Crazy drivers too evident since the pandemic?

[DirtFlier]

I live near I-75 and the I-70 is only about 10 miles south. I only use these concrete slabs when I have to get somewhere fast in my car but even then, I often find myself driving my Accord on some of my favorite curvy roads! The closest large city to me is Dayton and it's around 20-miles to the south.

From around 2022, I started to notice lots of jams on either motorway because one or more stupid drivers engaged in dangerous tactics which results in a huge accident that stops that interstate for 2-6 hours. Before such jams were rare but now it seems like a day or two doesn't go by without a massive logjam occurring.

Do you also see similar things in your area?

 

[mikesim]

I too seem to see more frequent massive traffic jams on the Interstates I frequent. Many times the cause is not obvious or attributable to stupid drivers, however I do see more stupid drivers so your hypothesis may be correct. I will be passing thru Dayton on I70 tomorrow morning about 0800 coming home from Jr's place in CLE so I hope everyone behaves.

Mike

 

[RedLdr1]

Yes, I sure do... Anyone who drives near Atlanta can tell you the Idiot Quotient is getting higher by the day. Ricky ricer hot rods, jacked up pickup truck Bubba boys, punks running from the police, drunks, druggies, and incompetent commercial truck drivers have closed at least one Interstate daily for the past several days. The number of unlicensed / uninsured drivers has also went up so when an "accident" happens you had better have your own coverage. Wanna guess why I won't ride in this area any more????

 

[rc_heli_nut]

I got tired of people on their cellphones, not watching the road, coming across the centerline while on my motorcycle. This happened even on rural 2-lane country roads, not just state highways. Ended up on the edge of the road too many times, each episode just made riding more unnerving.

I sold the only bike I had, which was the NT, last year and hung up my helmet for good. I've got grandkids now, they're more important than riding. Nuff said!

 

[mikesim]

It's a shame that you have to give up an activity that you love just because of the idiots out there.

Mike

 

[seagrass]

This problem has also been evident here in Australia in Sydney (New South Wales), Melbourne (Victoria) and Brisbane (Queensland) for the last year or so.

The daily 6pm television news is always reporting on major traffic problems that are causing extensive delays for often many hours.

Seagrass

 

[Coyote Chris]

IMHO a number of things have happened. Will try to not get too political but this is how I see things.
The more crowded conditions become, the more people's attitudes and actions change. They get more upset and you in the other car become a thing and not a person. Since in the state of WA, a trooper can not chase a car for a simple violation, it agravates things since there are no consequences for breaking the law. Plus no one wants to be an LEO and you will see much fewer of them on the road....add to the agressive driving, drugs and cell phones, and the interstate frightens me. I didnt have one close call ridiing to Reno and back on the back roads and empty highwayss. In fact, more than likely, people were curtious to me. Spokane is a death trap with its traffic load.
The entire attitude of our culture has changed...we went from Jimmy Stewart in "Harvey" to Mr. T in a very short time.....Driving skills are in the toilet.
I have no blood children to save my life for so I am gonna keep riding.....but I am very very careful....The really odd thing to me was how the traffic deaths went up during the pandemic.....
These days are gone.
Note the lack of jacked up pickups belching smoke and looking "tough"


The indonesians I meet are nice people.....the buses in Spokane have to be checked by dogs for bed bugs.....

By the numbers: data shows 8 fatal motorcycle crashes in Spokane County so far in 2022 | FOX 28 Spokane

SPOKANE, Wash. - According to the Washington State Traffic Safety Commission, motorcycles make up about 3% of the vehicles on state roads, but accounted for 15% of the traffic fatalities between 2013 and 2017. On average, they say about one in five motorcycle crashes result in serious injury or...

www.fox28spokane.com

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[DirtFlier]

MikeSim - I-70 DOES NOT go through Dayton proper so you're lucky. It passes about 5-8-miles north of Dayton so you're well clear of any rush hour craziness.

Have a safe and mostly anxiety-free drive on your way home.

 

[ST1100Y]

This problem has also been evident here in Australia in Sydney (New South Wales), Melbourne (Victoria) and Brisbane (Queensland) for the last year or so.

Same here...people not only forgot proper operation and behavior, they'd also grown completely ignorant and egocentric during/after the lock-down...
Might take another two years till people "normalize" again...

 

[Warren]

Most of the traffic jams I see around St. Louis are due to road construction. Seems to be never ending.

