Extremely unsafe driver in BART parking lot in the morning
There's a car that consistently drives unsafely in the BART parking lot where I get dropped off. (and when driving there...) I have observed this car cut in front of my ride as well as repeatedly change lanes to get ahead.
Yesterday I observed this car streak across the lot instead of obeying the lanes as well as exiting clearly against the direction of the lanes. Today my ride and his car were directly in front of each other, with me trying to get dropped off and him leaving. He did not back up or acknowledge he was in the wrong, instead he drove around my ride and sped off.
Although this station has been under construction, the lot and the lanes are relatively new and the paint is certainly not faded at all.
I know this car drops someone off. (although I'm not sure who she is, I suspect she gets on the train right before mine.) This might explain why he drives so insanely.
Today, particularly with the fog, I was really concerned this car may hit someone in the parking lot or cause some other accident, especially since there are enough cars to show the flow (and correct direction...) of traffic.
If I report this to BART police will they have a car come by? It seems to me this guy could care less if a BART police car was clearly in the lot, he seems to be one of those jerks who thinks he owns the road, the parking lot and everything else...
Well, for one thing, you can
Well, for one thing, you can identify the BART station, the time of day, an accurate description of the vehicle and perhaps the driver too. Notify the BART police in advance and perhaps make arrangements to meet you at a designated time and place. Calling the police at the actual moment wouldn't help - the officer must be present to witness the unsafe vehicle operation. Have a cell phone with a camera - take some picks or a film clip. Good luck and thanks for trying to make the commute a safe one!
that, or you could just let
that, or you could just let the air out of his tires.
I agree. Take pics or video.
I agree. Take pics or video. It seems that this person is consistent in their ways so you might have a chance to get him on film.
If you get anywhere with
If you get anywhere with this, please post something. There is a man who drives like a maniac at the Fremont BART station, honking at cars driving safely. He verbally attacked me (and then I back to him) one morning because I wasn't moving fast enough for him. Nevermind that he was completely blinding me and riding my butt.... I see him do this most mornings and it really needs to stop.
There are two left turn lanes
There are two left turn lanes on the freeway offramp from 24 you take to get to the BART station. I've had so many cars get in the outside lane and try to cut in front of everyone else in the correct lane to get to the lots. And they're not lost because they really gun it trying to get ahead of traffic. It's usually a BMW or a Lexus. I feel a little bad for the guy in front of me when I do it, but i make damn sure they can't cut ahead of me before the stop sign by cutting my buffer zone to less than a car length. So I'm sorry if I've tailgated anyone on that stretch of road, I'm just trying to keep my place in line.
I also agree about the blinding lights. I swear I had an Expedition with his high beams on about 2 feet off my bumper going through Lafayette the other day. If I'm squinting with my rear view mirror in "night mode" something is definitely wrong. I want to smack the person who invented those high intensity headlights.
Watch out because a lot of
Watch out because a lot of people will drive right into your lane anyways, even if there's no room for them. My favorite is the a-holes who just signal and go. No looking, no waiting for an opening.
Now I get to be the asshole
Now I get to be the asshole who says...
Most people's cars are worth A LOT more than mine. If someone merges into my lane and hits me, it's their fault. I probably won't even bother repairing my car anyway. I'd either leave the dents there or, if they really wrecked me, get a new one. Sounds like free insurance money to me.
Its always a BMW, that's for
Its always a BMW, that's for sure. I never see Honda, Toyota, Ford, Nissan, Chevy, SUV, etc. do something like. Never. Never ever. Its always a BMW.
Just in case you are sarcastically challenged, this is an example of sarcasm.
Notice I said "usually".
Notice I said "usually". Just my totally biased personal opinion, I notice a lot more brand new expensive flashy cars being jerks on the road than your garden variety 4-8 year old commuter cars. Maybe I just notice more because they're nice cars. I've seen my share of thugs in their spinner caddies or teenagers in their riced out civics drive crazy too. So I guess I'm wrong! Oops!
Ooh! While I'm being totally biased, what about all those people with the giant trucks? Is it really necessary to park your extended cab, extended bed Ford F-350 at the BART station? It's not like you really need to haul a half ton of lumber to take on the train with you.
How about Volvo drivers? I
How about Volvo drivers? I swear that about 90% of the time when I see someone doing something clueless, oblivious, or just downright stupid on the roads it'll be a Volvo driver.
My pet theory about this is that the major selling point for Volvos is their safety, which therefore leads to a sense of complacency in terms of driving defensively and avoiding accidents.
In terms of hyper-aggressive a**holes, BMWs, Lexuses (Lexi? :-D ), and VW Jettas seem to me to be at the top of the list.
As an owner of a Ford F-350,
As an owner of a Ford F-350, I've had to take it to the BART station on a couple occasions. I only did that because my Mercedes* was in the shop ;}
*a 1984 300SD running biodiesel
**the truck runs bio too.
***I live on a farm and use it to haul the horse trailer and/or animal feed.
On the subject of unsafe drivers:
Just the other day, at the N.Concord station, I got cut off by a woman in a large SUV while she was on her cell phone (I thought that was illegal) when she sped into the upper parking lot, she almost hit someone. She ended up having to wait for the next train anyway.... all that for nothing. What an idiot.
