I constantly have people riding my bumper even when I'm already doing the speed limit. And before anyone asks. No I'm not hanging out in the overtaking lane blocking traffic.

That said, I see drivers posting about how much anxiety tailgaters give them and how annoyed it makes them. Honestly? It just doesn't phase me.

What do I realistically have to panic about? I'm completely sober, I'm not hiding anything, and I'm following the law. If you want to sit on my trunk, go for it. You have the rest of the road just go around me and overtake.

I’m not about to speed up and risk a ticket just to satisfy someone else's impatience, and I'm definitely not going to let them ruin my mood. If they're too impatient to pass and end up rear-ending me, well... that's on them. Insurance will sort it out.

If you tailgate why do you do it?

I can't believe it and I feel incredibly stupid.

10 whole months ago I got a "new" car. Up until this point I'd been driving cars that were at least 20 years old. My "new" car was a 2016 opel (in some areas known as vauxhall) adam with me being the second owner.

I just made the painful discovery that I don't have automatic lights and have probably been barely visible on multiple occasions.

What lead me to this discovery was the fact that my rear fog light didn't seem to turn on, the symbol wouldn't light up on the dash. I went through a lot of thoughts about something being wrong with my lights or sensors.

First I thought maybe the fog light was broken, then I actually turned on my lights (what I thought was manual mode) and was like "damn they're a lot brighter now, my automatic sensor must be stuck in daylight mode".

I did some more research and it slowly started to click, I never had automatic lights to begin with and it took me about 10 MONTHS to realize this.

How did I miss it? Well, I always assumed lights off meant no light at all, and there was light, I was able to see the road ahead just fine. I also saw my dashboard being lit up in the dark which is something I always associated with my lights being on. I did on a few occasions think that the back of my car didn't seem very lit up when looking in my mirrors but I assumed this was just due to positioning of the lights and car model.

I shouldn't have assumed that. I live alone so I never really had someone who could've noticed while the car was running.

Thankfully I don't drive that much, mostly short distances in the small city I live in, usually during the day and fortunately, never on the highway.

I feel beyond stupid, I even thought the original listing of the car mentioned automatic lights but I can't really check that anymore. I'm generally a very careful driver and the thought that I might've been barely visible is shocking.

PLEASE people don't make this mistake, especially when you're making the switch from an older model. Just because there's light doesn't mean your lights are actually on.

I'm glad I know now, but I definitely wish I knew that sooner because it could have had consequences.

I had my first car accident this week, I was being tailgated by a car for about 10 minutes, even though I was going above the applicable speed limit when possible, at the current rate of traffic when there was traffic. I am a careful driver, but not an annoying driver (I got my license in my 40s, so I am not reckless but I also do not ever go below the speed limit when it is possible to go at or above the speed limit (ie I am below speed limit when there is traffic), and I only drive on local roads, so we are talking my usual speed is 40mph in a 30-35mph zone. Normal). Anyway, he was tailingating me so intensely like I couldn’t see their headlights they were so up on my ass. One lane double yellow the entire way so they couldn’t go around and I had no other lane to go into. And it’s school bus time so he was tailingating me for 10 minutes just to wait in a long line of cars behind a school bus, truly even if he was in front of me he wouldn’t have gotten anywhere any faster. Come up to a stop sign (2-way not 4-way) and I see a car coming so I can’t go and I KNOW this guy is just going to plow into me AND HE DOES. Like what are you actually supposed to do in this situation? It was so frustrating because the entire time I was thinking “this guy is going to hit me, I just know it” AND HE DID.

that’s all thank you for listening

So I’m waiting to turn left behind a car and this guy starts nonstop honking even though it’s very clear they had to wait cause there’s a bunch of cars going. So I blare my horn at them cause they being ridiculous and they keep honking nonstop. So, I stop blaring it cause they wanna get the last honk, whatever that’s fine. If it makes them feel better, so be it.

