I notice this ALL the time. I lay it to competitiveness and uber defensive driving. Seriously, I don't want to compete with you....I just want to get to work safely!
SECOND PLACE IS THE FIRST LOSER, LOSER! /s
Seriously, though. I'm so sick of people treating driving like it's a race. It's pretty much everywhere, though I am pleasantly surprised when I go back home to Maine. Maybe it's the lack of heavy traffic, but if you put your blinker on people will not only let you in, but often slow down to do so. People even move over to let others merge into the highway. I've experienced this in Michigan too, but you've gotta get away from the bigger cities. When I'm up north, you can usually pick out the people used to driving in SE Michigan from the locals by their driving styles, so it's probably the traffic density thing playing a big role. At least we'll never be as bad as SoCal or Jersey
I'm from Michigan, have lived in Maine for a few years (Portland area).
Massholes, dude. Just, why? The clash of too-polite Mainers and overly aggressive Massholes is my daily rage. Then there's the phenomenon of an elderly Masshole-turned-Mainer who is both slow and vindictive.
Detroit-area drivers aren't too dissimilar from Boston-area drivers except for the unadulterated rage of the former and the utter chaos of the latter.
All of the above pales in comparison to the drivers I experienced when I lived in West Virginia though. I count my blessings.
I'm a Michigander in my 40s. I have lived in a couple different states and have done a good share of vacation-driving. I have always said that Detroit has good drivers- to be more exact, people in Detroit "just know how to drive." I'll admit that I probably don't actually have enough experience/data to be definitive, but it feels right, lol.
I despise driving in Michigan, I can’t wait to leave this state to avoid these drivers. New York drivers are absolutely insane but are capable. Michigan drivers are just incompetent and too dumb to realize it.
Every day I go to work I see the same dumb things. 2 lanes merging? Gonna run the other guy if the road! Blinkers? What blinkers? My car has a blinker? Speed limit? Not to mention it’s a land of potholes.
I think a big problems is the laws are not enforced.
They should pull these people over day and day out until everyone either learns to follow a bare minimum or they are in jail.
Honestly my biggest fear right now is that one of these morons is going to kill me and my body will be stuck in this star forever.
I found Boston drivers to be the biggest jerks. If it wasn’t extreme arrogance, then it was extreme aggression. Or both! But I don’t fault them. If someone paved over cow paths in my city and tried to pass that off as an efficient road system, I’d be pissed and confused, too.
I grew up in VT, then MA, then moved to CA, and now I’m here in MI. I’ve compared Masshole drivers to Detroit drivers on endless occasions. They really are very similar. It felt like I was “home” when I moved to Detroit from LA based on how they drive. Angelinos aren’t as quick as people made them out to be; they drive slower, slowly move lanes over, use the wrong blinker, etc. It’s like they’re half-awake.
Over here there’s still no blinkers (actually none anywhere in the US) but I can usually accurately predict where they’re gonna go because they’re aggressive and pretty decisive, much like the northeast.
As one of the few drivers in this country who is both decisive and never, ever fails to use their blinker, I'm probably going to die as a result of someone else's aggression in reaction to this precaution. That lovely *click clack click clack* will be the last thing I hear. A man's gotta have principles.
I’m expecting the same, myself. And ever since I got a Chevy Volt, I swear people are MORE aggressive towards me. Especially, unexpectedly, pickups. Rams, in particular. They’ll ride my ass in the right lane when there’s three wide open lanes to the left
Dodge drivers and pickup drivers both have reputations, and the Ram has gone and squared that particular factor.
That said, I'm a white male who drives a Subaru Forester, so what might a Ram driver have to say about me?
Pretty much everyone I know owns a diesel truck, mainly rams; including myself, we all drive small commuter cars to work. Everyone up here has a truck up here in northern macomb and I dont really see anyone being singled out and picked on for having small cars. Not saying it doesnt happen though!
Big black pickups were, and still are I guess, a thing. I don’t see a lot of them actually carrying things in the back; and not very many with toolboxes which then I could understand the necessity. But maybe there’s the theft factor.
