Drivers dish on their worst pet peeves of the road: 'I hate it when people are 'polite'

close

Video

Sky-high gas prices in Nevada cause pain at the pump before heading to the polls

Nevada residents are paying more than a dollar over the U.S. average for gasoline, causing some to drive less and others to raise business operating costs.

Drivers sped at the chance to dish on their biggest pet peeves of the road in a viral Reddit thread last week. 

"What's your biggest driving pet peeve?" DrMike27 prompted.

Some drivers had specific complaints about the etiquette of those behind the wheel, and detailed situations in which drivers may think they're being "polite," but are actually making the road a whole lot more "dangerous."

"People who stop in the middle of a roundabout to let cars enter," swiftly_yoder wrote.

DRIVING IN STORMS IS DANGEROUS, BUT HERE'S WHAT TO DO IF YOU GET CAUGHT IN A FLOOD

One user, LowAd3406, piggybacked off the comment, sharing a name for people who fit in the category of "polite" driving - "niceholes."

"In my city, people will stop at random intersections without any traffic signals/signs to let cars from side streets through," the user said. "Another one is randomly stopping to let someone in oncoming traffic turning left in front of them. They think they are being nice, but not following the signage makes them unpredictable and super dangerous. We even have a name for it and refer to them niceholes." 

Lady driving car (iStock)

"That one person in a lineup of cars that lets everyone in front of them," another said.

The thought of "polite" drivers stoked a fire under several other users.

"I hate it when people are "polite" while driving. It's dangerous! You're not the only one on the road, you being "polite" and having me drive through is gonna get me tboned by the next car! Don't be polite, be predictable," tony_bologna wrote. 

ST. LOUIS HYUNDAI/KIA DEALER INVENTS SECURITY DEVICE FOR CARS BEING STOLEN THROUGH TIKTOK CHALLENGE

Several drivers agreed with the notion that being "polite" can often turn dangerous. Being "predictable," they said, is the better option.

"That one person in a lineup of cars that lets everyone in front of them," one person said. "Bonus hate for the cars that get mad at you because you refused their polite/dangerous offers."

"Being polite while driving is super dangerous and not polite at all," another agreed. "It’s very inconsiderate and selfish. Doing something just so you can pat yourself in the back and say I’m a good person isn’t worth risking everyone else on the road. I get pissed when someone is 'polite' to me. Like stop. Just be predictable."

Cars for sale lined up outside Keywood Motors in Fort Myers, Florida. (Fox News Digital)

FED OFFICIAL CONCERNED THAT ELECTRIC VEHICLES MIGHT BE GETTING TOO HEAVY FOR SAFETY

"Do not be polite. Be predictable," joan_wilder concurred.

Others said they couldn't stand indecisive driving, or those who refuse to use their signals. Another person sparked a sub thread about drivers who fail to hit the sensors on the road.

"My pet peeve is when people slow down or stop and you have no idea what they are doing," one driver said. "I’ll yield to anything. But, please, signal your intentions!!"

"Another thing I've only experienced here (PDX) is people routinely leaving a huge space before the intersection and totally missing the sensors in the road," another said.

"The only legitimate thing I can think that might stimulate this behavior is having been ticketed for going over a line and stopping early enough that even your dash cam can see it," one person replied. "But many of the times I see it people are on their phone and they use the extra spacing as a rationalization that they're being safe about it."

Cars in long row on highway in traffic jam. (iStock)

Pedestrians also weighed in on the "polite" driver debate, voicing how frustrating it is to try and communicate with them.

"I hate when a nicehole stops for me as a pedestrian without the right of way," one user said. "Because then I am sitting there furiously waving him on for 30 seconds, when he could have been past me in 2."

One user threw their mother-in-law under the bus, so to speak.

"My MIL will stop in the middle of a road to let someone cross," the person wrote. "No pedestrian crossing, nothing. She'll just slam on the breaks to let them past... Everytime... And gets mad that they don't cross because why the hell would you it's weird that someone would just stop in the middle of the road. And she'll wave them across and they'll continue to not cross because again it's weird. But she believes she is being nice by letting them cross even though it makes her angry that they take forever to cross.

"And yes she has been rear ended god knows how many times and to this day does not believe she is at fault and other drivers are just too aggressive.. nothing to do with a car randomly stopping in the middle of the road."

CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP

Others offered much simpler answers when asked to describe their biggest driving pet peeves.

"Other people on the road," user AlexKewl said.

Analysts at Car Insurance Comparison produce an annual study of the rate of fatal car accidents involving speeding, careless driving, drunk driving, and breaking traffic laws, to compile a list of the worst U.S. states to drive.

New Mexico and Texas were tied at the top of the 2022 list, ranking worst in the category of careless driving, followed by Montana, South Carolina, Louisiana, Alabama, Hawaii, Arizona, Oregon, and Nevada rounding out the top 10.