If you are interested (why?) you can find a full listing of plate codes by county here.
1J stands for Jefferson county, which covers a few small towns in Eastern Idaho. I don't know what it is about residents of this county, but all the crazy drivers on the roads seem to have '1J' plates.
Maybe it's due to the fact there aren't any major cities in Jefferson county? It, like many parts of Idaho, is full of small towns and a lot of open farm roads. Not a lot of traffic, and you can usually drive like a kook without a lot of consequence.
If you want to go to the movies, you get to brave the 1J crowd.
If you are going to the mall and the roads are icy, beware the 1J-ers... they slide. A lot.
Even when I'm 250+ miles west, and driving around in Boise, a stray 1J-er will appear on the road, changing lanes aggressively without signaling, and often chatting/texting on their phone.
(which is legal in the state of Idaho...)
1J-ers are usually overly-aggressive or a little unaware of their surroundings. If you spot a 1J vehicle, be sure to give a lot of extra room, and keep your distance. Eye contact only enrages them, so make sure to avoid provocation of any kind.
Are there any crazies where you live? How do they make themselves known? Please share by commenting below, and make sure to beware any Idaho plate with a 1J moniker....
Here in Boise the 2C and 1P are the people to watch for. Don't see many 1J. The thing with most Idaho drivers is they seem to think it is okay to drive whatever speed they feel like driving. When the posted speed limit is 55, some people think they can just go 45 and others think they can get by doing 65.
ReplyDeleteAt least they label the bad drivers there. Around here it's a crap shoot. You just have to look for anyone with a bluetooth headset and those are hard to spot at 65 mph. Also, having recently driven in Texas, it seems Texans are extremely reticent to use their blinkers.
ReplyDeleteA friend of mine married a girl in the Cotswolds, very rural around there. She drove like a lunatic but it soon became clear that so did everyone else around there.
ReplyDeleteGood to know if I am ever in your neck of the woods. Around here, you look for the soccer moms on their cell phones in SUVs and minivans. THEY ARE THE WORST!
ReplyDeleteThere is no shortage of those crazy drivers around here! I am always on alert!
ReplyDeleteTexting and driving is illegal in Indiana...but this don't stop them from running a red light because they are looking down and thumbing away at their devices!
I lived near rural SC for awhile, I know just how crazy country drivers are... they can be even worse than the worst LA drivers.
ReplyDeleteEveryone in SF drives while holding and talking on their cell phones, so there's a lot of distracted drivers on the road. The fact that this behavior is illegal doesn't help curb it, however. I've almost been hit (while I had the right of way) more than a few times while walking in SF.
ReplyDeletei assume anyone in a BMW, Audi, 4x4 (SUV) or a taxi is a twat. i never let out anyone in those cars, nor anyone not indicating.
ReplyDeletewhen a car scoots up the inside lane even though everyone can see an obstruction and pulls into a queue, i honk long and loud if the car in front lets them in. grrr!
"Eye contact only enrages them".
ReplyDeleteThat made me laugh.
I'm in Utah. It's a prerequisite to be a shitty driver here.
I have been in Boise on business a few times and the very first time, while driving with a local, I was introduced to the 1J thing after we were nearly run off the road.
ReplyDeleteYou are so lucky to have a way to ID the crazies. We have no such luck here. Basically, no one can drive within the Jackson Metro area. Teen agers on cell phones scare the bejeezus out of me. Whenever I look in my rear view mirror and see a kid with a cell phone, I wet my pants. If only they have special tags.
ReplyDeleteLol, I'll definitely keep that in mind if I ever go to Idaho.
ReplyDeleteI'm always careful if there's a 1F, which includes Preston. We call them 1F Wonders, they usually drive like they think that they're the only ones on the road. 2B plates are annoying as well because for some reason none of their cars are able to go the speed limit.
ReplyDeleteIf only there was some sort of code like that for californian drivers. lol.
ReplyDeleteMost drivers in AZ are crazy drivers, except me of course.
ReplyDeletelol thats good to know, even though i have no business in idaho.
ReplyDeleteI live in the NJ/NYC metro area. We ALL drive aggressive. If you don't you're going to cause an accident. If you're not agressive no one will ever let you merge.
ReplyDeleteThis is hilarious. Same thing goes down in Canada, but on a more provincial level. In North Western Ontario (NWO) we hate on drivers from Manitoba for not knowing how to signal, straddling 2 lanes & aggressive driving, in Southern Ontario they hate on the Quebecois drivers for generally driving "like a bat out of hell" (long history of French/English hate in that area).
ReplyDeleteIt's the same all over the country, and often reversed! There will always be bad drivers on the roads, no matter where you are it seems.
The way it works here is, if you reach a new general area, you drive different. If you don't, you're pretty screwed.
ReplyDeleteNo way it is a known FACT among Eastern Idaho that 8B drivers ARE the worst drivers in probably all of Idaho, next to Ada county drivers. They are often compared to Utah drivers.
ReplyDeleteI'm from W, everyone here drives like a 90 year old. It's kind of nice after living in Utah last year. Everyone in Utah drives like a moron. I can't wait to move back to Oregon though. Drivers in Oregon are so courteous and always move to the slow lane. I love it.
ReplyDeleteMan, it seems like all of Idaho doesn't know how to use the middle turning lane (suicide lane). Its used to turn left only, but people drive into it, stop, wait for an opening on their right and then merge in. I almost got hit so many times from people doing that! Using it that way is totally wrong! Ahhh
ReplyDeleteHa....too funny! I grew up in 4B and it was VERY well known to watch out for 1J drivers. I'm in WA now, where everyone does 5 under in the left lane. I want my 1J'ers backs! :)
ReplyDelete