Road Rage

[Dray]

I have a lot to say about this topic.  When I drive with the PU people seem ok and understanding but there's always someone who tries to push.  I try to not let this get to me and just pull over.

But I don't want to just start this thread for driving when towing a trailer.  Anyone who has a gripe about driving let's hear it.

One of the things that bothers me most are the cutters.  People who use the off ramps or right turn lanes to pass traffic.

I think the way people drive in a given area says a lot about a community.  I'm a planner by trade (transportation and city planning).  I believe the way cities are designed along with their transportation systems are a big reason for road rage.  People have to drive farther and farther in more and more crowded conditions.  This leads to frustration because people are constantly late.  Frustration leads to anger.

[wavery]

I think that we live in an age of constantly intensifying "Instant self-gratification". This is evidenced by the amount of debt and lack of savings. It is also evidenced by people's increasing emphasis on "Self importance" in their driving.

I think that some of this mentality is stimulated by video games. When a person is playing a video game, it is all about that person vs. the rest of the world (game world). The really bad thing is that the rest of the world has not value and often must be eliminated to proceed with the game. The intensity and time that is involved in this type of thinking permeates a person's life. A lot of young people spend 8+ hours per day involved in this "mode" it is only reasonable to think that it would continue on into their normal, everyday behavior.

The other side of the coin is the person behind the wheel that feels that they have some responsibility to correct offensive driving behavior. This is where the road rage comes in.

I highly recommend that each person be responsible for his/her driving and not be concerned about other's driving habits. It will only irritate a person if that person allows it. The trick is to be strong enough to not allow other people to control your feelings. It's not an easy thing to do but in this day & age, it could make the difference between life & death.

NOW...................having said all that.............my pet peeve is people passing on the right and cutting in. In my mind, that is the ultimate in flagrant self-importance. I have a habit of refusing to let those people cut in.

I am working on my annoyance of this behavior and I have come to the realization that these people are determining the way that I feel. I am trying to refuse to let these people control me.....but it's hard.

[dademt]

I couldn't agree with you more.  The last trip I had someone try to get past me in bumper to bumper traffic on the shoulder.  I nicely introduced him to the dividing wall (very low speed 2-3 mph).  Of course while we were both sitting there, he told me I was his number one fan.  As an EMT I can tell you that so many accidents are caused by people doing stupid stuff like that or not paying attention.

[AustinBoston]

The other side of the coin is the person behind the wheel that feels that they have some responsibility to correct offensive driving behavior. This is where the road rage comes in.

I highly recommend that each person be responsible for his/her driving and not be concerned about other's driving habits. It will only irritate a person if that person allows it. The trick is to be strong enough to not allow other people to control your feelings. It's not an easy thing to do but in this day & age, it could make the difference between life & death.

I have told each of my kids - repeatedly - "You are not responsible for enforcing traffic laws or customs."

Around here, a lot of what people perceive as being illegal is not, it really just not traditional.  For example, I'd bet 20% of the drivers in Minnesota think it is illegal to drive to the end of an ending lane before merging.  Only about 5% of drivers do so, but another 5% will attempt to block the lane by straddling the line to prevent those using the entire length of the lane from doing so - which is illegal.  Without realizing it, they break the law in an attempt to self-enforce a law that does not exist!

Long story:

I was a passenger with my brother once about 20 years ago when we encountered road rage face-to-face.  We were in the left-most lane of an interstate, taking a left exit (a two lane ramp) onto another interstate.  The ramp went through a rock cut and didn't have the best visibility.  The posted speed limit (white sign, so it's a legal limit) on this ramp was 50, and we were probably going about 10 over, approximate traffic speed.

My brother pointed out that the car behind us had no headlights (it was daytime - it meant he was tailgating to the extreme).  I looked, and could see the guy's face; he looked angry.  My brother thought that if we were going to be that close, we should at least wave, and maybe introduce ourselves, so he did so (5-fingers).  No change.  So he two-footed the brake & accelerator (no speed change, but the brake lights come on).  About that time, we completed the merge with the other interstate, and this fine gentleman decides to pass us on the right.  Except he doesn't pass, he paces us.

I noticed that no part of his car was not dented.  Bad sign.  He rolled down his window, put out his head (yes, he stuck his head out the window of a car going over 65 MPH in the center lane of an interstate).  His face was red, and I could see the blood vessels popping out of his forehead.  At the top of his lungs, he hollers "Do you want to talk about it?  Do you want to %*@#'ing pull over and talk about it?"  

He repeated this several times as though he thought we could not hear him.  We pretended to completely ignore him.

My brain was going a thousand miles a minute.  Is he armed (with anything besides the deadly weapon of a car)?  Is he on speed or something?  Does he really want to talk?  (Oh, of course he just wants to talk...)  Does he realize there are two of us and only one of him?  Do I really want to get in a scrape with a guy that gets this riled about defending his "right to tailgate?"  

