Road Rage!

[mountainsoft]

Quote:

Originally Posted by ponyboy pfftt...you must live in some small town where things like this never happen. Really, the only thing you could have done in that situation is put your turn signal on to get over in the right lane, slowly decelerate and get over...if it scared you that much.

Nope, Vancouver near Portland, Oregon. I'm used to aggressive and careless drivers, though admittedly I've been out of the daily commutes for quite a few years. We were out at what I jokingly call "Senior Hour" around here, between 9:00am and 11:00am when most of the seniors and country folk come to town for groceries and other errands. That time of day most people are poking along anyway.

There really wasn't much I could do. It all happened so fast and I was boxed in. The truck probably wouldn't have seen my blinker that close even if I had the time and mindset to turn it on.

I really don't care if some idiot wants to go around me in an illegal manner. But at least get in FRONT of me before you start coming back over. Same thing annoys me out on the interstate when people change lanes and come over right in front of my car with no space at all. Would it hurt to leave a little space. Sheesh.

My wife's car was totaled in November when someone pulled out in front of her, and we just got the last of that mess straightened out. So I'm a probably a little extra cautious now.

For what it's worth, the horn in my previous car never worked, and I've never honked my horn since I bought this car so it took me a minute to figure out where the button was.

[CardsFan]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Amethyst 3. Generally the best thing to do, in cases of aggressive driving, is to act humble and let the aggressor have his/her way. Easier said than done, but survival comes before pride.

I have found myself getting more "accepting" of this activity. So I agree with you humble comment. Too many stories of road rage gone really bad, and I just don't want to get involved. DW gets mad if I don't lay on the horn when this happens. " they need to know what they did wrong". Yes dear, they know exactly what they did wrong, they just don't care, and they will do it again.

[brewer12345]

You should always back off, try to disengage, and deescalate these situations. There is nothing to be gained by playing the game these nuts want to start.

I don't see a lot of it because I don't drive that much and I avoid the main roads. I am also a pretty mellow driver. Failing all of that, I drive a 5500 pound vehicle and will turn it into a wrecking ball if cornered and threatened.

[Ready-4-ER-at-14]

I took an AARP driving course and we were told to leave a three second stopping gap between us and the car ahead of us. Both for stopping reaction time and dealing with aggressive drivers. I'm in Chicago and people doing a lot more than the posted limit is common even near speed cameras.

Yes I get passed but the nice thing is the guy (or woman in SUV it seems : ) ) is now tail gating the car ahead of me me and I leave enough space so the next person in a hurry can now tail gate them. Ain't karma a beach? lol

[savory]

Quote:

Originally Posted by ponyboy Its true that more people are on mind altering substances, but I dont believe that contributes to more road rage. Best way it was described to me...take a scale from 1 to 10...1 being calm, 10 is berserk mode. When you drive, whether you realize it or not...your senses are waaaay heightened. Its happening subconsciously...so you're already operating at a 4 or 5 without your knowledge (assuming your day at work didnt suck, then you're already amped up.) You're operating a multi ton vehicle at high rates of speed. All it takes is for someone to cut another person off, tailgate, etc etc. That 4 or 5 that everyone operates at now jumps to 7 or 8. Now when the other person retaliates and brake checks, screams, throws stuff out the window...add another point. When it gets to 10...people use their vehicles as bumper cars, guns are pulled, etc etc...ugly stuff. Think about it a different way. If you're on a sidewalk somewhere busy...people are constantly cutting in front of you, bumping you, inches from walking behind you. People stop right in the middle of where everyone walks and starts talking to friends, looking at their phone trying to figure out where to go, etc etc. When is the last time you saw someone get cut off while walking on a sidewalk...then the other person got in their face, started screaming, flicked them off, yelled mother Fer at them, etc etc. Our senses arent at a heightened state while walking at slow speeds on a sidewalk so people rarely ever rage.

This does not reflect the road rage I sometimes encounter. DW and I were bicycling on a 35 MPH road on a Sunday. The only road in our rural county that goes the 7 miles or so to the neighboring town. It is part of a desgnated bicycle route. The highway is literally right next to the rural road. Most motorists take the freeway. Consequently, there is not much traffic on this county road.

A pick-up truck is unencumbered even by other motorists and going in the opposite direction of our bike ride. He yells out his window, "get the F off the road". That type of behavior is not unusual when biking. So life tensions, drugs or other things might be trigger points. But at times, it seems anything triggers people, even things that have no impact on this angry person.