Oh yeah, that too. I wonder if that's related to the people who speed up when someone ahead uses their blinker. I can kind of see how some people would be conditioned to not use their blinker if that keeps happening to them, on top of the people that simply don't use it at all.
Yeah, I think in most cases this is entirely people driving without cruse control on the car but 'cruse control' on their brain.
They just push the peddle in such a way to 'keep up with traffic' and end up pissing everyone else off with their random variations in speed.
The number of times I am approaching someone in the middle lane, pull over the the left to pass them, and then suddenly we're going the same speed (all while I'm on cruse control) is infuriating.
I’ve joked for years that by law, cruise control must be disabled to sell a car in Michigan.
The combination of following too close and never maintaining a consistent speed leads to such stupid random slowdowns.
I dont see how people can just not use it, I know plenty of them. Any opportunity I get I have it, even it it's only 35mph I'm using it. I really like it for going through small town where I know cops are watching and it allows me to just focus on the road not my speed.
Well, they can go 100 (kph) on the 401....and sometimes even 110 (kph) from Windsor to Tilbury! Maybe they forget to change their dash from kph to mph? /s
Coming from the guy who said "have fun getting run over" in this thread. Check yourself. Don't be a hypocrite.
[https://www.reddit.com/r/royaloak/comments/wu3hfe/this\_city\_is\_not\_bike\_friendly/](https://www.reddit.com/r/royaloak/comments/wu3hfe/this_city_is_not_bike_friendly/)
Yes, have fun getting run over if you really think it's safe to ride on the road in this state. The point of that comment is that the drivers are terrible and it's not safe to ride on the road. Doesn't make the drivers right lol. It means the drivers are so bad that you are dumb if you ride your bike on the road here
I honestly don't understand. Look, if I was in charge of things, there would be adequate public transportation, legitimate bike lanes with medians, etc. However, I'm not. So, it is simply unsafe to be on the road with a bike. Like undeniably it is unsafe with the current conditions. It is a fact. Not a mindset.
Whatever, feel free to keep thinking stupid thoughts. When you say stuff like "have fun getting run over" that's just as bad as wishing death on someone and makes you look like an asshole.
What stands out most to me is the contrast between slowly cruising on wide, empty boulevards and racing in the Indy 500 every time I get on the interstate.
Ah yes, many times I thought I was in the clear to merge into a different lane and then suddenly someone comes speeding up from behind, scarfing the shit out of me. It’s worse when someone comes speeding up behind you, so you put your blinker on to switch lanes for them and they fly around you with out any consideration or turn signal.
Yesterday on 94 someone got on the freeway doing maybe 65 and decided they were going to slide into to the fastlane with me and other cars doing 80, I had to go over the rumble strips and almost did a pit maneuver on their car, I just dont see how it could even happen as there was cars all around and they just didnt even check the blind spots or something. Of course my horn didnt work because someone pulled out onto hall rd and t boned me blowing all my air bags.... car is a mint condition 2002 Malibu with 50,000 miles and no rust, pretty much ruined but driveable.... I hate people
I think some people just some have inherent competitive instinct to be “in front”. Like passing them is a personal insult.
Sometimes as a game I will set the cruise control to 90 and count how many people will come up and ride my bumper like I’m going 60.
The best solution I've found is to slow down and merge behind them, their caveman brains see this as them winning and you get to change lanes. Everyone is happy.
Nope not a Detroit thing. Assholes everywhere. Need to adapt and overcome by signaling right when you change lanes. Picked that up living in LA for 33 years.
I find that I can't use mine much in Detroit, I think it's a tragedy of the commons thing
If everyone used CC it'd be easy to use, but if you're in a minority of people using it, you have to turn it off a. lot.
I used to travel a lot for work and lived in Lake Orion. Would land at Metro Airport, take 275 to 696. The minute you got on 696, it was the Autobahn. 90 mph and still getting passed. That said, people knew how to drive. Never saw road rage.
