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I don't think the driving is getting as bad as people think. There's two things going on:
1. Increased population = more opportunity to see bad drivers.
2. When transplants move here from more "rat-racey" areas, everything seems slower paced and more relaxed at first. As you spend more time somewhere, the new environment comes "the norm", and everything seems like it's getting worse.
I used to think that, but I do believe it's gotten much worse lately. Most of what I see is "selfish driving," with people happy to endanger others to avoid inconveniencing themselves. Miss your turn? Just make an illegal u-turn or cut across multiple lanes with no warning, instead of going a block down and taking the next turn / exit. That would be just so inconvenient for you. Light turning red before you and your special car have had a chance to get through it or make that turn? Feel free to run the red light, so YOU can get to where you need to be. Don't want to wait for a break in the traffic to pull out from a side street? Just bully your way into traffic; the car with the right of way will be happy to slam on breaks or swerve to let YOU in.
These are the kinds of selfish driving stuff I see all the time here. Throw in the idiots driving slow because they're messing with their phones or the ones sitting through green lights because they're messing with their phones or the ones weaving through the lanes because they're messing with their phones ... yeah, driving around here has become a crap shoot.
Define lately? Has traffic gotten worse in the last day, month, year? It kind of drives me crazy when people say, it was so much better back in 19XX. Sure there are good and bad drivers here. Yesterday I had my share of aggressive drivers. Today is much better. So should I judge everyone by yesterday's standard, or today's?
I think to myself... Is expressing how I feel about what I consider bad driving habits worth my life? Will me brake checking a tailgater actually change how they drive? Realistically, the worst offenders probably are not going to be deterred by one person on the road.
Back when I was young and indignant, I was being tailgated badly on a 30 mph residential street. He was flashing headlights, weaving around and everything. I was doing the speed limit because I saw a school bus up ahead and sure enough, the flashing lights turned on and I stopped. He was so up my butt he couldn't see around my car. I watched in the rear view mirror as this guy lost his **** yelling and honking. So I put it in park, got out of the car and walked up to his window and yelled at him that there's a ******* school bus and children in front of me you #$%^&*
The guy just kind of leaned back away from his open window and took it because I must have looked crazy. But it could have really gone much worse. I felt righteous because if he had tried to pass me, it would have meant tragedy for those children. But what would I really have done if he got out of his car and assaulted me or pointed a gun at me? Thankfully, I've never been in that situation since.
Love the victim-blaming in this thread ... He acted crazy and in a threatening manner, thus you must have done something to cause it (and a few imply "deserve" it).
Ridiculous. Road rage of any sort whatsoever is unacceptable. Even if the driver is *gasp* not going the speed limit.
ETA: Having witnessed crazy road rage before myself, I would strongly suggest removing yourself from the situation as quickly as possible. You never know when one of these people will snap and actually hurt someone.
Love the victim-blaming in this thread ... He acted crazy and in a threatening manner, thus you must have done something to cause it (and a few imply "deserve" it).
Ridiculous. Road rage of any sort whatsoever is unacceptable. Even if the driver is *gasp* not going the speed limit.
How do you know who the victim is? There's two sides to every story.
And do we even know that the guy was following the OP? They said he pulled into a subdivision near his/her destination.
I think to myself... Is expressing how I feel about what I consider bad driving habits worth my life? Will me brake checking a tailgater actually change how they drive? Realistically, the worst offenders probably are not going to be deterred by one person on the road.
Back when I was young and indignant, I was being tailgated badly on a 30 mph residential street. He was flashing headlights, weaving around and everything. I was doing the speed limit because I saw a school bus up ahead and sure enough, the flashing lights turned on and I stopped. He was so up my butt he couldn't see around my car. I watched in the rear view mirror as this guy lost his **** yelling and honking. So I put it in park, got out of the car and walked up to his window and yelled at him that there's a ******* school bus and children in front of me you #$%^&*
The guy just kind of leaned back away from his open window and took it because I must have looked crazy. But it could have really gone much worse. I felt righteous because if he had tried to pass me, it would have meant tragedy for those children. But what would I really have done if he got out of his car and assaulted me or pointed a gun at me? Thankfully, I've never been in that situation since.
I've never had someone honk or flash lights or go nuts but often am tailgated very closely. Here is what I do. I pull over. They go around and then I get back on the road. I'm literally out ten seconds and don't have to look in my mirror and see their car ever again. Same thing goes for highway travel. I just move over. I'm always bewildered when there are lanes open yet people don't pass you...like...wtf? But who cares, just move over, they go by, and are out of your life forever.
I don't drive slow. Seriously. But if someone wants to speed at 10+ mph over I'm not going to stop them. The worst scenario I had was someone passed me over a double yellow in a turn - almost caused a head on accident. I was going 42 in a 35...but not fast enough for them I guess.
Quite frankly I have waaaay to much to lose in life to worry about these idiots who think they are better than you.
Also I am looking to add a front and back camera to our cars. People behave quite a bit better when on camera (including me ), plus I will have evidence if something does happen.
How do you know who the victim is? There's two sides to every story.
And do we even know that the guy was following the OP? They said he pulled into a subdivision near his/her destination.
So yelling at someone from your car into another car, shouting profanities etc., is somehow acceptable if you've been "wronged" while driving?
Really? Perhaps road rage, similar to other offenses of yesteryear like sexual harassment, is one of those last strongholds where we can point to the other person and say "but he/she made me do it."
So yelling at someone from your car into another car, shouting profanities etc., is somehow acceptable if you've been "wronged" while driving?
Really? Perhaps road rage, similar to other offenses of yesteryear like sexual harassment, is one of those last strongholds where we can point to the other person and say "but he/she made me do it."
Yes really. We are only getting one side of the story here. We don't know if OP is leaving out some important detail that could have severely impacted the safety of the other driver causing this to happen.
I also can't believe you just compared sexual harassment to road rage.
Yes really. We are only getting one side of the story here. We don't know if OP is leaving out some important detail that could have severely impacted the safety of the other driver causing this to happen.
I also can't believe you just compared sexual harassment to road rage.
I can't believe you don't get it, and think that even in the case of having another driver make a serious error, it is OK to further endanger other people on the road by pulling up, slamming on your brakes, and yelling and swearing at that person.
I sure am glad that I had my car accident on Cary Parkway (in which someone rear-ended me so hard it totalled my car) several years ago. Apparently if it happened now I could possibly have had cause to be screamed and yelled at because I was slowing to make my right-hand turn. Sheesh.
I can't believe you don't get it, and think that even in the case of having another driver make a serious error, it is OK to further endanger other people on the road by pulling up, slamming on your brakes, and yelling and swearing at that person.
I sure am glad that I had my car accident on Cary Parkway (in which someone rear-ended me so hard it totalled my car) several years ago. Apparently if it happened now I could possibly have had cause to be screamed and yelled at because I was slowing to make my right-hand turn. Sheesh.
According to the story, the guy was in front of the OP in the left lane, got into the right lane, hit his brakes so he would be next to the OP, and yelled at the OP. None of that sounds overly dangerous, and it's very possible its being exaggerated. 99% of the time, this doesn't happen for no reason, so that's what makes me curious about the other side of the story. Maybe the guy just wanted to yell at someone for no reason? I guess it's possible...
Look we all have incidents on the road, some just get extra fired up over it and post on message boards.
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), plus I will have evidence if something does happen.
