This may seem or sound like a bit of a rant but it is actual things that have happened in the last 15 days or so while driving is a safe and sane manner.

1. Wife and I going to local bank, 4 lane road, in left lane of our two lanes, nobody within a mile in either direction except for car just behind and off my right rear quarter. All of sudden the car speeds up, zips in front of us, forcing me to brake to keep front end intact...what does the car do....goes into left turn lane for left turn. Why or Why did he not just slow a bit and make a civilized turn?

2. Sitting at major intersection traffic signal, light changes and left turns begin, left turn signal goes off, oncoming traffic begins to move and traffic on my left begins to move.....here comes a stake body truck that was about half a block up the way....what does he do...makes a left turn right in front of me, had to stop or get t-boned, what did he do, gave me a nice middle finger "Love You" sign and went his merry way.

3. Just today again on a major 4 lane road going about 45 and here comes a guy crossing at a non-signal crossing. Ran right out in front of us, had to brake to keep from getting t-boned, I honked at him, he slammed on brakes, luckily I was far enough behind and it was only frustrating, not accident type, went to next signal, he stopped, placed the car in reverse, his backup lights came on, again I was far enough back that no accident. I got in left turn lane, he zigged and zagged in and out of the left turn lane, 18 wheeler on the right had to stop as he too did not know what was going on, finally he left turn lane and went on and I turned left and went to my destination.

Have you noticed that drivers seem to be very frustrated, irritated and all seem to want to hit you or get hit and claim the insurance.

They pull out in front of you, tailgate like mad....what has happened to make things this way....or...is it just that we are the lucky ones that everyone wants to hit or get hit by.

Your comments appreciated.

I love living way out here in the mountains of West Virginia. The locals know how to drive and usually follow at a respectful distance. People wave at each other and not with their middle fingers.
However, it's tourist season. People come here from the cities and drive like they have no sense whatsoever, mostly from Maryland and Virginia and they bring their bad driving habits with them. It's true that the local resorts and the surrounding towns can use the tourist dollars but what a pain in the rear.

you have just cited several of the reasons for road rage. people are inconsiderate, incompetent, and just plain don't care about anyone but themselves.

Airpark

In what part of California do you live??

Bill
sounds like you're a professional defensive driver

and yeah - as snubbyfan states - some drivers here in MD are very rude - but not all

oh - give someone a "like"

good grief - you've been on here - what 4 years

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I'd like to agree with you BUT

Called out a chick for yakking on the phone in her hand the other day. She "waved me off" so to speak. When she got ahead I noticed she was down to one brake light. I guess when that one gives up she may find it tough to talk on the phone as the 18 wheeler trampling her car flushes her sinuses with her liver.

Yep - drove about 40 miles the other day at exactly the speed limit - not in the leftmost lane - and it was one of the scariest experiences I have had on the road recently.

Also was approaching a green light when a car crossing entered the intersection - stopped in the middle of it - then as I went by someone blew their horn at me - and he continued through the intersection behind me.

Don't laugh, but that happened to my mother in England, and the car that stopped was a cop. He pulled her over screaming about his light being green. "Funny, so was mine," said my mother. Cop told her it was impossible. She told him to go look and that she was happy to go with him. He told her he needed no help, took her details and told her to expect a summons.

Next day the road is all dug up, temporary lights are setup because the original system had failed. Mum never heard another thing from LE.

Last friday I was on my way back from the LGS. I was traveling north on a 4 lane road *2 lanes per direction*. I was in the right lane puttering along minding my business.....when the woman in the left lane right next to me started to merge into mine with no turn signal. *mind you our cars are going the same speed, and directly next to eachother at this point*

I honked my horn politely to let her know "ya know....im here, your going to hit me". She kept coming!. I BLARED on the horn and locked up the brakes to avoid getting side swiped. She enters my lane then JAMS on her brakes at 40mph , causing me to slam to a stop to avoid rear ending her....then turns right into a gas station.
THEN she has the nerve to flip ME off.

What the heck is wrong with drivers!? haha

You should drive up here in the Seattle area! Seattle is the "me first" capital of the northwest!

These people are selfish AND stupid.

I sometimes drive all day long while working and things like you mention happen to me at least once a day.

At least once a day there is a roll over accident and at least one death a week. Did I mention these people are stupid?

I miss living in a small town.

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Life Is A Gift. Defend it!

Days like that just make me wish I had stayed home.

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James
On the Llano Estacado

I grew up in Texas, & got a lot of experience driving in Dallas. I know that I freaked a lot of people out when I moved to Little Rock;they weren't prepared for a Texas style driver. I see how bad it is now when I drive through to visit my folks in San Antonio. People seem to drive like they're at a Nascar training camp & they're hoping to be discovered!

