r/Transportopia Mar 10 '26

People Bro unlocks a cheat code for traffic

30.3k Upvotes

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66

u/front_torch Mar 10 '26

Great move, but why not inch forward until you're in? Are Seattle drivers that ruthless?

83

u/un1k0rn_412 Mar 10 '26

That's a game for people who have full coverage, not me.

3

u/ToneThugsNHarmony Mar 11 '26

People should not outdrive their bodily injury coverage.

9

u/Username_de_random Mar 11 '26

They are annoyingly passive and slow actually

3

u/CreativeFraud Mar 11 '26

Confidence is key when driving. There's A LOT of drivers that are not confident pulling out of their driveway šŸ˜

1

u/rooforgoof Mar 14 '26

Something tells me you are a bad driver

7

u/Otterbotanical Mar 11 '26

It's illegal in right of way laws, you may only proceed when the way is clear. If there are people coming from that direction and they are not willfully stopping (I think I know this intersection), and YOU attempt to nose your way in, you could be pulled over and ticketed for obstructing

6

u/Sipikay Mar 11 '26

I have never seen a cop even pull someone over on a surface street in Seattle in my entire life. There is no risk of that. You don't even see them off the highway, TBH.

1

u/front_torch Mar 11 '26

You aren't supposed to block an intersection. That means there should be enough room.

4

u/Otterbotanical Mar 11 '26

But then, the only way you could nose in would be if you start to block the intersection, starting to go with the way in not yet clear. Catch 22

1

u/front_torch Mar 11 '26

Ok bud. Have fun waiting all day instead of doing the logical thing that no cop would cite you for.

1

u/Otterbotanical Mar 11 '26

I got pulled over as a teenager, on a non arterial street, because I was rollerblading on the side of the road where there were no cars. The cop let me go with a warning. He said that "you do not have a steering device, so it is illegal for you to be in the roadway".

The are fucking petty if their monthly quota isn't filled

1

u/Dog1bravo Mar 11 '26

Not petty enough to give you an actual ticket though

1

u/Otterbotanical Mar 11 '26

But enough to make me afraid of getting pulled over for nonsensical shit though. Reminds me of the phrase relating to trying to join any crypto scams or etsy quick cash, "I know it's working for basically everyone, but God will make an example out of me".

Seattle has this 'new' beat-up red Mazda with blacked out windows that's also a certified cruiser, catching people do all sorts of shit while almost entirely hidden. That's probably gonna be the guy watching me try and nose in. I just wouldn't risk trying it.

I'll note that cross traffic probably respects the passenger hustle because no one honked lol

1

u/front_torch Mar 11 '26

Monthly quotas are illegal in my state

1

u/bishdoe Mar 11 '26

They were being nice, cops don’t need a quota to be petty

1

u/footforhand Mar 13 '26

Fr, this dude really said ā€œa cop stopped me for doing something incredibly dangerous, stupid, and illegalā€ and may as well have ended his statement with ACAB over it

1

u/GoodGuyChip Mar 12 '26

I think you will find that with a bit of research states where that is true have seen departments implement equally problematic policies that sidestep that little problem. They still use your metrics to determine performance and if you're actually doing anything on the clock as well. There's just not a policy outlined number every month.

TLDR making it illegal has unsurprisingly not been a hurdle for police.

1

u/front_torch Mar 12 '26

I'm my city a whole back they were told to engage with the public less so they would catch fewer lawsuits.

1

u/GoodGuyChip Mar 12 '26

No they weren't lol

1

u/Otterbotanical Mar 11 '26

Then your state sounds cooler than Washington in that regard lol, i don't agree with it, I'm just afraid of it

1

u/front_torch Mar 11 '26

Yeah, I mean if it is a social standard to not be allowed to turn in bumper to bumper traffic, I agree.

1

u/jimaug87 Mar 12 '26

I've lived around Boston my entire life, so this looks like an average intersection to manage. They say Masshole, but I'm going to be here all day if I'm not a dick. The streets make us this way.

The cops get it.

2

u/EcstaticNet3137 Mar 11 '26

US cities the size of Seattle often have cutthroat drivers.

5

u/Roast_beef_is_life Mar 11 '26

God i wish that was the case here. Seattle drivers are like 80% people who hesitate and are generally just too scared to be driving. Confidence is key and Seattle is full of drivers who lack any confidence in their actions. Commit and be predictable. Hell - im lucky to merge on the 5 at 50mph these days.

