Hi all,


Today marked the 4th time in six days that I haven't received any respect on the road. I'm not going to explain each story but I will talk about a couple.

Two days ago I'm driving on one lane and it's traffic time around 5-6pm. As I am driving normally but carefully, I see a driver come from the right side(not a lane) and try to get in front of me. That's fine, I let people go all the time, but this bit me in the ***. The guy basically didn't make it seem as he was going to get in so I keep pulling up and out of the blue he turns very hard into the one lane. Mind you he doesn't signal or indicates he'd like to get in. I gave him space before but I guess it wasn't BIG enough. I honked my horn at him so he realizes what he did, and then comes the flipping of the bird(poor fella wasn't educated well enough).

This other incident was today. I was driving through a green light already at 50mph and this BIG truck(not semi) decided to turn when I'm still in that ONE LANE and make me slow done all the way to 15mph because he couldn't wait to turn since he was getting on to an exit towards the freeway. I mean seriously...the person couldn't wait since there was no one behind me and couldn't have slowed me down drastically. That could have been a bad accident. I'm just so irritated, I even honked at him when I finally past him a few mins later.


The matter of the fact is, I feel like I've never gotten any respect on the road with my MINIs. I've had my straight Cooper and now my MCS.

My question is to any of you, have you ever felt like I do?

 

I think the problem is that too many idiots are loose on the road...they dont respect anyones right of way and they suck at driving...just keep driving defensively and try to anticipate what the a-hole will do....its like an insane road rally....always an adventure !!!

 

I live in Southern California, so I think that's why your stories seemed normal to me. By not getting "respect", I thought you meant that people would drive up next to you on the road and literally mock you for driving a Mini. I know the feeling. It's like you can't win.

 

There are a lot of drivers that just dont care and drive like idiots... doesnt matter much if your in a Toyota FJ with big steel bumpers (prior car) or a MINI - they are all over - you almost have to drive like you are on a motorcycle and just expect everyone to be stupid. . . I always drive with my light on too just for the added hope that perhaps they will see me ... lol

 

I've written about this several times and I feel your pain! Most every time I go out it's amazing how many aholes I encounter. I could write a book about the near misses I've had in my 8 months of MINI ownership. Very different from an SUV!

 

I'm glad I'm not alone on this. I was just in San Fran, wasn't that bad to me. I could deal with it and the honking but these Michigan drivers wouldn't last a day in traffic there. I just feel annoyed with it all because its only in my MINI. In my old SUV and Stealth T/T R/T I never had that issue. I watch my blind spot, rear, front and even sunroof, you never know what might pop out!

Good luck to all of you drivers who deal with this, I don't wanna see anyone hurt, just avoid incidents as much as possible.

 

I think it's an epidemic everywhere. I deal with it daily here in redneck truck country.

 

Guyton in the house!!!! Shout out if you ever come to the big town, Savannah... Coastal MINI member?

 

I came from motorcycles so I feel pretty invulnerable in the MINI. I'm courteous but if someone is driving like a jerk I'm not going to let them in or move over. I often take "i dare you to hit me" attitude about it and maintain my right of way.

When I have someone else in the car I begrudgingly let idiots get away with their poor behavior, though.

 

As I told my teenagers when they were learning to drive - just expect that everyone else on the road is a complete idiot and will do the worst possible thing at the worst possible time, and you won't be disappointed, because they will. It used to be that CA drivers were pretty good, but things have gone downhill in the last couple of decades. Have you experienced Boston traffic?

I think that drivers in India are actually really good - traffic is complete chaos, and cars come within millimeters of each other, but somehow they never hit and it all works out. Cars, trucks, carts pulled by water buffalo, motorcycles, 3 wheeled taxis that look like beetles, just complete madness. I'm glad I had a driver while I was there though, it took a few days before I stopped feeling like I was going to die twice on every block.

