Road Rage

[arbol]

Post your Road Rage (or just minor inconveniences here.)

As I write this, there is a thread about people killing people due to Road Rage.

This is Road Rage for the rest of us... the survivors...

[arbol]

Today, I was driving home, and nearing a two lane gap in a three lane road, and construction area. I merged from the right, closed lane, to the middle lane.

I've seen aggressive drivers before, but this driver on my left, blocked on the left by a slower driver, merged into my lane... by merged into my lane, I mean he pushed me out of my lane or else we crash.

I moved out of the way, and we both continued without confrontation, but it was seriously one of the most technical driving experiences I have ever had to not let him hit me.

I don't really do Road Rage... but this would have been such an opportunity.

-John

[BushMasterBoy]

Ludacris is playing at the Colorado State Fair this year.



https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tw429JGL5zo

[Little Dutch]

I don't actually understand road rage either. When a driver darts across 3 lanes of traffic to make an exit, then decides that wasn't the exit they needed after all and darts back in front of me suddenly going 20 under the speed limit, causing me to lock it up or tactically acquire lane space next to me, I just figure they are 1) an idiot, and 2) having a worse day than I am. I generally just roll with the punches, but I will admit my youngest son learned a new swear word when that exact scenario happened when he was 3.

I saw this happen again on 8/13 at 3:32 PM (according to my dash camera) going northbound at the Nevada exit. I was sure I was going to have to make room in the middle lane without much notice. But this donkey didn't actually make it back into traffic. He took out a road sign and ended up in the grass between the offramp and the interstate. The dash camera shows him cut over and then try to cut back, but it goes out of frame before he hits the sign. I did get to hear myself say "Well, a bad driver never misses his exit" while driving though...

Most traffic related issues are mild inconveniences and are simply not worth getting worked up over. It's a lot cheaper to just laugh (or cuss a little) and move on.

[Clint45]

There are well over a dozen basic road rage scenarios.

Most are due to actions (or inactions) of the "victim": deliberately cutting a faster driver off from passing, brake checking, misuse of the horn, shouted insults, offensive gestures... which they then proceed to escalate.

Sometimes a road rager is just crazy and seeking a random target, or they hate your bumper stickers, or perhaps they misidentified your vehicle as belonging to someone else... but 90% of the time the "victim" started it, yet assert they were targeted "for no reason."

[Ah Pook]

My recent fav.:
Driving down a 50mph road.
Scobaru turns into road doing 20mph.
I have to hit brakes to avoid making him a new hood ornament.
What ever.
At stop light he becomes Mario Andretti.
A mile in, he slows down.
Still driving the speed limit, I lane change 6-8 car links ahead.
Next thing I know he on my a$$. All I see is windshield.
Look back a second time and I see both middle fingers, banging on the steering wheel and I'm sure lots of profanity.
This lasts about a mile and he turns into the local community college.
What ever dood.

[ruthabagah]

One piece of advice: invest in a good dash cam…. If you are alone in your car, it’s his version vs yours… until you show the videos to the officers or the judge.

[copfish]

Nothing like, seeing the “lane closed” sign and waiting until you are 100 feet from the cones to try and squeeze in…. Thank god for my dash cam….

[def90]

Nothing like, seeing the ?lane closed? sign and waiting until you are 100 feet from the cones to try and squeeze in?. Thank god for my dash cam?.

Well, technically you are supposed to use both lanes up to the merge point and then zipper merge.


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Hy4oyaHN584


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l9Ah8Jxp8OY

[Eric P]

That's how it supposed to done. It's called zippering.

[CS1983]

My recent fav.:
Driving down a 50mph road.
Scobaru turns into road doing 20mph.
I have to hit brakes to avoid making him a new hood ornament.
What ever.
At stop light he becomes Mario Andretti.
A mile in, he slows down.
Still driving the speed limit, I lane change 6-8 car links ahead.
Next thing I know he on my a$$. All I see is windshield.
Look back a second time and I see both middle fingers, banging on the steering wheel and I'm sure lots of profanity.
This lasts about a mile and he turns into the local community college.
What ever dood.

