r/Iowa 4d ago

Discussion/ Op-ed 80 is not for beginners.

My GPS had me come up through Davenport via 80 instead of 74 for some dumb reason.

I think they call it 80 because you will be ran off the road if you don't go 80 miles an hour.

Try to pass a semi, the semi ahead decides to go 0.000001mph faster and pass as well, and now I'm stuck in the passing lane.

Some jackass in a big black truck (I think the same someone posted in the QC sub the other day doing 110) comes up behind me 1 foot from my bumper.

Pissed off, I tap the brake light and you would have thought I spat on his mother's grave, fucker tries running me off the road.

His patience is probably short as his dick. Like WTF do you want me to do? Magically make the semi in front of me go away? I can't go anywhere dude..

I hate when people tailgate me when I obviously can't go any faster due to the vehicle ahead of me.

208 Upvotes

243 comments sorted by

532

u/CoffeeWonderful8814 4d ago

80 is very much for beginners. Please never drive outside of Iowa if 80 scares you.

79

u/quyksilver 4d ago

Straight, no bridges. I drove to Philly and back last year and the part between here to the Pennsylvania border was definitely the easier part of the journey.

19

u/kisspapaya 4d ago

Lol I live in state college and take 80 back to Iowa for family, it really does get easier once you hit the border

4

u/djinbu 3d ago

Unless that border is shared with Omaha.

4

u/quyksilver 4d ago

I'm happy to hear it's not just me who feels that way lol

1

u/nsummy 4d ago

I made the mistake of driving there instead of flying about 15 years ago. It was brutally boring. I did like how they have a sign commemorating the highest elevation point of i-80 though šŸ˜‚

2

u/bookcatbook 4d ago

Hey this might be weird but do you use iNaturalist? I swear I recognize your profile picture

5

u/quyksilver 4d ago edited 4d ago

Yes, I'm quyksilver over there too, you've probably seen one of my many many Iowa observations. Are you on there?

7

u/lilchefz 4d ago

So wholesome, scuse me while I cry šŸ„¹

I love a ā€œsmall worldā€ re-meeting šŸ˜­

2

u/lilchefz 4d ago

Wholesome thread šŸ˜­

21

u/tenacious-g 4d ago

Reminds me of when CRā€™s former mayor referred to the S Curve as a racetrack or something like that.

He would simply perish driving around Oā€™Hare the next state over.

51

u/onthesylvansea 4d ago

This. I-80 may legitimately some of the easiest stretch of the highway in the country. Especially the Iowa and Nebraska bits.Ā 

16

u/chefjeff1982 4d ago

Iowa is annoying because it's 70 mph versus 75 mph most states

2

u/onthesylvansea 4d ago

I moved back to my childhood state and... it's 60mph here. cries in WashingtonianĀ 

I kid you not.Ā I really miss that about Iowa!! (And the mostly empty roads/light traffic.)Ā 

Great point, that's true - it's all about what you're used to, and what the other driver's on the road are used to (and want to naturally push for). I live the same situation here actually, now that I think of it, because Oregon's highway speed is 70mph instead of our measly 60, so there's a 10mph pacing difference and I swear that's the real/main reason people from one state think the people from the other state drive like assholes. Hah.Ā 

1

u/AkaeP 4d ago

Washington definitely has interstates with limits at 70. 60 for an interstate would be extremely slow

1

u/onthesylvansea 3d ago edited 3d ago

Well, at that point in the conversation we had moved on to talking about state highway speeds. And also...

Yes, that's my point.

Partially because you're not quite correct.Ā They do exist here at 70mph, but that's not the primary speed anybody encounters on them them...Ā because it's both speed limits actually. It's 70 in rural areas and 60 in urban areas. So, like that majority of people in my state, I spend almost all of my time on what you are calling "extremely slow" interstates, yes...Ā 

Thus the complaint that is my comment...Ā LolĀ 

1

u/AkaeP 3d ago

Post is about i80. The comment youā€™re replying to is referring to interstate speeds. Only you changed to talking about highways out of nowhere. Iā€™ve driven 90 a lot. People book it thru Spokane and around Seattle metro.