 

[rc_heli_nut]

In response to Mike Sim, yes I did give up something I really liked, and it is a shame. I appreciate the sentiment Mike.

I switched over to two wheel pedal power, which has been great for my physical health, and only ride on dedicated bike paths where there's no cars. Still having 2-wheel fun, just switched up gears a bit. Sometimes life brings changes, and as the great REO Speedwagon once told us, sometimes you got to roll with the changes.

 

[Chucksklrst]

There is more people now, There is an influx of third world people in the country now, there is no driver training to speak of, the driver's licenses are nearly a give away. The driving tests really do not test one's driving ability other than point and go. Most importantly there is no or very little traffic enforcement in the cities for various reasons, I can go on and on but you get the idea. And by the way Colorado roads really suck for all the money we pay for road and bridge maintenance.

 

[mikesim]

IMHO a number of things have happened. Will try to not get too political but this is how I see things.
The more crowded conditions become, the more people's attitudes and actions change. They get more upset and you in the other car become a thing and not a person. Since in the state of WA, a trooper can not chase a car for a simple violation, it agravates things since there are no consequences for breaking the law. Plus no one wants to be an LEO and you will see much fewer of them on the road....add to the agressive driving, drugs and cell phones, and the interstate frightens me. I didnt have one close call ridiing to Reno and back on the back roads and empty highwayss. In fact, more than likely, people were curtious to me. Spokane is a death trap with its traffic load.
The entire attitude of our culture has changed...we went from Jimmy Stewart in "Harvey" to Mr. T in a very short time.....Driving skills are in the toilet.
I have no blood children to save my life for so I am gonna keep riding.....but I am very very careful....The really odd thing to me was how the traffic deaths went up during the pandemic.....
These days are gone.
Note the lack of jacked up pickups belching smoke and looking "tough"


The indonesians I meet are nice people.....the buses in Spokane have to be checked by dogs for bed bugs.....
. T

By the numbers: data shows 8 fatal motorcycle crashes in Spokane County so far in 2022 | FOX 28 Spokane

SPOKANE, Wash. - According to the Washington State Traffic Safety Commission, motorcycles make up about 3% of the vehicles on state roads, but accounted for 15% of the traffic fatalities between 2013 and 2017. On average, they say about one in five motorcycle crashes result in serious injury or...

www.fox28spokane.com

.

Coyote, yer off a bit on your photo analysis . I didn't see anything newer than about a '57 in your pic, the $20 for groceries looks about right. The cars were about $2500 tops. The house price looks OK.

Mike

 

[mikesim]

MikeSim - I-70 DOES NOT go through Dayton proper so you're lucky. It passes about 5-8-miles north of Dayton so you're well clear of any rush hour craziness.

Have a safe and mostly anxiety-free drive on your way home.

Yeah, I know that 70 bypasses Dayton but it's a Landmark we use. Traffic was light. We left CLE at 0400 and ate breakfast at the Waffle House in West Dayton. Sailed thru Indy and StL and got home about 130p. A good visit.

Mike

 

[Chucksklrst]

Coyote, yer off a bit on your photo analysis . I didn't see anything newer than about a '57 in your pic, the $20 for groceries looks about right. The cars were about $2500 tops. The house price looks OK.

Mike

Back in the mid 60's Dad and us would fill the back of the Chevy Belair station wagon with a month worth of groceries for about 75 to 100 bucks.

 

[mikesim]

Back in the mid 60's Dad and us would fill the back of the Chevy Belair station wagon with a month worth of groceries for about 75 to 100 bucks.

... and he probably bitched about grocery prices just like we do now.... some things never change...

Mike

 

[Charlie U]

It’s horrible here! I live in a Raleigh NC suburb. Driving is extremely dangerous here. Nobody uses directional signals, they tailgate, they stop late and take there turns like they were walking on glass, speeding is outta hand too. Personally I think that nobody really cares! Oh another thing…if it rains you can count on a accident on any road here or someone ends up in a ditch because…They Don’t Slow Down for the weather change! Stupid stuff I see daily, I do a lot of miles due to a service industry position.

 

[ett]

Here in PA, in the Lehigh Valley and surrounding areas.
What I've noticed is A LOT more drivers insisting on being moving road blocks; by driving 15mph or more BELOW the posted speed limits.
So that means they are driving 25mph or more below the normal flow of traffic.
It's now common to be stuck in a line of at least a dozen vehicles, doing only 30mph, on a two lane rural road, that is posted as 45mph.