What ever happened to a little bit of patience?

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Model T Ford Forum: Forum 2014: What ever happened to a little bit of patience?
Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By John P Noonan on Monday, June 23, 2014 - 11:13 pm:

I have had my T registered since last Wednesday and have been venturing further and further each day as i get more comfortable and accustomed to driving a 90 yr. old car and its very different controls of anything i have ever driven. But for the life of me i don't understand the mindset of the drivers in my state. From a 100 feet away you can tell that this is not something that you see everyday. Doesn't it look really old? Cant you see the skinny tires with spokes that look like a horse and buggy? I went through the extra expense of adding brake lights and blinkers because i knew how stupid some of the people here in my state are, and yet they still drive right up my ass! Very frustrating indeed.


Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By justin cox on Monday, June 23, 2014 - 11:23 pm:

Hard for most people to see a T when they blinded by the stupid cell phone


Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By George_Cherry Hill NJ on Monday, June 23, 2014 - 11:31 pm:

John,

Unfortunately, there are two kinds of people...

Those that ride up your butt and I could never figure out why folks do that anyway...(I've recently added 32CP brake lights in the layered lenses where S-T-O-P is in orange, the rest red...we'll see how that goes here shortly)

Those that are pulling out and do see you coming, but for some reason they believe there is ample time to hole shot you and get to speed. They hole shot you just to get out, and then usually must jam on their brakes only to hear the Model T literally growling and skipping to a halt behind them as it approaches! I don't have an answer or idea for the second type...they are who they are and will never ever realize that it takes a Model T 3-4 times longer in both time and distance than it does in their car. I'm a wimp...since chances are like 90% that the car nosing out is going to hole-shot...I already back off the throttle and move my foot to the ready...saves me most of that 3/4 second reaction time :-)


Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By John P Noonan on Monday, June 23, 2014 - 11:39 pm:

Justin, aint that the truth!..The sad part is that i always make the effort to give even a classic car the benefit of the "right of way"..Guess that's just the way i was brought up.


Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By Michael R Beary on Monday, June 23, 2014 - 11:50 pm:

I wonder how vulnerable the Amish feel when they are in their buggy? There are quite a few Amish in Southern Iowa. The D.O.T. gives them wide shoulders when they rework state roads. Mostly we have two lane roads shared by everyone. In a farming state drivers are used to coming up on slow moving odds and ends. I'm just happy I don't live near a big city. I have a comfort zone and always try to be aware of what might come up from behind. Everyone is in a hurry, distracted by cell phones, the list goes on.


Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By John P Noonan on Monday, June 23, 2014 - 11:58 pm:

Very good advice George,..thanks.


Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By Walter Higgins on Tuesday, June 24, 2014 - 12:04 am:

If you are new to this, something of which to be very mindful is what is going on behind you when you are making left turns.

Two times last year while approaching a left turn into a driveway I've had people unexpectedly pass me on the left. I'm not one of those people who signals with my hand like I'm waving, either. They either think I'm signaling for them to go around or they've just decided to do it anyway. In both cases I think they were so close that they couldn't even see my hand and thought my slowing down was to encourage them to go around.

If safe to do so, hug the center line when turning left. If you're one of those who swings wide, the person behind you might take it you're encouraging them to go around.

Get used to it. What you experienced is the rule rather than the exception and you can't fix stupid!


Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By John P Noonan on Tuesday, June 24, 2014 - 12:07 am:

I truly do not understand the mindset of most of the drivers here, but to be fair there are quite a few who appreciate the T and hover around it like its a being from another planet when i park it somewhere :-)


Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By John P Noonan on Tuesday, June 24, 2014 - 12:20 am:

Walter, i always hug the inside of the lane no matter what!..Since i added blinkers, i don't even bother with hand signals because even if i did them correctly nobody would know what they mean...I keep my eyes on the rear-view mirror for the stupid and lazy...Its a full time job here.


Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By Jay - In Northern California on Tuesday, June 24, 2014 - 12:52 am:

Throwing away what you know about driving a modern car and driving your T like you have no brakes will help save your bacon dealing with the modern's on the road. the more you get used to driving your T the more you'll be able to anticipate how traffic at large interacts with you and your Model T.


Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By George_Cherry Hill NJ on Tuesday, June 24, 2014 - 12:54 am:

When all else fails...add some levity...