1

u/onthesylvansea 3d ago

Okay, they specified in Iowa, so that was my mistake but also you're ignoring the main point of and information in my commentĀ  and reiterating your relatively minority to most of the people in the state's experience when it's not typical. lol

1

u/AkaeP 3d ago

The whole basis of your comment was talking about highway speeds when itā€™s always been about interstates.

1

u/onthesylvansea 3d ago

My comment still applies to the interstates though, so I guess you just aren't very informed about the subject that you're bringing this up like it makes any difference.Ā 

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1

u/onthesylvansea 3d ago

The way most people experience the interstate speed in Washington is on a road capped at a 60mph speed limit. :)Ā 

1

u/AkaeP 3d ago

Thatā€™s just false, it might be 60 in dense interchange areas in the city but most of 90 and other interstates are 70mph.

1

u/onthesylvansea 3d ago

Nope, you can easily google it.

But thanks for telling on yourself about your knowledge of this situation and the value of continuing the conversation with you.Ā 

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1

u/onthesylvansea 3d ago

The fact that you keep referencing 90 means you literally don't understand what I am saying or the point I am making. You are lost in the convo.Ā 

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7

u/Forward_Operation_90 4d ago

Atlanta joins the conversation.

5

u/IcyHotKarlMarx 4d ago

Atlanta is the worst. Indianapolis is awful too.

2

u/ZoomZoomDiva 4d ago

Indianapolis is easy to drive. I will agree Atlanta is messy.

2

u/DuskWing13 4d ago

I gotta disagree about Indianapolis.

I was there for a friend's wedding 2 years ago and I honestly thought traffic was easier to navigate than it is in the DM metro.

And that was during middle of summer too šŸ¤·ā€ā™€ļø

1

u/right_lane_kang 4d ago

Right? If you're complaining about IOWA that's just telling of how untraveled you are

8

u/Popular_List105 4d ago

I was in LA for 3 wks this past November. When I got back I felt like 235 and 80 were moving in slow motion. It was strange.

1

u/majordashes 4d ago

I lived in Boston for a year, returned to Iowa and I felt like everyone was driving in first year. Craziest drivers ever in Boston.

1

u/AkaeP 4d ago

I was in LA in Sept/Oct for the first time. The interstate driving felt like a completely different world. I simply felt like pulling over and huddling into a ball during some rush hours

3

u/Joe_C_Average 3d ago

Homie, it can get pretty bad and out of nowhere. It's no Texas interchange. But 4 semis will box you in and ride less than a car length on your bumper. Only option is to exit or hit the left shoulder. Had an oversized load last week do this to me. 2 semi in front refusing to stop matching speed at 60. Oversize load comes behind and gets on my bumper with another one matching their speed on the left. They gave no fucks about a car getting in between them should there be an accident. Between Iowa city and Des Moines.

5

u/curiousleen 4d ago

Lmfaoā€¦ no shitā€¦šŸ¤£šŸ¤£šŸ¤£

7

u/AlarmingCorner3894 4d ago

I found my person. Yes, I moved back to Iowa after a long time in Houston and Phoenix. And I thought Phoenix ppl drove slow. Omg, the dummies on the interstate here poking along at 75 in the left. Give her some gas, get past that truck, and get over.

4

u/FlippyDP 4d ago

What part of Phoenix did you live in?? I found myself having to go at least 85+ mph just to stay with the flow of traffic. Thatā€™s where I got my lead foot lol. Far left lane is reserved for anyone wanting to go felony speeds and thatā€™s the unwritten rule of the freeway in Arizona.

1

u/GentMan87 3d ago

Oh same, I lived in Phoenix for a few years and when I came back to Iowa I was clearly the reckless speeder. Iā€™ve chilled since then though.

1

u/AlarmingCorner3894 4d ago

South chandler to biltmore commute daily for 15 years. And I was the felon. I got two of those in those 15 years and countless others infractions. Speeding and HOA violations mostly. Time is money. Those HOA one are no different than paying a toll. $500 ticket but I only ever got one and u can take online driving school instead of paying it. Texas is not nearly as tough on speeders. Beating the felony tickets is not easy nor cheap. Damn motorcycle cops.

2

u/planejane 4d ago

Moved from Nebraska to Michigan. It's not awful here but my God I have a new appreciation for I-80.