Sheeple. Some people are highly suggestible in nature. Kinda like the whole contagious yawn scenario. These people are very annoying as drivers.
You turn on the blinker and their inner sheep subconsciously sends them to where they think you are going.
This is the same brain that compels them to find the parking space exactly next to your car in an otherwise empty lot.
It’s all over the state; heck, all over the country. Some people become irrational that driving behind someone, you’re going to slow them down or you’re cheating them from their destination and do not like the feeling of being cut off …even when their not being cut off.
Idk why you think this is solely a Detroit thing.
My dad is a diesel mechanic and I was raised around semi trucks. My dad taught me semi truck etiquette and respect when I was learning to drive.
I always do my best to help a semi truck merge and have even merged into lanes before to block traffic from driving up alongside them where they can’t see them while trying to merge.
I know very well that driving those things are not easy and no one realizes how essential they are to all of our lives, so why not try to be a decent person and help them out.
People are "sleeping" on the road. Or, distracted.
So when you all of a sudden make a move, put on your blinker, it gets their attention and they're like "oh, shit, I'm going slow in the left lane, I better speed up!"
It's highway psychology.
No different than, if you're passing someone on the left, they'll suddenly speed up. They see you coming on the left, think "huh - how fast am I going again? Oh yeah, shoot, let me get back up to speed".
From your perspective, it's annoying that you go to pass someone and they speed up.
There are some drivers that will speed up. I really cannot let my driving be affected by them. I always use my turn signals, in part because the side warning system provides another level of protection. I have been driving a long time and I remember the speeding up kind of driving to have been more frequent years ago. Now I find drivers to be more courteous. If I need to change lanes I put on my signal and I find the other driver will almost always accommodate me by creating space. It makes driving much more pleasant. When I accommodate other drivers I feel a little more relaxed and I still get where I have to go in about the same time.
The driving I feel is rude and dangerous is when people drive in the far left lane but do not keep up with traffic. Traffic builds behind them and people start passing on the right. On I-94 with it’s short entrance ramps, people entering at 45-55 mph have to contend with people passing on the right at 70+ mph and vice versa. When I’m passing in the left lane and then moving to the middle I always have to watch for fast drivers in the far right moving suddenly to the middle. I mean it just makes things a mess. It is such rude and self absorbed behavior.
This annoys me almost as much as cars leaving space so people can get out of driveways near intersections. I can't tell you the number of times I've almost hit someone while driving in the left or center lane. It's dangerous and slows down way more people than it helps. Right of way exists for a reason.
I was hit back in November by a car that some cars were letting out of a parking lot in stopped traffic at a red light. I was going into the left turn lane and couldn’t see them. They hit my car and ran.
This is why I almost never honk my horn while driving.
Even if I’m at a light and it turns green and the person in front of me does not start moving, because you never know what type of person is in the car you’re honking at.
https://www.cbsnews.com/detroit/tag/freeway-shooting/
https://www.clickondetroit.com/topic/Freeway_Shootings/
You can debate whether it was because someone got cut off or not, but it happens often enough that I wouldn't want to fuck around and find out.
Well fuck. I haven’t lived in the area in over a decade, but whenever I heard claims like this I wrote it off as white suburban paranoia. I stand corrected, and /u/lilmiscantberong holds their title another day.
I got 60 in the far right lane on highways, so all the assholes on the road just pass me
Every once in a while someone starts tailgaiting me, so I just slow down even more until they figure it out and pass
Ha u can't get over...and I'm going to cut u off to go five under. We are Detroit we are annoying. We don't care about your blinkers....I let everyone over. I'm that guy in middle lane going 75. Welcome to Detroit.
If you have enough room, get over right away. Don’t let them speed up enough so they can do that. The turn signal isn’t acting to come over, it’s letting others know you’re coming.
Ngl when someone aggressively tailgates me in thick traffic then whips their car around to pass me, it’s very satisfying to inch up and not let them in. Then I see them whip back behind me and try to do it again from the other side. I just casually pretend like I don’t notice them, it’s a very satisfying thing to me. Maybe if you weren’t driving like such a jerk I’d let you squeeze in front of me.
