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(support opec- buy an suv)
The best solution for me is listening to John Lennon while driving.
I drive very defensively (won't make a turn if someone else changing lanes could hurt me) and stuff like that.
My friends INSIST their horn honking is NECESSARY to somehow stop the morons from what they are doing. I have MAYBE used my horn THREE times in my entire life when I thought the person was so clueless in changing lanes that they or someone else was in danger.
Even if someone is going to change lanes and CRASH into me if I don't do something - I speed up or change lanes and don't do anything else. It really isn't a big deal. It isn't like the people were TRYING to crash into me.
I hear people honking their horns all the time. THIS is dangerous. In fact it is ILLEGAL in my state to honk your horn in anything but an emergency. This is the way it should be. It is like the little boy that cried wolf. People have to take their eyes away from the road to see an emergency that almost never exists.
I know honking wasn't mentioned - so I am not sure why I went off on this tangent, but oh well.
I don't know what I do differently. I am just used to being surrounded by idiots. My blood pressures goes up for about 10 seconds after I am cut off. A minute later - I don't even remember it.
I ride a bike, and I get cut up all the time. You wouldn't beleive what some people do, and not always because they don't see you.
I've had to work on managing situations when I lose my rag, because on a bike you're that much more vulnerable - you can't afford to get into an argument with a car, you might be able to kick off the odd wing mirror and get away with it, but you know you're going to come off worse the day you encounter a real idiot.
Case in point - I stick to the 30 & 40 mph speed limits religiously on my daily commute, slower passed the schools (out of the limits is a different story though :)). A few weeks back a car was up my back end slewing around trying to get past and revving his engine. I thought, let it go and ignore him. I came up on a line of cars parked on the opposite side of the road, with oncoming traffic forcing its way through (they wouldn't have done it if I was in car, not enough room for two) so I stopped to let them by, much safer for me. This bloke behind me starts leaning on his horn so I gave him the finger. For the next mile or so he drove within 3 or 4 feet of my back wheel even though he could have passed, still leaning on his horn - eventually we parted ways. Unfortunately we obviously have much the same daily route. The next time I saw him the roads were icy & I had to go _really_ slow round the bends just to stay on, this bloke appeared again, obviously remembered me and started the same game - really dangerous.
He's obviously a butty short of a lunchpack anyway, but it was me responding in like manner that sent him over the edge.
I still see him occaisonaly (know his reg plate now) but I don't respond and he's got bored of the game thank god.
In short let it go. They'll be out of your life in a few seconds. If you do respond in any way you only raise the overall level of stress on the roads and thus the likelihood of accidents, and while you're concentrating on making your point you've got tunnel vision and you might not notice that kid running out from behind a parked car.
Yes, tailgaters can be a real problem, and they often don't get why it bothers me. Sometimes I put on my blinkers... sometimes I slow down, gradually, as mack suggests.
I've learned to be careful about this, though. Some of these guys are crazy. I actually had one get off the freeway and follow me. Finally, I drove to the Berkeley police station and stopped in front, and he got the message. I've been very careful since.
more seriously, i hate driving because there are just too many lunatics around. i tend to drive no more than i absolutely have to (school run and shopping). my kids start a new school today and it's within walking distance (20 mins) so i'll kill 2 birds with one stone and lose a bit of the weight i've put on since i've been sat in front of a computer all day long.
I rode a Sportbike for 4 years, I had no car. The things I experienced on the bike would not be classified as road rage but attempted homicide! I had to kick some cars, but only because they almost put me in the casket. One guy tried to run me off the road so I motioned him to pull over, so he did. He gets out runs toward me and then skids to a halt, runs back into his car, and tears outta there. I realized after he left that he probably saw my sidearm I usually wore at night and thought I might actually shoot him! Thats is how bad he was being.
But I have a car now so it is different. There is more road range against other cars than on the bike. So much of an annoyance, so disrespectful and even dangerous. Tailgaters, honkers, revers, headlight flashers... Get a life, get where your going and mind your business.
Whose way? Yours? Thought the roads ran the same direction...
Easy solution (well depending on where you live) I always make sure I'm driving a fast car...
How do so many totally inept people manage to get a license in the first place?
First of all, on most freeways you have two or more lanes running in each direction. In most states, the right lane is referred to as the slow lane and the far left lane is referred to as the fast lane and any lanes in the middle are for those who can't make up their mind. ;)
Posted speed limits are usually between 55 and 70 depending on the area you are in. There is an unwritten rule in California and I think in most other states that you should move with the flow of traffic when appropriate. This does not mean that you create the flow, it means that you work as a team and move with it.
