OT - Ours are the WORST, Drivers in the Bay area Options

[Randal]

We have the worst drivers on the planet.

I have never been anywhere, including all of Asia, where they drive as bad.

You can complain about the LA traffic, but up here we have the traffic and nutty crazy drivers as well.

It is just getting real dangerous.

No signaling
No lane discipline
No courtesy
Drivers following to close
Drivers absolutely unaware of what is going on – talking on the cell phone, driving with one hand
Speeding up when you’re trying to merge
Drivers making stupid moves that leave you stunned
Drivers using their car as a weapon
Road rage and I mean serious road rage

Am I going crazy or are the Bay Area roads as bad as I think and getting worse? (IMG:http://www.914world.com/bbs2/html/emoticons/wacko.gif)

[grantsfo]

I have done a lot of driving in metro areas all over the US including the SF Bay Area. I have run into lots of really bad drivers everywhere. As far as Bay Area goes it seems like HWY 880 has every ricer racer wanta be within 50 miles. I have had Hondas pass me doing 100 mph + bouncing around on bad shocks swerving in and out of traffic. I commute 30,000 a year and have never really had a close call in LA or the SF Bay Area - that includes 10 years of daily trips over HWY 17. There are plenty of courteous drivers out there - its just easier to remember the idiots. One thing I have noticed is with advent of commuter lanes and hybrids people feel inclined to cross 4 lanes of fast moving traffic for the privledge to drive 55 in the commute lane. That stuff scares me.

One thing I can say about US compared to Europe is that many drivers in the US are asleep at the wheel. Whenever I return from Europe I feel like honking my horn to wake people up!

Shanghai has some of the worst drivers I have ever seen by far. Plenty of cell phone distracted, rude and incompent drivers. Its easy to see several accidents on a single trip across town during rush hour.