Driving in general has...

[jkpescador]

Re: Driving in general has...

I thought all students need to go take driver's training now. That's why there are so many people "teaching." I'm not sure what year it became mandatory but I thought it was law for new drivers to be trained/educated.

[craigwatanabe]

Re: Driving in general has...

Students under the age of 18 need to take mandatory Drivers Ed. There are high school seniors that are 18.

Maybe mandatory drivers ed for everybody to make it fair, but make the cost of drivers ed tax deductable.

[Composite 2992]

Re: Driving in general has...

I've seen more than my share of people being pried out of cars. Usually screaming at a pitch you wouldn't think possible for a human being.

Sometimes they weren't screaming. Just crushed.

If enough drivers were to see things like that in all its technicolor glory maybe they'd take the responsibility of driving a lot more seriously.

[craigwatanabe]

Re: Driving in general has...

I've seen more than my share of people being pried out of cars. Usually screaming at a pitch you wouldn't think possible for a human being.

Sometimes they weren't screaming. Just crushed.

If enough drivers were to see things like that in all its technicolor glory maybe they'd take the responsibility of driving a lot more seriously.

Well in Europe they do show the carnage on TV and in Print just for that matter. But here in the United States, it's too much so we sanitize the news.

I've been first responder to a couple of pretty bad head on collisions here and on the mainland and boy oh boy it's amazing how a body can get so dismembered that way. Really makes you think when you get behind the wheel of an automobile.

[Zovo]

Re: Driving in general has...

Did you know that many businesses/developers actually get tax breaks based on a greater number of parking stalls in their parking lots. It's true. It's a major contributor to the negative car-to-stall ratio.

Cars continue to get bigger, while parking spots continue to get smaller.

I love the idea of putting notes on windshields; think I'm gonna make a few of those notes.

And what's with the rain panic? It's like people see a single drop of rain and everyones brakelights come on. I learned to drive in Washington state, where it rains 364 days out of the year. I've never seen traffic grind to a halt the way it does here when it starts raining.

Though, I did get the stink-eye and a bit of a warning from a police officer a couple weeks ago. I was merging into traffic and saw an opening; the problem was, there wa s asolid white line between me and it. Now, I've never done this before because I do my best to obey traffic laws but something got the best of me and I went for it. Next thing I know, this cop on his motorcycle pulls up next to me and actually taps on my passenger side window; I look over at him and he points at me and give me this evil glare, and then rides off. Scared the crap out of me. I went into horror movie mode; I never saw him again (he just disappeared into traffic) but for the entire ride home I was a model driver because I knew, I KNEW, that as soon as I did anything wrong he'd leap out from behind the nearest SUV and nab me.

Made me a little happy though that there are officers out there at least paying attention to the little rules. You now, it's the little things we are allowed to get away with that leads to people thinking they can get away with bigger things.

[Menehune Man]

Re: Driving in general has...

Check this out about parking!

Where my wife and I live, there's a 'Private' street that runs through the mini-neighborhood. ALL street parking is numbered and rented out. When we moved in there was a windsheild tag for us and we've been using it as visitor parking.

Well it runs up the end of November, yea I know. I inquired about continuing to have the stall and it costs...
$900 a year!

Glad I've got a moped.

[Lanikaibabe]

Re: Driving in general has...

It's pretty much anywhere you go; very inconsiderate drivers. I haven't been to Hawaii in 2 years and that's unusual for me; as I would typically go once or twice a year. I feel I know how to drive around Oahu better than my own neighborhood -- but I'm sure I'll be shocked as to courtesy, etc when I go in a few months. I better prepare myself.

But it's everywhere. For years I commuted on a train into Center City Philadelphia from where I live... so I didn't have to deal with the commuting traffic. Until last year I got a job 19 miles from my house by car that can take WAY over an hour to get there by a main highway! Insane. The drivers are doubly insane; not letting you in, not knowing what yield means; let alone stop. Tailgating is by far my biggest pet peeve; especially in those winter months and in the rain. Come on... one little slip and you have a multi-car pileup. I must have missed where the commute got so hassle-like while being on that train for years!!

