Ever lost respect for a fellow MBZ owner ?
 

While driving through heavy traffic on my daily commute to San Francisco from San Anselmo, I see some really stupid drivers. Driving to Macys the other day on highway 101 with thick traffic as I came from school (USF), I totally lost respect for a fellow MBZ driver. I was driving along in the far right lane (the EXIT ONLY lane). I had left ample room in front of me. A dark blue ’00 E-Class merged into the far right lane (the one I was in). I figured she wanted to take the Paradise Drive exist. After she gets into my lane, she decides to drive VERY slowly while talking on her cell phone. I figure, it’s cool; I’m in no rush. Right before the lane exists, she cuts off another guy in the second to far-right lane. What an @$$. I was pissed off. No turn signal, nothing. She simply cut off the poor person. She had merged into an EXIT only lane ONLY so she could cut someone off and get back into the normal lanes to avoid a few minutes of driving slow due to traffic. :mad:
It really pissed me off that a fellow MBZ owner would do that. I have seen tons of people cut other people off while cutting traffic in exist only lanes; however, when I saw someone in an MBZ do it, I was upset. I guess I had figured that all (mistake, should be *most*) MBZ drivers have at least a little bit of respect not to do such stupid things. Oh well. :(
Tony

I am ready for cell phones to be banned while a person is operating an automobile....

I've been ready for that for a loooooong time...it's true that it is possible to talk on a cell phone and still be able to put most of your concentration on the road, but very few people seem to be able to actually do it. :rolleyes:

MBs are prolific in the Dallas-Fort Worth area, so it expected that many inattentive or just plain rude drivers will sadly be behind the wheel of an MB.

As far as cell phones...too much distraction. It's a challenge to keep your reflexes on guard with the many traffic situations encountered, and phone use just adds another potentially fatal distraction to that equation.

I have not found it feasible to talk on the cell and manuever in rush-hour traffic at the same time, so I tell the other party to call later, or I'll call them back.

Funny, the ONLY time I feel capable of putting the S40 to my ear is when I'm mired in Atlanta's often grueling rush-hour traffic. When I'm moving under 20mph, I feel I can talk and drive at the same time.

If I'm going faster than that, or I'm in a subdivision, near a school or hospital, etc., the call goes to voice mail.

Does California have a no cell phone usage while driving law?

North Carolina doesn't...We probably should though since most aren't corrdinated enough to handle the task while driving.

I have had the...
 

same cell service since 1989. It allows me to be available for my customers when I am playing golf or in Sea Island GA for 3 weeks or in Nantucket for 6 weeks or home playing with my children at 11:00 am like today.

With a laptop and a cell phone I can do business anywhere. Fantastic tools.

Oh yeah, you an always turn them off.

Cheers,

Just because someone drives a Mercedes doesn't mean they can't drive like a complete moron. Seen it plenty of times.

Same goes for BMW drivers, although those tend to be worse... :)

Oh, you mean like this?

The only time I lose respect for an MB driver is when I see one go by that's got all kinds of chrome and silly wheels on it. Imagine what the engineers in Germany would think of that if they saw how some Americans "bastardize" their hard work.

Oh, and when I see a Midas exhaust system poking out from the back of a Mercedes, I also tend to lose respect for the owner. If they can't afford to have it done right, they should be driving a Toyota. Sorry, just my opinion.

Instead of banning the phones I suggest penalizing inattentive drivers.
Like the ones eating or drinking, trying to pacify their kids in the back sit, trying to adjust radio in heavy traffic, smoking, spitting, talking to a passenger, arguing with the spouse, trying to adjust mirrors, arguing with other driver, daydreaming, sleeping (applies to drivers going 10 miles below posted speed limit in the left lane-see other post on this forum), and playing with climate control at highway speeds.

Anyone telling me, that while they find it impossible to drive safely while talking on the phone, they can do all these other things safely is lying. They all distract from driving. German engineers did not understand why Americans wanted cup holders in their MBs ("how can you drink while DRIVING???"). Although a very sexy target, phones are just the latest addition to a long list of activities American love to do while driving. I find it assinine to get fixiated on one of them. BTW, in some states they will ban hand-held phones, but allow head sets. Since I find just the act of conversing to be distracting, I suggest we ban all phones, radio's and passengers (specifically spouses) in the moving cars. Should take care of some of our problems.

The District of Columbia has banned the use of cell phones while driving unless they are used in conjunction with head gear.

I try to use them as little as possible while driving, but when a client calls to see if I'm available to work on a given day, I'm taking the call-- otherwise I could be out as much as $400+ while they call someone else. :( So I take the call. I usually either pull over to talk or ask them if I can call them back shortly.

Just this morning (1 hour ago), i certainly lost respect for an MB driver!

I wasn't completely without fault myself since i was speeding on the highway but still..
On a long stretch of highway i was going approx 90 mph when i came up on a C280 driving right behind a truck at 60 mph. -Only two vehicles visible on the road besides myself.
Well in advance i turned on my left blinker and went out in the left lane to overtake. (two lanes in each direction -highway)

When i was like 40 ft. from the MB, the driver decided that he/she didn't like to drive behind the truck anymore, and swerved out RIGHT in front of me :eek: (30 mph speed difference!) I kicked the brakes and set the ABS off, but there was no way i would make it. So i went left of the C280 and into the GRASS between our lanes and the oncoming lanes..! :eek: :eek:

Besides a very minor sliding feeling at first, the MB behaved very controlled and i made it onto the highway again without any acrobatic stunts.

I was so p..... at the other driver, that i just kept going. -Didn't want to confront him/her whith my adrenaline pumping like that.

Sorry for the rant. But i just had to vent..

Freestyler

Exactly! If you're going to ban cell phones, you better ban fast food in cars, coffee, soft drinks, potato chips, cigarettes, kids, stereos, GPS, DVDs, talkative teenagers, angry wives, billboards, fender-benders on the side of the road, cops pulling other drivers over, and sexy blondes on the sidewalk, because they ALL distract drivers and cause just as many accidents! Cell phones are just the latest "trendy" thing to blame for the general lack of driver skills and individual responsibility in the US. :rolleyes: EVERYONE gets distracted by something...Stop blaming it on the object, and START blaming it on the DRIVER!

Mike