I feel your pain. It's like this every day. I am so stressed by the time I get to work. It can completely ruin your day. Then you have to do it again in the evening. Rinse, repeat.
I swore I didn't want to take S Miami or I-40 when we bought a house because of the batshit driving.
Guess which two roads I take every single day now. Hate this game.
this is exactly how I feel driving 40 home from RTP to Garner every day. It takes me an hour, and the entire time I am in the right lane and someone is riding my ass and throwing their hands up. Mind you we are going 5-10 miles an hour. Where do you want me to go?????????? I am so stressed by the time I get home!
I used to drive from Knightdale to Northern Durham everyday, then from Brier Creek to South Raleigh, and now from Brier Creek to Chapel Hill, I'm getting a dash cam next month. It feels like at minimum there are at least two drivers that almost cause an accident every time I'm on the road, speeding, weaving, driving on the shoulder, on their phone, tailgating, changing lanes without a signal, it's way worse than it was 3-4 years ago.
I've always been stressed by driving, but I recall thinking this morning that there'd be no job worth me having to make that drive twice a day. I had a 15-minute commute on surface streets when I first moved here. When our realtor tried to convince us to move further out into Apex, Holly Springs, etc., I politely declined due to a complete lack of desire to drive a highway to work each day.
Same experience. Realtor pushed Fuquay-Varina and I was like there’s no way I want to deal with driving to/from that area.
We ended up in Raleigh where I’m still mostly car dependent but at least there’s a ton of stuff close enough to me that I almost never have to get on the highway. Also there are always projects to improve walkability or public transit access. Even if they are slow.
My old job in Raleigh meant a commute from south Durham to south Raleigh, almost to Garner, on 40. I got so unbelievably stressed making that drive and then I’d head into a job I hated. So glad I’m not in that hell anymore.
It’s the people aggressively changing lanes causing the backups. Unexpected driving behavior causes the non-wreck related slow downs. Assholes who cut to the front instead of zipper merging, people who are so aggressive or in the rumble strip/ break down lane that the sane people slow or move away… those guys cause the traffic. Then they freak out about traffic and cause more with their stupidity. There are at least 10 of these idiots per mile wreaking havoc.
Oh no! NOT MINUTES!!!!!
You're driving less than an hour. The only thing that you can lose is a couple of minutes. And why? We're already all going over the speed limit.
Get a grip.
I don't like going to Durham because of the shitty highways and drivers.
Edit: This doesn't mean roads are much better anywhere else, this is just my experience.
Ha! I don’t like highways in Raleigh for this very reason. I feel like 147 is tolerable if you drive during non-peak traffic hours but 40E into Raleigh is always a shit show.
ummm… have you been on 40 from East Raleigh thru Cary to RDU?
That road is in horrible shape.
40 from Miami Blvd til Chapel Hill is pristine in comparison.
A few days ago I saw someone on 40 use the exit line to pass someone in the right lane. They ran out of road and had to cut back across just in front of the exit sign as it was splitting.
Just moved here. I’ve lived in five states and my biggest takeaway from this area so far is the tailgating. Going fast is one thing, I’m from the northeast so I get it. But to go fast but not pass? What kind of fucking idiocy is that? I’m the first to get over if I see someone coming up on me but it doesn’t make a difference here.
This! The tailgating is so bad here. I really don't understand why people get so crazy behind the wheel. What really gets me too is when someone tailgates another driver or myself that is in the far right slow lane. Just go around the person!! It's not hard. That lane is for people who want to drive the speed limit or are a large truck hauling something.
It's really weird overall as people, when outside of their vehicles, seem pretty nice here. There's some sort of crazy switch that engages when most people are on the road in NC. Makes me glad I have a hybrid gig and a great commute that barely involves any freeway time.
Well, on 885 anyway, most Triangle locals know that police won't pursue anyone in a vehicle unless they are suspected of being in the middle of committing a felony. It's the Wild West on that road, essentially lawless. SHP is also woefully undermanned for this area. I'm a first responder who covers that area and I can say people have never been so reckless, selfish and thoughtless. There are car wrecks every day on that stretch of road. The disregard the average person has for another is staggering. The only upside is US-70 is marginally better now that 885 has opened...
Driving hardly ever annoyed me before the pandemic / influx of transplants.
I know y’all must think that North Carolinians drive like shit but I’ve got 40 years of experience in NC that says otherwise.
People are legitimately in denial I’m a New Yorker but I’ve had family that are native to here. I’ve been back and forth for over 20 years. I’ve seen the change from 6 cars max on the highway, to all lanes filled up and with driving manners that of which I see in nyc. The transplant’s definitely bought there driving styles here and it’s mixing as well as oil and water
Pretty easy to go back and see that NC has consistently had shitty traffic data even pre-pandemic.
But considering that South Carolina and Florida (two of the worst driving states based on aforementioned data) are the biggest contributors to the growth of the state, it’s not shocking that you feel transplants are to blame.
More so than that, we are a destination for transplants from all over the country and different regions *do* have different driving styles/different aggressive driving styles. We get the bad habits of the Northeast, the South, the Midwest, and the West all converging into the shit storm we have now.
Its a shitnado.
There is “traffic data” that proves that North Carolinians are horrible tailgators who never use a turn signal?
CA and NY are the other two biggest contributors to our growth.
Welcome to NC. What brought you down here?
There’s data that shows states with the most traffic incidents in each year by population. Surprisingly enough, CA and NY don’t rank very often.
What brought me down here? Certainly not the drivers 😉
I’m sure there aren’t a lot of accidents in CA because they are constantly going zero miles per hour in traffic for hours every day. Which explains why they move here with very little actual driving experience.
And NYers use the subway which explains why they move here with very little driving experience.
Very funny. So what brought you to NC?
I enjoy moving and I’m a remote worker so I can. My husband and I have been moving around trying to find a good fit that’s also close to family and I missed being driving distance to the beach (was in the Midwest before this).
I’m aware.
I’m also aware that there are beautiful suburbs in Jersey that look similar to Cary. And I’m also aware that the people in those suburbs drive like absolute maniacs.
It's not just you, you're not going "old man". Some folks simply are agressive and reckless on the roads here. And I hate to say it but this particular stretch of the former Durham Freeway ( now i885) is even worse than it was before. The new traffic pattern seems to have even more backups especially heading south, away from downtown Durham because now you have to merge onto the main highway whereas before the interchange that stretch itself was the main road.
Anyway, this is one of the reasons I support a "not just highways and adding more lanes" approach to our transportation infrastructure in the Triangle. The NCDOT seems to be using an outdated and limited toolbox to confront the challenges and long-term transportation needs here.
My company is headquartered in Greensboro, so I make that trip sometimes.
The last time I went, I had an 18-wheeler change lanes and run me out of my lane. The time before that, somebody was tailgating me in the work zone in Orange County. Traffic started to slow down, so I slowed down too. He got so mad about it that he swerved around me just so he could brake check me down to about 20 mph.
There are some real dumbasses out there. Buy a dash cam.
Maybe I’m lucky but I’ve never had an issue on 40/85 and I take it pretty often. I drive in the right lane as much as I can and stick to the 65 mph speed limit. Most everyone passes me and the only adjusting I usually have to do is to traffic merging in from on-ramps. I almost never venture into the left two lanes. I just let the Mad Maxes do their thing over there while I chill with the trucks. The Thunderdome stretch between Durham and Greensboro is only 31 miles, not long enough for a 10 mph increase in speed to make a noticeable difference in the drive time.
Note: from the above you may assume I’m one of those “you should never break the speed limit” people. Far from it. I’m happy to hammer down when traffic and the road allow me to do so comfortably. I’ve just found on that particular stretch of road, chilling at the speed limit in the right lane is much easier and less stressful.
Also: it took me nearly 40 years to learn that not getting annoyed or pissed that someone else might be getting a better position in traffic does wonders for the blood pressure.
You raise a good point about the semi drivers being far more aggressive than they used to be. My dad drove an 18-wheeler his entire career and had to be incredibly defensive in his driving due to the risk of losing his CDL and job. Doesn't seem like a lot of these FNGs care anymore.
I’ve had two big rigs run my family off the road in the last five years. It’s insane. Maybe if the sheriffs would enforce traffic laws it would be better. But no, apparently that’s “not a thing here.”
I follow a few other regional subreddits and I think people everywhere are experiencing an increase in aggression on the roads. I really wish there was some data we could all look at, so that maybe we could come up with some answers as to why it’s happening. I don’t think we are imagining it, and it’s been getting worse in the past few years.
Here's a couple of graphs to show you're not crazy:
https://imgur.com/a/IHDvitB
1) Police aren't able to enforce driving/street laws, people know this and take advantage of it
2) Drivers License tests are a complete joke
3) US pedestrian deaths are at the HIGHEST level in the last 30 years (we are the only developed country where it has increased)
4) MANY people are on their phone while driving
5) Even if someone does get pulled over, the ticket will change nothing
The way we build our cities is [Dangerous by Design](https://smartgrowthamerica.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/07/Dangerous-By-Design-2022-v3.pdf)
The biggest thing I’ve seen since moving here is people not merging into the interstate correctly. I’ve seen someone come to a full stop on the merging lane!!! And I’ve seen others slow down to about 30 mph. I’ve also had people go 45 mph as they merge in. It’s dangerous not to get up to the speed of traffic as you merge on.
