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Generally speaking, do you think Kansans are smart drivers?

Asked at Massachusetts Street on May 31, 2009

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Photo of Kevan Stout

“Yeah. … I don’t have a lot of experience driving elsewhere.”

— Kevan Stout, exercise science major, Derby

Photo of Curtis Barnhill

“Generally speaking, I think that Kansans are smart drivers. Rarely do they run into me.”

— Curtis Barnhill, attorney, Lawrence

Photo of Lindsay Sollars

“I think Kansans are smart drivers, to an extent. … It depends on if you are in Lawrence or Manhattan because they tend to have a lot of college students that don’t pay attention.”

— Lindsay Sollars, nursing major, Topeka

Photo of Juliana Sollars

“Well, in the school parking lot, I would say they’re pretty stupid, but out and around, where there aren’t so many kids, they’re pretty good.”

— Juliana Sollars, high school senior, Topeka

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Comments

Catzilla 8 years, 3 months ago

The thing I like about Kansas drivers, unlike east coast drivers, is that they don't lay on the horn when your in front of them and haven't reached a speed of 60 mpg a half second after the light has turned green.

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Maddy Griffin 8 years, 3 months ago

For the most part, but not the ones from Johnson County. They are bullies and not very bright ones at that.

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Rex Russell 8 years, 3 months ago

Not picking fights, but compared to KCMO drivers, this is an easy answer. Missouri drivers are usually less courteous. Rarely do you see one usually using a turn signal. Where I originaly come from, the Kansas exception is anyone from Marion County. These people are usually clueless when they "come to town". Here in Lawrence, the equivilent seems to be Jefferson County. Still, that still doesn't compare to the SoCal drivers and the Floridians who come to KU and drive like morons the first time it snows.

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Ronda Miller 8 years, 3 months ago

Smart is as smart does. Some drivers will not even stop to take pictures of unique roadkill. How smart is that?

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Outsidelookingin 8 years, 3 months ago

Some are! As long as you say out of JoCo, and stay away from the Douglas county tags that are JoCo wannabe's. (not all Dg, but several)

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tangential_reasoners_anonymous 8 years, 3 months ago

Some of us recognize roadkill for what it is. Others want to stop and roll around in it.

Unique roadkill? Uniqueness disappears with that second syllable.

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gsxr600 8 years, 3 months ago

No, not at all.

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bearded_gnome 8 years, 3 months ago

“Generally speaking, I think that Kansans are smart drivers. Rarely do they run into me.”

"rarely do they run into me." this comment struck me as funny.

... as opposed to the out of state drivers who do run in to him all the time?

lollygag in the left lane... well, speaking snarkily, if you're driving you shouldn't be engaged in lollygagging at all!

ah, RI, your Ralph Nader persona is coming out again. what would Ralph Nader do?

and boy is there a lot of JoCo experience represented in this thread! maybe we should install a DgCo toll booth on K10 and charge JoCo county drivers to come in to our county.

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Boeing 8 years, 3 months ago

I think Kansans are generally good, with a few exceptions:

1) The left lane is the passing lane. I have lived in a few states, and Kansas is the worst when it comes to this. If it's a 65 zone and you want to go 55, fine, but do it in the left lane

2) Turn your lights on in the rain people! I have had a couple near misses in nasty weather by coming up on someone on the highway that popped up out of nowhere because they had no rear lights on.

I don't think Johnson County drivers are any worse than Douglas County. Both have good drivers and both have bad. If anything, I think DG drivers are worse

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Leslie Swearingen 8 years, 3 months ago

I am sick and tired of KU students being vilified. All the old geezers and geezerites who post this kind of thing should stop. My experience is that white middle class woman break the traffic laws more often than others. They will all but run you down when you are walking and have the right of way and then smirk at you. I think this is the only outlet they have. Pedestrians are like squirrels, you can hit them if you can catch them.

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BrianR 8 years, 3 months ago

grammaddy (Anonymous) says… "For the most part, but not the ones from Johnson County. They are bullies and not very bright ones at that."

You're right, I consider the JO in the corner of the license plate as a warning.

