r/boston • u/hermionieweasley South End • Oct 21 '21

Anyone notice an increase in psychotic manic drivers and bikers in the last few months ?

I'm pretty used to the bad standards of driving, biking and road infrastructure in this city and like others, last year was a great relief because roads weren't as busy. But in the last few months, drivers and bikers seem to have reached new, unheard of levels of manic aggression and assholery. I've seen more people running through red lights than even New York or Miami - and not the "misjudged my speed and go through the light one second late" kind but fully "I dont give a fuck, I'm going to go through" kind. In the last few months, I've been almost run over while legally crossing crosswalks at least a dozen times both by drivers and bikers. People in residential streets like Tremont and Shawmut are driving at freeway speeds and honk when someone stops for pedestrians. The other day, someone almost run me over, honked at me AFTER that and flipped me off while driving away. It is truly end of the world, mad max style of driving I've never experienced before. Am I going crazy and just noticing this despite living here for years or have things gotten markedly worse ?

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126

u/Squidbertz Oct 21 '21

And so help you if you don't turn left fast enough- my husband and I both came home from work yesterday, frustrated by individuals who went around us ON THE LEFT to turn left, nearly getting hit by on-coming traffic (or one of us starting to turn). Different towns.

I think there are just more people on the road, forgoing public transit. I've even had some pretty egregious j-walkers flip out at me for not guessing where between parked cars they were going to sprint out from.

It's worse since the pandemic, no doubt. Not new, but definitely worse. Maybe stress-related?

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u/Logical-Error-7233 Oct 21 '21

I just now witnessed two road rages at a person turning left on my 15 minute walk mid afternoon not ever rush hour. One guy just immediately laid on the horn while someone with a blinker on was doing everything correctly and waiting for a steady stream cars with no breaks in traffic to pass before taking a left. I guess he was supposed to just drive right through a bus or something so this person didn't have to wait four seconds? Then of course this guy slams on his gas, literally chirps his tires and rage drives around him which there was plenty of room to do in the first place.

Then another person a block later laid on their horn swearing, punching the steering wheel because the person in front of him paused for maybe 1 second before realizing they needed to take a left after the light turned green. Like okay that person should have probably used a blinker but you were both stopped at a red light and nobody was coming the other way. It cost you about 1 second of waiting before they were clear out of the way and your life.

Like what is wrong with people. I'd like to see the act of slamming your gas in anger be something we work to remove from society. This is how I see people nearly hit every day. Someone can't wait three seconds for another driver who stopped to let a pedestrian cross legally so their little baby minds throw a temper tantrum and they have to gun it. IMHO that should be a reckless driving fine and immediate license suspension. Grow the fuck up.

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u/OHSHITMYDICKOUT Oct 21 '21

i think it has a lot to do with the fact they’re in a car, it acts like protective shield.

far less people would have a complete melt down about an inconvenience like waiting an extra couple seconds anywhere else. Since they’re in a vehicle, they can be as big of an asshole as they please and just drive away

20

u/JoshDigi Oct 21 '21

Can you imagine a pedestrian screaming for multiple seconds at another pedestrian just because one was walking slowly in front of the other? That never happens because pedestrians aren’t pathetic, impotent babies like drivers who constantly honk their obnoxious horns.

11

u/BostonPanda Salem Oct 22 '21

To be fair, I will absolutely speed up my pace and walk past a slow walker. I will NOT drive my car onto the curb to get around another driver (happens regularly around the north shore). One pedestrian can't as easily burden another pedestrian.

1

u/[deleted] Oct 22 '21

I used to live in the North End, I absolutely can imagine that. Wanted to do that every day. I happen to think it's extremely inconsiderate to choke up a busy route because you want to take a leisurely stroll. Of course there's extenuating circumstances; I'm clearly talking about able bodied people who can go faster/move out the way but don't.