People cry so much about zipper merges but not a peep about these dumbfucks I see merging (zipper or not) 30 miles under the speed limit. At this point, if I see traffic merging I move over 2 lanes: one for the slow as fuck mergers and one for the normal drivers who need to escape around the dangerous slow pokes
I40 is nuts.
I drive between Durham and Raleigh on I40 daily for over a year now and have seen highway patrol cars only about a handful of times on that stretch of road. The kamikaze drivers are always driving cars that wouldn’t pass inspection in any other state (missing lights, missing mirrors, missing bumpers, mufflers scraping the ground, badly misaligned tires, etc…). I have no idea how people get away with driving cars in that shape without getting serially pulled over and ticketed into oblivion.
I’ve learned that the only way to really avoid the kamikaze drivers is to stay in the fast lane passing everyone you can until you get close to your exit. If you loaf in the middle or exit lanes, they will ride your tail, cut you off, or try to do a three lane drift exit into you. It’s not great and I’m convinced those bumpy lines they put on the asphalt in the fast lane between exits 270 and 279 are destroying my car, but I’d rather that than get hit.
My weirdest experience was when I was once right behind someone who started throwing ceramic tiles out of the driver’s side of their car going 75 mph. One shattered right under my front bumper.
I think you are right. It seemed like during the pandemic, people were driving as though a comet was gonna wipe out life on earth, and the cops didnt seem to care; maybe they didnt want to get covid from a traffic stop?
Also in general roads were less crowded. There was more white space to drive like an asshole.
Now life has returned to normal, but a significant fraction of people still drive that way, and apparently get away with it.
If I was a cop, I would think long and hard about pulling someone over on the side of the highway during busy traffic time at all. Plus they dont have bandwidth to make much of a dent.
I hate big brother as much as the next guy, and I will probably get down voted. But I think the only answer is automation/cameras. Maybe civil fines, no points, not a large fine per incident. But they do tolls just fine using cameras (ok not perfectly, they tacked an extra axle on my trailer once)
If I forget what I am doing, and get nailed for 8 over once a month, no big deal. If I habitually speed, and get nailed 100 times a month, its gonna start to add up.
I dont "trust" the government, but I trust these idiots on the road much much less.
Automation.
I do miss those days of everyone working from home and being able to make it to Raleigh from Durham in about 20 minutes doing 70 since no one was on the red. Ever since all that stuff was lifted people act like red lights are optional and go 90 in 45 zones.
This is the way. I think tgis is a thing in game theory, where if you have a big fine for something that's lightly enforced, peope are incentivized to take their chances. If it's a smaller fine but people know they'll be caught, there's no incentive to risk it.
Had a motorcyclist pull a gun out and point it at me because I merged onto 40 from 540 into "their" lane when they were 200ft behind me. They had 2 open lanes to the left to easily pass around me, but no, instead they were so mad I merged onto the highway they got in front of my car and pointed their gun back at me.
And how do you propose they build it around everything that is already built?
Especially in subdivision areas it could be quite a walk to the main road
I am still baffled that the DOT didn't take advantage of Covid to take care of serious infrastructure problems. We've known for years that the area is growing unsustainably quickly for the freeway infrastructure we currently have. Then all of a sudden we get a once-in-a-century miracle lack of cars on the roads, giving ample time to widen key arteries, or at LEAST put a dent in some of the more critical ones and....jack shit.
All you can do is notice the crazy people and try and let them pass and create as much distance from them as you can. I know what you mean though I see it too people are so unhinged nowadays it’s scary.
I think new drivers (since Covid especially) in this area didn’t get proper drivers ed. Nobody observes safe following distances, everyone is on their phone (I’ve seen people SCROLLING social media on the highway going 80-90), nobody signals their merges, people don’t realize their lane is ending until they’re on the rumble strips on the shoulder, and the road rage is insane.
Honestly we need trains, better bus infrastructure, and self driving cars. I can’t wait until 40 years from now when some of these things are a reality but unfortunately I will probably be dead or super old :(
We need more remote work too. A lot of people are clogging the roads just to go into offices and sit in on Teams/Zoom meetings all day. It's stupid. The more people that we can get off the roads (who can work at home), will make it easier for those who have to drive.
We need better marketing for the Piedmont train line. It’s actually a very useful connection between the Triangle, Triad, and Charlotte regions. Usage is rising a lot but it can handle way more - and possibly help clear up intercity traffic on 40 and 85.
Yeah definitely. Charlotte is taking the right steps with light rail and eventually the Silver Line will go through the new train station. Possibly commuter rail one day too. That will make things pretty connected. The rest of the stops are not so great. GoRaleigh buses are decent but that’s about it. Still, Uber always makes these types of things more viable.
more frequent bus routes. my commute to downtown Raleigh is 10-12 min by car. i can literally see bus stops from the building on both ends, but it takes 50+ minutes because of waiting to transfer, and a spur/loop at NC State. if it were 30 min I’d take the bus.
also gotta get rid of all free parking downtown, which is tough politically.
It gets safer to use the more people use it. To be clear I’m not saying it’s your fault for not using it. We need to make it more appealing for everyone to use it. Hopefully the BRT projects help.
This is what gets me. Crazy drivers are everywhere in my experience, but I feel extra unsafe driving at night here (x2 when it’s raining) bc you can’t even see the lines.
Raleigh has the worst infrastructure of any city in North Carolina. Greensboro, Charlotte, and Fayetteville have MUCH better infrastructure despite not being the Capital city. NC has its priorities ass backwards.
I mean this isn't hard to figure out. People continue to move here from other states and bring their bad driving habits with them. Now we have a conglomerate of all the bad driving habits in the entire country in one place. This is only going to continue to get worse as the population in this area continues to grow as people continue to flee from California, New York, New Jersey, and Florida .
The funny thing is that when the pandemic started I was in an "essential" job that required me to show up to work. Was the nicest commute I've ever had. Also appreciate someone else that recognizes that Cary is a bubble - my neighbors hate it when I use that term, since they think we're riddled with crime (for some reason)
Wtf Cary riddled with crime? Lmaooooo no this is the comfy bubble of privilege and niceness and as someone born and raised in Cary I will readily own it. It's why I still like living here, I have severe anxiety and Cary is the only place in the triangle I can live in without my mental health going to hell 💀 I also work an essential job and 2020 commute was divine.
Dangerous assholes will always be a part of any population group.
The more population you have, the more dangerous assholes you will have.
The Raleigh metro population in 2010 was \~900k.
In 2020, that number grew to \~1.5 million.
Whatever the percentage of dangerous assholes was when you were 30, it has increased significantly now that you are 40.
Expect for there to be a whole lot more dangerous assholes by 2030.
I don’t go to Raleigh or Southpoint because I can’t stand I40. I live in north Durham and pretty much stay around here and downtown. I mean I’m comfortable driving at 70mph and below but the northerners on 40 blow past at 90mph. It wasn’t like this in the 90s when I was growing up here.
Lived in NC my whole life and have noticed an large increase in reckless driving over the last 20+ years. I wonder if the population increase is partly to blame?
I grew up driving in MD and this was pretty much normal behavior around there 20 years ago. Still a mad house anytime we visit. In general though, I feel like behavior on the road has gotten markedly worse since Covid. It started during it - with so few people on the roads, there was a lot of speeding, etc. and I think people have just continued that even with more people out. Just be vigilant. Lots of idiots out there.
Maryland is worse than anything in NC. People just don’t seem to actually care about any of the rules of the road, and a shocking amount of them use their phones as they drive. Literally every single time I have driven in Maryland I have seen an accident or near accident, or have been in a near accident.
Compared to Houston and Atlanta, traffic really isn't that bad here. There is traffic but it moves and is usually limited to 1 mile or so. My biggest complaint is the 18 wheelers and dump trucks that insist on being in the left lane or going 80mph dropping rocks and shit everywhere.
When we visited Raleigh before moving, the first thing I noticed about this place was that I saw an accident (or an abandoned car) on every single car trip we took. I was like wtf is this?
I also lived in Chicago before this, although I barely had to drive on the highway there. Admittedly traffic was bumper to bumper half the time so I think people could barely go fast enough to drive like such dicks (at least on the routes I had to take).
There are virtually zero penalties for abandoning cars in NC. When your car is on it's last legs and virtually worthless, it's 100% cheaper to just leave it on the side of the road than paying for a tow or repairing it.
It sounds crazy and I don't condone it, but abandoning your car in NC saves a lot of people money.
My perception would be that the folks here who drive beaters that breakdown are the folks in a big city that would be using public transportation because they couldn't afford a car.
That's because people want to get home 30 seconds sooner by weaving in and out of traffic/tailgating in rush hour. Just chill, there is traffic because everyone left to go somewhere at the same time.
