Driving in and around Omaha

[Busguy2010]

I think all bets are off the table on backing-in to a parking spot since the proliferation of back-up cameras in cars. It use to take a bit of skill to back in on one try and many people found it too frustrating to bother with. Now, they have a high-def color camera with gridlines assisting them. That's why the number of vehicles backed into parking spaces has skyrocketed over the last 10 years or so.

That is true. I give less props to newer cars that all have back up cameras. Heck, some even do the parking themselves. They just wanna take all the fun out of everything don't they?

Forgot to mention, and I heard this straight from the horses mouth (I wish there was a better idiom in this case lol), it is indeed somehow a major turn on for women when you throw that bad boy in reverse, slap your hand on the back of her seat, turn toward her, look back and back into the parking spot. Starts you off on the right foot every time. It's becoming a lost art Do they still like it when you press the reverse button, look at the camera and guide your caboose in to the tune of increasingly frequent beeping? My guess is it just isn't the same.

I never thought there was so much psychology to backing in.

[Busguy2010]

As a part of the streetcar project, most of the parking spaces along the route east of about 36th are being converted to back-in angle spaces

Thats good. I think that'll encourage people to have more awareness about whether they're blocking the streetcar. I forget what system it was, but it was a comic show how often the streetcar was blocked by a poorly parked car, to the point they'd have an on call tow truck along the route. It could hardly function.

I personally do foresee the occasional F-250 crew cab long bed being a problem.

[Busguy2010]

I know I'll sound like a grumbling old man, but it just is what it is. Every time, Every time theres an out of place really nice day like today, the motorcycles and the hot rods find it as license to be EXTRA obnoxious. Otherwise, I would be enjoying this day, but the dam bastards just have to be out revving their engines pointlessly.

They made a South Park episode about them. I cant post it here, but it is what we're all thinking. They think they're cool, but they're reaaallllyyy not. You can hear them probably from a two mile radius, and every time I hear a copper, its because of them. The helicopter even gets in on it.

[almighty_tuna]

I know I'll sound like a grumbling old man

We've kind of noticed a pattern

[locoluke]

I think every neighborhood needs a grumbling old man or two

[nativeomahan]

Or three….

These motorcycle owners have had their “crotch rockets” under wraps for months, (about as long as their “other” units have probably been unused), so they jump at the opportunity to show them off. I had almost forgotten that there is one more good thing to come from our long cold winters besides a lack of giant bugs and no yard work….not having to see or hear motorcycles speeding down our streets.

[Busguy2010]

I know I'll sound like a grumbling old man

We've kind of noticed a pattern

I guess it's going to be a long road ahead, I'm only a millennial

[ThreeGGG]

It isn't about being a grumpy old man. It is about vehicle driving safety, and frankly Omaha has an awful lot of UNSAFE drivers. To be honest, I have never seen anything quite like it.

[remline]

While skimming over the Nebraska Driver's Manual I noticed the following definition: "Speed Limit – Indicates the maximum speed that a vehicle can lawfully travel on the roadway."

This doesn't sound correct to me. Shouldn't it say: "Speed Limit – Indicates the minimum speed that a pickup truck can lawfully travel on the roadway?"

[Louie]

huh?

[Busguy2010]

While skimming over the Nebraska Driver's Manual I noticed the following definition: "Speed Limit – Indicates the maximum speed that a vehicle can lawfully travel on the roadway."

This doesn't sound correct to me. Shouldn't it say: "Speed Limit – Indicates the minimum speed that a pickup truck can lawfully travel on the roadway?"

Was somebody driving painfully slow in front of you? The only time I tolerate people not getting up to speed is on Sundays. Even still, it's annoying, but I give a pass. Gotta have one day for a stroll. At least for older people, they earned the right to not have somebody breathing down their neck every time they go out.