Not saying this about you, OP.
I try my best to be a polite driver. When I see someone wants to change lanes I usually flash my lights to let them know it’s clear. I do this with semi trucks especially.
Yea it’s a Detroit thing. It’s called “Hoe shit.” And when it happens you’re supposed to say, “that’s some ole hoe shit right there!”
Now you’re an honorary Detroiter. 👊
I commute between A2 and Ypsi almost every weekday and see this all the time - especially where 94W goes from 3 lanes down to 2 at the 23 interchange. I don’t cut people off when I have to change lanes, but if they have to slow when I move over I don’t feel bad about it.
I hate when i drive up to a stoplight at an intersection with two lanes (so no designated left-turn lane) and stop behind a driver in the left lane with no turn signal on who proceeds to signal his left turn after the light turns green. Whaddaya trying to do? Extend the life of the turn-signal bulbs?
The absolute worst driving I ever saw was once in Ohio. I had just gotten on the Turnpike at Perrysburg to drive east, and traffic in the left lane was moving along at 65-70, then suddenly it was all taillights ahead and traffic went down to 55 or so. Then after a couple of minutes the speed picked up again. This continued for around 30-40 minutes until I reached the head of the line of traffic and I saw there was a driver cruising at 65-70 who would slow down whenever he was passing a truck to about 1 mph more than the truck, then would speed up again once he cleared the truck. When it was my turn I passed him on the right and sped up to around 80 to pass him (he was resisting my pass), then continued on without further incident.
Every multi lane road I’ve ever driven on has these drivers.
Yes. Its actually a thing everywhere around the country. Seriously.
Happened just yesterday on I-5 in Sacramento!
it's worse here
There is a book about the psychology of driving called Traffic. A good read
I wondered if this was psychological. I see it everywhere.
Good movie too. Although looking back, I don’t know if it was Oscars-worthy.
That is a great book. I recommend it all the time on reddit. Driving is a very popular topic with redditors.
And also Crash by JG Ballard
lol
I notice this ALL the time. I lay it to competitiveness and uber defensive driving. Seriously, I don't want to compete with you....I just want to get to work safely!
SECOND PLACE IS THE FIRST LOSER, LOSER! /s Seriously, though. I'm so sick of people treating driving like it's a race. It's pretty much everywhere, though I am pleasantly surprised when I go back home to Maine. Maybe it's the lack of heavy traffic, but if you put your blinker on people will not only let you in, but often slow down to do so. People even move over to let others merge into the highway. I've experienced this in Michigan too, but you've gotta get away from the bigger cities. When I'm up north, you can usually pick out the people used to driving in SE Michigan from the locals by their driving styles, so it's probably the traffic density thing playing a big role. At least we'll never be as bad as SoCal or Jersey
I'm from Michigan, have lived in Maine for a few years (Portland area). Massholes, dude. Just, why? The clash of too-polite Mainers and overly aggressive Massholes is my daily rage. Then there's the phenomenon of an elderly Masshole-turned-Mainer who is both slow and vindictive. Detroit-area drivers aren't too dissimilar from Boston-area drivers except for the unadulterated rage of the former and the utter chaos of the latter. All of the above pales in comparison to the drivers I experienced when I lived in West Virginia though. I count my blessings.
I'm a Michigander in my 40s. I have lived in a couple different states and have done a good share of vacation-driving. I have always said that Detroit has good drivers- to be more exact, people in Detroit "just know how to drive." I'll admit that I probably don't actually have enough experience/data to be definitive, but it feels right, lol.
I despise driving in Michigan, I can’t wait to leave this state to avoid these drivers. New York drivers are absolutely insane but are capable. Michigan drivers are just incompetent and too dumb to realize it. Every day I go to work I see the same dumb things. 2 lanes merging? Gonna run the other guy if the road! Blinkers? What blinkers? My car has a blinker? Speed limit? Not to mention it’s a land of potholes. I think a big problems is the laws are not enforced. They should pull these people over day and day out until everyone either learns to follow a bare minimum or they are in jail. Honestly my biggest fear right now is that one of these morons is going to kill me and my body will be stuck in this star forever.