After about 20 seconds, he gave up, but not before he left us with a parting shot...he hocked a lunger out the window at us.  In a bit of poetic justice, the slipstream blew it back on his car.  Then he was gone, weaving through traffic at speeds that I would have estimated were close to 100 MPH at times.

I said to my brother "I hope he's not going home to a wife and kids like that."

Austin

[Miller Tyme]

What do you expect out a "Me" generation? In the last 2 weeks, I've almost broadsided 2 vehicles who ran red lights, and I got the attitude that I was in the way of their mad dash to work......:mad:
 
 
 
 Quick story...about 3 years ago, we were caravanning back from a cg. Leading was a 5th wheel, then a travel trailer, then 3 pop-ups. I was tailing last. Some clown comes roaring up behind me(couldn't see his headlights, he was so close), plays peek-a-boo for about 2 miles, thens hammers it. He managed to pass ALL of us and disappears into the distance, but not before "saluting" all of us individually.:swear:
 
 About 10 minutes later, we all slowed down to avoid a deer in the middle of the road, which had just been hit by....yep, Mr. Road Rage. His nice shiny Beretta was sitting in a ditch, with most of the front clip demolished.
 
 We all gave a toot of the horn and our own "salutes" as we passed him, walking down the road to the nearest phone......

[Dray]

Excellent stories.  I have a good one too.  

One time I was being tailgated.  I did the right thing and moved over one lane to the right.  The person then sped up to the next car, which happened to be a city police.  To my dismay she started tailgating the police!  This didn't last for too long before the police moved over, let her pass, got behind and pulled her over!  Yes.

[cmack98]

This happened to us the night we actually bought our pop up, the first time taking it home!

I have driven with a motorcyle trailer on the back of my car before, so a pop up was a new thing, so I wanted to be cautious.

When I went to look at the pop up (1.5 hrs away from home) I installed the trailer wiring myself.  When we checked out the camper, we realized we wanted it.  Plugged the camper in, and realized none of the lights worked (my fault, I didn't do quite a good job on the wiring).  So we left without the camper, and decided to come back next week.  It wasn't the most convenient, but the safest alternative because this camper had electric brakes and all, and even with my wiring, I didn't prepare for that.

So on that monday I dropped off the van for them to wire it correctly and add a brake controller.

Fast forward to picking up the camper.  We plug it in, and here one tail light isnt out (but it works when the guy plugs it into his car).  Whatever, its getting dark, I want to get outta there and head home ASAP.  We will just be cautious, take te PA turnpike to Jersey Turnpike and head home that way.  Two straight roads, with 2-3 lanes each way, I can go in the "slow lane" and things will be fine.

Halfway home we come up to a section with merging traffic.  Nobody is behind me for a little while and nobody is on either side of me.  There seems to be like 4-5 cars in a row ready to merge, so I pull into the "fast lane".  Out of nowhere, this blazer comes and does that disappearing headlight trick, that's how close he was.

Now here I am with a wife who is nervous about pulling a trailer for the first time, two twin 15 month old boys in their carseats (just them in the car make driving a nervous venture anyway) and now this guy who is in a huge rush.

By this time I have the first car of the merging group next to me....and he is now just about up to speed.  So we are going about 10-15 mph faster than what we were doing before, and this guy next to me is keeping pace with us....great.

The guy behind is honking, flashing, peek a boo, everything.  We are just staying calm, just letting this run its course.  Once we feel we can safely pass, with what we think is adequate room to pull back over, we will.  We are just trying to stay calm, relax, and get out of this guys way.

Well, apparantly we had adequate room to pull over, because that blazer shot into the left lane.  Then proceeds to cut us off by sharply pulling over into the right hand lane, and then SLAMMING on his brakes.  We went from 65-70mph to like 40 mph in the matter of seconds.  Now I am no like 3 inches from his bumper (not by my choice).   My wife is in tears, screaming how we have babies and this big trailer, etc...I am very shaken up because this was downright scary.  I keep saying out loud, you see a van pulling a large pop up trailer, why would you do such a thing?

I am a manufacturer representative, and with my job I drive on average 300 miles a week all over S. Jersey and I have never seen anything this bad.  Let alone to a family in a mini van pulling a trailer.

We haven't been out in the camper since we bought it in April yet, but since that time I have replaced both tires, replaced and repacked the bearings, went and found out what was wrong with the tailings (just have to jiggle the connection to get a good connection), and properly adjusted the electronic brake controller.  So I do feel better about towing the trailer...

However that maiden voyage home is something I will probably never forget anytime soon....

