Albuquerque Drivers

PT Doucher at it again this morning

2011-08-01T08:26:00.001-07:00

What do you know? This shit for brains asshole in a dark blue PT Cruiser, NM License # HNF486 came up behind me on Tramway, and passed me as soon as he could, even though it was not possible to see around the upcoming turn, then proceeded to drive at probably 70+ MPH in a 50 zone all the way down the mountain, tailgating and passing everyone else, even a column of four cars. What is the damn hurry, dickhead? Late for your latte?

OK, One More

2011-07-28T06:56:00.000-07:00

I haven't been as active lately - just too busy concentrating on work and all that. But these two jerks deserve a post. The first one is a driver I had noticed more than once during my commute. Usually in the morning, traffic on Tramway is moving pretty well - 5 to 10 over the limit but safe and with enough space between cars, etc. Over several weeks, this jackass in the dark blue PT Cruiser, NM license plate HNF486 comes racing up on my tail, then passes me, then proceeds to tailgate and then pass everyone in front of them, before getting in the left lane at I25 to the southbound on ramp. WTF? Why not go down Paseo where we all know it's a racetrack and there are 3 lanes for passing?

The 2nd guy was just this morning. What I saw in my rear view mirror pissed me off - this douche nozzle on a motorcycle was passing a column of cars on Tramway. To avoid an accident, a pickup truck going the other way had to pull off to the side of the road. OK, turd in a helmet and leathers - if you want to kill yourself on that 2-wheeled piece of shit, at least don't endanger other innocent drivers on the road. License plate isn't readable in the photos, unfortunately. Dickbag then got on I25 North and we can only assume he continued his crappy driving behavior.

This just in...

2011-07-28T06:51:00.000-07:00

From a comment on my last post, this deserves it's own post.

****

This one was taken today at the Sycamore Plaza building parking lot at Academy & Wyoming. I always thought those "fail" pictures were a joke till I saw this.

This one was taken a few months ago on Rio Grande, just south of Paseo del Norte. Must have problems with the red light cameras...

My only comment on the 2nd one is that covering or altering your license plate like that is illegal. So this comes down to enforcement. Hello? Cops? I see people driving around without license plates, sometimes with them covered, etc. Simple: just pull them over - my guess is that they have a poor driving record if they are pulling this kind of shit. Easy fine. They probably don't have insurance, either. Another fine. Let's make some money for the city and get the streets safer at the same time.

You go!

2010-12-08T15:00:00.001-08:00

Here's a guy who has obviously been working hard to capture idiot drivers in the Albuquerque area and post the footage on YouTube.

Here's his latest video:

And here's his YouTube Channel.

Enjoy! Or, if you're in the videos, maybe think about getting your shit together.

Not a driving thing, but bad enough

2010-08-13T14:02:00.000-07:00

Location: Fitness Kicks gym on Montgomery between Juan Tabo and Tramway.

I've had to pick up my sister's kids at this place a few times this summer. Overall, it seems to be a great place - the kids love it and the people are nice. But I couldn't help noticing that they must not ever expect a handicapped person to park there. Is it me, or is this kind of lame? I think it's an employee who does this - parks his blue SUV or the company van right in between the two clearly indicated handicapped parking spaces. Because of this, a wheelchair would not be able to get up the ramp. Like I said - I guess no handicapped person has ever gone there or will ever go there. And, oh yeah, this is illegal.

Another tailgater on Tramway - what a surprise.

2010-07-02T12:03:00.001-07:00

This one irked me for some reason. Not only was this ugly green Ford SUV tail gating the car in front, she was driving on the shoulder to... I don't know... get the car in front to notice her or something? Was she making a point? I'm not sure but it was obnoxious to watch. You can see (barely) in the photo that the ugly green Ford SUV has it's brake lights on... when you tailgate a lot, you also have to ride your brakes a lot. Then, like a lot of speeders and tailgaters, Miss Dumbass Ugly Green Ford SUV did not gain an inch on the rest of us. You can see in the other photo that she's stuck at the light, still exactly one car ahead of me. NM license plate 797MRD.

Speeding Jerkoff

2010-05-24T14:39:00.000-07:00

I didn't even have my camera but this guy was so annoying that I grabbed a photo with my phone at the traffic signal. Basically, he was in a big fucking hurry, exhibited by the fact that he started by passing people on the right on upper Tramway road, then passed groups of cars at a time going down the hill on Tramway, punctuated by heavy tail gating. Dude, WTF is your problem? Running late at 7am? Maybe leave a little earlier next time, jackass. Gray Nissan/Infinity G35 NM license plate GYX418.

A Typical Tail Gater and a Funny YouTube

2010-05-11T07:44:00.000-07:00

It's been a while, folks. Haven't had the camera with me much lately, but of course that hasn't stopped tons of A-Holes out there from driving like complete jerks. This one was a week ago or so - a bitch in a gray Mazda, NM License plate 176??? - doesn't show well in the photo, unfortunately. Anyway, she CLOSELY followed the poor car in front of her ALL THE WAY down Tramway. Even though we were all going probably 10 over, she just couldn't help herself from trying to push the car in front of her forward. Of course there was no where for that car to go... Also, even though there were plenty of opportunities for Ms. Mazda Bitch to pass, she refrained. Concern over the speed limit? Or just plain stupidity? You decide.

Then there is this video made by someone here in the ABQ area - wish I'd thought of this. Not quite the complete A-hole drivers I'm used to seeing everywhere, but there are some gems nonetheless.

Irresponsible Jerk Tailgaiter

2010-03-28T10:00:00.000-07:00

From an anonymous contributor:

Here's my total "irresponsible, jerk tailgater" of the day... I was driving west on Alameda going home and this plastic old lady weaving in and out of the lanes. There was a motorcyclist in front of me. Being the observant wife of a motorcyclist, I don't even get close to tailgating a motorcycle. The old plastic lady cut in the spot in front of me and proceeded to tailgate the motorcycle. He changed lanes and she zoomed in right behind him and rode his ass the whole way up Alameda. Here's a picture of her completely tailgating him. Sorry about the crappy picture, but you get the picture. Silver Infiniti crossover-type-thing, NM plates 915 PPB

I think the motorcycle got off Alameda at some point. She ended up right in back of me going up the hill by Perfection Honda and was tailgating me as bad as the poor dude on the bike.

Take your time, we have all day.

2010-02-23T06:51:00.000-08:00

Usually I'm posting about people who speed, cut off other drivers, pull out without enough time, etc. But sometimes, a driver is going so slowly and is behaving so cluelessly, that I have to post it here. Last Saturday, I was running errands and was on Candelaria, just East of Juan Tabo. I was heading West, towards the intersection there, and the light had just turned green. I was planning to turn left and plenty of time remained. Or so I thought.

Lo and behold, this Dodge Stratus, NM license plate 484NDW was in the left lane in front of me, going maybe 15 MPH. I honked to hopefully wake him/her up or get them to stop talking on the cell phone or whatever for just a second or two so they would realize they were going so slowly. Nope, didn't help. Then, the Stratus got in the left turn lane in front of me. Still plenty of time to turn, and there were few cars coming the other way. Nope. Did not go. So I honked again. Light turned red. Then, some beefy guy got out of the passenger door and started toward me, yelling at me like he was going to start something. I just stared at him and shook my head. He stopped, and then got back in the car. WTF?

Tell you what, buddy. Why don't you concentrate on what's going on NEXT TO YOU in YOUR OWN CAR, then you wouldn't have other drivers honking at you. I don't know if the driver was A) a student, B) and old person, C) drunk, D) on drugs, E) Lost, F) talking on the phone, G) just got out of the doctor's office with dilated eyes YOU SHOULD NOT BE ON THE ROAD DRIVING LIKE THAT. Stay out of our way and keep the roads safer.

So then after waiting for the entire red light, we got the green arrow and turned onto Juan Tabo. Now, the Stratus was still going slowly, and appeared not to know for sure what lane to be in. The car stayed in the center lane, but turned on the right turn signal, then turned it off, staying in the center lane. I stayed well behind them until I had to turn into the bank parking lot. I can only imagine that they drove around getting in front of people wherever they went, getting honked at every so often. Sheesh.

Road Hog Endorses Candidate

2010-02-11T12:55:00.000-08:00

From an anonymous contributor:

***

Hello, I've got one for you. This truck was on I-25 South this morning, weaving in and out of rush hour traffic at about 80 MPH. Of course, I kept catching up with him because it was rush hour and there were a lot of slow-downs. That didn't stop him from finding (or creating) any gap possible to push his macho truck in.

Isn't it interesting that he's endorsing a candidate for mayor of Bernalillo? If you are campaigning, you should at least pretend you give enough of a damn for the citizens not to kill them with your over-sized Hot Wheels toy!

***

More sites, same concept

2010-01-03T18:29:00.001-08:00

Found these today:

Bill Hill's Blog about bad driving in NM.

RoadRagers.com with entries from NM.

Buzzuro's blog calling out NM as having the worst drivers...

It's not just me!

Found this on YouTube...

2010-01-02T12:03:00.000-08:00

Did a search on driving in Albuquerque and found this. I can only think that it's like that after nearly every storm here.

It's not just me...

2009-12-29T20:01:00.000-08:00

Found this post on "Best of Craigslist" and thought of the many many many times a dickwad has tail gated me when I was going 9 mph over the limit...

Right on, dude. Couldn't agree with you more.

Dillhole for the Day

2009-11-12T12:42:00.000-08:00

From an anonymous contributor:

Here's my dill hole for the day. I was driving South on I-25 this morning in the right hand lane. This jerkoff cuts me off from the center lane and as I'm entering the exit lane for Jefferson proceeds to almost take my front bumper off. No regards to who might be behind/beside him at all. NM Plate JFC860. Sorry I didn't get a picture of this idiot in action, but I was trying to honk my horn and slam on my brakes at the time.

What is WRONG with people? (for the umteenth time)

2009-07-01T19:00:00.000-07:00

This first guy came screaming down Tramway in the left lane, passing dozens of cars. He was probably going at least 70 and probably a lot faster in a 50. New Mexico License plate FASTASP. What does that mean? As fast as a Porsche? Fast as Poop? I think it should be "FASTASSHOLE". Of course, like usual, after such reckless driving, he ended up stuck behind the red left turn signal to the on ramp for I25 South. Dude, chill - you didn't get anywhere any faster than the rest of us.

Up next is the Corrales police car E3, NM License Plate G 63131. I thought it was ironic that while Corrales is famous for handing out speeding tickets to people going 3 mph over the limit of 30, this guy was going easily 10+ over the limit of 35 on Alameda Rd. going West, just West of 4th St. Nice example, buddy.

Finally, here's a guy driving a Jewel Electric van in Corrales. Unfortunately, the picture is too blurry to see the license plate. This guy thought it was perfectly fine to pull out right in front of me. I mean, I was going right at the 30 limit, which is pretty slow, and yet I had to slow down quite a bit to accommodate this jerkoff. And what did he do? He looked back at me in his side mirror so I gave him the one fingered salute and he shot one back. I guess now days it's just "everyone can fuck off - I'll do what I want". Great, people. Just great.

Why bother to look? Or to care?

2009-06-26T17:31:00.000-07:00

Nothing too remarkable here beyond the total disregard for oncoming traffic. The driver of this light gold Ford SUV, NM license plate HSS313 thought it would be just fine to pull out of the gas station parking lot RIGHT IN FRONT OF ME while I was going 40MPH. Yeah, great plan for surviving another few years. Fortunately, I had my eye on this dingbat's car and slammed on my brakes to avoid an ugly accident. Maybe next time, dumbass, try looking. And if maybe you can't see so well because there are other cars around, don't ASS-U-ME that you can just go. People, PLEASE pay attention out there.

A Tale of Two City Cops

2009-06-10T06:58:00.000-07:00

In the past two days I observed two Albuquerque Police Department squad cars being bad examples for the rest of us. Just like the cop on the RR Bad Driver Blog, these guys are living a double standard. If we had done either of these things while THEY were around, we would get a ticket. Unfortunately, I did not have my camera nor was I able to get the car numbers.