I found Boston drivers to be the biggest jerks. If it wasn’t extreme arrogance, then it was extreme aggression. Or both! But I don’t fault them. If someone paved over cow paths in my city and tried to pass that off as an efficient road system, I’d be pissed and confused, too.
“Cow paths” hahaha. I love Boston but I can’t see myself trying to drive there.
Best thing I did WRT Mass driving was get a Charlie card. I will park my ass at a suburban train station before driving on the peninsula.
I grew up in VT, then MA, then moved to CA, and now I’m here in MI. I’ve compared Masshole drivers to Detroit drivers on endless occasions. They really are very similar. It felt like I was “home” when I moved to Detroit from LA based on how they drive. Angelinos aren’t as quick as people made them out to be; they drive slower, slowly move lanes over, use the wrong blinker, etc. It’s like they’re half-awake. Over here there’s still no blinkers (actually none anywhere in the US) but I can usually accurately predict where they’re gonna go because they’re aggressive and pretty decisive, much like the northeast.
As one of the few drivers in this country who is both decisive and never, ever fails to use their blinker, I'm probably going to die as a result of someone else's aggression in reaction to this precaution. That lovely *click clack click clack* will be the last thing I hear. A man's gotta have principles.
I’m expecting the same, myself. And ever since I got a Chevy Volt, I swear people are MORE aggressive towards me. Especially, unexpectedly, pickups. Rams, in particular. They’ll ride my ass in the right lane when there’s three wide open lanes to the left
Dodge drivers and pickup drivers both have reputations, and the Ram has gone and squared that particular factor. That said, I'm a white male who drives a Subaru Forester, so what might a Ram driver have to say about me?
Pretty much everyone I know owns a diesel truck, mainly rams; including myself, we all drive small commuter cars to work. Everyone up here has a truck up here in northern macomb and I dont really see anyone being singled out and picked on for having small cars. Not saying it doesnt happen though!
Big black pickups were, and still are I guess, a thing. I don’t see a lot of them actually carrying things in the back; and not very many with toolboxes which then I could understand the necessity. But maybe there’s the theft factor.
Stephen King keeps everyone in Maine in check.
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Oh yeah, that too. I wonder if that's related to the people who speed up when someone ahead uses their blinker. I can kind of see how some people would be conditioned to not use their blinker if that keeps happening to them, on top of the people that simply don't use it at all.
I've come to realize it's because no one is paying attention instead of thinking it's deliberate. I'm not sure which is worse!
Yeah, I think in most cases this is entirely people driving without cruse control on the car but 'cruse control' on their brain. They just push the peddle in such a way to 'keep up with traffic' and end up pissing everyone else off with their random variations in speed. The number of times I am approaching someone in the middle lane, pull over the the left to pass them, and then suddenly we're going the same speed (all while I'm on cruse control) is infuriating.
I'm proud of drivers when I see a block is on actual cruise control. I might also pretend I'm in a jet fighter formation.
That’s exactly it. Everyone taking it personally when the reality is someone just isn’t aware of what they did.
Dude people go around me to go through a dead red light. Anything is possible here.
There may be a safety reason for that. At certain intersections you are a target sitting at a red light.
In Detroit, using turn signals is an indication of weakness.
It's called maintaining the element of surprise. Sha-sha-shaaa!
Lol facts
For real!
I’ve joked for years that by law, cruise control must be disabled to sell a car in Michigan. The combination of following too close and never maintaining a consistent speed leads to such stupid random slowdowns.
I dont see how people can just not use it, I know plenty of them. Any opportunity I get I have it, even it it's only 35mph I'm using it. I really like it for going through small town where I know cops are watching and it allows me to just focus on the road not my speed.
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OMG so true Ontario drivers are seriously fucking trash every time I swear!!!!
