Specifically when you screw up or the other guy screws up. I ask this because a few weeks ago I was pulling out of a gas station on an open highway with boat in tow. I took a look and incorrectly decided there was enough space for me to go.
As I was already commited to going I realized I screwed up and I fully expected to take a finger and a good honking from the truck that was coming. What I got was at least five minutes of honking and flashing of the lights. Then when he finally got an opportunity to pass he cut in front probably less than two feet in front of my bumper.
This got me to thinking. When someone pulls out in front of me, causing me to slow more than a little bit I’ll give a quick honk and that’s it. If they pull out so I have to break hard I blast the horn. In both cases the driver of the other car most likely gives me the finger. What is up with that? They cut me off and give the finger?
Do people just become assholes behind the wheel or what? What do you guys think is the right way to handle these and other driving situations?
Driving is a paradox. If you leave a safe distance between you and the other driver, someone cuts in front of you, thus increasing the likelyhood of you having to brake hard. If you tailgate however, you also run the risk of braking hard.
Never abruptly slow down in front of a speeding truck, even to give someone a chance to come onto the road, because those things take an eternity to stop. They won’t feel it if you get hit, but you will.
Do people just become assholes behind the wheel or what? What do you guys think is the right way to handle these and other driving situations?[/quote]
I find people don’t pay enough attention and drive selfishly. I get the same reaction from someone that cuts me off too. I honk, he flips me off, like I got in his way. Nevermind that fact we nearly total both vehicles because of his impatience.
[quote]FightinIrish26 wrote:
I’m laughing right now, because I’m from New Jersey.
I can’t tell you how many encounters I’ve had on the road, and how many ended up with someone out of the car and some kind of violence about to ensue.
Once you get on the Turnpike at rush hour, all bets are off…[/quote]
yep, just another day on the road. i don’t even count how many people cut me off or how many people i cut off…daily.
it’s a pretty regular thing on 93 for cars to get ejected over the median.
about ten years back these two guys mixed it up on 95 near attleboro, both pulled off the road, got out of their cars and one guy killed the other with a crossbow.
If I screw up I usually wave and kind bow my head a little, just a little gesture that acknowledges that I was in the wrong. More often than not, they wave back, and it always ends the situation. If someone does it to me, I let them know with a horn or a flash of the lights, nothing threatening, then let it go.
That being said, I did get into a situation last week on the Eastex in Houston, there were about 8 car lengths in front of a guy in the fast lane, I pulled in front of him to pass the car in front of me, then was going to move right back in to the next lane, he flashes his lights (no way this is the first time this happened to him, one car length is usually fair game in Houston). I just blow it off, but this guy is pissed, he keeps it up for a couple of miles, rapidly changing lanes and cutting other people off just to try to flash me again. I give him the old one finger salute and it REALLY set him off. He finally passed me with his middle finger up, at which point I smiled and waved at him and I shit you not it looked like the Tasmanian devil was in the cab of his truck, he was pounding his dash. He went his way and I went mine when we reached the loop. His morning was ruined, mine was not. I don’t know if his wife left him, or his dog died or what. It makes me wonder if folks like that go through the rest of their lives like that, or just when they are driving. I honestly think its some kind of a mental disorder.
[quote]swivel wrote:
FightinIrish26 wrote:
about ten years back these two guys mixed it up on 95 near attleboro, both pulled off the road, got out of their cars and one guy killed the other with a crossbow.
[quote]kellyc wrote:
swivel wrote:
FightinIrish26 wrote:
about ten years back these two guys mixed it up on 95 near attleboro, both pulled off the road, got out of their cars and one guy killed the other with a crossbow.
Holy sh%#![/quote]
That’s a true story! I had to take a defensive driving course last year and it was featured on one of the videos.
Driving puts us into a very unique psychological place. It naturally makes people paranoid because there are people all around us, even though they probably aren’t watching if you pick your nose.
If you are walking down a hall and someone comes out the door and you have to slow down half a step, should you blast them?
Honking at someone because you both know that they made a mistake is just stupid. Sometimes you pull out and somebody has to slow down.
The only time it is justified to honk a horn is if someone needs to know that they could have caused an accident-like they start to pull into your lane when you are in the blind spot, and you have to slow down.
Sometimes there are intersections that are set up so that people have to slow down on occasion. If someone has to pull in, in a boat, just slow your ass down and let them in.
If a guy honks and flashes lights and cuts you off because you made him slow down, then ram his fucking ass off the road.