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Lounge Lizard Extraordinaire

Wow. Between this thread, the one about lawyers and the one about the missing key, I'm just worn out.

G'night folks!

That's too polite for CA.

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9tenz

I'm thinking major highways and major intersections must be the problem (not really). The nearest "major" we have from where I live must be 500 miles away.

But even out here in the brush you can be driving the speed limit only to watch someone in your rearview mirror doing twice the speed limit to get ahead of you slam on the brakes and pull into Mickey D's or WM. Heck, they could just ease in behind and do the same thing. When I know the gig is happening, sometimes I'll start to speed up just to make 'em earn it. Looks like a drag race through town.

Oh, and have you noticed how none of the cars built today have blinkers. That or not enough hands to drive, text and move that little lever all at the same time

I've noticed that here in Phoenix people in the left lane, on I-10 which is eight lanes wide in areas, will make a right turn across three lanes of traffic. I've been out here for about 20 years and haven't gotten used to that yet.

I saw that move on I-77 around Charlotte on my way to Myrtle Beach for vacation! A young black guy in a caddy pulls up beside me doing 70. He looks at me, now I am in the far left lane mind you, I look at him as he is reclined back pretty far in the seat. He looks at me and then stares straight ahead for about a second. He proceeds to do the smoothest 3 lane change moving into the onramp merge lane! He passes about 7 or 8 cars and then merges into the right lane. He gets off the road at the next exit. It takes a lot of nerve to lane change and then pass in the merge lane! I kept thinking "stay over there and the heck away from me". I also wondered if it was a stolen Cadillac.

Just returned from a 1000 mile round trip to see my daughter & her family in Washington State. Have to go through Seattle on I-5. Both ways were a complete white knuckled drive. If you didn't keep up with traffic at 10 to 15 miles over the speed limit you would be run over by a semi.

Don't let them upset you. It's not worth it. Give them all the room in the world. Five minutes later it won't matter.

You have to drive like everyone else is a complete deranged idiot. All that matters is getting there in one piece. Just get home safely so you can enjoy all those S&Ws in your safe.

I learned a long time ago to ride my cycle like I was invisible. People will tell you not to take other drivers idiotic moves personal, & its true. They don't know you, you're complete strangers to each other, so how can it be personal? I find that advice hard to take,though!

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Lounge Lizard Extraordinaire

+1 on this. If you are put in danger your natural reaction is to get angry. I do not use the one finger salute any more, why risk the chance of escalating a situation? To be a "safe driver" requires more than just not doing a lot of the things in this thread, it requires you to understand that there are a lot of perfectly reasonable people doing idiotic things on the road and you need to be aware and avoid them. Asheville has a lot of 2 minute redlights. It is common for one or two (or three) cars to go through a light after it has turned red.

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Luke 22:36

Back in the 50's-60's a family of five had one car, dad's, maybe two if mom worked. Today a family of five may have 4 or 5 cars which amounts to a lot more cars on the road. Add that problem to the fact that people no longer have any respect for each other and you have this new phenomenon called road rage. Not really new, just a lot more of it.

I agree. And they all come east every weekend: Either skiing in the winter or drowning themselves in the summer.

We have at least one fatality in the Valley a week: People from the westside going home too fast in the snow or riding unsafe rapids, or hypo- or hyper-therrmy. The locals drive bad enough but the "westies".

We learned to drive in L.A. and SoCal. Moved here when I was 53 via Sacramento. Lived in L.A. for 50 years. Saw just about everything you can imagine from shootouts on the freeways to airplane crashes. Witnessed several fatalities. Seattle-ites think they know how to drive freeways.

One of my Lodge brothers is a retired State Trooper. He once told me he thought Cali drivers were bad 'til he spent two weeks in SoCal. He realized Cali drivers are #$%&*+ but they do know how to drive. Washington (city) drivers are #$%&*+ but don't know how to drive.

My much-younger sister (only 63) has a habit that drives me nuts. She drives five miles an hour below the limit in the fast lane, and won't move over. I've told her she may get shot or rear-ended by a truck one day, and she just says, "It's their problem." I don't like road-rage incidents, but I certainly try not to willfully provoke them. She has a genius-plus IQ, and zilch for common sense in many areas.

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Oh well, what the hell.

I saw 4 cars during my 50 mile drive to work today, but didn't get close enough to see if they were doing anything wrong...