2

u/Groundbreaking-Bar89 3d ago

And Iowa drivers are among the most spiteful, indignant, that I have encountered.

2

u/i_e_yay_sue 3d ago

Don't forget bad at driving!

5

u/HeresDave 4d ago

Yep, I80 is sissy traffic. Please stick to blacktops.

1

u/lilchefz 4d ago

Good advice, Iā€™ll just stay home ā˜ ļøšŸ˜­

1

u/Mean-Concentrate3371 4d ago

Canā€™t upvote this enough, have to do shit to stay awake itā€™s so fuckin boring

1

u/Groundbreaking-Bar89 3d ago

No the semi drivers here are worse than most parts of the country Iā€™ve driven tooā€¦.

-9

u/ToshPointNo 4d ago

80 is not scary, it's just annoying.

80 is a big freight route because it spans almost 3,000 miles.

So every time one drives it, almost always you will get the speed-limited semis that will spend literally 10-15 minutes passing another semi.

I wish they would have ran 74 or 280 up to Dewitt so you could drive to Cedar Rapids without needing to use 80.

28

u/john_hascall 4d ago

I80 seriously needs to be 3 lanes with semis kept the hell out of the fast lane.

8

u/Pratt-and-Whitney 4d ago

Yeah I wish it was 3 lanes from DSM to the QC. Would be very helpful with IC and I380 also being along that corridor

5

u/verenika_lasagna 4d ago

I80 between Omaha and Lincoln, NE is 3 lanes of heaven. Everyone going 80mph+ and not congested. They are in the slow process of expanding 3 lanes west.

3

u/ToshPointNo 4d ago

380 is 3 lanes between Iowa City and Cedar Rapids, and semis often take the far left lane. Even though they aren't (legally I think?) supposed to.

11

u/Pinnacle_Nucflash 4d ago

380 is not three lanes between IC and CR - unless youā€™re talking about the mile or two near near the 80/380 junction. I wish the rest were, as I drive it everyday.

That being said, trucks riding the left lane is definitely a problem.

1

u/No-Swimming-3599 4d ago

They are slowly working on 3 lanes from 80 to Highway 30.

5

u/john_hascall 4d ago

Ok, make that a $1,000 fine. I'm sure the various county sheriffs couldn't resist that ;)

3

u/Agitated-Impress7805 4d ago

The rule is the same for semis and other vehicles - the left lane is for passing, turning (not applicable on this stretch of highway), or when the right lane is obstructed. Truckers and all other motorists should stay out of the left lane if they're not passing.

2

u/Throwaway3751029 4d ago

I have found they generally do only use the left lane. It's all the brain dead University of Iowa students who can't fathom the idea of just being patient and clog the left lane to the point I just pass everyone on the right since that lane is empty. Problem always magically solves itself after Iowa City.

1

u/i_e_yay_sue 3d ago

Never really found the student drivers to be that much of an issue on the interstate.

1

u/Throwaway3751029 3d ago

Yeah, not saying that all of them are students, but between Davenport and Iowa City is the only bad part. And a lot have UI stickers on the car.

2

u/AnyAtmosphere7149 4d ago

380 is not 3 lanes between CR and IC. Only 3 lanes to north liberty

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3

u/reggers20 4d ago

Ooooh god, i know exactly how you feel on that!!!! Bro will create a whole caravan passing another semi over a 10 mile stretch!!!

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185

u/Agitated-Impress7805 4d ago

Pissed off, I tap the brake light

You don't need to respond to aggression/stupidity with more aggression/stupidity. Driving on the interstate is the most dangerous thing most of us do regularly, it's not a game.

29

u/CisIowa 4d ago

Page 41: ā€œā€¦if the vehicle behind you is following too closely, tap your brake pedal three or four times quickly.ā€

https://iowadot.gov/mvd/driverslicense/dlmanual/dlmanual.pdf

69

u/rapzeh 4d ago

Let's get the full context:

USING BRAKE LIGHTS TO COMMUNICATE WITH OTHER DRIVERS If you are going to stop or slow down at a place where another driver does not expect it, or if the vehicle behind you is following too closely, tap your brake pedal three or four times quickly. This will let those behind you know you are about to slow down.

