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When this happened to me, the bum finally got around me when the road widened to 4 lanes and I saw him down the road pull into a shopping center. I thought about pulling in and while he was in the store sneaking up to his truck and letting the air out of his tires.
I came back to reality and my better judgment and went on my way.
Maybe his windshield was dirty, and he just couldn't see you unless he got really close.
Next time, as a favor to anybody who is driving too closely, activate your windshield washers. Because only a small amount of fluid from your washers will actually land on your unintentional doppelganger's windshield, you'll need to run them for an extra long time.
Technically, you followed the law, yes. But yeah... if someone is that weird behind you... you can always let him pass. Better to lose two seconds by pulling over than to get a bullet in the back of your windshield.
Since our area (Raleigh, Durham and Chapel Hill) of NC has had explosive growth, and I drive 32 miles one way to work each day, I see these types of drivers all the time. I have had the same experience as the OP. I see road rage or road bullying almost every day. What I don't get is what they are thinking when they know that even if they pass you, they really can only gain being a few car lengths ahead of you. For me, it's relatively light traffic for maybe 1/2 mile and then we all run into the same jammed up 4 lane of traffic. All these fools are doing is endangering themselves, others, wearing out their car sooner and using more gas than needed with their crazy acceleration.
OP, when someone does that to me, I try to go a bit to the right so they can see the other car in front of me. It doesn't always work, but maybe 50% of the time they ease off my bumper. Doesn't sound like would have helped you. I do agree with others in that it's best not to bait them.
In other words, you should eventually grow up and learn what's important in life. Antagonizing someone tailgating you for "fun" is idiotic.
You're definitely not in your 30's. Seem more like a 16 year old punk kid.
Antagonizing someone by tailgating them and insisting that the road is YOURS and they should GET OUT OF THE WAY is what is idiotic. Expecting everyone to get out of your way because you want to go really fast is idiotic.
As for the "he might be armed so you should get out of his way no matter what it takes" comments, did it ever occur to you folks that, with that kind of thinking, the kid in the jeep should have been thinking that the OP might be armed and backed off? That's equally possible in that kind of situation, you know.
Antagonizing someone by tailgating them and insisting that the road is YOURS and they should GET OUT OF THE WAY is what is idiotic. Expecting everyone to get out of your way because you want to go really fast is idiotic.
As for the "he might be armed so you should get out of his way no matter what it takes" comments, did it ever occur to you folks that, with that kind of thinking, the kid in the jeep should have been thinking that the OP might be armed and backed off? That's equally possible in that kind of situation, you know.
BOTH behaviors are idiotic, but the OP can only control THEIR behavior. Why am I not surprised you find yourself on the less intelligent side of a conversation yet again?
Well, I wasn't going to go there, but since you have, in other discussions, aligned yourself firmly with the "get out of my way, I've got some speeding to do" camp (which is, itself, an obvious attempt to control the behavior of others), your stance here is not particularly surprising. Predictable, even.
The OP did nothing other than behave entirely legally. Your issue with his behavior makes me wonder if perhaps you don't drive a jeep and in a similar fashion to the person he is describing.
If there were two lanes for you to drive in and you blocked him you'd be wrong. But in your situation you did nothing wrong. He could have passed if he really wanted. In such situations I just aim all my mirrors so that I don't see those raging tail-gaters.
I will admit, I thoroughly enjoyed how frustrated this person got simply because I chose not to drive like a maniac, but I still feel guilty because of it. Should I?
Yes. This is the kind of behavior which incites road rage. You made him frustrated and that could have led him to make a bad decision. A risky pass due to his frustration could have led to tragedy. Could you live with that? What if someone else was doing that and the resulting collision killed someone in your family? How would you feel about it them? You were in the right, but that doesn't make your behavior right. Pull over and let him pass, it has no real impact on your day or life, and you may just avert a tragedy that destroys two families lives. It just isnt worth it IMO.
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