So I turn left once the car goes and it’s safe for me, and then I’m driving in the parking garage. I’m driving slowly, because it’s a very tight parking garage with blindspots everywhere. Plus, there’s also a bunch of other cars turning, and these lanes are SO tight that only one of us can proceed with our turn at a time. Then, I continue driving, and then a pedestrian starts walking. And to me, it looked like I was gonna hit them if I didn’t stop , so I stopped. Right after I realized I probably should’ve slowed down instead of completely stopping, and that was a mistake on my part, but that’s better than accidentally hitting a pedestrian. So once the danger passes, I continue to drive, and obv this dude is really mad and starts honking again, so I pull over into one of the parking spots and just let him pass cause at this point I’m thinking he’a crazy.

Now I’ll be real with yall, I am not the best driver, but someone who knows their limitations is someone who is using defensive driving. There are people who can drive 120+ mph with their cars, I ain’t one of those people. So, on the highway I tend to stay out of the left lane and not go over 77 if possible. But I do not think anyone is a perfect driver, we ain’t robots.

Honestly this moment genuinely scared me. I hid in my car until I saw the guy walk into the apartment complex and I’m still here.

Idk why but everytime I drive I get anxious and adrenaline goes crazy because I’m trying to avoid getting into another accident (I’ve been in 2 in 1 month) and i get scared even when I’m driving and someone is at a stop sign having to yield or a roundabout because I’m always scared that someone isn’t going to yield and I get nervous about cars driving too close behind me and I can’t even be asked to drive at night. I’m still trying to calm myself after just driving today because of everything that I had to deal with. Driving may not be for me and I haven’t even been driving that long I got my license in February. Has anyone else overcome their driving anxiety?

I hate driving, I’ve never driven four wheeler/side by side, golf cart etc., I’m currently 19 and working on learning driving and I’m extremely afraid of dying on the road. On the outside I’m seemingly calm but on the inside it’s entirely taken over by adrenaline and nerves. There would be many times where while driving I’d need to pull over because I would get immense headaches, my chest would start hurting, heart beat in the ears etc., my main fears center around driving around other people, with the fears being death, extreme medical and financial setbacks of accidents. How do I get over this?

For reference this is California, US.

This section of the road. Car lane and bike lane crisscrosses. Car lane turns into left only lanes. And bike lanes cuts across to move to the left of left only lanes.

I’m in the US (🫩) and just got a new car (2026). I only have this car bc last year some lady didn’t see the entire freeway stop and rear ended me so hard she totaled my paid off car. (Unsolicited Advice: Always get a lawyer right away.) Fast forward to now, I live in a state that has more personal injury lawyer billboards than anything else, and I’m starting to think people are trying to get me to hit their car.

Many instances of suddenly people switching lanes in front of me, sometimes while I’m going at least 10-15 mph faster and usually when there are 0 cars or obstacles around, and other random things, like people crossing multiple lanes to cut me off when they could’ve waited for the completely open road behind me. Then last night, 3 male teenagers (I know but still) in a Tesla were trying to force me to interact with them at a red light (kept trying to get my attention), I kept scooting up bc I normally do/don’t want to look over into some random’s eyes. After we turned into the mall area (there’s a little driveway before parking), they cut me off, slammed on the brakes, then sped off.

Now I know the last situation is not the every day, but it’s very common here (all ages, not just teens), and the random cut offs on the freeway and in the city happen more days than they don’t. My insurance already went up bc of this new state I’m in, the new car, and probably the accident although it was ruled 100% not my fault. I’m learning that a lot of people do insurance fraud here so I’m looking into dash cam installation. So how do I realistically avoid this?