The first APD cop was driving East on Alameda between Rio Grande and 4th St. While traffic was going about 40 (in a 35) this guy thought it was perfectly fine to go 50 in the left lane and tail gate people until they moved out of his way. No lights, no siren. I couldn't swear to it, but I think he was off duty. It would have been perfect if someone had the balls to go 40 and NOT move out of his way. What would he have done, ticket them? What a jackass.

Then there was the APD cop on Juan Tabo going North at Montgomery. He got into the left lane and made a U-turn right there where this is a no-U-turn sign. Again, had any of us done that with him around, we would have earned ourselves a ticket.

I seriously do not understand how they can do this and expect the rest of us citizens to obey the law. THEY are also bound to the law and should obey it. No wonder we have a city full of douchebag drivers - even the cops participate.

Let me say this, though: not all of them are like that. I was actually pleasantly surprised this morning when an APD car was with me in traffic for a good ways on Alameda going West, ending up in Rio Rancho. He generally obeyed the speed limit or at least did not go any faster than the average traffic flow. Thank you, sir. I just wish that your fellow officers were as clued in. BTW I loved the asswipe driving a gold Accura small SUV coming up fast in the right lane to pass me and then suddenly slowing down when he realized that there was an APD car in front of him. This was of course while it was A) raining, and B) the visibility was reduced. People, please get a clue - I'd like to live a little longer and keep my car from getting bashed in. I know - I'm a dreamer.

Where's the Fire?

2009-05-27T06:51:00.000-07:00

Classic "running late" douchebag. This guy in the metallic tan Honda Accord, NM license plate JMX912 was aggressively weaving in and out of lanes, tailgating, and speeding like mad, or at least trying to. This was on 528 going North, starting at Intel and going all the way out to Northern. Funny part is that because there was a lot of traffic, this guy just couldn't get ahead. He started out behind me at Intel, tried to pass on the right, and was thwarted by a slow-moving right lane driver. Later on, maybe near Southern, he finally got around me to the left. Meanwhile, I was just rolling along with traffic at about the speed limit or maybe 5 over. By the time we got to Quantum, Mr. Honda Douchebag was right in front of me. Wow, buddy, you gained 2 whole seconds by driving like an ass for miles and miles. Either leave earlier or learn to roll with it when you're running late, instead of putting all of us at risk. Too bad there weren't some of those friendly Rio Rancho motorcycle cops out there. Then he would have REALLY been running late. Maybe next time.

Two Trucks that Suck

2009-05-19T15:35:00.000-07:00

This first guy in the dark green Chevy Silverado pickup, NM license plate 521NNW just thought he's take his sweet time turning right at Alameda off of 4th. He had arrived at the intersection right after the light turned red, and if you know that light, it stays red for two solid minutes. No joke. So he turns on his right turn signal, and then SITS THERE for about 45 seconds. There was next to no traffic going West on Alameda. I didn't want to honk and be an asshole, but I probably should have. Guy was probably talking on his damn handset cell phone like nearly everyone else I see, and just didn't realize he COULD GO AT ANY TIME.

Then there's the douche nozz driving the tan metallic Ford pickup with Wisconsin license plate 306536. He just figured that everyone needed to let him pass on the right, switch lanes aggressively, and speed on 528 in Rio Rancho. It was funny though when he ended up in the left lane where I handily passed him while calmly going the speed limit and sticking to my lane.

A Tale of Two Tail Gaters

2009-05-07T06:51:00.000-07:00

This first one was kind of typical of Corrales... Dark red Honda van, NM license plate 409TJA. I was behind this car and noticed that it was heavily tail gating the car in front of it. The driver seemed unaware that the car in front was going exactly 35mph which is the strictly enforced speed limit in Corrales. But that didn't stop the van driver from sticking to the bumper in front of him/her. Then, all of the sudden, the Honda van slowed down in front of me, and decided to go 20mph until they found their turnoff. Thanks, pal. Were you in a hurry or not?

The second car, a black, late model BMW, tail gated the pickup in front of him ALL the way down Tramway. And just like many other tailgating idiots I've seen, he never passed, even though he had ample opportunities. He didn't even pass when Tramway opened up to two lanes! Instead, he just stayed right behind the pickup. Huh? Unfortunately, I didn't get a license plate number.

A-hole of the week

2009-05-01T21:23:00.000-07:00

I haven't been posting much lately - sorry about that! But today, for some reason, I encountered more than one serious A-hole. Unfortunately, two other pictures didn't come out so I'll skip those. But this guy... I was heading South on 528 in Rio Rancho, approaching Southern. You know how it can be in the afternoon there - lots of traffic. Thus douch nozzle in the Chevy pickup is kind of taking is own time in the middle lane, but no big deal. As we approach the intersection, this guy starts slowing down and putting on his signal to change lanes into the right lane. Then he hesitates, slowing down some more. I'm behind him and I'm kind of hoping to make it through the green light because that light is a bastard, but I'm backing off since I hate tailgaters.

Then, he slows down even more and I realize that he is trying to get ALL THE WAY into the far right lane so he can TURN RIGHT! This is from the middle lane, people! Of course, he succeeds in doing that AND slowing me down enough to miss that light. And of course, he gets to turn right without waiting. So I guess he just didn't realize he needed to turn right until we were 100 ft. from the intersection? What a complete dumbass. There are accidents at that intersection ALL THE TIME and drivers like this guy are the reason. NM License plate GBH612.

At least it's not New York??

2009-03-16T15:23:00.001-07:00

Take a look at these two asshats... "Me First" taken to a whole new level.

Rio Rancho reporter now has own blog!

2009-03-16T15:21:00.000-07:00

Our intrepid Rio Rancho correspondent has gone out on their own and started a blog:

http://riorancho-drivers.blogspot.com

Maybe others will also start their own thing? Let's continue to try to shame bad, inconsiderate, rude and inattentive drivers, shall we?

Classic Tailgating Dumbass

2009-02-23T07:42:00.001-08:00

Ya just have to love the bonehead who tailgates someone for miles (like in this case, all the way down Tramway rd...) then when a 2nd lane opens up - do they finally pass their nemesis? Why, NO! They just continue to tailgate them. In this case, there would have been plenty of time to pass and then get back in the right lane before the next opportunity to turn right - if that's even what this person wanted to do. You can even see in the picture that the tailgater - the red Chrysler van with NM license plate JNK704 - has his brakes on. Where do these people learn to drive? I know - rhetorical question.

Something in the water?

2009-02-06T08:50:00.001-08:00

I don't know what it is, but the craziness factor on the roads just jumped during the past few days.

This first guy in the beater Toyota pickup pulling what appeared to be a home-made trailer (nothing wrong with that in itself). This guy was speeding along at 15+ over the limit on Alameda, west of 4th st. He thought it would be clever to try to pass me on the right, but he ran out of time. I could see him accelerating, then of course he had to slam on his brakes. Dude? Hello? you're pulling a TRAILER. Please try not to cause an accident involving 4 or more cars. No license plate info, unfortunately. But if you know this guy, please splash a strong alcoholic drink in his face and shout "IDIOT" at him for me, thank you.

This guy in the black Honda, NM license plate FFX161 simply tail gated the car in front of him ALL the way up Tramway. WTF? Yeah, buddy, that helped speed things up for everyone. All it takes is a rabbit to run across the road and you are screwed, maybe hurt, and maybe you've hurt someone else, too. BACK OFF.

The next guy, in the white Accura, NM License plate HRB575 was another one to think it was clever to pull onto Roy Rd. at 313, RIGHT in front of someone else. This time, it was in front of the car I was following, and so both of us had to slow way down to avoid hitting each other and this jerk. But when we got up to I25, I was able to get the photo. I mean, dude or dudette, it was pretty clear you thought it was OK to follow that other car through that turn, when there was barely time for him... and certainly NOT YOU. WTF is wrong with you? NO, it is not OK that several cars have to slow down for your inconsiderate ass.

Then, finally, is the complete dildo in the Saturn Sky. Picture was early in the morning, so not clear enough to see the license plate, unfortunately. First, this person tried to pass me and cut me off on upper Tramway going North. But there was not time, so he had to slam on his brakes but then tail gate the red pickup in front of him. Then he got free and ripped around me on the right and very sharply came into my lane in front of me with much less than a car length separating us. OK, yeah, whatever, dude. Your car is snappy, but please stay away from me or anyone I know. I saw him basically do the same thing after passing someone going down the hill on Tramway - after passing he jerked back into the normal lane with just a couple of feet to spare. Issues? I don't really know. But please take a chill pill or whatever.

BUSTED in Rio Rancho

2009-02-05T07:32:00.000-08:00

From our Rio Rancho correspondent:

Let me begin by saying that I have the utmost respect for law enforcement in general. Their job is a difficult and dangerous one. I have several friends who are in law enforcement and I hear the stories as I'm sure many of you do. Having said that, law enforcement officers are held to a higher standard than your average citizen worker drone, so when I witness this type of behavior from a member of law enforcement, it gets my blood pressure up:

Santa Fe City Police, motorcycle unit #297, tag #GM0878, southbound on NM528, 9:20 am. What he's doing in Rio Rancho is anyone's guess. Apparently when you're a cop and out of your jurisdiction, traffic laws don't apply to you. This asshole committed the following infractions that I could count:

• Speeding 20+ over the limit
• Following too closely (that's tailgating for you public schoolers)
• Failing to signal a lane change
• Unsafe lane change
• Whatever infraction covers weaving back and forth in your lane like you're some kind of high school punk with his first motorcycle. Better known as fucking around, looking to dump your bike and get yourself a nice road rash. Perhaps not a traffic offense, but really stupid (not to mention unprofessional) just the same.

Unbelievable. If this guy wasn't wearing what resembled official riding gear, I'd almost think that the bike was stolen the way he was riding it. This behavior from a LE officer is abhorrent, and should not be tolerated by his department. This is not an isolated incident, either. I see LE breaking traffic laws ALL the time.

Big Truck = Big A**Hole, and more

2009-02-04T06:45:00.001-08:00

On Monday afternoon during my commute home, I was heading north on 4th St. where it bends around and becomes Roy Rd. Then there's the spot where 313 intersects with Roy. For whatever reason, sometimes people feel that it's OK to disregard common sense and go ahead and take a wide left turn from 313 to Roy going East, even if cars are coming. The speed limit there on Roy is 45, which is not slow. This dimwit in a silver Honda Civic, NM license plate FMP842 was one such idiot. As I was coming around that corner, I could see that this driver was making the very poor decision to go ahead and pull in front of me. He (or she) ends up going 15mph as they get onto Roy, while I'm going 30 MPH faster. I could even see the woman in the passenger seat look over and realize that there wasn't time... So of course I had to slow way down to accommodate them. Was there anyone behind me? NO. So if they had simply waited another two or three seconds, they could have pulled out without being complete rude jerks.

But this next guy is so typical around here. He's in one of those lifted Dodge pickup trucks with a shell. You know, with the huge grille that fills your whole angle of view in the rear view mirror? Diesel? OK, so this morning, I was heading up the hill on Alameda where it becomes 528 just South of Rio Rancho. This fucktard thought it would be great to be in the right lane and try to pass as many cars as possible. Only problem was the right lane ends just near the top of the hill. Instead of backing off, this guy kept himself wedged in there so that the cars around him had to react. Finally, a Volvo in the lane next to him had the opportunity to move over to the left and let this guy in. This was all happening just a couple of cars behind me, but I could see the whole thing play out in my mirrors.

Then of course I knew I'd have a chance to get a photo of him as he came roaring past me on 528 next to Intel, once he had finally broken free from the gaggle of cars in which he was stuck. He proceeded to speed like crazy on 528, and of course ended up making bad lane choices, so I passed him again at the traffic signal at Southern. Then he again drove like mad, weaving in and out of lanes to pass me, while tailgating other cars, changing lanes with about 2 ft. to spare, etc. Complete big truck, small dick kind of guy. Unfortunately, I didn't get a good license plate photo.

