Submitted by SquashDue502 t3_ysu1pt in newhampshire

I mean this with the most respect but I moved here from the South and every time it rains here it seems like all semblance of common sense and driving skills go out the window when it rains. I’ve heard you all are great at driving in the snow so it baffles me that rain is so hard.

I’m talking people trying to merge onto the highway at like 35mph because I can only assume they don’t want to accelerate on a wet road? People whipping around you in the left lane only to skirt all the way back over to exit on the right. I kid you not this is possibly some of the worst driving I’ve ever seen in the US and I lived in Florida for a while…

Is it just me or are you guys aware of others being weird driving in rain?

Also pro-tip if it rains hard and you have trouble seeing you do not need to turn on your hazard lights unless something is wrong 😭

0

Comments

You must log in or register to comment.

BigEnd3 t1_iw13sne wrote

The water allows us to drive closer to our natural state, but we are nervous. In a few months. Maybe even weeks the hard water will develope. The braps will resume upon the lakes and ponds as the tracked 2 stroke vehicles of the gods return. We yearn for the unnessicary speed a 600cc sled can deliver. Gods forbid us to mention a turbo 1200 and its neccisary connecting rod shattering abilities. We are nervous this false black ice will not provide the performance results to deliver us to the great feast. So we drive both aggressively and timidly for fear the gods will be angered and not deliver the white fluffy stuff that provides great succor when the sun stays low. Do not bring the curse of the Florida Man and his balmy winters.

23

UnfairAd7220 t1_iw1b0vn wrote

I read that like beat poetry.

Well done. Perform that at beat night at some bar...

2

RickyDaytonaJr t1_iw105rz wrote

Oh you’re from the south and you’re a great driver, huh? Puhleeaase. I lived in Virginia Beach for a few years. One winter, there was a cold snap and Virginia Beach got an inch and a half of snow. About 5,000 people immediately drove off the interstate. There were cars in ditches everywhere. The whole place closed down for days so they could bring plows down from DC and clean things up.

13

BigEnd3 t1_iw12n2e wrote

Virginia Beach drivers are nuts on a perfect day. It really caught me off guard.

4

SquashDue502 OP t1_iw2nsp3 wrote

Okay but it snows once a year there and it rains pretty frequently here lol

1

Freyjia t1_iw1ue47 wrote

Probably a lot due to summer tires and the fact southern snow is almost always the mixed stuff that quickly makes ice. No salt or sand on the roads ever either! You guys always forget southern states have no prep or infrastructure for snow. As a Texan I can drive just fine in the snow up here. I wouldn't do it back home though, it's completely different.

0

march_rogue t1_iw166vl wrote

Born and raised here and I believe no one in this state seems to know how to merge properly anywhere. It's a zipper people.

My favorite are the soccer moms in the minivans, obviously late for something, and too distracted or not caring that she's 5 effing cars back speeding up to "merge" in front of car number 1. I'd imagine she's yelling, "Shut the hell up, Cody or I'll come back there and shut you up! Brianna, if you don't shut your music off right now, no SOCCER this year! Look at this effing jerk in Car number 1. Hey, hey, f u! Learn how to merge!"

13

roundeye2020 t1_iw1ife9 wrote

Drive in MD, they have no clue about the zipper or how to merge. NONE

4

SquashDue502 OP t1_iw2nfax wrote

YES omg I can’t tell you how many times I’ve seen people flip out and get pushed off the road cuz they don’t know how to merge with a zipper 😂

Here and back home lmao

2

LFRebel_603 t1_iw10vmw wrote

When did you move here from the south? Rain is easy mode compared to the black ice, slush and snow we drive in. The people you're complaining about have probably moved up here from the south. 60% of the residents here aren't from NH.

10

SquashDue502 OP t1_iw2noz4 wrote

Few weeks ago. Noticed many of the bad driver plates were Massachusetts too so maybe that says something lol

2

rochvegas5 t1_iw11skh wrote

Wait until the first snow. Stay off rte 16

10

Doug_Shoe t1_iw2y8ci wrote

If someone is driving slow on the highway in heavy rain, my guess might be that he can't see. Maybe his wipers are junk, defrost doesn't work etc.

I'm not buying the theory that people are afraid to accelerate in rain.

10

Dollhousefurniture t1_iw4ey1f wrote

It could also be a vision problem like not having glasses available or other eye issues

2

movdqa t1_iw5y3uj wrote

That can be a big problem given that we're the second-oldest state in the country (based on median age). I keep a spare pair of bifocals in my cars in case I forget my glasses. But I can easily understand forgetting to wear them. If you can't pass the eye-test part of getting your license renewed, then you are required to wear glasses while driving. I don't know what the penalty is for not wearing required glasses though.

