This isn’t in the pit (as of now) and were it, I just don’t get off on these poster pee pee’ing contests.
My point as simply as I can make, is that you were in the wrong. That’s it. You don’t have to agree with me. As you stated later, this was the exception and that you are ordinarily a fine, courteous driver though in your OP, you detail a second incident that demonstrated judgment that might be of dubious clarity.
As for now, I will indeed strive to exhibit more of that acumen with my intellect and will ramp up my tortoise-paced driving so as not to tick off you hulking speed demons.
The first one: Flash the brights repeatedly and motion them over. Honk after the first time. Yeah, sometimes it doesn’t work and you get flipped off for your efforts. Sometimes they do that and the person on the right makes the effort to get away from them (See: Klingons in the Names You Give Strangers thread.)
Once, many years ago in my road rage era of youth, I ended up behind slow pokes for better than 5 miles on a winding mountain road. They refused to go anything near the speed limit, they refused to use the turn outs. They ignored brights, horns, fingers. So when I got a chance to pass them, I did so. Then immediately slammed on the brakes and stopped dead before a turn. And sat there for several minutes through THEM honking and flashing brights. When they started to get out of the vehicle, I started moving. When they tried to go around me, I floored it. Then I flipped 'em off one final time and sped away - at the posted speed. Damn, people! They even post frequent signs telling slow traffic to use the turn outs. That’s what they’re there for! WAKE UP AND GET THE FUCK OUT OF THE WAY.
The bottom line with these people is this: They believe that they are going the maximum safe speed, and that YOU are the crazy fucker who is acting irresponsibly. It’s almost like God Himself told them to go that speed, and they’ll act with the zeal of the Inquisitor to punish you should you cross them.
For my money, no one made anyone but the cops the cops, and if someone is racing to get past you at what your consider unsafe speeds, let them go. It isn’t your job to block the highway or chase down people and yell at them because they’re going 35mph on the freeway in a rainstorm and they passed you. (Which has happened to me. He was going 25 until I passed on a 3 lane highway, when he felt the need to chase me down and scream at me about it.)
The second one: Get the plate. Report it.
I understand your frustration, FML. One of my least favorite driver activities is “Siamese twins”. In order to keep myself from getting upset, I try to make a joke about it. My favorite is to think they’re playing a game called “see how closely I can match the adjacent driver’s speed”. Double points if they can do it over three lanes, and triple points if they do it at least 5 miles under the speed limit. Speaking of speed limits, 70% of the speed limits on my commute are set to low. Cite? Yesterday there was a cop on the relief route, driving the speed limit. There were literally 20 rows of cars backed up behind him, and empty space in front of him. This is a road that probably averages 10 cars if you were to observe a mile long section. They way I understand it, the state is supposed to observe traffic, and if they average much faster than the current limit, they’re supposed to raise the limit. Having to drive 55 on a straight, rural, New Mexico road is just retarded, and nobody (except for our “friends”) does it.
I freely admit to being one of the jerks. What Idid was dangerous, irresponsible and stupid. What they did was ignorant, selfish and created a line full of pissed off and distressed drtivers who were all going to be late for where ever they were going because of their actions. Distractred, late drivers are not safe drivers.
Sure what I did was a dangerous, stupid stunt… NO problem admitting that.
This thread is about your reactions to stupid drivers and many of you have chosen my example to express your outrage. As I have mentioned, I am ordinarily a calm, conscientious and safe driver. The two incidents I mentioned were extraordinary in that I really can not think of any others in a 25+yrs of licensed driving and many years driving farm equipment, including trucks and cars. Normally when I encounter a poor driver, I either just wait it out or call the cops if they seem to be actively creating risk.
I would prefer, however, your stories about how your normally careful, courteous and concientious driving patterns were disrupted by jerks you have actually encountered, and what your reactions were.
How much of a dweeb do I sound like if I say that I normally pray for them and the other drivers that they will encounter? I find that it’s really hard for me to be mad at someone I’m praying for, so it helps me to get on with my life and continue to drive to the best of my ability.
I let them fly on by, or in the case of drivers going too slow, wait for a safe opening and/or pull off and give a call to whoever is expecting to let them know I’ll be late. If the driver is acting in a particularly dangerous manner, I’ll call Highway Patrol or the relevant municipal authority and give make and license number.
I have plenty of things to be angry about in my life; letting some certified twit with a Crackerjack Prize driver’s license and a buzzbomb ricemobile get under my skin just isn’t worth the effort, nor would be be of consolation for causing an accident or getting a citation.