As somebody else said above - drive defensively, it isn't you or the car, it's all the clueless people too self centered to give a damn or too busy checking their email or text messages on their cellphones.

 

Danny, I am the same... In a MINI I am maneuverable enough to miss the idiots.

 

I am an Air Traffic Controller with the FAA. I tell my trainees that every pilot should be the enemy. Out and about, we might buy them a drink, but in their plane.... Much like a fart can Honda at a red light!

 

In three months of ownership, what I notice is how close people get when following me on the freeway or on streets. Does not happen in my Volvo XC70 at all.

That said, I used to drive a Prius. That car was a magnet for dents like none other.

I got more dings, scrapes, knicks than any car I have ever owned. So while the tailing thing gets annoying...I do prefer it over getting knicked when parked.

Perhaps a 007 mod would change this pattern that seems to effect us : )

 

A few months ago I saw something that I thought was great. I was in the right lane stuck in traffic trying to get off the next exit when a large cadillac tried to squeeze past me on the shoulder. Well I was being nice and letting some utility trucks change lanes to get off(it was right after Sandy and I figured those guys needed a break). Well I was right behind one of the trucks when this caddy squeezed passed me, I actually had to move over so he wouldn't hit me. Well when he tried to squeeze past the utility truck, the truck made a little twitch to the right and caught the Caddies rearview mirror in the wheel well opening of the truck. The Caddy then kept going and ripped the mirror right off his car. I can't say that the truck driver did it on purpose but he did wave to me and him and his passenger were laughing.

 

I understand what the OP is talking about, I live in the D.C. area and drivers here are horrible. I'm originally from California and I think the drivers are worse here in D.C. I usually encounter about 3-4 bad drivers each way on my daily commute, and it's worse when I'm on my bike.

 

No truer words have been spoken... I might have a plague made

 

Try this!

 

I get that alot driving in Dallas and I really don't get out that much! I think it is a relative size\power thing. I ride bicycles on the streets and the attitude from other road users is much the same. In our MINIs we are small and perceived to be slow, under powered road hazards, just like me on my bike are thought of - in the way. Only in the MINI I don't get spit on, trash thrown at me or witness overall driving techniques meant to shorten my life. I thnik most don't realize that our weight to power ratio is right up there and we can put it to em if we choose. I've recently come to driving with front and rear fogs on just to be more visable, keep my head on a swivel and Sport mode engaged.

 

I used to drive a Cherokee, so I was used to being bossed around by the bigger SUVs, but now, I often get disrespect from cars like Camrys or Civics. I was nearly run off the road by an older woman in a Prius not too long ago. Good thing these little cars are nimble, because I would have been in quite a few fender benders if my MCS was as slow and clunky as people seem to think they are.

 

I get it multiple times each day.
At first I thought it was because of the Mini being narrower, the lights closer together, it looked like a bigger vehicle further away. I've experienced this from seeing ATV's on the country roads up north, at night, their close together headlights look like a normal car further away.
Most times it's stupid drivers, I've had idiots turn left out of a small side street or driveway, and then stop because they don't have room to merge into the opposite lane of traffic.

In November I purchased a set of air powered truck horns, I'm installing them as soon as the weather warms up.

 

That's awesome! Let me know how it works when you scare the crap out of those idiots:-).

 

Driving an import in Michigan .....not much you can do about that!! Been there, done that!

 

I get a lot more respect in my MINI than I do riding my motorcycle. People either don't notice you or don't care.

 

Yeah I love it when it's those Cadillacs that think their car is better than mine so they try to test me or play games(I ignore it).

 

I don't know if you've ever had to drive behind someone with a rear fog light on when it's not foggy.

It's painfully annoying, almost as bad as high beams from oncoming traffic.

And it's dangerous. Your eye is drawn to the brightest light visible, your rear fog is brighter than your brake lights. So if the driver behind you is tired, or unfocused, their eye will unknowingly lock onto that bright fog light, and they won't notice when your brake lights come on.