What is your pet peeve of the day? -- 2021

[Qs Laptop]

I will say that the Lexus dealer was a breeze... no pressure, no hard sell... a nice experience...

I was shopping Toyota, Genesis, and Lexus recently. I can confirm that the Lexus experience was noticeably top notch.

 

[imjustawarrior]

I hate that when I am using my laptop and trying to log in, that the site wants me to open the app on my phone to confirm it is me. I'm using my laptop because I don't want to use the app on my phone.

 

[GalaxyBoy]

I’ve probably posted about annoying surveys before (“How would you rate the air you breathed in our store today?”), but now I’m getting requests from google asking for a review of a restaurant that I only searched in google maps but never visited. I need to make sure I stay signed out of google, I suppose.

 

[statsman]

It's probably been posted before on this thread, but one of my driving pet peeve's occurred to me *twice* over the weekend. Seems we now live in a time where being stopped at a stop light, particularly in a left-hand only turn lane (in the US), where the driver decides to spend time on their cell phones. It's either that, or the drivers are completely oblivious to their surroundings.

You can probably guess the rest. The light will change, and said drivers will wait 8-10 seconds before moving. This will occur even if the vehicle in front of them has moved forward. This usually results in some vehicles not making it through the light sequence. Like I said, I got bit twice over the weekend for this very reason.

I loathe using the vehicle's horn, but I have now gotten to the stage that if it's the vehicle in front of me and they haven't moved within 5 seconds, I hit the horn. Being in Central Texas, I keep waiting for a person to exit the vehicle in front of me waving a gun.

 

[EarlyandLate]

It's probably been posted before on this thread, but one of my driving pet peeve's occurred to me *twice* over the weekend. Seems we now live in a time where being stopped at a stop light, particularly in a left-hand only turn lane (in the US), where the driver decides to spend time on their cell phones. It's either that, or the drivers are completely oblivious to their surroundings.

You can probably guess the rest. The light will change, and said drivers will wait 8-10 seconds before moving. This will occur even if the vehicle in front of them has moved forward. This usually results in some vehicles not making it through the light sequence. Like I said, I got bit twice over the weekend for this very reason.

I loathe using the vehicle's horn, but I have now gotten to the stage that if it's the vehicle in front of me and they haven't moved within 5 seconds, I hit the horn. Being in Central Texas, I keep waiting for a person to exit the vehicle in front of me waving a gun.

I have seen people making the left turn WHILE looking at their phone. How do you make a proper left turn not looking at where you are aiming your car?

 

[GalaxyBoy]

I keep waiting for a person to exit the vehicle in front of me waving a gun.

I sometimes honk after a slow count to five if it’s obvious they’re staring at the phone. Sometimes they let me know they’re Number One.

 

[Qs Laptop]

I sometimes honk after a slow count to five if it’s obvious they’re staring at the phone. Sometimes they let me know they’re Number One.

Slow count to 5? You are being courteous. I might give them 2 seconds before I lay on the horn.

 

[imjustawarrior]

Slow count to 5? You are being courteous. I might give them 2 seconds before I lay on the horn.

If I see them looking down, I honk immediately. Our left turn lights can be very short.

 

[aaronc879]

Living in a small town has a lot of positives but one thing I really dislike is that I can't talk to an actual person if I have a non-emergency police issue after 4p or on the weekend. Seems like that should be a 24/7 type of thing. People get away with a lot of stuff they shouldn't because they know people can't call the police after-hours unless it's a 9-1-1 type situation.

 

[Koolau]

Serious question: Do folks HERE ever use their phone while driving? I never do. If my phone rings, I won't answer it. I won't look to see who is calling. If I want to text, I wait until I'm not driving. I'm no "goodie-two-shoes" but driving/phone operation just seems like adding way too much risk for so little benefit. Sorry if I'm being "judgy."

 

[aaronc879]

Serious question: Do folks HERE ever use their phone while driving? I never do. If my phone rings, I won't answer it. I won't look to see who is calling. If I want to text, I wait until I'm not driving. I'm no "goodie-two-shoes" but driving/phone operation just seems like adding way too much risk for so little benefit. Sorry if I'm being "judgy."

I never text while driving. I will read a text from my mounted phone if traffic is light but I won't reply while driving. I can answer my phone hands free so I will do that sometimes.

 

[Koolau]

I never text while driving. I will read a text from my mounted phone if traffic is light but I won't reply while driving. I can answer my phone hands free so I will do that sometimes.

I even wonder about hands-free phone calls. Honestly, I find just talking in a car to be sufficiently distracting that I avoid it in traffic. On the open road, I'm okay with conversations, but not so much when I'm in 6 lanes of traffic and looking for pedestrians to walk out in front of me. YMMV.

