So trivial, yet it really ticks you off.

[KILO NOVEMBER]

Drivers who use turn signals to change lanes without checking
to make sure that the other
lane is clear.
As if using their turn signal gives them the right to cut in front of
you.

Drivers who can't be troubled to use turn signals to change lanes!

When I'm on the local interstate, traveling at a reasonably safe distance behind the car in from, there is always some clown who wants to squeeze between us, despite the fact that there is at least 20 car-lengths open behind me. Then they jam on their brakes to increase the distance to the car in front of them, forcing me to jam on my own brakes.

Those are the times when I wish I were driving James Bond's Aston Martin, the one with the machine guns behind the flip-down head lights!

 

[ChiTownScion]

While I would never hold my parents up as model child raisers (the stories I could tell), they had one trick worthy of emulation ...

On those (infrequent) occasions when my siblings and I went out with the folks to a shmancy eatery, the conversation in the car on our way to the place was filled with how fortunate Mom and Dad were to have kids who knew how to behave in such a grownup atmosphere. Not everybody was so blessed, they informed us.

I tried something similar with my oldest son on an Amtrak trip.

He was about eight when we finally took the Capitol Limited to Washington DC, but I'd been hyping taking him on the train to there and Annapolis (to see the Naval Academy) since he was a toddler. When I finally had purchased the tickets and accommodations (about a year in advance) I admonished him that we would be riding in first class because "ladies and gentlemen travel first class," and that he was expected to conduct himself like a gentleman. (A creative parent will utilize any tactic that works, and I thought that appealing to his better angels might work.)

His conduct on board was commendable: every request to onboard personnel was accompanied with pleases and thank yous, etc. I even dressed him in a collared shirt with tie (like dad) for dinner, much to my wife's amusement.

 

[Stearmen]

Drivers who can't be troubled to use turn signals to change lanes!

When I'm on the local interstate, traveling at a reasonably safe distance behind the car in from, there is always some clown who wants to squeeze between us, despite the fact that there is at least 20 car-lengths open behind me. Then they jam on their brakes to increase the distance to the car in front of them, forcing me to jam on my own brakes.

Those are the times when I wish I were driving James Bond's Aston Martin, the one with the machine guns behind the flip-down head lights!

I asked a couple of Motor Officers if it is a felony to use your turn signal in our city? One responded, saying, "it sure looks that way!"

 

[Stearmen]

I love the motorist that hit their brakes long after some one turned in front of them, and there is absolutely no reason to brake any more. Sorry people, if your reflexives are that slow, you probably should not be driving!

 

[2jakes]

Drivers who can't be troubled to use turn signals to change lanes!

When I'm on the local interstate, traveling at a reasonably safe distance behind the car in from, there is always some clown who wants to squeeze between us, despite the fact that there is at least 20 car-lengths open behind me. Then they jam on their brakes to increase the distance to the car in front of them, forcing me to jam on my own brakes.

Those are the times when I wish I were driving James Bond's Aston Martin, the one with the machine guns behind the flip-down head lights!

when that happens, I give them
a wide berth .
Sooner or later these clowns will
cause an accident. My only concern is that they will involve
other drivers.

 

[Zombie_61]

Drivers who use turn signals to change lanes without checking
to make sure that the other
lane is clear.
As if using their turn signal gives them the right to cut in front of
you.

Several years ago a good friend was t-boned by a woman who decided to make a right turn into the driveway of a local business from the far left lane of a three-lane thoroughfare (three lanes in each direction, that is). When the officer questioned her, she insisted the accident wasn't her fault because she had her turn signal on.

 

[Lean'n'mean]

Those are the times when I wish I were driving James Bond's Aston Martin, the one with the machine guns behind the flip-down head lights!

Now, now......we all know what road rage leads to.

 

[Trenchfriend]

3:07, you know...

 

[HudsonHawk]

I never went to a restaurant with tablecloths until I was well into my twenties, so I have no idea how kids behaved in such places when I was young. But I can tell you that it wasn't until the postwar era that "restaurants" became any kind of a family thing at all, as a response to the baby-boomer era. Prewar restaurants were not places where you would find children -- unless they were working there. As customers, with the notable exception of hotel dining rooms, they weren't welcome in most restaurants more developed than a drugstore counter, a one-arm lunchroom or a roadside hamburger, chicken, or barbecue stand, their presence wasn't encouraged or accomodated, and only on the rarest of occasions would you ever see a kid in one.

The fanciest restaurant I ever went to as a kid was Red Lobster, and they had paper placemats. It was a HUGE deal to eat out as a kid. We'd occasionally stop at a fish stand near the beach, and we would have stuff picked up and brought back to the house such as a sandwiches and devil crabs, but we hardly ever went "out to eat". And like someone said above, we were expected to sit there and behave ourselves without TV, toys, games, distractions, etc...our only incentive to sit there quietly was not getting smacked in the mouth. Come to think of it, eating out was a pretty boring and generally joyless experience. In fact, the only thing to look forward to in going to a restaurant was that they were usually air conditioned. We didn't have A/C at home or school or church, so about the only time you got it was when you got dragged to a restaurant or to Woolworth's to buy underwear.

