I’m fairly sure all of you have a person in mind for this: That one friend that you’re absolutely terrified to drive with. When you ride with them, it feels like you’re taking your life in your hands. Tell me about That One Friend.
Tom McParland had a friend in college who drove a Mercury Capri. Every time Tom rode with him, this joker was going full throttle and over 90 mph with the top down. It got to the point where Tom just couldn’t be in the car with him anymore.
This one time, Raphael Orlove and a few friends were all looking to go on a long drive. They were waiting at Raph’s house for the driver to show up, and when he did, he parked on the neighbor’s lawn. He strutted into the house and was like, “You... can’t park there?” They got Raph’s brother to drive them instead.
Mike Ballaban’s friend “nearly killed [him] in driver’s ed.” This friend was jerky on the gas and the brakes, got nervous around other cars, missed turns and then tried desperately to make them even though it’s slightly too late. Thankfully, though, they keep the driving to a minimum.
And Jalopnik social editor Aaron Brown has one friend who he will absolutely never get in a car with. This friend thinks it’s within a level of saneness to hit speeds of well over 130 mph on the Palisades Parkway.
Now fire away. I want to know who to avoid on the road.