These Are Your Local Driving Gripes

The U.S. is a big country, and right now, it's incredibly divided. But, as it turns out, there's one thing we can all agree on: drivers in every nook and cranny of the country are terrible. The one thing we can't seem to agree on is where it's happening, though.

Last week, we asked you to tell us your local driving gripe, and it turns out you all think the drivers where you live are far more unique and special than they actually are — especially when it comes to left lane hogs. Still, that's neither here nor there, because over 100 of you sounded off in the comments about what drives you nuts about driving where you live, and it's nice to see people so laser-focused on complaining. 

That's enough out of me. How about you all head down below and check out your fellow Jalops' local driving gripes? I'm sure you'll find a few that match up with where you live, because nobody is really special, except for you. You're special.

In Arkansas, people merging onto a highway drive in the merge lane all the way to the end, often without accelerating, then push their way into traffic just as the lane ends. They get upset if you interfere, even if you can't move over to let them in, never mind that they're the ones who are supposed to yield.

Submitted by: Justin Hughes

People in Ohio still have trouble with roundabouts. We've had them in most areas for 20+ years and drivers still don't understand how to use them properly.

I don't know if it's the shape of the roundabout or if they're having problems understanding the gigantic white arrows on the pavement in front of them directing them through said roundabout. There seems to be a least 1-2 accidents per week in the roundabout I go through where people will try to go all the way around it from the right lane where there's clearly an arrow and other pavement markers pointing straight in that lane, causing the inside lane driver to T-bone the other car.

Submitted by: Fiji ST

West Metro Twin Cities. My drive from work to pick up the kids from daycare is a 2 lane 55 mph road and there's always some traffic. I drive a sedan in an area with a lot of full size trucks and SUVs, and even when traffic is cruising at over 60 mph there is always someone behind me frustrated we're not moving faster. They can clearly see over my car that there is a long line of cars all going the same speed, but they will weave like they're going to try to pass, tailgate no matter the weather (even when it's icy), and be waving their arms like I'm the one holding them up. When we get to the one town that temporarily turns into a 4-lane (and a 45 mph speed limit) they without fail pass a bunch of cars on the right by speeding up and then repeat the same behavior when the lane ends and they couldn't pass the entirety of traffic.

I understand it's frustrating when you're stuck behind one car that's going below the limit, or there are left lane campers preventing you from legally passing on the left, but if there is a line of cars as far as you can see that are all going above the limit on a 2 lane road, that's just the way it is and the speed you need to go, no need to be aggressive in that situation.

Submitted by: Wantsamanuelalpharomero

People speeding up in passing lanes. I live in a rural area where the only way to and from is a twisty 2-lane road with not a lot of opportunities to pass. So it's especially frustrating when you're following someone going 5 under, to finally get to a passing lane for them to speed up to 10 over. The passing lanes we do have are too short to get past people going that fast, especially if you're way back in the line of traffic. Even worse are slow drivers who don't pull over in slow vehicle turn outs (which are plentiful) for the mile-long line of traffic behind them on the 50+ mile section without any passing lanes at all (RV drivers, I'm looking at you). During the tourist season, this can make a normally 2-hour drive 2.5-hours easy.

Submitted by: Manbrarian

In KY, TN, and OH you will regularly see people change lanes on the interstate and then tap their brakes when they have assumed the new lane, even when there is not another car anywhere near them.

The bigger issue in these areas seems to be complete unwillingness to use cruise control on the highway, combined with an inability to maintain anything resembling a constant speed.

Submitted by: Jay Ingram

In my part of Seattle, drivers will often roll thru stops especially if a pedestrian is crossing. I suspect it's mostly delivery and rideshare drivers, because it used to be mostly taxis and delivery vans with the callous lead foot.

Submitted by: bcfls

I spend 50% of my time in a city with people blowing through red lights all the time, and 50% of my time in the country dealing with "one-speed" drivers. These one-speed drivers tend to be 35-40 mph regardless. When driving through a town with 25mph, they keep their speed at 35-40. But when the country road starts and the limit goes up to 45, they maintain that obnoxiously slow 35-40.... with very few opportunities to pass people (legally).