Not just a one-time thing

2009-01-29T06:36:00.000-08:00

Since I first noticed this guy in the dark blue Ford F150 with big chrome wheels, NM license plate 994FXB, now I see him at least a couple times a week. I think he works sorta near where I work. Anyway, he always drives like a complete asshat - speeding, cutting people off, and generally being as impatient as a cat in heat. Dude, chill out before you hurt someone else. I don't care about you, just the rest of us.

I'm glad YOU don't need to be anywhere!

2009-01-28T06:37:00.000-08:00

Going through Corrales is usually a pleasant drive because it's slower and there are no traffic signals between 528 in Rio Rancho, and Alameda right before Corrales Rd. turns into Coors. But on this particular evening, I was behind one of those drivers that just figures that because THEY don't have to be anywhere in a hurry, that the dozen cars stacked up behind them shouldn't, either. This person thought it was perfectly acceptable to drive at between 20 and 25 MPH in a 30 zone. Let's face it, 30 is pretty slow already, but this is Corrales and we accept that when we drive through there. But because there are NO places to pass (it's a solid double yellow line all the way through town) one would hope that everyone has the common courtesy to just GO. Not this jerk. And if anyone thinks "maybe they're old and they have slower reflexes so they should drive slower" let me say this: if they're that old and their reflexes are that slow, they should not be on the road in the first place. But I understand that maybe they HAVE to be, but at least they could avoid rush hour when people are trying to get home after a long day of DOING SOMETHING. Light gold colored Acura, NM license plate JGF042.

Nothing says "I'm a DICK" quite like this...

2009-01-27T13:07:00.000-08:00

From our Rio Rancho correspondent:

This was in the Albertson's parking lot in High Resort, Rio Rancho. This assclown clearly thinks he is better than everyone else by taking up 2 parking spaces when he easily could have exercised the slightest bit of common courtesy and pulled in straight. Unlike the angry guy in the Prelude, this guy has no excuse. I was there - no one prevented him from parking normally. White Toyota Tundra with trash-filled piece of shit cap, NM tag JBM770.

Back to Texas for this guy, too, please.

2009-01-20T13:02:00.000-08:00

So I was heading down Tramway like I often am, going at a comfortable 10 over like everyone else. This guy in a black Lexus zooms up behind me, tailgates me for a second, then rips around me. I thought it appropriate to flip him off, through my tinted side window, as he was going past me. I guess he must have been looking at me (instead of the road) because after he got in front of me, he slammed on his brakes. OK, so it was dangerous enough to pass me going 20 over, and now he's mad at me enough to risk an accident? What a buttmunch. Texas license plate 611FGX. Oh yeah, by the way, as you can see in the picture that he's stuck at the red light at Rainbow Rd. with the rest of us. Lot of good the speeding, passing, and checking the brakes did him, huh?

Day of the Douchebags

2009-01-09T06:53:00.000-08:00

It's just starting to be light enough during my morning commute to start taking photos again. Even still, the light was weak and I was lucky to get usable photos.

This first guy came ripping around me on Alameda going West. I was going with the flow (5 to 10 over, as usual) and this guy was going at least 15 to 20MPH faster... Mmmmkay! Then of course for the next three or four stoplights, all the way into Rio Rancho, I kept catching up with him since he had stopped at the red. Oh, don't let me forget to say that he completely blew a red at Loretta. Dark blue Ford F150 with big chrome wheels, NM license plate 994FXB. Maybe that's it? He thought he was driving a 944? He proceeded to drive like a bat out of hell all through Rio Rancho - typical stuff like passing as many people as possible in the right lane then jamming himself into the next lane before his lane ended... By the time he turned off 528 down in that light industrial area just down the hill near Rockaway Blvd, he had gained maybe 5 seconds on me... way to go, buddy. Thanks for putting everyone else in danger, like that guy on the bike. I'm sure it was worth it.

The 2nd guy was kind of doing the same thing although not quite as aggressively. But basically his goal was to pass everyone on the right before his lane ended. Same thing - he never gained more than a few seconds on the traffic around him. In fact, I ended up passing him because, even though he thought he was smart, he really wasn't paying attention to traffic flow. Light blue small SUV - not sure of the make. Sorry the picture didn't come out better for the 2nd one.

It was brought to my attention....

2008-12-15T15:07:00.001-08:00

Since I have no other way to respond to this person:

It was brought to my attention that in one of the posts here, things were not as they seemed on the surface. The picture showed a car parked across the line in a parking lot, and apparently the owner of the car found this site and asked the post to be removed (well, "ask" isn't exactly the right way to describe it...) To this person - I apologize. And I understand where you were that day, because it's happened to me, specifically at Gardunos on Montgomery because they lines in their lot don't make sense! Please accept my apology and notice that the post has been removed.

sorry...

2008-12-11T11:25:00.000-08:00

I know I haven't posted in a while. Too dark in the morning and the evening to get any good shots during commuting times. But there's been no shortage of douche bag drivers out there. Just blows my mind sometimes. I'm sure you know what I mean.

Smooth move, Ex Lax...

2008-11-10T13:55:00.000-08:00

I was heading North on 528 through Rio Rancho. This loser in a dark blue Nissan Frontier pickup, NM License Plate CLR985 was waiting to turn right off a side street onto 528. I'm sure you've seen dumbass drivers do this... this person waited... and waited... and then decided that the oncoming traffic (with me included) were close enough to cause maximum disruption if he/she pulled out. So of course that's when the truck pulled out. I had to jam on my brakes and change lanes quickly to avoid hitting this guy. WTF???

Anonymous Post #4

2008-11-05T08:31:00.000-08:00

From one of our anonymous correspondents:

***
Here's another DIMWIT... This idiot had issues driving because... she has a dog IN HER LAP!

No, wait she has TWO DOGS IN HER LAP!!!

We followed this idiot all the way from Washington/Alameda to 528/448. She was in a silver Buick Rendezvous, NM plates FTT 600.

Douche Bag of the Day

2008-11-05T08:16:00.000-08:00

This guy thought he would race up the left lane on 528 near Southern (going North) and cut me off behind a Semi. He was probably going about 60 in a 45. I signaled and got over anyway, and he of course had to slow down and then tailgate me. As soon as we got past the semi, he raced around me to the right, so he could TURN RIGHT at the next light!!! Buddy, if you needed to turn right, what the hell were you doing in the LEFT lane? Black Dodge Dakota pickup, NM license plate 224 NHM.

Found Another Blog!

2008-10-25T18:41:00.000-07:00

This Safe Drivers United blog is out of Florida, and quite well done. Looks like this guy and I have been doing this for about the same amount of time. I've gotten some ideas from him about new ways to do this. So I say - Bill, thank you! And keep up the good work.

http://safedriversunited.blogspot.com/

Anonymous Post #3

2008-10-25T12:36:00.000-07:00

Here's another ABQ genius... We followed this chick from Paseo & Coors all the way till they finally turned off at 528 and Westside. She had her right turn signal on the entire time we followed her (as you can see in the pic). She was driving 40 along Coors while dancing along to her tunes. It was a real treat to watch... Or not. Silver Toyota 4Runner, NM plates KJG 744

Anonymous Post #2

2008-10-17T07:04:00.000-07:00

Here's another one that came in through the comments. Thanks, guys!

****

Here's another tool - I was sitting at the light at Monroe & Montgomery (at the Women's Hospital), when this idiot just moseyed through the RED light on Montgomery. It's a good thing I saw this guy coming... He proceeded to turn right onto Jefferson from WB Montgomery where he went a leisurely 28mph in a 35 zone. He was older than dirt with an ugly ass grey beard to go along with it. NM plate 904 MNC

How does it feel?

2008-10-10T18:58:00.000-07:00

How does it feel to be in control of the cars behind you? Yeah, you in the Thunderbird with the tan top, NM license plate # HJH188? In Corrales on Thursday evening, going South, you must have thought you were hot stuff cruising along at 25-30 MPH in a 35 zone. Sure, I understand that there are some twisties that require us all to slow down a bit. But in the straightaway? Please have some respect for those behind you that actually might want to get there sometime today. By the time we all got through Corrales, thanks to you, there was at least 10 cars behind you, all simply wanting to just go the FRIGGIN' SPEED LIMIT. If you do plan to take a nice leisurely country drive, please do not do it during RUSH HOUR when we all want to get home from work after a long day.

Rio Rancho #4

2008-10-09T14:09:00.000-07:00

Another classic from our fearless Rio Rancho Correspondent:

***

Wow, check out this douchebag in the VW on my way home last night. This little snowboarder punk might own the slopes, but he also thinks he owns the road. He's too cool for traffic laws. The first picture I took after he passed -check that- blew by me on 528 going 70+ in a 55. He caught the red light anyway, which shows that driving stupid doesn't get you anywhere. Please turn your attention to the cell tower on the right (green arrow). Those of you who know this area back me up on this.. the distance traveled between picture #1 and picture #2 is not very far (note the position of the cell tower - still there) but wait.. where did peter cottontail go in his little bunny rabbit car? He's gone, baby, and he cut off a bunch of people in the process, never using his signal once. He's in front of the red Nissan, and I painted a nice red stripe to show you how he got there so fast. Compare the position of all the cars at the light, then in the 2nd picture. It doesn't take a rocket surgeon to see how this prick was driving. Speeding 70+ in a 55, following too closely, failure to signal, unsafe lane change (several times). This asshole was breaking every traffic law he could at every opportunity. White Volkswagen Fagmobile, NM license #KAP321

First Anonymous Submittal!

2008-10-07T12:02:00.001-07:00

Here's our first report from one of you out there on the streets of ABQ:

***

This morning I was on the I-25 SB ramp turning left onto EB Jefferson. There is only one left turn lane there and I was the 2nd in line (after an APS short bus). This nimrod pulled up in the middle (straight) lane and proceeded to turn her signal on and inch herself out into the intersection. Dark red pickup truck with white camper shell. NM license plate #542DMT. As soon as the light turned green, she shot out, turned left and swerved in front of the bus. I've seen her do this before, but this is the first time I've caught her on camera.

***
Just a comment: you can see in the photo that even thought the light is not even red yet for the traffic on Jefferson, that the subject of the above post is already halfway out into the intersection. I agree: what a tool!

Requests for Guest Postings

2008-10-01T07:44:00.000-07:00

Since the Rio Rancho correspondent has given me some excellent posts, I have had requests from several other people wishing to do something similar. If you are interested in being a guest correspondent, just post your story in a comment area and include a request to have it posted to the blog. Since I moderate comments, I can take it from there. If you have photos, find a photo hosting site like flickr or similar, and post your photos there, then include the URLs in your comment. Again, I'll see this and no one else will. I'll grab the photos and re-post them here as part of the new entry.

I absolutely guarantee your anonymity.

I look forward to your submissions!

More from our Rio Rancho Correspondent

2008-09-26T09:41:00.000-07:00

Act I (late afternoon, a Wednesday): Young kid in green Mustang. This ass believes that posted speed limits don't apply to him. As I was in the right lane going the speed limit, he jockeys to get around a few cars behind me, then proceeds to floor is in the left lane northbound on 529. Witness the distance he puts between me and his redneck ferrari in short order. He was going at *least* 75 in a 55. Cops? Hello? NM tag #JBN419

By the way, no offense to you who drive redneck Ferraris - I wouldn't mind getting my mitts on one of those new Bullitt Mustangs, but still -- it's a redneck Ferrari.

Act II (morning, Thursday): Check out this progression of pictures. This is a typical vehicular arrangement on 528 on any given day, at any given time. In the right lane we have people driving sensibly, albeit a little under the speed limit. However, they are in the right lane where they should be, I have no beef with these people - they are being considerate. Also, the girl in the green civic is a cutie, but I digress. In the left lane, we have a premium selection of retarded ass clowns who are NOT considerate, and are driving SLOWER than the people in the right lane. Example: lady driver from Georgia in her shiny blue Escalade, Georgia tag # AHJ7646. Check out the lane-hogging going on here.

Can I sound a call to action for all state governments to require mandatory re-qualifications for all drivers every few years? Does this really need to be legislated? I think it is, no? Failure to keep right? How about all you LE getting off your ass and start pulling some of these dipshits over and writing them up.

