Just an observation about people with expensive cars-

[KrazyinKS]

My daughter lives near Orlando, I am here in south central Kansas. In Florida there are some very expensive cars on the road, in a conversation with her yesterday she was complaining about someone with an expensive Italian car that ran a stop sign in a parking lot and she had to stop to keep from running into him. She and her husband agrees that people with expensive cars don't seem to think the same rules apply to them.

[The Velveteen Ocelot]

1. The laws of physics do apply to them but they'll have to learn the hard way.

[Ilsa]

46. Sadly, some of them learn by losing their 18 year old just-graduated-high-school

Sons to horrible, high speed car wrecks and flames in their brand new Maseratis and Ferraris.

[Blue_Adept]

2. Do you really have to stop at that parking lot stop sign?

http://www.timesunion.com/local/article/Do-you-really-have-to-stop-at-that-parking-lot-710843.php

Colonie Police Lt. Ken Pero said officers generally can't ticket you for disobeying signs in parking lots, but that doesn't mean it's a good idea to ignore them. Get into a crash, and the insurance company will certainly care that the cause was a driver deciding "What the hey, I am not legally required to stop at this red octagonal sign with the white lettering."

"Any traffic control sign on private property cannot be enforced by the police department," Pero said. "If an accident were to occur, the officer would note in the report that traffic control signs were present, and the insurance companies would take that into account."

There are two exceptions: If you park in the fire lane or in a space for the disabled, police can write you a ticket.

"These signs are enforceable, and tickets can be issued for these violations, as long as they are posted properly," he said.

[snooper2]

3. Stop signs aren't mandatory unless they are on a wooden post

[dembotoz]

5. i have heard that

kid had to go to traffic school because.....well those speeding tickets added up...
and this is the only thing he remembers???????

[LanternWaste]

41. People have poor memories when it suits them

" this is the only thing he remembers???????:

People have poor memories when it suits them. For example, I'd hazard that if I ever said something as absurdly sexist as "we can call the stupid little b**** a stupid little b****!!!", I'd do my best to forget it.

[HAB911]

4. OH, if it were only people with expensive cars

It's like stupidity, it knows no boundaries

wait, it is stupidity

[FSogol]

6. A woman with a Lexus once explained to me that the most expensive car should have the right away.

She wasn't joking.

[ProudLib72]

25. Did you point out she drives a rebadged Toyota?

Absolutely no difference besides a few more buttons to push to warm your nether regions and add $10K to the sales price.

[mitch96]

53. HA!! a good one.. I keep asking BMW M-3 convertible owners

If that's the new Miata????
The look of disgust is priceless....
m

[ProudLib72]

59. Oh wait, now I see the fender vents!

[mitch96]

60. A doctor I worked with always bought Toyota Avalon

His mechanic told him it's a Lexus with Toyota badges and about $10,000 less...

m

[ProudLib72]

66. It's absolutely true

I don't follow the Lexus line because it's all a bunch of numbers and letters that don't mean anything. I just look at a Lexus on the road and say to myself, "That's a Highlander" or "That's a Landcruiser" (I guess the Avalon is something like the Lexus LS line). I have a friend who owns a 4x4 fabrication and installation business. I remember that someone brought him a Lexus (Toyota Landcruiser) to do some modification to. My friend and the owner of the Lexus kept going back and forth, the owner calling it a Lexus and my friend calling it a Toyota. It was banter, but I still remember the point: Lexus is Toyota, no matter what the badge says.

[Ilsa]

47. Ask her what she paid, then claim your 20 yr old Ford F150 cost

$10,000 more. Tell her it's a King Ranch Edition only on the inside. I doubt she'd know the difference.

[Blecht]

7. There have been studies over the past 5+ years that support your observation

http://www.philly.com/philly/news/pennsylvania/Rich-peo.html

[Igel]

13. I'll go with a Labovian observation.

Labov was a sociolinguist.

He found that adherence to norms depended on how you were attached to society as a whole. The wealthy had "made it" and didn't fear being judged for violating the norms. The poor had given up hope of "making it" and didn't fear being judged for violating the norms.

Looking at anti-language, you find it commonly among those who not only have given up hope of achieving respectability, but who have set up an alternate scheme for respectability based upon openly ignoring the rules.

More recently, it's been claimed that a sense of entitlement leads people to think rules don't apply to them and, if they get caught, they'll certain be exempted from consequences or figure out a way to avoid them.

I find this works. I drive from a fairly working class part of town through an area that's pretty middle class up into and through an area where house prices are 3-10x the average. The assholes on side streets are either in the poor areas or the wealthy areas. And the worst in the poor areas are those with $50k vehicles living in $100k houses or fairly inexpensive houses.