[mystang52]

OP: I'm confused about one thing. When the driver cut in front of you, did he actually hit your front end? If yes, then clearly this should have been reported to police.
Suggestion for everyone: Late 2017 a driver ran a stop sign while making left turn...into my car's front end. I was lucky in that he admitted fault to the police officer and had insurance. But I immediately went out and bought dash cams for my [replacement] car and DW's car.

[CaptTom]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Ready-4-ER-at-14 I took an AARP driving course and we were told to leave a three second stopping gap between us and the car ahead of us.

That got a good laugh.

If you leave three seconds between you and the car in front of you on Route 128 around Boston, there will be 14 other cars in that space before you can blink.

You'd basically be stopped in the road, and you'd never be able to rejoin the flow, because there's never room to merge in from a dead stop.

[Amethyst]

Driving north (home) from the Pentagon in D.C. traffic, I was lucky to have 3 inches between me and any car ahead (or behind) me. There literally was no interval small enough to keep someone from trying to merge into it. I used to wish I had spurs on my wheels, like Roman gladiators' chariots.

Quote:

Originally Posted by CaptTom That got a good laugh. If you leave three seconds between you and the car in front of you on Route 128 around Boston, there will be 14 other cars in that space before you can blink. You'd basically be stopped in the road, and you'd never be able to rejoin the flow, because there's never room to merge in from a dead stop.

[mountainsoft]

Quote:

Originally Posted by mystang52 OP: I'm confused about one thing. When the driver cut in front of you, did he actually hit your front end?

There was no contact with my car, but only because I stomped on the brakes and swerved into the other lane (thankfully I didn't hit the car in the right lane). If I had maintained my speed and position the truck most certainly would have hit my car.

[Scrapr]

I try to anticipate what the other drivers are going to do and pre react accordingly. Smith Systems driving...Leave yourself an out. You did the right thing in slowing down. I don't think I would have moved over...but that is a reaction and you never know. Your "out" was to slow down.

I got in a fender bender about 5-6 weeks ago. Other drivers fault entirely...I was stopped. Luckily he admitted fault & had insurance. If he had tried to claim mutual responsibility I might have been in a tough spot. Car got out of the body shop last week. I'm putting a dash cam in next. Front & rear.

I try to drive with a zen mode for last couple years. The road over to Bend has only a few passing areas. I try to use them. If someone is tailgating I will pull over & let them pass. And just be zen about it

[Winemaker]

If you are being harassed while in a car by a road rage, have your cell phone on video, and video everything. Or just hold up your phone and fake it, people tend improve their behaviors when recorded.

[Pellice]

Quote:

Originally Posted by CaptTom That got a good laugh. If you leave three seconds between you and the car in front of you on Route 128 around Boston, there will be 14 other cars in that space before you can blink. You'd basically be stopped in the road, and you'd never be able to rejoin the flow, because there's never room to merge in from a dead stop.

That is probably true in the worst places, but less so in others. I was taught the "1 car length per 10 mph," which I find easier to follow, and, here in congested NJ, yes, people do cut in front of me, but not 14, nor 10. Maybe 2 or 3. In general, it is much more tolerable than riding someone's bumper, which I find terrifying and stressful.

I once asked a friend whether he felt any tension as they were driving so closely to the car in front. He responded "no, not anxious at all." I was astounded. How do people not feel anxiety in this situation?

I use a variety of mind tricks. I compare my brake taps to those of the car in front of me - usually it's a 5 to 1 difference in my favor. (My garage told me my brakes had virtually no wear). I watch my mileage meter keep me at a high mpg. I once read an article that told angry and annoyed drivers to substitute other goals for "making good time" and to remind themselves that, as the superior drivers, they have to control the smooth flow.

I tell myself that I'm driving for both myself and the other driver. I used to compare my lack of anxiety to what I imagined the tail-gaters were feeling, but I'm no longer sure they feel anxiety :-)

And finally, there's the stoicism of Marcus Aurelius, who told himself every day that he would meet with stupid people doing nasty things, but he also owned his share.

** One thing I regret no longer being able to deploy is a Star Trek sound effects keychain that, when a button was pressed (quietly) fired phasers or photon torpedoes at an offending vehicle. It stopped working ...

[Mykle57]

Two words: Dash camera.

Not only does it record bad behavior of other drivers, it has the added benefit of keeping yourself in-check as your actions are being recorded as well. Worth the $79.

Who knows you might just record that next viral YouTube video too!