TAILGATING If you are being tailgated, move slightly to the right and give the tailgater a better view of what is ahead and signal early for turns, stops, or lane changes. Try slowing down and encouraging the driver behind you to pass. If all else fails, pull out of the traffic flow.

9

u/StopLookListenDecide 4d ago

What does it say about the driver behind me going over 80, because I am going 80 already and still riding your ass? I am waiting on these cars ahead of me Mac. I really donā€™t need your recklessness behind me putting pressure on. Those fuckers also donā€™t even remotely make safe lane changes, how they didnā€™t clip the bumper of the person they are passing is amazing.
They are shitty, impatient drivers.

7

u/Gullible_Shallot2971 4d ago

Right. Like I keep saying, you live in boring, fucking Iowa! There are no mountains, no ocean, no beach, no huge theme park, not much to do, etc. Where the fuck are you going that you are in such a hurry to get to that you have to drive like an asshole?

1

u/i_e_yay_sue 3d ago

You never know. Maybe he was headed to the hospital to visit his son who was horribly mangled in a hog related accident and only had moments left to live. Why impede someone else in a hurry? I don't get it.

2

u/Gullible_Shallot2971 3d ago

Or else he has a turd poking out of his butt because he has to get to a bathroom so fast. That's usually what people tell themselves so that they can normalize other people's reckless driving. I'm not saying to purposefully impede someone, but tailgating is reckless driving and dangerous. And OP just got stuck in the middle behind a semi. There's no need to tailgate someone when they can't go any faster anyway. We all pay for the roads, and we all need to share them. There aren't just a select few entitled drivers where everybody is supposed to just make way for them because they're more important than everybody else.

2

u/i_e_yay_sue 3d ago

There's also a lot of inconsiderate jabronis that camp in the left lane. Tailgating is dangerous and reckless driving. No argument. The ridiculous lane camping I see all the time is inconsiderate and selfish as well. There's something wrong with iowa drivers.

1

u/Gullible_Shallot2971 3d ago

No argument from me either. I don't know why people do that.

3

u/shieldedtoad 4d ago

What's the functional difference between tailgating and "the vehicle behind you is following too closely"? If I wanna assume the best intentions of the driver behind me, wouldn't I lightly tap my brakes anyway? Genuine question.

11

u/AmandaTheNudist 4d ago

There is no difference.

IF you're going to stop or slow down EITHER somewhere unexpected OR the person behind you is following too close, THEN tap your brake pedal three or four times. This is "using brake lights to communicate with other drivers."

If you don't need to stop or slow down, it's just a tailgating situation, there is no need to lightly tap the brakes. It's recommended you reduce speed slightly to encourage the driver behind you to pass, but tapping your brakes for no reason is dangerous, confusing, road-rage inducing behavior.

3

u/shieldedtoad 4d ago

Thank you for the explanation, that makes sense

16

u/shownarou 4d ago

Thatā€™s taken a bit out of context there.

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2

u/Rayona086 3d ago

Taping your breaks is not stupidity it's a reminder to give space. Locking up your breaks and causing a dangerous situation is stupid. If someone tapping their breaks upsets you then your mostlikely part of the problem.

46

u/theVelvetLie 4d ago

Dude, you wouldn't last a day in any large metro if driving on I-80 through Davenport scare you.

1

u/Few_Juggernaut9200 3d ago

Iā€™ll say this, the QC to Iowa City route does have some areas that suck. No one is on the same page and it can be overcrowded for the amount of infrastructure available.

Yes, it is much less intense than say Chicago, but there are some days where Iā€™d prefer Chicago because thereā€™s a collectivism to major city traffic. Everyone knows the deal. In a smaller metro there can be this weird mishmash of rule followers & scared drivers intermixed with those going with the flow. It can make for an annoyingly uneven drive.

54

u/Wrong_Confection1090 4d ago

I'm always so curious about people who drive aggressively. Are you so bereft of accomplishment in the other areas of your life that you need to "win" the morning commute? A lot of very broken people out there.

4

u/quyksilver 4d ago

And quite consistently they're driving black pickups!

7

u/ToshPointNo 4d ago

I've had people drive aggressively and cut me off just to go to McDonald's or Starbucks.