The one finger salute, in a car, is cowardly. You wouldnt do it if you were walking down the street and someone cut you off. Because theres the potential for a rumble ( although some folks here might)
After my one episode of road rage, about 5 years ago, i let what happens on the road roll off my back. Here in philly, a few years ago, a woman cut some one off and an exchange of pleasantries happened. The guy then pulled out a gun and fatally shot the woman.
Life is to short to let some moron spoil one moment of my day by the way he/ she drives.
Road ragers should recieve tickets and then prison. No if ands or butts. That mental mindstate they get themself into might as well be crack cocaine, cause the effects are pretty much the same.
You just cut in front of semi truck god, god of this road and the road 1 mile in front of and in back of him. Thou shall be punished for thy travesty against me.
Most of these altercations, deaths, are from people who allow themself to road rage.
People will get pissed at you for passing them, or sliding in front of them even with enough room.
Do people just become assholes behind the wheel or what? What do you guys think is the right way to handle these and other driving situations?
I find people don’t pay enough attention and drive selfishly. I get the same reaction from someone that cuts me off too. I honk, he flips me off, like I got in his way. Nevermind that fact we nearly total both vehicles because of his impatience.[/quote]
It wasn’t until I started riding my mountain bike to and from work that I truly realized people become stupid when they get into there vehicles. I live in the Bay area which doesn’t help but DAMN, people are fucking ridiculous in cars. I’m sure alot of it is like you said, people just don’t pay attention.
I’ve lived here in the bay for about 5 years now. I’ve been hit by two cars and a bus. I guess I am biased but I’ve lost faith in other people when they get into there cars. So, this sort of a sore subject for me
I was riding my road bike several years ago on a nice country road. Two lanes and decent shoulders. A 10-wheel dump truck brushed me as it went past. I was in the middle of the shoulder. He could of easily given me 5-10 ft. of clearance. Nobody was around. He was trying to see how close he could get to me.
Knocked me down but I got the name off the side of his truck and his truck number. Drove over to the trucking company and bitched the owner out till I was blue in the face. Said he would do the same to the driver when he got in. Sounded reasonable to me.
Funny this thread should be here today. I had the opportunity to drive through Montana on my way to and from Denver this past weekend. On the way there, I’m doing about 75, speed limit is 70. The highway is undivided with single lane traffic, so you need to pull into the opposing lane to pass. There is no shoulder.
Anyway, I’m cruising along and I see a pickup truck in the distance, I can tell he is going sllllloooooowwwww. As I pull up behind him, the guy slams his brakes, I slow down slightly, make sure the oposing lane is clear and start to pass him As I’m doing so he starts to swerve into my lane while giving me the finger. WTF!!! Luckily, I’m going fast enough that I do get past the guy, and keep on going.
Almost the exact same thing happened on the way back, different truck so I assume different people. But this time I could see the lane was clear, so as soon as he hit the brakes, I didn’t even give him a chance to swerve into my lane, I gunned it past hime while he waved his middle finger at me. Maybe this is just how they treat visitors in Montana.
It’s amazing to witness the behavior of certain people. I was driving home on the interstate highway at about 11pm one night. I was traveling at aprox. 80 mph. Here I am, just cruising along in the fast lane with hardly anyone around. I passed a cadillac in the middle lane. I didn’t even come near this vehicle. The guy driving began following me and flashing his brights at me. I slow down to see what the problem was and this 60 year old man starts giving me the finger and yelling at me.
The absurdity of the situation did nothing to quell the growing rage within me. I got in front of this guy and slowed down to about 20 mph. He tried to pass me and when he got even with me I hurled everything in my car at this guy.
This happened about a year ago. Looking back on it now, it’s very amusing and I’m somewhat ashamed of what I did. Nevertheless, thinking about it still pisses me off.
[quote]Kayrob wrote:
… at which point I smiled and waved at him and I shit you not it looked like the Tasmanian devil was in the cab of his truck…[/quote]
Good description. Around here I normally drive 35 in the 25 zones, which some people take offense to because apparently they think it is far too slow. I’ll see them behind me, tailgating, doing the Tasmanian devil thing, and sometimes honking. Of course, when that happens I slow down to 25. This happens much more often when I’m driving my friend’s Buick (an “old person” car), probably because they think I’m a harmless old person.
I always thought people speeding up as you pass them was a subconscious thing. Then one day my friend’s brother was driving us somewhere, and as someone passed him he sped up and muttered “I hate it when people try to pass me.” From the tone of his voice, it sounded like he was somehow threatened by someone passing him. Needless to say, I smacked him on the back of the head and spent the next five minutes telling him what an asshole he was.