Rio Rancho, City of Vision (except when it comes to its drivers).

2008-09-05T14:55:00.000-07:00

GUEST ENTRY #3 From RIO RANCHO:

So yesterday (Thursday) I could have put a video camera on my dash and uploaded my whole commute there were so many dipshits on the road. But I didn't.

Today presented me with an opportunity to out a bad driver who really needs outing. Please turn your attention to exhibit A, the school bus. This lady bus driver was exceeding the posted speed limit by at LEAST 10 miles per hour, with a load of elementary kids. I was about to make a right turn in front of her, but I stopped and reassesed my decision, as her velocity was much higher than I originally thought and she was closing on me very quickly. When she blew past me, I pulled out and barely caught up with her to take her picture before she rolled through the stop sign on to her next batch of victi... children. Rio Rancho public school bus, license plate # SKB1148. Call your city councilor today, parents.

Exhibit B, White Dodge 4x4 with tag frame that reads "Silly cowboys, trucks are for cowgirls" and has some letters and numbers that read "GLB168". Apparently cowgirls like to dawdle in the left lane at 5 mph UNDER the speed limit and hold up traffic, because that's exactly what this filly was doing. Silly cowgirl, the left lane is for PASSING. Didn't you cowpokes pay attention in driver's ed, or whatever you have here in NM? Yes, I am not originally from here, but I digress. When you're not passing someone, keep your ass in the right lane so that those of us who would like to travel at the speed limit can do so without you retards holding up our progress, and everyone piling up behind us. It may seem like it in the picture, but there is not enough room to get around her. I don't think she is being mean or anything, I just think she is clueless.

If you were offended by the "retard" comment, please send your complaints to:

US Censorship Bureau,
First Amendment Division,
Washington DC

Good day, and I hope my diatribe was concise enough for "Anonymous", since I am really doing this just to win his approval.

Bat out of Hell, mark II

2008-09-03T15:37:00.000-07:00

So this guy in the blacked-out Chevy SS Pickup, NM license plate 977BSZ came ripping past me in the right lane on Juan Tabo at about 7am this morning. I was in the middle lane. So then some poor sucker pulls out into that right lane, not realizing that this asshat was going 60mph... the black pickup has to slam on his brakes, and of course honks at the guy. Then the black pickup gets around the guy and proceeds to rip up the right lane again to pass a tractor trailer in the middle lane by going maybe 70MPH. Then he comes across over into the left lane so that he can turn left onto Montgomery. What a total jerk. I was lucky to get a shot where his license plate was readable because he has some kind of smoked plastic covering his plate. Gee, I wonder why?

For those concerned about privacy...

2008-09-02T14:31:00.000-07:00

Here's another site where people post beefs about bad drivers, along with license plate info:

http://www.reportbaddrivers.com/

Interestingly, there are no entries for NM. I encourage you to go there and start them up!

New Car, Same Douchebag Behind Wheel

2008-08-29T07:47:00.000-07:00

No doubt this person was a crappy, aggressive jerk driver even before the new car... but perhaps the new car gave this person even more "confidence" or whatever it is that makes people like this drive like this. This driver was weaving in and out of traffic, trying to pass everyone, even though traffic was dense and really, there was nowhere to go. Not only that, but the speed limit on Alameda is 35, and everyone was already going 40. No, that didn't matter. This person just figured that it was worth any risk or any driving behavior to just be ONE MORE CAR AHEAD! Unfortunately, I never got close enough to get a decent shot of the temp license. I'm surprised it's even legal to place a temp tag behind tinted glass, but apparently it is because I see it all the time...

In the photo, you can see that the brake lights are on. What you can't see is that this silver Chevy Trailblazer SS is RIGHT ON THE ASS of the car in front of him. By the time I turned off on 2nd street, I was still right behind him. He did not get ANY lead on ANYONE despite the super-crappy driving behavior. People - please just CHILL and GO WITH THE FLOW and stop trying to dominate everything and everyone. It just simply does not work. What it does is increase your chances thousands of times over that you will be involved in an accident with other drivers who were simply there, minding their own business, trying to get from work to home or whatever. It will be YOUR FAULT, and other innocent drivers may be hurt, and cars will be damaged. Can we just give it a rest?

Bad Car Camera Back in Action!

2008-08-27T11:57:00.000-07:00

After a "vacation" and some guest blog entries from Rio Rancho, I'm back at it today. Happened to have the camera all rigged up and along comes this 'tard. I was among a group of cars heading West down Tramway at the speed limit (admittedly it felt a tad slow) when along comes this guy in a silver Chevy Impala, NM license plate #JJG069. He passed several (four or five) cars behind me and then me, all in one sweep (that's illegal), then jammed himself behind the car in front of me since there was someone coming East up ahead. Then he got back in the left lane and passed another group of cars. You can see in the 2nd photo how he is right up on the bumper of the car in front of him (and he has his brakes on). What a douchnozz.

Continuing the Guest Post Idea

2008-08-18T09:59:00.001-07:00

My friend submitted another entry for this blog, so here it is:

I have a question for everyone. Why is is that people slow down to 5 mph below the speed limit when there is a cop in the vicinity? I have a theory: Those people are breaking the law and don't want to get pulled over because they have no license, no registration, no insurance, drugs in the car, open beer in the car, drunk, body in the trunk, or some combination thereof. Am I right??

Apparently these two asshats are current on all their documentation and are sober, because they were racing northbound on 528 last night. The future organ donor on the rice rocket kept speeding up and slowing down for no reason, as if to say "Look at me everyone, I'll be on life support in the near future while my parents decide whether they should donate my organs so someone who might actually give a shit about living would appreciate them more than I do." The guy ahead of him in the Hyundai has a case of motorcycle envy, and tried and tried the whole way up 528 to get ahead of the motorcycle, because he's the type of guy (and you've all encountered this guy) who takes it as a personal insult when you pass him, even if he's being the dick that he loves being by dawdling int he left lane. It looks like he won today's race, because he's in front as they're waiting to make a left onto Enchanted Hills. Congratulations buddy. Let me uncork a bottle of champagne, not because you won, but because you didn't kill anyone on your way to victory lane. This chump was going 70 or 80 at times, cutting people off and tailgating just to get to the bike, which of course was doing the same thing. Unfortunately I didn't get their tag numbers clearly, but I hope you recognize them.

And where is the cop when this is going on? Oh wait, he was in the Lexus earlier this week...

Guest Editorial

2008-08-11T10:45:00.000-07:00

The following post was written by someone that knows I do this blog. This person asked me if they could write something about an incident that involved two bonehead drivers in Rio Rancho - with pictures! So of course I said yes.

Here it is, unedited.

****

I commute to work and back on 528, and it is a rare day when there aren't 2 assclowns pacing each other going 5 below the speed limit. Since the guy in the right lane is where one should be when one wants to dillydally, I have no beef with those people. However, when someone gets in the left lane and goes the same speed, especially when there's no one else around, I just can't comprehend that level of stupidity and/or lack of common courtesy.

Case in point, this morning's commute. Exhibit A: Guy in silver Lexus, tag number TEI-JVD (helpful hint: don't get a vanity tag if you're going to be a dick). This moron was pacing the car to his right for at least a mile at 52-53 mpg (in a 55 zone). Since I like to get where I'm going, I like to go the speed limit, and a bit over. If you're familiar with 528, you know you can go 60 and the cops won't even turn their heads at you. Anyway, as you can see by his brake lights, he felt it was his duty to keep everyone on the road at a safe speed, even if it was under the limit. Notice the complete lack of vehicles in front of both cars. There was nothing as far as the eye could see. Buddy, Let the police worry themselves over my velocity and get your midlife-crisis-mobile out of my way, mkay? By the way, at no time was I tailgating - I used the zoom on my camera and you can see how far away I am. Spare me the "using a camera while you're driving" speeches, kids. It takes no more effort or distraction for me to point my camera and push the button than it does for you to look down at your cigarette lighter or open your beer while YOU'RE driving, so shut it.

Act II: Over the rise, the dimwit in Exhibit 2 (Jeep, with tag number JJM287) made a right turn onto 528 with plenty of room - if he were to use his accelerator after turning. He did not. He made the turn, and then pretty much sat there. By the time our group got to him, he might have been going maaaybe 30, causing the lady in the right lane to have to slow waaaay down to keep from rearending his stupid ass. However, this opened up the right lane, and a way for me to put Captain Brakepedal in my rearview, so I signaled and got in the right lane to pass (and why should I be using the right lane to pass??!?) Remember now, the guy in the Lexus slowed down and paced the car to his right. BUT, when I was int he right lane, passing him at maybe 58 mph, he speeds up. So I goose it a little and get in the right lane so I don't hit more dimwits ahead of me who think that 55 really means 45, and our friend in the Lexus decides to tailgate me the rest of the way until I got to my turn. I made sure I didn't cut him off, as I am not a discourteous driver.

Another day, another encounter with people who need counseling. It's funny how people's true personalities emerge when they are behind the wheel. Stay tuned, hopefully I'll be allowed to contribute more often and keep you up to date on Rio Rancho's bad drivers.

Three for the Road

2008-07-31T06:56:00.001-07:00

Today, unfortunately, I didn't bring my camera... I had three good ones, listed below in terms of annoyance/danger:

1. Guy in a big white Ford pickup, NM license plate # HWS375 decided that he would pull out onto Corrales Rd. right in front of me and proceed to go 25MPH, no doubt just to annoy me. I was going at the 30MPH speed limit, and of course there was no one behind me. So he could have waited just another second or so and pulled in behind me and done whatever the hell he wanted to do. But no, that wasn't good enough. He had to get in someone's way or his day just wouldn't be complete. Then of course he had to turn left about 1/4 later, and held me up again... Thanks, pal.

2. Going down Tramway, I was rolling along at +10 like everyone else, with lots of space between cars - pretty ideal situation. Then suddenly I noticed a silver BMW passing the car behind me (this is a two lane road). Admittedly, it is permissible to pass on Tramway. But, this guy decided to break the law and pass me too, without going back into our lane first. There was plenty of room. Silver 330 or M3 with "Dinan" badge, and NM license plate # BMW. Later on, going down Alameda, he was behind me. I'm not sure how that happened. Clearly, driving 75 down Tramway and illegally passing two (or possibly more) cars at once did not get him ahead of anyone.

3. This guy wins the prize. Dark blue late-model Toyota Camry, NM license plate #HXX364. I was behind two other cars (including the silver BMW) at the red light right under the I25 overpass on Tramway, waiting to continue West. I noticed this Toyota coming around on the right, but the light turned green before this guy really had a chance to pass all of us. Did he get a clue and realize it wasn't going to be possible to pass any of us before the two lanes merge into one lane? NO! He decided instead to try to wedge himself between me and the car in front of me. I wasn't having any of it, so I stayed close to the guy in front of me. Did the guy get a clue then? NO! He kept at it, thinking for some reason that he had a right to cut me off, which of course he did not. I just stayed on the guy in front of me until this friggin' jerkwad finally backed off. It was probably a good thing because a cop was coming the other way just ahead of us. Maybe Mr. Toyota saw him and realized he was at fault. Nah, he was too clueless for that.

Anyway, up ahead just before Tramway/Roy turns into 4th St., it opens to two lanes again briefly and the left lane exits onto 2nd St. So of course this guy goes like 70 MPH (speed limit is 45) and passes me. Wow! He gained one car! No doubt it was to show me "who was boss" (I thought that was cleared up already?). And of course we get to the light at Alameda at the same time (i.e. he hasn't gained more than maybe 1/2 second by this point). Then we go down Alameda and he flat out ran a red light at Thomas. I stopped there, thinking I wouldn't see him again. Lo and behold, when I reached Corrales Rd., he was waiting there at the red light. Buddy, all that super aggressive driving did not gain you one damn second! It was dangerous and incredibly rude. The really ironic part is that he had a "peace" sticker on his back window. Buddy, douche nozzles like you are why people end up fighting in the first place. You want peace? Be respectful and courteous. Got it?

