I think this is when you should be using your hazards. This way the majority of people will know there's something wrong with your vehicle. Edit: Eh..who bumped up a 6 year old thread. I had a guy cut in front of me in a line at Target once. At first I didn't let him, because I was there first. After 10 seconds I changed my mind and told him he could have it. At that point he sort of backed off and changed his mind, but took it anyways after I insisted a couple of times. After the ordeal, he had a very confused look on his face on what transpired.
What puzzles me is the random act of road rage when you're not even involve somehow. I mean is this turning into a Spaghetti Western film? I'm a very peaceful person, but to threaten to blow someone's head off for no reason, I'm better off just riding a horse. I don't own a gun nor ever will.
Wow. Our "correctional facilities" sure do prepare people for life in the real world, eh? Maybe the dude who confronted me about a month ago was similarly prepared for society. SF is horrid for its four-way stops, which are basically battle arenas. Will you dare to take your turn? Will you just run the stop sign or coattail on the dude in front of you? And what about all those peds and bicyclists? It's just awful. Anway, I do my usual old-man-style stop and wait my turn. As I'm about to go, a motorcycle zooms past traffic (perpendicular to me), weaves between two peds in his crosswalk there, but I'm thinking, "no, I'm going to just take my turn," and I do. Well this sets the dude off, and he starts following me revving his lame fart-cycle and flashing his headlamp at me. Whatever. I ignore him. But after a couple of blocks of his asshattery, he pulls up alongside my driver's side window and starts pounding on the glass with his fist. So I'm thinking: (a) okay, I am mad now, and I could fight this dude, but he is crazy, he's wearing a helmet and road gear, while I'm in a T-shirt. (b) I could knock his ass over with my door and try to get out of there, but I'm in stop and go traffic, (c) try to reason with him, (d) ignore him and maybe he won't break the glass, or (e) try to calm him down. I tried (e). "What?" I mouth through the window. "Are you okay?" "You've gotta look for bikes! You have to ****ing see us! You almost hit me!" Me just with a quizzical look. "SAY YOU'RE SORRY!" he starts yelling and he hits my window again. "I'm so sorry!" I say, and under my breath to my dog. "that you're off your meds." He says "GOOD!" and with his righteous mission accomplished he speeds off (at a totally unsafe speed for a busy city block.) Local peds were all looking like WTF and they look at me and I give the LOLIDUNNO shrug and shake my head, give the "loco" finger twirl and they all nod. Anyway, I don't now look more closely for bikes than I did before, but I do treat them like they could all be ridden by mental patients. (Or maybe ex cons).
One time this fool in a red truck got on the freeway (East Freeway going west) and proceeded to go all the way to the middle where I was and drive 55 when I was going 65. Guy could have just easily stayed where he was and let me pass. The fact that he moved over in a hurry pissed me off even more like he was trying to get in my lane and didn't want me to pass him first. I sped up and went around him and gave the finger. He then speeds up and both him and his friend give me the finger and start laughing. Then they speed in front and brake check me. I get pissed and do the same. Then we both exit, with me in front. On the exit ramp, I brake check again something fierce which makes him swerve to the right. He then speeds and follows me as I'm about to get on the freeway. I position my car to where he thinks I'll get on normally, but instead I acted like I was going straight. So he assumed that he turned hos car to get on the freeway. Instead he hit my back tire and started losing control of his old ass truck as I safely got on the freeway and didn't lose control. This happened when I was 19 and was my last incident. Now I just curse out in my head or give them the head shake of shame. Another time was when I was living in DFW. Someone was trying to be super nice and let someone in front of them in line....on our green light. It took so long that I finally started turning my wheel to the right to go around and the person finally jumped in front and made the light. The car that was trying to let them in and myself did not. The hipster kid proceeded to turn around and shake his finger Dikembe style and his girl in the front seat shook her head. I then open my car door and just stand up staring and he doesnt turn back. As soon as the light turned green I honked hard and he left as soon as the light turned green.
One time I was on I-10 and silber heading east in the fast lane going about 80 and this guy comes racing up behind me and gets literally right on my ass and stays there. Now I don't normally feel like I need to dictate how fast someone goes as I was myself above the speed limit, but I had nowhere to go to get out of his way as their was a decent amount of moving traffic. So I gave the brake tap. He must have panicked because he swerves and I see his car scrape the side of the barricade and come back toward the lane. He rights himself and starts speeding up to catch me and then all of a sudden I see his car disappearing in the rear view as he's pulling over. Must have done some **** to his car. Well deserved I think.
You know the weird thing about road rage is the illusion of speed/time. Most incidents at the worst cost you a few seconds or a minute. I used to speed all the time. It felt like I was really getting somewhere fast. But going 80 instead of 65 to get to Mawmaw's house only gets you there 30 minutes quicker and that usually is 30 minutes more you just can't wait to leave.
I was heading to work one early Saturday morning from Valencia, California, heading west on Lyons to get on the 5. I was in the far right lane and some dude exits a gas station across the street and cuts across all four lanes and almost hits my truck. I hit the brakes, went around him, and made the mistake of flipping him off. I left him behind and wound up at a red light before the freeway onramp. Suddenly he came sliding past me on my left going the wrong way, winding up in the intersection, with his car spun around facing me. He gets out of his car and I hit the gas and run the red light, getting on the 5 south thinking he wouldn't follow me. The next thing I know, I hear someone laying on the horn and he's behind me real close. I could see him in my mirror, looking crazy and yelling inside his car. I sped up and tried to avoid him, getting other cars in between us, but he kept coming. At one point I looked in the mirror and he was standing up out of the sunroof, steering with his foot, and gesturing wildly, pounding his chest, etc. The guy was totally unhinged and I was pretty scared, wishing a CHP were around. He chased me over the Newhall Pass all the way to the 118. At that point I tricked him into following me towards the 118 east and at the last second, I swerved back to stay on the 5 and lost him.
these people may be trying to rush to the hospital or some other emergency. taking action like this makes you the aggressive drivers, assholes.
Why do you do this though? When you are shot multiple times will you understand the karmic resolution?
Tapping on your brakes when someone is tailgating is not a smart move. They are apparently in an aggressive position, you do not know their driving capabilities. Puts you in a bad position by hitting your brakes. Don't try playing traffic cop, because aggressive behavior is best left alone. Just get out of the way and be a defensive driver. I drive ten thousand miles a month and see all types of drivers, stay in the flow of traffic and don't cut off other drivers.
This **** is everyday. 90 percent of drivers in houston haven't ever heard of a brake and would just as soon run you over than stop. Houston Tx has absolutely the worst drivers in the entire country, bar none. I'm seriously worried that I'm going to get into an accident when some idiot does some stupid maneuver at 85 miles an hour.
I know it's bad, and I'm sure it's frustrating, but it's not even in the top ten according to surveys and accident reports. Mass. is the worst by far. http://www.bostonglobe.com/business/2014/08/26/breaking-news-massachusetts-drivers-among-worst/ojLuqYijzg9ncNXSWo9BhK/story.html I think our entire culture is just getting more rude, for whatever reason.
Worst drivers in Houston are in the Southwest. I absolutely hate driving around there, especially on Bissonnett or Bellaire.
The saying "no ****s are given" was invented in Southwest Houston. So much dumb stuff I have seen there. Like driving intro Bissonnett and blocking two lanes of the road instead of using the left turn lane. This isn't Africa, or China SW, or whatever other country people. OTOH, best drivers are in the Clear Lake area (more calm and relaxed..chill area) or West Houston. They may speed like maniacs in the west, but they are cautious because they don't want to mess up that new beamer or Range Rover.