Speaking of which, I've noticed a lot lately, when taking a right onto a side road from one of the main roads, way too often the people following you seem to fail to recognize that a person turning off the main road, does indeed need to slow down to make the turn. So say going 45 and turning Into a neighborhood, the trailing car just keeps going 45 until theyre right up your |expletive|. I dont know whos responsibility they think it is not to rear end me, but Im pretty sure it ain't mine. Whether I have to slow down to 25 or 5 (okay, thats an exaggeration) im gonna do whatever speed is safe. Not gonna Tokyo drift through the corner or flip my truck so you can keep moving. Just saying, don't be mad when ya rear end me, whoever you are. Its bound to happen one of these days.

[Busguy2010]

Alright, I know I'm an a-hole and I don't think what I did looked nice, and didnt quite fit the rule book, but I knew it would work.

First off, I'm southbound on 90th in the left lane, wanting to turn left onto Dodge. Red light. Straight traffic is backed up enough that no soul can access the turning lanes. Thanks to the dude snoozing that finally moved up a little bit and close his unnecessarily large gap, I could access the turn lanes. The right-most left turn lane is probably 10(?) Cars deep, so I felt there was no chance I'd make that light cycle, while the left-most left turn lane only had two in front... I faced a rather bold prospect to turn right into the Walgreens from the left turn lane onto Dodge. I definitely wouldn't force it if it wasn't there, but it was totally there. Somebody in the right-most left turn lane was slow off, and once I got to the straight portion, I very quickly changed 4 lanes. No cut off, no hard brake, no nothin. Nobody was mad, no harm no foul.

Normally this wouldn't work. if everybody's awake and on it, you'd 100% expect another vehicle to be to your right, preventing you from doing that whatsoever. The funny thing to me is not one of those 10+ people took a right before I did. So, why were they ALL in the right-most left turn lane when not one of them took a right until at least 87th or further for all I know?

Do people just form a line just cause - der - because they'll eventually take a right, whether that be 1 or 10 miles down the road?

I get sometimes you just want to relax, but when its 5pm on a Friday, I'm trying to get my day done and over with and get home.

[ThreeGGG]

I honestly try not to let the unbelievably bad drivers bother me. But it might be time to just give up hope. I am convinced beyond a doubt that Omaha Nebraska has the worst drivers in the United States of America. It is a daily occurrence that I see some of the stupidest, dumbest, and most dangerous maneuvers that I have ever seen.
Tail gating
No turn signals
Speeding
Erratic lane changes
And so much more........

[nebugeater]

I honestly try not to let the unbelievably bad drivers bother me. But it might be time to just give up hope. I am convinced beyond a doubt that Omaha Nebraska has the worst drivers in the United States of America. It is a daily occurrence that I see some of the stupidest, dumbest, and most dangerous maneuvers that I have ever seen.
Tail gating
No turn signals
Speeding
Erratic lane changes
And so much more........

If you think Omaha is the worst, then there are A LOT of places you have never driven in.

[CBJason]

I honestly try not to let the unbelievably bad drivers bother me. But it might be time to just give up hope. I am convinced beyond a doubt that Omaha Nebraska has the worst drivers in the United States of America. It is a daily occurrence that I see some of the stupidest, dumbest, and most dangerous maneuvers that I have ever seen.
Tail gating
No turn signals
Speeding
Erratic lane changes
And so much more........

If you think Omaha is the worst, then there are A LOT of places you have never driven in.

Exactly!! This stuff happens everywhere and probably worse

[Busguy2010]

Drivers in Kansas City play the "oh no ya don't" on the zipper merge even harder than Omaha. I was there for the race last weekend. I suppose it could have been more of a mix of out of towners too, but I've never seen such nose to tail creeping along. There were some smart people getting out and going to the front, but the person I was with was an "I found my spot and I'm defending it" type. Bless his heart. Probably could have saved 20 minutes in line, but to hey, each their own. You'd think going to a NASCAR race you'd find a little inspiration to you know, get to the front lol.

[ThreeGGG]

I have driven in and around plenty of big cities and mid size cities for a long, long time. Sometimes as a professional transportation driver, and I can tell you from my experiences in the Midwest that Omaha Nebraska drivers are the worst that "I" have seen in my lifetime. Some Omaha people seem very offended by that, while many others agree with me.

