*Road Rage a growing problem in Houston and surrounding areas?** (Austin: house, school)

[Dane007]

I am not sure but after living here 25 plus years I feel we have lost our wits about us around Houston.

I feel that road rage is now become a bigger problem than ever before. I see people constantly being impatient, tailgating, honking, cutting people off....and in a MUCH MORE INCREASED AMOUNT especially in Sugar Land (using High Beams) to blind other drivers.

Also I dont see our governments doing too much about it either, I have not heard in the media about any program or initiative being introduced to make people aware that road rage has now become a major issue and that law enforcement will do anything to fix it or deter it or make road rages aware that they cannot get away with harassing other drivers.

People have now started using high beams like horns, what they dont get through their thick heads is that when they high beam the other person it literally blinds them and can cause them to have an accident. When the roof and back of your entire car is lit up with some aholes high beam you cannot see and focus you try to move your mirror to avoid that strong glare but these people dont understand that it puts the other driver in a very unsafe position. And all this because you want to catch up 3 car lengths ahead of me on a Saturday night?......and then end up at a red light after all your efforts?

Its just extremely disappointing to see horrible drivers constantly harassing and instigating things.

And i dont believe the police are doing too much about it anyway.

and its not just any teenagers or truckers its literally everyone...road rage does not discriminate

[ethanw]

I would agree with this assessment. I was about to post something similar. The road rage I probably could deal with it and I pack a 9mm in all my vehicles. So get outta the car and "make my day" punk. Dealing with A holes is a different story, but what can you do? Get outta the car and administer them a beating? Then you become one of them.

But what I can't deal with and have no control over is the reckless driving. At least in Sugar Land is now the norm to run through every freaking red lights. Almost every time I am at a light which is green and I am ready to drive through I see and idiot or even 2 sometime still going through the intersection when my light is already green. And I know there is a 3-6 seconds buffer between the red and green light and they're still running the red light. Unbelievable.

I never believe I will say this but I wish they had a camera at every stop sign, probably the only way stop stop those reckless SOB's. I don't believe in cameras but man I wish they had them everywhere to teach those bastards a costly lesson. And make that ticket $600 for what I care. Crap make it $1000

But yeah driving now is much different than 5 10 or 15 years ago. It feels like when they get behind the wheel they're effing possessed. And when they get outta their cars they're the nicest Texas folks you ever met in your life. I just don't get it.

[texas7]

Originally Posted by ethanw

I would agree with this assessment. I was about to post something similar. The road rage I probably could deal with it and I pack a 9mm in all my vehicles. So get outta the car and "make my day" punk. Dealing with A holes is a different story, but what can you do? Get outta the car and administer them a beating? Then you become one of them.

Well hopefully you don't use the 9mm just because someone gets out of their car .... Sometimes people get out to yell or pitch a little fit and are totally unarmed. Shoot them and you are at fault. Or maybe they are getting out of that car to see what is wrong with you (in the event you are the bad driver)

But agree -- everyone is in such a hurry these days that road rage seems overly prevalent. Road rage worries me though. I'm on freeways constantly and see it daily in one form or another. I get aggravated on foot when I get behind people blocking the entire walkway and walking so slow that I feel like I'm tailgating them. Walkway rage? People are so overworked and over scheduled that they are rushing their lives away. It's sad.

[texas7]

Originally Posted by ethanw

But yeah driving now is much different than 5 10 or 15 years ago. It feels like when they get behind the wheel they're effing possessed. And when they get outta their cars they're the nicest Texas folks you ever met in your life. I just don't get it.

Lol, we had a woman stop and complete (or try to complete) a text message on an entry to our company parking area. Car behind her honked because she was blocking traffic in the early a.m. She gave the driver the angriest flip off that she could muster before angrily burning rubber into the parking area Driver of car that honked turned out to be company CEO. Tsk, tsk. Not sure of the outcome but pretty sure that is a regrettable incident of early morning rage for her. Sometimes people forget where they are when they explode and show their true colors.

[gwarnecke]

Maybe it's my imagination, but since returning to Houston earlier this year after living overseas I see a LOT more red-light-running than I remember previously. At some intersections I use daily it's basically the norm. Plus peeps who turn right on red without bothering to check whether there's a pedestrian or cyclist crossing the street (have almost been hit a couple of times, and then drivers look at me like it's MY fault for crossing the street when I have the Crossing Permitted light).

I hated the red-light cameras and was glad to see them go, but it's regrettable that other drivers saw this as an opportunity to zip through lights just because "they're in a hurry". Maybe we need an enforcement campaign with actual officers writing BIG tickets.

[NickelsTX]

Originally Posted by gwarnecke

Maybe it's my imagination, but since returning to Houston earlier this year after living overseas I see a LOT more red-light-running than I remember previously. At some intersections I use daily it's basically the norm. Plus peeps who turn right on red without bothering to check whether there's a pedestrian or cyclist crossing the street (have almost been hit a couple of times, and then drivers look at me like it's MY fault for crossing the street when I have the Crossing Permitted light).

I hated the red-light cameras and was glad to see them go, but it's regrettable that other drivers saw this as an opportunity to zip through lights just because "they're in a hurry". Maybe we need an enforcement campaign with actual officers writing BIG tickets.

The police are too busy giving out frivolous tickets like going 6 over in the fast lane of the freeway rather than citing actual dangerous drivers.

[Oildog]

I think there are far more inattentive drivers than ever. Used to worry about drivers eating or fiddling with their music. Now cell phones cause far more accidents. I honk more at people drifting lanes or texting while traffic lights change.

[crazysoul]

Originally Posted by Oildog

I think there are far more inattentive drivers than ever. Used to worry about drivers eating or fiddling with their music. Now cell phones cause far more accidents. I honk more at people drifting lanes or texting while traffic lights change.

The texting while driving annoys me. I'm surprised that TX as a state does not have a law prohibiting texting while driving although from the link below, there are some counties that prohibit or limit the use of cell phones while driving. Fort Bend isn't one of them apparently.

Cell Phone Ordinances

[ethanw]

Oc course not mate, life is more precious :-) Only if I feel my life and my family life is in REAL and IMMEDIATE danger. Reality is that I will probably never use a gun unless some idiot mofo really have a death wish. But I doubt it I will ever have to use the gun.

But true story from about 7 years ago, intersection of Austin Pkwy by the school in Sugar Land. I was there, right in front of it. Road rage, those 2 guys get in a wreck. The one at fault gets outta the truck all possessed and pissed off, he gets a massive pipe wrench outta his truck and heads toward the other car. He proceeds to smash the windshield and then he goes to smash the driver window. In a split of second he collapses, dead with a bullet in his chest. The driver that was attacked did what he had to do to protect himself and the kid in the back.

Originally Posted by texas7

Well hopefully you don't use the 9mm just because someone gets out of their car .... Sometimes people get out to yell or pitch a little fit and are totally unarmed. Shoot them and you are at fault. Or maybe they are getting out of that car to see what is wrong with you (in the event you are the bad driver)

[Dane007]

But true story from about 7 years ago, intersection of Austin Pkwy by the school in Sugar Land. I was there, right in front of it. Road rage, those 2 guys get in a wreck. The one at fault gets outta the truck all possessed and pissed off, he gets a massive pipe wrench outta his truck and heads toward the other car. He proceeds to smash the windshield and then he goes to smash the driver window. In a split of second he collapses, dead with a bullet in his chest. The driver that was attacked did what he had to do to protect himself and the kid in the back.[/quote]

wow that is crazyyy...this is right by my house