[CaptTom]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Pellice I use a variety of mind tricks. I compare my brake taps to those of the car in front of me - usually it's a 5 to 1 difference in my favor. (My garage told me my brakes had virtually no wear). I watch my mileage meter keep me at a high mpg. I once read an article that told angry and annoyed drivers to substitute other goals for "making good time" and to remind themselves that, as the superior drivers, they have to control the smooth flow. I tell myself that I'm driving for both myself and the other driver. I used to compare my lack of anxiety to what I imagined the tail-gaters were feeling, but I'm no longer sure they feel anxiety :-)

All good tips. I tell people I usually know what the other drivers are going to do before they do. It's all about situational awareness. Focus on driving. Like the pilots say, the three most important things you should be doing, one, two and three, are each "fly the plane."

We get the summer people up here from NY and MA. You can really tell the difference between their style and the natives. They'll tailgate even when there's no other traffic, just out of habit. They'll spring from a stop sign or red light and cut you off, even when there's no one behind you, then go slower than you were going before slamming on your brakes for them. It's just habit. So, no, they don't feel anxiety. They're used to it.

I can drive like that too. You have to when you're on their roads. But how stupid do you have to be to not adjust your driving to meet the local conditions?

[igsoy]

There was a road rage murder in Colorado, the guy chased a family down. A mom was taking her 3 kids to the dentist, the guy got out with a gun and shot everyone except one kid who was able to run away. The guy started walking away and then came back and shot again at one of the victims laying on the ground.

It's not worth that little honk as you are driving away, you never know who you might be up against.

[Spock]

Unless actual contact is made, don't bother memorizing plate numbers. Cops won't do anything unless they see it happen themselves... around here even multiple witnesses does not matter. Dunno what they would do with a dash cam video...

[COZICAN]

I recently bought a dash cam (Garmin 55). I really like it. It records a constant loop, will save video 1 minute before to 1 minute after any impact (its on a SD card). Or you can speak "OK Garmin take a picture or OK Garmin save video. Many other features but that's the jest.

[eytonxav]

These tailgaters that think they are in an NASCAR race are probably my number one pet peeve when driving and it is almost a daily occurance. I think to myself what can possibly be going through someone's mind to drive like that, especially considering I am not slow poking along. I do brake for people, animals and debris in the road and how these clowns endanger me, my passengers and others on the road is disturbing. Unfortunately, I have never observed folks ever getting pulled over for this type of driving. It does have me considering putting both front and rear facing video cameras in the car to catch these idiots if they do cause an accident.

[Alvin Tostig]

You'll love this one. When I was about 19 or 20, i was a passenger in one of my best friend's car (Brooklyn, NY). We get to a stop sign, and the car behind us, pushes against the rear bumper of our car, and accelerates a bit, trying to actually push us through the stop sign. So, my friend leaps out of the car, and yells 'what are you doing"?

As I'm about to get out to join in the conversation, the other guy get out, (probably around 25 years old), big tough guy and pulls out a gun and says something to the effect to my friend - "just go back in your car and get lost", which we did.

So now, we decide to calm down after this and go to this local neighborhood pub and get some a tap beer (25 cents at that time and you could drink at 18 years old). Sure enough, probably around 30 minutes passed, we are now calm, and who comes into the bar? - the other guy who pulled a gun on us!!

He recognized my friend, walks over to us, and says "hey guys, I'm really sorry, I just had a fight with my girlfriend, and was kind of in a bad mood". "Bartender, you see those two guys over there - put their drinks on my bill".

[MRG]

Quote:

Originally Posted by DFW_M5 These tailgaters that think they are in an NASCAR race are probably my number one pet peeve when driving and it is almost a daily occurance. I think to myself what can possibly be going through someone's mind to drive like that, especially considering I am not slow poking along. I do brake for people, animals and debris in the road and how these clowns endanger me, my passengers and others on the road is disturbing. Unfortunately, I have never observed folks ever getting pulled over for this type of driving. It does have me considering putting both front and rear facing video cameras in the car to catch these idiots if they do cause an accident.

I've been hit 3 times by people who were not paying attention while driving. The last was on her cell and didn't realize all of I70 stopped, hit me. Lady gave me attitude as I was talking to OnStar and didn't check on her condition! WTF I'm getting first responders to assist her, I don't need a tow truck. Totaled her vehicle, my truck needed a bumper. I was in pain for 5 years after the accident

Another person couldn't stop on ice, she managed to find the only other vehicle on the road, mine, and rear ended me. There were 5 lanes of traffic and she hit me. Again my truck needed a bumper and her vehicle was totaled.