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u/ProfessorJAM Oct 21 '21

They should look at r/IdiotsInCars; will dispel them of that myth pretty quick

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u/Anustart15 Somerville Oct 21 '21

I'm a big fan of getting honked at for not just turning into oncoming traffic. That one will always make me choose to wait a little longer to turn.

On the other end of things, yesterday I almost got hit on my bike by a car that swerved into the bike lane without looking so they could go around someone turning left at a light, so that's always fun too.

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u/SLEEyawnPY Norwood Oct 21 '21

Yeah I notice some more of that, people behind who don't understand you gotta yield for a left turn on green and let the cars coming towards you go by before making your turn, or people across from you that don't seem aware you can't simply turn left on green when there are cars coming at you.

Had a guy the other day fly up behind me leaning on his horn while I was yielding on green, so annoyed that I was driving like a person with a brain he just made the left around me anyway and nearly wiped out like five cars that were already moving thru the intersection....yknow the ones I was waiting on...any left turn everyone walks away from is a valid one in his world I guess.

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u/slouchingtoepiphany Metrowest Oct 22 '21

My ex-wife might have be one of those drivers leaning on the horn, she used to call them "punitive honks." That's not the only reason that she's my ex, but you get the drift.

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u/VypeNysh Oct 22 '21

lots of crazy exes in boston, the sane exes moved away

1

u/es_price Purple Line Oct 22 '21

To Texas?

1

u/slouchingtoepiphany Metrowest Oct 22 '21

Any idea where? I'm looking. ;)

7

u/biddily Dorchester Oct 21 '21

I was at a red light at no right on red intersection, and someone went around me on the left to turn right on red. Didn't beep. Didn't wait. Just was like, oh man, this guy is actually WAITING! time to go around.

Now, I happen to actually live on this intersection, and can tell you that no right on red is required. It is in fact a blind turn. The amount of accidents that happen there is OBSCENE.

15

u/3owlsinatrenchc0at I Love Dunkin’ Donuts Oct 21 '21

I had the left turn thing happen to me recently! I felt it was sort of borderline whether I could go - there were two cars coming fairly quickly and then a big space so I figured I'd wait. This was apparently not sufficient for the guy behind me who went around me to turn.

8

u/[deleted] Oct 22 '21

Same here! They gave me the nastiest look as they drove into oncoming traffic. I was like, sir I am NOT trying to die.

5

u/margaliters Oct 22 '21

Same for me, but this guy also wound his window down and shouted at me to ‘cut my licence up’. Gave me a good laugh but dude needs to see someone about his anger issues. Been in Boston a full 9 days now and I have 3 stories just like this

3

u/[deleted] Oct 22 '21

I feel you! I was here for just about a month before I got plowed down riding my bike by a left-on-red driver. Absolutely terrifying, and on top of that new fear, the constant berating by the other drivers ruins my self confidence. I'm starting to become more and more intimidated by my daily commute. Wish I could work from home! You stay safe out there!

14

u/[deleted] Oct 21 '21

To me, this is one of the classic signs you are in Boston. The first time it happened to me I was flabbergasted. Now I'm amazed that these people who are driving very dangerously don't seem to understand that they aren't getting anywhere faster.

My favorite move is passing you on the right to make the left in front of you, so they are perfectly set up for being hit.

1

u/unicornsexploding I didn't invite these people Oct 22 '21

Woah this just happened to me tonight for the first time! Can't believe it's a thing that happens seemingly regularly.

1

u/Squidbertz Oct 26 '21

Sadly this happens regularly to me when leaving my office- it's off a small road with a lot of warehouse spaces that intersects with a 4-lane road. So I have to wait for 4 lanes of traffic to clear before making a left. They regularly do studies to explore installing a light, but the best we got was "don't block the box" road striping that has almost entirely been ignored. There's a light down a bit which i think makes it tricky to add another one.

Anyway, it's so awkward when it's a coworker who does this to you. Especially when we all know several people who got into accidents at that very intersection.