[lagomorph777]

8. In my experience, yes absolutely

There's a Maserati/Ferrari/Lotus/McLaren/Alfa Romeo dealer near my house. No, I'm no millionaire but they are abundant around here. People in those cars are usually dicks.

Even more so, drivers of large black SUVs are almost always aggressive assholes in my area. They like to ride my bumper at 75mph. Guess what - I am much less concerned about what happens to my 20-year-old junker, than they are with their giant shiny phallic symbols. A few heavy taps on the brake will often set 'em straight.

[SharonAnn]

10. Expensive cars gave way to me when when I drove my "beater" 1973 Chevy Suburban

Bought it for $250, fixed the carburetor, and used it as a utility vehicle. It had almost 300,000 miles, rust holes around the body and a couple in the floor. Looked like it had been hit by automatic weapons fire in a Mafia war. Banged up front bumper, but it ran, even in the coldest weather.

People with expensive cars gave way to me, guess they figured out that a) I had nothing to lose, and b) the Suburban was a lot bigger than their car. I was puzzled the first time it happened until I realized that they were trying to protect their expensive Jaguar, BMW, Mercedes, etc.

[ProfessorGAC]

27. Similar Story!

So, back around 1989 to 1992, i was driving a '73 Buick Electra in the winter. (Kept the Chrysler convertible in the garage.)

In those days, my position required driving to corporate HQ quit a bit for meetings. One day i'm in the left turn lane waiting to get onto the entrance ramp for I-294.

I guy in what appeared to be a brand new Mercedes tries to force in front of me, RIGHT AFTER, i had let someone else merge in. IOW, i did the courteous thing, and then he decided "me first".

I didn't budge as i considered that his door handles cost more than my car was worth.

I finally sold the car for the engine couple years later when i finally dawned on me that the cost of gas was too high and my cell phone was worth more than the car i was driving.

We bought my wife a new car and kept her old one for my winter car.

But, a dude in what at the time was driving about $60k car was willing to go to battle with a someone driving a $400, 4800 pound beater.

What a maroon.

[Blue_true]

50. In my part of Florida, the really big pickups are the problem.

I am tempted to put a sticker in my rear window that says "Big Pickup, small d...". It are always guys driving them.

[lagomorph777]

69. Yes! Totally. I have an asshole rating system, based on type of vehicle:

You get asshole points for any of the following:

Extra-large vehicle (Cadillac Escalator, Toyota Turdra, etc)
Black paint
Tons of chrome
pseudo-military stick-on fiberglass parts that make the vehicle resemble an M1/A1 Abrams tank
opaque cover over the license plate
gun rack
teabagger vanity license plate
Trump bumper sticker
blacked-out windows

[mitch96]

61. You live in So Florida???

Same shit down here..
m

[lagomorph777]

68. nope - NoVA.

Same attitude, different latitude.

[mitch96]

70. Love riding my motorcycle thru NoVa

Very pretty country...

m

[lagomorph777]

71. Yeah, lots of trees considering how suburban/urban it is.

[NCTraveler]

9. Lots and lots of people from all incomes think the rules don't apply to them.

In reality, the rules are much different for the income classes. For the most part it boils down to representation.

Still, society is full of people from all walks of life who believe the rules don't apply to them. It would be interesting to sit at that stop sign and document the cars running it. I bet there will be no clear answer as far as price of vehicle is concerned. Go read freerepublic. They don't think the rules apply. I highly doubt they are a bunch of rich persons.

[DrDan]

14. I believe the rules are the same. Punishment for breaking the rules,however, is another story.

[NCTraveler]

16. The rules are different with respect to representation.

When one cannot have something that others can have, even if the rules state they can have it, then the rules are different. Even more so when what they cannot have provides a dramatic difference in results playing under those rules.

[DrDan]

23. perhaps you can provide an example . . . I am having a difficult time following your claim

When it comes to Italian sports cars and stop signs, I see no difference in the rules. Italian cars are supposed to stop. Corvettes are supposed to stop. Toyota Camry's are supposed to stop.

What does not being able to afford a Ferrari have to do with that rule concerning stop signs?

[NCTraveler]

24. I was clearly talking about the rules of the game and representation on a bigger scale.

That said, I will stick with these defined parameters.

Which one of them most likely has the representation or disposable time to set a court date in hopes the witness(officer) will not show up? Same rules but one has more access to options readily available.

I have a friend doing this right now for a wreckless driving ticket. First step is to plea not guilty and have your representation show up for you, tho not necessary. A citizen was the witness, not the officer, so the citizen themselves will have to show up or the citation is thrown out.

Then there is the two tiered system. Paying a small fee and going to drivers school will get your points removed. As will simply paying a more substantial fine. Everyone has the option for both but individuals don't have the means to access what the rules make available.

