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Ah, the joy of having a driver’s license. I remember the amazing feeling of sweet freedom I experienced on my 16th birthday when I was told I passed my driving test. Suddenly, I felt like an adult, and the world (or at least my hometown) was my oyster. I felt mature, as I understood the responsibility that the open road comes along with, but I was excited for all of the new opportunities at my fingertips. A road trip to the beach with my friends? Stopping for coffee on the way to school in the morning? Being able to get a job because I could actually take myself there? I was thrilled!

Until I realized very quickly that driving can also expose you to the very worst parts of humanity. From encountering terrifying road rage to dodging erratic sports cars speeding down the highway, any driver will have moments where they question how on earth some people were able to get their licenses. Thankfully, the members of the Bad Drivers Facebook group are never too far away, and they're prepared to mock the worst offenses they catch. We’ve gathered some of the most hilarious posts from Bad Drivers for you to enjoy down below, but they may also serve as a reminder to be careful on those streets. It’s a dangerous world out there, so be sure to upvote the pics you think are the best cautionary tales, and then if you’re interested in checking out Bored Panda’s last publication on the same Facebook group, you can find more bad driver content right here.

The Bad Drivers Facebook group was created in January 2018 and has amassed over 633k members since. Clearly, there is no shortage of horrible drivers out there, or Facebook users ready to mock them at every chance they get. But the page does beg the question: how are there so many terrible drivers out there? It must be a miracle that anyone can get to their destinations without a maniac with a mattress on top of their car or a Prius going the wrong way crashing into them.

In fact, it might be a miracle we get anywhere safely. According to the Bureau of Transportation, approximately 13 car accidents occur in the United States every minute. This means that annually, about 6.75 million accidents happen in the US. There are plenty of factors that increase or decrease a person’s risk of being in an accident though, including their age, the time they are driving, how the weather is and where they live. Apparently, Fridays are the riskiest days to be on the road, and for any other day of the week, the hours of 3pm-6pm are the most dangerous. It makes sense, as most people are commuting from schools or work during that rush hour time, but it’s a reminder to never let your guard down when traveling home.

#2

Funny-Bad-Drivers-Pictures

Rashad Yaqub Report

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Delta Dawn
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1 year ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

These work even when people know they’re fake! It reminds everyone about what they *should* be doing, and that’s enough to work most of the time.

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#3

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Juliana Bolgiare Report

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Mohsie Supposie
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1 year ago (edited) DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Kudos to the driver of the truck for taking the pic while driving, otherwise we would never have known!

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Holidays also tend to be the most dangerous times to be on the roads. Whether it's due to the massive amounts of people traveling, increased drinking and driving rates, or drivers being so relaxed that they stop paying attention, holidays are notorious for their increased car crash rates. During 2021, the holidays that saw the most fatal car accidents in the US were Memorial Day (the entire weekend), Labor Day (the entire weekend), the Fourth of July (the entire weekend), Father’s Day, Cinco de Mayo, Columbus Day, Mother’s Day, Halloween, Thanksgiving and Veteran’s Day.

Clearly there is a trend of three day weekends leading to devastating accidents. I would have expected New Year’s and Christmas to be on the list as well, but perhaps on Christmas, drivers tend to stay put the entire day. And I would hope that on New Year’s people are smart enough to use ride-sharing apps to minimize the amount of drunk drivers on the road. As funny as it is to mock bad drivers, it’s important to remember how dangerous driving poorly can be. One small mistake can ruin a holiday forever.

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So how does someone become a bad driver? Are they doomed from the start or do bad habits creep up over time? We all needed to have a basic understanding of the rules of the road when we initially got our driver’s licenses, and someone had to sign off on our skills claiming that we were ready for the responsibility of the open road. Are people just great at concealing their reckless behavior, or are the employees handing out driver’s licenses just as bad at their jobs as some people are at driving? 

Well, according to one study, being a terrible driver might actually be genetic. The study involved testing how well 29 participants drove on “a simulator that required them to learn the nuances of a track with difficult curves and turns”. 7 of the participants were born with a certain gene that limits the availability of a protein called BDNF. BDNF is responsible for “[strengthening] a person's memory by supporting communication among brain cells and keeping them in peak shape”, and according to lead researcher Steven Cramer, a neurology professor at the University of California, Irvine, the participants with this gene “make more errors from the get-go, and they forget more of what they learned after time away.” So it might not be your fault if you can't stay in your lane on the road! But if you have this gene, let me know, so I can be sure to steer clear of you. 

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Certain groups of people are also more prone to being bad drivers. Stereotypically, elderly people are thought to be poor drivers, as their eyesight, memory and reflexes might not be as sharp as they used to be. But according to the insurance company AAA, young people might actually be worse. AAA conducted a study analyzing drivers from various demographics to see who was engaging in the riskiest behaviors, from texting while driving to running red lights or speeding. They found that over 88% of the participants between the ages of 19-24 were guilty of committing a traffic offense. In fact, almost 50% of this young age group even admitted to blasting through an intersection right after a light had turned red, when they actually had time to stop. But they do know right from wrong, as only 14% of this age group said they consider that behavior acceptable. Perhaps they are more of the “do as I say, not as I do” type.

#10

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Peter Buitenhuis Report

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Johanne Trudeau
Community Member
1 year ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Hahaha!!! An "A**s Tart" Yeah, I would pay to have another vanity plate!!

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Funhog
Community Member
1 year ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

I had to read the caption to learn what they had intended with this mess.