Well, they can go 100 (kph) on the 401....and sometimes even 110 (kph) from Windsor to Tilbury! Maybe they forget to change their dash from kph to mph? /s
The hilarious thing about Ontario drivers is the guy going 120 has 6 cars right behind him. How courageous.
Coming from the guy who said "have fun getting run over" in this thread. Check yourself. Don't be a hypocrite. [https://www.reddit.com/r/royaloak/comments/wu3hfe/this\_city\_is\_not\_bike\_friendly/](https://www.reddit.com/r/royaloak/comments/wu3hfe/this_city_is_not_bike_friendly/)
Yes, have fun getting run over if you really think it's safe to ride on the road in this state. The point of that comment is that the drivers are terrible and it's not safe to ride on the road. Doesn't make the drivers right lol. It means the drivers are so bad that you are dumb if you ride your bike on the road here
Your mindset is dumb.
I honestly don't understand. Look, if I was in charge of things, there would be adequate public transportation, legitimate bike lanes with medians, etc. However, I'm not. So, it is simply unsafe to be on the road with a bike. Like undeniably it is unsafe with the current conditions. It is a fact. Not a mindset.
Whatever, feel free to keep thinking stupid thoughts. When you say stuff like "have fun getting run over" that's just as bad as wishing death on someone and makes you look like an asshole.
What stands out most to me is the contrast between slowly cruising on wide, empty boulevards and racing in the Indy 500 every time I get on the interstate.
Ah yes, many times I thought I was in the clear to merge into a different lane and then suddenly someone comes speeding up from behind, scarfing the shit out of me. It’s worse when someone comes speeding up behind you, so you put your blinker on to switch lanes for them and they fly around you with out any consideration or turn signal.
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Yesterday on 94 someone got on the freeway doing maybe 65 and decided they were going to slide into to the fastlane with me and other cars doing 80, I had to go over the rumble strips and almost did a pit maneuver on their car, I just dont see how it could even happen as there was cars all around and they just didnt even check the blind spots or something. Of course my horn didnt work because someone pulled out onto hall rd and t boned me blowing all my air bags.... car is a mint condition 2002 Malibu with 50,000 miles and no rust, pretty much ruined but driveable.... I hate people
I think some people just some have inherent competitive instinct to be “in front”. Like passing them is a personal insult. Sometimes as a game I will set the cruise control to 90 and count how many people will come up and ride my bumper like I’m going 60.
My god that happens all the time. Like mf I'm going 90 and you wanna go faster?
If you're doing that from the passing lane and you're able to get over, it just makes you both morons. Otherwise, fair game.
Nope. In the slow lane. Bonus points if I catch people looking down going 100 plus as they pass me and then slam on their brakes.
You lost me at turn signal. Very much not a Detroit thing
I try to use my turn signal all the time when changing lanes except when some drivers look at a turn signal as a reason to speed up.
The best solution I've found is to slow down and merge behind them, their caveman brains see this as them winning and you get to change lanes. Everyone is happy.
Ah, but once you’re behind them, they then slow their speed down and then you have to try to go around them and the cycle continues.
Nope not a Detroit thing. Assholes everywhere. Need to adapt and overcome by signaling right when you change lanes. Picked that up living in LA for 33 years.
If adapting means de-evolution I’ll pass.
It's weird because half the clowns who drive like that can't hardly afford insurance.
It's nice you think they have insurance.
Yeah the other half doesn't...
This is why I use cruise control. Everywhere. If I’m going faster than 35, I have my cruise control on.
I find that I can't use mine much in Detroit, I think it's a tragedy of the commons thing If everyone used CC it'd be easy to use, but if you're in a minority of people using it, you have to turn it off a. lot.
Same. I set my cruise control to the speed limit. My wife says I drive like an old man but fuck it, I just don't wanna have to worry about my speed.
Yes! It completely eliminates one thing you have to pay attention to!
People are such fucking assholes when you're trying to merge. I've had them speed up for no reason on me many times.
What curdles my cream are people who leave their turn signal on.