Also, I just love it when I see some crazy driver weaving in and out of traffic only to get ahead at the toll booth line, while I just sail on through. I love FasTrak!
Nothing against you in your
Nothing against you in your mercedes biodiesel, but far and away the worst, most oblivious, moronic drivers are those in mercedes. They aren't overly agressive or anything like that. They just have no clue that there are other cars on the road. mercedes drivers are the most likely to come to a dead stop on a freeway if something catches their attention on the shoulder (oh, look honey, a deer!). They will cut right into your lane (slowly, of course). The worst part of that is that when you honk, they just keep coming over (it couldn't possibly be THEM that you are honking at). This, by the way, happens to be my all time #1 driving pet peeve - douchebags that continue with their unsafe maneuver even after you honk at them, forcing you to slam on your brakes, swerve, accelerate, flip them off, cut them off, brake check them, turn on your windshield washers and get their car all wet, change lanes and let them pass, flip them off again, throw your leftover pastrami sandwich at their car and then get behind them riding their ass for the next mile with your brights on and horn blazing.
Oh, so that was YOU! - next
Oh, so that was YOU! - next time throw me a roast beef sandwich. That pastrami was a bit dry.
Yup, there's nothing like driving in the left lane at 55 mph while wearing my stylish straw hat. I even tweaked my rear and side-view mirrors so I can't see around me. I have my Lawrence Welk cranked up so I can't hear people honking at me either. Ignorance is bliss!
as if.
First off, I'm not your typical Merc driver. The person who I just described is my dad. As for me, I try to be aware of what's going on around me when I'm not eating leftover pastrami sammiches. I'm not a perfect driver, but I am not oblivious to those around me. I use my signal and believe it or not, that merc can get up to 90mph (not too bad for an old diesel) so I'm usually the one stuck behind some slow poke douche (like my dad) in the fast lane.
For the record, I love my dad. (even though he can be a royal douche sometimes :P )
This thread right here is why
This thread right here is why I love BartRAGE so much :-D
I just love this hate thread.
I just love this hate thread. I could chime in with examples of a certain female ethnicity prevalent in the bay area that drive like they are looking through a tube just over the hood of their car, but that could be construed as racist. Or sexist. Or both. So I won't.
Or another class of people that need a step ladder to climb into the Excursion to run down to Starbucks before heading over to the soccer field. But I won't.
Keep the hate coming. That's what make the bay area and its roads so great.
All this stuff tends to be
All this stuff tends to be pandemic in the Bay Area. Don't get me wrong, I love living here, but the drivers SUCK! I grew up in the LA Area and consequently learned to drive there. In LA people use turn signals, drive fast in the fast lane, accelerate to freeway speeds BEFORE merging, and check blind spots. Granted, there is A LOT more aggression in LA, but there is also A LOT more driving experience.
Oh, and the award for most oblivious driver goes to Prius drivers. While biking (now my main mode of transpo) I've been cut off, buzzed, and nearly hit by more Priuses than any other model of car. I prefer fast, aggressive, and AWARE to slow, timid, and OBLIVIOUS!
That's because they traded in
That's because they traded in their tired old Volvo 240DL for the Pious. Er, I mean Prius.
agree with everything you
agree with everything you said. i had the pleasure of driving in euorpe for three weeks, and the agressive drivers were great. things flow much better when everyone is concentrating on getting to their destination. and you can easily anticipate what someone is going to do next, because they all drive for the same reason: to get somewhere. fast.
the prius drivers and their elitist "i'm going 45 mph in the carpool lane whether you like it or not because me and my 55 mpg are saving the fucking planet" can kiss my ass. do they realize that all the people that have to gun it to accelerate past them are more than offsetting the gas savings and emmission reductions that they get by driving 45? plus, i read on some website that their "cradle to the grave" cost to the environment and pocketbook is worse than a hummer. fuck you, mr. newspaper snapping, prius driving douchebag!!! there is a special place in hell for people like you!
I had to drive over the Bay
I had to drive over the Bay Bridge this morning and all I have to say is...
LEARN TO ALTERNATE WHEN YOU MERGE PEOPLE!
It makes traffic flow so much smoother when you don't have three jerks all cutting in front bumper to bumper. And those lines are on the ground for a reason! Gah!
Around 1995 there was a web
Around 1995 there was a web page called "the highway of shame" , it chronicled the commute of someone on highway 17.
The writer would post pictures explaining what idiotic maneuver a driver just made slowing things down for everyone.
look it up, *IT IS A MUST READ* and was ahead of his time.
the Wayback Machine has a archive :
http://web.archive.org/web/19990129082255/www.got.net/~egallant/winner_archive.html
and
http://web.archive.org/web/19990128161811/www.got.net/~egallant/the_road.html