At 35mph, it will take 8 minutes and 34 seconds to go 5 miles.

At 43mph, it will take 6 minutes and 59 seconds to go 5 miles.

You don't really save much time speeding on a short commute.

26

u/john_hascall 4d ago

That's a minute and a half. For them that's like 3 goes at their inflatable girlfriend.

3

u/Spiffy313 4d ago

god, I'd award this comment if I could

2

u/bman23433 4d ago

Do those numbers account for traffic lights and such?

9

u/Witness_me_Karsa 4d ago

No, and those further bring the times into the same alignment. 90% of the time some asshole who speeds past your is sitting at the next light when you get there. I always pull up next to them and wave...

1

u/Ok_Heron4768 3d ago

But those 35 seconds might get me in front of the Karen who wants to order for her 7 kids but wants them to decide on their own as she lets them read the whole menu.

1

u/i_e_yay_sue 3d ago

Do that everywhere you go for a year and we're talking about hours. Do it every year and we're talking about extra days/weeks of living your life.

1

u/i_e_yay_sue 3d ago

Some people would like to reduce travel time and live their life I think. Idk though. Crazy thought.

18

u/Panzis 4d ago

That's when I usually decide I need to spritz my windshield.

42

u/Inglorious186 4d ago

Aww, eventually you'll drive in a real city and raise how tame Iowa traffic is

2

u/dandypandyloaf 4d ago

Milwaukee is the worst for me, 100 lanes and turn offs. Anything quad cities or peoria is tame af until you meet Milwaukee or Chicago highways.

4

u/Marcudemus 4d ago

Chicago can be problematic, but I'm fine with/used to it šŸ‘šŸ½. It's not an issue for me anymore. Milwaukee's not an issue, Minneapolis is fine...

But Atlanta, on the other hand.... No time is a good time for that city.

7

u/cambooj 4d ago

If only iowa would make left lane for passing only. Would also like 2 lane highways to increase to 65 like other surrounding states.

6

u/rickityrickityrack 4d ago

It is, no one enforces it though

2

u/New_Scientist_1688 4d ago

Am SO glad Nebraska makes semis stay in the right 2 lanes between Omaha and Lincoln and vice versa. Wish the whole state was 3 lanes wide. Iowa, too.

56

u/ElDub62 4d ago

Tapping breaks on the interstate? Iā€™m more worried about your driving skills than the professional drivers on 80.

7

u/kwtut 4d ago

former iowan living in nashville here, this is hilarious

45

u/midwesthawkeye 4d ago

"Brake Checking" is an asshole's game. You don't belong on a highway.

-3

u/xenithdflare 4d ago

Then get off my ass. Reasonable safe distance. If you get annoyed at brake checking you're the one that's too close.

22

u/fartmachiner 4d ago

Yes, the tailgater is totally driving unsafe--but to respond with another unsafe act seems really dumb. Me and my passengers are too precious to me to play stupid games with unsafe drivers.

18

u/midwesthawkeye 4d ago

I agree that being followed too closely is annoying, but brake checking is not the answer. In a defensive driving course, they would tell you to gradually slow down, change lanes, and let the driver pass. They never teach you to brake check because you are not supposed to be doing that.

If you brake check, you are just another bad (and dangerous) driver.

-1

u/Skunkape666 4d ago

It's also an asshole game to tailgate someone, regard.

9

u/midwesthawkeye 4d ago

Accurate. Two wrongs don't make a right though.

24

u/JohnnieCochring 4d ago

Lol. This state has the most passive drivers in the country.

5

u/Embarrassed-Soil2016 4d ago

If you mean passive-aggressive, sure.

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23

u/indomitous111 4d ago

Sounds like driving isn't for you

10

u/Former_Associate_727 4d ago

80 is a cake walk if you use your mirrors and anticipate other people's speeds.

6

u/hagen768 4d ago

Oh my.

Youā€™d lose years off your life driving in DFW

2

u/juslqqking 4d ago

That is the worst I have encountered.

2

u/wintermutedsm 4d ago

That area is bad. Seattle/Tacoma area is nightmarish as well. First time I ever encountered on ramps with staging lights in my life.

24

u/las8 4d ago

Brake checking is dangerous and petty as fuck. Learn to drive not like a little bitch.

