Sheeple Drivers

Why are there so many bad drivers out there?

It seems that everywhere I go, I am confronted with people whose driving skills leave something to be desired. I’ve been thinking about this a lot lately and I’ve begun wondering why there are so many bad drivers out there sharing the roads with the rest of us. Here are some possible weak links in the bad driver equation...baddriverblog.com...

Sheeple. My definition of a Sheeple is any person who is content with ignorance as a way of life.

The Awake. My definition of an awake person is the opposite of a Sheeple.

How many Sheeple are there? How many are Awake? Can we identify the Awake from the Sheeple by comparing driving behaviors? Bear with me. It seems like way too many people behind the wheel "own the road" like it is their sovereign right or something. I wonder what is going through their minds.

What happened to courtesy and cooperation? Safety even? Why do we drive like madmen and women, insulting each other, cutting each other off, acting like we want to kill someone? Are our driver ego's really alter-ego's? And are our alter-ego's an extenstion of our online ego's?

I think I'm awake and a courteous driver. Some of my family and friends are terrible drivers. And they happen to be Sheeple.

Is there any correlation between the Awake, the Sheeple and the Horrible Drivers?

Theories:

1. 70% percent nasty drivers
2. 30% percent courteous drivers

Are the nasty drivers Sheeple or Awake?

How's that for conspiracy logic. Don't answer that, answer the other questions instead. I'm curious. What do you think?

Well first of all, calling them sheeple simply because they do not understand certain things or have not been educated, is not very nice.

Secondly, I agree that most people are not great drivers, but the reason behind that is the city mentality of drive or be drived.

People are in a rush constantly, that line of thought means less time is put into actually focusing on driving.

They are not sheeple, they simply lack concentration on the road.

~Keeper

Originally posted by tothetenthpower
Well first of all, calling them sheeple simply because they do not understand certain things or have not been educated, is not very nice.

Secondly, I agree that most people are not great drivers, but the reason behind that is the city mentality of drive or be drived.

People are in a rush constantly, that line of thought means less time is put into actually focusing on driving.

They are not sheeple, they simply lack concentration on the road.

~Keeper

Thanks for your comment and input. Its interesting to hear what other people think.

I'm not calling anyone anything really. I'm speculating on a connection between lack of knowledge (ignorance) and discourteous, unaware drivers compared to the driving habits of the Awake among us. There may be no connection at all.

I agree about the city mentality thing. I worked and drove downtown for years.

As a trucker, I firmly believe that since the advance in computers and everyone's lives needing to get things done much faster, or getting as much done as possible in a short amount of time, is the reason that people drive so fast and recklessly.

In Houston if you travel on the beltway it is race track most of the time- same with I45. I have seen this more in cities than in other places. There is a diffrence to how people drive out in the country.

I understand that you do not want the big, heavy, slow truck in front of you- but do not cut off the 40 ton (80,000 lbs) truck. What do you save- 3-4 seconds or do you kill the driver of that truck, ruin his family, destroy your lives and everyone else for that matter.

People act as if those turn signals are broken...or were optional. I use mine all day in my pickup, I check three times before I change lanes. I do drive fast but I am safe. There are people out there that drive like this is a cross between the Grand Prix and Bumper Cars.

I think that 60% are poor drivers (from bad skills, lack of skills, distracted), 30% are good and 10% have no place on the road or sidewalk.

I agree about bad drives, being a pedestrian in a city that has one of the highest pedestrian accident rates. I have been hit twice now by cars who were not paying attention and in too much of a hurry.

Driving makes people inpatient.
Driving gives people a sense of superiority, and they feel that they have the right of way at all times and anything that stops them is an annoying inconvenience.

My pet peeves are, no stopping before making a right turn on red, which should not be allowed anyway imo. And the worst one, rolling, not stopping when someone is crossing the road in front of them. Sometimes if the car is really rolling I will slow way down and force them to put their foot on the brake before I continue. It's extremely rude and dangerous. Then there's the drivers who don't stop at all at cross-walks and actually maneuver around people trying to cross.

Car drivers please respect pedestrians and do the right thing. I don't think most people who only drive, realize how scary being a pedestrian can be, and simply because you are too lazy to do the right thing and have no consideration for others. It's like being behind the wheel makes people feel they are not required to consider other people. Instead of looking at all obstacles they only really consider danger to themselves.

Cars turn people into aholes. We should ban cars altogether, especially in crowded cities. Maybe if capitalism and money wasn't the rule, and a screwed up idea of what freedom is, we would have developed a better system of public transport and not allow cars in cities.

About 5000 pedestrians are killed every year, and 64,000 injured, in California alone. And they want you to be scared of terrorists

Edit: Oh I forgot the question, well I wouldn't call them sheeple, just people trapped in a system that they don't question, as they are pushed more and more to cut corners (excuse the pun) in order to keep up in a world that only respects money and power.

