# It's a two-lane heavily winding road at night... SO STOP BEEPING ME TO GO FASTER! **URL:** \ **Category:** The BBQ Pit\ **Created:** [July 23, 2003, 2:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/its-a-two-lane-heavily-winding-road-at-night-so-stop-beeping-me-to-go-faster/190372 "2003-07-23T14:02:28Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 5
**Author:** ![mhendo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mhendo/32/3159_2.png) [@mhendo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mhendo)\ **Post date:** [July 24, 2003, 9:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/its-a-two-lane-heavily-winding-road-at-night-so-stop-beeping-me-to-go-faster/190372/81 "2003-07-24T21:25:21Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by lezlers \* > \*\*Well, what about if a car is stopped at a light, light turns green and they just sit there? _Then_ is it okay to honk? This has happened to me a few times, once, I honked (after waiting awhile, I don’t honk immediately, I think that’s rude as hell) and the person just sat there. I ended up LAYING on my horn and they sat. Through. The. Whole. Light. They went right as it turned yellow so I’d be forced to sit through it. The fuck? I honked quickly and lightly _once_ to let them know the light had turned green, in case they weren’t paying attention. Apparently, it was taken as an act of aggression, as the asshole’s reaction showed. > > What do all you “never use the horn!!” people think about that? Is that a legitimate time to use the horn? \*\* :sigh: I don’t recall anyone saying that the horn should never be used. And your example isn’t even in the same ballpark as the ones that have been discussed in this thread. Honking once to let a person know that the light has turned and that they should pay attention to what’s going on around them while in a car is quite different from tailgating, flashing and honking a driver who happens to be going more slowly than you would like. Now why don’t you put your straw man behind the wheel and send him for a drive. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![Windwalker](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/5e9695/32.png) [@Windwalker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Windwalker)\ **Post date:** [July 25, 2003, 12:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/its-a-two-lane-heavily-winding-road-at-night-so-stop-beeping-me-to-go-faster/190372/82 "2003-07-25T00:15:13Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Sofa King \* > \*\* > It is a bad, bad idea to closely follow a person driving like that. When I’m behind a suspiciously slow car I only have a few safe options: I can pull far back and lope along at your speed, but I’m still behind you and I will also have to deal with any mistakes you make ahead; I will also have to deal with anyone who comes up behind _me_; I can find an alternative route; or I can pass you. > > **Windwalker** , that jerk who pissed you off so bad is far more at fault than you are, make no mistake about that. But you should also be aware that by driving the way you did you became an integral part of the incident. Next time I hope you’ll simply slow down as much as possible, pull as close to the side as you can, and wave the guy on by. You don’t want him behind you, and he doesn’t want to be there either. Figure out how to get rid of him, eh? \*\* True enough, I probably should have just stopped completely and waited for him to pass. Although there is that small fear that he will take my stopping as a challenge and stop as well, looking for a fight. About there not being a turn-off… There wasn’t a turn-off for the 3-4 minutes that this encounter lasted for. There are definitely little shoulder patches and such along the road, but not at short intervals or anything. And who knows, what with all the honking and shiny lights, I mght have missed one of those little dirt shoulder patches. ---
**Author:** ![blowero](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/41988e/32.png) [@blowero](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/blowero)\ **Post date:** [July 25, 2003, 7:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/its-a-two-lane-heavily-winding-road-at-night-so-stop-beeping-me-to-go-faster/190372/83 "2003-07-25T07:08:09Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Windwalker \* > True enough, I probably should have just stopped completely and waited for him to pass. Although there is that small fear that he will take my stopping as a challenge and stop as well, looking for a fight. Was your concern of enraging him _honestly_ the reason you didn’t stop? That doesn’t make a lot of sense, because what you _did_ do obviously enraged him much, much more than stopping possibly could have. > [@](#): > > About there not being a turn-off… There wasn’t a turn-off for the 3-4 minutes that this encounter lasted for. There are definitely little shoulder patches and