Random peeves

[Chimera]

I suppose it really is a matter of interpretation.

If a bank guard/security guard/armored car driver was to pat their gun and say "When they let me carry a gun in a court house, they let me park wherever I want", I would probably interpret that as meaning "I have a gun. I can park where I want." Granted, I dislike firearms, so I carry a personal bias.

There you go. See my Sig line regarding Perception.

I do not begrudge you the right to arm yourself; your job carries a high risk factor.

It is not a "right", it's a REQUIREMENT of the job. You don't have a gun, you don't carry money. Period.

And you may be right, regarding who is authorized to park in such spots. To me, a bank guard/security guard/armored car driver is still a private employee and is afforded the same parking privileges as a pizza delivery driver or UPS carrier. To be honest, I've never considered my opinion to be in the wrong, here, so I will do my part by researching local laws. Mind you, I have called the police on UPS drivers (only after they made snide remarks) and I have asked security guards move their vehicles.

We are not simple 'security guards' (who are not entitled to park in these spots). We carry the same risks in cash handling as banks do (risk of robbery, etc) and such, we are afforded much more lee-way in where we park, where we may drive, where and how we may carry our weapons, and how we are entitled to act in public.

 

[DerHauptman]

20,0000,000 and a publicist does not make ones opinion on foreign policy or politics more valid than anyone else's. In other words I don't care what a sports, rock or movie star thinks about anything...so spare me the commentary.

 

[RichCsigs]

Turn signals: Use them properly. That means, if you shifting lanes, turn you signal on before switching lanes, not just before and not as you are.
Inversely, another annoying thing is people who speed up to block someone who has turned on their signal to announce they want to switch lanes. That's just being mean.

Abuse of Handicap Spots: Handicap spots are there for those who need the extra space to exit a vehicle, wither for a wheelchair ramp or just frailty in general (needing the space to get a walker or wheelchair by the door, etc). Yet the number of able-bodied "older" people with a handicap-parking pass is just outrageous. These things are given out like candy. Isn't there suppose to be some kind of regulation on this? I know you don't have that many years left but an extra 10 seconds of walking won't change your life that drastically (yes, I know that sentence is mean, but that's how I feel).
Also, if you have a handicap-parking pass because you drive a frail/handicap person around, this does NOT give you the right to use the pass when that person is not with you. That's just lazy and rude to someone who may actually need the spot.

Emergency vehicle etiquette (assume lights & sirens are on for all these pet peeves): If an emergency vehicle is coming from behind you, pull over immediately! Do NOT wait for the vehicle to be directly behind you.
If you are driving and an emergency vehicle is coming down the other side of the road, slow down and move as far over to the side of the road as you can. This gives extra room for the emergency vehicle to pass other vehicles.
If you are stopped for a red light at an intersection and an emergency vehicle comes up behind you and you have obstructions on either side of you (other cars, road barriers, etc.) you are legally allowed to move into the intersection!! Don't rush in. Move in slowly checking to make sure vehicles coming the other way have stopped. Then after the vehicle has passed you, get out of the intersection.

Driving lane etiquette: In the United States, the left lane is for passing, not the right lane.
If you are driving on a two-lane road and are in the left lane and a vehicle comes up behind you obviously looking to pass you, move over.
If you are in the middle lane of a three lane road and are constantly being passed on the left AND the right, you are in the wrong lane. Move over to the right one (and turn on your signal before you do it).
When I'm driving down a single lane road and I have 3 or more cars behind me, I assume I am going slower than the natural flow of traffic and pull over so they can pass me. I would like to see the same returned.
If you are in the passing lane and come up behind someone who is in the middle of passing a series of cars but is driving slower than you would like to, patiently wait for them to finish passing the cars before you start flipping your lights at them. If they pass the cars and then don't move over, that's the time to start letting them know you would like to go faster.

 

[Mycanid]

Well, well Chimera - look what a flurry of discussion you provoked!

Busy, busy, busy in here. Gone for a day or so and WHAM! - an avalanche, eh?

 

[sniffles]

I just discovered a new peeve over the weekend. We were driving to the Oregon coast for the day, on winding two-lane highways through the mountains. At numerous points there are passing lanes where the width of the road permits. On at least 3 separate occasions, a driver who had been tailgating our car (different driver each time) waited until the passing lane was about to end before choosing to pass us. On a couple of occasions while my fiancee was driving he sped up to prevent other drivers from passing, because otherwise they would have cut us off when the road narrowed back down to two lanes. :\

Other peeves:
When you're trying to get out of a parking lot into heavy traffic and other drivers won't let you out. It should work like a zipper. One car exits parking lot, one car moves forward, lather rinse repeat. Same is true for merging onto a busy freeway. But no, at least here in Oregon, everyone has to be 'in front', which means you can't let another car get ahead of you.

People who stop at the top or bottom of an escalator and just stand there, so no one can board or disembark from the escalator without running into them.