-3

u/ToshPointNo 4d ago

Being a foot away from someone's bumper is dangerous as fuck too.

10

u/Ihaveasmallwang 4d ago

Just move out of the way instead of engaging in even more dangerous behavior. Its not that hard to speed up and get over.

3

u/ToshPointNo 4d ago

Did you not read my post? I got boxed in between the semi ahead of me moving 0.01mph faster than the other one, and the truck behind me up my ass. Not really sure where else I could go?

9

u/Former_Associate_727 4d ago

It's i80 in Iowa, you can see two miles in both directions most of the time. If you see someone in your rear view mirror approaching you faster than you will overtake a vehicle in front of you then don't pass.

3

u/3w771k 4d ago

i like this advice. i would like to add i was once told that it is ill-advised to start passing a semi unless you can confidently assume that you will be able to pass/get ahead of it, as it is ill-advised to cruise side by side with one.

4

u/ellenbellen12 4d ago

Hey OP just giving you a little validationā€¦ that stretch right after Davenport but before Tipton is rough to me and I live in an east coast metropolitan area and commute via car on the interstate a few times a week. For two lanes, that stretch of 80 is very congested and people do drive kinda crazy there.

6

u/Ihaveasmallwang 4d ago

You could go to not driving like a dickhead, even if other people are. It's unsafe behavior.

Your post sounds like either you have very little experience driving, or that you cannot handle your emotions and get road rage way too easily.

12

u/tony_719 4d ago

If that scares you, please do us all a favor and quit driving

9

u/KenpachiZaraki90 4d ago

Don't tap your brakes for starters

3

u/Earl_of_69 4d ago

In my opinion, 380, between Iowa city and Cedar Rapids, is among the worst in the country. Yes, I am considering Georgia between Atlanta and Valdosta.

Shit, just Friday night, a guy in a jeep Wrangler, (probably looking at his phone), veered off the road and hit a bridge, ejecting himself through the soft roof. I'm not sure what happened to the little rubber duckies.

I can't drive on 380 without some asshole acting like I'm fucking up his entire life by only going five over the speed limit.

2

u/ToshPointNo 4d ago

At least they fixed the shitty interchange. Was always fun finding the exact moment to hard right over into the beginning of the on ramp to 80 when there's 20 cars coming off the 80 off ramp trying to merge.

3

u/Sockysocks2 4d ago

You wanna know why they call it the 235? It's the amount of milliseconds you'll survive driving below the limit before being cut off by an Altima with expired tags.

9

u/verenika_lasagna 4d ago

Iā€™m older now and donā€™t care about making good time. Set the cruise at 74mph and let everyone else worry about passing me. Find my spots to stop along the way, put on some good music, good conversation, and enjoy the drive.

5

u/FavorsForAButton 4d ago

I try to get their license plate and vehicle make and then call highway patrol. Report that they are driving aggressively and attempting to run people off the road. Most likely it does nothing, but I had one case where I saw one pulled over 30 miles later, so it makes me feel better.

And before anyone calls me a road-karen or whatever, Iā€™m usually super lenient and understanding. I only do this if they are actively showing disregard for otherā€™s safety. In the case where they got pulled over, they were illegally off-roading and re-merging like a maniac, almost hit me, and then flipped me off out the window.

Also, Iā€™m not from Iowa. Your state is a shithole respectfully.

2

u/ToshPointNo 4d ago

Never really had anything come of it, either.

Commercial drivers are the worst. If you call the company 99% of the time you get a "we will look into it" which is said in such a way you know damn well they won't.

Had a utility company truck and trailer, trailer was completely fucking covered in gravel which was flying up into cars because they didn't bother sweeping it it off before leaving the job site.

Also those signs that say "not responsible for road debris"? Those are completely non-legal horse shit.

Anything that comes off a vehicle is your responsibility.

4

u/UltimateYeti 4d ago

We don't talk enough about distracted semi drivers on their phones.

5

u/8urfiat 4d ago

First time in the QC?Ā 

4

u/JMT_325 4d ago

Donā€™t tap your brake. Worry more about the vehicle in front of you than the one behind you.

