Road Rage Uptick

[Koolau]

One of the many blessings of living in the land of Aloha is that we tend to have less road rage. Not that it doesn't exist. But road rage is culturally kapu (forbidden or taboo.) If you signal that you wish to change lanes, MOST people will let you in instead of closing up the space.

I notice the people driving with aloha are most typically kama'aina (people who live here.) It becomes a habit and a matter of expectation. Our traffic can be brutal, but for the most part, people try to co-exist on the roads.

 

[d.davis]

When driving in AZ I wait a few seconds while I check both directions after the light has turned green and before I cross the intersection. It’s not uncommon for people to blow through red lights up to 3 seconds after they get the red and I get the green.

If a large vehicle on my left blocks my view in that direction, when the light turns green I don't go until they go first.

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[audreyh1]

If a large vehicle on my left blocks my view in that direction, when the light turns green I don't go until they go first.

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Yep!

 

[Moparguy392]

Same here. I try to be courteous and not pull up to obstruct the view if I am the driver on the left, Others do as well but not often.

 

[braumeister]

Our county installed several roundabouts when they improved a road near our home (roundabouts are not common in our area).

I love roundabouts, and am always happy when I see new ones being built, but they have to be properly designed modern roundabouts. I think my main motivation is that I really hate sitting at red lights.

Roundabouts

Modern roundabouts are much smaller than older traffic circles — also known as rotaries — and require vehicles to negotiate a sharper curve to enter. As a result, travel speeds in roundabouts are slower than speeds in traffic circles.
...
While the initial construction cost of a roundabout varies site by site, its maintenance usually is cheaper than for intersections with signals.

Studies of intersections in the United States converted from traffic signals or stop signs to roundabouts have found reductions in injury crashes of 72-80 percent and reductions in all crashes of 35-47 percent.

 

[pacergal]

Ugh, I do not like roundabouts, at least the ones around here. Folks enter going much faster than posted, and once the line gets going, it is so hard to enter. All of the ones here have a "yield" sign before entering, but so many drivers just enter without looking!

 

[MuirWannabe]

To paraphrase Snoopy. I love roundabouts. It’s people I can’t stand.

They are highly efficient at moving traffic. Except when people get involved.

 

[H2ODude]

One of the stupidest ideas I ever saw was our transportation director promoted window stickers that said “Pace Car” with some explanation that they were driving the speed limit. Think it was on his window for about a month. Surprised he wasn’t shot. Our city LOVES speed limits that are ridiculously low for conditions. I tend to 10 mph over the limits and still feel like I’m crawling.

 

[aaronc879]

I love roundabouts, and am always happy when I see new ones being built, but they have to be properly designed modern roundabouts. I think my main motivation is that I really hate sitting at red lights.

Roundabouts can be worse than lights during busy times. At least with a red light you know you will be taking your turn in a minute or so. With a busy roundabout it can take a long time for there to be a gap that allows you to enter. When I went out during busy morning commute it would be common for roundabouts to have a several car long line and take 10+ minutes to get to my turn. A red light is never more than a couple minutes per cycle and never more than a couple cycles for me to get thru.

 

[braumeister]

Ugh, I do not like roundabouts, at least the ones around here. Folks enter going much faster than posted

A sign of a poorly designed roundabout. The entry angle should be close to 90 degrees, which will automatically slow traffic down.

 

[braumeister]

Roundabouts can be worse than lights during busy times.

No argument. They are certainly not appropriate in many cases.

 

[Walt34]

Our city LOVES speed limits that are ridiculously low for conditions. I tend to 10 mph over the limits and still feel like I’m crawling.

Maryland and to a lesser extent WV is like that. I've long sensed that they set the speed limits for the "lowest common denominator" driver, that of a 90-year-old driving a loaded cement mixer.

 

[Moparguy392]

 

[Beststash]

I think most of the people in Central Texas learned to drive on a tractor. As far as road rage I think the concealed carry without permit laws have made "shoot first" mentality more common instead of "duty to retreat" which results in the use deadly force for supposed self-defense as a first, rather than a last, resort.

 

[Car-Guy]

I think most of the people in Central Texas learned to drive on a tractor. As far as road rage I think the concealed carry without permit laws have made "shoot first" mentality more common instead of "duty to retreat" which results in the use deadly force for supposed self-defense as a first, rather than a last, resort.

I don't know it that's true but I wouldn't be surprised. Personally this is an area where I feel licensing is appropriate along with periodic proficiency testing. I'd even like to see some sort of psychology testing too for a license but that's a very slippery slope.

