I haven’t watched the video but I know that it takes me about five seconds to go from “sure, go ahead” to “for God’s sake, if you’re gonna go, GO!” to “fine… forget it, MORON!” <SCREEEECH>
When I see a $500 beater with an aggressive driver in cheap sunglasses, I try to stay away from them. Their insurance is probably cancelled anyway. If they are coming up at 85 on my right and I’m doing 64, I know they want to do the “missed your car by inches” cut-off move. I’ll intentionally brake when they are along side if me so Im sure there is lots of space between us when he passes.
As for the OP, slow down? Then slow down More. Make that car pass you and then get behind him. Behind him is always safer than in front of him.
Christ, you know you’re not supposed to be crossing those solid white lines don’t you? If you were going to be taking that exit you should have been in those lanes about a half mile back.
Which is obvious to almost anybody. I think I’m starting to understand at least one strange move I have seen before.
The guy flipped me off for NOT cutting him off, so I figure he was doing more than just passing me (very slowly). I’m sure he slowed down either to mess with me or because he was too busy showing me his finger
For those saying this with no other substance, how about actually answering the question as to what I could have done differently?
Thanks to those who have provided helpful advice and/or shared their experiences.
Get into the turning lanes long before you reach the exit, like all the other normal people did. I’m pretty sure somebody else already noted this.
No I did not signal because I don’t signal well in advance. I don’t ask for permission unless there is no room anywhere; I simply warn people and then move. If you ask for permission you won’t get anywhere. With that in mind, how could he have known for sure I intended to move to the right, and then get upset as if I did actually move in front of him? You would think he would be relieved that I changed my mind and didn’t cut him off.
Here’s another experience: I was once flipped off for honking at some guy who was about to hit me while he tried changing lanes after being in the hov lane with no passengers. He then gave me a death stare from the far right lane as he passed all traffic going 90.
Which I was doing. Watch the video again. I was moving at the same time as everyone else and ended up in a race with this guy. If he hadn’t raced me, I would have been in the exit lanes much earlier. I bet if I had just changed lanes immediately, I would have run into more problems with him.
I showed the video to my sisters the day it happened, who always complain about my driving, and even they couldn’t see what I did wrong.
I do accept the helpful input of some posters though. I have learned a couple things.
I doubt anything anyone says will change your mind in any way. But it’s probably obvious to most people that you actually created the situation by your driving. Even if you had changed lanes before he sped up, you were racing to get in front of the truck, and that is extremely obvious in the video. And that is your problem, your hurry to get in front of all the people who had already changed lanes to exit.
At this moment (that should go to :41 in your video) you are racing to get ahead of the truck that is already in the exit lane. It’s obvious. Even with out the car blocking you, at that point you have to move over two lanes, and you are going far too fast for an exit. Even with out the car you think was in the wrong, you are doing a risky high speed move, to get in front of the truck. And that is what you could stop doing, to make everyone safer on the road.
Sure it would make you like 5 seconds slower, but such is life.
Watch the video. You were not planning on getting behind the truck. You were doing a high speed move to get in front of it.
It may look like it, but it was not my original intention to get in front of the truck. Once I saw my exit about to pass me by, I had to get into any open space I saw, which was in front of the truck. It was a lot better than slamming on the brakes to get into any small space behind it. I saw my exit right there and made an impulsive decision because I was not about to miss it.
Either way, it doesn’t prove that I was making a last minute move to exit. I was changing lanes at the same time as other cars and probably should have just switched lanes in front of the kid immediately instead of racing to avoid cutting him off. Then it wouldn’t have come to that mess.
Look at the frame shot at :18 the Nissan is on the right between the white car and semi.
I suspect you and the Nissan both tried to take the lane in front of the white car. You got the lane. You say you don’t always signal. It can be a tough situation passing on both sides of a car and both going to the lane in front of the passed car. You must be careful. And always signal.
With the exit coming up, you should have moved over behind the box truck that was behind the flatbed semi.
You chose to pass both the box truck and flat bed with your exit coming up. Instead, you should have moved over right at the beginning of your video. Behind the box truck. Looks like there was plenty of room.
You then crossed over a lane and two solid white lines in front of the white semi already exiting and had to brake hard in front of the truck. Semi trucks leave room in front of them for a reason. I’m sure that truck driver had some very choice words for you.
You asked. That’s what I see on the video.
I was going that fast because I didn’t want to cut the kid off and make him angry or force him to slam on his brakes. My intention was simply to move in front of the Chevy sedan and continue moving over into the next two lanes normally. Then as the Chevy moves out from in front of the angry kid, he speeds up to block me out. It turns into a race before I decide to let him pass to avoid cutting him off. Instead, he slows down next to me to express his displeasure with me even thinking about moving in front of him. Now my exit is up and I have to make a last minute move. I thought that was all obvious from the rear cam video. Judging from his actions when he enters the freeway, he’s not exactly a safe driver either.
It is only I who knows my own thoughts and intentions during that time. None of this had anything to do with getting in front of a truck I was not even aware of until my exit came up. I never even do that when driving. I go into any spot that is safe when I can, even if it’s behind a truck. I do not even think about cutting over exit lines just to save a few seconds.
Thank you for at least providing helpful input. I will review the video again to see if your point applies.
You’re right, it looks like there was plenty of room earlier, but it’s not like this guy isn’t wrong for making the situation worse by blocking me out.
No, you didn’t. In fact, you didn’t have to exit at all, and shouldn’t have. Once you missed the exit–that is, once you reached the point where you had to cross solid lines–you should have proceeded to the next exit. That would have been the case regardless of the traffic situation, but it’s especially true here, where you squeeze between the semi and a nearly stopped SUV.
Plan ahead better next time, and if you make a mistake–as we all do sometimes–take your lumps and go to the next exit.
You need to plan your driving moves better then.
If you planned better, it would not pass you by.
This is how accidents happen. If you can’t plan for your exit, and it ‘passes’ you by, you need to plan better or be prepared to take the next exit. You did not have to get into any open space you saw by cutting over solid white lines, and from what it looks like to me, cutting off the white semi.
This is also how accidents happen.
It pretty much does. See impulsive above.
You may or may not have pissed of the kid in the Nissan. Doesn’t really matter.
signaling is not “asking for permission” - its signaling your intentions - so that other drivers know what the fuck you are about to do.
If you don’t signal, how do you “warn” people???
Please - don’t ever drive near me - and I really wish this was in the pit.
I said I do not signal far ahead in advance. Please read carefully next time. I signal to warn others by signaling and then making my move quickly. I do not signal and wait for someone to let me in unless there is no room. If I signal and wait, people speed up.
The words ‘warn’ and ‘quickly’ does not really help your position. And it does not seem, at least in the video, that you have a very good plan when driving.
You must always be diligent, and expect others to do unexpected things. Umm…