2

knottedoaks t1_iw11s6m wrote

I’ve lived all over the country and the ONLY place I’ve seen idiots turn hazards on for rain is Texas. The dumb motherfuckers almost stop on I-10 in a drizzle.

and yes,there are a bunch of shitty drivers here.

9

UnfairAd7220 t1_iw1bghr wrote

They face a REAL different reality. After a few dry months, the first rains, especially if they're light, flush oil out of the pavement and turn the roads into skating rinks.

We have all season radials tires. All they ever drive are summer tires, so they might as well be slicks on oily roads.

They aren't dumb. They're scared shitless.

5

knottedoaks t1_iw2d6df wrote

I’m no disagreeing with a majority of your points. It rains plenty once you’re east of SA and especially Houston, so the oil on roads is not really a factor.

2

UnfairAd7220 t1_iw8k87p wrote

I've got family in Dallas and they report seeing cars driving down the road spinning off for no obvious reason other than a light spritzing...

Not living there, it's all I have to go on...

1

ThunderheadsAhead t1_iw280hv wrote

>if it rains hard and you have trouble seeing you do not need to turn on your hazard lights unless something is wrong

If I'm on the highway, I turn on my hazards in a torrential downpour to alert other drivers of a potential road hazard: ME. I want them to know that I can't see past my car's nose, I'm driving 30 in a 65, and I can't see them, either.

9

No-I-Dont-Exist t1_iw0z0cb wrote

Better question: have you ever seen black ice before I mean, I get your point, but as soon as it gets below 32 degrees that rain becomes an invisible sheet of ice that stops your ability to brake

8

11BMasshole t1_iw0zwk8 wrote

Ok , but it’s mid 60’s right now. And I agree with the hazards thing, zero reason to drive with them on. And it’s also a illegal in some states.

2

march_rogue t1_iw15m25 wrote

I'd rather see them. It would make me think maybe they are having car trouble or whatever, and I would just pass them.

1

Freyjia t1_iw1utgt wrote

The south gets black ice frequently enough in the winter, fyi. I'm sure he's probably seen it.

1

Clock-Full t1_iw13f81 wrote

Throw a driver from any state/region into any combination of weather/climate, you are going to run into the same thing more often than not. Some drivers are good, and some drivers are shit.

8

teeeray t1_iw0z14y wrote

I feel like there are two types of drivers: those that use RainX, and those that don’t.

7

Porkus_Aurelius t1_iw0zte5 wrote

Once you get down to about Virginia, 2 inches of snow shuts down the state.

7

FelDreamer t1_iw1jzwp wrote

Just wait til the first dusting of snow. Each year you’ll see people parking in ditches during the first snowfall. Often it’s overconfident 4x4s and people who forgot to replace their balding tires.

7

ForklkftJones t1_iw1z8ia wrote

I am honestly shocked that more people don't use Rainx. Using it should be mandatory at this point.

7

Patient_Total7675 t1_iw2qyv0 wrote

People suck at driving everywhere. And if you have your lights off in the rain or any weather, your IQ is in the toilet as far as.im concerned. Also- parking lights are for PARKING, not driving.

6

autisticdemon87 t1_iw12q5h wrote

That's one of the problems with people and the weather out here, I'm from California, and have been in NH for around 15-20 years and EVERY time there is bad weather it seems that the people who have lived here all their lives forget how to appropriately respond to driving in said weather.

5

Smirkly t1_iw15ig9 wrote

Where did you get the idea that people in New Hampshire are good in the snow? I will say I saw snow in South Carolina once and that was the worst ever.

5

howie_doin t1_iw145ts wrote

They’re just as bad in Florida lmao

4

800grandave t1_iw2ld8f wrote

whats your point? people in the south drive this way…people up here dont? i love stream of consciousness, i just dont understand. i have thoughts too

4

sweetnsalty24 t1_iw1e5p1 wrote

I've only driven with hazards once and it was during a microburst where I couldn't see any cars in front of me even though they had their hazards on too.

3

National-Quality327 t1_iw2hb2j wrote

Has the south ever seen snow before? Every time it snows more than 2 inches we get stories of highways backed up for miles and people snowed in their cars.