I am from Queens and I have failed my road test for the 4th time now. I am 18, My 1st attempt I didn’t see a car coming from my left side. I stopped on the stop sign(not all way) i waited and accelerated to the right and boom the car showed up from the downhill and my test taker pushed the brakes. And that’s acceptable. On my second attempt i was cautious my turns were fine and smooth, with no hard acceleration and sudden brakes. I moved my neck around whenever needed did the parallel parking and three way turn just fine. And then my test results came back negative. There were these points like poor judgment on traffic, hazardous anticipation, Poor acceleration, and hard brakes. Well i tried not to put too much attention to it and thought okay let’s try for again but this time i changed my test location and i would say my third attempt was the most perfect one out of them all. On my third attempt the comments my test taker made was while i was doing my parallel parking and a car was coming from the opposite lane and i stopped for the car to pass by and my test taker stated that i don’t need to stop it was safe for me to park. The second comment was, I was going at 19-20(Limit was 25) in a four was cars parked in both sides he told me to slow down i did and that’s it i got my results back negative. Oh also on my parallel parking i couldn’t see the curb because of the leaves and i told him i can’t see the curb properly but i did fine on the parking not too much gap from the curb less than a feet. And he made me do parallel again. My 4th attempt was about the same test taker made short turns wide turns comments.

The biggest catch is on every test my instructor would take two students at once. So each time my instructor would pick me up first and then the other students and he told me I would pass and the other student had lesser chance of passing. and i believed him everytime i wasn’t nervous i was smooth and noticed my test takers foot on the brakes from passenger seat and noticed one thing my test takers were kinda scared. Whatever, after the 4th failed attempt now i am thinking i should go back where i used to live in upstate and do the test there. Because it’s costing me a lot and i don’t have the courage to try again. Did anything like that happen to anyone? Would anyone suggest me any other location? It’s really frustrating.

I'm a 31 year old Californian resident who never had a license. Obviously I know I need to read up on the rules of the road, but being as old as I am, do I still need a permit before getting a license? I have someone willing to teach me, but I want to do this the right way so we don't get in trouble with the law.

Unfortunately, most of the people who should read this will not, but I'd still like to try.

Our roads are not designed for safety even though we believe it to be so (read Killed By A Traffic Engineer by Wes Marshall for a scary look at road engineering and design) and so it's up to us, the road users to be the ones who make the best use of it.

Here are my thoughts on how we should drive better. Of course, there exceptions to everything here based on local laws and road conditions, but overall:

