The Horribleness of Drivers Around Here

Before my fiancé and I moved to this suburb of Chicago, I would never even have fathomed some of the terrible ways people drive. It's incredibly frustrating, especially when the people think they are the ones that know what they're doing (which is usually what they think).

Here are two such occasions for you guys. Both these happened at the exact same spot at the intersection that leads into our apartments.


In these drawings, I am the red car. I sit on the road where the traffic does not stop, and there is no light for me. So, in other words, the only way for me to turn left is if there are absolutely no cars coming in either direction.



Well, I come to a stop, and I'm waiting, and waiting. Finally, there's an opening for me to go. Just as I step on the gas, a van (in this case, the yellow car) stops from across the street. However, they start to go and turn into the lane that I'm turning into! This lady gives me a very dirty look, throws her hands in the air, and then stops in the middle of the road to let me go, after I had pulled out, not thinking that this lady would try and cut me. Apparently, because she's turning onto her side of the road, that automatically means that she has the right of way, despite however long I was there waiting before her. People, this is not the case. Please, go back to Driver's Ed!



This second time, I am stopped, waiting to turn left like usual, and then this older man (in the picture, the truck) stops to turn left onto my street. There is an opening for him to turn (but not for me, since there are cars coming from his side still), but he's not going. Instead, he's staring at me, waving his fists, and looking exceptionally pissed off, yelling. I have no idea what his problem is, and I'm just trying to figure out what he's doing. Then, he decides to turn, so he's coming, but he's not turning into the right lane! He's coming right at me! I don't know what the heck he's doing, so I'm just kind of frozen. Well, instead of turning into his lane, he squeezes by me and turns into the lane on the right of me (on the right of the red car)! Lol! That's the lane of on-coming traffic! It was a good thing no one was coming though, otherwise he would have caused an accident. He still didn't realize that he was driving on the wrong side of the road though! He thought that I was on the wrong side!

I will tell you what one member of the elderly told me about his other elderly friends:

"They like to create confusion."

Holy cow! First of all, the van/yellow car was in the wrong lane to be turning, and second... that truck guy is a jackass. Old people are weird. He probably shouldn't even be driving. ^o_o^ I wonder how long it took him to realize he was on the wrong side... Maybe he was British!

The second one is just crazy, I really can't even begin to address that, hopefully that guy isn't a close neighbor.

But in the first one I think that you might be wrong, if it is not an all way stop or a traffic light situation, left turns always yield, even if you had been sitting there for eternity (The length of time, not our IC moderator.), oncoming traffic legally has the right-of-way.
I am only aware of this because my brother was found in 80% liability for an accident in almost the same situation a few years ago.

- I think that this is the applicable law...

Illinois Vehicle Code.
Sec. 11‑902. Vehicle turning left.
The driver of a vehicle intending to turn to the left within an intersection or into an alley, private road, or driveway shall yield the right‑of‑way to any vehicle approaching from the opposite direction which is so close as to constitute an immediate hazard, but said driver, having so yielded may proceed at such time as a safe interval occurs.

You're missing the real flaw in your logic, Aeselon. The car was in the wrong lane for turning.

Oh, actually, the yellow car was on the right side. I should have edited that in the drawing, because they had it placed on the other said. So yeah, the yellow car was in the right lane to turn right.

So, what you're saying Aesalon, is that the right of way belongs to the person that is always turning right? A person turning left always must yield, no matter if they were there first? That doesn't at all sound like anything I ever learned. I was taught that the right of way belongs to the person that was there first, and if it was a tie, then it goes to the person on the right.

But yeah, I really don't know what was wrong with that older man. I did give him the benefit of the doubt and say he was probably from another country where they drive on the other side of the road, but I would think if he was out and about driving already, he would have figured out by then that we drive on the right side. I haven't seen him since, so I hope he doesn't live around me, lol.

Ohhhh. Aesalon. Tony figured out what you meant. You thought that there wasn't a stop sign there for the yellow car. The yellow car and I both had a stop.

When you come to a four way intersection with no traffic light, the person to the right of you always has the right of way. Don't ask me why, but they do. I know it gets frustrating, but trust me, you've not seen frustrating drivers until you brave the roads around here.

1. I-26 going through Johnson City and Kingsport is a mad house, and I'm still under the strong impression that if you're born anywhere near 26, you're a complete dumbass when it comes to driving. I once had a guy that was merging into traffic, and though I was well ahead of him and there was space enough for him to pull out behind me, he decided he was going to speed up and pass me on the shoulder. Cue the long string of expletives from me as I had to slam on the breaks to keep from slamming into him.

2. I-40 going towards Knoxville is even worse than 26: Four lanes of idiots with road rage, and I'm trying to get my car (filled with myself and my girlfriend) to Gatlinburg safely. The best way to drive 40 is to put the pedal on the floor, find a hole, and get in it. It's the scariest Interstate I've ever driven, I believe.

I've heard the autobahn in Germany is worse.

Gunneh, you're referring to when everyone gets to the stop sign at the exact same time. If I am waiting at a stop sign, and then a person to the right of me stops, I don't continue to sit waiting. I go. The only way they would go before me, if is we both stopped at the same time.

It doesn't even matter though, because the yellow car wasn't to the right of me. It was in front of me. (So, I was to the right of it, and it was to the right of me - there is no right.) I was waiting for about a minute at my stop, when they showed up as I started to pull out.



God, that sounds like a jerk, like he just expected you to give way to him. >.<

Oh, yeah, the autobahn would be crazy. I don't remember it, but I was on it when I was 6 and in Germany with my family. (My great grandma and grandpa live there, along with other relatives.) My dad said he was turning out onto it, and there was a car waaay down there coming toward him, but he pulled out, since it was so far away. Before he could even get up to the speed, the car that was in the distance was right up behind him, honking their horn. They just drive so fast, that you have to wait till it's all clear.

So if I understand what you're saying Fate, you were at a 4-way stop? Then yes, you would have had right of way, if your "turn" was up.

Still, no matter the frustration and irritation - knowing you're right doesn't make it any better when your car is broad-sided or rear-ended. I'm just glad nothing like that happened, and you came out without a scratch.

Gunneh: I-40 sucks through there. It's always a huge mess. * hangs big fat huge "COULDN'T AGREE MORE" sign around my neck now*

And ummm... I loved the autobahn. >< My inner speed demon was so very, very happy to have no speed limit... I lived in Germany for three years, and though I know there were horror stories about the results of accidents that happened there (at those speeds, most any accident is probably going to be catastrophic/fatal) But... well... I miss it... *mumbles something about 200 kph sounding perfectly fine on wide open stretches of highway*

No, no. It was just a stop for my side and the street across from me. Like I mentioned, it was a road where the traffic did not stop. Myself and the yellow car were trying to turn off from our apartment neighborhoods, so we both had to stop and wait for traffic on the road where cars don't stop. Lol, I guess it's really had for me to explain.

Yeah, that's quite true, which is why I stopped in the middle of road as the lady started driving at me. I had already pulled out before she completed her stop, so I was basically stranded. XD

I think the autobahn would be pretty fun to drive on.