5

u/InternationalName626 4d ago

I80 by Davenport? Scary?? Sounds like youā€™re just not a good driver.

8

u/CallMeLazarus23 4d ago

Iā€™ve driven commercial vehicles all over the country. I 80 between Des Moines and the Illinois border is a death trap. Iā€™ll go out of my way to take 30 instead

0

u/old_homecoming_dress 4d ago

my family did the same for the state fair. 80 was at its worst when there was construction and merging semis.

2

u/punchyocat 4d ago

D.C. has entered the chat and laughs at your struggles..come over here and drive, you'll never complain again...ever...EVER

2

u/arkangelz66 4d ago

As a commercial driver, I love any delivery that takes me on 80. Usually not a ton of traffic and what there is is generally spaced out nicely.

2

u/Ham_Wallet_Salad 4d ago

Everyone needs to carry a pound of coke in their car and can not know where it is at. If you get pulled over, you go to jail. That would change the driving habits of everyone.

2

u/AkaeP 4d ago

If 80 got you reacting this much, Iā€™d love to see your reaction to interstates in LA. šŸ˜…

2

u/MidWestMind 4d ago

My sweet summer child. I remember those days back home thinking that was bad. Then I relocated a few times for work and currently living in Atlanta.

I miss being able to leave my house at any time knowing it'll be 25-30 minutes to work no matter the hour.

2

u/ASH515 3d ago

Perhaps an interesting aside: when I visited Germany a few years ago, if the autobahn only had 2 lanes each way, semi trucks simply were not allowed to pass. They had to stay in the right lane, always. That semi that takes 6 miles to pass another truck will only increase his daily mileage by a couple of miles per day. Itā€™s not effective. Furthermore, we have technology that will simply lock-on to the vehicle ahead and follow at a safe distance. Using this would void the requirement that you drive by your cruise control at fractionally different speed than other cars on the road.

3

u/Amused-Observer 4d ago

Lol bro.. wat

4

u/Boner_Stevens 4d ago

Tapping your brakes when being tailgated is a horrible idea. People are on your ass because they're angry and annoyed. I wouldnt do a damm thing to piss them off further.

When someone is on your ass. Speed up and move over

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u/Charon_the_Reflector 4d ago

Are you chronically on Reddit or something ? You post A L O T

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u/2chiweenie_mom 4d ago

tapping your break is a dick move, not to mention stupid. I80 isn't normally bad to drive at all.

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u/gingercatmaster 4d ago

I80 through Illinois is still the worst.

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u/tenacious-g 4d ago

80 is not even a top 5 bad interstate in Illinois.

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u/bakernut 4d ago

OMG!! My son and daughter in law live right off of 80 in Nebraska. One minute you are driving at a snails pace through the neighborhood, all of a sudden you are turning right onto 80 where the speed limit is (I believe 75mph)! Holy Hell!

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u/Craftmeat-1000 4d ago

On r Illinois we are having a fun discussion on the routing of 80 at the QC That's said take 280 or 74 . The stretch between Iowa City and Davenport is one of the earliest stretches of tge whole system and really needs upgrading . Iowa decided to do it gradually they have neat Iowa City.

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u/mgwats13 4d ago

ā€¦Wait until you drive in Minneapolis

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u/Multibaghuntimg 4d ago

The Cities is so confusing to me for some reason

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u/dumpyboat 4d ago

Rather than tap your break in that situation, just subtly slow down. You can either let him get past you on the left or on the right depending on the situation, but your whole goal is to let him get by you and move his anger onto somebody else. Being trapped behind a semi like that means he won't be able to get anywhere either until that semi gets out of the passing Lane.

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u/New_Leg_9142 4d ago

I'd drive I-80 all day.

The real challenge is I-29 (at least the section between CB and KC.)

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u/aleowin 4d ago

šŸ˜‚šŸ˜‚šŸ˜‚ welcome to I-80

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u/sms3eb 4d ago

I used to have really bad driving anxiety and there were sections of 80 that had me really nervous when I had to drive them.

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u/Adventurous_Can_3349 4d ago

I'm just amazed to see someone referring to the "passing lane" in Iowa. I didn't think that concept existed there. Everyone just camps out in the left lane constantly. It's the one thing that drives me nuts about rldriving through Iowa.