The Testosterone doses be hitting harder during that time of the month for Queer Decolonization Theory majors.

[O2HeN2]

I'm pretty consistently punished for trying to do a correct zipper merge.

O2

[buffalobo]

I'm pretty consistently punished for trying to do a correct zipper merge.

O2+1

If you're unarmed, you are a victim.

[bcolorado]

Getting harder and harder to control my tourettes driving syndrom...lol....

[Ah Pook]

The Testosterone doses be hitting harder during that time of the month for Queer Decolonization Theory majors.

I was thinking Lesbian Underwater Basket Weaving 101. [gayafro]

[sampson]

Traffic laws are just suggestions at this point.

[Clint45]

I'm pretty consistently punished for trying to do a correct zipper merge.

O2

My turn signal is not a request, it is a warning that I am changing lanes. And I drive a 40 year old all steel shitbox. Some youngsters in their fancy new cars still deliberately speed up to cut me off though.

[brutal]

My turn signal is not a request, it is a warning that I am changing lanes. And I drive a 40 year old all steel shitbox. Some youngsters in their fancy new cars still deliberately speed up to cut me off though.

Pretty much the same thing when I'm driving, especially when towing my train. It's fair warning that I'm moving over.

And you can f*ck off your flashing lights and tailgating if you think I'm getting out of the left lane driving through Pueblo on I-25. Too many close calls with failed idiot mergers from those short ramps.

I'm running with traffic and you can go around on the right if you have the stones.

https://i.imgur.com/QI568Hg.jpg

[arbol]

Australia isn't the only country with road trains! ;)

I've had a dashcam before, but it scares me because they may use it against me, but with idiots like what happened the other day, it seems like it will benefit me more than implicate me.

re: zipper merges, I admit to be one of the people honking at you, but now I understand.

-John

[hollohas]

My recent fav.:
Driving down a 50mph road.
Scobaru turns into road doing 20mph.
I have to hit brakes to avoid making him a new hood ornament.
What ever.
At stop light he becomes Mario Andretti.
A mile in, he slows down.
Still driving the speed limit, I lane change 6-8 car links ahead.
Next thing I know he on my a$$. All I see is windshield.
Look back a second time and I see both middle fingers, banging on the steering wheel and I'm sure lots of profanity.
This lasts about a mile and he turns into the local community college.
What ever dood.I have seen and experienced this exact same scenario several times. It's a head shaker. I simply cannot understand why someone does this.

One many years ago the guy who did exactly this started following me everywhere. Even after I made some turns taking us in circles. Eventually I pulled into the prison parking lot on Quincy and parked. He decided that probably wasn't the best place to follow and confront me. Ha.

[brutal]

Coming up on slower left lane traffic, with no other cars in front, then the douchenozzle speeds up and tails you when you go around. SMH.

[Clint45]

A few things you need to understand about other drivers:

Some of these people are "not like us"... they come from cultures where violence is the default response to very minor things.

Many people in the Denver area are prescribed psychiatric medication, which they may not have been taking correctly or just stopped taking entirely, which can trigger aggression or homicidal/suicidal ideation.

Gang members drive cars, as do many wannabe gangbangers not even old enough to have a license.

Methamphetamine abusers drive cars, sometimes they're actually smoking it while driving.

And then there are the usual drunks and people having a mental health crisis of some sort.

Finally, there are the do-gooder "traffic nazis" who take it upon themselves to "punish" other drivers for speeding or other minor traffic infractions, typically via "passive aggressive" driving such as deliberately cutting off passing drivers to "slow them down" or pursuing them while flashing high beams and leaning on their horn.

The key is not to do anything to escalate the situation further, to avoid blocking them in any way, and just to avoid contact with them through whatever means necessary, including "escape & evasion" driving tactics which can be as simple as unexpectedly taking a turn or exit at the last moment to break off pursuit.

