I Can't Be Alone Here: Do you get road rage and how do I stop
08-23-09, 08:18 AM
#46
Lexus Champion
Getting out of a vehicle to confront an individual is never a good idea. When I was a kid one of our neighbours did just that and ended up getting whacked in the head with a tire iron and died. All over road rage.
I have pretty serious road rage that was much worse a few years ago. I was involved in 2 major car accidents within 13 months both of which were not my fault at all. In the first, a lady ran a stop sign and t-boned me, breaking one of my cervical vertebrae. In the second, I was at a dead stop and rear ended by a drunk driver doing about 60 km/h....he didn't even touch the brakes.
My road rage was off the charts after these incidents, to the point that I was actually seeing a professional to try to deal with it. It's tough to drive when you don't trust anyone on the road.
It has gotten better, but I still have a tough time understanding what goes through some people's thick heads. I do use my horn, yell and occassionally flip someone off or very rarely brake check the idiot that's on my bumper.
08-23-09, 10:47 AM
#47
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You seem to have missed the OTHER posts in this thread where people agree with my opinion.
I posted my thoughts, now move on.
08-23-09, 12:36 PM
#48
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Yes, many drivers to carry a legal weapon. The problem, though, is if you did in fact shoot a road rager, you would have a lot of explaining to do. First and foremost, you would need to convince a jury that your life was in imminent danger. That means, unless the other driver had a gun also, or, walked up to you with a baseball bat or tire iron, you're out of luck. And, if you live in California, Sorry.
You can't shoot someone because you're afraid of being beaten up or your car being destroyed.
You can't shoot someone because you're afraid of being beaten up or your car being destroyed.
08-23-09, 01:43 PM
#49
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I sometimes mumble something or usually just let the idiot go but once I had a fellow employee get mad at a tailgater he slammed the brake pedal down with the left foot and gas with the right I was car three in back of this as the result he was gone the tailgater slammed on the brakes made a hard U-turn going south in the north bound fats lane made a hard left cut the guy off in front of me does a hard right in the right lane going south again then side slid clear up the shoulder and grass into a pole just behind his head. (I am a volunteer in this town called 911 and expedited an ambulance) the guy lucked out told me he got cutoff I only got the truth at work later on. This fellow employee is known for extreme road rage and is legally armed also.
08-23-09, 02:17 PM
#50
Lexus Fanatic
You know how when a person already believes something they tend to notice things that support their belief and ignore most things that don't? I think that's your problem here. You already have your mind made up so that's primarily what you notice. I've never noticed Honda/Acura drivers being jerks more than any other driver. Although I think the highest frequency of jerk drivers seem to be people in riced out cars, which admittedly are often times Hondas, but the difference in the typical driver of a stock vehicle and a riced vehicle is huge by default no matter what brand the car is. Seems to usually be because the driver is usually young and feels like they have something to prove.
In fact if I had to name a brand where the drivers of stock vehicles are generally the biggest jerks, it'd probably be BMW!
I never really thought about what car make I have had the most incidents with on the road but Pick ups and SUVs tend to stick out. I never really had many problems with people in Honda's or Acuras or BMWs or Lexus that I can remember except maybe a minor issue once or twice. Most of the incidents I have with ignorant dumb inconsiderate drivers, they are usually in big American SUVs, big Pickups(probably the type of vehicle I have had most incidents with), 80's and up mustangs/camaro, or older badly dented not taken care of American cars. I tend to notice minivans and SUVs as the biggest left lane hogs but plenty of sedans and coupes do it too. Still I am not going to label drivers of big American Pickups and SUVs and mostly American cars or minivan drivers as the worst drivers because most are not and it is silly and childish and I have no deep personal issues with a brand and its owners.
As far as people yapping on a cell phone and doing other stupid things while driving and not paying attention that falls in line with pretty much all makes and models and types of vehicles and I tend to not notice a type that it occurs most often. Teens and younger drivers always seem to be on the phone not paying attention.
As far as Japanese or European cars my experiences has been they don't stand out and trying to think maybe I had a few incidences with some older Nissans and maybe a VW here and there.
Sometimes I do get mad but other times I just ignore dumb things other drivers do, depends on my mood, but I would rather avoid it now that I am older and driving a nicer car and don't want to deal with any legal or financial BS or my car getting damaged.
I did have some moron almost rear end me with a big pickup 2 years ago and I had to swerve out of the way quickly because he was closing in so fast and close, he must have been doing at least 110mph. I debated doing something pretty drastic to get even but it was around the holidays and did not want to get caught or something bad to possibly happening to me on the trip so I just forgot about it, long story short he must have done the same thing to someone else because they were tailgating him and I saw the 2 guys tailgating him beat the crap out of him when he got off and went to a gas station during a traffic jam, I will just rack that up to Karma.
08-23-09, 08:57 PM
#54
Lexus Fanatic
Yep. Right on. I'm generally not one for images or stereotypes, but most classic road rage incidents DO seem to be concentrated among male drivers under about age 35 or so, who think the road is simply theirs to do with as they please. These guys not only THINK they are tough ****, but, in many cases, they ARE. It takes not only stupidity to do what some of them do, but guts and a fearless attitude besides.
08-23-09, 09:57 PM
#55
Lexus Fanatic
I was once in a car with a friend of mine who was being tail gated by some jerk behind us. We kept putting our hands out the window for the gut to back off. He refused and in fact got even closer. My friend got pissed and stopped the car and got out. The guy in the other car also got out and it became a screaming match between my friend and the other guy. After a minute of this the other guy started to walk towards my friend. Thats when I got out of the car and simply told the gentleman to get back in his car before he gets hurt really bad. I think the statement , my 6'5" frame, and my very angry friend were enough to get this clown to back into the car.
sometimes it helps to talk very aggressively and with a lot of confidence. Its the only time I have ever been involved in something like that but I did learn size and **** talking skills helps
sometimes it helps to talk very aggressively and with a lot of confidence. Its the only time I have ever been involved in something like that but I did learn size and **** talking skills helps
08-24-09, 12:45 AM
#56
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I'm not really a candidate for road rage, but usually they drive huge pickups or Tahoe-like SUVs. Poorly body-kitted Civics (I refuse to term it "modded") and the like are a distant second, with an occasional Audi or BMW. Even in areas where beaters on 22" dubs can be seen, those drivers can be quite courteous on the highway, with proper use of signals.
I live in the San Francisco area. It doesn't seem to be that bad over here, but I went to college in San Diego and drivers down south were more aggressive and tended not to signal.
I live in the San Francisco area. It doesn't seem to be that bad over here, but I went to college in San Diego and drivers down south were more aggressive and tended not to signal.
08-24-09, 07:21 AM
#58
Honking after the fact won't earn me an apology, it won't get me the spot back, and it usually won't make the opposing driver see the error in their ways—it does, however, have good potential to escalate a petty situation into something extremely ignorant and unsafe. As a driver, you will be cut off in traffic, and its your temperament which will determine what happens next. Most times it just better to let it go, as their actions will eventually catch up with them.
I wish horns would also sound inside of the car, though; people would actually use them when necessary, instead of a means to show discontent.
08-24-09, 10:59 AM
#60
If someone is riding too close, just slow down. If they are in that big of a hurry, they'll pass you. If they're being stupid, at least any potential accident will be at a lower speed. Program the local police number into your phone, & if somebody is driving dangerously, don't hesitate to call. It's their job to handle those people, & if you tell them where they are, there's a better chance they'll do just that.