In a hurry, Much?

2008-07-21T07:27:00.000-07:00

Well, I forgot to bring my camera today and it was a shame. Classic speeder today. While I was heading North on Tramway, I noticed this car - a dark blue Mercury Milan was gaining on me. She ended up right behind me as I got to the stop sign before heading down the hill. There was a large SUV in front of me as we started down the hill, but we were all going at a good speed. As we reached the real downhill part, the Mercury driver got impatient and got in the left lane to pass me. Not a huge deal, but we were already going 10 over... then she stayed in the left lane for a few seconds, looking like she intended to just cruise there and pass the SUV also. Until she noticed that there were cars coming East on Tramway. So she got over. And proceeded to tailgate the SUV all the way down Tramway to I25. Get a grip, lady! And as it turned out, I got down there to I25 at the same time she did. There was nothing for her to gain, basically. I can only imagine how she then drove once she got on I25 North. I tried to remember her license plate number (didn't have a chance to write it down) but since I'm not 100% certain, I won't post it here.

Last night on the way home from a restaurant, I saw some seriously silly driving. I was approaching a 4 way stop. To my right, there was a van that had just stopped at the sign. All of the sudden, a gold Honda zipped around that van on the right (there was only one lane) and turned left in front of me. The van hadn't even had a chance to go yet. It was just ridiculous!

A few thoughts

2008-07-17T07:33:00.000-07:00

Let me address some of the issues that have come up in the comments lately.

1. Taking pictures while driving. The idea of this has gotten quite a few people on my case. First, I don't think it's nearly the distraction that you seem to think it is. It takes about 2 seconds to snap a photo, and with an auto-everything camera, there's not much thinking to be done and thus very little distraction. It's like picking up a cup of coffee from the cupholder and taking a sip, while keeping my eyes on the road. And don't tell me that you and just about everyone else doesn't do that. Actually, I don't do that, because I don't like coffee. Nevertheless, I agree to consider that any distraction at all is not good, and thus I've rigged up my camera with a remote trigger, and the camera is mounted on the back of my rear-view mirror, facing to the front of the car. Now, I just have to push the button on the remote - I don't even have to hold the camera. Just like shifting or changing the volume on the radio or turning on a blinker.

2. Privacy. A few people, inspired perhaps by this post on Craigslist, have questioned that I might be violating rights to privacy. There is no private information contained in a license plate number, photo of car, and description of crappy driving. No one but the APD and the DMV have access to private info from a license plate. So let's just let that go, shall we? The main point of this blog is to call out those who drive like they think no one is watching. Guess what? Someone is watching. If you find yourself here, I hope you are embarrassed. If you know someone who has been called out on this blog, please share this with them.

It's this simple, folks. Don't drive like an douchebag and you won't end up here. I'm not the only one tired of your crap, as evidenced by the supportive comments. I realize that it is normal to drive 10 over in many places. I advocate following the flow of traffic. What I don't like (and most people don't like) is the rude stuff - tailgating when the car in front of you is already going 10 over (or more). Cutting people off. Driving too slowly for no reason. Passing on the right. Ignoring common courtesy (I guess it's not so common any more). Just because you're in your metal and glass car and think you are anonymous and that you can get away with whatever you want, guess what - it's not true any more. There are red light cameras, unmarked cop cars and speed vans, and jerks like me with cameras. Maybe instead of blaming me and the red light cameras for your problems, you might look in the mirror.

Leave earlier and drive slower - you'll get better gas mileage and live longer. I'm not saying you have to crawl along and do all that hypermiling shit. I don't do that, either. But I try to use my head, which is something that it appears a whole heck of a lot of drivers don't do. Here's a good rule of thumb - think of the other drivers on the road as people you know. Co-workers, cousins, aunts, sisters, sons and nephews. Just picture them that way. Pretend that you will meet up with every one of the other drivers at your destination. If you thought you had to face a human being after your antics, you might re-consider your driving habits.

Have a nice day!

Unbelievable!

2008-07-08T19:54:00.001-07:00

True, I've been very busy lately, and not terribly motivated to bring the camera and take pictures. But that doesn't mean there haven't been tons of horrid drivers out there! Yesterday, I noticed that everyone seemed to be half alseep on the road. Must have been the "first day back from vacation" thing. They just were not paying attention.

Today I saw the funniest thing, though. I was heading East on Alameda just West of Corrales. I was moving along with the rest of traffic, when I noticed a black Trans Am passing me on the right. I guess it was a mid-'90s model. What I noticed was this. The car looked pretty good, with some fancy wheels, a nice wax job, and some chrome-tipped exhausts. But the driver was just driving like a douchebag. But get this - the left front tire was one of those donuts! He was driving like it was some sort of race, weaving in and out of the traffic, and going 10MPH faster than everyone else when he had the chance (which was not often) and all of this while he had a donut spare on one of his front tires. Man oh man. I figure that thing lasted for about half the way home. What a complete moron.

You Might Be an Albuquerque Driver if...

2008-06-05T08:05:00.000-07:00

You might be an Albuquerque Driver if...

...when you notice someone using their turn signal to change lanes, you speed up and cut them off.

...you think that 10 over the limit is "normal" and that it's OK to go 20 over once in a while.

...you figure that because you have a big truck that everyone else deserves to just get out of your way.

...you hate the idea of traffic signal cameras because they are an "invasion of your privacy".

...you don't use your turn signals so that other drivers can't be alerted to your intended lane change and rush to cut you off.

...when you're not speeding, you think it's perfectly fine to go right at the speed limit in the left lane despite a pile of cars behind you trying to pass.

...you don't think it's necessary to maintain your vehicle with working turn signals, brake lights, decent tires, etc. but it's perfectly OK to go 80MPH on the interstate.

...you think that tailgating the car in front of you will help them speed up, even if there are cars in front of them and they have no where to go.

...you think it's OK to pass someone on a 2-lane road, in the rain, even though they are going the same speed as the cars in front of them, but are leaving a safety margin.

...you think it's normal to pass everyone on the right and then cut them off just before your lane ends to save yourself five seconds.

...you think it's normal to stomp on the gas as soon as the light turns green and race as fast as possible to the next light, even though it's obvious it's going to turn red before you can get there.

Driving Like Jerks in the Rain

2008-05-22T07:17:00.001-07:00

It's rare to get rain here, although it's heading towards the Summer "rainy season" now. I don't know why I'm surprised about this, but it seems there are those that drive just as aggressively despite the lower visibility, loss of traction, and the possibility that everyone else might be just a tad distracted...

This first guy just decided that despite the seven cars in front of him going down Tramway all at about the same speed, that he would pass me. There just wasn't room between me and the car in front of me, so at first he tried to squeeze in. This kind of thing does not endear me to such drivers, so I did not feel it was necessary to slow down and let him do that. It was his choice to try to pass in these conditions, right? So then he realized that wasn't going to work (i.e. I wasn't going to bend over) so he continued to pass more cars. Buddy - that is breaking the law. Admittedly, the car at the front of the line was ONLY going 50 in a 50 zone, and frankly, that's kind of slow on Tramway. But I totally disagree that it means it's time to try and pass everyone during a drizzle. NM license plate 734MNB on a blue Toyota 4Runner.

This second guy was a typical "try to pass a bunch of people on the right before my lane ends and then shove myself in to your lane" assholes. Buddy - everyone was moving along pretty well - about 5MPH over the limit at that point. Why be such a friggin' jerk? Looking at the photo, I just noticed the dent on his left rear bumper. Hmm? How'd you get that? AZ license plate 181XZP on a silver Dodge Neon (?) with a Mercedes logo on the back?

Incredible. OK, not really...

2008-05-15T20:56:00.001-07:00

... but I was so dumbstruck, that I missed the really good photo. I was waiting to turn left from Alameda onto 2nd on Wednesday evening. This guy in the white Ford pickup, NM license plate JYA911 decides that he can still turn left despite the fact that the light had already turned red. Not yellow. RED. But the problem was that the traffic going South on 2nd had already started up! So he got stuck there for a second with people honking at him, then he finally got to move on. This all happened right in front of me and I just didn't even pick up the camera I was so stunned. But I grabbed it and got a shot of him tearing down Alameda...

Some typical duds and a big fat jerk

2008-05-08T07:21:00.000-07:00

Let me start by saying that these first two drivers from yesterday evening weren't particularly dangerous or supremely annoying. Nevertheless, I have a difficult time understanding them and they got under my skin after a while.

The first one was a white Olds Bravada NM license plate # 063BTZ. On Corrales Rd., this guy wavered between 20 and 30 MPH, despite being either in a 35 zone or a 30 zone. He would just kind of slow down, then speed back up a bit, and slow down again for no obvious reason. 20 MPH is awfully slow.

Then of course while I was stuck behind the white Olds, there was the woman in the metallic blue Nissan Sentra, license plate # JNH 215 tailgating my ass pretty much the whole time. I mean right on my ass. Sure, we were going slow, and there was nowhere I could go. I just have no idea what she thought she was accomplishing by riding my bumper, other than inviting a little bump if I had to slam on my brakes. It was tempting, but then we'd be there for another hour...

Unfortunately, for the big fat jerk, there was no safe way to get a photo or a license plate number. I was heading West on Paseo del Norte this morning. The usual place: the traffic signal at Jefferson. For whatever reason, there were a lot of cars on Paseo going West. Whatever. I was in a group of cars starting to move after the light, and then out of nowhere, a white Chevy pickup with a couple of ladders in the back swooped around everyone in the far right lane and muscled his way into the 3rd lane as his lane ended. This guy proceeded to drive like a maniac, swerving in and out of lanes to get to the front of the pack, where he took off down Paseo. Dangerous and annoying, plain and simple. No wonder there are accidents on Paseo all the time with drivers like this assmunch.

No shortage of jerks today!

2008-04-29T11:15:00.000-07:00

I had what is probably a fairly typical ride down I40, onto I25, and then West on Paseo. I guess I just don't go that way very often, and for good reason! Holy cow. Anyway, the first guy that caught my attention was driving a white '90s GMC Sonoma pickup going West on I40 near Louisiana. I can't be 100% sure from the photos, but the license plate looks to be either GMR711 or GMB711. Anyway, this guy was zooming from lane to lane, tailgating with the worst of them, passing on the right, etc. Just a rolling hazard.

The next driver was in the far right lane as you approach the exit to I25 North. I was one lane over, but needed to get in that exit lane. This guy came zooming up, ignoring my turn signal, and acted like he (or she) wasn't going to let me in. Excuse me? So I had to muscle my way in. Then this car proceeds to drive like a maniac once we got on 25. Zooming across lanes, trying to pass people when it didn't make sense, etc. Another rolling menace, in this case a light metallic blue Mercury Sable NM license plate CYF104.

Then Mr. Policeman decides to make an appearance on the blog today. I was heading down the hill on Paseo just before the light at Jefferson. Many times I've noticed that the right lane is empty, but people usually get in that lane to turn. I was first in line in the 2nd lane over, and the right lane was empty. There was no one behind me. So this ABQ police car pulls next to me in the right lane. Was he turning? NO! So he just sat there while dozens of cars needing to turn right were stuck behind him. Then when the light turned green, you of course know what happened. He accelerated quickly and then pulled into my lane. I sped up to about 65, following the flow of traffic, and this guy just took off and disappeared down Paseo, probably cruising at 75. No lights, no siren, just doing it because he could. License plate G51105.

By the way, whomever thought it was a good idea to make that right lane pass through after Jefferson is an idiot. Before, it was a turn only lane. Now, some selfish people get in that lane and block everyone else. And that light stays red a LONG time. Great job, city planners! NOT.

Duhhh...

2008-04-25T07:10:00.000-07:00

So I was heading up Lomas past Louisiana yesterday at about 7:15PM and this bozo in the dark green Nissan XTerra pulls out and gets in the middle lane in front of the white van. So the van has to slow down. I'm in the far left lane. So then the XTerra (NM license plate #CPF614) pulls into the left lane. Thing is, he's going about 10MPH slower than anyone everyone else... so now the white van can continue one his way, but I have to slow down to this guy's speed (30 in a 40). Just plan inconsiderate.