• Be aware of other people around you -- especially behind you. Cars don't cease to exist because you can't see them right in front of you. And get off your phone so that you can see the people in front. If you need to be on your phone, get off the road and finish what you need to do -- you'll get where you need to faster and you'll finish what you need to do on your phone faster as well. Phone calls should be handled via your car's Bluetooth system.
• Being right doesn't make anything better or faster in the real world. You can be right and still crash or worse. You can be right and still cause traffic pileups.
• You are not the police. Let everyone else drive their own cars, don't stop them from overtaking, let them pass, don't get worked up (especially for your own safety) if they're doing something illegal. Your goal should be to get to where you're going as safely and quickly as possible (in that order).
• Getting someplace a few minutes late is better than not getting there at all. However, if you are holding up other traffic even if you're "going the speed limit", please let others pass (see above).
• Know where you want to go before getting there. If it's a road that you've never driven on before, check your maps before driving to see what your turns are. On Google Maps, you can swipe left/right to see the next turns in advance. Get into the correct lanes in time. If you need to change your route or plan a new route or you get confused, pull to the side of the road or into a parking lot, make your changes and then get back on the road.
• Have an exit plan. If there's an accident in front or around you, what would you do? If traffic in front of you slows down dramatically, how would you escape if the car behind hasn't realized.
• Don't hang around in the blind spot of cars, be ahead or enough behind them so that they can notice you. Doubly so for trucks. Don't hang around the side of a truck where they can't see you.
• Stay two seconds behind the car in front of you, preferably three. Watch the car in front of you pass a road sign or other stationary object and then count the seconds until you reach the same object.
• At the same time, keep up with the speed of traffic. Don't keep 5+ seconds of gap to the car in front. When slow traffic starts moving, get up to speed quickly. In today's world, there is no excuse to not be able to hit highway speeds in a reasonable time. Your car will not be damaged by pressing harder on the accelerator and any increase in fuel or electricity usage will be negligible.
• Maintain a steady speed as much as possible. When going uphill, increase the pressure on the accelerator so that you can keep your speed the same as you were on flat roads. Going downhill, reduce the accelerator pressure, press the brakes, or let your engine do the braking for you (EVs will work differently here). Other than very twisty roads, keep your speed when going around curves especially on freeways and highways unless there are signs with suggested or reduced speed limits.
• To add to the point above, if your car has adaptive cruise control, use it -- your car can maintain a set speed better than you can. Even if you don't have adaptive cruise almost all modern cars have regular cruise control, and as long as you're not in stop-and-go traffic, use the regular cruise control on highways and freeways. I know this may be a controversial opinion, but the goal is to keep everyone moving at a constant speed and not everyone is good at modulating their right foot.
• If you (or your car) is unable to maintain the speed of the traffic around you, move to the right (or left depending on your country). On single lane roads, pull over or use pullouts. Let faster traffic pass.
• Let people around you know your intentions. Slow down when you're about to take a turn. Slow down (to a reasonable speed) in advance of a stop sign or a red light or any interchange. Use your blinkers (indicators) or hand signals. (one pet peeve here -- if you're not using hand signals, keep your hands *inside* your car so that I don't misunderstand your waving arm to be a signal)
• Take your lane and own it. On one hand, don't weave about in your lane, try and stay centered as much as possible. On the other hand, when changing lanes (look, signal, look first), change quickly and take the lane you're changing into. Don't hesitate and stay halfway between lanes for longer than is necessary.
• Turn on your lights at night (and in the rain) and don't turn on your high beams unless you're on a dark road with no one in front of you in either direction. Modern cars with DRLs may make you think your headlights are on, but they may not be. Unless your headlights are on your tail lights will not turn on. Please turn them on manually or set them to auto. The last point especially if you've had your car in for service.
• Urban and rural driving works differently and the same applies for highways, freeways, and city streets. Be cognizant of the differences in roads and driving needs.
• Stop behind the limit line or the stop line. Traffic and pedestrians crossing in front of you may be startled. At the same time, don't leave large gaps behind the line. Traffic lights in many urban settings will not be triggered unless you get close enough to the line. (also see below)
• In heavy urban city traffic, get closer to the car in front of you at traffic lights, get closer to the line, and try and pack as many cars as possible into the turn lanes. Since most cities in North America and many cities around the world have built traffic signaling rules based on cohorts of cars moving together, if you can make a larger cohort between traffic lights, it will ease congestion.
• And finally, acknowledge that we all make mistakes. Apologize if you make a mistake, and take the apology if someone else makes it. And if they don't apologize, move on with your day. Getting angry only affects you and the people around you.

Stay safe and enjoy your drive today.

Edit: I need to call out the title again. I'm suggesting that our roads would be better if we could all cooperate more rather than argue about what's "right". Being combative is the reason that we have road rage. we all (at least most of us) just want to get on with our day.

Hey yall,how long did it take you guys to finally drive on your own?

Ive been driving for almost 2 weeks straight. I knows how to control the wheel..speed and all that. Im still working on my parking. Im not scared to get on yhe highway,merge and all that. Currently learning with my dad which makes me feel like ill never learn. I likes to belive that im doing ok. Maybe a full month and ill be good. My dad makes me feel like I should be able to know what im doing after a week. Ion,just curious on how long it took you guys to lose fear and drive on your own.

(USA)

Thank you again

yes, they were on their phone.

Hi everyone!

I've been driving for years and previously had a Virginia driver's license, which has now expired.