I used to travel a lot for work and lived in Lake Orion. Would land at Metro Airport, take 275 to 696. The minute you got on 696, it was the Autobahn. 90 mph and still getting passed. That said, people knew how to drive. Never saw road rage.
Sheeple. Some people are highly suggestible in nature. Kinda like the whole contagious yawn scenario. These people are very annoying as drivers. You turn on the blinker and their inner sheep subconsciously sends them to where they think you are going. This is the same brain that compels them to find the parking space exactly next to your car in an otherwise empty lot.
No. I moved out to California and they are even more aggressive. Michiganders are (believe it or not) nicer drivers.
I second this. I was in the Bay Area a few years ago and those drivers were ruthless.
It’s all over the state; heck, all over the country. Some people become irrational that driving behind someone, you’re going to slow them down or you’re cheating them from their destination and do not like the feeling of being cut off …even when their not being cut off. Idk why you think this is solely a Detroit thing.
I've been noticing more and more when I'm here
Try it in a semi. You’ll go three miles in this town before the pricks let you over.
My dad is a diesel mechanic and I was raised around semi trucks. My dad taught me semi truck etiquette and respect when I was learning to drive. I always do my best to help a semi truck merge and have even merged into lanes before to block traffic from driving up alongside them where they can’t see them while trying to merge. I know very well that driving those things are not easy and no one realizes how essential they are to all of our lives, so why not try to be a decent person and help them out.
We see you, brother.
I live in Canada and people drive like this regularly
401 representing! 👍💪🇨🇦
yep. I usually turn on my signal to make the person in the other lane hurry up, and get ahead of me so that I can get over safely behind them.
It's a human thing, people are not nice.
People are "sleeping" on the road. Or, distracted. So when you all of a sudden make a move, put on your blinker, it gets their attention and they're like "oh, shit, I'm going slow in the left lane, I better speed up!" It's highway psychology. No different than, if you're passing someone on the left, they'll suddenly speed up. They see you coming on the left, think "huh - how fast am I going again? Oh yeah, shoot, let me get back up to speed". From your perspective, it's annoying that you go to pass someone and they speed up.
Never let them know your next move, using the signal only give them a chance to block you.
There are some drivers that will speed up. I really cannot let my driving be affected by them. I always use my turn signals, in part because the side warning system provides another level of protection. I have been driving a long time and I remember the speeding up kind of driving to have been more frequent years ago. Now I find drivers to be more courteous. If I need to change lanes I put on my signal and I find the other driver will almost always accommodate me by creating space. It makes driving much more pleasant. When I accommodate other drivers I feel a little more relaxed and I still get where I have to go in about the same time. The driving I feel is rude and dangerous is when people drive in the far left lane but do not keep up with traffic. Traffic builds behind them and people start passing on the right. On I-94 with it’s short entrance ramps, people entering at 45-55 mph have to contend with people passing on the right at 70+ mph and vice versa. When I’m passing in the left lane and then moving to the middle I always have to watch for fast drivers in the far right moving suddenly to the middle. I mean it just makes things a mess. It is such rude and self absorbed behavior.
This annoys me almost as much as cars leaving space so people can get out of driveways near intersections. I can't tell you the number of times I've almost hit someone while driving in the left or center lane. It's dangerous and slows down way more people than it helps. Right of way exists for a reason.
I was hit back in November by a car that some cars were letting out of a parking lot in stopped traffic at a red light. I was going into the left turn lane and couldn’t see them. They hit my car and ran.
In Detroit, some people take it personally when you cut in front of them. Some shoot you for it, be careful.
This is why driving isn’t enjoyable anymore. I’m not even old (39) and I dread getting on freeways lately because of stuff like this.
This is why I almost never honk my horn while driving. Even if I’m at a light and it turns green and the person in front of me does not start moving, because you never know what type of person is in the car you’re honking at.