This morning, I was in traffic on 528 next to Intel going North at about 7:30AM, and I noticed that while everyone was going at the 40MPH speed limit (because there was a Rio Rancho cop mixed in with the traffic) a Sandoval County Sheriff in a Ford Explorer was going about 10 or maybe more over the limit, just passing everyone like they were standing still. It was a bit annoying because it was clear he wasn't on a chase or anything (no lights, etc.) and of course no other cop would pull them over. These guys think the law doesn't apply to them. Then it was funny because I caught up to him a couple of stoplights later - he didn't actually get anywhere despite breaking the law. Unfortunately, I wasn't able to get a photo or a license plate number.

The stoplights in Rio Rancho on 528 totally suck, by the way. They are so obviously designed to slow and stop traffic rather than let it flow through. I've often wondered if the cops hate that as much as the commuters. One theory I've heard about the stoplights is that they might help in slowing or stopping a criminal. If that's the idea, it sucks. So 10,000 people a week have to slow down and stop at every friggin' light so that MAYBE one criminal will be slowed? Gimmie a break. Another theory is that the traffic lights help to "calm" the traffic. How is having each and every clump of 50 cars stop at each traffic signal "calming" anyone? Not to mention the waste of time and fuel. Rio Rancho: your stoplights SUCK.

Morning commute

2008-04-24T06:50:00.000-07:00

More video! First, I learned from the first video last night that I need to zoom in a bit with the camera so some detail can be seen. This morning, I first shot some video of a guy who was tailgating, but after he turned off of Corrales Rd., I realized why. In front of him was this truck and the driver just seemed happy to bumble along between the speed limit (30 or 35) and 10 under. At the point where I shot this video, he was going about 25 in a 35. Then I learned that his left turn signal didn't work. Dude, get it together! NM License Plate # GGI375.

First video!

2008-04-23T19:30:00.000-07:00

Well, I've been fiddling around with ways to capture video while driving, and doing it safely. Here's my first installment. I've seen this guy before on 528 in Rio Rancho and in Corrales. He drives a blue Chevy pickup truck with the NM license plate 1CUBS, and he drives like a real jerk. Here, you can see him tailgating the hell out of the poor sucker in front of him. Mind you, this is a 35 MPH zone and a double yellow line. And Mr. 1CUBS just can't hold his horses. What you can't see is that just before this, he was tailgating someone else on 528 between Northern and Corrales. Rd. One of these days, a cat is going to run out in front of the car in front of him, and that guy is going to slam on his brakes, and this guy in the blue Chevy is going to have hell to pay.

Speeding doesn't pay... again

2008-04-11T21:23:00.001-07:00

I was on my way home, coming up I40 East and got off at Juan Tabo to go North. That stretch on Juan Tabo (probably like most other streets in Albuquerque) isn't so much fun at 7PM. Still a lot of traffic, and it seems that the lights just turn red right before you can get there. Anyway, that didn't stop this woman in a white Ford Focus NM license plate #HTW142 from driving like a bat out of hell. And between Lomas and Menaul, she didn't get ahead of me at all... people need to chill out!

What is the deal with today?

2008-04-11T07:34:00.000-07:00

It was like everyone was running late and felt they had to tailgate everyone in front of them. The worst guy, though was this choad in a white Ford Explorer "Eddie Bauer" model, NM license plate #HTG978. I could see this guy tailgating some poor driver behind me, all the way down Tramway. I mean all the way down. Then when that car was out of his way (turned on to I25 to go North towards Santa Fe) the choad in the Explorer got onto my ass. Finally, he'd had enough of 5 over going down Roy and decided to pass me. This was right as we were coming up to the double yellow line because it's hard to see over the next hump in the road. He didn't care...

Then, of course, ironically, when I got to Alameda, there he was waiting to turn right at the red. I was at that point right behind him. When we got onto Alameda, I followed him for a bit to see how fast he was going and he got up to 60MPH in a 35! Dude, WTF? I slowed down, but caught up to him anyway because now he was behind someone else, tailgating them. He broke free again when that car got into the right lane in front of me, and punched it again to be sure and get to the red light at Corrales Rd. first. I would have been right behind him again except that I turned right on Corrales...

Unfortunately, no camera, so no picture today. Good news - I should soon have video capability! Stay tuned.

Testes, Testes, One, Two.... Three?

2008-04-09T07:11:00.000-07:00

Yes, it was a busy commute home yesterday. First, while driving calmly through Corrales at a steady 30MPH, this guy in a 1970s light-yellow Ford pickup full of firewood pulls out right in front of me so that of course I had to put on the brakes pretty hard (which is saying something at a measly 30MPH!) and then proceeded to go 25 until turning off about a mile later. This guy just didn't give a shit. NM license plate #674 PAR.

Then there was the guy on the BMW motorcycle going East on Tramway. Now, this guy seemed to know what he was doing, wearing a helmet, leathers and all. But nonetheless, I was struck by how he was passing everything that moved, including passing three, four or more cars in a row. Most of us were going maybe 5 to 10 over the posted 50MPH limit, so it was a comfortable speed. But this guy was whizzing in and out of the left lane all the way up. Looked pretty dangerous, IMO. NM license plate # R04831.

Then, I think we must be back in tailgating season. This guy in the white Ford pickup, NM license plate #2889 NG (National Guard - hmmm. Two of these in two days.) was right on the guy's ass most of the way up Tramway. The guy in front of him could not go any faster because there was another couple of cars in front of HIM. Again, I'm kind of dumbstruck by how idiotic these tailgaters are. If a squirrel, cat, dog, snake, lizard, or shadow crossed the road and the guy in front slammed on his brakes, it would be all all over for the tailgater.

Classic Tailgater

2008-04-08T07:48:00.000-07:00

This guy cracked me up. All the way down Tramway this wanker in a dark blue-green Jeep (NM License Plate 4090 NG - National Guard) was right on the tail of the car in front of him. Both cars were going about 55-60, or between five and 10 over the limit. The Jeep had numerous opportunities to pass, although that would mean he would have had to go another 5MPH to do so... But then down near the casino where there are two lanes, die the Jeep pass the other guy? NO! He backed off. I don't get it!

Some videos - not from ABQ

2008-04-04T08:00:00.000-07:00

Just for your amusement... I guess we may not have the worst drivers in the world.

Picked up on UPI, the Political Gateway and 100.3 The Peak!

2008-04-02T16:06:00.000-07:00

The story on Channel 13 appears to have also gone out on the news wire and was picked up by UPI. From there, it was picked up in a variety of places such as the Political Gateway. At the same time, the Channel 13 news story was noticed by the jocks on 100.3 The Peak, and discussed during their morning show. This is fun, guys! Thanks for the coverage.

Typical Jerkwad

2008-04-02T07:18:00.000-07:00

Speeding doesn't pay, part deux. This guy was a typical right-lane speeding jerk who just felt that it was OK to weave in and out of lanes, passing anyone not going fast enough for him (the average was 5MPH over, but he wanted to go 10+). There on 528 near Intel, the road has four lanes, then down to three lanes at the north end of Intel, then down to two lanes at Southern. Mr. Jerk (light gold Chevy pickup NM License plate # GJB747) was in the right lane most of the time passing everyone except when there was someone in front of him in that lane "only" going 5 over.

Did he get to his destination minutes before everyone else? Of course not! I saw him turn off of 528 down the hill into that small industrial area only a few seconds ahead of me. I never changed lanes once, and never went above the speed limit. He never got more than 2 or 3 cars ahead of me despite driving like a jerk the whole time. Chill, buddy! You'll live longer.

Oh yeah, I hope everyone enjoyed my April Fool's joke yesterday about selling out to the man!

Albuqeruque Drivers to Sell Out to The Man!!!

2008-04-01T07:00:00.001-07:00

Well, I never thought it would come to this. Apparently, this blog has caused some embarrassment to certain public officials. But instead of sending me a lawyerly "cease and desist" letter (although, I would have to be breaking the law for that to work...), they have elected to offer me a very large sum of money to simply just "go away".

So, despite my attempt at having the ethics of a saint, alas I am only human. This will be my last post, and tomorrow, the driver's blog will be no more.

It's been a pleasure seeing you on the road and taking your picture when you do something stupid. Of course that pleasure will remain... but now I just won't be posting it!

Adios.

Unaware of Incompetence?

2008-03-31T10:11:00.000-07:00

I've wondered about this for some time, but these two references appear to prove my theory: people don't actually realize how incompetent they are. These studies were done more in terms of tests for logic, grammar, etc. But I think the basic idea applies to driving. Remember George Carlin's famous quote: "ever notice that everyone driving more slowly than you is an idiot and everyone driving faster is a maniac?" Somehow, we don't stop and think "hey, wait a minute - there can't be just ONE good driver, can there???"

Here's one article, from the Guardian a few years aback, and here's another one, about a study done at Cornell.

Did they really need to do these studies? Kinda seems obvious, doesn't it?

So who knows. Maybe this blog can serve to wake up just a few people to what it means to be rude, inconsiderate, dangerous or thoughtless on the road. I know, I'm an optimist.

Picked up on POE News

2008-03-30T09:21:00.001-07:00

Probably due to the story on KRQE, this blog was picked up on POE News. There are some interesting comments.

To the people that think I should "respectfully suck your dick", it's clear that you think you can just drive however you damn well please and no one should stand in your way. Guess what? There's someone standing in your way. You probably think that it's not wrong or not illegal if you don't get caught, right? Know what? If you're not doing something wrong, then you have nothing to worry about. But if you are, then I might just be there with a camera. My other guess is that you've got a few points on your license already. Thanks for paying more for your insurance so that the rest of us don't have to pay as much.

I'm very careful to only expose people who are either A) driving aggressively for no reason (yes - there are times when it is necessary and I know the difference. And no, "running late" is not a reason); B) not paying attention when they should be, and C) people who act as if the rules of the road just don't apply to them.

Wow! Coverage on KRQE News 13 and ABQ the Magazine!

2008-03-29T20:16:00.001-07:00

I guess Kim Holland at KRQE News 13 found out about this blog due to the coverage in the April issue of Albuquerque the Magazine, and decided to do a story on it. It ran on the 10:00 News on Friday the 28th, and for two days now traffic has been heavy on the site. Thanks Kim - I thought your coverage was very balanced and showed many different sides to the issue. I also appreciate you allowing me to keep my anonymity. Same goes for Albuquerque the Magazine.

The comments people have posted since the coverage have been mostly thoughtful and interesting, with a few exceptions. Same goes for the drivers out there. Frankly, most of the drivers we all encounter every day are just normal, courteous drivers who respect others on the road. This blog is about those that think they don't have to follow the rules or give a crap about anyone else.

See you on the road!

Speeding doesn't pay!

2008-03-28T08:36:00.001-07:00

The Audi A4, NM License Plate HZZ033, must have been in a group that came up Tramway with me yesterday afternoon at rush hour. As is typical, there are 10 or 12 cars in a lump going East up the hill towards the Sandias. Once everyone gets past the stop sign at the top of the hill and starts dividing up into the two lanes (freedom!), sometimes people show how impatient they are by speeding like crazy. This guy was one of those. As the traffic started to spread out, he was weaving in and out and going at least 15MPH faster than everyone else... which was already about 10 over the limit. Did it pay off for him? Of course not! By the time I got to Montgomery, I was pretty much right there with him, without speeding like crazy.

Same thing for this next guy, but going the other way. This morning, as I started heading down the hill on Tramway, I actually passed another car because he was going a bit under the limit and it's a long way to go so slowly. So after that I was going a few miles over the limit (maybe 10) which is typical on Tramway, along with several other cars (some of whom had passed that first car also). Along comes this guy in the white Ford F150 pickup, NM license plate HKX827. No, 10 over wasn't nearly enough for this guy, so he passes each one of us going maybe 20 over the limit. Funny thing was that again, just like the Audi, he really didn't gain more than maybe a second or two by the time he got on the ramp to go North on I25.