[chasd60]

I believe the way cities are designed along with their transportation systems are a big reason for road rage. People have to drive farther and farther in more and more crowded conditions. This leads to frustration because people are constantly late. Frustration leads to anger.

Most of the highways were built for X number of cars and now 3X travel them.
When I got my license, the rule was 1 car length between cars for every 10 mph. Now that 6 car gap at 60 mph would be filled by 4 cars instantly. Leaving room for safety gets eaten by others that don't care.
Not sure if there is such a thing as a safe driving distance taught in drivers education anymore?

[AustinBoston]

Not sure if there is such a thing as a safe driving distance taught in drivers education anymore?

There certanly is - and it is safer than "one car lenght per 10 MPH."  It is the two-second rule.  The problem with it is what you stated - not enough road capacity for the number of vehicles.  

That and a particular aspect of human nature to gradually ignore "safety" issues when there is no *percieved* danger:

[INDENT]If I don't see the accident happening, it won't.  If I get away with it, then it was OK.  I can do it again.  If I do it enough, then I can take even greater chances - it's no big deal.[/INDENT]

Now nobody conciously thinks this way, but it is human nature to let our subconcious minds tell us these lies.  Gradually, one car length becomes percieved as safe at any speed, no matter what we are taught.  Many who drive that way would swear they don't, because the change has been so gradual.  

Most of us come to a stopping point - a place where even our subconcious mind says "that's far enough," but a few never stop, to the point of not recognizing the serious hazard they have become.  Even they would swear they don't have a problem.  And a few go far enough to get angry at those of us who do draw a line for ourselves, and inconvenience them because we do.

I like my brother's tongue-in-cheek philosophy: "Anybody going faster than me is a maniac, and anybody going slower is a menace."  :yikes:

Austin

[fallsrider]

There certainly is - and it is safer than "one car length per 10 MPH."  It is the two-second rule.  

The two-second rule is what I was taught in driver's ed 28 years ago. It works at every road speed.

Another thing my instructor taught us when being followed too closely was to gradually slow down (never tap the brakes). That accomplishes two things: 1) it forces the offender to pass you and get away from you, and 2) if they don't or can't, it gets your speed down to minimize damage and injury should an accident occur.

To this day, I enjoy using that. It is actually fun and gratifying to just ever-so-slowly reduce your speed to maybe 10 mph below the speed limit. You won't have to do it long. The person behind you WILL pass you just as soon as they are able. And if they don't and an accident were to occur, it is far better at 50 mph than 60 mph. Every 1 mph less that an accident occurs at makes a big difference in potential damage.

[AustinBoston]

The two-second rule is what I was taught in driver's ed 28 years ago. It works at every road speed.

The law in Minnesota now is a 3-second rule.  I think it is silly, not because it is more than necessary, but because the issue isn't how much is safe, it's what people actually do.  Most will admit to not following even a one-second rule, and I routinely see people following at 1/4 second even when there's plenty of open lane space.

How about enforcing the 2-second rule rather than making a 3-second rule?  Oh, yes, that means more police...and $$$.  Need that for the new rec. center in my district...

Austin

[dthurk]

Well, apparantly we had adequate room to pull over, because that blazer shot into the left lane.  Then proceeds to cut us off by sharply pulling over into the right hand lane, and then SLAMMING on his brakes.  We went from 65-70mph to like 40 mph in the matter of seconds.  Now I am no like 3 inches from his bumper (not by my choice).   My wife is in tears, screaming how we have babies and this big trailer, etc...I am very shaken up because this was downright scary.  I keep saying out loud, you see a van pulling a large pop up trailer, why would you do such a thing?
 

In a situation like this, I would probably grab my cellphone, call 911 and report the drivers actions, vehicle description, license plate number, highway number, milepost number and direction of travel.  The call will be dispatched to the police and they will do a look-see.  If they see anything, they will stop them.  At the very least, reporting the other driver should help calm you down, and it's possible the other driver will be ticketed for some offense.

[GeneF]

I guess I have a problem with all those vehicles out there that either have broken turn signals or are not equipped with them.

As a kid, I was taught how to use hand signals while driving.  I wonder if this practice needs to be revived.

[dthurk]

I guess I have a problem with all those vehicles out there that either have broken turn signals or are not equipped with them.
 
 As a kid, I was taught how to use hand signals while driving.  I wonder if this practice needs to be revived.

Saw a bumper sticker somewhere, went something like:

"If you can't operate your turn signal, what makes you think you can operate the rest of your vehicle?"

I liked that one!

[AustinBoston]

Saw a bumper sticker somewhere, went something like:

"If you can't operate your turn signal, what makes you think you can operate the rest of your vehicle?"

I liked that one!

At first, I liked this, but it asumes that the ones who can't operate the turn signal can read...

Austin