[kidicarus13]

Seems like legit observations and worthwhile advice.

[BushMasterBoy]

Or you can call *277 and report it to Colorado State Patrol. Having dash cam video can help support your claim.

[Ah Pook]

A few things you need to understand about other drivers:

Some of these people are "not like us"... they come from cultures where violence is the default response to very minor things.

Many people in the Denver area are prescribed psychiatric medication, which they may not have been taking correctly or just stopped taking entirely, which can trigger aggression or homicidal/suicidal ideation.

Gang members drive cars, as do many wannabe gangbangers not even old enough to have a license.

Methamphetamine abusers drive cars, sometimes they're actually smoking it while driving.

And then there are the usual drunks and people having a mental health crisis of some sort.

Finally, there are the do-gooder "traffic nazis" who take it upon themselves to "punish" other drivers for speeding or other minor traffic infractions, typically via "passive aggressive" driving such as deliberately cutting off passing drivers to "slow them down" or pursuing them while flashing high beams and leaning on their horn.

The key is not to do anything to escalate the situation further, to avoid blocking them in any way, and just to avoid contact with them through whatever means necessary, including "escape & evasion" driving tactics which can be as simple as unexpectedly taking a turn or exit at the last moment to break off pursuit.
Are you talking about Californians? [Sofa]

Good post.

[bczandm]

Or you can call *277 and report it to Colorado State Patrol. Having dash cam video can help support your claim.

My dash cam video that caught a pickup truck cutting me off at 80 mph and causing $10,000 in damage wouldn’t even be reviewed by the state patrol. In at least my case they refused to view it.

[Aloha_Shooter]

I have observed a marked increase in people passing on the right, just to get one car ahead in the traffic and in people cutting into a 2 car gap, again, just so they can maneuver to get one more car ahead in the traffic flow. Yesterday, I had a guy cut me off on a straight-through intersection. I don't know if he somehow thought my lane was left-turn only or what but he came over from the right lane to get in my left lane as we were going through the intersection -- thing is, the street still had two lanes after the intersection and he made no attempt to turn left after pulling that stunt.

Colorado Springs is reminding me more and more of DC.

[Hummer]

Are you talking about Californians? [Sofa]

Good post.


Driving I-70 to GJ or Moab and back from the Front Range, most left lane squatters have California plates, and they won't move no matter what. I don't bother trying to change their ways. The State Patrol could have a field day on them.

Then again, I tend to drive the left lane on open highways because of the right lane truck damage, but I always move right for faster traffic. So far, I haven't had to explain to a statie.

[arbol]

A few things you need to understand about other drivers:

Some of these people are "not like us"... they come from cultures where violence is the default response to very minor things.

Many people in the Denver area are prescribed psychiatric medication, which they may not have been taking correctly or just stopped taking entirely, which can trigger aggression or homicidal/suicidal ideation.

Gang members drive cars, as do many wannabe gangbangers not even old enough to have a license.

Methamphetamine abusers drive cars, sometimes they're actually smoking it while driving.

And then there are the usual drunks and people having a mental health crisis of some sort.

Finally, there are the do-gooder "traffic nazis" who take it upon themselves to "punish" other drivers for speeding or other minor traffic infractions, typically via "passive aggressive" driving such as deliberately cutting off passing drivers to "slow them down" or pursuing them while flashing high beams and leaning on their horn.

The key is not to do anything to escalate the situation further, to avoid blocking them in any way, and just to avoid contact with them through whatever means necessary, including "escape & evasion" driving tactics which can be as simple as unexpectedly taking a turn or exit at the last moment to break off pursuit.

Good post.

I just say to myself... this is (probably) someone's mother, or grandmother...

There, but for the grace of God, go I.

[earplug]

California has a 55 MPH limit on vehicles with trailers. This makes for a very odd situation for traffic speed and lane use.
When they drive in other states they don't change habits.