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Re: Denver Drivers

PostPosted: Tue Dec 21, 2010 9:30 pm
by Sarah Simon
Bob Sihler wrote:Edit: Salt Lake has never seemed that bad to me.
:) I visit SLC at least once (often twice) per month for business. I call the driving there "Every Saint for Himself," :geek: yet the truth is, as indicated by many in the thread, there are good drivers and bad drivers all over the place. I often travel domestically every week for business, sometimes to multiple cities in one week. Every city has their fair mix of tailgaters, left-lane hogs, folks that pass on the right, people who don't know how to merge in - or let others merge, folks who run red lights, folks who slam their brakes on at yellow lights, road ragers, jerks, wildlife gawkers, smart phone texters, etc.

Anecdotal example: Last week I was in Boston, which is supposed to be home to efficiently aggressive drivers. Twice in just three days I had drivers STOP when merging into traffic on the freeway...even though they could fit a freight train into the window in the right-most lane they were trying to enter. Welcome to Boston, welcome to...any other major US city. Same thing, different city. :)

Re: Denver Drivers

PostPosted: Tue Dec 21, 2010 9:50 pm
by Bob Sihler
sarah.simon wrote:Anecdotal example: Last week I was in Boston, which is supposed to be home to efficiently aggressive drivers. Twice in just three days I had drivers STOP when merging into traffic on the freeway...


They must have been tourists from Denver. :wink:

Re: Denver Drivers

PostPosted: Wed Dec 22, 2010 12:25 am
by lcarreau
My own experience (and statistics) SUGGEST that driving in traffic can be a.. REAL BEAR:

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Re: Denver Drivers

PostPosted: Wed Dec 22, 2010 4:16 am
by lcarreau
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Re: Denver Drivers

PostPosted: Wed Dec 22, 2010 11:59 am
by John Duffield
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Re: Denver Drivers

PostPosted: Wed Dec 22, 2010 1:13 pm
by MattK
Fletch wrote:crashed a scooter into a restaurant in Belgium.


:shock: Now that sounds like a good story!!

Re: Denver Drivers

PostPosted: Fri Dec 24, 2010 6:52 pm
by mconnell
Fletch wrote:crashed a scooter into a restaurant in Belgium.


Sounds like since you moved there, the quality of the drivers in Denver has certainly dropped. :wink:

I personally hate driving in Denver, I just don't see it being any worse than any of the other big cities I've driven through in the US.

Re: Denver Drivers

PostPosted: Fri Dec 24, 2010 6:59 pm
by lcarreau
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Re: Denver Drivers

PostPosted: Fri Dec 24, 2010 7:13 pm
by lcarreau
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Re: Denver Drivers

PostPosted: Sat Dec 25, 2010 3:04 pm
by silversummit
Everything you said could describe drivers in the suburbs of DC as well. Maryland finally put a law into effect this past fall banning using your cell phone while driving without a device like bluetooth etc. (except when turning the phone on/off) and it barely put a dent into use of cell phones while driving.

As for pedestrians crossing at will around here, my husband and I have watched the Pedestrian Safety Campaigns only encourage pedestrians to cross whenever the urge strikes them (no pun intended). Traffic at many intersections will suddenly come to a halt at a green light all because a pedestrian has decided to cross against his/her light and in the process nearly caused multiple fender benders.

Strangely enough the only city and state we found civil in driving manners was Washington. Seattle was especially friendly when we as tourists were picking our way through the freeways even at rush hour. After two weeks in Washington state we became convinced that the nicest drivers were found here!

Re: Denver Drivers

PostPosted: Sat Dec 25, 2010 5:28 pm
by lcarreau
I lived in WA state for 8 years. Actually, you don't even need a car in western Washington.

A commuter train can take you from Olympia to Seattle in a jiffy, with several stops along the way.
When you exit the train, you can either walk, ride a bicycle or take advantage of the mass transit
system.

But, if you want to go climbing in the Cascades, you'll probably need a set of wheels.

Re: Denver Drivers

PostPosted: Thu Dec 30, 2010 2:46 am
by CSUMarmot
im sure the drivers down in Denver are a lot more courteous then the cyclists here in Larimer County!

Re: Denver Drivers

PostPosted: Thu Dec 30, 2010 4:49 pm
by Diggler
LA drivers are far worse than most places, including Denver. The fact is that people are more reliant on their vehicles there than most places due to the inadequate mass transit options available. The fact that the LA metro area probably has 2 to 3 times the population of Colorado shouldn't be ignored, either. I would say, in general, that people can afford to get away with more in Cali because there is a lower state patrol:capita ratio (it's always struck me that way, anyway)- yeah, you're speeding. So is everyone else around you, & there's a good chance that one of the infinite number of people around you will get pulled over instead of you. Every time I've driven in LA, 80mph (or more) in extremely density is the norm. And just because texting & using ones cel phone is illegal here has nothing to do with the amount that both of these activities is still performed :)

If you want to talk about bad drivers, I would say try to get out of the California mountains during the winter before work on Monday. I've literally waited hours after some dumbass slid his truck into a ditch, then couldn't figure out why he couldn't get out when he floored it, & it just kept on digging itself in deeper... Over 50 cars had to wait for the tow truck to arrive from down valley. The CHP officers on scene were inept as well. This example is a normal winter occurrence. That's what happens when a state enacts overly-restrictive chain control laws that keep the lowland (coastal) drivers with questionable judgment from ever aqcuiring any solid snow-driving skills.

Dangerous driving conditions in California:
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Re: Denver Drivers

PostPosted: Thu Dec 30, 2010 7:42 pm
by Matt Lemke
ohhhh yes...I have lived in the Seattle area for 18 years and thought driving was bad there until I moved to Denver.
The issue is the large amount of cops that enforce the driving laws in WA, CA, TX and most other areas of the country.

In Colorado however, you can get away with just about anything (same in Utah). This makes drivers in all of Colorado and Utah absolutely crazy...
And when you go west on I-70 from Denver, once you cross the Eisenhower tunnel, you will not see another cop until you hit the retirement community of Cedar City Utah

BTW, if you think Devner is bad...be very afraid for your life if you're in Grand Junction

Re: Denver Drivers

PostPosted: Fri Dec 31, 2010 1:38 pm
by DudeThatMustHurt
LOL Denver drivers are tame.. The bicyclists on the other hand mostly all need to be ran over for the good of everyone who wants to drive the streets safely. Not all pedal fairys but most of them