Being “cut off” while driving is one of those terms I’ve heard used incessantly, but never bothered to really think about what it means. Out of curiosity I finally googled it up and apparently being “cut off” means simply that someone pulls into your lane in front of you at a closer distance than you are comfortable with. Some people defining being “cut off” extending out to 50 yards.
How close does someone have to be to* you* in merging before you define it as being “cut off”. What is your acceptable personal space zone in driving?
If I have to hit my brakes to avoid a collision, I feel like I’ve been cut off. If I just have to take my foot off the gas, I don’t consider that cut off, but I do think that’s rude as well. Plus, anyone who moves in front of me at a distance less than 1 car length, unless traffic is stopped/jammed, has cut me off as well, regardless of how fast they’re going.
So if a truck turns into my lane 100 yards away, but I’m going 45 and he’s going 5 and takes forever to come up to speed, I’d still consider that cut off.
Happened to me yesterday. I’m driving down the highway and some knucklehead decided they needed to be in the far right lane from the far left. It didn’t require slamming on the brakes, but if I had my attention anywhere else than eyes front, I may have hit him.
This is it for me also. If there is a reasonable amount of space between me and the guy in front of me, I don’t consider a car pulling in cutting me off. If there is less than one car length (you would be surprised) then I do. I never consider someone entering my lane from a forced merge a cut off, unless there is an every other car merge situation and some knucklehead feels he has to make it two merges in one space.
I only consider myself cut off if I have to brake. And if I don’t have to slam on brakes, it’s no big deal to me. But let me tell you, if anyone ever slows my husband down in the slightest, he is pissed off! I don’t get it.
Seriously! Get behind me, shit-for-brains, if you’re going to drive slower than I am. Can you not gauge speed, or are you just an asshole? Having to slow down is annoying enough, but what you really shouldn’t do is make me slam on my brakes, then start driving 10 mph slower than I am. I need a rocket launcher for my car.
Being ‘cut off’ is one of those things that upset people that I really don’t get.
I mean, unless I have to slam my breaks, and I fear for my life, I could care less if you cut in front of me. Go for it! Enjoy.
In upstate NY, people really take it hard. Every single time I go to NYC though, the problem disappears. Everyone cuts off everyone and it is no big deal, it seems to me.
I drive defensively, always have. I am aware. If you need to get in front, even if I have to tap my breaks, it’s not a big deal…I’m aware of you. My sister in law sees RED when it happens. I have no idea what the big deal is.
Now, if someone cuts me off, I do hope that they will keep their speed up.
It’s like the people who pull out in front of you when you’re the only car on the road, then proceed to make you wait as they make a turn two blocks later - you couldn’t let me go by? You had to interfere with my stress-free evening?
Or if you’re waiting at a light and some moron coming up behind you moves into the lane next to you, floors it when the light turns, then gets right back in your lane and makes a turn, causing you to stop and wait. WTF is that all about? Just stay behind me at the damn light so I don’t get stuck behind you!
That, and similar actions described above. I’d also add being in a situation where you’re forced into another lane or onto the shoulder to avoid a side-by-side collision.
The thing that drives me crazy the most about this is if there is nobody behind me, yet the person pulling out in front of me couldn’t wait five seconds for me to go by, they had to pull out right in front of me instead.
And of course, they’re always in a big hurry to pull out, but once they’re in front of you then they just poke along. :mad:
No doubt. I completely understand that, it gets to me too, if I have to slam breaks to avoid a collision. And it’s not like I don’t completely understand getting upset behind the wheel…you should hear me grumble when someone doesn’t just go when the light turns freakin’ green. What on earth are they waiting for?
GAH! Got angry just thinking about this. I seem to encounter this more than anything. Someone has gotten tired of waiting for traffic to pass and decides to gun it out in front of me, causing me to hit my brakes. After the danger has passed, the first thing I do is look in my rear view, only to discover there was NO ONE behind me. sigh