 

[aaronc879]

I even wonder about hands-free phone calls. Honestly, I find just talking in a car to be sufficiently distracting that I avoid it in traffic. On the open road, I'm okay with conversations, but not so much when I'm in 6 lanes of traffic and looking for pedestrians to walk out in front of me. YMMV.

Everyone's situation is different. I only have one 6 lane road within 100 miles of me and it's an interstate so no pedestrians.

 

[Gumby]

I don't read or answer texts or take phone calls while I'm driving. Although, since I rarely have my phone with me anyway, it is not much of a temptation. Another thing I do is turn the radio down when things get crowded or I'm in an unfamiliar place, so that I can pay attention better.

 

[imjustawarrior]

I call and text with my DW a lot when I'm on road trips. I do this when I'm out in the middle of no where on a two lane road by myself. I will text DW quick messages when it is safe if there is more congestion. Even on some interstates there is not much traffic in some of the states around me.

I only use hands free. I only text/call when it is safe. For example, if I'm in a congested area, I will only send a quick text while stopped at a light.

 

[Flieger]

Something I have noticed and I guess I can consider a pet peeve is when people turn on to a street and don't turn in to their lane (they immediately cross 1 or even 2 lanes.

Flieger

 

[euro]

Serious question: Do folks HERE ever use their phone while driving? I never do. If my phone rings, I won't answer it. I won't look to see who is calling. If I want to text, I wait until I'm not driving. I'm no "goodie-two-shoes" but driving/phone operation just seems like adding way too much risk for so little benefit. Sorry if I'm being "judgy."

I never answer/check phone or text messages while driving. Period. For me, it is clearly a distraction, even hands-free, so the risk is not acceptable. As Tom and Ray used to write on their bumper stickers:"Drive NOW, talk later" (I guess, back in those days, texts weren't a thing yet...)

 

[Qs Laptop]

I never text while driving. I will read a text from my mounted phone if traffic is light but I won't reply while driving. I can answer my phone hands free so I will do that sometimes.

I don't read or answer texts or take phone calls while I'm driving.

I never answer/check phone or text messages while driving. Period. For me, it is clearly a distraction, even hands-free, so the risk is not acceptable.

I text and talk on the phone when I'm driving quite frequently. It's very easy with Android Auto. A text comes in and I get a voice alert over my vehicle's speakers, "New text message from John Doe. Do you want to hear it?"

I can answer back, "Yes" or "No." If I answer "yes", the text message is read to me over the vehicle's speakers. After the message is read I am asked, "Do you want to respond?" Again, I can answer yes or no. If I answer yes, I am prompted to "say your response now." After I say it Android Auto will repeat it back to me verbatim, then ask, "Do you want to send this text?" whereupon I can answer yes or no.

I never have to look at my phone, I never have to take my eyes off the road, I never take my hands off the steering wheel. Honestly, if you can talk to a passenger in your vehicle safely, you can receive and compose texts safely with Android Auto. (I presume Apple Car Play works similarly.)

I gave this description because I think there are plenty of people that have no idea how safe texting and driving can work.

 

[Time2]

I mailed a form 709 to the IRS at Kansas City Mo. 64999 on April 9th. I paid $4.95 to have USPS track it so I could be sure it made it to the IRS. On April 29th, I checked on it, it was lost somewhere, so, I made a 'missing mail search request'. On May 1st tracking said "Available For Returns Agent, Kansas City Mo 64121, and the same day it was "Delivered to Agent, Picked up by Shipping Agent". That is as far as USPS tracks the package. They can't tell me if it made it to the IRS at zip code, 64999. I made an appointment with my local office, figuring that takes less time than being able to talk to anyone at the IRS. My local IRS agent said, they can't pull up that file, they only do 1040s. They gave me a number to call the number, I had already called this number and hung up after waiting an hour.
So, while I'm writing this, I'm on hold for what I'm told is a 1hr wait time.

EDIT: The wait 1 hr 31 minutes, Ms. Webster told me it has not been processed yet. I need to call back on June 1st and check again. I ask if they could contact me when it was processed, she said it was her last day and she would not be able to do that.

 

[ERD50]

I text and talk on the phone when I'm driving quite frequently. ...

I never have to look at my phone, I never have to take my eyes off the road, I never take my hands off the steering wheel. Honestly, if you can talk to a passenger in your vehicle safely, you can receive and compose texts safely with Android Auto. (I presume Apple Car Play works similarly.)

I gave this description because I think there are plenty of people that have no idea how safe texting and driving can work.

Actually, that is not anywhere near as safe as you think it is. Studies have been done (I'll try to find one later - this has been discussed on this forum before) that show that hands free phone use is just not the same as talking to a passenger.

Some of it is a bit esoteric, but it is a documented thing. When you talk to a passenger, you are still "in that space". When you hands-free with someone, you are mentally "in their space". Your brain puts you in this conversation with a person that you picture being far away, it distracts you, even if you don't think it does.

