Driving tip of the day..

[custosnox]

When you are turning onto a road with more than one lane in each direction, turn into the closest lane unless you can clearly see that all the lanes you will be crossing or occupying during your maneuver are clear. In some states, turning into the far lane is illegal. Do not turn directly into the inside lane when there is someone in that lane, especially if you can't find the accelerator pedal and instead insist on driving less than half the speed limit.

This is one of my pet peeves that irritate the piss out of me, that and the people who sit in the middle of the intersection to turn left and wait till it turns red so they can turn. 

[nathanm]

This is one of my pet peeves that irritate the piss out of me, that and the people who sit in the middle of the intersection to turn left and wait till it turns red so they can turn. 

They're actually waiting for the light to turn yellow, but people hell-bent on running the red make it impossible to turn on yellow.

[Teatownclown]

This is one of my pet peeves that irritate the piss out of me, that and the people who sit in the middle of the intersection to turn left and wait till it turns red so they can turn. 

Hey, the rule is pull into the intersection to turn left.  

[nathanm]

Merge-Unmerge (turn left).  I'd rather that than another traffic light.  There may be some specific cases where I agree though.

You're not supposed to drive any more than absolutely necessary in a center turn lane, for obvious reasons. Not that I'm above a low speed roll or anything.

Hoss, 15th and Lewis is a timed no-left-turn. I could swear that at least one direction of 21st and Peoria is still a permanent no left turn. Not that Tulsa drivers often obey the signs anyway.

[heironymouspasparagus]

My favorite is sitting in the left turn lane on a 6 lane intersection (2 left turn lanes, two straight ahead, and two coming from the other direction).

Then, make a right turn from that far left lane.  Across the other left turn lane and the two straight lanes (and sometimes the right turn only lane!)

[GG]

Another driving tip, don't pull into the intersection of 12th or 13th and Denver without looking both ways to make sure someone is not running a red light.   3 out of 5 times I go through those intersections someone runs the light.   I had a new guy join our company and we were coming back from meeting with clients the other day.   I told him to be careful at these intersections and just as I said that, here comes some chick on a cell phone plowing through a red light.   He laughed and said you could not have scripted that any better.

[Teatownclown]

I like it when a pick up or Van blocks my line of vision from turning....I really like it when the driver is a big fattie chomping down on a Big Mac or when a hottie is on her cell.

[Conan71]

I like it when a pick up or Van blocks my line of vision from turning....I really like it when the driver is smoking a big fattie and chomping down on a Big Mac or when a hottie is on her cell.

Fixed it for you.

There's a whole crop of drivers out there who think driving is a secondary activity.

[tulsa1603]

While we're complaining, I agree with all of the above, and would like to add:

People who stop at the end of an entrance ramp when getting on a highway.  It's for MERGING, not stopping and accelerating from zero, which is far more dangerous.  When I was in college, I used to see this all over OKC, not as much here.  I have yet to see traffic in Oklahoma that is so packed solid and fast paced that you can't merge.  Grow a pair!

People who stop three car lengths behind the car in front of them at a stop light, particularly in a turn lane, which then can cause blockages back upstream.

When driving on the BA, I always see people enter, and immediately dart to the left lane, only to drive 55 or 60mph.  Why not go to the middle or right like you're supposed to?  I do not get it AT ALL!  I always drive a little bit above the speed limit and rarely find myself in the left lane, because it's always full of slowpokes.

[nathanm]

People who stop at the end of an entrance ramp when getting on a highway.  It's for MERGING, not stopping and accelerating from zero, which is far more dangerous.  When I was in college, I used to see this all over OKC, not as much here.  I have yet to see traffic in Oklahoma that is so packed solid and fast paced that you can't merge.  Grow a pair!

Oh, they have a good reason for it. They're too drunk/stoned/stupid to find the accelerator pedal, so they're only going 35 by the time they get to the merging area. The problem is that too many people on the highway will slam on their brakes or swerve into the middle lane to make room for such idiocy, so they get away with it eight out of ten times. The other two, they just stop.