Get the sticker for the back that says...

I ONLY HAVE TWO SPEEDS...

YOU ARE GOING TO LIKE THE OTHER ONE EVEN LESS!


Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By John P Noonan on Tuesday, June 24, 2014 - 01:05 am:

Thank you Jay, i have been doing my best to reverse all that i have learned about driving a car since owning my first T, because that's basically what you have to do. I'm still trying to perfect the low to high up-shift..:-(


Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By Peter Borland. Bathurst. NSW. Australia. on Tuesday, June 24, 2014 - 01:11 am:

When I got my "T" I was told that I would see every idiot there is on the road that you miss in a modern. How true, frightens one to think of how many idiots we encounter each day and don't even reailse that they are there, and some that you would not normally fit into this category.

Peter


Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By John P Noonan on Tuesday, June 24, 2014 - 01:16 am:

George, this state has a very high rate of humorless people, taunting the stupid may be fun, but they wont get the joke..


Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By John P Noonan on Tuesday, June 24, 2014 - 01:34 am:

Peter, one of my first times out in my T, i was stopped at a 3 way intersection with lots of traffic, had to wait a long time for someone to realize that i needed extra time to make the move out into traffic because i was in an "old" car..finally someone was smart enough to see my frustration and help me along...


Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By Danial - Veneta OR US Earth Solar System on Tuesday, June 24, 2014 - 02:13 am:

That's a bummer John. Like a lot of places we have our share of idiot drivers but whenever I took my Model T out and about, it seemed like I was (my car actually) treated with nothing but respect on the road. Although I didn't take it to any "big" towns, I put many miles on it driving in my part of the county.


Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By Justin in South Africa on Tuesday, June 24, 2014 - 02:28 am:

Don't you love it when they drive up next to you real close and honk the horn... The noise in my ear is a quick way to trip my fuse. Then the idiots pull in front of you (in that gap you were making for yourself to stop at the next light) and then slam on brakes.

A "T" has ABS brakes... no matter how hard you try, you won't get them to lock up :-)

I gave up educating them... Wear ear plugs


Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By Warren W. Mortensen on Tuesday, June 24, 2014 - 02:35 am:

It's definitely gotten worse in the 30+ years I've been driving my Ts. People are in more of a hurry than they used to be and if you're in the way of their making time you are viewed as a nuisance.

I've encountered one particular lady (and she's no spring chicken) on several occasions. It's quite obvious she doesn't like delays. I was out on a test drive of a roadster pickup with a couple of grandsons/grand-nephews of a previous owner. We had just gotten the old girl running and took it out on some back roads that weren't too heavily traveled. This lady came up behind us like a bat out of Hades and, once she got around us, looked in her rear view mirror and emphatically shook her head and signaled us with her right arm to get off the road. She watched me lick my index finger and smear a 1 on the windshield, recognized what I meant (that's once) and repeated her gestures. Very distinct motion; I'd know her if I saw her again which I did while driving my own T one day. Same treatment.

Fast forward to last summer. I was on my way to work in the afternoon and had just negotiated a stretch where the speed limit is 30 MPH in the school zone while warning lights are flashing. She didn't like my speed in my Impala either! Next time I'm going to follow her so I can ask what her beef is.

Some day I'm going to have a bumper sticker made that says "There IS no hurry! Try to accomplish LESS".


Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By John P Noonan on Tuesday, June 24, 2014 - 02:39 am:

Danial, the town i live in is about 20,000 people and I've lived here a long time, i just don't understand how people are in such a hurry, and try to run me over in the process..:-)...i just want to putter along at 35 with the top down.


Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By John P Noonan on Tuesday, June 24, 2014 - 02:57 am:

Justin and Warren,..seems you both have the right idea!..Once i have my shifting down pat, they will wait for me and i wont feel bad about "inconveniencing" them by having fun in my T.


Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By Hal Davis-SE Georgia on Tuesday, June 24, 2014 - 07:01 am:

I'm glad I live near a smaller size town. I don't have too much trouble with traffic, even in my stock low speed diff TT. I can do 25 in a 55 with no problem on the rural roads. I do have a SMV triangle to get their attention, but have never had a close call about being rear ended. I have had a couple of close calls by being passed on the left when making a left hand turn. One in the TT and one in the Touring. I can take an alternate route to and from town that will allow right hand turns, so I usually go one way and come back the other so that doesn't happen again.