People who stand right in front of the door to an elevator and then start to board the minute the doors open, without waiting to see if anyone needs to get out. Also people who immediately climb aboard the bus without waiting to see if any senior citizen or disabled person needs to get out.

People who wait at the bus stop for 5 minutes but don't get their fare ready until they actually board the bus.

People who ride bicycles in the dark without any visibility gear.

Pedestrians who cross in the middle of the block when there's a pedestrian crosswalk 15 feet away.

People who leave their dogs in their cars on hot days, or who drive around in pickup trucks with loose dogs in the back.

Young men wearing their pants so low that they have to lift up the crotch in order to walk.

We're a peevish lot, aren't we?

 

[Chimera]

Well, well Chimera - look what a flurry of discussion you provoked!

Is that a bad thing?

RichCsigs;

The speeding up to cut people off after they signal is a real problem for our work trucks. Sometimes we're forced to simply come over anyway and hope they figure it out. Yeah, we're bad guys!

Left Lane drivers. You and me both, bud. In 31 states, you can be ticketed for parking your butt in the left lane. Unfortunately, it doesn't happen enough to clue in some people.

I have a simple rule that I tell people;

If you are being passed on the right, you are in the wrong.

Emergency Vehicles. See it all the time. It's that same old "You're not more important than me" value system. I once watched a guy actively prevent a Highway Patrol car from passing him for more than a mile! I figured at some point the HP would simply pull the guy over and arrest him, but apparently wherever the HP was going was higher priority than some pinhead. Hope they got the guy later, because he deserved it!

Another one for me is random lane changes. Whenever I go out of state and then return, I find myself being reminded of this one within about 30 minutes.

How do you know you're in Minnesota?
When at any given moment,
at least one third of the cars around you
are changing lanes.
Often for no apparent reason.

 

[Mycanid]

No sir! Merely observing, not criticizing in the least!

Sniffles ... I had forgotten about the one of the pants riding low. But I just giggle to myself whenever I see that now. It's no longer a peeve. I feel sorry for them. What a torture. Ever see one try to run?

 

[cybertalus]

I'm fond of my Progression Wake-Up Alarm Clock Half an hour before the time it's set for, it starts to gradually phase in a light (with optional aroma beads that the light heats up, causing a scent to slowly permeate the room). Fifteen minutes later, it starts with a selectable sound - I choose birdsong at a low level, but others include running water, the ocean, or crickets. Eventually, you get the traditional shrieking alarm... but the birds wake me up, so I never need to endure that

-Hyp.

Wow, the way you describe that it almost sounds like it makes waking up a into a pleasant experience. Definitely better than the red alert klaxon my alarm clock attacks me with every morning.

 

[Dannyalcatraz]

20,0000,000 and a publicist does not make ones opinion on foreign policy or politics more valid than anyone else's. In other words I don't care what a sports, rock or movie star thinks about anything...so spare me the commentary.

OTOH, the fact that a celebrity is rich & famous doesn't make their opinion any less valid than anyone else's either...

Re: low-slung pants. From what my cop buddies tell me, they love the fashion- makes the perps much easier to catch. So, if you're a pottential perp, keep wearin' 'em low! Everyone else- learn your pants size. Consider a belt. Or suspenders.

Also, if you have a handicap-parking pass because you drive a frail/handicap person around, this does NOT give you the right to use the pass when that person is not with you. That's just lazy and rude to someone who may actually need the spot.

Its not just lazy & rude- it constitutes an offense in most jurisdictions. In fact, its also a violation if the person is with you but doesn't vacate the vehicle when parked in the handicapped spot (so you can't park in the spot and leave them in the car while you run into Starbucks for your Vente Mocha Frappuchino).

On top of that, most jurisdictions require that you actually be transporting (or about to transport) the person to whom the mirror hanger tag was issued. For instance, as I stated before, my Mom has a tag which is permanently housed in my car (she has another in my Dad's car). My Grandfather is also eligible for a tag, but hasn't bothered to go through the steps to get one. I cannot legally take him somewhere and use my Mom's tag to park in the spot.

I can, however, park in a handicapped spot (using her tag)- even though I'm fully able bodied- when I'm picking her up at the mall or a doctor's appointment or whatever. (This has led to some confrontations with some people, but nothing big.)

 

[Hypersmurf]

Wow, the way you describe that it almost sounds like it makes waking up a into a pleasant experience. Definitely better than the red alert klaxon my alarm clock attacks me with every morning.

I wouldn't go back to one of those, personally.

My personal preference is that when the alarm goes off (in my case, chirping birds), I get up. So I set my alarm for when I want to get up. Simple

My girlfriend, on the other hand, prefers to set her alarm for about a half hour before she needs to get up, and then use the snooze button three or four times.

I just can't handle that... but fortunately, I need to get up earlier than she does most days anyway, so I can wake up to my birds, then reset the alarm to Red Alert for her.

-Hyp.