Everyone's Familiar With These Driving Annoyances
If you've got your license and drive on the regular, we bet you'd agree with these 20 common car struggles we find annoying to deal with. From nailing your parallel parking on the first try to facing aggressive tailgaters you just can't escape from, these annoyances can definitely make owning a car tiresome at times.
1. Parallel Parking
Parallel parking perfectly on the first try can feel a bit impossible at times. Not only do you feel pressure from the cars waiting behind you to get it right, you're also trying not to hit either cars as you squeeze into the space! If there's one aspect of driving that gets a lot of drivers nervous, it's definitely parking, specifically parallel parking.
Ioann-Mark Kuznietsov on Unsplash
2. Driving At Night
While some might enjoy driving at night thanks to how empty it feels, for those of you with astigmatism, it's an entirely different experience. When all those lights start flaring out, driving in the dark can be a bit of a nightmare. It can even start giving you a headache if you stare at those blinding lights for too long!
3. Driving In Snow
If you don't have winter tires, don't go driving in the snow! Working your way through icy roads requires a completely different set of driving skills.
You need to know how to avoid skidding, know when to time your brakes, and so much more. For those who are inexperienced driving in these conditions, it can be quite terrifying.
4. Keeping Off Their Phones
Sadly, a lot of drivers out there are growing increasingly attached to their phones - even when they're driving. You should never be losing focus of the road! All you're doing is becoming a hazard, putting not just yourself in danger, but everyone else around you. This shouldn't be a struggle, but unfortunately, it is becoming a growing concern for many.
5. Knowing Who Has Right Of Way
We know you've been there before. Standing still at a 2 way stop because you and the driver across from you aren't sure who's meant to go first. While driving manuals all describe right of way in their own words, sometimes, it just feels like drivers do whatever they want, which can really make it difficult.
Mubariz Mehdizadeh on Unsplash
6. Gauging Safe Turn Distance
Whether it's making a turn that's too close for comfort or waiting when you should've gone, gauging turn distance can be quite the difficult task. Depending on the shape of the road, how many cars there are, and how fast they're going, these are all factors to consider before making your turn.
7. Parking Straight
Funnily enough, parking straight can sometimes prove to be a challenge!
We've all seen it before, cars that are parked incredibly slanted or even on the line. For some reason, when we feel like we're slanted, we're actually straight, and when we're parked straight, we feel like we're slanted. Can anyone explain that weird feeling?
8. Being Hesitant
Making split second decisions when we're driving can be stressful. Do we go? Do we wait? Many often find that they hesitate before making a choice. However, hesitating on the road can be extremely dangerous. Even in tough situations, it's important to be prepared and make smart choices.
9. Struggling With Difficult Left Turns
We're pretty sure everyone can agree that left turns are a lot more difficult than right turns. Obviously, it's because you're turning into potential oncoming traffic. For a lot of people, this proves to be an anxiety-inducing action while on the road. People get really nervous when there are too many cars coming their way.
10. Blinded By Headlights
Is it just us or have headlights gotten even brighter in the past couple of years? As soon as it gets dark out and the headlights turn on, we feel like we're instantly blinded by cars coming in the opposite direction. It almost feels like everyone has their high beams on when they shouldn't!
11. Reverse Parking
If you don't struggle with parallel parking, how do you feel about reverse parking?
For some people, reverse parking is their ultimate challenge. Setting up the car to slide in smoothly in the most important part, yet some people just can't get it right.
12. Knowing What To Fix Yourself Vs. When To See A Mechanic
We all know how expensive a visit to the mechanic can be. Sometimes, you might get scammed into buying more than needed, and other times, you're just straight up overcharged. Many are often worried about mechanics for this reason, but struggle to know when it's a car problem they can fix themselves or not. Everyone wants to save money, but knowing when you actually need to see a professional can be hard.
13. Hitting The Curb
How many times have you accidentally hit the curb because you misgauged how far away it was? Hearing that thunk of a sound when your tire hits the curb definitely doesn't feel great. It's always an embarrassing mistake we hate accidentally doing.
14. Driving In Heavy Rain
Driving in unideal weather conditions can be a bit terrifying. Heavy rain doesn't just make it harder to see, but you have to adjust how you drive too. Learning to brake earlier and slowing down is just common knowledge that some people seem to miss. Rather than just the rain being a struggle, sometimes the pain point is dealing with other drivers who don't seem to drive with extra caution in these conditions.
15. Getting Impatient In Traffic
After a long day at work, the last thing you want to deal with is heavy traffic on your drive back home. You're already feeling tired, but somehow, traffic can make you feel even more exhausted. Trying to stay calm is harder than you think during these moments. Most drivers will easily become impatient and frustrated when stuck in a jam.
File Upload Bot (Magnus Manske) on Wikimedia
16. Letting Emotion Get The Better Of You
Road rage is real and it can be seriously dangerous. Some people really struggle with letting their emotions get the better of them while driving. Getting angry, frustrated, or upset can cause you to make reckless mistakes you shouldn't be doing. This is truly an important driving struggle to be aware of - it's not safe for you or anyone else on the road.
17. Driving Through Poorly Set Up Construction Zones
No one enjoys driving through construction zones. Not only does it usually lead to traffic or congestion, a lot of the times, they're also poorly set up. During these moments, we pray we're not first in line to navigate the maze up ahead. Can we turn right here? Are we supposed to drive in this lane? We definitely don't like dealing with messy zones like this.
Robin Jonathan Deutsch on Unsplash
18. Shaking Off Tailgaters
Some drivers are just incredibly impatient, causing them to tailgate others who are going "too slow" in their eyes. Not only is this dangerous, but it can also make the driver getting tailgated very nervous.
Trying to shake off tailgaters is a struggle we've likely all experienced before. It's scary and happens way more often that it should.
19. Shifting From Driving A Big Car To A Small Car (Or Vice Versa)
If you've ever had to switch from driving a big to small car or vice versa, you know the struggle of trying to adapt to your new surroundings. Not only does the seating position feel different, how high you're off the ground and how wide your car is can really throw you for a loop at the start.
20. Getting Your Car Dirty After It Was Just Washed
While everyone loves making their car look nice and shiny, it's important to remember we drive these vehicles outdoors, meaning they're prone to getting dirty at any moment. Trying to keep your car clean at all times is nearly impossible. Whether it's leaves falling, mud on the road, or random rainfall, there's always something getting in the way.