such along the road, but not at short intervals or anything. And who knows, what with all the honking and shiny lights, I mght have missed one of those little dirt shoulder patches. So I’m still not following you. What exactly was the reason you couldn’t have pulled off onto one of those shoulder patches and stopped to let the guy pass? Is there a difference between what you are calling a “turn-off” and a “shoulder patch”, or are they the same thing? ---
**Author:** ![Necros](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/necros/32/11086_2.png) [@Necros](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Necros)\ **Post date:** [July 25, 2003, 3:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/its-a-two-lane-heavily-winding-road-at-night-so-stop-beeping-me-to-go-faster/190372/84 "2003-07-25T15:39:28Z")
Now hold on. This thing lasted for **three or four** minutes? I’m sitting here thinking that you obstructed the guy for half an hour or something. Never mind my comments above. You shouldn’t have slowed down to antagonize the guy, but he was clearly a major asshole. I’ll usually follow someone for ten minutes or so before getting concerned. And that’s after they’ve passed several turn-outs and ignored them. ---
**Author:** ![Sofa\_King](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/58956e/32.png) [@Sofa\_King](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sofa_King)\ **Post date:** [July 25, 2003, 5:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/its-a-two-lane-heavily-winding-road-at-night-so-stop-beeping-me-to-go-faster/190372/85 "2003-07-25T17:32:23Z")
Three or four minutes? Jesus, that dude oughta be inducted into the asshole driver hall of fame! You’re all right in my book **Windwalker**. I’d be hard pressed not to try to take that bastard’s head off for acting like that. ---
**Author:** ![lezlers](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/258eb7/32.png) [@lezlers](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lezlers)\ **Post date:** [July 25, 2003, 5:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/its-a-two-lane-heavily-winding-road-at-night-so-stop-beeping-me-to-go-faster/190372/86 "2003-07-25T17:47:16Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by mhendo \* > \*\*:sigh: > > I don’t recall anyone saying that the horn should never be used. And your example isn’t even in the same ballpark as the ones that have been discussed in this thread. Honking once to let a person know that the light has turned and that they should pay attention to what’s going on around them while in a car is quite different from tailgating, flashing and honking a driver who happens to be going more slowly than you would like. > > Now why don’t you put your straw man behind the wheel and send him for a drive. 🙂 \*\* Well, **tlw** _did_ say: > [@](#): > > _Originally posted by tlw_\*\* > There is no justification for flashing lights and honking a horn at someone unless they are presenting a hazard to you and the horn and lights are the only way to alert them of your presence to avoid a collision caused by their actions, not yours. \*\* I was just clarifying. 😃 In all seriousness, I agree with what the majority of you are saying, it may have come across as argumentative, but I was really just curious to get **tlw** ’s take on that particular situation, since her post was so vehemently anti-honking. ---
**Author:** ![lezlers](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/258eb7/32.png) [@lezlers](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lezlers)\ **Post date:** [July 25, 2003, 5:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/its-a-two-lane-heavily-winding-road-at-night-so-stop-beeping-me-to-go-faster/190372/87 "2003-07-25T17:50:06Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by blowero \* > \*\* > So I’m still not following you. What exactly was the reason you couldn’t have pulled off onto one of those shoulder patches and stopped to let the guy pass? Is there a difference between what you are calling a “turn-off” and a “shoulder patch”, or are they the same thing? \*\* Um, she/he said there _wasn’t_ any turnouts or shoulder patches throughout the encounter. I think that would be the reason… ---
**Author:** ![World\_Eater](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/f04885/32.png) [@World\_Eater](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/World_Eater)\ **Post date:** [July 25, 2003, 6:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/its-a-two-lane-heavily-winding-road-at-night-so-stop-beeping-me-to-go-faster/190372/88 "2003-07-25T18:01:38Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by blowero \* > \*\*What exactly was the reason you couldn’t have pulled off onto one of those shoulder patches and stopped to let the guy pass? Is there a difference between what you are calling a “turn-off” and a “shoulder patch”, or are they the same thing? \*\* Man you have like, _zero_ reading comprehension. ---
**Author:** ![mhendo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mhendo/32/3159_2.png) [@mhendo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mhendo)\ **Post date:** [July 25, 2003, 6:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/its-a-two-lane-heavily-winding-road-at-night-so-stop-beeping-me-to-go-faster/190372/89 "2003-07-25T18:33:20Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by lezlers \* > \*\*I was just clarifying. 