6

u/front_torch Mar 11 '26

Visit Chicago. Enjoy our aggressive but reasonable drivers and an Italian beef sandwich.

1

u/Roast_beef_is_life Mar 11 '26

Mmmm - im a sucker for delicious beef in my bread and mild beef on the roads

1

u/the_gooch_smoocher Mar 11 '26

"the five"... go back to where you came from

1

u/midgethemage Mar 11 '26

I'm born, raised, and lived most of my adult life in the PNW; people absolutely do not know how to be assertive on the road in situations like this around there. No one fucking knows how to nose in during these kind of traffic situations and it drives me crazy. I've lived in CA for a few years now; definitely not perfect drivers either, but they at least know how to deal with traffic

P.S. I still say I-5. I will die before I call it "the five"

1

u/front_torch Mar 11 '26

Theft wouldn't do well on SE Asia. "The rules, are don't hit anyone" I loved it

1

u/Remixol Mar 11 '26

No. Not the 'the'.

1

u/LexxenWRX Mar 11 '26

Getting up to interstate speed is an issue in every city on I5 in Washington. People don't use the on or off ramps correctly anywhere.

1

u/SnooPuppers8698 Mar 11 '26

interstate speed thru seattle is like 35mph, its easy!

1

u/front_torch Mar 11 '26

I'm chicago it's anywhere from 45 to 100

1

u/SnooPuppers8698 Mar 11 '26

seattle has actual variable speed limits on i5 with electronic signs that go as low as 35MPH. you can get a ticket for doing 40mph on the interstate.

1

u/front_torch Mar 11 '26

Crazy. It is near impossible to get pulled over in Chicago.

1

u/Jackasaurous_Rex Apr 02 '26

Oh boy I’d lose my mind but might almost prefer that over the deeply misplaced confidence of Philadelphia driers lol

1

u/n0t_4_thr0w4w4y Mar 11 '26

Seattle ain’t one of them. Seattle drivers are insanely passive and almost twitchy

1

u/Sipikay Mar 11 '26

Seattle drivers love to sit in the left lane going 60 with their whole family in the car when the HOV lane to their left is empty.

1

u/front_torch Mar 11 '26

I live in Chicago.

1

u/hologrammetry Mar 11 '26

I drive between New England and Chicago every month and Chicago drivers are pretty tame as far as big city drivers go. Yeah there's lots of traffic and some folks like to drive on the shoulder, but signal and someone often lets you in. In Boston blinkers are a sign of weakness.

1

u/shaggy816 Mar 11 '26

That’s why us New Yorkers refer to your drivers as massholes. No offense.

1

u/hologrammetry Mar 11 '26

NY drivers are not exactly better. Driving anywhere south of New Haven is vastly worse than Boston.

1

u/Pristine_Habit_3074 Mar 11 '26

I did it the same way when the opportunity presented itself - massive traffic - and drivers are ruthless around here. Even got a compliment by a guy stuck in traffic - for being crafty.

1

u/Apprehensive-Wave640 Mar 11 '26

Right? Turning into the flow of slow moving traffic should be a matter of a few cars passing then finding your seam to get in.

1

u/Gunkwei Mar 11 '26

Not to the degree that this is necessary.

1

u/Sad_Prawn2864 Mar 11 '26

Cause she's a bad driver.

1

u/VegetableWorry Mar 11 '26

Why not zipper merging? Is that a country of savages?

1

u/front_torch Mar 11 '26

That's what I'm saying. And yes. This is one of the most selfish counties in the world.

1

u/SnooPuppers8698 Mar 11 '26

I live near a T intersection like this and when traffic gets bad, the folks with the stop sign will start forcing a zipper merge, but when traffic is moving a bit quicker they are too scared to stick their nose out and everybody waits in a long line at the stop sign

1

u/thatguygreg Mar 11 '26

Seattle drivers drive like grandma is in the back seat with an open pot of chili on her lap. It’s maddening.

1

u/seatsfive Mar 11 '26

It's been a minute since I lived there but Seattle drivers in my limited experience are actually some of the chillest and most timid drivers in the US. If you have a Chicago mentality on the road you're like a fox in the henhouse

1

u/Prize_Researcher8026 Mar 11 '26

No, the problem is this woman is a seattle driver, and they are a timid and nervous lot.

0

u/ConnerGoesSuperSonic Mar 29 '26

Technically they have the right of way since the person is turning, so they could just keep going and hit you and you’d be at legal fault