Split personalities
 

Hi All
I have come to the conclusion that most people in Canada have split personalities, meet them in every day surroundings, grocery store, work place just walking around and they are the most friendly and warm hearted people you could ever wish to meet, who will strike up a conversation with you in a heart beat, but as so as they get behind the wheel of a motor vehicle they become some kind of monster, with zero tolerance for any other road user who happens to not be doing 20 kph above posted speed limit and is in their way, and will mouth some thing about sex and travel when they drive past you, or just give you the bird. is this just my imagination or do some people have real anger issues.

TTFN

PR.

Re: Split personalities
 

No, they just get mega pissed off at people who bimble along at 60k in the 80k limit for no good reason.....oblivious to the fact that other people have places to go, people to meet etc. This usually happens when traffic is heavy and overtaking is difficult. :frown:

Found this to be the case in the UK too.....very much so.

Re: Split personalities
 

Oh yer, arsehole drivers are International, just making an observation, had some guy who I thought was pulling out on me, so I swerved, and then he pulled along side of me making all the faces and hand gestures, then got in front of me and started with all the breaking. then wanted me to pull over, and I don`t think he wanted to buy me a beer, just made me laugh

Re: Split personalities
 

You are so so right. We should all drive as well as "they" do in Britain where one never sees speeding, tailgating, road rage, lack of turn signaling, etc, etc, etc.

Re: Split personalities
 

It's true they do those things in the UK (well apart from not indicating - that's a lot more common here); but they at least do them competently. Canadians are rubbish drivers - this is axiomatic.

Re: Split personalities
 

They don't do them as frequently as the do here either. You can be on an empty straight road travelling at 80+ and the car behind will be up your arse. If they do overtake they usually just pull in ahead of you and don't speed off.

Last time I went back to the UK driving was much less hassle than here. Mostly polite competent drivers.

Re: Split personalities
 

Get real!!!!

Re: Split personalities
 

I find Canadian drivers very intolerant, aggressive and in some cases, dangerously abusive. Its as if, and the critical phrase here is "as if", they've got somewhere really important to be and can't get there quickly enough. That said, the worst drivers, not aggressive just bad, I've come across in north America are in south Florida, but then they're usually old people.

Re: Split personalities
 

Agreed. If you didn't know better, you'd think half of them were drunk or stoned.

Re: Split personalities
 

I am - Canadians are generally much poorer drivers compared to their british counterparts. I see it everyday with my own eyes.

Re: Split personalities
 

Right, I have first hand experience of that too. One example was me driving through a parking lot (might have been at a restaurant) in Fernandina Beach. A little old lady, who couldn't have been younger than 90 or taller than 4'6", reversed out of the space she was in and tried to T-bone me. I remember it so well, I can still picture her not looking over her shoulder, using her mirrors or making any attempt at any other type of observation.

I swerved out of the way and beeped the horn to say "Watch out! I'm here!"

Without looking around, she waved her little bony fist at me and continued reversing...

I remember a lot of drivers trying to "drive for me (or whoever was driving the vehicle I was a passenger in)" by positioning their vehicle in front of mine and blocking any passing manoeuvre by cutting in and out , a phenomenon I've only witnessed in GA or FL.

Re: Split personalities
 

Is generalization allowed now?

Re: Split personalities
 

I think this spilt personality thing is not to do with your nationality, it is a global trait, there is something about being surrounded by a box of metal that makes people think they are invincible and they behave in a way they wouldn't normally...I mean if I unintentionally cut across someone in a supermarket with my trolley, would they eff and jeff at me and flip me the finger to my face...nope don't think so...

Re: Split personalities
 

On a Friday night in Bedford, I think so.

Re: Split personalities
 

At the risk of offending all drivers in Edmonton, Alberta, I declare that many driving issues here are the result of drivers who are accustomed to driving in the prairies, which means having wiiiide open space ahead of them. Put a vehicle in front of them, and they have panic attacks. Must pull around, must be lead dog in the pack!

I have no such reasonable explanation for Toronto driving :)