Road rage can be minimized with a little more respect from those who are not 100% focused on their driving. You have no business in the fast lane if you are not focused, that's what the middle lanes are for. The right is usually for trucks and slow moving vehicles. Please do not get in front of me while you are on your cell, traffic is moving at 75 and you decide to do the 55/60/65/70/65/60/55 dance routine, I'll come right up and kiss you if I have to. ;)
No really, many need to consider and respect those who are somewhat impatient in their driving habits. Some of us just happened to be professional drivers and understand the rules of the road. If I see you approaching me quickly from behind, I'm going to respect your presence, slide into a middle lane and let you pass. I would expect you to do the same for me.
And for those of you who like to do the full 180 swing when changing lanes, please stop it now! There are more rear end accidents in California because of this type of driving. That is why you have three mirrors; one on each side of the vehicle and then your rearview mirror, use them! You could be moving at 75 mph here on the freeway and then in a split second have to come to a complete stop fairly quickly. That split second that you do the 180 turn could mean your life or that of the people in front of and in the general vicinity of your car when it smacks into the one in front of you.
Drive with common sense. ;)
ROTFL!
Press the plus sign under "volume".
Hmm, could be tricky in James Bond's car. ;)
Interstate speed. 65 mph... he was doing 100, and me close behind.
Whenever he slowed down.. me too.
Did this for about 2 hours, then I got stuck behind some guy (who pulled out to pass a car doing 65... he was doing 65.1) man was I mad.
15 minutes later I floored it, of course though I lost track of the guy (with the radar detector).
Eventually caught back up to him... but TOO LATE!
Noticed him as I was passing the guy who was right behind that dam* state trooper. Man was I mad, even more.
As luck goes - the trooper couldn't give me a ticket because he would have to throw me in jail for 30 days, and he didn't want to do the paperwork. Boy was I glad he was real lazy.
Anyway, walked back to my car when I realized I didn't have my wallet (left it in the trooper's car who had already taken off).
What the h*ll are you suppose to do, man was I mad.
FLOORED IT!
Luckily he didn't pull off, and caught up to him.
I honked, and honked, and honked, turned to lights on and off, blinkers left, right left right, waved out the window, nothing, man was I mad.
So I passed him, and immediately on came the lights.
Luckily he was still lazy... but I got my wallet back.
Talk about rollercoaster rage! ;)
By the way, the Paris-Dakar rally just ended here in Sharm El Sheikh yesterday. Congratulations to all Japanese (cars), French (motorcycle) and Russian (truck) WebmasterWorld members!
Thanks for the link.
Identify where I'm from ;)
Anyway, I think we have learn't to cope with little incidents like scratches/bumps/scrapes. SMILE, say "sorry" if you are at fault and STARE WITH A "KNOWING" SMILE, accept apologies if you are not.
Never allow anyone to put you in a rush to get somewhere. You'll be a carrier of the road rage disease, aka a real redneck.
If confronted by a raged driver, let them pass. Smokey will get them, or some other maniac will pull a 45 out from under their seat and put them out of their misery, or they'll just crash and burn of their own volition.
And tailgaters, hate them also. 70mph road, doing 70mph, guy pulls up behind me, must have been doing 90mph. I expect him to pull into the other lane and pass me. No such luck, he drives so close I can see his nose hair. I start to slow down, more and more. Thinking that it was getting dangerous at 60mph with him so close and me slowing down, begin to brake. 50mph, 40, 30, 20, 15, 10mph... then the pointer was on the rest (something under about 8mph). Then he passed me. :) Yippeeeeeeeeee - I won, the safe way! (This was not a motorway where minimum speeds are 30mph, just an A road and there was no-one else in sight - so why didn't he overtake? Who knows?)
I expect him to pull into the other lane and pass me.
Uh-hum, that may be somewhat difficult if you are in the passing lane. ;)
If these goons decide to get upset to the point of presuing me and wanting to do phiscally harm I have back up on me at all times and the means to use it.
But, what many tailgaters ignore is that I'm already going with the flow of traffic (and often way over the speed limit), as are the cars to the right and left of me... so I can't change lanes. What I'm doing that's different from what tailgaters want me to do, is that I'm trying to leave some safe stopping distance in front. I regularly see these guys crowd cars that are only a car-length away from the car ahead of them... at 70mph.
On the Bay Bridge or on a crowded stretch of freeway, I'll sometimes keep track of how a tailgater does... and they often don't get there faster. They generally don't look very far ahead; if they did, they wouldn't be driving the way they do.
