Never mind the cold - it's the drivers that'll kill you!
 

I've said it before and I'll say it again, Canadian/Calgarian drivers are the worst ever! You think they'd have a clue, but yet again I drive back from the rockies watching cars crashed into snow drifts at the side of the road while being overtaken at 130kmh in zero visibility by some beater 80's car or huge suv without winter tyres flying down the ice and snow where the passing lane used to be totally oblivious to anyone else. It's no better in the city either. Someone spun out on 17th ave this morning totally unaware of how to drive in the conditions nearly wiping me out. And they're just as bad in the summer. I'm not going to touch on the running of red lights, lack of indicators, lack of manners, general ignorance and total dumbassedness (I just invented a new word!). :curse:

It's a rant I never get sick of. I can't wait to go back and try english driving for a comparision. It will be refreshing to let someone in and have them wave and say thank you.

Re: Never mind the cold - it's the drivers that'll kill you!
 

You must have good eyes to spot those non winter tyres as they drive past at 130kmh.

Re: Never mind the cold - it's the drivers that'll kill you!
 

You can generally tell if they're on winter tyres from the black winter rims. Winter tyres or not though, when the max limit is 90 for perfect summer-like conditions through a national park and you're going at least 130 in an arctic storm and ice rain then you can pretty fairly be labelled a bad driver.

Re: Never mind the cold - it's the drivers that'll kill you!
 

Are you sure you were in Calgary? Sounds like Toronto drivers too.

Then there's those idiots doing 60kph in the middle lane of the Express. Once you get level with them, they're talking on the cellphone.

I personally feel that the Ontario 400-series highways should be maximum 110kph in the Express lanes with a minimum of 80kph, and a maximum in the Collector lanes of 90kph with a minimum of 60kph (except for vehicles under Police escort). If these drivers can't concentrate on driving whilst talking on a cellphone, then they should get off the highway to make their calls..

Re: Never mind the cold - it's the drivers that'll kill you!
 

You should come to Lethbridge its like driving miss Daisy every day here, it really is.
Apart from me who managed a perfect 360 spin the other day oops :p

One reason we are here in Lethbridge is the bloody Deer foot trail. I dont miss that one bit.

mrs minihaha

Re: Never mind the cold - it's the drivers that'll kill you!
 

How are we so sure it is just locals?

There are hundreds if not thousands of new immigrants in Canada and Calgary how do we know it's not them.

Yes there are idiots out there and some them are English and please don't deny it I know a couple of them. England does not have a monopoly on good drivers.

Re: Never mind the cold - it's the drivers that'll kill you!
 

The repeated rant about Calgary drivers not letting you in or not acknowledging when you let them in puzzles me immensely.

For one thing, in my experience, I generally get far more enthusaistic waves here than I mostly did when back in the UK.

For another, I remember my driving instructor telling me off for "waving at the other drivers!:frown:", as one is supposed to keep both hands on the wheel (apparently) ..... try telling THAT to a Canadian with their coffee cups, donuts and cellphones!!! :p

The tailgating IS bad though! and the speed in poor conditions! and the way ppl tend to cut you up .... though I think that's more inattention and sudden changes of mind than deliberate rudeness! :unsure:

And yes, certainly, in Calgary they could be any nationality, not just Canadians! :blink:

Re: Never mind the cold - it's the drivers that'll kill you!
 

Jeezz.... you guys should try driving in Fort McMurray, or Highway 63 when it's shift change and guys are going home or returning for the week.

Talk about sheer terror! I once spent an hour on that highway, in a snowstorm driving on ice, and we were 3 cars wide on a 2 lane highway. I drove like that for an hour. Half on the road and half on the side, meanwhile a bunch of stupid idiots were passing everyone in the centre lane (which meant they were driving on the yellow line). It was such a steady stream that it just turned into 3 lanes across!!!! I've never seen anything like it, it only happened the once but it was insane.

Most of the time on the 63 it's normal to spot people doing 150 for the entire trip. And they're not exactly coureous either!

Re: Never mind the cold - it's the drivers that'll kill you!
 

My boss in Vancouver was telling me the usual anti chinese driver story as he turned into a one way street the wrong way. He carried on telling it as he quickly spun his cherokee infront of the on coming traffic. I really dont think he sussed the irony of what had just happened.

Re: Never mind the cold - it's the drivers that'll kill you!
 

It's just as bad here in rural SW Ontario.....OH and I often rant about it. I hate those people who hug my bumper, so sometimes slow down and pull over to let them go...........they don't get it; they'll stop, wait a few seconds, then pass looking to see if your horns are in evidence. They obviously have no concept of stopping distances. When you let someone in you never, ever, get any acknowledgement; they cut you up and slice you to pieces while doing it.......and don't get me started about snowmobiles approaching on the wrong side of the road, in the dark! :curse: Pedestrians have the right of way in this part of the world, but I don't think the drivers have been told; the idea of turning right on a red light IF it's safe and clear is great, but when you're a pedestrian watch out..........I was almost hit by Woman-In-a-Hurry last week when I was crossing :blink:
How I miss the (often, not always) courteous driving in England.........why can't they adopt the "headlight language" over here.
Having said all that, my OH was once stopped at the side of a back road, looking at the map, when a passing car stopped alongside to see if he was okay. :)

Re: Never mind the cold - it's the drivers that'll kill you!
 

401, Markham, those who have experienced it know that I need say no more

Re: Never mind the cold - it's the drivers that'll kill you!
 

I never flashed in Britain, but I only did my driving test a year before we left, so had it drummed into me for that and the theory test that flashing was not good.

Over here no-one does it and I'm glad as my car can't flash anyway - its full beams are HID and if you've only got daytime running lights on, not headlights, you can't flash them at all.

I find less thank you waves over here, but I still do it. Thank goodness the indication/hazards to thank hasn't made it here either, I hate that :eek:

Re: Never mind the cold - it's the drivers that'll kill you!
 

Agree about the whole pedestrian and turning on a red light thing. Crossing lakeshore and spadina always scares me to death. There was a series of features on the local news before christmas talking about road safety, one of the main things they were pulling pedestrians up for was crossing in the middle of a block and not using the crossing.

I can see why pedestrians do it , at least in the middle of the block you can see traffic coming , on the corner where cars fly round , you don't have a hope in hell.

Re: Never mind the cold - it's the drivers that'll kill you!
 

Yep. I come off there every evening, seven days a week.

Hwy 401 and Kennedy is a very close second.Try coming off Warden and getting onto the Collectors.

Re: Never mind the cold - it's the drivers that'll kill you!
 

We saw some pretty atrocious driving in the UK, we followed a car down the A1 - weaving across two lanes, we assumed a drunk driver. We decided to get past and as we pulled along side we noticed the driver (who was swerving towards us ) was texting on her telephone. It was a relief to get past her.

And if you can picture this, two lane residential street, cars parked either side (for the shops) and two way traffic meeting in the middle - not pretty at times.

We thought that UK drivers were slightly better than the Canadian ones that act irrationally but we were looking through rosy tints!