What is the friggin' hurry, people? Going "with traffic" is one thing, and I support that and drive that way most of the time, which means that most people go 5 to 10 MPH over the limit on some roads. But there always seems to be someone who needs to go faster that everyone else. Quite a bit faster, in many cases. And it just does not work in terms of actually getting them there in less time.

As I was saying...

2008-03-27T06:41:00.000-07:00

Although traffic was fairly light this morning, there was one of the guys who thought it was appropriate to get in the far right lane (yeah, the one that ends at the next light at Southern), pass me, and then get back in front of me. It seems like mini vans have two speeds: brakes slammed on, or pedal to the floor. Kia van NM license plate JT J865.

But yesterday afternoon, I didn't have my camera but saw something a bit interesting. I was heading up the hill on Coors Bypass to merge with 528 just as it enters Rio Rancho going North. If there's traffic on this hill, there are usually a number of cars vying for position during the climb. I noticed a small white pickup (probably Ford) really weaving in and out of traffic as we approached the city line where 528 flattens out, just south of Intel. He was going much faster than everyone else. I noticed that a lot of the traffic up ahead was going uncharacteristically slow, and it dawned on me to look for the motorcycle cops at their usual spot at the parking lot inlet at Intel. Lo and behold, I spotted one. This guy in the pickup was oblivious! He just kept on going about 55 in the 40 zone and I figured that he would get his ass pulled over any second. Then, suddenly, the motorcycle cop pulled out BEFORE the pickup got there, and proceeded to just get into the traffic going North. Huh? The only thing I could think of is that the cop had just previously shut off his radar and had not noticed the pickup at all.

Then, ironically, there was a truck carrying fence materials, tin siding, etc. that pulled into the lane right in front of the cop at about 528 and Southern, and the cop promptly pulled him over. I wasn't sure why, although it looked like the truck nearly ran over the cop while changing lanes. But who knows, he could have had an expired license, etc.

It's never dull out there!

Relatively tame week

2008-03-26T08:43:00.000-07:00

Despite the few jerks out there this week (speeding, tailgating, etc.) it has been a calmer week than most. I suspect that it's because of the Spring Break where schools are closed. Just not as much traffic, no buses, etc. We'll see what happens next week!

Couple -o- Boneheads

2008-03-07T07:03:00.000-08:00

Yesterday morning I had a hunch I would encounter some boneheads so I brought my camera along... I wasn't disappointed! Although there were more incidents than just these two, there were several where I didn't have a good opportunity for a photo. Believe it or not, I do try to be careful to only take pictures when I can do so and drive safely. And sometimes, there just isn't a clear shot.

For this first one, I was turning right from 4th St south. onto Alameda west. I had the green light, and I had the right of way. But this black or navy blue Honda Odyssey, NM license plate 031LCN felt that he or she could just turn left from 4th st. north onto Alameda south right at the same time. Anyone who has been to a driving class or just has any common sense at all knows that you're not supposed to do that. I'm surprised there aren't more dents on that Honda but hey, maybe there are dents on that person's previous cars.

Then there was the red Mazda 3, NM license plate #HHS671. This guy was heading up the hill where Alameda merges with Coors Bypass onto 528/Rio Rancho Blvd. He just did not look before sliding over into the next lane, nearly clipping a white pickup already in that lane. The guy in the pickup had to react by slowing and changing lanes to avoid being hit. The guy in the Mazda just kept on going. Smooth move, Ex Lax!

What is it that makes people think it's OK to...

2008-03-04T08:05:00.000-08:00

What is it that makes people think it's OK to drive like assholes? I've been lazy about keeping the camera in the car with me these past few weeks. And for the most part, the driving has been surprisingly civil. But there were a couple of incidents that I wanted to relate. Basically, it has to do with people who think they have every right to try to speed past you so they can get in front of you because they have to turn. So, I've decided that it is also within my right to not let them. They think it's OK to inconvenience me by slowing to turn in front of me after flooring it, even thought we are all going over the speed limit. So again, it is well within my rights to do my best to not let them in the lane at all. So they need to turn? Friggin' slow down, get behind me, and have some courtesy. Otherwise, you might not get to turn at all.

The example that sticks in my mind most from the past few days was when I was heading West down Juan Tabo (you know, when you are going North then it turns West after Spain?) This happens fairly often, actually - some guy in a big pickup truck decided he wanted to pass me on the left because I was "only" going 10 over the limit. So I sped up to match his pace. He sped up some more. I kept pace. Down at the bottom of the hill, he finally slowed to get behind me so he could turn.

Then, as I turned right onto Eubank, he thought it would be OK to try to pass me on the right this time, before we could get to Academy. Interestingly, there was a car on my left trying to do the same thing! Fortunately, my car has enough horses to keep up with these jerks and let them know that no, I would not be letting them cut me off. Both the car on my left and the pickup on my right had to slow down and figure out amongst themselves how they would both merge in behind me. Perhaps it was immature of me to drive like they were driving. But I simply did not feel like giving them the satisfaction of cutting me off and being inconsiderate. Maybe I need to "turn the other cheek." Sorry, didn't feel like it at that moment.

LA Can't Drive - Wow!

2008-02-13T11:52:00.000-08:00

So I found this site today - looks familiar in a way, but it's better than mine by quite a bit. I love the "idiocy" and "asshole" meters. I need to study up and figure out how to open my blog, or create a new site that allows for outside submissions.

Thanks Racing Southwest!

2008-02-01T10:15:00.000-08:00

Someone on the Racing Southwest forum picked up this blog, and I guess a bunch of those guys think my blog sucks and I'm a jerk. Aw shucks, thanks for the attention! You guys have driven traffic WAY up on the blog, so I salute you. You know what they say: "no press is bad press."

However, I do agree 100% that the root of the problem is the poor driver training and education, and the lax standards for getting a license. So, how do we change that? I'm genuinely interested in opinions on this matter. I've learned that we are in the top ten metro areas for speeding tickets... and of course we know that only drunk drivers kill more people in traffic than speeders, and we have a bunch of those, too. This is a nice place to live, but the driving is awful. So, what do we do about it?

Didn't have the camera today but I should have, because I had a classic situation. I was driving through Corrales at the posted speed of 30MPH. A driver in a maroon, mid-90's Maxima pulled out of a side street right in front of me, and I had to put on the brakes to avoid hitting the car. Bad enough. But then the moron stops to turn left! This is all within about 5 seconds! Behind me were only two other cars... this person couldn't have waited a few seconds for clear access to the road? Just 100% inconsideration.

Have a nice day!

Well, well, well. What have we here?

2008-01-10T14:17:00.000-08:00

You've probably seen this sort of thing, and I've seen it before, too. But this time, I had the camera. Lots of times, it's the opposite - the cop is going at or near the speed limit, and everyone is afraid to go any faster. It's kind of absurd, because all those same people would be speeding their asses off if the cop wasn't there.

In this case, it started out kinda like that. I was in a group of cars heading West on Paseo del Norte from the light at Jefferson, at about 7:15 AM. In the group was this police car #176, license plate G44251. After about a minute of everyone going about at the speed limit (60MPH), the cop started to speed up. He passed me, and continued to speed up. I would estimate he was going 75. What you can't see in the picture is that up ahead, you could see his brake lights come on as he came up right on someone in front of him. And he tailgated that person... Yeah, he was a rude driver and frankly I always think that the police need to set a good example for everyone else while on the road, or they should be cops. I've heard the excuses before, too, about "sometimes we need to get somewhere fast on official business but we don't want to alert the criminals". OK, so put on your friggin' red & blue lights so at least the people on the road know to get out of the way because it's police business. But I don't think this guy was on any official business, he just wanted to go fast and pretend the law didn't apply to him.

Three in a row

2008-01-03T10:59:00.000-08:00

Well, two yesterday evening and one this morning, any way! So I was headed home, driving through Corrales at about 5pm on the 2nd. Anyone who has driven this route knows that as you approach the town, the speed limit is 35, then drops to 30 through the center of town for a couple of miles, then gets back up to 35 before you reach Alameda. So this guy in a white Ford pickup, pulling a trailer full of landscaping tools, etc., is going about 25 in the 35. Then as he approaches the 30MPH zone, he actually speeds up to 30-ish (sometimes a tad slower - OK) and then after the center of town just stays at 30 although the limit is 35. This may not seem like a real big deal but it was certainly a drag to be going slower than the actual limit for a good portion of this drive. It just seemed like he wasn't paying attention. When he got up onto Alameda heading towards I25, he was moving right along like everyone else at +5 over the 35 limit. What gives? NM license plate # (trailer) 35783 F.

Then there is the classic spot where 313 connects to Roy just past the end of 4th st. This bozo figured since the guy in front of him turned onto Roy, that he could do it as well, despite the fact that there simply wasn't time before I got there. I was going at about the speed limit and of course had to pretty much slam on my brakes to avoid hitting his mid-sized, white American car, NM license plate CXG236.

Then this morning I almost made it all the way to work, and I was heading through Rio Rancho on 528. I noticed that at Barbara Loop or one of those roads south of Southern that this dark gray Explorer just blew the light, turned right in front of all of us, crossed three lanes and got into the left turn lane at Southern. OK - maybe she was in a hurry but geez! NM license plate GTP852.

It's dangerous out there, folks!

Inspired!

2007-12-26T07:50:00.000-08:00

Well, I've been really slacking off in my effort to expose bad drivers in this city, for a couple of reasons. One is simply that when I commute in the morning, it's been kinda dark lately, and then it's definitely getting dark when I'm on my way home. But this is just an excuse for being lazy. Another thing is that I just haven't been as angry about this issue. I probably haven't mentioned this, but one of the reasons I started this blog was for self-therapy. I felt that one of the reasons I was getting angry about rude, inconsiderate, thoughtless and plain bad drivers was because there wasn't anything I could do about it. But then I thought about maybe starting a blog so that there was something I could "do about it". And frankly, it has helped me!

But then I just found out that my blog has been mentioned in a few key places, including some other blogs and also on Fox 2 News! This has not only driven traffic (no pun intended) to the blog, but also given me renewed purpose!

With that, I decided to bring my camera again today. Lo and behold, there were some jerks out there. These two trucks just really must have been running late because they whipped past me on Alameda just east of Corrales Rd. I noticed that the first one didn't even have a license plate on the back of the truck, but after they turned off (heading to Lowes?) I could see a plate on the front bumper. I don't think this is even legal. The 2nd truck had a plate on the back: NM JAM278. These two trucks were from the same company: Titan Communications. Guys, it's dangerous as hell to be going so fast in trucks like that on city streets. The speed limit was 35 and you guys were going about 55. You can see how the trucks are leaning as they go around this curve...

The idiots are out there!

2007-12-14T09:30:00.000-08:00

Yes, the holiday season seems to be bringing the freaks out of the woodwork. I've been noticing it for the past couple of weeks, and actually I've tried to stay off the streets as much as possible. But I have to drive to work, ya know?

This morning it was about 30 degrees out there, and snowing fairly substantially as I was heading West on Tramway just East of the Sandia Casino. Visibility was somewhat limited but it wasn't too bad and despite the gradual accumulation of snow on the road at that point, traction seemed good although I was being cautious. I was traveling at about the 45mph speed limit when I noticed that a small gray car like a Tercel or something came pulling out from the casino, across the two lanes and ending up right in front of me, going maybe 20MPH. What the hell? And I wasn't the only car on Tramway, and all of us had our headlights on. So I laid on the horn for a good 20 seconds, hoping that this would wake the driver up.

After the stoplight, he pulled into the left turn lane to get on I25 going South. I can only hope that he hasn't caused an accident already...

This guy just made me angry...

2007-11-14T07:12:00.001-08:00

I've actually been much more calm in the past couple of months and I've not even been carrying my camera. Sure, a few jerks have raised my blood pressure but mostly I've been letting it go. So there I was today, going West on Roy and noticed that a white Saturd was closing in on me. Since I was already going at about the speed limit, I figured he could cool his jets. He tail gated me for a little bit around the curve just at the junction of Roy and NM 313. Then just before Roy becomes 4th there are two lanes, although the left lane is only meant for those turning left on 2nd.