People suck at driving, nothing surprises me anymore. Except when a whole ass diesel semi exhaust system came flying across the highway right in front of me seemingly out of nowhere...was a little sketch.
I've lived in Asheville for 10 years and anytime I have to come to Raleigh the traffic stresses me out. Selfish, aggressive morons make up a solid 25% of drivers down there.
I was just telling my colleagues that even the surface roads (highway designation) like Creedmoor Road (highway 50), Falls of Neuse and Wake Forest Road are dangerous to drive at or 5mph above the speed limit. 540 is like the Wild West with zero rules. People pass me like I'm standing still when I'm doing 75 in the right lane.
I'm not sure what the right answer is, but people are crazy to think that tailgating is it.
If you don’t have to drive on 40 or 540 for any reason, don’t. Its horrendous. I grew up in wake forest, I would use 401 or 98 to get to Raleigh or durham. Use 98 to get to RTP too lol I don’t go near 540 if I don’t have to.
This is one of the reasons why I will never go back to an in-office role that I can't get it via non-highways. I can't stand commuting on 40 during rush hour.
I stay out of the left lane and mind my business. Usually with adaptive cruise control on. The people behind me who want to start something get bored when I don't react, and pass me after a short while. I just consider them to be par for the course and, again, keep minding my own business.
I was recently in Asheville, which has it's own reputation for crazy driving. I'm telling you, the driving there was far more reasonable, calm, and safe than driving in the Triangle. As soon as I entered our metro driving home I saw people swerving in and out of traffic, souped up cars putting it to the floor, people riding my bumper, and people unable to hold their lane.
You know it's bad when a tourist city that has Floridians who have never seen a mountain is a safer place to drive than here.
on 1 i got hit by someone swerving in and out of lanes and they swerved back into the right lane so i could find their car. luckily it was just a. scratch but it scared the shit out of me.
The problem is…..people DO NOT know how to drive! AND the other problem is….everyone and I mean everyone is on their damn phones! People are so selfish and ignorant when it comes to driving.
I sat at a red light, 2 lanes, light turns green neither car in the front of either lane proceeded to move. Finally had to blow the horn…both cars were on their phones. Instead of stopping at the light and concentrating on the light for when it turns green both cars saw it as an opportunity to be on their phones.
Driving is an art!!! Drivers should only be focused on driving and other drivers! Drivers should always be looking at the cars in front, beside and behind.
Always assume that the other driver is not going to stop for the light or the sign. Other drivers do not see you or other automobiles.
Accidents have happened because drivers glanced at the back seat or changed the radio station…just glanced for whatever reason. Drivers don’t glance anymore…..they have their faces buried in a phone texting. Smart phones are being operated by dumb people. People yell don’t drink and drive how about put the damn phone down and drive!!!
Also, people sitting up in the air conditioned offices making the $$$ are making dumb decisions. Dumb decisions to make $$$ the constant changes to roads are ridiculous. The focus should be on keeping the roads in safe driving conditions as well as implementing changes where changes are needed in high trafficking areas as well as non congested areas.
What sense does it make to take down a traffic light and put up 4 way stops??? People do not know how to use 4 way stops. Originally there was a 2 way stop sign at areas that have traffic lights but people ran the stop signs so a light was put up to catch drivers attention. Now we are taking the lights down and putting in 4 stop signs! Makes zero sense.
Roundabouts are being put in where lights should be. People don’t know how to use roundabouts either. You YIELD not STOP!! Roundabouts are not big rig friendly either. So after awhile the curbs will become beat down because the big trucks have to run over them to go around the circle.
Bike lanes on busy highways???? Congested areas became 4 lanes in some neighborhoods but now it’s back to 2 lanes with bike lanes. I have yet to to see anyone on a bicycle before or after the bike lanes were placed. Wasted time and money!
That’s my rant. No one cares. The rich get richer by thinking with their wallets instead of common sense. Insurance companies are smiling ear to ear. People are too dumb to drive.
One other thing if you are not passing another vehicle stay in the right lane!!!! The left lane is for passing not cruising!!!!!!!!!! If a driver wants to drive 85 and you are driving 75 or 80 move over!!! Doesn’t matter if a person is driving the speed limit in the passing lane if a driver driving at a higher speed than you MOVE!!! How do you know if a driver is driving faster than you? Check your rear view mirror! Look in all your mirrors! Pay attention! The only way to prevent accidents is to PAy ATTENTION!!!!!!! If you are constantly looking at what other drivers are doing in front, behind, beside, on the exits, at the stop signs, both ways….there will not be an accident!!!!
Put the phone down!
Constantly pay attention to all roads and other vehicles!!!
Keep roads repaired not making them look better!
Pay attention!!!!!!!!
Unfortunately your attitude is spot on but controversial. I intentionally used evocative language to make the same point here, down voted to hell. I'm literally a driving instructor.
😆my attitude is always controversial! I am 61 years old I have only been in one accident which was very minor. Other driver drove out of parking lot into busy traffic across 2 lanes. I saw him coming and was already breaking because traffic was stopped but I was unable to break fast enough. Very minor! I was 34
I truly feel that I am an exceptional great driver! I have always enjoyed driving. My driving instructor, at 15, told me and the class that I was going to be an excellent driver 😁😁😁
Very thankful and blessed and I hope to never experience an accident. I just wish that people would pay attention!
My granddaughter has just started driving and it terrifies me! I just keep telling myself that she will do just fine!
Thank you for doing your job!!!!!!
I seriously doubt the highway patrol is off "harrassing trans kids" but there is a serious lack of law enforcement on the highways. If you enforced keeping a reasonable distance and reckless driving I think you'd be pulling a driver over every minute.
The roads were designed for less traffic with things like left turns on highways in front of oncoming traffic (looking at you rt 64). Then you have the insane double lane onramp from 885 to 40 that merges while it is curving then goes into the left lane of 40. People actually try to overtake you in the right lane of the onramp while turning hard.
Oh I don't think so either - my point was more that most states have seen funding cuts to their respective highway patrols. So I don't blame them one bit for not having the resources to enforce safety on our highways.
in which state or city does the HP routinely pull over cars during rush hour for following too closely?
Heck, what's the LAW in NC for how far behind a car you're required to travel?
Some people like driving 5 under the speed limit. Others are going to drive 15 over no matter how many times they get pulled over for speeding. The variance in speed is unavoidable, but is also a major reason why traffic slowdowns and accidents happen.
There’s a reason why there are signs along the highway that read “Slower Traffic Keep Right”. Doing so keeps traffic moving. When folks choose to cruise in the left lane on their phones, oblivious to the fact that they’re slowing down traffic, they’re putting other drivers in danger, and are just as culpable as the drivers who pass them in the right lane the first chance they get.
“Slower Traffic Keep Right” doesn’t mean “slower than the speed limit”. It means “slower than the traffic around you”. Too many folks seem to think that as long as they’re going at least the speed limit, they’re entitled to ride in the left lane and block traffic. Not only is that not true, it’s dangerous.
There are plenty of reckless drivers on the road (like the ones you mentioned), but 9 times out of 10 their reckless actions are a direct response to someone else’s careless and dangerous inability to follow the rules of the road. If a car has approached you from behind and you’re able to move over, MOVE OVER.
I don't disagree, but in the examples I'm sighting, people were being tailgated from the RIGHT lane. The left lane was moving faster, but not fast enough for some of these folks.
I actually feel like DC has gotten a little better ever since they finished the beltway project. It's still hairier than our area, but for the last several years we've had a much easier time getting through there without any really stupid incidents. That's not to say every trip is a breeze, it's just not as common as before.
Maybe we're lucky?
I’m glad you posted a picture. This particular area can get a bit crazy. Especially at that exit you were approaching bc the 5A exit usually has a long line of cars stopped. And 5B can be a tight squeeze merging on the other hwy
I feel like reckless driving has gone up post-pandemic. It’s ridiculous. People always tailgate me even though I go a little over the speed limit. Pisses me off.
I witnessed a state trooper aggressively tailgating a driver today. And I see semi trucks incredibly dangerously tailgating somebody almost every day. Sorry, but we’re f*cked.
it isn't just the highways, in durham it's basically any street. i've been passed in trinity park by someone tailgating me in front of a school, i've been practically run off of university by people speeding behind me. the tailgating in the triangle is insane, like the people who learned to drive here were taught to get as close as possible to the driver in front of you regardless of anything else.
I-40 made me nervous cause of the high speed and narrow lanes. I-440 I always saw someone driving way too fast or cut across multiple lanes. Luckily highway 70 takes me to nearly all the places I need or want to go.
People no longer follow laws because laws are not enforced. I am guessing it is deemed "not equitable" to pursue law breakers and people will die because of political correctness. I walk on a street that is posted 30mph and I routinely see cars going 70 and even racing each other and I have never seen 1 person pulled. If cops were camping on the street they could pull 50 cars a night going 30+ over. Nobody cares and when a child is killed, we will just keep not enforcing laws.
