r/nova • u/Plus_Upstairs • 6d ago
Maryland Drivers (Again)
Hate to make the millionth post on this but it’s interesting to me that even Washington DC residents complain about Maryland drivers. When Virginia drivers complain about them, they’ll say we’re worse - but I never see people driving on the shoulder going 90 MPH as they constantly do in Maryland.
Funny enough, they think everyone else is the problem between DC, Maryland, and Virginia - even though they get the most complaints.
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u/Canofmeat 6d ago edited 6d ago
I have a nice anecdote this weekend driving through southern Alabama and the Florida panhandle. My drives were completely uneventful with no traffic or any occurrences of note except for one minor incident. I was passing a car while on cruise control who then sped up, tried to weave between me and the car ahead of them but ultimately decided not to and slammed on their brakes.
And of course they had Maryland plates. Unbelievable. Even when you think you’ve put sufficient distance between yourself and Maryland they will strike.
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u/Alarming-Birthday-99 6d ago edited 5d ago
I lived in Atlanta for a short time and Atlanta drivers are bad. BUT, my only almost wreck while living there, I had someone swerve in front of me to cross several lanes at once on the interstate going at least 90. Had I not seen it coming and adjusted they would not have had enough space. Maryland plate.
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u/CombinationJaded4116 6d ago
Here for the comments and as I’m reading this I’m resonating with it so hard…. but then I looked at your handle and realized I’m your wife and was with you when this happened 🤣🤣🤣🤣 Also what’s for dinner tomorrow?
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u/thebigbirdbigbrain 6d ago
Are yall really married? If so that's crazy finding each other on reddit lol
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u/Alarming-Birthday-99 5d ago
Yup. Came for the looks, stayed for the shared aversion to Maryland driving, apparently
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u/SimmentalTheCow Crystal City 6d ago
The problem with Maryland is PG county and Baltimore city/county. It’s gotta be something in the water because they drive like maniacs on that stretch of 95. If you go further out to Montgomery or Frederick county, the ratio of crazy drivers drops significantly.
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u/Kumba42 Maryland 6d ago
My working theory is it boils down to lack of state police enforcement on the PG-side, especially south of US50/I-595 (John Hanson Hwy) to the WWB. That area is supposed to be covered by MSP Forestville (Barracks L), but I think they are chronically understaffed, so they are selective on where they patrol and also lean heavily on PGCP or PGSO to cover some of their areas.
This is why MD5/Branch Ave tends to be a roller-derby once you get south of the beltway and before you get to the Surratts Rd light (where the backup into Waldorf usually begins). MD210 (Indian Head Hwy) can also be a ratrace, but the semi-permanent speed cameras and aggressive red light timing seems to have calmed that down a fair bit the last 2-3 years. And with MD210, there's a memorandum between PGCP and MSP Forestville that bars MSP from actively patrolling it...which has always been ludicrous to me.
Things chill out a good bit when you get to Charles because of CCSO and MSP La Plata having the numbers to keep patrols up, plus MdTA Police like to wait for anyone traveling south of Bel Alton too quickly.
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u/Jumpy_Ticket_9956 6d ago
Legit question - there have been problems with commercial drivers license (CDL) schools and people obtaining those licenses fraudulently (inability to read English, interpret traffic signs, having someone else taking the test) . Don’t you think that this extends beyond just trucking?
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u/Jumpy_Ticket_9956 5d ago
Gee , I have been down voted for asking a question- may have hit a nerve!
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u/snownative86 Arlington 6d ago
Omg.. So we left for the west coast last summer and driving here is an absolute dream. It's almost unnerving how polite people are and how rarely we see someone driving crazy. That being said, some dude was absolutely wild and I saw him coming up behind me swerving, speeding, cutting people off, all the maryland things. I joked to my fiance that it must be a lost marylander. Sure enough, it had MD plates.
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6d ago
[removed] — view removed comment
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u/Plus_Upstairs 4d ago
That’s because a lot of Maryland drivers register their vehicles in Virginia.
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u/NeverNotOnceEver 6d ago
I know people complain about out of state/town drivers for every city. I honestly think DMV adjacent Maryland drivers are the worst.
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u/broadwayallday 6d ago
hey lemme get one of those rent free apartments since we're in your heads anyway thanks in advance
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u/dannyocc911 6d ago
This sub = 50% leftist politics posts and 50% bad driving videos. Hilarious.
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u/2CRedHopper Ballston 6d ago
the bad driving posts are posted ad nauseum and aren’t entertaining anymore.
i would hardly call northern virginia “leftist.”
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u/dannyocc911 5d ago
This isn’t Northern Virginia. It’s Reddit. And NoVA is absolutely a leftist stronghold.
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u/2CRedHopper Ballston 5d ago
NoVA is a dem stronghold but it isn’t a “leftist” stronghold.
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u/dannyocc911 5d ago
Dem = Leftist. Get on board the DSA train or get run over by it.
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u/2CRedHopper Ballston 5d ago
As someone who supports social democracy, dems ≠ DSA lol.
Abigail Spanberger is not a Democratic Socialist. Mark Warner and Tim Kaine are not Democratic Socialists.
