buongiorno

I just spent 10 days in Ft Lauderdale and have to say that of all the places I've been, the drivers are the absolute worst! The poor driving was not just isolated to the geezers.

Rich

We just returned from Orlando and I can testify that at least some ofthe FLorida cars do have turn signals . . we were behind one that was on left turn from Miami to Orlando

thurstonbb

It's not us it's the tourists!

Postal

After 18 years in Orlando I have to own up that it IS the residents, not the tourists. I think it's safe to say that more than 50% of the drivers do not use turn signals at all. My kids and I have all been in accidents caused by a turning driver who gave no warning - often coming across lanes to turn - and it has caused the insurance rate to skyrocket.

HowardR

I got news for you.....It's not just in Florida! It's pretty much everywhere!

bobrad

And your point is ???

buongiorno

The point is clear...be very careful when driving in FL! People turn left from the right lane without signals, people go straight from the turn lanes, they fail to stop when pulling out of their condo developments onto the street and rarely if ever signal when changing lanes.

JAGIRL

The driving in Florida is perfect compared to Jamaica!

caribtraveler

Oh please..come to New Jersey.

tracys2cents

It's everywhere and it's just another part of this "me me ME" culture that we're living in. "I'm turning into your lane right now but I am the only one who needs to know it because I'm the only one who matters". Kinda like the "people shouldn't talk on cellphones when driving...except for me" attitude.

tampatramp

Buongiorno, stop complaining!!! when YOU are 80 and can't see well, can't hear, can't even see over the steering wheel, and couldn't even activate a turn signal even if you wanted to because of your arthritis; much less remember if red means go or stop- Where else could you get a drivers licence?!

NeoPatrick

"Where else could you get a drivers licence?!"

Wow that sounds funny, the truth is that is often much easier to get driver's licenses elsewhere. A few years ago we had an incident of a man hitting and killing two kids when he thought he had hit a trash can. Ends up the guy was legally blind and although he couldn't get a license in Florida, he was still able to renew his Ohio license by mail.

Many, many local residents renew their northern licenses by mail as here they would be required to take an eye test or even a full test.

My partner's mother failed a driving test in her elder years here in Florida due to a required eye test, and went back to Dayton, Ohio where she also failed one for the same reason, but went to another office in a Dayton suburb, where they simply issued her a new license -- no questions asked.

z

Oh please..go to the mountains of North Carolina

hulajake

I agree that is not just a south Florida problem it's more like we're not as important as they are. What seems to be a more troublesome aspect is the hit and run drivers that turn out to be illegal aliens to boot. We've had two fatalities in the past couple of weeks one was a pedistrian.

Dukey

Short-sighted and ageist..what a combination.

bobrad

If you think Florida Drivers are bad you should try driving in Guadalajara , Mexico. Machismo takes on an entirely new dimension.

While speaking of a foreign country. A study a year or so ago stated that 50% of the drivers in Miami don't have a valid driver's license. In other words when you arrive at an intersection , look to your left and then to your right , one of the two doesn't have a license.

Now that's scary !!!

nytraveler

It seems to me that the solution is perfectly simple. Anyone caught driving without a license should have their car confiscated. When they get their license (back) they they get their car back.

What's the point of giving a summons to someone driving without a license? They've already shown they have no interest in obeying the laws - or the safety ot anyone.

Aslo - we should do the same as many places in europe. First, make the road test a real test - 30 minutes and out on a rel highway. Not just 5 minutes on local roads and a parallel park. Second, if you're caught driving drunk your license gets pulled for a year. A second DUI and no license again - ever.

If these were enforced roads would be much safer for everyone. But most people seem to think driving - no matter how badly they do it - is a right - not a privilege. (I already have a couple of people I would volunteer to have their license pulled - one for DUI and the other for just plain incompetence.)

Orlando_Vic

I have to agree with buongiorno. South Florida drivers are like kamikazes.

Drivers in central Florida are not so aggressive. Many are tourists who simply don't know where they want to go and will do stupid stuff like make a left hand turn from the extreme right hand lane, 4 lanes over (or vice versa). Factor in the many drivers from the U.K. who are unaccustomed to driving on the "wrong" side of the road. No offense meant to your country - this is exactly why I am scared to death to drive in Australia OR the U.K.

NeoPatrick

And no one has mentioned the growing belief all over the country (I've witnessed it in a lot of different states) that a traffic light changing to yellow in the distance, means "hit the gas and see how long it is red before you get through it". And approaching a light already turning red means "keep going but for safety's sake check out if anyone has started through the green from the side so if necessary you can speed up."

tampatramp

NeoPatrick, you mean you are supposed to stop at a red light? Since moving to Florida, I thought it was optional, or a warning that the car in front of you may be stopped.

Back to original topic: Yes buongiorno, all Florida cars don't have turn signals; but if you live here you develop a sixth sense of when a car will turn.