Secondly, the passenger is there with you, and they will also be seeing things that you see, and you, and get feedback, so when a questionable situation arises, when your face suddenly gets focused on something outside the norm, they automatically, subconsciously, pause their speech until the coast is clear. But with someone on the other end, the driver is also (probably subconsciously), trying to keep the conversation going, as they know the other person is still listening unaware of what's going on on the other end. It distracts the driver.

I've seen it with my wife using the phone in the house. She's deep in conversation with her sister, and she is just far less aware of her surroundings as she moves from room to room. You can tell she is "in that space" conversing with her sister, rather than "in her space" noticing the rug is crumpled and she might trip on it.

 

[ERD50]

Actually, that is not anywhere near as safe as you think it is. Studies have been done (I'll try to find one later - this has been discussed on this forum before) that show that hands free phone use is just not the same as talking to a passenger.
...

This one seems solid:

https://www.zurichna.com/knowledge/articles/2023/09/dangers-of-using-hands-free-devices-while-driving

Why passengers don’t pose the same distraction​

You might ask, “Isn’t talking with someone else in the car just as dangerous as talking on the phone?” The short answer seems to be “no.” While chatting with a passenger can certainly pose a distraction risk, psychologists at the University of Sussex in England published a study in 2016 indicating it’s less risky than cellphone conversations because passengers tend to moderate the discussion when road hazards become apparent and they share non-verbal cues that create a less cognitively demanding conversation.8

Without these visual cues, the conversation requires more attentiveness on the part of the driver. Naturally, the person on the other end of the phone is unaware of quickly changing travel conditions or certain other factors affecting the driver and cannot react accordingly.

When you’re talking to someone you can’t see, you imagine them visually. The University of Sussex study showed drivers immersed in conversations that triggered their visual imagination detected fewer road hazards than those who were not. They actually failed to see certain hazards directly in front of them and focused on a smaller area of the road ahead than drivers not involved in such conversations.8 Listening to music or a radio program can also present distraction risks, but research indicates those activities are not as mentally demanding as a two-way conversation.9

Now, texting using voice recognition (vs a 'live' conversation') might reduce some of this effect, but it is still distracting you. Earlier in the article, they mention that "multitasking is a myth" - your brain switches attention between the two activities, so less attention is given to driving. That can't be safe.

 

[YellowSubmarine]

I was quoted $488 for routine service on my Outback. Ran the credit card and they gave me a 3% surcharge for credit card usage. How many people walk around with $500 in the wallet...not me. I think it's a give me that a CC will be the means of payment in 2025. What a sneaky way to inflation cost.

 

[Koolau]

Everyone's situation is different. I only have one 6 lane road within 100 miles of me and it's an interstate so no pedestrians.

S. King St. in downtown Honolulu. Used to have pedestrian crossings with no lights at all. Now there's a warning system, but not a stop light to allow safe passage of pedestrians.

We kill a lot of pedestrians each year. It's sad - but often due to pedestrians not paying attention. We "fix" issues where people die. I guess that's better than not fixing them at all, but...

 

[euro]

Actually, that is not anywhere near as safe as you think it is. Studies have been done (I'll try to find one later - this has been discussed on this forum before) that show that hands free phone use is just not the same as talking to a passenger.

Some of it is a bit esoteric, but it is a documented thing. When you talk to a passenger, you are still "in that space". When you hands-free with someone, you are mentally "in their space". Your brain puts you in this conversation with a person that you picture being far away, it distracts you, even if you don't think it does.

Secondly, the passenger is there with you, and they will also be seeing things that you see, and you, and get feedback, so when a questionable situation arises, when your face suddenly gets focused on something outside the norm, they automatically, subconsciously, pause their speech until the coast is clear. But with someone on the other end, the driver is also (probably subconsciously), trying to keep the conversation going, as they know the other person is still listening unaware of what's going on on the other end. It distracts the driver.

I've seen it with my wife using the phone in the house. She's deep in conversation with her sister, and she is just far less aware of her surroundings as she moves from room to room. You can tell she is "in that space" conversing with her sister, rather than "in her space" noticing the rug is crumpled and she might trip on it.

This!

 

[pacergal]

Serious question: Do folks HERE ever use their phone while driving? I never do. If my phone rings, I won't answer it. I won't look to see who is calling. If I want to text, I wait until I'm not driving. I'm no "goodie-two-shoes" but driving/phone operation just seems like adding way too much risk for so little benefit. Sorry if I'm being "judgy."

If I am expecting a call, I will connect my phone to car blue tooth so I could answer any calls coming in. Hands free, I can only call out to the 4 family contacts listed. I do not have Siri hooked up.
Any texts coming in wait until I am at my destination, or if for some reason I get several, I will safely pull over to stop and read/respond. Really, the only folks texting would be my two kids or my siblings.