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About a month ago, I got called in to work at 5AM for an emergency appendectomy on a 16 year old. I am on a road that is 2 lanes each way with a 40MPH speed limit, but I am going about 50MPH because I am trying to get to the hospital quickly. I come up behind a blue toyota pick up truck who is going exactly 40MPH. For some reason I still dont understand, he doesn't want to let me pass him. He moves into my lane (the right) to block me, so I move to the left lane, and he moves back to the left to block me again. Now he has slowed down to 20 or 30. After a few times, I manage to fake him out and get past. Now he starts following me. Every turn I make, he turns right behind me. Now, It's dark, with nobody else on the roads, and I dont know if this nut job has a gun, or what he possibly wants. So now I am speeding just to get away from him, and he is speeding behind me creating an even more dangerous situation. So I drive to the police station and start laying on my horn and the guy finally takes off. To this day, I still don't know what that guy was trying to accomplish.
It always creates a more dangerous situation when people play games on the road. People need to learn to just worry about their own driving, and never take matters into their own hands. If someone cuts you off, so what? If someone is tailgating in the left lane, move out of the way and let them go. If you have that much of a problem with them speeding, call the police. But don't hit your brakes or try to antagonize them. It could end up in a pointless tragedy.
I carry some fist-sized stones in the car just in case a jagoff like the guy described above needs a little persuading to back the F off. I used to pitch in HS.
my husband drives at the perfect speed. if someone is going 1 mph slower in the left lane in front of him - he flashes his high beams. if someone behind him is going 1mph faster, the driver behind an a**hole and my hub jams on his brakes.
i love him to death, but a patient driver he ain't.
Cops need to enforce the pass left, drive right rule more often. But more importantly, people need to remember how to drive and follow the law. Just the other day I had some dumb woman almost hit me from behind and wail on her horn because I stopped at a red light before going right (which is the law).
About a month ago, I got called in to work at 5AM for an emergency appendectomy on a 16 year old. I am on a road that is 2 lanes each way with a 40MPH speed limit, but I am going about 50MPH because I am trying to get to the hospital quickly. I come up behind a blue toyota pick up truck who is going exactly 40MPH. For some reason I still dont understand, he doesn't want to let me pass him. He moves into my lane (the right) to block me, so I move to the left lane, and he moves back to the left to block me again. Now he has slowed down to 20 or 30. After a few times, I manage to fake him out and get past. Now he starts following me. Every turn I make, he turns right behind me. Now, It's dark, with nobody else on the roads, and I dont know if this nut job has a gun, or what he possibly wants. So now I am speeding just to get away from him, and he is speeding behind me creating an even more dangerous situation. So I drive to the police station and start laying on my horn and the guy finally takes off. To this day, I still don't know what that guy was trying to accomplish.
It always creates a more dangerous situation when people play games on the road. People need to learn to just worry about their own driving, and never take matters into their own hands. If someone cuts you off, so what? If someone is tailgating in the left lane, move out of the way and let them go. If you have that much of a problem with them speeding, call the police. But don't hit your brakes or try to antagonize them. It could end up in a pointless tragedy.
I've had that happen to me when I used to work EMS. I never felt the need to put a bunch of lights on my car, but maybe I should have. I would drive a little above the speed limit and stop then proceed through a red light if no one was coming (depending on how serious the call was). But there is nothing worse than trying to go help someone and having some jack wagon road rage you in the process.
I've had that happen to me when I used to work EMS. I never felt the need to put a bunch of lights on my car, but maybe I should have. I would drive a little above the speed limit and stop then proceed through a red light if no one was coming (depending on how serious the call was). But there is nothing worse than trying to go help someone and having some jack wagon road rage you in the process.
My husband has blue lights, he'll use them only when he needs to get there fast--like if there is CPR being administered or something like that. Many people still don't pull over and give him the right of way. Karma has a way of getting people like that.
I never suggested pulling over when there are cars in the lane next to you. If you cant move over, you cant move over. I still think the brake pedal is a bad idea. Nothing good will really come from it. I only see downsides. If someone is riding THAT close behind you they are obviously not worried about safe driving so do you think tapping the brakes will cause them to back off or tail you even more out of spite? What if you "tap" a little harder than you intend? If I am in that situation, I drive like I normally would, and then move over when it is safe.
Brake checking is another form of (passive) aggressive driving and it is mostly useless and possibly dangerous. Just as tailgating someone isn't going to make them go faster, brake checking someone isn't going to teach them a lesson and make them maintain a proper space cushion. Neither of these tactics are going to teach anybody "a lesson" or make them realize you're right and they're wrong.
Anyway, it is no one's place to be teaching anybody "a lesson" on the road. There's no point in being a road avenger. If a douchebag in his midlife crisis- or ego reassurance-mobile, or some badass wannabe in his suped up Civic is riding up your ass, let him ride up your ass until you can safely get over to the right to let the clown pass, and then you never have to see or think about the fool again. If you let a douchebag tailgater, lane hopscotcher or cutter offer get your blood pressure up, they already won.
As far as left lane cruisers go, don't let those idiots frustrate you either (and yes, they ARE frustrating, but like I said, don't waste your time trying to teach them a lesson). Just go around them. I was on 280 EAST last week, in the right lane, and noticed a car in the left lane cruising, going slower than me in the right lane. The guy stuck behind the left lane cruiser was getting all kinds of pissed and was tailgating and flashing his high beams, to no avail. The cruiser refused to move over. I even slowed up a bit to let the cruiser into the right lane, but he wouldn't budge. I even slowed up enough to give the pissed off stuck guy enough room to move over to pass on the right, but he wouldn't move either. I hate riding in a pack so I said to hell with both of you and sped off ahead of both of them (this was a Sunday evening and the highway was completely empty in both lanes in front all three of us, making the circus act going on in the left lane even more ridiculous). When I looked in my rear view mirror, they were both still locked in a battle of wills.
Also, I want to throw in here that people need to learn to be civil and mature and LET PEOPLE MERGE. Case in point: 280 WEST, Stickel Bridge. There's an on ramp right before the bridge, where the on ramp turns almost immediately into an exit only lane. You have no choice but to merge left 1 lane right away. When it's bumper to bumper, lot's of people in that middle lane will not let anybody merge. Just a steady stream of cars riding Human Centipede style, refusing to break. To those people, I say a hearty FONGOOL.
This is probably one of the most intelligent and logical posts that I've read regarding this topic. It amazes me how much of a gray area driving becomes when emotions get involved, but the real truth of it is that it's black and white. If everyone simply followed the rules and actually (gasp) showed a little patience and (nearly faints) courtesy, we probably wouldn't have discussions like this.
Even more astounding are those who admit intentionally creating and maintaining dangerous situations, and then justify it by pointing out the actions of others. Those folks had better make sure their medical and dental insurance is paid up in case someone decides to step out of the cultural norm of passive-aggressive anonymity and actually pull their card one day.
I'll stop brake checking when morons stop tail-gating. Until then, if they hit me, I'll hit them back--in the wallet.
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