What did people get pissed about before automobiles, anyway?
The speed limit on the Santa Fe bypass is 55? I haven’t been on that thing since they were still working on it. Heck, I was on US-84/285 last month and realized that I hadn’t been on that stretch of road for eight years, back when they were widening it.
And the speed limits outside cities are still way too low. It should be something like 85 outside city limits and 65 inside. Heck, I don’t know why the limit is 75 on US-70 across White Sands. You could do 100+ easy on that stretch of road, at least until you get close to the monument.
Bad things happen to bad drivers…eventually. That’s why I don’t get my buttons pushed by idiots of the road. So I don’t have a story.
Every day you are a courteous driver I award you One good driving point. Yay.
Every time you decend into being a complete driving dangerous boob you lose 1,000,000 points.
Full Metal Lotus: You were too nice. I would have locked up with the rear bumper of the guy in the passing lane and spun him out. Seriously though, how did you fit your car between automobiles in adjacent lanes? You must have some wide ass lanes there. I could barely do that with my bike, if I was so inclined.
I live across the street from an elementary school, and anyone going at double the speed limit, especially with kids present should be flayed alive. Since in that case the only risk was to you, and I assume there were people around, so you get props from me. As for the alternative of reporting the guy, the best that would do around here would be a letter saying that the guy was observed speeding. I bet that would do a lot of good.
The only thing I do is to honk at red light runners, and only if I’m the first car in line. (If I’m second, I’d worry that the honking might cause the guy in front of me to drive into traffic too early or something.) One of these assholes almost killed my wife, and I at least want them to know someone saw what they did. Doesn’t happen as often now that we have red light cameras.
This. I always heard it from my father-in-law as “Anyone going faster than me is an asshole. Anyone going slower is an idiot.”
He was, unfortunately, not kidding.
While I admit to getting frustrated and flipping the bird on the road, I’m amazed at the lengths that people in this thread are claiming to go to on the freeway to express their rage. Full Metal Lotus’s words may be indicating regret, but the tone isn’t matching.
They put 'em in here, but the ruled them unconstitutional.
My ex-wife used to run red lights and stop signs because she was so distracted by the crazy in her head.
One time, we shot through an intersection at about 40 in a 30. Car flashed in front of us as we entered the intersection, car screeched and shot behind us after we passed. I gasped in FEAR. Psycho Crazy Bitch physically turned in her seat and began yelling at me for being mean to her by making noises. In doing so, we shot through the next red light. When I pointed out that we had not run TWO red lights, she ignored it, didn’t even acknowledge it, and concentrated on how mean I was being by making noises. :eek:
And people wonder why I tried to have her committed. :rolleyes:
Oh, but she didn’t want to ride in the car when I drove, because my every facial movement or noise was evidence of my “road rage”. And the time when I slammed on the brakes to avoid a multi-car collision was a harrowing incident of rage and abuse that she barely survived. :eek: :rolleyes:
FML - as another Edmontonian I’ve been tempted many times to do what you did… the two cars driving side by side for miles is SOP around here. It just makes you crazy after awhile.
Maybe it wasn’t the best thing to do, but you made a spectacular point.
I think the slow, over-cautious drivers too often have a “fuck you I can drive however I like” attitude. If road rage results they should get assigned 50% of the blame IMO.
My mother (non-driver) and my sister (driver - I taught her) are both trouble for me. I hate having either as a passenger.
Sometimes I cuss and swear about the arseholes on the road, and my sister and mother quickly judged me an aggressive roadrager. I have tried pointing out to them, “Hey, yes I did say “FUCKEN PRICK!!!”, but I said it inside this sealed cabin - I did not flip the bird, honk the horn, etc”. But to no avail. They’ve labelled me with this reputation for twenty years now.
When my sister is in the car, I have had several near accidents because I’ve been tooling down the road quite serenely, and then she’ll literally scream and clutch the dash with white knuckles. HINT: this is not a good thing to do to a driver. At first, I can’t even see what scared her. And then… hang on, why yes, I can see that guy pulling out of his driveway 400 FUCKING METRES AWAY.
I like to crash into their cars and then masturbate while staring at the bent metal frames and cracked instrument binnacles while the smell of leaking engine coolant mixes with the tang of semen and the smoke from Vaughan’s loosely-wrapped hash cigarette.
Whatever makes your bum Hum, Arget, but PLEASE please please! - change the title on those YouTube videos you made of your “hobby”! “Grover and Elmo’s Happy Picnic” makes it hard to find and seems to be attractting an unappreciative demographic!
