Rich ladies: I'd like to introduce you to your turn signals.

When I'm driving my M3 track rat on Star Specs w/ Performance Friction 01 pads, I occasionally retaliate with a brake check once I'm sure they're looking at me. I'm reasonably certain I've made someone pee themselves at least once.

Now, I know you will have to set down your latte. cigarette, cellphone, mascara and overpriced Puppy while driving in order to start using your turn signals, but it is for your own safety.

Rich lady standing in the Lexus dealership service department: "There's this thing sticking out of my steering wheel, and one time Fluffy stepped on it while I was holding her and it made this light start flashing on my dashboard. There's something wrong with my car.";

Lexus service manager: "No ma'am, that's just your turn signal"

Rich lady: "What's it for?"

Lexus service manager: "It lets other people know you're about to turn right or left." (hoping the lady knows right from left)

Rich lady: Why would anyone else need to know what I'm about to do?!? It's none of their business...and it's myroad!!"

motomoron wrote: When I'm driving my M3 track rat on Star Specs w/ Performance Friction 01 pads, I occasionally retaliate with a brake check once I'm sure they're looking at me. I'm reasonably certain I've made someone pee themselves at least once.

I've done just the opposite on occasion. When a turn is coming up I don't slow down for the turn. My cars (Miata & RX8) are set up to turn better than their SUVs. It's fun to watch them slam the brakes and fight the corner.

Don't get me started. I've driven throughout most of the country east of the Rockies, and I see more boneheaded moves proportionately in my home town. Turn signals are just the beginning.

Oooh, I knew I shouldn't have looked at this thread.

Tell you what else- how 'bout the cops write a few damn tickets for this crap instead of running a speed trap on an empty city street with no pedestrians and ticketing a guy who has never been cited for an accident in his life and is almost certainly in the top 10% of safest drivers on the road.

I live in Raleigh, and I almost always use my turn signals. I won't point fingers as to who does and does not, I'll just back up the observation that most people don't use them at all.

What I will say is that having an area that is made up of transplants from all over the country has created a free-for-all driving style. The lack of any clear culture means you never know how somebody is going to react. (Do you slow down when somebody is merging? Pull over a lane? Speed up? Block them in and laugh?)

EastCoastMojo wrote:

JeffHarbert wrote: And just about everyone in North Carolina. Seriously, it's like a requirement that people not use them or something. We recently spent a week in my home state of California. Drivers out there were far better than the ones here, at least in the SF Bay Area and up into the Sierra foothills. Made the trip much more enjoyable, since there was a lot of driving involved.

It's all the transplants, not us! We know how to use those blinky things!

JeffHarbert wrote: And just about everyone in North Carolina. Seriously, it's like a requirement that people not use them or something. We recently spent a week in my home state of California. Drivers out there were far better than the ones here, at least in the SF Bay Area and up into the Sierra foothills. Made the trip much more enjoyable, since there was a lot of driving involved.

Really? I spent 15 years in Raleigh-Durham, moved to SJ 3 years ago, and I find driving in the Bay area to be a freakin' nightmare. There isn't a day when some jackhole doesn't do something completely stupid, whether it's as simple as going 50 in the "fast" lane, 90 in the "slow" lane, or the jogging-lanes-in-the-middle-of-5pm-traffic thinking they're going to somehow magically beat traffic and arrive to their destination more than 60 seconds ahead of where they are now.

Oh, and all those lines on the road, you know, both the solid and dotted ones? The space in between is called "a lane." You only get ONE. The solid lines are imaginary hard edges. Try to stay to the left or right of it, as appropriate.

And merging? It's a freakin' zipper. Stop being berkeleying jackholes and learn to zip.

...not that I have any strong opinions about driving in the Bay. :D

Ever see a cop put down his/her cell phone to use a turn signal? They seem to be the worst offenders

Cone_Junky wrote: Ever see a cop put down his/her cell phone to use a turn signal? They seem to be the worst offenders

They are also on the phone most of the time.

wlkelley3 wrote:

motomoron wrote: When I'm driving my M3 track rat on Star Specs w/ Performance Friction 01 pads, I occasionally retaliate with a brake check once I'm sure they're looking at me. I'm reasonably certain I've made someone pee themselves at least once.

I've done just the opposite on occasion. When a turn is coming up I don't slow down for the turn. My cars (Miata & RX8) are set up to turn better than their SUVs. It's fun to watch them slam the brakes and fight the corner.

Oh, I do that ALL the time. Years of track time helped but going racing in a DSR really opened my eyes to the limits or cornering while remaining smooth. It's especially fun in the Miata w/ FM suspension and fresh Star Specs. Let 'em tailgate you for a while and gradually, incrementally keep upping the speed 'til your going as fast as you can possibly turn in w/o braking. Then suck 'em right down the hole.

motomoron wrote:

wlkelley3 wrote: I've done just the opposite on occasion. When a turn is coming up I don't slow down for the turn. My cars (Miata & RX8) are set up to turn better than their SUVs. It's fun to watch them slam the brakes and fight the corner.

Oh, I do that ALL the time. It's especially fun in the Miata w/ FM suspension and fresh Star Specs. Let 'em tailgate you for a while and gradually, incrementally keep upping the speed 'til your going as fast as you can possibly turn in w/o braking. Then suck 'em right down the hole.

You guys are trolling with the wrong bait. A supercharged Focus with the SVT suspension will attract more of them than your "sporty cars"

Hal wrote:

motomoron wrote:

wlkelley3 wrote: I've done just the opposite on occasion. When a turn is coming up I don't slow down for the turn. My cars (Miata & RX8) are set up to turn better than their SUVs. It's fun to watch them slam the brakes and fight the corner.

Oh, I do that ALL the time. It's especially fun in the Miata w/ FM suspension and fresh Star Specs. Let 'em tailgate you for a while and gradually, incrementally keep upping the speed 'til your going as fast as you can possibly turn in w/o braking. Then suck 'em right down the hole.

You guys are trolling with the wrong bait. A supercharged Focus with the SVT suspension will attract more of them than your "sporty cars"

I have better luck in a E150 because they "know" they can out corner me. Maybe if they knew how to drive they could. I also know the perfect apex for every corner on the way to the office.

People not using turn signals is the number one reason why I use adequate throttle when passing while riding the motorcycle. I want the pass to take as little time as possible.

i always get the feeling that the summer people up here (mostly richer people from the Minneapolis/St Paul area) look at me funny because one of the lights on whatever end of my car they are looking at starts blinking shortly before i turn..