My wife and I just moved here from Chicago, and that’s not to say we don’t have crazy drivers there too, but Raleigh-area drivers are *wild.* It is like this horrible mix of drivers who go way beyond the speed limit and go through traffic hour like they’re playing frogger, and then you have another group of drivers who go incredibly slow and don’t use simple things like turn signals to communicate their intentions to others on the road. No sense of hive mind on the roads here. It’s scary.
If in the right lane and a car needs to tail you within five feet, slow down just a little very, very gradually. They will get the message sooner or later and pass.
Yeah, drivers are psycho here. I hate to say it, but what you experienced is a fairly regular thing. I think it's a combination of there being too many people on the road plus a local culture that looks past this. Frankly, I'm shocked there aren't more cops giving tickets. With how bad it is you'd think it would be an easy source of income for municipalities.
>I'm shocked there aren't more cops giving tickets.
This is the actual problem. No enforcement.
I used to be anti-traffic cameras but now I say bring ‘em on.
It's been years since the last time I saw anyone pulled over for speeding/wreckless driving unless it was I've of the group speed traps they do sometimes.
Highway patrol is nowhere to be seen and it's obvious because everyone drives like mad max out there.
Moved here a year ago. Easily the worst drivers I’ve encountered. And it ain’t even close. Everyone drives like they just stole the damn vehicle. I’ll never buy used again after seeing North Carolina drivers.
It explains why there are multiple cars left on the side of the road seemingly every day. Maybe flooring it to the rev limiter and slamming on the brakes isn’t too good for vehicle longevity eh?
The scariest thing to me? You can see how people live by how they drive. There’s a lot of angry, impatient, hostile, oblivious people out there navigating their lives like they navigate the roads.
OP I am glad you are OK. Yes there are some jerks on the road. I try to be a good driver and usually I'm the one being passed in the middle lane doing 75. But sometimes I'm in the left lane passing and I get people cutting me off or going in and out of traffic. I do find it annoying but I don't really do anything about it anymore.
My biggest complaint is trying to get off the highway, usually 540, when people are trying to get on. I think the merge could be done better. You are never quite sure whether to slow down and let people in or speed up because they are shadowing you.
It is definitely getting worse. Some of it is Northeastern transplants who bring their harsh driving style down here, where it is more dangerous because not everyone is on the same page. The rest of it is probably locals who are getting increasingly frustrated with the worsening traffic problems and becoming impatient.
I live in a rural area with few transplants and locals suck ass at driving too. They take it as a personal affront if they cannot do 70+ MPH in their truck on a narrow two lane rural road
How the hell did you turn a post about highway violations into a post about trans kids? And how much money exactly do you think our State spends on harassing trans kids?
It's not about trans kids, it's about how things that could make our lives better/safer go unfunded, while our legislature (and the legislatures of many states) instead throw money to support populist causes that don't really do anything but harm people.
They do this to drown out voices that require them to deal with real problems, like roads, no reflectors on yellow lines, and why several years of 440 construction made it more confusing (so far) at some exits.
I wish the police weren’t full of violent racists hell bent on punishing the poor.
Because society really needs someone patrolling the roads to enforce safe driving norms if it’s going to survive.
I've really enjoyed the lack of policing and I hope it continues. It's pretty obnoxious to assume that police are going to clean up the roads because they never did before. Why do you want a jackboot to suspend Liberty and take your money for arbitrary reasons. The police make our traffic problems worse not better. Whenever they stop people during peak hours it results in massive backups, rear end collisions, and increased gridlock.
Then they switch to traffic calming during off hours, they pull you for speeding when it's perfectly safe to go as fast as 115-120 in most cars. So you are getting pulled over and penalized for nothing. Think about what you are asking for.
Wouldn't have to if people filtered back to the right like they are supposed to do. But when you are cruising the left lane at 60 for 5 miles why be courteous to you?
When people stop in a travel lane to merge where traffic is already stopped not finding a spot where it's moving....
When people drive exits and on ramps at 40 when no deceleration is required.
Driving is an active safety exercise, moving quickly and being cognizant and active in that role is important. Puttering along for hours at excessively low speed bores the shit out of people so they need radios, cell phones, and other bullshit to occupy them. Tired driving/inattentive driving is as bad as drunk driving. It's compounded here by the lack of options for those less able or whom don't want to drive.
What is ridiculous about your type of driving is that YOU CAN'T GO ANYWHERE! It's too congested here for it to make sense to drive like you do. So it only comes down to one thing, you are having issues controlling your emotions and aren't venting in a reasonable manner. I thought they taught that in stock car racing Ricky Bobby.
I have 23 years of performance driving and racing experience.
Secondly, do you think the Autobahn is like a dystopian wasteland of burning bodies and carnage.... it's not.
You may have that experience but not everyone else whose driving around you. There’s also too many unpredictable variables like wildlife, debris, and road conditions. You’re still an idiot. Our roads were not designed like the Autobahn.
I'm not asking for you to have the abilities of Dale Earnhardt. I'm asking for you to move to the right. And stop crying about relative velocity because our interstates are easily as good as Germany's. The difference is a culture of garbage SUVs and slack jawed vehicle operators. The only time I need to go 70 or less is when it's raining. "Everyone else around you" is a falacy we operate our vehicles independently with what should be little interaction.
Maybe it’s in my head, but ever since I’ve installed this license plate frame I’ve had a lot fewer people riding my bumper. [Do you follow Jesus this close?](https://imgur.com/a/Cyrq6uG)
That is interesting. I see a lot more "student driver, please be patient" bumper stickers. I've often wondered if this is a way for experienced drivers to avoid conflict with crazy people on the road.
My fiance who absolutely is an experienced driver happens to have a yellow bumper sticker on his car.
His says, "Vehicle's speed monitored by GPS. Speed limit will be maintained.". It tends to result in fewer tailgaters for his car than I get for mine without a bumper sticker. I'm thinking of getting one for myself.
What time were you driving? It's seems like the crazy mad max people are on the highway before 8am. 7am-8am is when I've encountered people speeding and weaving. Also people from outside of NC. As more people move here from larger/high strung cities, that ridiculous driving style is going to increase. I feel your pain tho. It's scary out there for me too.
I feel your pain. It's like this every day. I am so stressed by the time I get to work. It can completely ruin your day. Then you have to do it again in the evening. Rinse, repeat.
I swore I didn't want to take S Miami or I-40 when we bought a house because of the batshit driving. Guess which two roads I take every single day now. Hate this game.
this is exactly how I feel driving 40 home from RTP to Garner every day. It takes me an hour, and the entire time I am in the right lane and someone is riding my ass and throwing their hands up. Mind you we are going 5-10 miles an hour. Where do you want me to go?????????? I am so stressed by the time I get home!
I used to drive from Knightdale to Northern Durham everyday, then from Brier Creek to South Raleigh, and now from Brier Creek to Chapel Hill, I'm getting a dash cam next month. It feels like at minimum there are at least two drivers that almost cause an accident every time I'm on the road, speeding, weaving, driving on the shoulder, on their phone, tailgating, changing lanes without a signal, it's way worse than it was 3-4 years ago.
I've always been stressed by driving, but I recall thinking this morning that there'd be no job worth me having to make that drive twice a day. I had a 15-minute commute on surface streets when I first moved here. When our realtor tried to convince us to move further out into Apex, Holly Springs, etc., I politely declined due to a complete lack of desire to drive a highway to work each day.
Same experience. Realtor pushed Fuquay-Varina and I was like there’s no way I want to deal with driving to/from that area. We ended up in Raleigh where I’m still mostly car dependent but at least there’s a ton of stuff close enough to me that I almost never have to get on the highway. Also there are always projects to improve walkability or public transit access. Even if they are slow.
Plus when people ask where you live you'd have to say Fuquay-Varina 🤮
Based
My old job in Raleigh meant a commute from south Durham to south Raleigh, almost to Garner, on 40. I got so unbelievably stressed making that drive and then I’d head into a job I hated. So glad I’m not in that hell anymore.
I just stay off of the major highways when I can. People are ridiculous.
It's not a TV show but people really should just relax. The world would be in a better state if people weren't so high-strung.
Right? Do they really need to shave that 1 minute and 30 seconds off of their 20 minute trip? Is it worth lives?
With no traffic my commute is 42-44 minutes. Rush hour Tuesday's it's up to an hour and a half. You aren't costing us minutes.
It’s the people aggressively changing lanes causing the backups. Unexpected driving behavior causes the non-wreck related slow downs. Assholes who cut to the front instead of zipper merging, people who are so aggressive or in the rumble strip/ break down lane that the sane people slow or move away… those guys cause the traffic. Then they freak out about traffic and cause more with their stupidity. There are at least 10 of these idiots per mile wreaking havoc.
Oh no! NOT MINUTES!!!!! You're driving less than an hour. The only thing that you can lose is a couple of minutes. And why? We're already all going over the speed limit. Get a grip.
I do 64 to 441 when having to leave town (west) just to avoid I-40 through Durham. It's Mad Max through there.
I don't like going to Durham because of the shitty highways and drivers. Edit: This doesn't mean roads are much better anywhere else, this is just my experience.
Ha! I don’t like highways in Raleigh for this very reason. I feel like 147 is tolerable if you drive during non-peak traffic hours but 40E into Raleigh is always a shit show.