( p.s. I have not driven in major California cities, or New York city proper )

[InTheRoom]

A lot of hyperbolizing in this thread... let's be clear, anecdotes are great, but there are massive businesses out there that literally make or lose their money by pricing based on risk (insurance companies) and according to them, driving in Omaha comes with very little risk.

https://www.thezebra.com/auto-insurance ... ates-city/

Omaha's insurance premiums rank 7th lowest of the top 50 US cities according to the article above.

[Busguy2010]

I thought there was a non-scientific study somewhere along the way that voted us worst.

[locoluke]

I thought there was a non-scientific study somewhere along the way that voted us worst.

Yeah, and Zio’s was voted Best of Omaha

[Busguy2010]

I thought there was a non-scientific study somewhere along the way that voted us worst.

Yeah, and Zio’s was voted Best of Omaha

Not that I attribute to the problem.

[ThreeGGG]

I thought there was a non-scientific study somewhere along the way that voted us worst.

State Farm released that Omaha had the worst drivers in America. ( I am not sure what year that was though, 2024? 2025? )

[ricko]

There are bad drivers everywhere I’ve lived, and maybe I just encountered the wrong drivers, but tailgating here is off the charts, even though I’m already speeding. Red light running seems to be a sport here. I’ve also encountered a few impatient/aggressive pickup truck cowboys.

[InTheRoom]

Absolutely there are bad drivers everywhere. I spend a lot of time in Philadelphia and their insanely high premiums are justified. For reference, car insurance on the same car more than doubled going from Omaha to Philly. I mean half the city is functionally illiterate, how could you expect them to be able to drive well?

[remline]

A lot of hyperbolizing in this thread... let's be clear, anecdotes are great, but there are massive businesses out there that literally make or lose their money by pricing based on risk (insurance companies) and according to them, driving in Omaha comes with very little risk.

https://www.thezebra.com/auto-insurance ... ates-city/

Omaha's insurance premiums rank 7th lowest of the top 50 US cities according to the article above.

Thanks for the article; those are interesting data.

It is probably worth adding that, per the article, several things besides actual traffic impact insurance premiums:

• Crime rates
• Repair and labor costs
• Natural disasters (e.g., hurricanes and floods)

[InTheRoom]

A lot of hyperbolizing in this thread... let's be clear, anecdotes are great, but there are massive businesses out there that literally make or lose their money by pricing based on risk (insurance companies) and according to them, driving in Omaha comes with very little risk.

https://www.thezebra.com/auto-insurance ... ates-city/

Omaha's insurance premiums rank 7th lowest of the top 50 US cities according to the article above.

Thanks for the article; those are interesting data.

It is probably worth adding that, per the article, several things besides actual traffic impact insurance premiums:

• Crime rates
• Repair and labor costs
• Natural disasters (e.g., hurricanes and floods)

Absolutely. I assumed the net impact of the other items on Omaha's position in relation to the other cities was negligible. Omaha typically has lower violent crime rates than the others, but a surprisingly high rate of property crime per this: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_U ... crime_rate

And we all know we have a lot of hail storms. Third highest state for hail events per this: https://www.ypapublicadjusters.com/hail ... -by-state/

So... If we have high weather risk, and average crime (property) risk, then why are we so low for premiums?

[Louie]

A lot of hyperbolizing in this thread... let's be clear, anecdotes are great, but there are massive businesses out there that literally make or lose their money by pricing based on risk (insurance companies) and according to them, driving in Omaha comes with very little risk.

https://www.thezebra.com/auto-insurance ... ates-city/

Omaha's insurance premiums rank 7th lowest of the top 50 US cities according to the article above.

Thanks for the article; those are interesting data.

It is probably worth adding that, per the article, several things besides actual traffic impact insurance premiums:

• Crime rates
• Repair and labor costs
• Natural disasters (e.g., hurricanes and floods)

Absolutely. I assumed the net impact of the other items on Omaha's position in relation to the other cities was negligible. Omaha typically has lower violent crime rates than the others, but a surprisingly high rate of property crime per this: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_U ... crime_rate

And we all know we have a lot of hail storms. Third highest state for hail events per this: https://www.ypapublicadjusters.com/hail ... -by-state/

So... If we have high weather risk, and average crime (property) risk, then why are we so low for premiums?

