Yes, Bob, I’ve come to the same conclusion as you. But it’s a puzzler, though–who would have thought an “old-timer” would behave in such a way?
Be that as it may, you can get a speeding ticket for doing 45 in a 30. I know; I did. I’d rather not get the ticket. That was when I was a newer driver; now that seems like waythefuck too fast.
Also, the street I live on used to have a speed limit of 30. It’s a curving residential road with no lane markers and a lot of kids. If I’d ever seen someone pulling 45 down it, I’d be really pissed off. It’s just not fucking safe. Just my two cents; the speed limit on my street got lowered to 25 after a friend of mine’s puppy got run over.
yosemitebabe wrote
I see.
Let me talk about my sister for a minute. I love my sister. She’s a wonderful person. She works full-time for a charity delivering food to homeless people. She’s a very likable person; everybody who meets her enjoys her company immediately. Well, I should say everyone who meets her in person. A number of people who meet her in a car aren’t quite as enamoured with her. Now the thing is, she’s never had a ticket. She never speeds. She always makes complete stops at stop signs. In fact, I’d go so far as to say it’s possible she’s never broken any traffic laws. So, why is it that so many other drivers get angry with her? Why does she complain about people yelling at her and people tailgating her, etc.?
The reason is that she seems to have no idea that other drivers exist. She cuts people off. She drives slow in the fast lane. She doesn’t do these things maliciously; as I say she’s a very nice person. But she just doesn’t get that other people share the road. And then she’s upset and surprised when “jerks” are annoyed at her.
Now, here’s another piece of data: I have never been tailgated once in my life. And I’ve driven a lot of miles all over the world. And I don’t drive so fast that noone could tailgate me. I drive at reasonable speeds; sometimes I even drive slow when the mood strikes me. But I’ve never once been tailgated. Why is that? Am I just lucky?
I don’t think so. I think it’s because I acknowledge that others exist and incorporate what they want into my driving practices. Yes I drive slow sometimes, but never in the fast lane.
yosemitebabe, you’re a reasonable person. Don’t you think it’s even a little possible that those who tailgate do it for a reason? And that the reason isn’t because they couldn’t find any butterflies to pull the wings off of that morning? Isn’t it even conceivable that they tailgate because they feel (as I do) that they have been robbed of something precious and are only trying to get back what is rightfully theirs?
Or is there no alternative, that the only possible reason is that such people are jerks and trolls?
An alternative such as a life or death situation (a person bleeding to death in the back seat) is the only reason that would get you out of the jerk or troll category.
When her antics are described to her, does she deny that she does them, minimize the impact of her actions, or does she fully acknowledge that she does them and claim that she is morally RIGHT in doing them?
If she were to claim that she were morally right when she cut people off and acted oblivious to other people on the road, if she claimed that such behavior was the appropriate way to behave, then I’d either conclude that in that one area of her otherwise commendable life, she’s a jerk. Or, I’d conclude that she was pulling my leg.
I hope you understand my point.
yosemitebabe wrote
She expresses pretty much the same sentiment that many in this thread do: that she is morally right and that people who tailgate are jerks. And that there is no reasonable explanation for it. And that the only reason that they do it is because they have a twisted chromosone, likely have nuns buried in their basement, and are probably trolls.
Indeed I do, yosemitebabe. And I hope you understand mine as well.
In Conceivable wrote
I hope your unwavering loyalty to your behaviour and your undying resistance to understand and accomodate those around you takes you far in this life, friend.
I am the one with an undying resistance to understand and accomodate? You are the one who feels justified in risking people’s lives because they might “steal” thirty seconds of time from you.
You never did tell me how a few feet was a safe distance…
Bill H., you remind me of the guy who tailgated me one day as I was going to high school to do a performance one morning.
I was in a 35 mph zone, doing about 40, on a one-lane road where there are many accidents due to dumbasses in hurries. I have nofuckingclue where this guy had to be in such a goddamn hurry, but he honked at me constantly and rode my car’s ass.
I turned left at a stoplight and then had to stop suddenly because someone in front of me was turning left into a restaurant, when Tailgating Jackass comes along and smacks into my car’s rear end, pushing me into the car in front of me.
Luckily I suffered only a nasty case of whiplash and only the back of my car was torn up. But it sure as hell sucked to be carless for several days.
Also reminds me of the guy who was so eager to get somewhere that, when I was picking my sister up from school, he decided it was a good idea to ignore his yield sign and drive straight into the middle of my car. Yeah buddy, you honked your horn approximately a second before you blindsided me. I am SO sorry that I made you late to football practice. Oh wait, you dumbfuck, you did that because you couldn’t fucking slow down long enough to not be a danger to me.
Hardy har. Now I know you are just having a goof on everyone. Never been tailgated? What utter and complete nonsense. Every single driver in the world has been tailgated. Know why? Because tailgaters are morons and they will ride your bumper in any situation.
You had me going. But you definitely over-stepped on that one. Hell, I get tailgated at least once a week, on single lane roads, in a long line of cars, with absolutely nowhere to go.
Strong driving skills? I don’t think so. Part of being a skilled driver means never putting yourself in a position where you might cause an accident. So unless you have magic brakes, your skills really aren’t up to snuff.
You did have me going though.
I would suggest sticking it on the rear window, though. The idots who are tail-gating won’t see it on the bumper 
Guess what Mr. I’ve-got-testosterone-and-I’m-not-afraid-to-use-it? You tailgate my ass, and we get into a wreck, YOU will be the one in jail. Not me. Read up on your driving laws.