I also had a close call in my Model A once. Had a guy riding my @$$ as I was coming into town. I started to make a right onto a road that forks off at an angle, and the SOB passed me on the right (Wide street). I chased him down to the best of my ability. Caught him at the next light. Got out and told him what I thought about him and his mother. He didn't say a word and he was dang glad when the light changed and he could go on about his hurried business.


Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By Seth from NC on Tuesday, June 24, 2014 - 07:39 am:

It is odd the two dramatically different responses you get on the road. Either folks are fascinated and they wave and smile (as a big (40+) group of bikers went by once there was an old guy on a Harley who got so close that we high-fived), or they're immediately annoyed and irritated with you. What I've found so far is that the ones who are annoyed will be that way regardless of what you are driving.

The biggest one that gets me is when I'm trying to leave a safe distance between me and the car in front of me, and someone changes lanes into that space. I can understand getting annoyed because I'm going slow, but this one irritates the fire out of me.

The closest I came to getting in an accident in my T is when not one, but TWO cars changed from the left lane into my lane in the gap I was leaving between me and the car in front of me as we were coming up to a light. The original car in front of me treated the yellow light like it was a red. I'd say most other times all 3 cars would have gone through the light and I'd have stopped at the line. As it turned out I was able to steer off the road over to the right and avoid giving Eliza a nose-job. The light changed and all 3 took off, took me a good 10 minutes to cool off enough to drive again.


Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By keith g barrier on Tuesday, June 24, 2014 - 08:36 am:

Like Hal I live in a small town also. The folks here though are as stupid as you see anywhere when it comes to driving, folks totally ignore speed limits, pass on the right weather there is a shoulder or not, may slow down slightly if they come to a stop sign. Even the police have the same bad habits. I think part may stem from the fact that drivers ed is no longer taught. If idiots teach their kids to drive, well what can you expect? KGB


Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By Dave Wells on Tuesday, June 24, 2014 - 08:46 am:

So far (and I drive my T a lot), I have had almost no problems. My car is treated with respect even here in stressed out Ontario big cities. Still, I always take more time in my T and yield to everything. It's my no hurry car.


Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By G.R.Cheshire on Tuesday, June 24, 2014 - 09:09 am:

The only time I have a problem with the modern's in Jax is when I have to go over one of the 7 bridges to get to a cruise-in or show somewhere on the other side of the river some of the modern's really get angry and flip us off etc but sometimes when I am going up the bride a large 18 wheeler will pull in behind me and they don't pass me until we start down hill The wife and I always wave and smile for these guys it's nice to know some one likes the old cars.


Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By Bud Holzschuh - Panama City, FL on Tuesday, June 24, 2014 - 09:48 am:

There's only one way I've ever found to keep the ignorant from riding your butt.

I occasionally have to haul 18 ft long dock pilings on a 14 ft trailer (usually with red warning tape attached to the rearmost piling.

For some reason people leave a huge distance between the back of the pilings and their car. Never have to sweat it.

Probably a bit impractical for a Sunday drive in your T, probably illegal too. But boy does it work.


Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By Paul Vitko on Tuesday, June 24, 2014 - 10:28 am:

You folks are lucky to be driving your T mine has not seen the light of day out of the shop waiting for rain to stop. Its not every day but enough to make the lawn grow another few inches and the tourists with forty foot RVs pulling there cars making T driving interesting to say the least.


Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By Dick Lodge - St Louis MO on Tuesday, June 24, 2014 - 10:31 am:

Justin, the frustrating thing about the horn blowers is that they often mean well... they are expressing approval of the T. The problem is that they don't realize that you are not enclosed in the same kind of capsule they are and that their horn is about 10-15 feet from your ear with nothing in between to dampen the sound. Baie dom.


Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By Ivan Warrington on Tuesday, June 24, 2014 - 10:34 am:

I have been afraid to drive my T since I moved to Georgetown. I have to load it on the trailer and go somewhere else. The Sun City bunch is the problem. Every time someone is on my back bumper the logo is "B U I C K".


Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By Jay - In Northern California on Tuesday, June 24, 2014 - 10:44 am:

Here's a device that will help you signal your intent to make a left turn and hopefully avoid having someone pass you on the left as your doing so. :-)


Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By Eric Hylen- Central Minnesota on Tuesday, June 24, 2014 - 10:44 am:

Boy, have I ever got it good. I live in a moderately populated area of Minnesota, about 45 miles northwest of Minneapolis. I drive county and township roads all day long without any trouble. I avoid state highways as much as possible, leaving them for the people who are in a hurry. When people honk at me, it's always accompanied by a thumbs up.


Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By Charlie B actually in Toms River N.J. on Tuesday, June 24, 2014 - 10:45 am:

If you think it's any different any where else you're kidding yourself. Your initial post could have (and was) written by me years back almost word for word. The stop/turn /tail lights don't make a bit of difference to most drivers. Been there, done that. There's only one thing on their minds: getting where they want to go and you're in the way. Period. Do you have the same road rights they do? Yep only you can't usually do the minimum posted speed limit and everyone's going faster than that. Stay out of their way. It's the only way.


Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By Eric Hylen- Central Minnesota on Tuesday, June 24, 2014 - 10:45 am:

I guess he old saying "Minnesota Nice" has some truth to it. :-)


Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By Fred Dimock, Newfields NH, USA on Tuesday, June 24, 2014 - 11:00 am:

People tailgated me until I put a sign on the back of my T that says

" This is a 1919 Model T Ford
I only have two speeds
You will not like the other one either"

I was surprised to find that most people left me more room .

Idiots still exist - especially the clueless 20 something girls doing their hair, talking on the phone, and daydreaming -sometimes all at the same time


Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By John Danuser on Tuesday, June 24, 2014 - 11:10 am:

I once put a sign on the rear of my T, this car has NO BRAKES, leave me room, or I'll HIT YOU


Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By Andrew Deckman, Ogden Utah on Tuesday, June 24, 2014 - 11:11 am:

I like that hand signal thing but it needs to be able to stick out about 10 feet to stop someone from passing on the left when trying to turn!


Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By Norman T. Kling on Tuesday, June 24, 2014 - 11:15 am:

Two of the most dangerous times: When others pull out in front of me, or when I am making a left turn. People riding my rear are usually not a problem unless it is another T. Modern cars can stop much faster than I can, so the problem is that I don't get too close to a car in front of me. That usually is not the case unless I am in traffic.

I try to pull over and let the others pass when it is safe to do so. I rarely do that going uphill unless I can find a wide enough spot that I can continue moving. Otherwise, I will be going much slower after pulling over, and then those cars who come behind will be even more annoyed. When I get to the top of a hill I stop and let all others pass, even ones which have not caught up yet.

One thing that annoys me is those who, when I am pulled over to let them pass, slow down to take a picture or ask what kind of car it is, and then I lose my ability to keep on moving so I can keep up speed.

Norm


Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By Danial - Veneta OR US Earth Solar System on Tuesday, June 24, 2014 - 11:35 am:

I love that hand signal, Jay! Very cool.


Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By Ricks - Surf City on Tuesday, June 24, 2014 - 12:02 pm:

When making a left turn I pull part or all the way into the opposing lane. I learned that many years ago from the farmers on the back roads between DeKalb and Rockford, Ill.


Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By Hal Davis-SE Georgia on Tuesday, June 24, 2014 - 12:46 pm:

I do that sometimes too, Ralph. My wife doesn't like it, but if there's nothing coming in the opposite direction and nothing coming down the road you're about to turn onto, I feel it is safer. Illegal, but safer.

Horns: I don't like it when someone blows their horn as they are passing me. Makes me about jump out of my skin. If they are coming toward me, it doesn't seem to bother me, but coming around me....It really startles me, even when I know they are coming around. I know they mean no harm, but I wish they would not do it just the same.


Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By Jay - In Northern California on Tuesday, June 24, 2014 - 12:56 pm:

Ralph, Good idea!

Hal, Me too on the horn thing!!!

Danie, Here's the accessory signal I like the most.

Pulling either the right, left or stop lever out will show and hold that sign until you push the lever back in. For night driving you would pull the dash switch to light the signals.


Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By Steve Jelf, Parkerfield KS on Tuesday, June 24, 2014 - 01:18 pm:

Dave, you don't have the traffic problems we do because you Canadians are more civilized than we are. :-)

I'm just glad I live in Podunk where there are so many roads with almost no traffic. Maybe the folks who have to GET THERE RIGHT NOW tend to be attracted to urban life. We have our idiots too, but in fewer numbers than in big cities.


Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By Paul Vitko on Tuesday, June 24, 2014 - 01:53 pm:

Cool gadgets Jay but folks would have to be able to read!
Every state has a different hiccup as far as T driving goes.
Watching Jeff Dunham with Walter you cant help but laugh at him describing different states he has played in.


Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By Willie K Cordes on Tuesday, June 24, 2014 - 02:20 pm:

Since everyone has added their opinion, I will add mine.
I live a little off an interstate highway in south central Texas. I stay off the interstate highway and all major US highways whenever possible. We do have a lot of back black top roads in my county and some plain gravel.
I am luck that a lot of highways have shoulders and I watch my rear view mirror more than I look ahead. If anyone is coming up on my bumper, my car heads for the shoulder if there is one.
I do not like cars on my bumper, even in my modern pick-up. Shoulder, here I come again, if no shoulder, the next pullover driveway will do.


Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By john kuehn on Tuesday, June 24, 2014 - 02:33 pm:

I also live in central Texas where there are lots of black top farm to market roads.

So I guess I'm lucky to have lots of good roads with not much traffic.

I-35 with LOTs of traffic going 65-80 mph is 3 miles from my house.
Would I drive on the service roads on 35? Not anymore. People just don't watch or drive to fast for me to try it.

I would hate to be rear ended in my 24 Coupe by somebody running around 55 and up.

Black top roads for me.

I don't want to push my luck with todays drivers.


Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By Dave Wells on Tuesday, June 24, 2014 - 05:01 pm:

Actually Steve, it always seems to me that people in America drive extremely well on the interstates yet really nutty on smaller roads. In Canada, it's the other way around. Can't be, but it seems that way.


Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By David Mazza on Tuesday, June 24, 2014 - 08:26 pm:

John, hopefully someday you can make your way out to the Berkshires, we have roads with 35mph speed limits. Beautiful scenery and roads to take you all over and into New York and Vt. Also have great things to see, like the hoosac tunnel, Susan b anthonys birth place, and Hemmings headquarters just up the road from me!


Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By John P Noonan on Tuesday, June 24, 2014 - 11:25 pm:

David, love the Berkshires, have been there many times..simply beautiful. I decided that I'm just going to do my own thing while perfecting the in's and out's of driving a T. Screw them if they think that they can intimidate me for having fun..:-) Like most of the wise posters here have said, i will just drive with the the knowledge that most drivers are idiots and i will do my best to keep out of their way.


Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By Joseph W. Rudzik on Wednesday, June 25, 2014 - 09:45 pm:

My wife and I recently visited her sister in Texas in our Dodge van I got to see the trademarks on the bolt heads of the grill on trucks and cars in my mirror so it does not matter what you drive.
We drive a lot of blue roads no matter what car we drive in the stable, but some of the driving is on four lane highways. We stay to the right and most people wave and take pictures.
However, I have noticed that people will form a Conga Line behind us and drive with us. Some will get on our butt and not move to pass us and just seem to get more peeved.
In this case I figure that everything is in their favor: {1} A MultiLane Highway {2} A steering wheel and {3} A brain.
Well, two out of three ain't bad.

Joe R.


Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By Randy Glowacki on Wednesday, June 25, 2014 - 10:51 pm:

Hi Steve
I live in a Podunk too, but it's in Parsippany NJ. We have many drivers with an attitude and they tailgate when driving the model T. But they also tailgate me when driving my Ford F350, It does matter how fast I drive, someone will be up my a.. In a heartbeat.
I have driven thousands of miles in England and Wales, they actually have to learn how to drive to get a license over there.


Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By Craig Anderson, central Wisconsin on Thursday, June 26, 2014 - 12:00 am:

BINGO on the left turns.
Even here in my small town of 510'ish I often take a right if there is something like a semi behind me.......or a young female snot.......grrrrrrr
A State highway runs through town and it can be quite busy at times so I plan my cruises accordingly.
Outside of that, like Eric, pretty much everywhere else I'm good to go....... :-) .......and I DO.


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