over the past 10 years or so?

Or is it I'm becoming more and more aware these past 10 years?

Seems like you see more and more cars/drivers out there:

-can't maintain same speed
-do the limit in the left lane on a highway/interstate and are oblivious to the line of cars piled behind them
-constantly holding a phone to talk/text. Even see people holding a phone to talk when the car is obviously high end enough to have bluetooth
-loose body panels
-swerving
-lack of turn signals
-can't do basic maintenance
-can't drive standard transmission

I was told that driving is privilege. When did it become a right?

Seems any swinging richard can get a license these days. My friends who have been stationed in Germany with the military tell me tales of how expensive and difficult the process is for getting a drive license in Germany. But the result is a much better driver.

More and more seem entitled to drive however they want.

Distracted driving and self centered people.....

no it's not just you.

It's not just you at all. I feel like I'm at risk of an accident every time I'm behind the wheel because of an idiot not paying attention. It doesn't help that there are fewer patrol cars on the road than there used to be.

Jim

Our sheriff cut down on the number if tickets written as to not appear biased against anyone.

It’s down to pretty much school zone violations and DUI.

It's cute you think they have licenses. Around here, they're last mode of transportation was likely an ox drawn cart

I encountered several today. When I go to pass they all had a cell phone in hand

i moved to SW Florida about two years ago

drivers here are BY FAR the worst I have ever experienced

my theory is a higher than 'average' number of non-US raised / trained drivers

I have been to Central and South America and it reminds me of there where there aren't really traffic rules / laws .... basically traffic suggestions

then of course it rubs off on everyone else

the stuff I have seen the past couple years is crazy

================================

quote:

Originally posted by ffips:
Distracted driving and self centered people.....

Bingo!

One thing to keep in mind is that as the local population increases = more drivers = more bad drivers. And not because the percentage of bad drivers in the population remains the same. Greater traffic volumes increase stress on drivers and stress and frustration results in a tendency for people to behave poorly behind the wheel. That’s not the only reason, of course, but it’s part.

Oh man, don't get me started. STOP must mean something else these days, and the only time we see a car pulled over for a violation is if there is a warrant. It seems the police are so busy with domestic and accident calls, the idiots are on a free for all of bumper cars.

Loose body panels, can’t do basic maintenance and can’t drive a stick doesn’t make someone a “bad” driver.
Everything else on the list certainly does!
As we’ve seen in other aspects of life, there has been a growth of “I’ma gonna do what I want because F You!” mentality.

quote:

lack of turn signals

In my area, maybe 4 in 10 use their signals.

And then at the last 20 ft.

And around here the leos are just as bad. Rolling through stop signs, right turn on red (not fully stopping first), ignoring speed limit.
They really fail to set a good example.

I have seen all of the things mentioned more frequently as well as

Hazard lights on while driving in the rain.

quote:

Originally posted by ffips:
Distracted driving and self centered people.....

100%. When was the last time someone actually gave you a quick thank you wave for letting them in.

It is just like everything, the skill set for everything has diminished greatly. That is why there are YouTube videos on how to make a grilled cheese sandwich or shoe tying.

I think as the density increases, the police have a hard time keeping up with the violations. Around here they are only interested in the revenue.

Several weeks ago while making a right turn, I had a driver make a right turn onto a two lane road from a lane the was used for straight ahead. He just about took the side off my truck. I got out to take a picture and realized that my piece was showing so I got back in and drove off.

I was headed down a one-way, one-lane street the other day when a millennial girl turned onto the street going the wrong way headed straight for me. So, there we were - me about 75% of the way down the one-way street headed in the correct direction, and there she was about 25% of the street headed the wrong way when we finally met and stopped. She was driving a Honda Civic, and I was driving my truck filled to the gills with construction materials. We sat there looking at each other through our windshields. She whipped out her cell phone and started recording me.

I got out and walked up to the passenger side of her car and I informed her she was going the wrong way, and she was going to have to back out. She replied, "No - you're going the wrong way, and you're going to have to back out."

On the driver's side of her car was a one-way sign. I said, "Honey, look at the sign" as I pointed to it.

She replied, "Don't call me 'honey' and I don't care what the sign says - I'm not backing out."

She called 9-1-1 with her cell phone, and luckily for me, there was an officer in the area who showed up in less than a minute.

That child was angry, let me tell you! The LEO was calm and patient and he even warned her that if she didn't back her car out of the way he would have to cite her for travelling the wrong way on a one-way street.

Then, she turned on the water works as she confessed she didn't know how to back up. The LEO talked her into letting him move her car.

So, in spite of her profanity towards him and her refusal to move her car and her traffic infraction of driving the wrong direction on a one-way street, she left the scene with no citation.

I highly doubt that ordeal was any kind of a learning experience for her.