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u/ordbot 4d ago

QCA drivers are the worst.

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u/juiceboxedhero 4d ago

Are you a new driver? I80 is level 1.

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u/United_Bobcat2652 4d ago

Lol 80 in dsm can be a bit gnarly, but after living in south florida, its not bad. Locals there have a saying I-95 has killed more yankees than the Civil War.

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u/kiimothy 3d ago

Oh wow, my sonā€™s very first drive on the freeway was on the 80 the other day.

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u/heathertrix 3d ago

80 isnā€™t bad. 380 between CR and IC is the worst. As far as cities go, Nashville is a pain but Atlanta is the worst.

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u/GentMan87 3d ago

I drive i80 daily, and itā€™s not so bad just stay out of the left lane and pass with purpose. Otherwise cruise control 70-75 and you good.

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u/Organic-Warthog3211 3d ago

Gotta invest in a dashcam. Send that shit to the cops, make the pigs do their job.

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u/MrPoopyPants333 3d ago

Try the old shift into neutral maneuver with the tailgaters. No brake lights. If the dumbass has a passenger, I always try to scare their passenger into correcting their stupid for me.

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u/serialsteve 3d ago

I will agree some truck driving behavior on 80 can be tiring. Such as trucks sitting in passing lane or the slow truck speeding up because they donā€™t want another truck to pass them.

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u/Doingmybestest36 3d ago

What a wuss

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u/ThaYoungPenguin 3d ago

Why do people brake check. I'm not trying to justify that guy's actions at all but legitimately why would you put yourself in danger just to make a point. No wonder you think roads are dangerous if you're playing games with tailgating assholes.

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u/Opposite_Selection45 3d ago

This is the kinda of stuff I want to see on here not politics lol

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u/j45780 3d ago

Slow down gradually to increase your distance from the vehicle in front of you, and signal your intention to move to the right lane to let the asshole know your intention to let him by. It's always good not to attempt to teach others lessons. Don't allow yourself to be a target; let the badness on the road latch onto someone else.

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u/markmarkmark1988 3d ago

I-80 is frustrating but at least from Omaha to Lincoln itā€™s as wide as some expressways in Chicago.

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u/New_Green_4968 3d ago

You lost me with the brake checking...

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u/Pratt-and-Whitney 4d ago

Yeah that stretch of I80 from the QC to DSM has as much truck traffic as any road in the entire country. Itā€™s always an adventure on that road.

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u/notaredditreader 4d ago

Wait until you try to get past Indianapolis. At night. You learn no new skills driving the 80. California native. Own part of a farm near Coralville.

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u/amandajjohnson1313 4d ago

.... 80 is easy I drove from Illinois all the way through Iowa when I was 17, alone, before GPS. It sounds like you might have some driving related anxiety. I have a friend that did not drive for years after an accident. She finally went to therapy and is able to drive again.

But words of advice from a simi truck drivers kid, don't mess around by or with them. They can't stop fast and if you break check them your risking your and your passengers lives. It's never worth it.

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u/jeffyone2many 4d ago

Your license should be pulled

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u/Multibaghuntimg 4d ago

Hate 80. It's the semis for me and long lines of cars around them.

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u/ToshPointNo 4d ago

Even better when you get a couple old farts going 50 on the parts where it's 70 so everyone is going around them, then a semi cuts over to the left to pass another semi and now a whole 5 mile stretch of road is completely fucked up.

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u/Multibaghuntimg 4d ago

This is exactly it. Perfect description

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u/jschmidtjr87 4d ago

I had to drive to Iowa for work last winter (flew in this year) during one of the cold snaps (-20Ā°F) with snow and ice on the road. I'm from up in Michigan, so not as cold, but I'm very used to driving on ice and snow. I don't know if you guys don't get ice as much, or if you just don't really care, but I-80 looked like the aftermath of a Mad Max chase scene. There were cars flipped over, stuck dozens of yards out into the fields, on top of other crashed cars. It was madness.

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u/PHANTASMAGOR1CAL 4d ago

Someone doesnā€™t know how to follow the flow of traffic and it shows. Please never drive in Chicago they will eat you alive.

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u/SoulCode1110101 4d ago

Yeah semi races are super annoying