Guess what Mr. I’ve-got-testosterone-and-I’m-not-afraid-to-use-it? You tailgate my ass, and we get into a wreck, YOU will be the one in jail. Not me. Read up on your driving laws.:wally
*Nooo…*let’s try that again. You are trying to dodge the issue.
Question: Does your sister say, “Yes, I know I drive too slow. Yes, I know I cut people off on the road. YES, I KNOW I DO THIS. Furthermore, I think driving too slow and refusing to turn out to let faster drivers pass, AND cutting people off is a GOOD and MORALLY RIGHT THING TO DO.”
Does she do that? Does she say that? Does she defend her oblivious behavior, her cutting off others in traffic as morally right? Once again, to clarify–we are not talking about how she reacts to others, or how she responds to others, or how she explains others’ reactions to her. I am asking a yes or no question: Does your sister defend her oblivious habits and cutting people off in traffic as a MORALLY RIGHT thing to do? Or does she even acknowledge that she does it?
You are on this thread defending completely asinine and irresponsible behavior as a RIGHT thing to do. Is she doing the same thing in regards to her cutting people off in traffic? Is she saying that it is RIGHT? Is she explaining why it is morally right to cut other people off in traffic?
Yes, or no?
I guess I wasn’t clear.
She expresses pretty much the same sentiment that many in this thread do. Get it?
All I get is that you are curiously managing to avoid my very simple yes or no question, twice now.
I don’t care how oblivious your sister is. This isn’t about how she reacts to tailgaters. Her bad driving habits do not make tailgaters any less annoying and bad. If she finds them annoying, she’s entitled. They are annoying, and dangerous. Even the most oblivious and bad driver certainly is capable of seeing that.
I’m asking you something different. You are bringing up your sister, pointing out her bad driving habits, and then saying that she doesn’t like tailgaters. But you haven’t said whether or not she takes after you, in that she is aware of her bad driving habits, and defends them as morally right.
So, I’ll ask again–does she do what you are doing, which is defending a driving practice that is universally (well, except for you) considered unsafe, inconsiderate and assholish?
Is she aware that she is cutting people off in traffic? Does she willingly admit to it? Proudly admit to it, the way you admit to tailgating? Does she defend the practice of cutting people off in traffic, in the same manner that your defend your practice of tailgating? Does she do that? Or does she even acknowledge that she cuts people off in traffic?
Once again, YES or NO?
Really, it’s a simple yes-or-no question. And you’ve managed, twice now, to avoid answering it.
I know that there are a lot of bad drivers out there, of many stripes, but I think that at least most of them are oblivious. And that when they were confronted with their bad habits, and offered evidence and proof that they were making some bad judgments on the road, they’d be embarrassed or at least would not defend their bad driving as morally RIGHT. So, when a driver is confronted with plenty of evidence indicating that they are driving in an unsafe and assholish manner, (yet they defend it), the only conclusions I can come to is that either they are pulling everyone’s leg, or that they are a jerk.
All I get is that you are curiously managing to avoid my very simple yes or no question, twice now.
I don’t care how oblivious your sister is. This isn’t about how she reacts to tailgaters. Her bad driving habits do not make tailgaters any less annoying and bad. If she finds them annoying, she’s entitled. They are annoying, and dangerous. Even the most oblivious and bad driver certainly is capable of seeing that.
I’m asking you something different. You are bringing up your sister, pointing out her bad driving habits, and then saying that she doesn’t like tailgaters. But you haven’t said whether or not she takes after you, in that she is aware of her bad driving habits, and defends them as morally right.
So, I’ll ask again–does she do what you are doing, which is defending a driving practice that is universally (well, except for you) considered unsafe, inconsiderate and assholish?
Is she aware that she is cutting people off in traffic? Does she willingly admit to it? Proudly admit to it, the way you admit to tailgating? Does she defend the practice of cutting people off in traffic, in the same manner that your defend your practice of tailgating? Does she do that? Or does she even acknowledge that she cuts people off in traffic?
Once again, YES or NO?
Really, it’s a simple yes-or-no question. And you’ve managed, twice now, to avoid answering it.
I know that there are a lot of bad drivers out there, of many stripes, but I think that at least most of them are oblivious. And that when they were confronted with their bad habits, and offered evidence and proof that they were making some bad judgments on the road, they’d be embarrassed or at least would not defend their bad driving as morally RIGHT. So, when a driver is confronted with plenty of evidence indicating that they are driving in an unsafe and assholish manner, (yet they defend it), the only conclusions I can come to is that either they are pulling everyone’s leg, or that they are a jerk.
Perhaps I’ve been cryptic, so I’ll spell it out:
Each time in this thread I read someone saying “I drive great. I pull over so people can pass. Why do jerks insist on tailgating me?” I hear my sister.
See the thing is that people who tailgate you do it for a reason. They don’t do it because they’re some monster who derives secret pleasure from burning the eyes of innocents. They do it because you have done something very inconsiderate to incur their wrath.
Get it now?
So what? I got that part. She’s clueless. She doesn’t like tailgaters, yet does not realize that they are targeting her because her driving sucks.
Got it. Got it a long time ago. That still does not excuse the tailgaters, or make them less jerky.
Got that too. Got it ages ago.
I got that you are defending an assinine and dangerous practice because you figure that other people “deserve” it. That they, and everyone else on the road “deserve” to have their safety endangered.
Yeah, I got it.
I get that you are still willfully refusing to answer my question. My simple yes or no question.
As clueless as these other drivers are, as clueless as your sister is, does she knowingly drive the way she does, and admit that she drives the way she does, and does she say that she is morally RIGHT in driving the way she does?
Simple, simple question. Yes, or no?
Bill H.: You are the one defending an illegal action as morally correct, as an obligation.