7 Annoying Things I See Texas Drivers Do Regularly, According To A Lifelong Local

Why do we ALWAYS need to speed, y'all?

Texas Staff Writer
Texas Staff Writer Brittany Cristiano in a parked car. Right: Cars driving on a highway in Austin, TX.

Texas Staff Writer Brittany Cristiano in a parked car. Right: Cars driving on a highway in Austin, TX.

Brittany Cristiano | Narcity, Typhoonski | Dreamstime

This Opinion article is part of a Narcity Media series. The views expressed are the author's own and do not necessarily reflect the views of Narcity Media.

It's no secret that Texans have a unique way of driving, hence the never-ending social media jokes and the complaints from out-of-staters experiencing our traffic for the first time.

As a lifelong Texas citizen, I can confirm just how accurate our infamous reputation is.

I have spent over 20 years as a passenger witnessing the daily road shenanigans and several others as a driver.

A study by Car Insurance Comparison found the Lone Star State to have the worst drivers in the United States in 2022, excelling particularly in "careless driving."

I've, of course, seen a few of these careless absurdities regularly while on the roads of Texas. Here are, by far, the most annoying ones, and I'm sure you will agree too.

Entitled giant trucks that abuse their size.

Many Texans own a pickup truck, so you're bound to see about ten within a span of two minutes on the road here.

My ire, however, is directed at the truck owners who choose to "lift" and jack up their vehicles to high heavens and then use the massive size to their advantage in traffic.

I see it so. Dang. Often. I'll never forget watching one of these monstrous vehicles bypass a U-turn at a busy light by barreling over the median to turn around simply because its giant tires could take it.

Perhaps, like many people joke, their truck's giant size could be compromising for something?

Rarely yielding to pedestrians.

Pedestrians should have the right-of-way, according to the state transportation code, but that doesn’t necessarily apply to a "Karen" driving a starch white Mercedes Benz SUV having to go somewhere that’s much more important than everyone else.

It seems that they won't stop for anyone.

I do think our massive state being so spread out makes many motorists forget that some people do choose to walk instead of spending most of their time driving to destinations.

The looks you get from drivers if you don't go fast on a 4-hour road trip.

@sharikassidequests

like maybe i dont wanna go 100+ mph for 4 hours straight😭😭 #drivingintexas #texasdriving #texasdrivers #100mph

Texas road trips are so long, and going the assigned 75 mph or slightly over the entire time can be tiring.

However, if you're driving in the right lane, going the right speed with plenty of space around you, someone will still come up right behind you, hastily pull into the passing lane, and give you a dirty look while passing by as if you're the cause of every one of their problems.

Drivers of cars with temporary paper plates infamously driving terribly.

Fraudulent temporary paper tags have been an issue for the Texas Department of Motor Vehicles and law-abiding drivers.

Motorists with these fake paper plates on their vehicles regularly ignore the rules on the road, making it everyone's problem.

If a car cuts you off while changing lanes or won't nicely let you enter the highway, chances are the license plate is fake and made of flimsy paper.

Aggressive drivers in almost every situation, except for in small towns and school zones.

@nursepilotmakala.k

How Texans see speed limit signs ton the road... 😂 #Texas #SpeedLimit #Laughter #TexasHumors #RoadTrips #FastAndFuriousdrive #SpeedyTexans #speedlimitsigns #speedatlimit if you’ve ever driven in Texas, you know that they can be aggressive drivers. The speed limit is more of a suggestion than an actual law to follow unless you go to those small towns. The amount of times they can pull you over in the small towns you better be driving the speed limit.

All of these antics lead to one thing: Many Texas drivers are just plain aggressive in every situation.

Despite highway speed limits being 60 to 75 MPH, Texas drivers seem to think a steady 80 MPH or higher is the actual rule. Even in light road traffic in the suburbs, I have seen people speeding by me when I'm going the slated 45.

Except for in small towns and by schools, though, where you can ALWAYS count on a cop checking speeders. The aggressiveness seems to disappear right away, and we all start following the rules all of a sudden.

Friendly Texans full of road rage.

Despite Texan's reputation for being friendly, when one thing doesn't go their way on the road, all that southern kindness seems to be gone.

So often, someone angrily honks their horn or flicks me off for no reason. I think my perfect driving record can vouch that I was following the law, too!

The speeding doesn't stop during rush hour traffic.

@bryanthediamond

Literally some of the best driving I have ever seen BUMPER TO BUMPER & TRAFFIC FLOWING PERFECTLY 🤯 #fyp #texas #traffic #tesla #bryanthediamond

Rush hour is the most aggravating part of anyone's day. In most cities, it's gridlocked bumper-to-bumper traffic crawling at a slow speed of 5 MPH and takes forever to get through.

While we have those moments daily in major cities like Houston and Dallas, more often than not, Texans are willing to continue to speed in heavy traffic as if that's not the most-terrifying situation ever.

Why do we ALWAYS need to speed, y'all?

Brittany Cristiano
Texas Staff Writer
Brittany Cristiano was a Staff Writer for Narcity’s USA Desk focused on viral TikToks, and trending local characters in the Southern United States. She is based in Houston, Texas.
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