This asshat decided that he was going to pass me in that lane, even though the two of us are already going 10 MPH over the limit by that point. I was not in the mood for that kind of crap so I kept pace with him, not allowing him to pass. He pushed the envelope big time, by continuing to speed up, but to no avail. We came up on an SUV on 4th so he had no choice but to back off, slow down, and get behind me. Of course he honked for a while at me and continued to tail gate me.

At Alameda, I let him get in front of me but did not change my driving in any way from normal. Of course, as he passed me, he flipped me off and honked some more. As it turned out, I was right behind him for a good ways. I could tell he was getting nervous. At Corrales rd, I noticed that when he came to a stop, he must have put it in reverse for a second because his backup lights came on just for a bit. Then, when we were near the Sunflower Market just West of Corrales rd, he pulled off into the parking lot. I don't think that's where he was headed, but I can understand that since he had been such a dickwad, he might be nervous that I was following him and might do something. He deserves it. I simply drove normally except for the part where I accelerated so that he could not pass me because I simply thought it was unreasonable.

He was driving a 1990s white Saturn with NM license plate 672 BPF.

No picture, sorry!

Lazy...

2007-10-02T07:13:00.000-07:00

It's true - I've been on the lazy side lately because I just haven't felt like bringing the camera. But this morning, I was reminded why I should always have it. I was heading North on 528 in Rio Rancho this morning when I noticed a white Ford Escort (late 1980s?) driving like a bat out of hell. He was going about 10 to 15mph faster than everyone else (and everyone was already going about 5 to 10 over...), and weaving in and out of lanes to pass other cars. I was just praying that the Rio Rancho cops would take notice and ticket this guy's ass.

Another one at this intersection...

2007-09-12T07:43:00.000-07:00

Yes, there will likely be many more of these as time goes on. This guy in the big white pickup, NM license plate FKK126 figured I'd slow down since he was in a big friggin' truck and I was in a puny little car. He was right, but he probably didn't think I'd take his picture and post it here. He probably also thought that cameras can't see his license plate number since he put one of those things on it that are supposed to prevent his license plate from being photographed. Hasn't he seen those shows on TV where they prove that such devices don't work?

Anyway, I was heading NE on 4th st. as it turns the corner and becomes Roy Rd there in NW Albuquerque. Just a couple of weeks ago I reported a gold BMW doing the same thing. Where 313 dumps onto Roy, people seem to mis-judge how much time they have to pull onto Roy. Either that or they just don't care. I definitely got a "don't care" vibe from this guy. Ah well, now he's famous.

I wonder how long it will be until those stupid license plate camera blockers are illegal? I thought there was already a law about obstructing your license plate?

Why can't we be like this?

2007-09-06T09:37:00.000-07:00

No posts for a few days... I'm actually not in NM at the moment. I just wanted to make a quick comment... despite the huge amount of traffic here in Southern California, people clearly know how to drive better than we do in NM. I spent a fair amount of time on the freeway (I5, I405) and here are my observations:

1) People don't drive as fast here as they do on I25 and I40. When the speed limit is 65 in CA, people MIGHT go 75, but typically somehwere between 65 and 75. On good ol' 25 and 40, it is routine to be in traffic going between 70 and 80. Why is this? The speed limit here in town on the freeway is 55 in some places and 65 in others. So it's necessary to go 15 to 20 over?

2) There were a few whackos I saw weaving in and out of traffic and going much faster than everyone else. But by far they were the exception. Really! Only a handfull in a day of driving. In Albuquerque, it seems like at least 25% are complete whackos.

3) Almost no tail gating. I know, it's hard to believe, but that's what I saw. People actually gave each other some room on the freeway, and almost never did someone wedge their way in between two cars. What the hell is our problem?

4) Despite super-heavy traffic and some serious slow downs, things actually moved along quite well. Sure, if there are accidents and all that, things can slow down a lot in CA just as they can here. But there is 100X the amount of traffic! And yet, I saw less of that than we do here at home. What gives?

Woah, there, buddy!

2007-08-28T07:27:00.000-07:00

What you can't see from these pictures is: 1) The light was red before he made it all the way through the intersection, and 2) that he had just passed me on the right and swerved around me to make this turn. I was heading East on Northern to turn left at 528. This guy came zooming down Northern, passed around me on the right and made this turn right in front of me. I would have liked to make this turn, also, since that red light at 528 takes like two minutes to turn green again. But I put on my brakes to avoid getting hit by this maniac. NM license plate JGC760.

Some things I've noticed

2007-08-24T09:05:00.000-07:00

No new photos for today - sorry! It's not that people haven't been driving like jerks, but I've just not had my camera with me for the past couple of days.

But I was thinking about some of the classic things that people do. Here are some of the ones I've noticed:

1. The "Get Over and Then Speed up". This is when you're behind someone who's in the left lane and they are going just barely faster than the person they're passing who's in the right lane. So you're stuck behind them for longer than you want to be as they finally get past the right lane car and then get over. They always seem to wait longer than they have to to get over, too. But the funny part is when they do finally get over, THEN they speed up! I don't get it.

2. The "Cut across three lanes to exit". I just saw this yesterday. People are in the left lane, passing everyone else. Then suddenly they realize that they're about to pass their exit so they suddenly cut across a bunch of lanes and barely make the exit. People! Have some self respect - go to the next exit and circle around. It's much safer and it only takes another minute. And you don't look like an asshat.

3. The "I don't need my lights on even though I'm driving a gray car and it's raining/dusk/morning/foggy". It might be difficult to visualize how you look in your own car without your lights off because EVERYONE else has their lights on. Guess what? You're nearly invisible. So what if the law says that you don't need your lights on from sunrise to sunset. Use your own damn judgment and THINK on your own for a change. I know it's asking a lot. Politicians don't want you to do that, but it's really better if you do.

4. The "I'm a police person so I don't have to obey the law". Right. You're not an example for the rest of us. You don't have to abide by the same rules that you quote when you pull us over. Just yesterday, I noticed a Belen police car on Paseo del Norte, waiting to go West at the Jefferson light. The officer was TALKING ON HIS CELL PHONE HANDSET. Nice, dude! And then there are the many examples of cops driving too fast, etc. In fact, this guy from Belen then went down Paseo and was driving about 10 MPH over the limit. Interestingly, there were other drivers even going faster. I guess they figured that since he was from Belen, there was no risk of getting pulled over.

5. On the other side of the coin, there's the "Since there's a police car around, I'll go 2MPH UNDER the limit". Yeah, and we all know that normally, you go 17MPH over the limit. Generally, it seems that cops don't car too much if you're going say 5 or even 10 over, as long as it's with the flow of traffic and not driving like a jerk. But I guess you just never know.

OK, rant over for now.

Inevitable...

2007-08-22T08:01:00.000-07:00

I knew this would happen eventually. In fact, I've seen it happen several times since I started this blog but it was never quite right for getting a good picture or two. Every so often, when I'm heading north on north 4th st. past El Pinto, and I'm about to go East on Roy Rd., there' someone turning left onto Roy from rt. 313. And for whatever reason, they don't correctly gauge the speed of the oncoming traffic (from 4th). Maybe it's the curve of the road. The speed limit on 4th/Roy right there is 45 MPH. So they pull out and end up making the approaching traffic slow down quite a bit to avoid hitting them.

Anyway, that's the background of this story. Yesterday, I saw this happen twice. First, a white pickup was waiting to turn from 313 onto Roy, then he did so, pretty much right in front of a black Mini. It wasn't the worst I've seen by far, but it was a little off-putting. So then the gold BMW behind him figures that she (I saw that it was a young woman) can pull out and wedge herself between the Mini and me. I had to slam on the brakes to avoid plowing into her! I could excuse the first guy for just misjudging the situation slightly. But the BMW driver had no business pulling out at that moment. It was either gross misjudgment or just plain "bite me" attitude. I've seen the shrines to people killed right at that intersection so I know it's not the first time and almost certainly not the last. Pay attention, people! BMW NM Lobos license plate UNM8460.

Yeah, OK

2007-08-20T07:18:00.000-07:00

This first guy in the Big Red Pickup was really riding the ass of a red Prius most of the way down the hill on Tramway. I was amused by all this for a couple of reasons: first, he had several opportunities to pass the Prius, but did not take them. I guess he just didn't have big enough balls, even though with that big truck, he wanted everyone to think that he did. Then of course he pulled ahead in a big black cloud of diesel exhaust once Tramway splits into two lanes down near Sandia Casino. Of course then he got stopped at the traffic signal at Rainbow Rd. so the rest of us could catch up. When the light turned green again, for whatever reason, he was very slow to get rolling, and most of the cars in the group passed him. Wake up, dude! Which is it? Do you want to beat everybody there, or just mess around and intimidate people? Then the last detail is that his license plate was blocked by a giant hitch ball assembly. Is that even legal? All I can read in the picture is NM JCL but not the last three numbers.

The white truck was heading west on Alameda when a stoplight turned yellow then red. For some reason, this guy figured he'd better stop. So he slammed on his brakes and came to a stop halfway into the intersection. So then he put it in reverse and backed up so his nose was behind the line. Yikes! Dude, don't stop if you're that close and you can make it through. Good thing no one was behind him. NM license plate #JKH642.

Some people are gettin' pissed off...

2007-08-12T12:11:00.000-07:00

I guess this blog appears to rub some people the wrong way. I got some nasty comments to my most recent post from someone calling themselves "Fred Flinstone" and accessing the internet through Comcast, IP address 71.252.139.26. From what I read on the Comcast site, this person is violating their terms of service. This person seems to visit the site a lot, actually, so there must be something they like about it. Or maybe it's like the way a lot of people listen to Howard Stern: they can't stand him, but they can't stop listening. But if the threats from this person continue, I will notify Comcast about their customer's activities.

So I'm curious - if you like this blog, why? If you don't like it, why not? And comments like "it sucks" don't do anything except show everyone that you are still have the mentality of a junior high punk. If you think I'm doing something wrong, I'm curious as to what that might be. And if you have any ideas of how the driving situation in this, or any city, might be improved, let us know that, too.

And just a friendly reminder - if you drive in a courteous manner and do a relatively decent job of obeying traffic laws, you have nothing to worry about from me. On the other hand, if you drive like a jerk and figure that "it's only illegal if I get caught" and that everyone else should just suck up your abominable behavior, and you do something stupid or rude when I'm around and have my camera, you're going to end up on this blog.

That's OK, we'll wait for YOU

2007-08-08T07:08:00.000-07:00

Gosh, I wonder how she got the dents on the front left fender? I was driving west on Candelaria just east of Juan Tabo by the Lowes there. This lady in the gray Ford (sorry, didn't get a license plate this time) pulled out across Candelaria to turn left, blocking me while she waited for a chance to go. Thanks a lot! Very considerate.

Lobotomies and Driving Don't Mix

2007-08-02T07:48:00.000-07:00

This guy in the red Mazda NM license plate # GML810 decided it would be appropriate to go 30 in a 35 zone... on a 2-lane highway. Of course there were several cars backed up behind him. Then he prepared to "Reduce Speed Ahead" by putting on his brakes, only to realize that the new speed limit was 30. Huh! He was already going 30! So he figured that he'd go 29 just to be safe. Then as he approached some curves in the road that said "15 MPH when blinking" he decided to slow to 15 even though the light wasn't blinking. After that, he sped back up to 29 for a spell, then slowed to a crawl and pulled off the road. No signal, of course - that would have been to courteous. Gosh, I wonder how he got that dent on his back bumper?

Lay off the bong this early in the morning, man!

Brilliant!

2007-08-01T07:35:00.000-07:00

Here's a site full of great ideas on how to deal with bad drivers. OK, not all the ideas are great, but some of them have merit.

Idiots are not just here in the US!

2007-08-01T07:29:00.000-07:00

I just ran across this video of an intersection in the UK. Over the pond there they use "bollards" to restrict traffic through some points only to buses or other vehicles that have an electronic tag. When the bus comes in, the bollards retract and the bus can go through. Looks like a few people figured they would "out-smart" the bollards and follow the buses through... Not a pretty sight.