[DrDan]

26. that is really a stretch - the rule is the same - stop at stop sign . . .period

dealing with the punishment might lean in favor of the more wealthy. But as you say . . . these actions (setting a court date and paying a fee for driver's school) apply to everyone. Being able to avail oneself of the options may vary for any number of reasons.

But being able to afford a pit-bull attorney could influence the eventual outcome.

[NCTraveler]

29. It's not a stretch at all.

"dealing with the punishment might lean in favor of the more wealthy."

Exactly. They are a part of the same rules.

A mother making minimum wage and a business owner have different diuspo

"But being able to afford a pit-bull attorney could influence the eventual outcome."

As the charges increase so do the difference in options available.

[DrDan]

30. the rule is consistent - at a stop sign, stop

[kcr]

48. It's not practically consistent if it's not applied consistently.

Come on, doctor. It's not that hard.

[DrDan]

49. seems to me the punishment/enforcement is the issue - not the rule

see how easy that is? c'm0n - think it through - it's really quite an easy concept to grasp

[MissB]

11. I rarely stop at stop signs in parking lots.

Except for the ones that are at the edge of the city street. Those require a full and complete stop.

I’ll slow down and look in a parking lot. I’ll actually stop if there is someone there. But other than that- nope.

I don’t stop whether I drive my old pickup truck or my Mercedes. Same attitude when I drove my beater Volvo. Stop signs in parking lots are guidelines, unless other traffic is present.

Nice thing about parking lots is that they are nearly always flat with excellent sight distance.

[DrDan]

12. do you think you might be painting with a bit of a broad brush?

You seem to be extrapolating to a pretty broad conclusion based on a single observation.

I live in the Orlando area and do not see this as a wide-spread situation. Sure, a lot run stop-signs . . . or continue through with a minor pause. But . . . I don't think that it is restricted to those with expensive Italian cars.

[lindysalsagal]

18. If you've ever driven in westchester county, just north of the Bronx and yonkers, you know OP is rig

right. It basically goes, "I have a lexus, you have to wait." (Or BMW, Porche, Jaguar, whatever. )

[MGKrebs]

22. I agree it may be a valid observation, but what is the point?

You don't want to consider everyone with an expensive car an asshole, and you don't want to consider everyone with a beater as a thoughtful person, so why try to profile? Take each driver as they are without prejudice.

Having said that, I find red pickup truck to be the MOST obnoxious! But I've done careful scientific analysis over many years to confirm my observation. Sort of.

[lunamagica]

15. Ken Wins (Breaking Bad)

[lindysalsagal]

17. Best laugh I've had in weeks: LOL! Ken Wins!

I always say Breaking Bad is a comedy and so many people get mad at me. He's hysterical.

[lunamagica]

19. Breaking Bad had tons of comedic moments like this

[lindysalsagal]

20. Right from the start, crashing the rv in his underwear, the droll look on his face

making the perfect drugs, science teacher gone mad, it's hysterical.

[Floyd R. Turbo]

21. Brilliant!

[GoneOffShore]

44. What's the difference between a porcupine and an Audi/BMW/Mercedes?

A porcupine has the pricks on the outside.

[mitch96]

62. would that really work?

Just short the battery terminals starts a fire???
I thought for sure he was gonna just put gas on the car and light it up...
m

[mainer]

28. I'd say that about drivers of pickup trucks

They're the ones who tailgate, speed, and pass unsafely all the time up on these Maine roads.

[lastlib]

31. In Johnson County, KS, (home of the "Golden Ghetto"),,,

the attitude I see a lot is, "Yes I have this great car, and yes, the road DID come with it!" I don't go much beyond the KC metro area, but I have never seen a more self-entitled bunch of a--h----s as I have in the more affluent parts of Johnson County KS--and shittier drivers nowhere.

[Codeine]

33. and yes, the road DID come with it!"

That perfectly sums it up!

[Alwaysna]

67. I live in the West central part

Of Missouri and when someone speeds by us at 80 mph I always check if they have Johnson county KA plates. They usually do.

[ecstatic]

32. They're just not paying attention

On the phone, discussing business, etc. Safety is the last thing on their minds, IMO.

[GeorgeGist]

34. Not many expensive cars in my neck of the woods ...

but plenty of bad drivers nonetheless.

[MineralMan]

35. I don't know about that, but I assume everyone is going to

drive stupidly and ignore the rules. That has kept me out of trouble for over 50 years so far. I always expect everyone to run stop signs and traffic signals. They don't of course, but that expectation prepares me for the ones who do.

Defensive driving. It works.

