idiots who scream you're wrong when you're not--road rage (page 2)

EvilForce

Wow, my blood pressure just went up 10 points by reading your posts..... hmm...tranquil thoughts.....

tijkmo

i dont have road rage

i get in my car and i know i will make mistakes

i know that everyone else will too

i know that some drivers will be idiots

i know that my shouting at them is not going to get them to think to themselves 'o yes i see i was wrong i will drive much more responsibly from this moment on'

so i just wave

im sorry my fault

drives them nuts

John Doe

Getting pissed off is a hallmark of bad drivers.

undercover

In the immortal words of George Carlin:

Ever notice when you're driving that anyone going slower than you is an idiot and anyone going faster than you is a maniac...

What's amazing to me, with so many bad drivers on the roads, is that there aren't more accidents, injuries and death than there are.

Most people don't seem to realize that driving a car is a dangerous activity in and of itself. Add other cars using the same strip of pavement and the danger increases dramatically. But yet, most people seem to drive as if if they're immune to all danger.

They talk on cell phones, text message, put on makeup, read the newspaper, drink coffee, eat a cheeseburger, type addresses on GPS units, type on a laptop, reach in the backseat, steer with their knees while writing, hold a dog in their lap, hold a child in their lap, etc, etc, etc. (these are things I've seen in the not so distant past)

People think they're "multi-tasking" by doing these things. What they don't realize is, driving is multi-tasking. You're using eye to hand to foot coordination. You're (or you should be ) constantly paying attention to the task at hand. You should know what traffic is doing around you at all times (that's why they make mirrors for cars). Both hands on the wheel or at least free to grab the wheel. Both feet ready to react quickly. Driving isn't something we do while doing others things. Driving is what we do to get where we're going. Once we get there, or before we leave, we should do those other things.

But as long as people continue to not take driving seriously they're going to continue to do stupid things and wrong things.

beksbks

I know people are going to make mistakes, and I try to watch for them, I understand that. I do too, and as you said tijkmo, I always wave and apologize. What makes me mad is when people deliberately speed up when you put your signal on. Or when you are merging on to the freeway, and they pace you and leave you nowhere to go other than the wall!! I mean really, what are they thinking? That they are somehow diminished if they "allow" someone to get ahead of them?????????

rebel8

I still remember that guy, 4 years ago.

ex-nj-jw

I'm the queen of road rage and I hate when people do stupid driving stuff. I had my 3 year old nephew in the car the other day (unusual for me to have little ones in the car these days) and I yelled at this guy who cut me off from 2 lanes over to F*#$ Off.

So what did my little nephew yell? You got it, plain and clear. The only thing he didn't do was give the guy the finger I had to try and erease his little brain before his parents came to pick him up

nj

undercover

when people deliberately speed up when you put your signal on. Or when you are merging on to the freeway, and they pace you and leave you nowhere to go other than the wall!!

It's all in your perspective...

Looking at those situations from the other driver's point of view - devil's advocate, so to speak:

It's not my responsibility to "allow" room for someone to change lanes...it's the lane changer's responsibility to make the change safely and with plenty of room. Too many people give a signal and thinks that means, "I'm signalling...you have to let me in" but that's not what it means. If I can allow room for the lane changer, I will, but I'm not slowing down, I'm going to maintain the speed I was. The lane changer is going to have to match it or merge behind me.

Similarly on an on ramp situation. The cars on the main road have right of way over the cars merging. The cars merging need to adjust speed to merge. In most cases that I see, people aren't even doing the speed limit when they get to the end of the ramp. If the next lane is clear, I'll move over to let the on-ramp car merge. If that lane is occupied or on-coming traffic is overtaking, I stay in my lane and I maintain my current speed. The car merging has to yield to me. If I can help the merging car by speeding up and clearing the space he needs quicker, I will.

It's not about being in front of the other car, it's about keeping the flow of traffic moving. Allowing a slower car to squeeze in a faster lane of traffic just kills momentum for everyone.

The key is that if everyone understood who has the right of way and adhered to it, it would help. That's goes for those in the right of way as much as it does those who don't know who has the right of way. I see lots of people yield their right of way to other cars that have no business being allowed the right of way. That's when shit gets fucked up. Now you've got two people screwing things up.

That's not to say that some people don't speed up just to be an ass about it...it does happen a lot.

Elsewhere

Yup... I had a fat ugly woman with a hot temper in an SUX SUV at a Left Turn Only lane try to continue forward into my car as I turned left in the "Left or Straight" lane. Apparently she didn't understand the concept of "Left Turn Only" and decided it was my fault and started yelling at me and letting me know I was #1. Poor baby was startled and needed to act out.

======================

There was also the moron who was stopped at a green light. I waited behind him for about 5 - 10 seconds before I honked at him. I obviously startled him because he suddenly jumped his truck forward. At the next light he pulled next to my car and the instant the light turned green he started honking at me. Poor little baby was startled and embarrassed so he had to act out.

======================

There was another time I was going up a freeway late at night. The traffic was clear and moving fast, then everyone had to quickly slow down to about 35 MPH because some kids thought it would be clever to each drive in a lane and slow down together blocking everyone behind them.

To make this worst some hot-head redneck in a jacked up truck with monster-truck wheels decided it would be a good idea to honk his horn and flash his lights at me as if it would encourage me to drive faster than the cars in front of me.

I casually opened my sun roof... slowly extended my arm... then my finger.

He stopped honking and flashing at me and moved over to the guy in the other lane and start on him.

beksbks

My dearest Undercover f*$%k off!!!

The thing is, you need to come to the SF bay area and revise your thinking. It's weird. There are stupid/bad drivers everywhere (actually, I admit to being one of them), but I have never experienced such jerks as those in the South Bay. Seriously it's like some kind of competition on the road. I tend to be a bit of a lead foot, so I'm not dawdlin' on those ramps.

idiots who scream you're wrong when you're not--road rage

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