Oh and thanx for this opportunity to rant, I feel better now.

[edit on 20-5-2009 by CityIndian]

reply to post by Hazelnut


Ohh, I forgot to add that alot of drivers get their licenses from www.Iwanttodrive.com .

Printable license, quick and easy haha.

~Keeper

Live in a real sheeple (south park like) town, it's relatively a small town, with approx at least 2 car accidents per day, thats two seperate incidences.

And people also don't follow the 10mph stay 1 car behind rule. if your going 70 you can bet your ss that the guy behind you is going 71 till you speed up.

I'd say they were all in the rat race together, going so fast and not knowing what to do when they get there.

Originally posted by ShadowMaster
I understand that you do not want the big, heavy, slow truck in front of you- but do not cut off the 40 ton (80,000 lbs) truck. What do you save- 3-4 seconds or do you kill the driver of that truck, ruin his family, destroy your lives and everyone else for that matter.

I respect the Truckers and give them as much room and time as they need. I learned a long time ago that playing chicken with a semi was not a smart thing to do. Yes they are annoying, but they also transport the goods we all need.

reply to post by Hazelnut


Selfishness, plain and simple.
Those who are in a rush to get where they are going seem to feel that the road was meant exclusively for them.
A fact seemingly distantly lost to human beings, is that one is behind the wheel of a 2k+ lb killing machine.
In a lot of cases, you can tell that another driver simply does not care about anything on the road whatsoever, as long as they are in front of whatever it is.

This makes a me wonder as to why, people can be like this. But then again people are just as bad off the road as they are on it. It only becomes more amplified and more apparent, because we are all enclosed in 2 or so lanes.
The reasoning behind this is quite simple.
The degree of conditioning a person is subjected to is relative when looking at society as a whole.
We are conditioned to worry about ourselves, and "OUR RIGHT" to live a better life.
When in all reality, slogans like "MOVE OR GET OUT OF THE WAY" "ZOOM ZOOM", and "YOU DESERVE A BREAK TODAY", become indelibly etched into our subconscious minds.
Providing us with the often mentioned, "SHEEPLE" complex.
When a life of convenience is taken for granted, it is the life itself that becomes the object of ignorance.

I don't get the whole "if you don't think or act the way I do you are a sheeple" mentality.

I ride a motorcycle, it is my only mode of transportation and I promise you that I have had more close calls then any of you. I traded a bike in for another a year or so ago and within the first half hour of pulling out of the HD dealership I was almost killed 8 times. Well I might not have died, but I would have been hurt.

Even the best drivers pull out in front of me or push me onto the shoulder.

If I went by the OP's definition of Sheeple then each and everyone of you who drives a car is a sheeple and my fellow riders (riders are those who ride a motorcycle as their only transportation) are the only ones awake.

Calling someone a sheeple is simply being judgmental on your own part. Check yourself.
Give anyone a buffer(car, internet etc) that protects them from having to directly deal with other people's reaction to their own transgressions and watch the bravado increase. Happens all of the time.
Depending on the type of person(see: 9 types of people), your results may vary.

Originally posted by jd140
I ride a motorcycle, it is my only mode of transportation and I promise you that I have had more close calls then any of you.

Hmmm I used to ride motorcycles for years, everything from a Vespa to a Gold Wing, and I feel far more vulnerable, and less in control, on the street as a pedestrian than I ever did riding a motorcycle.

I felt safer riding a bicycle as a messenger in down town traffic all day long as well. I never got hit by a car on a motor or bicycle, but I've been hit twice as a pedestrian and have had many many close calls. The second hit messed my back up and I can't work.

reply to post by 4N6310


Let me stress the point that I'm not calling anyone a sheeple nor am I accusing anyone who thinks differently than I do a sheeple. As I stated above, my definition of a sheeple is a person content to live in ignorance. Ignorance is a Lack Of Knowledge.

There are parts of my own life that could be sheeplish I don't deny that. But driving isn't one of them. It is awareness and experience that makes me cautious and courteous while driving. And yes, at times I've gone berzerk when someone threatens my safety on the road. That's not something to be proud of nor deny.

I wonder how many people think they are good drivers and never know about the person or people they endanged the last time they got behind the wheel.

reply to post by CityIndian



You been hit twice? Maybe you should look twice befor crossing the street or wait until the walk sign tells you to walk.

Remember just because you have the right of way doesn't mean you don't have to look.

I'm not going to get into a pissing match with you about it.

I think all car drivers fall into the sheeple category, as the OP defines them.

Pedistrians think they own the road and will walk in front of a bus if that little green man is blinking.

There was an remark from a police officer in the local news concerning speeders.

The officer said that people who were constant speeders or fast/aggressive drivers were not happy with their position in life, most notably in the field of employment.

