Dealing with morons on the road

This happen to me today, a moron/idiot came behind me and layed on his horn. Due to construction the left lane was forced to merge to the right into one lane. So I'm stopped with my right blinker on to get into the right lane like everyone else is doing because the right lane wasn't moving either due to a red light up ahead. He's behind me thinking he can get further up the left lane to only be forced to the right lane also. So I stupidly lay into my horn and as he passes me on the left side I rolled down my window and called him a "stupid idiot, where do you think your going? we all have to merge you stupid idiot"! Well, all that got me was the middle figure and a loud "FU" I was ready to get out of my car and kick his face in but I had to get back to work. Plus, I'm a Christian and I'm not suppose to think that way. So, I've learned valuable lesson today and in the future I'll try not to strike back it does'nt do anybody any good. (Sorry for the long Post)

 

That's my SOP for tailgaters. They almost never catch on and just figure I'm clueless. Fortunately I don't hog the fast lane and generally go with the flow of traffic so I don't get as many tailgaters as the too common passive aggressive rolling roadblocks do.

Years of riding a motorcycle taught me to deal with road hazards like potholes, cops and brain dead drivers without getting upset about it. Drivers just need to pay attention and compensate for the world not being the way they wish it was. That's much more effective than having a hissy fit.

If everyone would drive to improve the flow of traffic instead of driving like they were compensating for undersized dangly bits, traffic would move a lot faster and safer.

 

Here's a bit of wisdom about other drivers, as can be heard on "Car Talk" - Amazon.com: Grandpa's Advice: Adie Grey: MP3 Downloads

 

For me the worst of it was when this lady long before your legally allowed to get into the right turn she went into the bike lane to try and pass me by. I have never seen anyone do it from a 1/4 mile before the turn so once I saw she went for it I slowly block her and regen slowly. She was honking for the whole time and so after the turn I gave my big middle finger to her haha it felt good but also whats the point. Anyhow she then got in front of me and hit the brake then we zig zaged having a road battle. Then the big lady flicked me off when she turned haha. The point is what if I went to make my right and never saw her and hit because someone wanted to illegally go into the bike lane far in advance not waiting for the driver in front first.

 

Wow, some of you are scary. Yeah, other drivers are frustrating, and making the road less safe. But so are you. Why let it bother you so much? And escalate the whole issue? Stress is bad for you. As is getting in a car accident because you had to get into a road war with some jackass who did something stupid.

I usually just say a few choice words (in my car, not at the other driver), take a few breaths, laugh at them, and move on. Makes my life a lot easier. I'm a pacifist at heart, I suppose.

 

I'm not a pacifist, but you are a wise person.

For non-pacifists, choosing ones battles wisely leads to the same conclusion you have arrived at.

 

Heh, I don't know if I'm actually a pacifist--don't know enough about the label to truly apply it to myself. But I'm definitely very non-confrontational.

 

Often missed Prius owner's manual instruction:

"Be a rock in the stream, and let the world flow around you."

 

My Judo instructor used to say something similar to that, maybe the same thing, over 45 years ago. He was a wise peaceful man.

 

Of all the things in the world I use to enhance my mellow, that is one of the two things that first come to mind. The other is "ommanipadmehumommanipadmehumommanipadmehum..."

Peacefulness comes with time, but not without effort.

 

I tend to drive 60 mph or less on the freeway. I stay in the far right lane whenever possible (unless it becomes an exit only lane). I find that, if I pay less attention to my rear view mirror, I'm more relaxed and I don't notice the vast majority of the stupidity behind me.

I don't like doing this, because it makes it hard to anticipate problems racing up behind me and it makes me a "less aware" driver.

The part that really bothers me is that problem isn't me.....it's the other driver's expectations. Were I driving a big rig, a school bus, or if I was towing a boat and driving 55 - 60 mph in the right lane, no one (other than people drafting) would tailgate me. But, because I'm in a car, they don't grant me the same courtesy.