Submitted by: Not Me

As for locally, the Regional Transportation Commission of Southern Nevada's Freeway and Arterial System of Transportation, or (anything but) FAST are in charge of the traffic lights and metered highway entrances around the Las Vegas Valley. It is every day, no matter where you are around town or what time of the day, you will sit forever at one light and see the next 2 green only for those to turn red as soon as the one you are sitting at turns green. Or some lights will change once every 3-4 minutes while when your light finally goes green, that light will be yellow before the first car is halfway through the intersection. If you are car number 4 or 5, run the red or wait another 3-4 minutes. Or, the Flamingo on ramp to I-15 south should be metered 24/7. There are so many cars getting on the highway that if you need to get off on Tropicana at the wrong moment, good luck. Or, when it is the middle of the night with zero traffic and you are on a side street try to make a left on a main road or go straight, the lights have not been adjusted and you will be sitting there for minutes at a time with no traffic in any direction. I would go on, but this is apparently the end of the allowed characters.

Submitted by: MyKinjaHandleWontFit

Arizona drivers are speed demons, and I say this as someone who happily goes 5-10 over the limit most of the time. I've learned to just stay in the right lane of the freeway going 80 because an amazing amount of people are going 90-100. And they don't slow down for construction zones. Arizona could fund the state indefinitely if they posted all their state troopers in these zones.

Submitted by: Robot impurity

This is probably nationwide, but just yesterday, I was in the left lane on the highway driving behind someone going 45mph during rush hour. Keep in mind, traffic is generally moving at about 75+. They were completely oblivious to the cars that kept leaving the left lane to pass them from the right. Infuriating. 

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Number one gripe: people parking their rear ends in the left lane on the freeway. The fast lane. The passing lane. It's ok if you don't want to drive faster, just MOVE OVER. Having driven on the autobahn and seeing what we could have, it's even more frustrating. Where I live near Tahoe, it's the Bay Area people, not exclusively but primarily, who think the left lane is somehow the set it and forget it lane.

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LA/OC commuter here. Local driving gripe, I can relate to the out-of-towner in a rental who is terrified by our freeway system, yet they decide to drive on the #1 lane or carpool lane, doing 65 on the dot, for miles and miles, and not realizing that there is a line of cars behind them and they are slowing traffic down all by themselves. Don't have the confidence to drive in a big city? Stick to Uber.

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The fact that the West Coast has not figured out the "GET OUT OF THE LEFT LANE IF NOT PASSING" thing. I love driving on the East Coast for this reason. As a LA native, I can't stand this. I wish it would engrain itself in our collective driving culture. And no, the reason is not because there's always traffic.

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Lots of people already mentioning this, but to give it a local flavor... Every time I drive from Austin to Dallas, the right lane is generally the only way to pass people. I know it's frowned upon, but it's literally the only option most of the drive. Four to six lane divided highways, completely empty right lane.

My theory is that people in TX for some reason feel that the right lane is for "losers" (for the sake of decorum, this is in lieu of another word that begins with P and has three S's in it – please do feel free to sub that word in wherever "loser" is used).

Find yourself on the highway? Better get left, the right lane is for losers.

Someone wants to go faster than you? Too bad, can't move right, that lane is for losers.

Only going 5 over the limit? At least you're not a loser because you're not in the right lane.

There's three lanes now? Well, maybe I don't have to be all the way left, but the right lane is for losers, so I'll go in the middle lane. Need to pass a loser who happens to be in the middle lane? Better get to the left and then probably just stay there, because now the middle lane is also for people who are definitely losers, but NOT YOU NO SIR.

They have no need to be in the left lane. They're not going fast enough to not be an obstacle in the left lane (and I'm not a speed demon, I'm going 9 over almost exclusively). But goshdarnit they sure won't find themselves in the right lane LIKE A LOSER. Sigh...

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Pennsylvania plates in the left lane.

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MA(sshole) drivers. Admittedly, I'm one. If you don't know where you're going or you're going to clog the lane or you're indecisive, get out of the way.

Also, left lane hogs need to be jailed. Or fined at the very least.

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Southern California Drivers are the worst.

When getting on the freeway, they try to get over to the left lane as fast as possible to go 10 mph under the speed limit. Most of the time, it's faster to stay in the right lane than left lane because of this

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Left lane drivers going at or below the speed limit. This is for every NJ highway. Most people have just gotten used to passing on the right lane, which is illegal in NJ, but you have no choice.

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No one drives the speed limit anymore! And no one pays attention: left lane campers, merging onto a freeway/highway, etc....

Submitted by: Ray LaFleur & Llamasatlarge & AutoPilotVélo & Globemaster & LX-M3-RR & potbellyjoe & sclass88 & TofuRunner86 & Jimmy Kay & Vince Gc