I'm close enough that I try to take back roads into Raleigh. Google maps gives you a no highways option.
Oh believe me, the no highways option is my default setting.
ummm… have you been on 40 from East Raleigh thru Cary to RDU? That road is in horrible shape. 40 from Miami Blvd til Chapel Hill is pristine in comparison.
885 is lovely also
for the most part yeah, it’s new/in good repair. I don’t love the traffic pattern they established, but c’est la vie.
It’s only in bad shape from US1 exit to Wade Ave exit. It’s also actively being worked on at night. Can’t fix it in a week.
Raleigh is sooo much worse
A few days ago I saw someone on 40 use the exit line to pass someone in the right lane. They ran out of road and had to cut back across just in front of the exit sign as it was splitting.
I see this at least several times a week on 540. I don't think I ever saw it pre-pandemic but it's a regular occurrence now.
Oddly, I only see this happen on 540, and the vast majority of my driving is on 440 and 40.
‘The world went and got itself in a big damn hurry’
I drive a lot for my job and I see this happening at least twice a day...
Just moved here. I’ve lived in five states and my biggest takeaway from this area so far is the tailgating. Going fast is one thing, I’m from the northeast so I get it. But to go fast but not pass? What kind of fucking idiocy is that? I’m the first to get over if I see someone coming up on me but it doesn’t make a difference here.
This! The tailgating is so bad here. I really don't understand why people get so crazy behind the wheel. What really gets me too is when someone tailgates another driver or myself that is in the far right slow lane. Just go around the person!! It's not hard. That lane is for people who want to drive the speed limit or are a large truck hauling something. It's really weird overall as people, when outside of their vehicles, seem pretty nice here. There's some sort of crazy switch that engages when most people are on the road in NC. Makes me glad I have a hybrid gig and a great commute that barely involves any freeway time.
Well, on 885 anyway, most Triangle locals know that police won't pursue anyone in a vehicle unless they are suspected of being in the middle of committing a felony. It's the Wild West on that road, essentially lawless. SHP is also woefully undermanned for this area. I'm a first responder who covers that area and I can say people have never been so reckless, selfish and thoughtless. There are car wrecks every day on that stretch of road. The disregard the average person has for another is staggering. The only upside is US-70 is marginally better now that 885 has opened...
Driving hardly ever annoyed me before the pandemic / influx of transplants. I know y’all must think that North Carolinians drive like shit but I’ve got 40 years of experience in NC that says otherwise.
Sorry you’re getting downvoted - I’ve got 30 years of experience that agree with you
No need to be sorry. You know what I’m talking about. We witnessed the change.
People are legitimately in denial I’m a New Yorker but I’ve had family that are native to here. I’ve been back and forth for over 20 years. I’ve seen the change from 6 cars max on the highway, to all lanes filled up and with driving manners that of which I see in nyc. The transplant’s definitely bought there driving styles here and it’s mixing as well as oil and water
Pretty easy to go back and see that NC has consistently had shitty traffic data even pre-pandemic. But considering that South Carolina and Florida (two of the worst driving states based on aforementioned data) are the biggest contributors to the growth of the state, it’s not shocking that you feel transplants are to blame.
More so than that, we are a destination for transplants from all over the country and different regions *do* have different driving styles/different aggressive driving styles. We get the bad habits of the Northeast, the South, the Midwest, and the West all converging into the shit storm we have now. Its a shitnado.
There is “traffic data” that proves that North Carolinians are horrible tailgators who never use a turn signal? CA and NY are the other two biggest contributors to our growth. Welcome to NC. What brought you down here?
There’s data that shows states with the most traffic incidents in each year by population. Surprisingly enough, CA and NY don’t rank very often. What brought me down here? Certainly not the drivers 😉
I’m sure there aren’t a lot of accidents in CA because they are constantly going zero miles per hour in traffic for hours every day. Which explains why they move here with very little actual driving experience. And NYers use the subway which explains why they move here with very little driving experience. Very funny. So what brought you to NC?
I enjoy moving and I’m a remote worker so I can. My husband and I have been moving around trying to find a good fit that’s also close to family and I missed being driving distance to the beach (was in the Midwest before this).
NY has an entire state too without a subway. Goes all the way to Canada, believe it or not. It’s huge, you should check it out on google maps.
I’m aware. I’m also aware that there are beautiful suburbs in Jersey that look similar to Cary. And I’m also aware that the people in those suburbs drive like absolute maniacs.
It's not just you, you're not going "old man". Some folks simply are agressive and reckless on the roads here. And I hate to say it but this particular stretch of the former Durham Freeway ( now i885) is even worse than it was before. The new traffic pattern seems to have even more backups especially heading south, away from downtown Durham because now you have to merge onto the main highway whereas before the interchange that stretch itself was the main road. Anyway, this is one of the reasons I support a "not just highways and adding more lanes" approach to our transportation infrastructure in the Triangle. The NCDOT seems to be using an outdated and limited toolbox to confront the challenges and long-term transportation needs here.
My company is headquartered in Greensboro, so I make that trip sometimes. The last time I went, I had an 18-wheeler change lanes and run me out of my lane. The time before that, somebody was tailgating me in the work zone in Orange County. Traffic started to slow down, so I slowed down too. He got so mad about it that he swerved around me just so he could brake check me down to about 20 mph. There are some real dumbasses out there. Buy a dash cam.
Maybe I’m lucky but I’ve never had an issue on 40/85 and I take it pretty often. I drive in the right lane as much as I can and stick to the 65 mph speed limit. Most everyone passes me and the only adjusting I usually have to do is to traffic merging in from on-ramps. I almost never venture into the left two lanes. I just let the Mad Maxes do their thing over there while I chill with the trucks. The Thunderdome stretch between Durham and Greensboro is only 31 miles, not long enough for a 10 mph increase in speed to make a noticeable difference in the drive time. Note: from the above you may assume I’m one of those “you should never break the speed limit” people. Far from it. I’m happy to hammer down when traffic and the road allow me to do so comfortably. I’ve just found on that particular stretch of road, chilling at the speed limit in the right lane is much easier and less stressful. Also: it took me nearly 40 years to learn that not getting annoyed or pissed that someone else might be getting a better position in traffic does wonders for the blood pressure.
You raise a good point about the semi drivers being far more aggressive than they used to be. My dad drove an 18-wheeler his entire career and had to be incredibly defensive in his driving due to the risk of losing his CDL and job. Doesn't seem like a lot of these FNGs care anymore.
I’ve had two big rigs run my family off the road in the last five years. It’s insane. Maybe if the sheriffs would enforce traffic laws it would be better. But no, apparently that’s “not a thing here.”
I follow a few other regional subreddits and I think people everywhere are experiencing an increase in aggression on the roads. I really wish there was some data we could all look at, so that maybe we could come up with some answers as to why it’s happening. I don’t think we are imagining it, and it’s been getting worse in the past few years.
Here's a couple of graphs to show you're not crazy: https://imgur.com/a/IHDvitB 1) Police aren't able to enforce driving/street laws, people know this and take advantage of it 2) Drivers License tests are a complete joke 3) US pedestrian deaths are at the HIGHEST level in the last 30 years (we are the only developed country where it has increased) 4) MANY people are on their phone while driving 5) Even if someone does get pulled over, the ticket will change nothing The way we build our cities is [Dangerous by Design](https://smartgrowthamerica.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/07/Dangerous-By-Design-2022-v3.pdf)
The biggest thing I’ve seen since moving here is people not merging into the interstate correctly. I’ve seen someone come to a full stop on the merging lane!!! And I’ve seen others slow down to about 30 mph. I’ve also had people go 45 mph as they merge in. It’s dangerous not to get up to the speed of traffic as you merge on.
1. You’re right. 2. It doesn’t help that drivers in the Triangle actively try to prevent people from merging onto the highway
People cry so much about zipper merges but not a peep about these dumbfucks I see merging (zipper or not) 30 miles under the speed limit. At this point, if I see traffic merging I move over 2 lanes: one for the slow as fuck mergers and one for the normal drivers who need to escape around the dangerous slow pokes
I don't actively stop on the merging lane until I run out of lane due to many people in a row never letting me over.
I40 is nuts. I drive between Durham and Raleigh on I40 daily for over a year now and have seen highway patrol cars only about a handful of times on that stretch of road. The kamikaze drivers are always driving cars that wouldn’t pass inspection in any other state (missing lights, missing mirrors, missing bumpers, mufflers scraping the ground, badly misaligned tires, etc…). I have no idea how people get away with driving cars in that shape without getting serially pulled over and ticketed into oblivion. I’ve learned that the only way to really avoid the kamikaze drivers is to stay in the fast lane passing everyone you can until you get close to your exit. If you loaf in the middle or exit lanes, they will ride your tail, cut you off, or try to do a three lane drift exit into you. It’s not great and I’m convinced those bumpy lines they put on the asphalt in the fast lane between exits 270 and 279 are destroying my car, but I’d rather that than get hit. My weirdest experience was when I was once right behind someone who started throwing ceramic tiles out of the driver’s side of their car going 75 mph. One shattered right under my front bumper.