 

[tonyb]

Drivers who can't be troubled to use turn signals to change lanes!
...

How 'bout the clowns who give the turn signal stalk a light tap after they're the better part through the lane change? The signal blinks once, maybe, or twice, while the car is astraddle the white line

 

[Hercule]

Drivers who use turn signals to change lanes without checking
to make sure that the other
lane is clear.
As if using their turn signal gives them the right to cut in front of
you.

But the question is, what do YOU do when you see the other person turn on their turn signal? Around here it seems as though that's your cue to stand your ground and make it impossible for the other guy to change lanes. It's especially meaningful when you make the other guy miss the exit.

 

[ChiTownScion]

Anyone who thinks that there is ever, under any circumstances, any appropriate time to drive 65 or 70mph on this type of road richly deserves the fate they might very well get. When I'm dictator, every car within the boundaries of Maine will be required to have a governor installed that will prevent any speed above 45mph.

But you do have an interstate that passes not too far from your city, correct?

 

[MisterCairo]

I used to think many drivers were just spaced out, not aware of where they were, seeing their exit "suddenly" appear out of nowhere, then cross from the outside third FAST PASSING lane, screaming past two full lanes of traffic then across the white triangular space formed AFTER the exit.

It turns out, this is a "thing", a stunt done by many drivers, usually twenty-something males.

 

[LizzieMaine]

But you do have an interstate that passes not too far from your city, correct?

Nope. Nearest interestate is fifty miles away.

 

[Hercule]

I used to think many drivers were just spaced out, not aware of where they were, seeing their exit "suddenly" appear out of nowhere, then cross from the outside third FAST PASSING lane, screaming past two full lanes of traffic then across the white triangular space formed AFTER the exit.

It turns out, this is a "thing", a stunt done by many drivers, usually twenty-something males.

! see this sort of thing every day. There's a stretch of highway I travel that's five lanes wide. On any given day I'm almost guaranteed to see someone in the left most lane, cross over three lanes just to pass someone on the right then go right back to the left high speed lane. Simply insane!

 

[Harp]

Cubs' inconsistency at the plate-situational hitting especially-too much money left on the table. The Milwaukee Brewers came for a fight.
And Michigan State just power drove the Irish Saturday.

 

[tonyb]

But the question is, what do YOU do when you see the other person turn on their turn signal? Around here it seems as though that's your cue to stand your ground and make it impossible for the other guy to change lanes. It's especially meaningful when you make the other guy miss the exit.

Gets back to the underlying problem: people who apparently regard driving as a competitive activity.

It's not as bad overall as it once was, but I still too frequently find myself muttering "this isn't a contest, a*****e."

 

[2jakes]

But the question is, what do YOU do when you see the other person turn on their turn signal? Around here it seems as though that's your cue to stand your ground and make it impossible for the other guy to change lanes. It's especially meaningful when you make the other guy miss the exit.

Depends on the situation.

When the driver turns on the turn signal and at the same time cuts
into my lane in front of me.

My first reaction would probably
be to apply the brakes so as not
to hit the vehicle that just cut into
my lane.
But with the possibilty of being
rear-ended.

But if the driver turns on the turn signal and slows down to change
lanes.

What would you do?

Speed up and not let the driver
into your lane?

Slow down and let the driver
into your lane ?

 

[tonyb]

Drivers who enter an intersection when they can't get clear through it. The light turns red are there the fool is, blocking the traffic now with the right of way.

Thus is the cause of gridlock. It not only leaves everyone going nowhere, it prevents emergency equipment and personnel from getting where they are urgently needed.

I'm all for stringent enforcement. Make the fine stiff and as certain as law enforcement resources can make it.

 

[sheeplady]

I have been to two restaurants with tablecloths in the past fifteen years. One was the date when my husband asked me to marry him (we were trying out reception places, it didn't pass muster) and the other was during a job interview.

The idea of taking my children to a restaurant with tablecloths actually *horrifies* me. Maybe when they are 16, one at a time, they can go out with me and I'll test their dining etiquette. We do one formal dinner each week with a full place setting, multiple glasses, etc. to teach formal dining ettitiquette. My 3 year old loves these, especially since she can use formal china, a wine glass, etc. rather than her usual plastic during our regular sit down dinners. Right now we are focusing on teaching her how to deliver a toast (mixed results, she's three).

We go out to places like the local Friendly's, the diner, and the buffet, clean up best we can, and leave a hefty tip (30 to 40%) for the mess we make. I won't even go out to the "nicer" places in our city with the kids, and by nicer, I mean they have a bar and booths. Just because they have high chairs doesn't mean they are family friendly.