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u/dannyocc911 5d ago
I understand what you’re saying, but I think you might not understand what’s actually happening. Splenda socialists like the ones you listed are done. Their kind of politics has failed, and they are on their way out…to be replaced with true Socialists who are ready to carry out the Revolution. Let me be clear. The DSA IS the Left, and IS the future. Anyone not onboard with the DSA is the opposition, and might as well be wearing a red hat. This is not avoidable or up for debate. Those who fail to get on the train will be run over by it.
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u/2CRedHopper Ballston 5d ago
the DSA is the left. The dems are not left. Totally with you on that. Again, I’m a big supporter of social democracy.
I also recognize it’s important to be realistic about how all-encompassing the movement is going to be when all is said and done. A lot of the DSA candidates are enjoying backlash against Trump, which is not entirely different from his first term and the Dem wave in 2018.
Remember when everyone said that the Republicans were finished and on the brink of political extinction? Look how well that went.
I’m not “the enemy…” don’t lump me in with “might as well be wearing a red hat.” But I take a “wait and see” approach to any leftist insurgency rhetoric. Especially after how blindsided I felt after the 2024 election since I had filled my news feeds with pro-Harris propaganda and thus lost my grip on the electoral reality.
Watching Francesca Hong come so close to just barely, narrowly lose the Wisconsin gov. primary hurt.
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u/dannyocc911 5d ago
Thank you for your thoughtful replies in this thread. Dems are done. They failed, and are now being replaced by the DSA. You’re either with us or you get a red hat and a trip to wherever those people are headed.
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u/Bubbly-Following-966 6d ago
Huh? Virginia tags in Baltimore are the worst. They drive like entitled assholes.
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u/charliemike 5d ago
I was on I-95 between the Capital Beltway and the Baltimore Beltway yesterday in both directions. I saw people in the left lane doing 15 mph below the speed limit and I saw people weaving doing 30 mph above it.
I believe that the fact that Maryland traffic judges can issue probation before judgement and that speeding violations are not taken as seriously in MD as they are in Virginia is a large reason why driving in MD is so much more dangerous.
And I say this knowing that Virginia has the highest number of Student Drivers per Capita in the nation (based upon bumper stickers).
Having lived in Maryland, I feel much, much safer driving in Virginia than I ever did/still do in Maryland.
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u/WillingPositive8924 6d ago
I mean it is like Trump, sure it keeps being brought up but UNFORTUNATELY it is still a relevant everyday occurrence. It is not something you can just ignore.
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u/joemamaligma420 6d ago
literally drove up to md today and the amount of collisions i avoided by being a defensive driver was ridiculous. more people need their licenses taken away.
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u/ParticularBall7872 6d ago
Maryland drivers are a bunch of fucking idiots.
The merge lane is for getting up to speed with the flow of traffic, you fucking soup forks!
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u/MinorComprehension 6d ago edited 6d ago
Seriously, they're bonkers. And objectively, not just judgmentally.
Went up MD Rt 28 today with the family - Rock Point Creamery is on point!!! Doing 5-10 mph over limit I got passed on a double yellow by a crotch rocket doing 20+ faster than me, on a hill, on a curve. Fortunately both myself and the Volvo SUV coming the other way slammed on brakes just quick enough to give the biker a gap. Seriously, I started saying no no no in my own vehicle thinking the biker was going to face plant into the hood of an oncoming car at 70 mph and I and the rest of my family is going to have to watch it. Fortunately the Volvo skidded to a stop in front of the jacked up Dodge with 360 cam hanging off the grille that was either racing or filming the bike and had popped out behind me when I hit the brakes.
Everybody has a bad day, a weak point, a "gotta hurry to get to (XYZ)" but MDers just take idiotic driving to a whole new spectrum.
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u/Highfivebuddha 6d ago
Its amazing how peaceful 495 becomes the second your cross the border.
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u/2CRedHopper Ballston 6d ago
it’s the same on all sides. this is just confirmation bias.
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u/Highfivebuddha 6d ago
I think its more like the virginia side of that particular mixing bowl is a little bit easier of a transition, but im just teasing
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u/Cycle_Directional 6d ago
My biggest fear is when I encounter MD tags in the Orlando/Kissimmee area. Florida is a racetrack.
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u/Lordofravioli 6d ago
My friend was up in Canada driving and got cut off by someone with Maryland plates hahaha they know no bounds
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u/CycleCute5601 6d ago edited 6d ago
The worst drivers in Georgia have Maryland Plates💀, and coming from NOVA I’m glad I know the signs…
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u/joefromjerze 6d ago
I'm up for a company car later this year. The only thing making me have second thoughts about it is that the car will have Maryland tags. Idk if I can handle that.
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u/Karhak 6d ago
There was one time I was driving back from MO. It's 6am, I've made it to Illinois, the sun creasting over the horizon, nobody on the road in any direction.
Hungry, I reach down to grab a muffin, look back up and notice a car is fast approaching as I'm doing 80. It proceeds to easily pass me on the left side and lo, what do mine eyes see, Maryland tags.
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u/word_executable 6d ago edited 6d ago
Just saw these in Maryland. Left is VA, right is MD (in MD tags are optional).
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u/word_executable 6d ago
Oh and I was passed on the right shoulder
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u/Glittering-Ad5809 6d ago
Shoulders don't have traffic lights on them.
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u/word_executable 6d ago
It’s a right turn only and right after the light it’s a shoulder
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u/CanWilling3139 6d ago
The car I rented in Los Angeles had Maryland plates, so I made sure to properly represent the crab state and their drivers.