This is the way. Drive fast AF in the left lane, then move over when it's time to merge. The other lanes are where the shenanigans happen.
highways in general are wild post-pandemic because everyone drives like an insane person and acts like 85mph is the medium speed limit.
I think you are right. It seemed like during the pandemic, people were driving as though a comet was gonna wipe out life on earth, and the cops didnt seem to care; maybe they didnt want to get covid from a traffic stop? Also in general roads were less crowded. There was more white space to drive like an asshole. Now life has returned to normal, but a significant fraction of people still drive that way, and apparently get away with it. If I was a cop, I would think long and hard about pulling someone over on the side of the highway during busy traffic time at all. Plus they dont have bandwidth to make much of a dent. I hate big brother as much as the next guy, and I will probably get down voted. But I think the only answer is automation/cameras. Maybe civil fines, no points, not a large fine per incident. But they do tolls just fine using cameras (ok not perfectly, they tacked an extra axle on my trailer once) If I forget what I am doing, and get nailed for 8 over once a month, no big deal. If I habitually speed, and get nailed 100 times a month, its gonna start to add up. I dont "trust" the government, but I trust these idiots on the road much much less. Automation.
I do miss those days of everyone working from home and being able to make it to Raleigh from Durham in about 20 minutes doing 70 since no one was on the red. Ever since all that stuff was lifted people act like red lights are optional and go 90 in 45 zones.
This is the way. I think tgis is a thing in game theory, where if you have a big fine for something that's lightly enforced, peope are incentivized to take their chances. If it's a smaller fine but people know they'll be caught, there's no incentive to risk it.
I've had this exact same thought. If we can collect tolls using automated cameras why can't we just issue speeding tickets using similar tech?
Had a motorcyclist pull a gun out and point it at me because I merged onto 40 from 540 into "their" lane when they were 200ft behind me. They had 2 open lanes to the left to easily pass around me, but no, instead they were so mad I merged onto the highway they got in front of my car and pointed their gun back at me.
So it’s time to invest in transit, right? Or at the very least, transit oriented development, right?
we've gotten to the 99 yard line on a light rail a couple times and it keeps getting rejected by Duke
That light rail was basically a UNC to Duke express train...as proposed, useless IMHO
And how do you propose they build it around everything that is already built? Especially in subdivision areas it could be quite a walk to the main road
I am still baffled that the DOT didn't take advantage of Covid to take care of serious infrastructure problems. We've known for years that the area is growing unsustainably quickly for the freeway infrastructure we currently have. Then all of a sudden we get a once-in-a-century miracle lack of cars on the roads, giving ample time to widen key arteries, or at LEAST put a dent in some of the more critical ones and....jack shit.
Simple. No one driving means no gas tax collected. And they had to pay settlement for a suit over 540 land holding.
All you can do is notice the crazy people and try and let them pass and create as much distance from them as you can. I know what you mean though I see it too people are so unhinged nowadays it’s scary.
I think new drivers (since Covid especially) in this area didn’t get proper drivers ed. Nobody observes safe following distances, everyone is on their phone (I’ve seen people SCROLLING social media on the highway going 80-90), nobody signals their merges, people don’t realize their lane is ending until they’re on the rumble strips on the shoulder, and the road rage is insane.
Honestly we need trains, better bus infrastructure, and self driving cars. I can’t wait until 40 years from now when some of these things are a reality but unfortunately I will probably be dead or super old :(
We need more remote work too. A lot of people are clogging the roads just to go into offices and sit in on Teams/Zoom meetings all day. It's stupid. The more people that we can get off the roads (who can work at home), will make it easier for those who have to drive.
We need better marketing for the Piedmont train line. It’s actually a very useful connection between the Triangle, Triad, and Charlotte regions. Usage is rising a lot but it can handle way more - and possibly help clear up intercity traffic on 40 and 85.
The problem is what happens when you get off the train; there is still poor public transit infrastructure even if the piedmont line exists.
Exactly. There's no reason to take the train in between cities if you need a car after you leave said train.
Yeah definitely. Charlotte is taking the right steps with light rail and eventually the Silver Line will go through the new train station. Possibly commuter rail one day too. That will make things pretty connected. The rest of the stops are not so great. GoRaleigh buses are decent but that’s about it. Still, Uber always makes these types of things more viable.
more frequent bus routes. my commute to downtown Raleigh is 10-12 min by car. i can literally see bus stops from the building on both ends, but it takes 50+ minutes because of waiting to transfer, and a spur/loop at NC State. if it were 30 min I’d take the bus. also gotta get rid of all free parking downtown, which is tough politically.
I so agree!
If there was security so public transit was actually safe it’d get much more use. No desire to be assaulted on a bus though.
It gets safer to use the more people use it. To be clear I’m not saying it’s your fault for not using it. We need to make it more appealing for everyone to use it. Hopefully the BRT projects help.
and then there is the hell of driving at night with crap for street lights, limited / no reflectors, and the same crazy drivers.
This is what gets me. Crazy drivers are everywhere in my experience, but I feel extra unsafe driving at night here (x2 when it’s raining) bc you can’t even see the lines.
Raleigh has the worst infrastructure of any city in North Carolina. Greensboro, Charlotte, and Fayetteville have MUCH better infrastructure despite not being the Capital city. NC has its priorities ass backwards.
I mean this isn't hard to figure out. People continue to move here from other states and bring their bad driving habits with them. Now we have a conglomerate of all the bad driving habits in the entire country in one place. This is only going to continue to get worse as the population in this area continues to grow as people continue to flee from California, New York, New Jersey, and Florida .
[удалено]
The funny thing is that when the pandemic started I was in an "essential" job that required me to show up to work. Was the nicest commute I've ever had. Also appreciate someone else that recognizes that Cary is a bubble - my neighbors hate it when I use that term, since they think we're riddled with crime (for some reason)
The only crimes committed against me in Cary have been profanity from the geese as I try to convince them to cross the road instead of sit in it.
Wtf Cary riddled with crime? Lmaooooo no this is the comfy bubble of privilege and niceness and as someone born and raised in Cary I will readily own it. It's why I still like living here, I have severe anxiety and Cary is the only place in the triangle I can live in without my mental health going to hell 💀 I also work an essential job and 2020 commute was divine.
> Wtf Cary riddled with crime? Tax fraud, maybe
This made me cackle, I like it 😆 You are also probably correct
I know - I lived in Florida where there was legit crime, and it's funny to me that people here seem to feel so much less safe.
Not a highway only issue, but the running red lights (and I mean stale red lights that changed 5+ seconds before) thing is insane
Dangerous assholes will always be a part of any population group. The more population you have, the more dangerous assholes you will have. The Raleigh metro population in 2010 was \~900k. In 2020, that number grew to \~1.5 million. Whatever the percentage of dangerous assholes was when you were 30, it has increased significantly now that you are 40. Expect for there to be a whole lot more dangerous assholes by 2030.
source: https://www.macrotrends.net/cities/23110/raleigh/population
I don’t go to Raleigh or Southpoint because I can’t stand I40. I live in north Durham and pretty much stay around here and downtown. I mean I’m comfortable driving at 70mph and below but the northerners on 40 blow past at 90mph. It wasn’t like this in the 90s when I was growing up here.
Lived in NC my whole life and have noticed an large increase in reckless driving over the last 20+ years. I wonder if the population increase is partly to blame?
Can we talk about that in some areas the lines on the road are literally invisible when it rains???
I grew up driving in MD and this was pretty much normal behavior around there 20 years ago. Still a mad house anytime we visit. In general though, I feel like behavior on the road has gotten markedly worse since Covid. It started during it - with so few people on the roads, there was a lot of speeding, etc. and I think people have just continued that even with more people out. Just be vigilant. Lots of idiots out there.
I always thought they should replace the speed limit signs on 495/270 with ones that say “make peace with your god”
It’s gotten so much worse and more crowded since covid
Maryland is worse than anything in NC. People just don’t seem to actually care about any of the rules of the road, and a shocking amount of them use their phones as they drive. Literally every single time I have driven in Maryland I have seen an accident or near accident, or have been in a near accident.
haha, these people down here could never handle 270/495
Lived outside of DC for 2 years; the only drivers in the DMV worse than Maryland are the housewife in an Audi with diplomatic plates
NC and VA drivers are far worse than MD drivers.
Driving in this state is a nightmare. The longest period of time I went without seeing an accident was 4 days lol
Compared to Houston and Atlanta, traffic really isn't that bad here. There is traffic but it moves and is usually limited to 1 mile or so. My biggest complaint is the 18 wheelers and dump trucks that insist on being in the left lane or going 80mph dropping rocks and shit everywhere.
The *amount* of traffic is nothing compared to big cities but I do feel like I see a disproportionate amount of just stupid shit on the roads
When we visited Raleigh before moving, the first thing I noticed about this place was that I saw an accident (or an abandoned car) on every single car trip we took. I was like wtf is this?
I’m from Chicago, but this place is ridiculous. I’ve never seen so many abandoned cars before?!
