Drivers in the Bay Area / Silicon Valley (San Jose, Cupertino: live in, vs)

[gizmo980]

Originally Posted by dsb1067

Heh...years ago I was on a downhill stretch of Hwy 9 in my old VW Westy campervan...I was passed by a BICYCLE going faster than I was.

Hey, you can take it as SLOWLY as you need - just pull over in the next turnout if someone is behind you, and we can still be friends.

[jcp123]

Compared to all the places I’ve driven, I would say that the California thing (LA and Bay Area) are more similar than dissimilar. I used to haul down to Long Beach now and then, and felt a lot more able to predict how traffic was going to move having learned to drive in the Bay Area than I could nearly anywhere else.

As far as the “nervous Nellies”, as my Pa called them, I think it’s not just the high number of immigrants, but the high number of immigrants from places where riding in/driving a car just wasn’t an everyday norm. No chance to suck in by osmosis any driving habits.

[AnythingOutdoors]

Lax enforcement is a thing. After night classes I routinely did 85-90 on long stretches of 85 and 880. I wasn't even the fastest person on the road. Never got pulled over. During the commute I almost daily utilized the carpool lane as a single driver and never got a ticket, even after passing CHP on a number of occasions.

Was recently in Santa Cruz (not technically Bay Area, but a lot of folks from BA have moved there) and noticed that rules of the road aren't followed at all. People run stop signs, like not even slowing down or yielding. Failing to yield the right-of-way to pedestrians, and so on. I don't remember it being this bad a few years ago.

RE nervous Nellies: Summer Friday afternoons southbound hwy 17 were frustrating. Could always tell which drivers were not regular commuters and were instead tourists heading to the beach -- in the left lane, going too slow, with a weird jerking/halting motion around curves. I think they were afraid of getting stuck in the right lane behind trucks or tech busses.

[Snackmaster]

I read somewhere that a person from Southern California said they didn't use their turn signals because that would cause other cars to speed up to cut them off! Is that true?

When I get stuck behind a slow driver in the passing lane, I wonder if they just don't know that is a passing lane or they're just being a jerk. I think some public service commercials are in order.

I think Prius and Lexus owners are the biggest jerks out there.

[tstieber]

Originally Posted by Snackmaster

I read somewhere that a person from Southern California said they didn't use their turn signals because that would cause other cars to speed up to cut them off! Is that true?

When I get stuck behind a slow driver in the passing lane, I wonder if they just don't know that is a passing lane or they're just being a jerk. I think some public service commercials are in order.

I think Prius and Lexus owners are the biggest jerks out there.

Too big of an area to generalize TBH. We live in San Diego and think the drivers here are pretty mean. I've never thought about my turn signal triggering another driver to speed up, but we have noticed it before now that I think about it. One time, it was a middle-aged Mom with her teen daughter who was so nasty about letting us in that we ended up having to circle the block and couldn't make our left turn. Meanwhile, she just ended up at the stoplight anyway... But then sometimes, drivers are nice. I don't think anyone is from anywhere anymore so you probably get pretty much the same drivers no matter where you go

[Ruth4Truth]

Originally Posted by gizmo980

Hey, you can take it as SLOWLY as you need - just pull over in the next turnout if someone is behind you, and we can still be friends.

This is a good comment. I was on 9 once, going about 15 mph above the speed limit, which is as far above as I was willing to go. A driver showed up behind me, who was clearly pushing me to go faster. I was thinking, "How much further in violation of the speed limit does she want me to go?! How can 15 mph NOT be enough?"

Well, when we finally came to an intersection with stoplight at the bottom of the hill, she rolled down her window to berate me for holding her up. I told her I was (we were) already doing 15 mph over the limit. She said sarcastically, "thanks for pacing me"...but CA law requires I pull over. No, CA law does not require that, unless there are 5 or more cars behind. She was the only one behind me.

So IDK, giz. I'm willing to go by your recommendation, however you may see the situation. For future reference, WWYD in such a scenario?

[gizmo980]

Originally Posted by Ruth4Truth

This is a good comment. I was on 9 once, going about 15 mph above the speed limit, which is as far above as I was willing to go. A driver showed up behind me, who was clearly pushing me to go faster. I was thinking, "How much further in violation of the speed limit does she want me to go?! How can 15 mph NOT be enough?"

Well, when we finally came to an intersection with stoplight at the bottom of the hill, she rolled down her window to berate me for holding her up. I told her I was (we were) already doing 15 mph over the limit. She said sarcastically, "thanks for pacing me"...but CA law requires I pull over. No, CA law does not require that, unless there are 5 or more cars behind. She was the only one behind me.

So IDK, giz. I'm willing to go by your recommendation, however you may see the situation. For future reference, WWYD in such a scenario?

Happens regularly on my commute, and I pull over anyway. Because what do you have to gain by angering an already impatient driver? And what if they're having a legitimate emergency? Case in point: One night I had to rush my dog to the emergency vet (he was very elderly and in distress) around 10pm down highway 9 between Boulder Creek and Santa Cruz. Two lanes the whole way, meaning one in each direction, and I was trying to rush without being a maniac. The first few drivers I encountered got the message, and pulled over as soon as it was safe to do so. The next driver, however, absolutely REFUSED - and even slowed down, presumably to annoy me into backing off. I was stuck behind them for about 4-5 miles, before the road finally opened up for me to pass legally/safely. My dog ended up having to be put down that night, and I'm still mad at that one jerk for making him suffer even a minute longer than he had to. What if that minute had been the difference between him living or dying?

Either way, you earn no points by obstructing faster drivers. I'm often flying up or down highway 9 on my commute, sometimes as much as 20mph over the limit; and I still pull aside for anyone who comes up behind me with the "need for speed." I don't want to make them do anything crazy, so it's for everyone's safety that I use the next turnout to let them pass. And to be fair, there are signs that say "SLOWER traffic use turnouts." Not SLOW, but slowER. So if they're wanting to go faster, you are by definition the slower driver. Just move, please.

[gizmo980]

And if you need to hear it from a higher authority, we had this discussion with a CHP representative on their Facebook page once. In their own words, they said "move right/aside for the speeders, and let us (the police) do our jobs by catching them up the road." It's not a civilian's job, nor is it safe, to control how other people drive. You and everyone else on the road are more likely to get into a wreck by blocking them, as they'll just pass illegally if they really want to. We've all done it here lol.

[Ruth4Truth]

Originally Posted by gizmo980

And if you need to hear it from a higher authority, we had this discussion with a CHP representative on their Facebook page once. In their own words, they said "move right/aside for the speeders, and let us (the police) do our jobs by catching them up the road." It's not a civilian's job, nor is it safe, to control how other people drive. You and everyone else on the road are more likely to get into a wreck by blocking them, as they'll just pass illegally if they really want to. We've all done it here lol.

Great addition to your preceding post! OK, I'll keep my eye out for opportunities to pull over. I don't know that there were any on the stretch I was on, but if there were, it didn't occur to me to pull off, as an option.

[gizmo980]

Originally Posted by Ruth4Truth

Great addition to your preceding post! OK, I'll keep my eye out for opportunities to pull over. I don't know that there were any on the stretch I was on, but if there were, it didn't occur to me to pull off, as an option.

There are some stretches without any safe turnouts, but for most of highway 9 you'll see them every 1/2 mile or so - sometimes with a sign letting you know they're coming. If someone is being REALLY impatient, you can also just slow down and put on your emergency flashers. That's mountain code for "just go around me then." Or you can use the right turn signal on & off, which is code for "I see you, and will pull over as soon as it's safe to do so." lol