 

[Car-Guy]

A road rage conviction. It's from Yahoo news, but it still seems credible...

https://news.yahoo.com/road-rage-shooter-convicted-1st-203838030.html

 

[Spock]

Just today, as a pedestrian, I was crossing a busy intersection with the "walk" light in my favor. Someone in the right turn lane of the facing traffic kindly stopped so that I could cross. The guy in the third car back laid on his horn the entire time while I crossed.

Reminds me of:

 

[JoeWras]

Florida authorities looking for a road rager that took out a couple of heavy trucks. Really good dash cam footage of the situation in the article.

https://www.fox13news.com/news/flor...involving-dump-truck-tractor-trailers-on-i-75

Or should I put this in the "Uninsured Motorist in Florida" thread?

 

[Sunset]

Florida authorities looking for a road rager that took out a couple of heavy trucks. Really good dash cam footage of the situation in the article.

https://www.fox13news.com/news/flor...involving-dump-truck-tractor-trailers-on-i-75

Or should I put this in the "Uninsured Motorist in Florida" thread?

A couple of years ago, I saw this on 290 in Chicago area, some idiot passed a semi and cut in right in front of him, then pressed on his brakes.

First time I saw a brake check.

The semi, didn't have time to slow down and just bumped the car, and the two kept driving down the freeway. The car pulled over to a ramp, and the semi kept going down the freeway.

I sure hope the law is, that it's not the truck driver fault as there is no way to avoid that collision.

 

[ls99]

This morning some joker in a pickup Truck riding my bumper at 57 MPH, whith his High beams on following my car.
I continued steady at 57 which was the traffic flow. After a mile or so he zigged into the other lane. He gained a car length. Line of cars ahead in both lanes on Rte 30, double lane highway. Next five miles he was still one car ahead of me. Riding another car's bumper. He was sitting high enough to have seen the long line of traffic ahead.

 

[Amethyst]

Exactly what I recall my Dad saying in the 1960's.

Driving is no longer enjoyable due to all the nut jobs on the road.

 

[timeismine]

I just read in some article that throwing an object out of a car at another car is a serious crime. I think it was where the two guys shot each other's daughters sitting in their respective cars during a road rage situation. The guy who threw the object was charged with assault or somethine like that, and the other guy was OK with a Stand Your Ground case (I think).

Moral: get the plate number, and call 911 for a assault with intent to kill , or something like that.

 

[d.davis]

Family friend was riding with his permitted son who was building experience. Seeing the light a couple hundred yards ahead go red, the kid got off the gas to coast. The driver behind couldn't tolerate not accelerating toward stopped traffic so he passed to the right and laid on his horn as he swerved back into the lane prior to clearing. The road rager was expecting his victim to hammer the brakes but no such luck with a kid with limited experience. The rager's actions made no sense to the kid. Contact with sheet metal damage to both vehicles. If the kid would have hit the gas it would have looked like a pit maneuver. The rager lied through his teeth about what happened. He said, she said.
The officer handling the report asked my friend if he had a dash cam. Nope.

Moral of the story, dash cams are less than 50 bucks.

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[Koolau]

I've mentioned that we are adding bike lanes to as many roads as we can get Federal funds for. I've also mentioned that bike lanes don't get used much. But, they have added to traffic anxiety because now where there used to be (say) 6 lanes, there are only 5. We've been having a real rash of accidents on these curtailed roadways lately - many are hit and run to make it worse. I don't have data to suggest the reason is the addition of bike lanes, but it wouldn't surprise me. And, next to freeways, I see the most road rage (and driving without Aloha) on the curtailed-lane streets. Anecdotal - you betcha. Make sense - you betcha.

By the way, I'm not a big fan of roundabouts but they do w*rk when properly designed AND properly used - two fairly difficult conditions to find for the most part. YMMV

 

[JoeWras]

Family friend was riding with his permitted son who was building experience. Seeing the light a couple hundred yards ahead go red, the kid got off the gas to coast. The driver behind couldn't tolerate not accelerating toward stopped traffic so he passed to the right and laid on his horn as he swerved back into the lane prior to clearing. The road rager was expecting his victim to hammer the brakes but no such luck with a kid with limited experience. The rager's actions made no sense to the kid. Contact with sheet metal damage to both vehicles. If the kid would have hit the gas it would have looked like a pit maneuver. The rager lied through his teeth about what happened. He said, she said.
The officer handling the report asked my friend if he had a dash cam. Nope.

Moral of the story, dash cams are less than 50 bucks.

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This happens to me very often -- minus the "Contact with sheet metal*". I like to coast it to lights, and sometimes, uphill, I can get it down to zero right at the light.

This does not please people behind me. They apparently are love with "Contact of brake linings on steel rotors." Gotta generate the heat, baby. Hit those brakes hard!

I have a dashcam in one car. I think I may invest for one in my new used car.

* - BTW, probably plastic to plastic these days.