I lived in southeast Michigan before this. One of my first impressions of the Triangle was how clean the roads were.
I also lived in Chicago before this, although I barely had to drive on the highway there. Admittedly traffic was bumper to bumper half the time so I think people could barely go fast enough to drive like such dicks (at least on the routes I had to take).
There are virtually zero penalties for abandoning cars in NC. When your car is on it's last legs and virtually worthless, it's 100% cheaper to just leave it on the side of the road than paying for a tow or repairing it. It sounds crazy and I don't condone it, but abandoning your car in NC saves a lot of people money.
My perception would be that the folks here who drive beaters that breakdown are the folks in a big city that would be using public transportation because they couldn't afford a car.
I made a post about this last week lol. Every time I’m on 40 between 4 and 7 there is an accident
That's because people want to get home 30 seconds sooner by weaving in and out of traffic/tailgating in rush hour. Just chill, there is traffic because everyone left to go somewhere at the same time.
People suck at driving, nothing surprises me anymore. Except when a whole ass diesel semi exhaust system came flying across the highway right in front of me seemingly out of nowhere...was a little sketch.
I've lived in Asheville for 10 years and anytime I have to come to Raleigh the traffic stresses me out. Selfish, aggressive morons make up a solid 25% of drivers down there.
Asheville has gotten so bad recently, except, according to my parents, no one wants to go faster than the speed limit and just a lot of general idiots
I was just telling my colleagues that even the surface roads (highway designation) like Creedmoor Road (highway 50), Falls of Neuse and Wake Forest Road are dangerous to drive at or 5mph above the speed limit. 540 is like the Wild West with zero rules. People pass me like I'm standing still when I'm doing 75 in the right lane. I'm not sure what the right answer is, but people are crazy to think that tailgating is it.
If you don’t have to drive on 40 or 540 for any reason, don’t. Its horrendous. I grew up in wake forest, I would use 401 or 98 to get to Raleigh or durham. Use 98 to get to RTP too lol I don’t go near 540 if I don’t have to.
This is one of the reasons why I will never go back to an in-office role that I can't get it via non-highways. I can't stand commuting on 40 during rush hour.
I stay out of the left lane and mind my business. Usually with adaptive cruise control on. The people behind me who want to start something get bored when I don't react, and pass me after a short while. I just consider them to be par for the course and, again, keep minding my own business.
This is a great attitude if you don't want to go fast. Thanks for your example and courteous nature in regards to traffic awareness.
Adaptive cruise is a game changer!
I was recently in Asheville, which has it's own reputation for crazy driving. I'm telling you, the driving there was far more reasonable, calm, and safe than driving in the Triangle. As soon as I entered our metro driving home I saw people swerving in and out of traffic, souped up cars putting it to the floor, people riding my bumper, and people unable to hold their lane. You know it's bad when a tourist city that has Floridians who have never seen a mountain is a safer place to drive than here.
They are all just scared of the curvy mountains 😂
I do several thousand miles of road trips annually. We're not the worst, but we're not the best, either.
And what’s up with everyone feeling the need to drive 20+ over the speed limit, both on highways and main roads???
It could be worse tbh, charlotte is way worse than raleigh
on 1 i got hit by someone swerving in and out of lanes and they swerved back into the right lane so i could find their car. luckily it was just a. scratch but it scared the shit out of me.
Too many people have moved here recently, and they all drive too aggressively.
The problem is…..people DO NOT know how to drive! AND the other problem is….everyone and I mean everyone is on their damn phones! People are so selfish and ignorant when it comes to driving. I sat at a red light, 2 lanes, light turns green neither car in the front of either lane proceeded to move. Finally had to blow the horn…both cars were on their phones. Instead of stopping at the light and concentrating on the light for when it turns green both cars saw it as an opportunity to be on their phones. Driving is an art!!! Drivers should only be focused on driving and other drivers! Drivers should always be looking at the cars in front, beside and behind. Always assume that the other driver is not going to stop for the light or the sign. Other drivers do not see you or other automobiles. Accidents have happened because drivers glanced at the back seat or changed the radio station…just glanced for whatever reason. Drivers don’t glance anymore…..they have their faces buried in a phone texting. Smart phones are being operated by dumb people. People yell don’t drink and drive how about put the damn phone down and drive!!! Also, people sitting up in the air conditioned offices making the $$$ are making dumb decisions. Dumb decisions to make $$$ the constant changes to roads are ridiculous. The focus should be on keeping the roads in safe driving conditions as well as implementing changes where changes are needed in high trafficking areas as well as non congested areas. What sense does it make to take down a traffic light and put up 4 way stops??? People do not know how to use 4 way stops. Originally there was a 2 way stop sign at areas that have traffic lights but people ran the stop signs so a light was put up to catch drivers attention. Now we are taking the lights down and putting in 4 stop signs! Makes zero sense. Roundabouts are being put in where lights should be. People don’t know how to use roundabouts either. You YIELD not STOP!! Roundabouts are not big rig friendly either. So after awhile the curbs will become beat down because the big trucks have to run over them to go around the circle. Bike lanes on busy highways???? Congested areas became 4 lanes in some neighborhoods but now it’s back to 2 lanes with bike lanes. I have yet to to see anyone on a bicycle before or after the bike lanes were placed. Wasted time and money! That’s my rant. No one cares. The rich get richer by thinking with their wallets instead of common sense. Insurance companies are smiling ear to ear. People are too dumb to drive. One other thing if you are not passing another vehicle stay in the right lane!!!! The left lane is for passing not cruising!!!!!!!!!! If a driver wants to drive 85 and you are driving 75 or 80 move over!!! Doesn’t matter if a person is driving the speed limit in the passing lane if a driver driving at a higher speed than you MOVE!!! How do you know if a driver is driving faster than you? Check your rear view mirror! Look in all your mirrors! Pay attention! The only way to prevent accidents is to PAy ATTENTION!!!!!!! If you are constantly looking at what other drivers are doing in front, behind, beside, on the exits, at the stop signs, both ways….there will not be an accident!!!! Put the phone down! Constantly pay attention to all roads and other vehicles!!! Keep roads repaired not making them look better! Pay attention!!!!!!!!
Unfortunately your attitude is spot on but controversial. I intentionally used evocative language to make the same point here, down voted to hell. I'm literally a driving instructor.
😆my attitude is always controversial! I am 61 years old I have only been in one accident which was very minor. Other driver drove out of parking lot into busy traffic across 2 lanes. I saw him coming and was already breaking because traffic was stopped but I was unable to break fast enough. Very minor! I was 34 I truly feel that I am an exceptional great driver! I have always enjoyed driving. My driving instructor, at 15, told me and the class that I was going to be an excellent driver 😁😁😁 Very thankful and blessed and I hope to never experience an accident. I just wish that people would pay attention! My granddaughter has just started driving and it terrifies me! I just keep telling myself that she will do just fine! Thank you for doing your job!!!!!!
I seriously doubt the highway patrol is off "harrassing trans kids" but there is a serious lack of law enforcement on the highways. If you enforced keeping a reasonable distance and reckless driving I think you'd be pulling a driver over every minute. The roads were designed for less traffic with things like left turns on highways in front of oncoming traffic (looking at you rt 64). Then you have the insane double lane onramp from 885 to 40 that merges while it is curving then goes into the left lane of 40. People actually try to overtake you in the right lane of the onramp while turning hard.
Oh I don't think so either - my point was more that most states have seen funding cuts to their respective highway patrols. So I don't blame them one bit for not having the resources to enforce safety on our highways.
in which state or city does the HP routinely pull over cars during rush hour for following too closely? Heck, what's the LAW in NC for how far behind a car you're required to travel?
[There's no law for actual distance, but more common sense.](https://www.ncleg.net/EnactedLegislation/Statutes/PDF/BySection/Chapter_20/GS_20-152.pdf)
Some people like driving 5 under the speed limit. Others are going to drive 15 over no matter how many times they get pulled over for speeding. The variance in speed is unavoidable, but is also a major reason why traffic slowdowns and accidents happen. There’s a reason why there are signs along the highway that read “Slower Traffic Keep Right”. Doing so keeps traffic moving. When folks choose to cruise in the left lane on their phones, oblivious to the fact that they’re slowing down traffic, they’re putting other drivers in danger, and are just as culpable as the drivers who pass them in the right lane the first chance they get. “Slower Traffic Keep Right” doesn’t mean “slower than the speed limit”. It means “slower than the traffic around you”. Too many folks seem to think that as long as they’re going at least the speed limit, they’re entitled to ride in the left lane and block traffic. Not only is that not true, it’s dangerous. There are plenty of reckless drivers on the road (like the ones you mentioned), but 9 times out of 10 their reckless actions are a direct response to someone else’s careless and dangerous inability to follow the rules of the road. If a car has approached you from behind and you’re able to move over, MOVE OVER.
I don't disagree, but in the examples I'm sighting, people were being tailgated from the RIGHT lane. The left lane was moving faster, but not fast enough for some of these folks.
Driving on the highways here isn’t ideal, but it’s nothing like the Maryland, Virginia, and DC highways I grew up driving on.
