in traffic and you bet your sweet ass I made sure our bumpers were almost touching next red light.

  • some_guy@lemmy.sdf.org
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    28 days ago

    There’s a light where there is a green right turn arrow. MFs will sit there and not turn when the light is red. No signage says not to turn on red, the rule is the same as any other light. I honk loudly and go around them (admittedly causing a traffic infraction to do so). My point is that some of the people we allow to drive are too stupid for the privilege.