So people who were fast, aggressive drivers simply wanted to be better than anyone else

I always try to drive at the posted speed limits just because it would be horrible if I hit and killed someone and I wouldn't want to go through that.

reply to post by Hazelnut


Have you never had to rush to get somewhere before? Do you not think that that might cause you to be a little more disrespectful on the roadway as opposed to when you aren't in a rush to get somewhere?

On the road(life in general), you have two extremes: People that are in a panic/rush to get somewhere and people that are in no rush at all. I would say the "lazy"(no rush) driver is way more inconsiderate and more "sheeple" minded than a rushed driver. A rushed driver has immediate purpose, no matter how trivial said purpose may be. The ignorance lies on the lazy driver that cannot comprehend why a driver is acting in a "disrespectful" way.

When a person is expected to be somewhere at a designated time(especially for business), you best believe that road courtesy is the last thing on their minds.

This is basic common sense. Sometimes I'm rushed and need to haul my arse to get somewhere. Other times I just go out for a drive with no particular place to go. In which scenario do you think I'd be a more curteous/cordial driver?

reply to post by star in a jar


While the comment may have been made, and I am not doubting it validity, I find it hard to believe that a cop would be bothered asking anyone about their personal life and their position in it when ticketing the same.
Revenue is indifferent and apathetic to the individual.

Perhaps, the person that made that comment was attempting to awaken people one ticket at a time.

All the same, Cops are no different than the AH drivers out there the majority of the time.
I am speaking from personal experience and I reserve the right not to get into that right now.

This however does not change the fact of selfishness. No better example could be given to lend credence to the fact that we are "Not awake", than the current traffic situation.
When you are ignorant, indifferent, and or apathetic to the fact that your bad driving may kill individuals and or families, you are truly among the sleeping majority.

[edit on 20/5/2009 by reticledc]

I've noticed an increase (for real) in, as reticledc stated, selfish and rude drivers. I think it has alot to do with peoples stress levels in todays economic mess.

I think the isolation and anonymity of a car give some people that are pissed off in life right now an ability to vent and be pr#cks. This is IMO a partial cause.

Sheeple? I'm not sure about that label applied here. Someone completely aware and awake to the BS govt, markets, msm, system, etc. could also be driving like an a-hole.

Originally posted by jd140
You been hit twice? Maybe you should look twice befor crossing the street or wait until the walk sign tells you to walk. Remember just because you have the right of way doesn't mean you don't have to look.

Hey now that's rude and you have no idea what happened.

Both incidences I had the right of way and I was looking. Both cars were not looking for pedestrians, speeding, and I had no time to move.
The first one didn't stop, the second one didn't have a choice.

I had the right of way, so even if I had my head up my ass, it's still the stupid drivers who should have looked, seen me, and stopped, AS THEY ARE BY LAW REQUIRED TO DO. I was doing what I had the right to do, cross the damn street in safety.

I get sick of people always excusing bad drivers and trying to blame the pedestrian, because we're not supposed to be in your road right? We're supposed to watch for you because you are in the big bad car right?

Let me ask you, if you get hit by another car after you refuse to yield to their right of way, is it their fault because they didn't look for you?

I'm not going to get into a pissing match with you about it.

Hmmm so why are you starting one?

Pedistrians think they own the road and will walk in front of a bus if that little green man is blinking.

Oh and not to mention the red lights they run, the right turns on red without stopping or yielding to pedestrians, the non-light ped crossings they don't stop at, the speeding on city streets, the thousands they kill and maim every year, the pollution, the noise. Oh yeah those darn pedestrians...

C'mon, peds think they own the road? They own the right to move freely just as you do. You just don't like assertive peds who get in your way, you are what my rant was all about. You, like most drivers, act like peds shouldn't be on the street, and giving us room is just a courtesy when you're feeling especially generous.

People come first, not cars. A pedestrian should ALWAYS have the right of way if you had ANY consideration of others. We're walking with cars flying by and lots of noise, vulnerable to any driver who makes a mistake, or gets impatient, or has just had a row with their wife. You are in a car giving you a nice feeling of comfort and safety, you can make up the few seconds it takes to yield to someone. It's you who creates the problem, not the pedestrian. You have a choice, many peds don't, it's walk or don't go.

reply to post by truthtothemasses


I'm confused, you're trying to say it's OK to be a rude driver if you're in a rush? You're justifying rudeness, or better yet dangerous driving, on a problem that is yours?

Why should other people be put in danger because of a problem that belongs to you?

As one poster mentioned, a big part of the problem is peoples lives are just too busy. No one has the time to stop and look at themselves and what they are doing, and how it's effecting others. It's also the atmosphere of distrust and demonization of others, perpetuated by the media, that let's us treat strangers as nothing to be concerned about or have regard for. It's a reflection of society as a whole, we've been conditioned to not care unless it directly effects us personally.

When was the last time you said WE instead of I?