😃 > > In all seriousness, I agree with what the majority of you are saying, it may have come across as argumentative, but I was really just curious to get **tlw** ’s take on that particular situation, since her post was so vehemently anti-honking. \*\* Fair enough. ---
**Author:** ![Bryan\_Ekers](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bryan_ekers/32/183_2.png) [@Bryan\_Ekers](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bryan_Ekers)\ **Post date:** [July 25, 2003, 6:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/its-a-two-lane-heavily-winding-road-at-night-so-stop-beeping-me-to-go-faster/190372/90 "2003-07-25T18:58:36Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by bogong jack \* > \*\*Yes yes I know ! > > "Three reasons - numbered 1 through 5 " I was starting to suspect someone had taken the _go_ out of _bogong_. > [@](#): > > From "Skippy the Bush Kangaroo’ - popular childrens TV show some years ago . Mel Gibson was thinking about bringing that back. They’ll call it _Hopping Mad Max_. ---
**Author:** ![Catamount](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/catamount/32/2840_2.png) [@Catamount](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Catamount)\ **Post date:** [July 25, 2003, 7:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/its-a-two-lane-heavily-winding-road-at-night-so-stop-beeping-me-to-go-faster/190372/91 "2003-07-25T19:42:04Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Little Plastic Ninja \* > \*\*I have to ask the people who are complaining that driving 35 is stupid on the road described in the OP…have you ever driven on an old farm road? One in a hilly area? > \*\* I have to ask if they live in deer country. You do NOT drive fast on dark country roads at night in deer country unless you a) want a new car or b) hate life. I don’t drive at night often because my vision is shit and headlights blind me. Especially halogen or mirrored headlights. I won’t go into those because I don’t want the hamsters to catch fire. On the rare occasions when I do have to drive at night, I do drive a bit slower than the posted speed limit (about 5 miles). When people tailgate me I slow down because _I can’t fucking see!_ Even when I flip my rearview up (conveniently giving the tailgater a taste of their own lights), I’ve still got some serious glare going on. You bet your ass I’m going to slow down in that situation. When driving at night, I follow the memo of **Jackmanii**. ---
**Author:** ![Jackmannii](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jackmannii/32/311_2.png) [@Jackmannii](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jackmannii)\ **Post date:** [July 25, 2003, 10:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/its-a-two-lane-heavily-winding-road-at-night-so-stop-beeping-me-to-go-faster/190372/92 "2003-07-25T22:56:25Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by World Eater \* > \*\*Man (blowero) you have like, _zero_ reading comprehension. \*\* Trust me, you don’t want to go down this road. ---
**Author:** ![Jackmannii](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jackmannii/32/311_2.png) [@Jackmannii](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jackmannii)\ **Post date:** [July 25, 2003, 11:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/its-a-two-lane-heavily-winding-road-at-night-so-stop-beeping-me-to-go-faster/190372/93 "2003-07-25T23:04:31Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by This Year’s Model \* > \*\*_sigh_ Yes. This here [Digest of Ohio Motor Vehicle Laws](http://www.state.oh.us/odps/division/bmv/EngDigest.pdf) pdf document, page 36 in the booklet, page 42 in the pdf \*\* Thanks for the cite, **TYM**. Hope your ennui abates. 😃 And if anyone ever honks at me to warn me that they’re passing on a two-lane road, I will know that they’re just being a lawful Ohioan and not an idiot. Of course, no one has ever honked at me in this circumstance. Which just proves that the state is full of lawbreakers, I guess. ---
**Author:** ![blowero](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/41988e/32.png) [@blowero](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/blowero)\ **Post date:** [July 26, 2003, 7:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/its-a-two-lane-heavily-winding-road-at-night-so-stop-beeping-me-to-go-faster/190372/94 "2003-07-26T07:12:32Z")
Lezlers: > [@](#): > > Um, she/he said there wasn’t any turnouts or shoulder patches throughout the