[gratuitous]

43. That philosophy has served me well

I bicycle about 6,000 miles a year, mostly commuting. If you're expecting a motorist to do something stupid, you can be ready for when he does. Works equally well when I'm driving. For example, it's not the blinking turn indicator that turns or doesn't turn a car - it's the front wheels!

My observation is that Mercedes drivers are better than BMW drivers. Out of state plates mean you should be doubly on your guard. Oddly, Subaru and Volvo drivers also require constant vigilance, despite their reputation as latte-sipping liberals. Hipster types in old Volvos? Just get up on the sidewalk until they're out of the vicinity.

[MineralMan]

45. LOL at the Volvo-driving hipsters.

As someone who has been such, you are very wise, indeed. I smoked a good deal of marijuana while a Volvo owner, and such as yourself were not my concern much of the time.

[Whiskeytide]

58. Old joke. The difference between ...

... driving drunk and driving stoned is that when you're drunk, you run the red lights. When you're stoned, you stop at the green ones.

[xor]

55. Exactly. I don't trust anyone when I'm driving.

Had too many people pull out in front of me when it should have been very obvious to them that doing so would not be a good thing. It amazes me how some people seem dead set on playing bumper cars at 50 mph.

[bluecollar2]

36. Living in South Florida

My experience is that Florida drivers generally don't give a damn about other drivers...regardless of the relative value of the vehicles.

[mitch96]

63. Amen to that... So Fla where using a directional signal is a sign of weakness

Dave Barry wrote a humor column for the Miami Herald.. He always knocked the drivers down here..
"He learned over the years everyone here is driving according to the traffic laws of his or her individual country of origin."... so true.. You haven't lived till you see the passenger hanging half way out of the car, flailing his arms intending the driver is gonna turn..

And there apparently are countries where it's traditional to put on your left turn signal first thing in the morning and leave it there all day long.. I can attest to that as my aged Floridian father did this.. When I called him on it, he said... "fuck'em"...

And so it goes...
m

[crazycatlady]

37. Look up the old internet joke about BMWs and porcupines

[ProudLib72]

52. A porcupine has pricks on the outside!

I looked it up like you told me. I'm glad I did

[Sancho]

38. There's Florida, but there's also different parts of Florida...

In Orlando, expensive cars have right-of-way because they are rentals!!

In Tampa, rolling roadblocks from Canada have complete right-of-way to the left lane!

In Miami, no one stops at intersections or stoplights... if you don't have a driver's license or speak English, why not just keep going?!

In Jacksonville, everyone stops and stops and stops because there's nothing but a bridge over a river and you're only decision is how to shove your front bumper into that little crack between the 18-wheeler and the Ferrari.

In Ft. Lauderdale the chauffeur is driving, so you don't care.

I75 and I95 are nothing but parking lots for RVs and drug dealers, so you're stupid to even get on them to start with...right-of-way doesn't matter 'cause you are a dumbass to even be there.

The only fun place to drive in Florida is bar hopping in Key West.

(I'm reporting from Clearwater).

[OriginalGeek]

39. Having fairly recently been bar-hopping in Key West

I concur!


But I like Clearwater too.

[TexasBushwhacker]

40. Whenever I see a car parked illegally

in a fire zone or handicapped parking, it is inevitably an expensive car. Rules only apply to little (poor) people I suppose.

[Baitball Blogger]

42. Central Florida does have a touch of classism.

Snobbery, even. But I think you have to look at the whole picture, since the source may come down to the lack of good occupational opportunities.

[rzemanfl]

51. I was leaving a work lunch with two co-workers some years ago when a woman

in a Mercedes put a huge deep scratch and dent in the Escalade she was parked next to and drove away. We shrugged our shoulders and left. If it hadn't been an Escalade we probably would have taken a plate number and gone back into the restaurant to report it. Driving back to work we agreed it was a rich people's problem we didn't need to involve ourselves with.

[xor]

54. People with more money have an easier time paying pesky tickets.

So in theory their biggest concern is killing themselves or someone else. But the fact that a $300 ticket means a lot less to them than a similar ticket means to someone making $15/hr, probably influences some behavior.

That being said, I've seen plenty of idiots in beaters who have little regards for the safety of others.

[mitch96]

64. Again, so true

I have a wealthy friend that thinks that speed limits are just a suggestion.. He gets a ticket and he has is traffic fixing attorney on speed dial... Problem solved.. He does not care what it costs...
m

[Poiuyt]

56. This thread offends me

I suppose you think that everyone with a beard and a turban is a terrorist, all Jews care about is making money, and all blacks are good tap dancers. Stop your profiling shit.

[xor]

57. *Found the stop sign running jerkface*

Kidding.

[parkerMcDavis]

65. Curious

What on DU is the definition of an “expensive” car. You can spend more on a Toyota than a Lexus, depending on the model and options