BTW, I have never even once seen this happen in Arkansas, or any other state now that I think of it. (stopping at the end of an onramp, not slow merging; that's universal) It seems to be a purely Oklahoma thing.

[Red Arrow]

When driving on the BA, I always see people enter, and immediately dart to the left lane, only to drive 55 or 60mph.  Why not go to the middle or right like you're supposed to? 

It's an Oklahoman's God given right to drive in whatever lane they want to drive in.

It may have changed but a few years ago the only thing a slow driver in the "fast" lanes could be cited with is obstructing traffic.  As long as they were going the minimum posted speed (if posted) it was otherwise not illegal to go slow in the "fast" lanes.

[Red Arrow]

Oh, they have a good reason for it. They're too drunk/stoned/stupid to find the accelerator pedal, so they're only going 35 by the time they get to the merging area. The problem is that too many people on the highway will slam on their brakes or swerve into the middle lane to make room for such idiocy, so they get away with it eight out of ten times. The other two, they just stop.

Drivers in Oklahoma  believe that merging into 65 mph traffic at 45 mph obeys all the laws of physics.  It must be the educational system.

I did look in the Oklahoma drivers manual for this.  The manual says something to the effect of accelerate to the speed indicated on the entrance ramp speed signs (yellow rectangles) and then use the additional "acceleration area" parallel to the main traffic lanes to get up to traffic speed.  Unfortunately, those "acceleration areas" do not exist except for the shoulder on most Oklahoma expressways.  I was taught (back in PA) to continually accelerate to match a hole in traffic in the thru lanes.  People around here believe the yield sign pointed toward the acceleration lane means that the thru traffic will yield to you and make a hole no matter what speed you are going.  Thru traffic has a duty to change their speed to let you into the main stream of traffic.  I find it especially annoying to follow someone who briskly accelerates to about 40 mph, then stops accelerating while expecting to merge with 65 mph traffic.

REALLY WRONG!

[custosnox]

Drivers in Oklahoma  believe that merging into 65 mph traffic at 45 mph obeys all the laws of physics.  It must be the educational system.

I did look in the Oklahoma drivers manual for this.  The manual says something to the effect of accelerate to the speed indicated on the entrance ramp speed signs (yellow rectangles) and then use the additional "acceleration area" parallel to the main traffic lanes to get up to traffic speed.  Unfortunately, those "acceleration areas" do not exist except for the shoulder on most Oklahoma expressways.  I was taught (back in PA) to continually accelerate to match a hole in traffic in the thru lanes.  People around here believe the yield sign pointed toward the acceleration lane means that the thru traffic will yield to you and make a hole no matter what speed you are going.  Thru traffic has a duty to change their speed to let you into the main stream of traffic.  I find it especially annoying to follow someone who briskly accelerates to about 40 mph, then stops accelerating while expecting to merge with 65 mph traffic.

REALLY WRONG!

I don't know how many times I'll come almost to a complete stop on the onramp, the start of it, so that the slow moving driver has enough space between myself and him so that I can get up to speed and get into traffic before I get caught back up to them.  It never seizes to amaze me at how stupid so many drivers around here are.

[AquaMan]

I spend a lot of time driving each day all around Tulsa. Its worse than you can imagine as far as courtesy, laws and common sense. But somehow it seems to work. Its a combination of the dumb drivers all understanding each others "street rules" and the rest of us covering for them.

[guido911]

I like it when a pick up or Van blocks my line of vision from turning...

That's kinda what happened to the driver that rear ended me about a month ago. A big truck traveling in front of him turned and exposed by truck stopped because the car in front of me was waiting to turn left. We never saw the accident coming. Naturally, I jumped out my truck, fell to the ground writhing in pain, and demanded to speak to a lawyer. Oh wait, no I didn't. On a positive note, I think the impact, which was about 35 mph, actually helped some muscle injuries I had. Funny.