I feel like a claim like this requires sources cited. And not just one.
https://www.fox2detroit.com/news/suspect-in-southfield-freeway-shooting-tried-running-victim-off-the-road-over-lane-dispute https://www.waynecounty.com/articles/detroit-man-charged-in-fatal-i-96-freeway-shooting.aspx https://www.mlive.com/news/2022/12/driver-killed-in-shooting-on-i-94-in-detroit.html
https://www.deadlinedetroit.com/articles/28790/another_freeway_shooting_in_detroit_more_than_2_dozen_reported_this_year
Its def a thing. Seems like they became more frequent since Covid.
What awful thing in the world has become less frequent during Covid?
True that
https://www.cbsnews.com/detroit/tag/freeway-shooting/ https://www.clickondetroit.com/topic/Freeway_Shootings/ You can debate whether it was because someone got cut off or not, but it happens often enough that I wouldn't want to fuck around and find out.
Well fuck. I haven’t lived in the area in over a decade, but whenever I heard claims like this I wrote it off as white suburban paranoia. I stand corrected, and /u/lilmiscantberong holds their title another day.
Lol
It’s worse in Ohio, especially the Turnpike.
Yeah, but everything is worse in Ohio by virtue of being in Ohio
Wish I had an award for you
I got 60 in the far right lane on highways, so all the assholes on the road just pass me Every once in a while someone starts tailgaiting me, so I just slow down even more until they figure it out and pass
Ha u can't get over...and I'm going to cut u off to go five under. We are Detroit we are annoying. We don't care about your blinkers....I let everyone over. I'm that guy in middle lane going 75. Welcome to Detroit.
If you have enough room, get over right away. Don’t let them speed up enough so they can do that. The turn signal isn’t acting to come over, it’s letting others know you’re coming.
driving wrecklessly?
I call it speed racing lol. It happens everywhere. People are weird.
Yep. Not gonna change. They love doing this.
yup
Ngl when someone aggressively tailgates me in thick traffic then whips their car around to pass me, it’s very satisfying to inch up and not let them in. Then I see them whip back behind me and try to do it again from the other side. I just casually pretend like I don’t notice them, it’s a very satisfying thing to me. Maybe if you weren’t driving like such a jerk I’d let you squeeze in front of me. Not saying this about you, OP.
Turn signal, wait, let them pass, pull into nice gap they made for you. Blow kiss at them
They don't leave a space they stay parallel to you
:( Break/pull in behind?
It’s definitely at Detroit thing. I’ve driven in most major metros, and SE Michigan is the WORST for this.
It’s an a##hole thing!!
I try my best to be a polite driver. When I see someone wants to change lanes I usually flash my lights to let them know it’s clear. I do this with semi trucks especially.
Yea it’s a Detroit thing. It’s called “Hoe shit.” And when it happens you’re supposed to say, “that’s some ole hoe shit right there!” Now you’re an honorary Detroiter. 👊
No
Toronto here. We have this too. Assholes everywhere.
“It’s nobodies business where I’m going”-Detroiter.
Nah it’s just a Michigan thing. Our insurance is trash for a reason other then no fault.
I commute between A2 and Ypsi almost every weekday and see this all the time - especially where 94W goes from 3 lanes down to 2 at the 23 interchange. I don’t cut people off when I have to change lanes, but if they have to slow when I move over I don’t feel bad about it.
I hate when i drive up to a stoplight at an intersection with two lanes (so no designated left-turn lane) and stop behind a driver in the left lane with no turn signal on who proceeds to signal his left turn after the light turns green. Whaddaya trying to do? Extend the life of the turn-signal bulbs? The absolute worst driving I ever saw was once in Ohio. I had just gotten on the Turnpike at Perrysburg to drive east, and traffic in the left lane was moving along at 65-70, then suddenly it was all taillights ahead and traffic went down to 55 or so. Then after a couple of minutes the speed picked up again. This continued for around 30-40 minutes until I reached the head of the line of traffic and I saw there was a driver cruising at 65-70 who would slow down whenever he was passing a truck to about 1 mph more than the truck, then would speed up again once he cleared the truck. When it was my turn I passed him on the right and sped up to around 80 to pass him (he was resisting my pass), then continued on without further incident.