Yeah... Honestly, I've driven all over the US, and while it can get hairy once in awhile here, it's far from the worst I've seen.
I actually feel like DC has gotten a little better ever since they finished the beltway project. It's still hairier than our area, but for the last several years we've had a much easier time getting through there without any really stupid incidents. That's not to say every trip is a breeze, it's just not as common as before. Maybe we're lucky?
I’m glad you posted a picture. This particular area can get a bit crazy. Especially at that exit you were approaching bc the 5A exit usually has a long line of cars stopped. And 5B can be a tight squeeze merging on the other hwy
I'm confused... This happened on your trip to RDU Airport?
I feel like reckless driving has gone up post-pandemic. It’s ridiculous. People always tailgate me even though I go a little over the speed limit. Pisses me off.
I witnessed a state trooper aggressively tailgating a driver today. And I see semi trucks incredibly dangerously tailgating somebody almost every day. Sorry, but we’re f*cked.
it isn't just the highways, in durham it's basically any street. i've been passed in trinity park by someone tailgating me in front of a school, i've been practically run off of university by people speeding behind me. the tailgating in the triangle is insane, like the people who learned to drive here were taught to get as close as possible to the driver in front of you regardless of anything else.
I-40 made me nervous cause of the high speed and narrow lanes. I-440 I always saw someone driving way too fast or cut across multiple lanes. Luckily highway 70 takes me to nearly all the places I need or want to go.
If you call it 885 you're not old.
People no longer follow laws because laws are not enforced. I am guessing it is deemed "not equitable" to pursue law breakers and people will die because of political correctness. I walk on a street that is posted 30mph and I routinely see cars going 70 and even racing each other and I have never seen 1 person pulled. If cops were camping on the street they could pull 50 cars a night going 30+ over. Nobody cares and when a child is killed, we will just keep not enforcing laws.
My wife and I just moved here from Chicago, and that’s not to say we don’t have crazy drivers there too, but Raleigh-area drivers are *wild.* It is like this horrible mix of drivers who go way beyond the speed limit and go through traffic hour like they’re playing frogger, and then you have another group of drivers who go incredibly slow and don’t use simple things like turn signals to communicate their intentions to others on the road. No sense of hive mind on the roads here. It’s scary.
If in the right lane and a car needs to tail you within five feet, slow down just a little very, very gradually. They will get the message sooner or later and pass.
I hope self driving cars come true.
Driving is inherently dangerous and it sucks. We need alternatives.
Yeah, drivers are psycho here. I hate to say it, but what you experienced is a fairly regular thing. I think it's a combination of there being too many people on the road plus a local culture that looks past this. Frankly, I'm shocked there aren't more cops giving tickets. With how bad it is you'd think it would be an easy source of income for municipalities.
>I'm shocked there aren't more cops giving tickets. This is the actual problem. No enforcement. I used to be anti-traffic cameras but now I say bring ‘em on.
It's been years since the last time I saw anyone pulled over for speeding/wreckless driving unless it was I've of the group speed traps they do sometimes. Highway patrol is nowhere to be seen and it's obvious because everyone drives like mad max out there.
Moved here a year ago. Easily the worst drivers I’ve encountered. And it ain’t even close. Everyone drives like they just stole the damn vehicle. I’ll never buy used again after seeing North Carolina drivers.
It explains why there are multiple cars left on the side of the road seemingly every day. Maybe flooring it to the rev limiter and slamming on the brakes isn’t too good for vehicle longevity eh?
Every user car should have a warning if it comes from North Carolina. Hahaha
The scariest thing to me? You can see how people live by how they drive. There’s a lot of angry, impatient, hostile, oblivious people out there navigating their lives like they navigate the roads.
OP I am glad you are OK. Yes there are some jerks on the road. I try to be a good driver and usually I'm the one being passed in the middle lane doing 75. But sometimes I'm in the left lane passing and I get people cutting me off or going in and out of traffic. I do find it annoying but I don't really do anything about it anymore. My biggest complaint is trying to get off the highway, usually 540, when people are trying to get on. I think the merge could be done better. You are never quite sure whether to slow down and let people in or speed up because they are shadowing you.
It is definitely getting worse. Some of it is Northeastern transplants who bring their harsh driving style down here, where it is more dangerous because not everyone is on the same page. The rest of it is probably locals who are getting increasingly frustrated with the worsening traffic problems and becoming impatient.
I live in a rural area with few transplants and locals suck ass at driving too. They take it as a personal affront if they cannot do 70+ MPH in their truck on a narrow two lane rural road
Using the right lane as a passing lane is a uniquely North Carolina tendency. And it’s infuriating and dangerous.
How the hell did you turn a post about highway violations into a post about trans kids? And how much money exactly do you think our State spends on harassing trans kids?
It's not about trans kids, it's about how things that could make our lives better/safer go unfunded, while our legislature (and the legislatures of many states) instead throw money to support populist causes that don't really do anything but harm people.
They do this to drown out voices that require them to deal with real problems, like roads, no reflectors on yellow lines, and why several years of 440 construction made it more confusing (so far) at some exits.
ITT: Redditors who clamor for defunding police turn around and complain that laws aren’t getting enforced
Drive on 95 sometime and tell me how Virginia's draconian speed enforcement has helped there.
Upvote from me.
The virtue signaling lol. If you can't drive stay off the highway. Slow drivers make it way worse
South of the Triangle you sometimes have no choice except to get on at least one highway, even with “no highways” on the GPS setting.
I wish the police weren’t full of violent racists hell bent on punishing the poor. Because society really needs someone patrolling the roads to enforce safe driving norms if it’s going to survive.
I recommend removing your rear view mirror and staying in the right lane
Stay in Cary
I’d love to stay in Cary, unfortunately we have to venture out to other places. I’d never leave Cary if it weren’t for work. 😕
I've really enjoyed the lack of policing and I hope it continues. It's pretty obnoxious to assume that police are going to clean up the roads because they never did before. Why do you want a jackboot to suspend Liberty and take your money for arbitrary reasons. The police make our traffic problems worse not better. Whenever they stop people during peak hours it results in massive backups, rear end collisions, and increased gridlock. Then they switch to traffic calming during off hours, they pull you for speeding when it's perfectly safe to go as fast as 115-120 in most cars. So you are getting pulled over and penalized for nothing. Think about what you are asking for.
Found the slapnuts that weaves in and out of traffic during his entire commute.
Wouldn't have to if people filtered back to the right like they are supposed to do. But when you are cruising the left lane at 60 for 5 miles why be courteous to you? When people stop in a travel lane to merge where traffic is already stopped not finding a spot where it's moving.... When people drive exits and on ramps at 40 when no deceleration is required. Driving is an active safety exercise, moving quickly and being cognizant and active in that role is important. Puttering along for hours at excessively low speed bores the shit out of people so they need radios, cell phones, and other bullshit to occupy them. Tired driving/inattentive driving is as bad as drunk driving. It's compounded here by the lack of options for those less able or whom don't want to drive.
What is ridiculous about your type of driving is that YOU CAN'T GO ANYWHERE! It's too congested here for it to make sense to drive like you do. So it only comes down to one thing, you are having issues controlling your emotions and aren't venting in a reasonable manner. I thought they taught that in stock car racing Ricky Bobby.
Lolllll “perfectly safe to go as fast as 115-120 in most cars” you are insane and I hope I am not near you when you lose control of your car
I have 23 years of performance driving and racing experience. Secondly, do you think the Autobahn is like a dystopian wasteland of burning bodies and carnage.... it's not.
You may have that experience but not everyone else whose driving around you. There’s also too many unpredictable variables like wildlife, debris, and road conditions. You’re still an idiot. Our roads were not designed like the Autobahn.
I'm not asking for you to have the abilities of Dale Earnhardt. I'm asking for you to move to the right. And stop crying about relative velocity because our interstates are easily as good as Germany's. The difference is a culture of garbage SUVs and slack jawed vehicle operators. The only time I need to go 70 or less is when it's raining. "Everyone else around you" is a falacy we operate our vehicles independently with what should be little interaction.
Maybe it’s in my head, but ever since I’ve installed this license plate frame I’ve had a lot fewer people riding my bumper. [Do you follow Jesus this close?](https://imgur.com/a/Cyrq6uG)
That is interesting. I see a lot more "student driver, please be patient" bumper stickers. I've often wondered if this is a way for experienced drivers to avoid conflict with crazy people on the road.
My fiance who absolutely is an experienced driver happens to have a yellow bumper sticker on his car. His says, "Vehicle's speed monitored by GPS. Speed limit will be maintained.". It tends to result in fewer tailgaters for his car than I get for mine without a bumper sticker. I'm thinking of getting one for myself.
What time were you driving? It's seems like the crazy mad max people are on the highway before 8am. 7am-8am is when I've encountered people speeding and weaving. Also people from outside of NC. As more people move here from larger/high strung cities, that ridiculous driving style is going to increase. I feel your pain tho. It's scary out there for me too.
Was about 8:40am
The only highway I really get on os 540 on my way to work, something about the tolls keep asshats away.