I will share something I learned in Health class in college. When you drive an automobile it makes you less likely to overlook things that other people do. It makes you more likely to do "selfish" things because you feel important. I guess it is a bit like alcohol. The instructor said if you were standing in line and the person ahead of you accidentally stepped on your foot you would likely say "excuse me" though it was the other guys fault. If you are behind the wheel you are less likely to do that.

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Luke 22:36

Ever think of driving in the right hand lane? The left lane is for passing, and passing only.

In Germany when I got my European Military driver's license, I was told if I get rear-ended on the autobahn, it would be MY fault. Cars would zoom up from behind, flash their lights and if you didn't move, they would bump you.

Ever get bumped on the freeway doing 120mph? Me either, I stay in the proper lane.

I don't see a lot of road rage and I drive an awful lot. As much as I hate driving in Chicago, I do admire how most people there know how to drive well. But there's always the one guy doing 45 in the left lane while all the other traffic is going 65.....

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Kirk / Spock 2020

Years ago when my dad was about 70, my folks drove out from wisconsin to southern california to visit me. One night while I had to work they decided to go to my church. Evidently dad made some traffic screw up although neither knew what it was. It was a hot night and they had the windows down. A guy pulled along side and shouted obscenitys at dad.
That wasnt enough, at the next light he got out and walked back to the folks swearing at them. Mistake. Dad got out, mom said dad picked him up by his shirt front, cocked his fist back and said, "One more word and I will break your nose!" Dad was 6 ft 5"s, about 230 at the time and not a ounce of fat. He probley just looked like a old white haired man sitting in his truck. Dad didnt bother to tell me about it but mom did.

+1 On drivers driving slowly in the left lane. This is recognized and some states are starting to cite drivers. VA has large signs (almost billboards) that state to stay out of the left lane if you aren't doing at least the speed limit. (Emphasis added by me.)

Regarding Chicago drivers, they tend to drive fast (75 in a 55 on the tollways) and if the road says the left lane will end in so many feet, they jump into the left lane, go like heck, and expect to be let back in. This strikes me as rude and the opposite of the purpose of the signs.

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Luke 22:36

[/QUOTE]


Boys,

Right thar is the best advise of the day.......Reasonable men, make reasonable decisions.



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"IN GOD WE TRUST"

I try to be polite with people... I do drive slightly over the speed limit at times (but go with the flow of traffic) and take my turn at 4 way stops... then the idiots come out.

Oh and Im pretty sure there is an alarm. Every time I get off work it seems like every nursing home kicks out everyone who can drive and sends them out on a 5mph joy ride through town, turning signals, one way streets, and right of way be damed!

Few things piss me off more than people who do that.

That's what I keep trying to tell my sister. Some hot-head may harm her one of these days.

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Oh well, what the hell.

No, I went through 12 weeks to learn to drive a bus in the Seattle area and it has stayed with me.

Thank you for your comment about the likes...never knew how to use the system and on my small monitor I failed to notice the lower right corner and the like button.

Yes, there have been lots of posts that I thoroughly enjoyed, and probably should have taken the time to look up and post a "Like" for it.

Again, thank you for your comments.

AS ET (Ernest Tubb), not the guy on the bicycle pedalling in the sky, said, "Be better to your neighbors and you will have better neighbors."

zagged, these days she is just asking for it.

The absolute worst drivers I ever saw--were in my area of Texas. The absolute worst drivers I ever saw who caused accidents-were Vietnamese Women in Austin. I was on four RTA bus's in four (separate times of course) accidents in less than a year--all-caused by those ladies who must have got their DLs from Cracker Jacks boxes)) who decided to-make a a sudden right turn in front of a bus going at least 45 MPH-cutting the bus off-and turning right trying to cross the lane in front of bus--to go down a side street. Because of this, I almost went through the bus windshield on one occasion.

Too true. I haven't had occasion to ride with her in several years, and don't intend to again. It makes me crazy.

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Oh well, what the hell.

I have a cousin I refuse to go with. The one time was one of the longest hours of my life.

I admit it, I regularly get angry when I drive road rage so to speak. Some of the things I see other drivers do really erk me the wrong way. I also admit that sometimes I catch some bad driving habits and get angry with myself, not an excuse but I drive alot. But I have found that listening to Oldies on the radio soothes my road raged soul. So its nothing but Solid Gold for me when in traffic.