I don't get it.

 

I've lived all over the US, and I have to say Utah drivers are some of the worst that I've encountered. No clue why.. so I'm with you on this one. I tend to just turn my music up a little louder and shake my head like an old lady would.

Now, If you're driving like a maniac and my kids are in the car with me, I reserve every right to call you dirty names under my breath, and hope that when you wreck you are far away from me.

Hopefully a summer rain Prius is easier to spot than my *invisible* gray corolla.

 

I usually let the craziness roll off me, because really... it's just not worth getting my knickers in a twist over.

Yesterday, though, instead of a crazy driver it was a pedestrian. I wanted to turn left, and I had the green light. This guy decided to cross the street where I wanted to turn. He was walking against the light.

In Oregon, pedestrians have right-of-way, even if they are crossing illegally, and drivers can't enter an intersection unless they can immediately exit it. You know how when you make a left turn you ease out into traffic so when the light turns red and the oncoming traffic stops you can turn? Yeah... can't do that in Oregon any more.

Anyway, this guy was walking against the light right where I wanted to turn. Because I couldn't proceed through the intersection, I had to wait. He looked right at me, saw I wanted to turn, and deliberately slowed waaaaay waaaaay down until he was barely moving. I missed the light and had to wait another cycle. He didn't get across the road until after the light had changed and the first car in the cross traffic was about to smear him along the pavement. Then he hustled, proving that he was able to do so.

What was that about?

 

Hmmm, wise-a$$ with a death wish? suicidal passive-aggressive? dummy? a target? takes all kinds, but no matter what, be a duck, let it roll off your back. it's not worth it either for your own peace of mind or anything else. plus, have a chuckle when you think about him trying that to the angry person in an expedition or hummer....

 

I just sat and waited for the next light. The first car on the cross street was a rather large SUV.

 

I drive the speed limit as long as it is prudent, I do my best not to be in someone’s way when it is possible, and I try not to let the behavior of the other driver upset me. When that doesn't work I take more of my antidepressants.

 

Sweet! I mean poetic justice....

 

Several years ago, I was driving our Ford Aerostar minivan to an out of town soccer match. The Aerostar was a large minivan; as big as you could fit into a standard garage. Mine was Cayman Green Metallic, which was Ford's term for fly-eye green. It other words, it was big, bright, and very difficult to not see.

We were driving down an eight lane (four each way) divided highway. Traffic was very light, so I had two lanes open to my left and one to my right. I wasn't in the right lane due to its bad condition. I was surprised to see a lone car come up from behind and attach itself to my rear bumper. It would drop back a bit, then rush back up. This action was repeated in a very aggressive manner. I couldn't understand why this ahole wouldn't just go around - he had three open lanes to do it. I was going 70 mph, so it wasn't like I was an obstruction.

Annoyed, I slowed down. It wasn't a brake check, but it was a noticeable reduction in speed. I wanted him to go around. "Bam", he ran into the back of my van, just like that. I was shocked. In the mirror I could see him skid to the left and then to the right. He dropped way back, drifted off the road into the grass, then accelerated and passed us. That's right, he passed us at highway speed while driving on the grass.

After watching him narrowly miss a bridge abutment, I decided that this driver must be impaired and called him in.

A state police car and two county cops pulled him over with a rolling road block. They said he was drunk to the gills.

Tom

 

Having ridden motorcycles for so long, and having been through the MSF course and the advanced course, I try never to let my eyes fixate on any one thing too long.

I was droning down the interstate, and imagine my surprise when my mirror scan turned up a car coming up FAST behind me and the windshield WAS FILLED WITH AN OPEN MAP. I JUST had enough time to hit the right side margin as the driver went zooming past me still reading her map. Good thing there wasn't a bridge in my way.

I had to take to the grass on the right one night to miss getting whacked by a drunk on my side of the road.

I guess it's the one you don't see that creates the bigger problems.