My summer driver review (Bangor, Brunswick: homes, live, law)

[Mark S.]

With summer in full swing, now is the time of year when we all enjoy lots of visitors from other states into Maine. Over the years, by watching license plates, I have detected trends in how folks from certain parts of the country drive. So far ...

Massachusetts. What's the hurry? And no, you're not the only one on the road. Relax and enjoy the view.

Rhode Island. I see you take driving lessons in Massachusetts. Do you always tailgate at 70 miles an hour, or just while on vacation?

Connecticut. CT drivers are by and large very safe and polite. They park well. But I don't think I've ever seen anyone under the age of 65 with Connecticut plates.

New York. Remarkably polite drivers. You actually obey the speed limit better than Mainers.

Florida. Hey Floridians, welcome back to your summer homes.

New Jersey drivers are for the most part the most polite and considerate drivers I have ever seen. You understand the courtesy of moving over to let someone merge. You never tailgate and rarely speed. And you seem to be the only drivers on the road who understand what a turn signal is. You could give everyone lessons.

New Hampshire. No discernible difference from Mainers.

Vermont. Same as New Hampshire, only a lot more Saabs and VW vans.

[Zymer]

You must see some different NY drivers than I've seen.

[ElGreco]

Originally Posted by Mark S.

Massachusetts. What's the hurry? And no, you're not the only one on the road. Relax and enjoy the view.

Same for the Maine drivers: relax and enjoy the view...and alcohol and driving are bad too...

[fxtrader]

NY, NJ, CT and MA all appear to be in a hurry to get somewhere and tailgate if your not going 15 mph over the speed limit!

[wawa1992]

Originally Posted by fxtrader

NY, NJ, CT and MA all appear to be in a hurry to get somewhere and tailgate if your not going 15 mph over the speed limit!

Ugh. Tailgaters are the worst.

[Coaster]

Drove I-95 from Brunswick to Bangor Saturday. Comparatively heavy traffic going north, even north of Augusta. I was just cruising along at 70 and was being passed constantly. On some stretches literally every other car passing us had New Jersey plates. The rest were Mass., NY, and Conn. Mark is right, the NJ drivers had enough sense to stay to the right unless they were passing, and they used their turn signals for lane changes. Two Mass vehicles seemed to think it was OK to sit in the passing lane at 65 mph and ignore all the beeping horns and flashing headlights.

The two fastest cars were 1) Quebec family heading north at perhaps 90 mph and not stopping for anyone, and 2) New York car going south as we returned that evening. I'm not sure how fast he was going, but I do know I looked at the loooong stretch of road behind me one moment and it was empty and the next moment there was a black four-door with four young adults in it screaming up the highway. A WAG would put his speed at a minimum of 100-110 mph. Luckily for him my cellphone battery was dead, or I would have called it in.

[bwap_bonk]

Originally Posted by Coaster

Drove I-95 from Brunswick to Bangor Saturday. Comparatively heavy traffic going north, even north of Augusta. I was just cruising along at 70 and was being passed constantly. On some stretches literally every other car passing us had New Jersey plates. The rest were Mass., NY, and Conn. Mark is right, the NJ drivers had enough sense to stay to the right unless they were passing, and they used their turn signals for lane changes. Two Mass vehicles seemed to think it was OK to sit in the passing lane at 65 mph and ignore all the beeping horns and flashing headlights.

The two fastest cars were 1) Quebec family heading north at perhaps 90 mph and not stopping for anyone, and 2) New York car going south as we returned that evening. I'm not sure how fast he was going, but I do know I looked at the loooong stretch of road behind me one moment and it was empty and the next moment there was a black four-door with four young adults in it screaming up the highway. A WAG would put his speed at a minimum of 100-110 mph. Luckily for him my cellphone battery was dead, or I would have called it in.

With regards to NJ drivers, it is state law that you must stay to the right, unless you are passing. They stick to that wherever they go. Also, in NJ, there are no lefthand turns off major roads, they use jug handles. If you are on Rt. 1 or the like, you may see an NJ driver frozen in fear, trying to make a left, espescially if there is no green arrow. But generally they are pretty good drivers.

Mass. drivers are the worst with tailgaiting, and are rude in general.

A few words on NY drivers, one should not generalize about us, because there are distinct subspecies. The ones that most people (including myself) find offensive are those from LI/NYC. Driving in the five boroughs is ruthless, if you are still sitting still picosend after the light turns green, you will hear a horn. Signals are not used, weaving is ok, passing the police is ok. It is every man for himself, anarchy.

However, the worst drivers on Earth are from LI New York, which is a traffic clogged hell. There are routinely stories of people crashing into buildings, and there seems to be horrific DWI deaths all the time. You can forget anyone ever letting you merge into traffic, using directionals before swerving accross from the left lane to an exit on the right. Getting the finger or honked at is a common experience, and the tailgaiting on a four lane highway must be seen to be believed. A lot of this is because of how truly horrifric the traffic is, and the obsession to get somewhere before traffic gets even worse. Also, I just don't get the aescetics; middle aged soccer mom driving an monstrous SUV with blacked out windows, chrome trim, huge chrome rims... wha??? I fear these are the ones resposible for the derision of all things NY.

But then you have the people of NY who live north of the city, and are polite, and generally skilled drivers. They may drive fast on the highway, or get impatient if you do not move to the right after a few miles, but that is pretty much it. I have noticed in Central NY (Syracuse) that directionals are sometimes not used as much as they should be.

I think CT drivers are very similiar to NY drivers who live north of the city.

ME/VT/NH drivers are very polite; though in ME, one tends to get stuck behind older folks quite often.

[Zymer]

Originally Posted by lumiwa

Same for the Maine drivers: relax and enjoy the view...and alcohol and driving are bad too...

Yeah, some of the roads are so crappy that you keep hitting bumps and spilling your drink, and it's a sin to be wasting good booze like that...

[ElGreco]

Originally Posted by Zymer

Yeah, some of the roads are so crappy that you keep hitting bumps and spilling your drink, and it's a sin to be wasting good booze like that...

It is not a fun. Just read a Bangor News...another young life gone...

[CoastalMaineiac]

Some people just cannot drive.
I call those people "everybody but me."

Anyone driving faster than you is a bloody idiot, but anyone driving slower is a @#$! $@#$&*(%

People would be a lot happier if they would just live and let live. You never know what's going on in another driver's life.

Some guy driving 45 in a 55 on route 1 might be gawking at the ocean, or he could be having mechanical problems. Perhaps he's old and doesn't feel comfortable driving quite so fast.

Another guy might have heard that his mother has had a heart attack, and might not make the night, so he's pushing closer to 70 in that same 55 zone, figuring it worth the risk.

I guess I'm just trying to say "be courteous" and give each other the benefit of the doubt.