Driving I4 and 408 is much like running through a mine field. After a few years of getting home to look in the mirror and see the veins popping out in my forehead I finally became numb to the idiots on the road. My blood pressure is doing much better these days

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sticks-n-stones&hollowpoints

In Texas you see signs saying Left Lane For Passing Only & Slower Traffic Keep Right. I like that a lot. The Ringo Kid was talking about driving in Austin? Some of the worst traffic I've ever sat in was trying to get across Austin to get to San Antonio or coming back from San Antonio to get back to OKC. I've had to idle across Austin at two or three mph in the middle of the week at four am. My clutch leg would be ready to seize up! Now, since 130 opened, I can bypass Austin doing eighty & in some places eighty five, legally! I love it, & apparently the natives don't use it much. Except for the javalinas.

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Lounge Lizard Extraordinaire

KUSC, a classical music station in Los Angeles, has a 5:00 p.m. weekday segment that they call the CARR tune of the day. As in "Classical Anti Road Rage Tune." You hear lots of slow to moderate pieces featuring strings and the less abrasive wind instruments, no compositions in a minor key, that kind of thing. Mozart gets a lot of exposure there. You hear some Elgar and Ralph Vaughn Williams, too. It sort of works, but it works better if the eight cars surrounding you aren't listening to 120-decibel Death Junkie Metal Meth-Head tunes recorded inside a rusting quonset hut by six guys who haven't yet figured out they all picked up one of the other guys' guitars and it's like, pissing them off, man, 'cause it just doesn't feel right.

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David Wilson

Ok I gotta say it. I love my wife, she's supportive and I don't know what I'd do without her but her driving makes me nuts.
We have 2 vehicles, my 2008 Toyota Tacoma, 4cyl, 4wd, 5 speed truck and her 2009 Toyota Yaris. I have no problems driving my truck, I got room to stretch out and that prevents cramps and fatigue in my legs but I only get about 23 mpg. My wife's car gets about 40 mpg so whenever we go on a road trip we take her car.
Only problem is her car's dinky and my legs get fatigued and cramped so she's usually gotta drive. That's groovy and all but she's one of those drivers that speeds up then slows down over and over. I've always made an effort to keep a consistent speed and drive smoothly and the drivers that speed up and slow down bug me. Ya know, hit the gas, hit the brakes, over and over. I keep my mouth shut because I appreciate that she's willing to drive even though she's not too fond of it but I'm getting a sore tongue from biting it and I'm grinding my teeth down.

I came with my wife to St. Louis to a quilting get away she had to come too. So we are straying 18 miles from a Calabels store. Quick trip by express way. I live in the UP of Michigan, mostly two lane road with a passing lane every few miles. here in St. Louis one side of the express way in 4-6 lanes and every one in qualifying for NASCAR. I got to the store no problem, I lost track of time ; when I decided to head back to the hotel it's rush hour. Now the small town I live in has 2 rush hours; the first one it a 4pm to 4:10 pm and the second one is at 5pm to 5:05 pm. In St. Louis it start at 4:30, it took me an hour and ten minutes to drive 18 miles. 6 lane across bumper to bumper. and everyone looking for a opening to squeeze into to gain a car length. I now have and idea what road rage it. I can't wait to get back to my small world.

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Carpriver.

Been there, done that. Our 24/7 classical station doesn't call it that, but tends to program the more mellow and soothing pieces at drive time. Only I usually get surrounded by gigantic sub-woofers on wheels, cranked to 135 decibels and thumping hiphop beats so hard it loosens my remaining teeth and makes my shoes itch.

I have a very deep bass voice. I speak very distinctly. Increasingly I find that few people under twenty-five can hear a damn thing I say. They've trashed their low-frequency hearing.

Sorry, this was about road rage, wasn't it? (Exit, stage right.)

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Oh well, what the hell.

Everyone that drives faster than me is a maniac,
and everyone driving slower than me is an idiot.

Maybe it's me!

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Kirk / Spock 2020

I see you are a George Carlin fan, LL!

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Lounge Lizard Extraordinaire

No. It wasn't profane enough.

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Life Is A Gift. Defend it!

Hey, I'm just beginning to think it might be safe to take my helmet off! I need no more dings, sir.

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Lounge Lizard Extraordinaire

They do it in WV too. I had one of those Subaru's that pretends to look like a race car taulgating me up the mountain road so I finally found a spot tonpull over and let him pass. Then I caught up to him and stayed right behind him (at a safe distance). But I was in a 1/2 ton truck fully loaded with a camper and his "race car" was screaming like it was going to blow trying to outrun me and I wasn't even trying to go fast.

Although I haven't traveled the world, I have traveled quite a bit in the US. The nicest drivers I've ever encountered are in Branson, MO. My wife and I just returned home from Branson and while the traffic is bumper-to-bumper on the strip and I was initially frustrated at the lack of flow, I never saw an impolite action and was always let into the stream of traffic anytime I needed.