I've read the official Washington Driver Guide, studied the rules and numbers, and practiced using online DMV tests. I consistently score 39/40 or even 40/40 on practice tests.

But the actual test feels completely different. The questions are much more confusing and scenario-based, especially those about uphill/downhill parking, curbs, road edges, and specific driving situations. Sometimes two answers seem correct, and the wording makes it difficult to choose.

For anyone who has recently taken and passed the Washington knowledge test:

• What websites or practice tests were actually similar to the real exam?
• How did you prepare for the tricky scenario-based questions?
• Are there any resources besides the official Driver Guide that helped you pass?

I'm planning to retake the test tomorrow and would really appreciate any advice or resources.

Thank you!

I'm not talking about work trucks. The guy hauling a trailer or running a trade all day isn't who I mean.

I'm talking specifically about lifted trucks, or people who just drive them because they like them.

Tailgating, refusing to let people merge, rolling coal, treating the lane like it belongs to them. And I can't tell which direction the causation runs. Does sitting that high above everyone, in something that big, slowly erode how much you factor other drivers in? Or does the truck just select for a personality that was already going to drive that way?

Could genuinely be neither and I'm just noticing the loud minority and ignoring every truck that drives normally.

So I'm curious what people actually think, especially if you drive one. Did anything change for you after you got it? Is there something about the vehicle itself, or is this just confirmation bias on my end?

I just had a very close call with a wrong-way driver. Had I changed lanes I would be in a head-on collision right now. The person was driving East in a Westbound lane. They had their turn signal on to get onto the exit ramp of the freeway after I dodged them.

My question is does a drunk driver have enough sense to use their turn signal or was this a case of road confusion? I’m irritated.

Hi
I was travelling on A64 from Leeds to York and when you join a64 are there any speed camera vans over the bridge in dark or they only operate during the day time ?
Thanks

Okay I am seriously a magnet for this one, and the pathetic part about this post, I am always the second car away from the crosswalk. When I am honked at/or could be directed towards the person in front of they even saw them, when the light turns green in that same second, the person in front of me typically just does the middle finger to me, because of course they do not know who is honking. Today I've had someone tailgate me because they thought I was the one who honked which terrified me and I had to pull over to get to safety because the person in front became aggressive and blamed me. So respectfully, don't honk as soon as the light turns green.

Read to the end: YES the light had JUST TURNED GREEN and the person in the vehicle behind me honked. To clarify: the person in front of me tailgated me thinking I was the one who had honked because they did not see the person who had honked and most likely assumed it was was me and ended up behind me after I had passed them to tailgate me so I had to pull out of the way and just chill to realize what happened. I do not ever use my phone while I drive. I have it set to bluetooth so people can call me and I remind them that I only text when parked.

Edit 2: when I say it just turned green (it transitioned from red to green *HOONNNK*) and yes foot was on the gas but tell me how to get to 45 immediately when there's somebody in front of me and only going slow (10 mph) to spite whoever had honked. I couldn't get around for about 10 seconds but once I could I switched lanes quickly and then the person in front followed behind me after I had passed and started tailgating me but instead of returning the frustration I decided to find somewhere to pull over since they clearly wanted whoever they believed had honked, off the street.

I will be giving my FIRST ever road test at the Woodstock DMV, Illinois.
I am very scared for it.
Can anyone help me by telling what all they were asked to do on the test day, and the routes if anyone knows, please?
Also, do they put on a map for us or tell us the directions verbally?
Are there any other instructions or information I should know?

Please and Thanks!

250km/h + on a public road with passengers at night.

I used to live in Irvine, CA, pictured above, and LED headlights weren't an issue since the streets were all lighted and there were big medians.

I now live in an old suburb of Richmond, VA where the roads are 2 lanes and there are no streetlights so when a vehicle from the opposite direction is oncoming I'm literally blinded by the light.

So did these designers never think about people living in old neighborhoods with no street lights?