Driving in Miami

[SLT223]

My wife is from Coral Gables. Every December we visit her family there. Every December this place blows my mind. I have never seen more cars without bumpers on the road; bumpers that have been torn off. It seems people here actually get into their cars to use their mobile phones. The level of distraction and disregard for the responsibility of operating a vehicle is unprecedented. Anybody else notice Miami to be inundated with ignorant drivers?

 

[Arik]

My wife is from Coral Gables. Every December we visit her family there. Every December this place blows my mind. I have never seen more cars without bumpers on the road; bumpers that have been torn off. It seems people here actually get into their cars to use their mobile phones. The level of distraction and disregard for the responsibility of operating a vehicle is unprecedented. Anybody else notice Miami to be inundated with ignorant drivers?

Apparently you've never driven in NYC.

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[Big Cholla]

I had a construction office there for several years. I quickly learned to beware of any driver that was short, overweight, wearing a 'pork-a-pie' hat, black horned rim glasses and a big unlit cigar in one corner of the mouth. They were going to do what they wanted to do regardless of traffic laws, physics or courtesy to others. ...........

 

[model3sw]

Can't comment about Miami (proper) other than certain older ethnic areas with low riders and bowling ball paint jobs (which is usually what I get to view when working in that area) ... but ... in Palm Beach, while we have very elderly people still driving, those people can usually afford to maintain their bumpers.

 

[SLT223]

Apparently you've never driven in NYC.

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I have. It's a close second in my opinion.

 

[S&W2244]

FLORIDA DRIVERS IN GENERAL

In addition to all you stated, Florida drivers DO NOT USE turn signals.
They think nothing of cutting in front of you with no warning at all. Also on Route 95, if they miss the exit they will attempt to stop and back up. Think I'm making this up, I wish I was. Ahhhhhhhh.

 

[Cardboard_killer]

But it is much easier to ticket speeders as there isn't much defense against a radar gun reading 80 MPH, so more dangerous behavior often goes un-cited.

 

[Fishinfool]

Apparently you've never driven in NYC.

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The first time I drove in NYC, I thought the same thing. But as I drove more often in the city, I realized that as crazy as most folks and cab drivers drove, I saw very few accidents or damaged cars. Crazy and aggressive drivers, sure, but actually very skilled - they seemed to be very good at "missing" each other.

Larry

 

[Cardboard_killer]

I was leaving Manhattan the morning after the 1997 NYC Marathon, and there was no one on the road at 6am (or whatever time it was early in the morning), and I could see green lights clear down to the southern end of the island. I floored it; it was very fun, but it terrified my father. Which was kinda why I floored it

 

[johngalt]

Cars with missing bumpers and broken lights are not terribly uncommon in Indiana. I can't figure out why cars here are in such a poor state of repair. I have 2 20 year old cars that are in fantastic shape. Meanwhile I see many cars that are far newer that are rusted out, beat up, missing parts (including bumpers), broken lights, or cracked windshields. It's not simply old cars that are they are driving the wheels off, but fairly recent models that have seen heaps of abuse. I don't get it.

 

[625-7]

Beware

the fat woman in a minivan heading for McDonalds!

 

[SLT223]

In addition to all you stated, Florida drivers DO NOT USE turn signals.
They think nothing of cutting in front of you with no warning at all. Also on Route 95, if they miss the exit they will attempt to stop and back up. Think I'm making this up, I wish I was. Ahhhhhhhh.

That's not true. I was taking a left into Miami Zoo this morning on 152 and an opposing car approaching at about 50mph blew the red light while I had the green arrow. Her right turn signal was on the whole time, I saw it myself

 

[pharmer]

I have been on the interstate in Miami going 20 over the speed limit. One guy passed me on the "emergency lane" next to the concrete barrier going at least 50 mph faster than me. Joe

 

[badge]

But it is much easier to ticket speeders as there isn't much defense against a radar gun reading 80 MPH, so more dangerous behavior often goes un-cited.

Not much of a defense for Vehicular equipment violations either. If a violator is contacted it is an easy summons or two, or three.

 

[LedFowl]

I quickly learned to beware of any driver that was short, overweight, wearing a 'pork-a-pie' hat, black horned rim glasses and a big unlit cigar in one corner of the mouth.

What do the men look like?

 

[amazingflapjack]

I did the census here in Ocala in 1990. They used my tracking skills to search out hard to find households, and that lead me to the "Forest" area of our fine community. I had quite a number of memorable situations out there, but just now the one that comes to mind, while reading about drivers in Florida, is searching an area of dense scrub criss- crossed by dirt paths that the locals euphemistically called roads. As I was about to cross another road that formed a cross roads with the one I was on (no signage of course) I was fortunate enough to have hesitated just a tick to try and get my bearings, because there was no visibility at all-scrub right up to the edge of the paths on all sides-when 2 cars with lone male drivers came hurtling by. The opportunity to see them was very brief due to the foliage, but they were in view right in front of me long enough to see the driver in the car at the rear continue to fire his pistol at the car ahead of him. Then they vanished. The wild west in the Ocala national forest-just another day.

 

[7shooter]

A few years ago there was a letter to the editor in the Key West Citizen posing the question " If you sell a vehicle to a Conch ( slang for old time Key West resident ) do you need to disable the turn signals or do they do it themselves ? "

 

[dr. mordo]

If you haven't driven in Miami, you cannot understand. The drivers in Miami are a different breed. For that matter, the people in Miami are unlike any I have seen in America, and I've been to most of the major metropolitan areas many times. It's very common to find a Walmart cashier who does not speak one word (no exaggeration - not one word) of english. You'll meet people who have lived in the US for 7 years and don't speak one word of english - no exaggeration.

I've seen people jump the curb and pull off the road into the grass so they could pass a bunch of cars and run a red light during rush hour.

20-30 mph over the speed limit is the norm. This actually agrees with my lead foot.

Passing over a double yellow line during heavy traffic is absolutely normal and cops ignore it.

Accidents always involve at least one person who speaks no english, doesn't have insurance at all, and is in the country illegally. That person may be the cop who responds to the accident. Also, the person who speaks no english will be furious about the accident, even if it is entirely his fault.

All traffic laws are optional. A friend's father was severely hurt when he was t-boned by a woman who ran a stop sign while transporting NINE children in her CAR. I don't know the state of the children after the accident, but I have to think some were severely injured.

Along those lines, car seats for children are the exception, not the rule. I cannot believe how few people use car seats here.

It is common to be cruising on the turnpike and be passed by someone weaving thru traffic at >100 mph. By common, I mean 2-3 times every time I drive on the turnpike. When he was here, my almost 80 year old father was in shock every time we drove on the turnpike because of people driving so insanely.

I'm tired and have been drinking, but bottom line is I've driven in NY, LA, SF, and many other major cities in the US, and nothing compares to Miami for horrible drivers. Really, beyond driving, the people here are the most self-absorbed and non-community minded people I've ever seen by a wide margin. Living here has completely changed my views about immigration, which I'll keep to myself.

 

[soFlaNative]

Anybody else notice Miami to be inundated with ignorant drivers?

Every year they arrive around Thanksgiving and hopefully leave by Easter...

 

[wnwitzell]

We fled Miami after 31 years, and moved to Las Cruces, NM. Still no turn signals, but only a fraction of the highway insanity!