Elevated Road rage in Gilbert AZ (Phoenix: metro area, between, time)
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I am amazed at how little road rage there is in PHoenix. The whole city is built on the premise of driving and yet people are great. I'm a snowbird and have done some pretty dumb things but only one person in time has saluted me and that was one of the few times I hadn't done anything wrong. He was just a nut.
I own guns and hunt here in Canada. But us Canucks are incredulous that people can just walk around with guns down here. Its absolutely crazy to me. Virtually everyone I talk to has a gun. But they need one because everyone else has a gun. Now I want a gun when I'm down there because everyone else has one. What a catch-22.
I think snowbirds get something of a pass on the road rage. People expect them to be in the way. An elderly man got dragged from his car and beat up by some punk the other day. There was a lot of public outrage and effort made to catch the guy - and they did. It was in the news much more than the Gilbert shooting. It was newsworthy because older drivers are rarely involved in this kind of stuff. The real road rage incidents are generally between young males or self-important type-A personalities (of any age). It takes two to escalate an aggressive driving move to a road rage incident. I doubt the young guy in Gilbert was just some mellow fellow driving along minding his own business. And the guy he shot was classical.
If you get into regular road rage dramas, chances are your driving is the problem. It's happened to me one time ever (edit: before the one I refer to later) and I still have no idea what the guy was so upset about, since he was the one blocking the left lane, going under the speed limit and all I did was flash my headlights at him. However, I regularly have to toot my horn when the driver in front of me is reading his Blackberry and not noticing the light has turned green or when someone stops for no reason in the middle of a road or parking lot, no signal on and totally oblivious to vehicles behind them who want to continue on their journey. I did it a few weeks ago when someone stopped a good 20' before the intersection, had all the time in the world to turn right and was busy reading his mobile device. When I tooted my horn, the guy flipped out, started flailing his arms, giving me the finger. What a nut. I was on my bike, so it was no problem to pass him in about a second once on the main road. He kept flashing me, honking his horn. Some folks really need to chill out and pay attention to the road and traffic around them.
Yes, toss the ego, but keep a gun close by. You need protection on our roads. This is most important for younger men (under about 60). Most people expect women and geezers to drive poorly and won't shoot them for it even in Phoenix.
I'm not opposed to carrying a gun in your car for protection. I carry one and am not afraid to admit it. However, I'm very careful and let everyone have the right of way and avoid problem areas. The last thing I want to do is fire this weapon at someone. I would much rather let someone feel like they got one on me by forcing me to switch lanes.....whoa...I switched lanes and let a faster driver go by me and make a face at me! Wow, I sacraficed so much!
In most of these cases, they could have been avoided if the victim had simply acted like the bigger person and avoided trouble. It's not about who is right and what is fair. It is about protecting your life. If someone is being an a-hole and riding your tail, simply switch lanes and let him or her go. People don't get that and feel they have the right to remain in their lane because the other person is at fault for driving too fast; yeah they are at fault but they could also get you killed. People don't get they are operating 2 ton machines and having an ego is going to get you killed. There are a lot of maniacs out there, you don't look like less of a man to let some idiot drive past you. I guarantee, the shooter in this case could have probably avoided this case. I'm guessing the victim was the aggressor but the shooter probably responded in kind or felt like he was standing up to him.
I would much rather let someone feel like they got one on me by forcing me to switch lanes.....whoa...I switched lanes and let a faster driver go by me and make a face at me! Wow, I sacraficed so much!
Yes, but the true nuts get irate over something that in no way impedes their trip or should even bruise their ego. I don't understand how it's insulting to anyone if I want to pass them safely and go at whatever speed well ahead of theirs. In my own road rage incident, I had been following this guy from Carefree Hwy. and I-17 to past Kingman. I didn't want to pass him for hours because he was a good rabbit for radar and was driving plenty fast. I honestly didn't want to go any faster than he was going until he slowed down to well below the speed limit and sat in the left lane, keeping parallel with the car in the right lane, so no one could go around either of them. He was just insane. There's no telling what sets them off or how to cool them back down. I didn't care too much because I was in a rental car and was well armed with several cell phones and a gun. Had I been in my own car and unarmed, I'd have been worried. It's not like there was anywhere to turn off the road up there. It was just keep going until the next sign of civilization.
I'm a snowbird but only 55 so not real elderly and I get treated fine. Honestly, this forum has been excellent information for me. I can't have a gun down there as I'm a canuck. But I will now assume everyone has a gun and act accordingly. Sheesh now I'm worried I may do something that might get my neighbor mad at me!
Yes, but the true nuts get irate over something that in no way impedes their trip or should even bruise their ego.
I disagree. It takes two hands to clap. Something usually sets these guys off even if what you did was unintentional. And it's usually people who stand up to them by not allowing them to pass and what usually occurs is these guys get on their tails and then form some type of grudge with them. I see it all the time. They rarely just target random people who don't impede their trip.
And in your case, he may have felt that you were following him and became paranoid as a result. In those cases, I usually slow way down and allow him to go out of view or I pull over on the side of the road until he gets some distance.
And in your case, he may have felt that you were following him and became paranoid as a result. In those cases, I usually slow way down and allow him to go out of view or I pull over on the side of the road until he gets some distance.
Well, having followed him for a good 150 miles, he seemed pretty normal until he snapped. I'm a fast driver and was never once tempted to try to pass this guy until well after Kingman. In fact, my wife and I stopped for lunch there, got back on the road and got behind him again. So he probably stopped for lunch in Kingman too. Something later on made him decide to be a road block in the left lane. If he thought there was a cop nearby, I was more than happy to pass and be the rabbit, since we were already going under the speed limit and I had a radar detector with me. No telling what set him off. Maybe he was screaming at the driver in the right lane until I flashed him and then he turned his ire to me.
Well, having followed him for a good 150 miles, he seemed pretty normal until he snapped. I'm a fast driver and was never once tempted to try to pass this guy until well after Kingman. In fact, my wife and I stopped for lunch there, got back on the road and got behind him again. So he probably stopped for lunch in Kingman too. Something later on made him decide to be a road block in the left lane. If he thought there was a cop nearby, I was more than happy to pass and be the rabbit, since we were already going under the speed limit and I had a radar detector with me. No telling what set him off. Maybe he was screaming at the driver in the right lane until I flashed him and then he turned his ire to me.
That is an amazing recount. You don't see why this driver got angry with you and did what he did? Seriously? You tailgate a guy for 150 miles. He stops for lunch and maybe to get rid of you only to find you tailgating him again after lunch. He slows down cause he is trying to get you off his butt and you flash him to go faster rather than just going around. He would have been justified in plugging you if I were on a jury. If you want to speed at least have the cajones to not hide behind someone else while you are doing it. For 150 miles. That's cowardly driving not to speak of annoying to the person you are following.
I didn't tailgate him at all, not for one second. I was well over one car distance for every 10 mph of speed behind him the entire trip.
You were in his mirror for a few hours. You have been in similar circumstances, I am sure. It is annoying to say the least to have some gutless driver hiding behind you trying to avoid a ticket. It's poor road etiquette plain and simple. When I get some loser doing that with me I make his life miserable by alternately speeding up and slowing down until he gets tired of it and passes. That is something like it is what he should have done. If he shot you, though, I would understand. It amazes me that you don't see your "fault" in this.
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