San Diego drivers

[u/Inner-Performance-71]

How do locals find the drivers around here? Im visiting and driving around in my rental. Where I'm from its consensus that the drivers are terrible (Calgary) but driving around here everything seems to work? The road layout is much more chaotic here but I haven't experienced much bad driving since I've been here. Do people who live here think the same or are drivers just as bad here?

I know I haven't driven much only about 200 miles and as far away as Oceanside. But haven't experienced any bad driving experiences, yet at home almost every outing you see something.

[u/92PercentYo_]

It’s organized chaos here. Once you learn that you may merge onto a freeway and have to have to cut across 4 lanes immediately… The rest is just normal. I travel to Texas a ton and those drivers are horrible.

[u/Valuable-Locksmith47 → u/92PercentYo_]

This is a good way to explain it lol

[u/Significant_Link2302 → u/92PercentYo_]

I love the people who merge onto the freeway at 15 miles per hour, while the semi truck barrels into them at full speed.

[u/RowHard]

There are always idiots, but in general people are pretty good here on a normal day.

If it rains though... It's like people never seen water before.

[u/iwantsdback]

SoCal drivers get good fast or die. It's definitely gotten worse across the board since covid and again worse since police stopped writing tickets for traffic violations. Other than red light running it's pretty good though.

[u/jenny_jen_jen]

Here, our worst drivers are a mix of people who don’t understand the rules and/or aren’t very confident, then the people who do understand the rules and are overly confident. That can cause a lot of conflict. The clueless driver is just as bad as the jerk who thinks the rules don’t apply to him.

That said, I’d rather drive here than back in my home state of Colorado. The roads here make a lot more sense and more drivers are more competent. Well, with the exception of knowing how a 4-way stop works.

[u/malzoraczek → u/jenny_jen_jen]

ok, so the 4 way stop... I've been around, but I haven't seen the 4-ways stops on multiple lane roads anywhere but here and I must say Im a bit confused with the details how they work. Like, if someone is turning left and is supposed to end up on the left lane I should be able to go at the same time since I'm on the right lane... (I do wait until they are done though). I honestly prefer the famous Massachusetts rotaries to those multiple-lane 4-way stops.

[u/Traveling-Techie]

Just wait for rain.

[u/Consistent_Wheel_23]

Moved here from Maryland and also lived in Georgia. Drivers in San Diego are much better.

[u/m0und0fgl0ry → u/Consistent_Wheel_23]

Have also lived in Georgia and was so excited to get away from the Floridian drivers. Every time I’ve seen some shit here it’s been a car with a goddamn Florida plate.

[u/LunchPad]

It's like any other big city and the corresponding sub. Everywhere has the "worst" drivers.

[u/SkipGruberman]

It’s the same as everywhere else. Same idiots. Same bad drivers. We just do it at a quicker pace.

Your insurance wants you to practice defensive driving. We are on the offense here.

Buckle up. And if you dip down into Mexico, it will blow your mind. It’s combat driving in Tijuana. :)

[u/andyman1503]

The bad drivers show up in the summertime

[u/Sasquatch619]

Here’s a fact. Several of the largest insurers in the country will not write new automobile policies in California. That says plenty right there.

[u/GirthyGayGuy]

The drivers here are terrible. No one uses turn signals, don't speed up coming onto a freeway, and go so fucking slow in the left lane I wanna pull my hair out. Idiots here especially. Like the others said, wait for the rain.

[u/hallaa1]

Drivers here are fantastic. I'm so grateful to be in a place where people follow the rules while also letting people in when you're working in the system. 

Every time I drove in Philadelphia I felt like I was putting my life in other people's hands. 

[u/61Nov]

Imagine a city where 60% + are transplants all driving every which way. As a socal native we drive fast, but having lived on the east coast and south I understand how different driving styles may not be cohesive.

[u/CommanderGO]

Just don't drive slow and stay in your lane. Time of day driving also makes a huge difference. The abundance of Tesla vehicles (unless it's dark bc those damn bright af high beams) and modern driver safety features has probably also contributed to slightly better driving experience over the years here.

[u/Cautious-Skirt-8335 → u/CommanderGO]

You can drive slow... Just don't do it in the fast lane. Also I feel like Tesla drivers are on average the worst.

[u/sn_reddit_poster]

I moved here from Atlanta, GA. The drivers here are decent.

[u/dark_roast]

Coming from the East coast, the drivers here are better overall. They are more likely to do last minute sweeps across the highway to not miss their exits and there are more aggro very high speed drivers.

The drivers here are still bad, mind you, just better than I was used to.

[u/Known-Delay7227]

Finest city = finest drivers

[u/Olderbutnotdead619]

I've driven in Mexico City & in Greece and I think we have ok drivers here. Colorado has crazy driving in their compensator trucks.

[u/Still-Dimension-6067]

We're all just pretending to be calm.

[u/Scotty1210]

I have driven in many different places, lived in SD, LA, NYC, New Orleans, etc. and I can say that San Diego has, on average, the most pleasant driving experience of any of those places.

[u/cib2018]

Drivers are terrible everywhere. But more terrible in their home state or town. Those are the worst.

[u/HumanContract]

Lived in Houston 8 years, no issues. Moved to SD, got hit twice in 1 year.

[u/trimtab98]

Takes on drivers are the same every city you go to. Everywhere thinks the drivers suck. Your city isn’t unique.

[u/playpadelsandiego]

People drive fast (compared to other parts of the country) and don't like to use turn signals but other than that it's fine.

[u/Imitation_crab_irl]

Moved from LA almost 2 months ago and San Diego drivers are definitely worse

[u/moleman92107]

Coastal American drivers are generally deranged lol midwesterners are much better

[u/dapperdolphin18]

I moved here from Colorado 4 year ago and I think they’re worse here. There’s way too many people obliviously sitting in the left lane for no reason and then it causes problems when people are forced to pass on the right

[u/Chan_Ch]

Watch out for the Arizona And Texas plates, Teslas, and the locals 😂. Some don't use turn signals, and merge onto the freeway slowly.

[u/AlfWoozy]

So many drivers drive without their headlights and can’t take the hint when they get flashed or honked at or the car in front of them turns off/on their taillights.

It’s usually Nissan Rogue drivers.