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Jaguarundi
Community Member
1 year ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

I have a mental image not unlike a raspberry placed on a round cookie/biscuit now.

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FreshGanesh
Community Member
1 year ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

I’ve had a lot of different types of tarts, but never this kind.

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robin aldrich
Community Member
1 year ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Some States have tried to institute a ban on what they consider "provocative or inappropriate" license plates... I wonder if this one's still on the car.

richblack avatar
Ben Dover
Community Member
1 year ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

The brake lights don't work and he's often rear-ended. It's intentional "crash for cash" insurance fraud as he wants to get rammed up the backside as hard as possible

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dk_5 avatar
LapCat
Community Member
1 year ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Really BP? I used the anatomically correct term for godssakes 🤦🏽‍♀️

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Christopher Bowers
Community Member
1 year ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

If it read a new start it would be "An U Start" which doesnt make sense.

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C Lawson
Community Member
1 year ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

"A NU(new) START" is how it was supposedly intended, but they knew what they were doing.

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Young drivers are more likely to text while driving or be caught speeding as well. Perhaps it’s because they are always in a hurry and used to instant gratification, but they just don’t seem to be able to wait to send a text or allow their trip to take 5 minutes longer than they anticipated. AAA found that drivers between the ages of 19-24 were 1.6 times more likely to read a text while driving and almost twice as likely as other drivers to send text messages while behind the wheel. This risky age group was also 1.4 times more likely than older drivers to speed by 10mph or more over the posted limit. It is natural for teenagers and young adults to feel invincible, but that’s no excuse for putting themselves and other drivers at risk.

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Another reason some drivers make risky decisions behind the wheel is because they are suffering from road rage. While this condition does not require a medical diagnosis, the symptoms are obvious and can be detrimental to your health. People who are afflicted with road rage tend to tailgate, honk frequently, yell at other drivers, use profanities, and pose a risk to themselves and drivers around them. Whether it’s traffic or the behavior of someone else that sets them off, road ragers are more likely to speed and cut off other cars, leading to a host of dangerous accidents. 

When it comes to who is at a higher risk for falling victim to road rage, men are more likely than women. AAA reports that higher percentages of men than women admitted they have engaged in speeding, preventing another driver from merging, gesturing at other drivers, honking, driving through red lights and switching lanes rapidly out of anger before. But there is also a generational divide. People between the ages of 25-39 were the most likely to exhibit patterns of road rage. Interestingly, the summer is also the most common time of year for road rage incidents to occur. I would expect people to be more at ease if they are on holiday, but perhaps the warm weather really gets drivers heated, even in their air conditioned cars.

#20

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Rick Price Report

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Chich
Community Member
1 year ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

There will be no doubt in their mind when they have an accident. Maybe a few rhinestones....

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Because bad drivers, or drivers in general, are so fascinating to try to understand, there is actually a field of psychology called Traffic Psychology. According to Best Psychology Degrees, “Traffic psychologists are involved in studying the underlying behaviors that cause certain behavioral actions and emotional reactions when behind the wheel. Throughout the stages of their studies, traffic psychologists are focused on increasing understanding on the processes by which drivers decide, control, and act when operating a motor vehicle. Traffic psychologists may conduct studies on the behavior of drivers on the road, the relationship they have with their cars, the routes that they often follow, and the interaction between different drivers. Studies are often centered on studying the human factors of attention, memory, spatial cognition, inebriation, anxiety, inexperience, stress, exhaustion, and distraction to investigate drivers’ experiences.”

#22

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Vince Adams Report

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Scp-049
Community Member
1 year ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

I think I remember this on another post and it turned out to not being the full story. I may be wrong though

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And when it comes to what traffic psychologists do, Best Psychology degrees explains that, “Most often, traffic psychologists act as consulting professionals in the field of traffic safety for educating, encouraging, enforcing, and engineering new improvements in road systems. Traffic psychologists may be hired to work with organizations or government agencies in the transportation industry in an effort to reduce traffic dangers. Some traffic psychologists also find career opportunities for working in rehabilitation centers to evaluate and counsel individuals who have a history of repeatedly committing traffic-related offenses, such as drunk driving. Within the automobile manufacturing industry, a number of traffic psychologists are hard at work to apply their research findings to improving the development of new vehicles and advancing technology to enhance the safety of driving.”

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With great power comes great responsibility. Even though driving is incredibly common, clearly not everyone is an expert at it. We hope you are enjoying this list of driving fails and that you are reminded to keep your eyes on the road and your hands at 10 and 2 the next time you're behind the wheel. Remember to upvote the bad drivers that you feel deserve the most roasting, and then let us know in the comments what the worst driving you've ever seen was. And if you're looking to see even more bad drivers, be sure to check out our last article on the Bad Driving Facebook group right here.

#33

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Johnathan Dawkins Report

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Chucky Cheezburger
Community Member
1 year ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

It's actually kinda fun. Steering can be sketchy and don't hit even the smallest of pebbles or you'll go on an entirely different kind of ride. If you know, you-- OW!

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#38

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Arnold Chibasa Report

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KJ
Community Member
1 year ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

I hope he doesn't need to stop in a hurry or the chap in blue is going to learn how to fly.

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#46

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Стефан Димитров Report

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Debbie
Community Member
1 year ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

oh this is a fun one, I'd do that just to mess with people! (if it would be allowed here, probably isn't). A tap would be fun too.

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#50

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Oky Kurnia Alam Report

Note: this post originally had 76 images. It’s been shortened to the top 50 images based on user votes.