While high for hail, we are low for the majority of other weather/natural events, so I'd wager we are moderate overall for weather risk.

[remline]

And we all know we have a lot of hail storms. Third highest state for hail events per this: https://www.ypapublicadjusters.com/hail ... -by-state/

I enjoyed reading through the hail data. This surprised me: "Top 3 Costliest Hailstorms Ever: Phoenix, AZ – 2010: $2.8 BILLION in damages (largest on record)." I didn't even know Arizona got hail!

I'm also distressed to learn that dear old Nebraska gets more hail than even South Dakota.

I will leave one recommendation for my fellow Omahans: clean out your garage so that you can park your car in there. This will make the car relatively safer from hail.

[ThreeGGG]

Happened again this afternoon on Millard Ave. I won't even go into detail on this one, other than to say that this particular driver was filled with rage and a definite danger to all other traffic around him.
UNBELIEVABLE!!!!!!

[Busguy2010]

This happens often. Going westbound on Dodge from 90th. Im usually in the second lane because thats where I need to be further down the road. Somebody ahead will be going slow, so me and the person behind will split to the first and third lane to pass, then re-enter the second lane at the same time. I got flipped off by the person that was behind me as we both went to re-enter the second lane. Soooooo... I'm struggling to see how I'm the wrong party there. I mean, they were behind me, they passed the middle person on the right, AND they sped up enough that we were even. And I got flipped off? lol

[ThreeGGG]

Busguy,..... I see things like that everytime I drive anywhere in Omaha. I have traveled a lot over my years, and I do not see that near as much in any other city. Why is that? Why are Omaha drivers so aggressive and angry all the time? The tailgating is annoying as can be. When the speed limit says 45mph, I usually do 45mph and still get tailgaters and irritated drivers that pass me with that disgusted look, or sometimes even flipped off. The aggressive driving here is alarming to say the least.

[Busguy2010]

I notice that too. I drive an old beater and I don't like to push it. A lot lately, I've noticed I get whipped around a lot on any given road. Like people are really itching to get around me, and I look down at my speedometer, I'm always going the speed limit. They make 35 and 45 feel like a slow crawl, and here I am like what did I do? They honestly make cars with way too good acceleration nowadays, I think most people just think 0-45 should only take 2 seconds. When really thats way too much performance for every day driving, and for most people to handle responsibly. Obviously.

[ThreeGGG]

Totally agree.
And before I or we get accused of being crabby old men. That simply is not true. When a driver is driving the speed limit and getting harassed and intimidated, something is clearly wrong. Speed limit signs aren't meant as a suggestion, but as a safety measure that was studied and thought out for that particular stretch of road by authorities. If you are constantly running late and having to drive too fast to be on time, try getting organized and leave earlier. This rage and excessive aggressive driving behavior is dangerously ridiculous.

[locoluke]

If only we had the technology to automatically enforce speed limits and cite those who choose to violate it

[Busguy2010]

Saw a dummy exit the Tower Plaza at the Hacienda Real end, and drove in the center turn lane on 78th all the way to Dodge. So, 4 blocks? I really don't think they even realized it. Iowa plates.

[ThreeGGG]

Even a simple little trip to Costco (7 mile round trip) today resulted in several bizarre driving maneuvers by reckless/angry/ hurried/flustered/intimidating/bad Omaha drivers.

[nebugeater]

Ever think that those of you experiencing all this might be the cause and not the victim?

[Busguy2010]

Ever think that those of you experiencing all this might be the cause and not the victim?

Absolutely not.

[Busguy2010]

I also wouldnt say expecting decent, even close-to-the-rule-book driving being a victim. Just something about getting flipped off by a person who is in the wrong... because we're "in their way". Just goes to show theres a lot of crazies out there.

[ricko]

If only we had the technology to automatically enforce speed limits and cite those who choose to violate it

The technology is there. Its rollout is right around the corner.