encounter. I think that would be the reason… > [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by World Eater \* > \*\*Man you have like, _zero_ reading comprehension. \*\* Um, like, uh, you and **Lezlers** are, like, er, fucking idiots. The post was unclear. So I like to clarify things before I go and rag on someone for not pulling over. Here’s the post again: > [@](#): > > About there not being a turn-off… There wasn’t a turn-off for the 3-4 minutes that this encounter lasted for. There are definitely little shoulder patches and such along the road, but not at short intervals or anything. And who knows, what with all the honking and shiny lights, I mght have missed one of those little dirt shoulder patches. There wasn’t a **turn-off**. There are **little shoulder patches** , but not at short intervals. Does that mean there weren’t turn-offs, BUT there were shoulder patches? Or does it mean there were neither? Or are they both the same thing? How far is a “short interval”? It’s not clear at all. In summary, fuck both of you.😛 ---
**Author:** ![blowero](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/41988e/32.png) [@blowero](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/blowero)\ **Post date:** [July 26, 2003, 7:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/its-a-two-lane-heavily-winding-road-at-night-so-stop-beeping-me-to-go-faster/190372/95 "2003-07-26T07:14:56Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Jackmannii \* > \*\*Trust me, you don’t want to go down this road. \*\* Yeah, he knows I have little patience for people who are full of shit. ---
**Author:** ![Frank](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/3d9bf3/32.png) [@Frank](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Frank)\ **Post date:** [July 26, 2003, 1:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/its-a-two-lane-heavily-winding-road-at-night-so-stop-beeping-me-to-go-faster/190372/96 "2003-07-26T13:59:11Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Jackmannii \* > \*\*Thanks for the cite, **TYM**. Hope your ennui abates. 😃 > > And if anyone ever honks at me to warn me that they’re passing on a two-lane road, I will know that they’re just being a lawful Ohioan and not an idiot. Of course, no one has ever honked at me in this circumstance. Which just proves that the state is full of lawbreakers, I guess. \*\* Thanks, but I’m still ennuious. 🆒 No one has ever honked at me either, nor have I ever done it. We should all be locked up! ---
**Author:** ![Jackmannii](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jackmannii/32/311_2.png) [@Jackmannii](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jackmannii)\ **Post date:** [July 26, 2003, 2:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/its-a-two-lane-heavily-winding-road-at-night-so-stop-beeping-me-to-go-faster/190372/97 "2003-07-26T14:38:44Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by blowero \* > \*\*…I have little patience for people who are full of shit. \*\* Self-loathing - it’s a terrible thing. But in your case, highly justified. ---
**Author:** ![blowero](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/41988e/32.png) [@blowero](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/blowero)\ **Post date:** [July 26, 2003, 7:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/its-a-two-lane-heavily-winding-road-at-night-so-stop-beeping-me-to-go-faster/190372/98 "2003-07-26T19:41:56Z")
Jackmannii, I know I said I wasn’t going to respond to you anymore, but I just have to say. You’re an asshole. ---
**Author:** ![blowero](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/41988e/32.png) [@blowero](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/blowero)\ **Post date:** [July 26, 2003, 7:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/its-a-two-lane-heavily-winding-road-at-night-so-stop-beeping-me-to-go-faster/190372/99 "2003-07-26T19:45:15Z")
Oh, wait a minute. I just realized I said I wasn’t responding to you _in another thread_. Apparently you are now going to follow me around the SDMB taking potshots at me. What exactly is your problem, anyway? ---
**Author:** ![NurseCarmen](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/5daacb/32.png) [@NurseCarmen](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/NurseCarmen)\ **Post date:** [July 26, 2003, 7:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/its-a-two-lane-heavily-winding-road-at-night-so-stop-beeping-me-to-go-faster/190372/100 "2003-07-26T19:51:30Z")
For those of you who mentioned being blinded by oncoming traffic: Don’t Stare at the fucking headlights! Pretty goddamn simple really. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/its-a-two-lane-heavily-winding-road-at-night-so-stop-beeping-me-to-go-faster/190372.md?page=4) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/its-a-two-lane-heavily-winding-road-at-night-so-stop-beeping-me-to-go-faster/190372.md?page=6)