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Ronda Miller 8 years, 3 months ago

ret, obviously a receiver with bad hearing...:)

tange, some of us (okay, that would be me) have a fascination with dead things...."I see dead things"....and I want to embrace and share them. What is strange about that?

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Ms_P_Lane 8 years, 3 months ago

Johnson County drivers suck! I can't stand driving on K-10 behind a car with JO tags going 68 in the left lane like there is no one else on the highway with them.

After living in Germany for a number of years, I have to say I experienced some of the best driving there. They are efficient, considerate, aware, and responsible drivers. I learned that it is possible to drive fast, responsibly because, to them, driving is a huge privilege and not necessarily a right!

If you can't tell, I have strong feelings about bad driving... ;-)

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camper 8 years, 3 months ago

No, not from what I see. The left lane is the passing lane, and you should not have to increase your speed to 80+ mph so you can pass someone without hacking the driver off who is coming up from behind. And some people really hate having to wait a couple of seconds to allow the car in front of them to pass someone.

But it could be worse. Chicagoan's are the most deadly of all drivers I've seen. And it get's better too, Texans are more driver friendly and ease off the accelerator a little. For this reason, I really hope they stay in the Union. We would lose a lot of good drivers if they formed another country.

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begin60 8 years, 3 months ago

Yeah, until you've lived in Missouri maybe you lack the proper standards for rudeness and bad manners on the road. In my experience, just about anything is an improvement. Comparatively few drivers in Lawrence slide into the crosswalks at traffic stops,thus impeding those trying to cross Mass Street downtown.

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tangential_reasoners_anonymous 8 years, 3 months ago

Roadarmadillodanda: "I see dead things….and I want to embrace and share them...."

People who want to "embrace" dead things are called necrophiliacs ( hmm... which doesn't seem to bode well for for the vital romantic interests in your life... er... afterlife ) .

... and you don't like to share... who do you think you're kidding?

:-)

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RoeDapple 8 years, 3 months ago

tang, You could always take an ice water bath and lie very, very still. See what happens..................

;-)

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roger_o_thornhill 8 years, 3 months ago

The year before last, 5, that's FIVE Kansas drivers hit my car. They were ALL at fault. A big problem is that there is not nearly enough testing. A few were doing things they believed to be legal (like changing lanes while turning), while others were simply acting as though they were the only ones on the road. Across the board, I think yearly driving tests should be a minimum.

Also, many Kansas drivers drive like they are still in Podunk, where there are far fewer cars and far lower speed limits. And what is up with 14 yr olds driving. On the farm is one thing, on the road is another. It is the 21st century after all--is this rule really necessary? And in JoCo? How many farm kids in Leawood?

Plus, what's up with the business of expecting people to get out of the way when entering a freeway? The impetus is on the entering driver to find a space, but Kansas drivers seem to think it is the other way around--to the point of endangering and/or yelling/gesturing at folks who don't automatically get out of the way.

So over all, I'd say Kansas drivers are NOT good drivers, but nothing will ever be done about it because the statehouse is filled with a bunch of big fish from very small ponds.

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Ronda Miller 8 years, 3 months ago

Roe, meet tange...tange meet Roe...Something tells me (okay, it scares me) that the two of you are way too alike.....

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Leslie Swearingen 8 years, 3 months ago

I think someone overreacted to what I wrote. Sure and people can make whatever comment they want on here, and did I ever say otherwise? I just say my thoughts. I should edit myself, and say geezers and geezerites in training. I don't know what I was thinking when I wrote that, but don't bother telling me to take my meds, cause there ain't no med can cure that kind of thing. I don't take back what I said about white middle class women though. I was walking across Iowa, my light was green, and an SUV came careening around from 25th, and screeching came to a halt so close that the vehicle brushed me. She was talking on a cell phone and she shrugged and had a look on her face like, am I not cute? Well, no. That was just one incident. So, smirk away wmw. We country girls will survive.

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RoeDapple 8 years, 3 months ago

Irish, Maybe if you were packing that Red Ryder BB gun they would respect your personal space more!

;-)

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