3

Meriby t1_iw2mw28 wrote

I moved from NH to SC. Sorry but drivers in SC do not know how to drive or they just don’t care. No police presence equals drivers speeding, staying in the left lane etc. Not to mention no inspection means cars with no hoods or hoods being held down with tie downs, broken windshields, no bumpers due to crashes, no lights or broken lights. They drive the same no matter if the roads are dry, wet or snowy. SC drivers are the worst. Even worse than MA drivers! Just my observation

3

Kv603 t1_iw2tdzg wrote

I will say that last night's peak was among the heaviest rains I've seen since I moved to the Manchester area, and the worst (non-winter) driving conditions I've encountered here -- basically a white out.

> Also pro-tip if it rains hard and you have trouble seeing you do not need to turn on your hazard lights unless something is wrong

Unlike many states, it is allowed, but not encouraged.

3

SquashDue502 OP t1_iw3byw8 wrote

Last night was actually a lot of rain, even for me. I drove 60 on I-95 instead of 70 because I felt so nervous 😉

−3

01Zaphod t1_iw11991 wrote

If it’s not sunny and 75, all common sense goes out the window, I’ve found. Fog, snow, rain, mist, hail, heat mirages….you name it. I was born here, and it seems to me the drivers are getting worse and worse.

2

akmjolnir t1_iw2g37u wrote

My favorite time of year was whenever it snowed along the coast of NC, and everyone decided it was cool to slide off the road for some reason.

Or whenever it would rain hard in CA... Now that's a spectacular viewing experience.

Nothing beats ice in Texas, though. Literally the entire state shuts down in reverence.

2

SmellOk5518 t1_iw2r1gy wrote

I moved here from maine over a year ago, and the way people drive in nh is much different. I would say more wreckless, less courteous, and just overall very risky driving habits. But hey live free or die am I right?? I feel like I hear about gnarly accidents at least once a week. I dunno if it’s just being closer to mass, and people are rushing around more?? But from my perspective nh generally has pretty shitty drivers.

2

SquashDue502 OP t1_iw2sueu wrote

I drove to Portland the other weekend and I found Maine drivers to be very pleasant :)

1

Low-Head-1493 t1_iw2yqnp wrote

Eh. That’s anecdotal, as is pretty much all of the discourse on this thread.

I find that Mainers often take turns/corners more painfully slowly than any other drivers I have ever encountered, then there are others who speed pretty aggressively, but they also are often perfectly normal drivers… just like you might encounter in any state, including here!

I drove to Saco, Maine last night on windy back roads in pissing rain. Normal driving in both ME & NH by both yours truly and the other drivers… with the exception of one driver who came up behind me fast & probably didn’t like that I was slowing down on curves (just in this one meandering hilly section I’m unfamiliar with). I pulled over. Problem solved for both of us.

I do have one hypothesis that fits your opinion though: New England is FULL of old people. They can drive just fine in the snow as they’ve been doing it their whole life, but can’t see shit at night in the rain. (I’m not that old but am blind as a bat and use contacts… glare at night for me while driving is awful & precipitation makes it way worse.)

6

movdqa t1_iw5yij6 wrote

I have a pair of night driving glasses. I started having problems driving in the dark about 20 years ago so I told my optician and he said that the pupils expand when it's dark to let in more light and that this changes the geometry of how corrective lenses work. So he made me glasses with about a quarter less power.

2

Low-Head-1493 t1_iw74sv2 wrote

Thank you, that is really helpful and sounds exactly like what I need to do.

1

SquashDue502 OP t1_iw3bm9y wrote

Honestly you might be right about the old people, it makes sense.

One thing I’ve noticed that’s similar in the south is that the Ford F-150 drivers are assholes here too lol

1

ThunderySleep t1_iw501mx wrote

I'll find the occasional complete turtle in ME, but for the most part I've never noticed really bad or needlessly aggressive drivers there.

NH on the other hand, I probably see more ridiculous road-rage types than anywhere I've lived, including NJ.

1

movdqa t1_iw5xveo wrote

I keep an eye on lakes and reservoirs and they are at high levels. It feels like this is the rainiest year in decades. That said, I go with Michelin Touring tires and change them when my dealer says to change them (they have a thing you drive over and it tells you the condition of your tires).

We have a lot of new drivers in NH from young adults and those moving into the state from other places. The roads were a lot different 35 years ago when we moved here. Southern NH seems like an extension of Massachusetts as we now have the driving styles that were there 35 years ago.

2

smallboxofcrayons t1_iw2jr1a wrote

Transplant from the west coast, this one of the weird thing things being here. Best drivers in the snow you’ll see absolutely worst drivers drivers in the rain though.

1