The other night; I was working late -- so I figured I would have no hassles going home; right? I started on this backroad that leads up to the highway -- when a family of deer came across my path. Lucky me; I was going slow .... at or a little lower than the speed limit. I counted about 7 deer crossing my path. That is a major issue where I live... and they will tear your car up and cause a nasty accident. But... I was able to slow down nicely and even watch in amazement as these deer just did their thing. I was so close to them I saw the spots on the young ones. WHAT was I in danger most of however? The idiot that was tailgating me because they must have thought I was going too slow on that road. I had to swerve when I stopped to AVOID getting hit by that driver. Not the deer.... but the tailgater in back of me.

But

[Jack Hawksmoor]

Re: Driving in general has...

Anyone remember seeing the movie Minority Report a few years back, i really liked the concept of a maglev system with automated driving computers all interconnected together. I liked that big red futuristic Lexus that Tom Cruise gets "assembled" into and escapes the FBI in it. I always thought it was a nice looking concept car.

Although i wonder what would happen if a hurricane came through the State, the powerlines fell apart, and shut off all the power!

[DaFerret]

Re: Driving in general has...

I've begun to take the "slow is smooth; smooth is fast" bit more seriously. Fewer lane changes unless there's lots of space to. If I see a blinker for a lane change, I'll slow down and let them go (this hasn't really changed, if they're courteous enough to signal properly, I'll be courteous enough to give them room). If I see a vehicle changing lanes without their blinker, I keep an eye on them. I don't block them out of the lane like I used to, though if they're going slower than me, I'll pull ahead of them. Otherwise, I'll give them enough front room from me to break/slow in case they change into my lane.

I don't know. In this day an age of "faster is better," I'm not so sure if people would take to automatically governed transportation. Especially if it's their private vehicle. If we had a rail, or similar, transportation system, I'd use it for most of my commuting and would drive only on special occasions.

While I'm confident of driving on Oahu's roads, not necessarily navigating, I'm not too thrilled about driving on the mainland in cities. Although I might be comfortable driving between states.

[Menehune Man]

Re: Driving in general has...

Right on DaFerret!

[timkona]

Re: Driving in general has...

On Big Island, these are the problems

Drivers who come to a dead stop in the acceleration/merge lane. For those who do not know, the idea is to speed up to match traffic flow, and those lanes are there to help you do that.

Drivers who come to a dead stop, from 35 mph, just to let somebody take a left turn. That is always best observed when the moped in the bike lane comes along and gets CREAMED by all the "aloha" being given. (I know, this happened to me once upon a time.) Stupid moped drivers.

Drivers who think the speed limit during rain drops to 15 mph.

Drivers who think they are off the road when the right side tires are barely over the white line.

When parking next to an SUV, who is "over the line", I always back into the spot, being careful to place the passenger side of my car about 1 inch from the SUV's drivers side door. Hilarious to watch a kedonkadonk, who honestly thinks she is a hot soccer mom, try to climb in through the passenger side to get to the drivers seat. ROFLMFAO

Drivers in smoky old VW's or Volvo's from the 70's, sporting some cheeky environmental sticker on the bumper.

Drivers who dump cigarette butts out the window.

[craigwatanabe]

Re: Driving in general has...

He's back!

So here's a question: Is it okay for a commercial business to place their company logo and telephone number on the side of a Vanpool Hawaii van as if it is a company vehicle?

I saw this Vanpool van being used as a commercial vehicle today as I was driving home.

[GeckoGeek]

Re: Driving in general has...

So here's a question: Is it okay for a commercial business to place their company logo and telephone number on the side of a Vanpool Hawaii van as if it is a company vehicle?

I saw this Vanpool van being used as a commercial vehicle today as I was driving home.

I'd call the Vanpool folks and ask.

[craigwatanabe]

Re: Driving in general has...

I called them and they told me that there are exceptions if the vanpool vehicle is self-insured, but there wasn't any clear-cut answer if this vehicle in question was using the van inappropriately.

I was told that drivers can use these vehicles for personal use and in some instances business use but again the person I was talking to wasn't sure to what extent.

Apparently the company that I saw using the van has had issues with Vanpool Hawaii in the past as they recognized the name when I mentioned it.

[GeckoGeek]

Re: Driving in general has...

Back to the general subject of "Driving in general", they've been making a royal mess of things repaving the Beretania street. Traffic is backed up. South street is a parking lot and was even causing gridlock at South and King. Vehicles would enter the intersection when the way wasn't clear on the other side and then the light would change. What a mess.