13 Infuriating Drivers That Test Our Patience

Driving can be a transcendent experience. The purr of the engine and beautiful scenery whizzing by, it’s why we love cars.

But real-world commuting can be anything but serene. Some days, it feels like a secret agency has hired automotive assassins to take us out because we know too much. That’s because the way some people drive can send your heart rate higher than any Jazzercise class ever could.

The culprit is always some muppet behind the wheel of a car, usually oblivious to your plight. If you’ve never experienced this before, then look in the rearview mirror to see the muppet. Either way, we’ve narrowed down the most infuriating types of drivers that test our patience daily. It won’t make your commute any less frustrating, but at least you’ll know that you’re not alone.

Tailgating Tools

We’ve all been there. You’re cruising along at the legal speed limit minding your own business, when some bozo pulls up 2 inches behind your rear bumper.

You know you want to slam on your brakes to teach them a lesson, but you bite your lip and gently slow down even more. It’s the right thing to do.

Lane Hogging Laggards

We have some of the world’s widest freeways anywhere in the world. The Katy Freeway in Houston, Texas, has up to 26 lanes! Yet some drivers still need to sit in the fast lane at 30mph, refusing to move over.

The pain is real, and inevitably, you are forced to go around them while gesticulating wildly from your car.

No Signaling Simpletons

Every car is fitted with signal indicators because it is the law to indicate which way you intend to turn. It’s pretty simple: allowing other road users to see your intentions beforehand can prevent a nasty accident.

Yet most drivers insist on veering about on the freeway or making sharp turns in front of you without so much as brushing the indicator stalk. Perhaps they have great insurance coverage, or more likely, they are just simpletons blissfully unaware of the frustration they are causing behind them.

The Distracted Driver

Modern cars are marvels of engineering, but they also have dozens of knobs, buttons, and distracting touchscreens to keep you from focusing on the road. On top of that, texting, eating, changing clothes, and even shaving are all pastimes that some people prefer to do while behind the wheel.

This will inevitably cause them to make erratic moves, forget to stop or go at a red light, and innumerable other irritating and dangerous activities.

The Race Car Driver

Some people get their kicks on their way to work by weaving through traffic in a tarted-up sedan.

Getting cut up by someone darting into the lane in front of you or having to brake hard to avoid a car racing by is not only irritating but also dangerous. Your only hope is that an unmarked cop car pulls them over and hands them a massive fine.

Slower Than Treacle

Then there’s the traffic crawler, always driving 10 mph below the flow of traffic or just cruising along at idling speed, creating a tailback across two states.

This sort of driver can often be even more frustrating than the race car driver because, on a narrow road, there’s simply no getting by them. This is where an army surplus tank would come in handy.

Stop Street Ignorer

There’s nothing ambiguous about a stop street. You stop, then wait until it’s safe to proceed. Unfortunately, some people blast through them as if the rules are meant for someone else.

Sure, we’ve all slowed to a crawl instead of stopped before, but racing through without even checking to see if someone else is coming is reckless and infuriating.

Red Light Racer

You’re parked at the lights minding, your own business when, some cheese in a rusty old banger starts revving and spinning their, wheels as if they were at a drag strip.

Then, they haul off in a cloud of dust and oil, only to repeat the process at the next set of lights. It’s even more irritating if they have a sports car because they act like they’re better than you, too.

Inconsiderate Parker

You’re late for an appointment and pull into the parking lot to see that only one bay is open. Great.

Except the person next to you has parked so badly that you’d have to climb out the sunroof if you managed to squeeze in there. That army surplus tank would be earning its keep in these cases.

Honking Hooligan

Hooting, honking, or other irritatingly loud vehicular noises are meant to prevent accidents. A gentle parp on the hooter is fine to alert you that the light has turned green.

It is not fine to constantly hoot at every motorist like a maniac. Yet many people think this is the best way to get through traffic.

Panicky Braker

It’s good to watch the road ahead and react proactively to traffic movements. Slamming on the brakes every time someone slows down slightly is a pain.

These are usually the same people who are driving along, eating a burger, and writing texts simultaneously.

Dithering Decision Maker

Nothing gets the blood boiling like someone who simply cannot decide to go at a set of stop lights or won’t overtake a truck when it’s obviously safe to do so.

Changing lanes on the highway back and forth is another favored pastime of the dithering decision-maker.

U-Turning Lemming

Deciding to go back where you came from on a whim is fine if you are on foot. It is less so when driving a car. Illegal U-turns are not only irritating, they can be very dangerous.

We have all crested a rise and seen a vehicle blocking our path as they attempt a seven-way turn on a single-lane road. If only bulldozing them with a tank was made legal…