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Antagonizing other drivers is what you consider safe and responsible driving? Do yourself a favor and cut that out before you meet your match on the road. There are a lot of people out there with zero respect for your life. You WILL meet one of them sooner rather than later if you continue to do this.
Man, no wonder why CT has the highest reported rate of road rage in the nation. Scary stuff.
That's not antagonizing. What do you want me to do, speed up, lessen my reaction time and put myself and my vehicle in danger? You think speeding up rids yourself of a tailgator? The TAILGATOR is the antagonizer in the first place, riding my rear. I'm doing myself and my tailgator a favor by slowly reducing speed because in the event I WERE to get hit, the impact wouldn't be nearly as devastating as it would be if we collided had I sped up. And you call that antagonizing, when I'm the one who is trying to do the right thing while the other guy couldn't care less? I'm not going to pull completely off the road every time someone is in a hurry. I have just as much right to the road as anyone else. Then again, I might as well not even drive, right? God forbid someone in the 21st century actually obeys a speed limit. Blasphemous...
Note that I live in a smaller town, not a Waterbury, New Haven or Bridgeport. Maybe I would see things differently if I was a city boy, but I'm not. I get along just fine in our town the way I drive. Like I said in my first post, when it comes to the highway (and I'm never on anything except route 8 and 84 as far east as exit 39A), I avoid all passing lanes. But what do you want me to do If I'm being tailgated in the far right lane and my tailgator refuses to pass me? Or on a regular state road where in some spots it is not possible to pull over due to a steep hill or a guard rail? What then in either of those situations? So according to you, don't slow down. But then by speeding up, you run the risk of getting a ticket. You are damned in whatever decision you make I guess...
Here's something else for you to think about. Maybe the problem is not 100% attributable to the people who reside here. Maybe drivers here aren't better or worse than drivers anywhere else in the country. Maybe the problem with road rage in Connecticut is that this state ranks 4th in inhabitants per square mile. You put in excess of 3.5 million people in an area the size of Connecticut that has 5,543 square miles and yeah, you're going to see a LOT of road rage, irrespective of driving skill and ability or lack thereof.
Last edited by UconnHuskies630; 07-28-2013 at 09:15 PM..
That's not antagonizing. What do you want me to do, speed up, lessen my reaction time and put myself and my vehicle in danger? You think speeding up rids yourself of a tailgator? The TAILGATOR is the antagonizer in the first place, riding my rear. I'm doing myself and my tailgator a favor by slowly reducing speed because in the event I WERE to get hit, the impact wouldn't be nearly as devastating as it would be if we collided had I sped up. And you call that antagonizing, when I'm the one who is trying to do the right thing while the other guy couldn't care less? I'm not going to pull completely off the road every time someone is in a hurry. I have just as much right to the road as anyone else. Then again, I might as well not even drive, right? God forbid someone in the 21st century actually obeys a speed limit. Blasphemous...
So you're telling me that you're slowing down so you can reduce the devastation of a possible impact? Wow, that's the biggest load of BS I've ever heard. News for you pal. The "right thing" would be to to continue on your merry way without playing road police and creating an even more dangerous and tense situation than previously existed when the individual was tailgating. If it's so important to you to feel the need to say "I'll show 'em", then you're right, you might as well not even drive. The road would be safer for all of us without people like you on them.
Quote:
Originally Posted by UconnHuskies630
Note that I live in a smaller town, not a Waterbury, New Haven or Bridgeport. Maybe I would see things differently if I was a city boy, but I'm not. I get along just fine in our town the way I drive. Like I said in my first post, when it comes to the highway (and I'm never on anything except route 8 and 84 as far east as exit 39A), I avoid all passing lanes. But what do you want me to do If I'm being tailgated in the far right lane and my tailgator refuses to pass me? Or on a regular state road where in some spots it is not possible to pull over due to a steep hill or a guard rail? What then in either of those situations? So according to you, don't slow down. But then by speeding up, you run the risk of getting a ticket. You are damned in whatever decision you make I guess...
More BS excuses. It makes no difference about where you live - Waterbury, Bridgeport, Stafford or Groton. Tempers are everywhere. Your match is everywhere. More likely than not, your match will be a white individual from a town you wouldn't expect. Stereotyping where you can successfully pull off this behavior will do you no good.
Again, continue on your merry way. Don't change your speed limit. It's called restraint and anger management. Have it, and control it. This might help you in making lawful decisions: DMV: Driver's Manuals
Quote:
Originally Posted by UconnHuskies630
Here's something else for you to think about. Maybe the problem is not 100% attributable to the people who reside here. Maybe drivers here aren't better or worse than drivers anywhere else in the country. Maybe the problem with road rage in Connecticut is that this state ranks 4th in inhabitants per square mile. You put in excess of 3.5 million people in an area the size of Connecticut that has 5,543 square miles and yeah, you're going to see a LOT of road rage, irrespective of driving skill and ability or lack thereof.
You just admitted that you slow your speed when people tailgate you. Trust me. It's the people.
It amazes me that I even had to respond to this.
Last edited by JayCT; 07-29-2013 at 11:34 AM..
Reason: Removed Flame
Suppose I fight the ticket, Is it possible to postpone the court date, if a personal international travel (not a vacation) comes up? Also how much do you think, my insurance premium would go up, if I just pay the fine (No points)?
Much like Jury Duty, often you can do one absolute (no questions asked) postponement and then you have to go the 2nd time. But it varies by jurisdiction, often the attitude they take is that you caused this issue in the first place and you should be lucky they're letting you put it off so long (and they're not really wrong in that regard).
If it's a no points deal, your insurance won't go up at all, in fact, they'll likely not see the ticket. My guess (and to some degree it's a guess) if they reduce it to a lower speeding ticket, your insurance will go up about 10%. I doubt they will leave the ticket "as is" unless you have a significant past ticket record, otherwise, why bother with the court date, most places know people do it because they want their insurance to go up as little as possible while the court/town pretty much wants some sort of payment to come out of it all (i.e. don't count on your ticket getting thrown out entirely).
So you're telling me that you're slowing down so you can reduce the devastation of a possible impact? Wow, that's the biggest load of BS I've ever heard. News for you pal. The "right thing" would be to to continue on your merry way without playing road police and creating an even more dangerous and tense situation than previously existed when the individual was tailgating. If it's so important to you to feel the need to say "I'll show 'em", then you're right, you might as well not even drive. The road would be safer for all of us without people like you on them.
More BS excuses. It makes no difference about where you live - Waterbury, Bridgeport, Stafford or Groton. Tempers are everywhere. Your match is everywhere. More likely than not, your match will be a white individual from a town you wouldn't expect. Stereotyping where you can successfully pull off this behavior will do you no good.
Again, continue on your merry way. Don't change your speed limit. It's called restraint and anger management. Have it, and control it. This might help you in making lawful decisions: DMV: Driver's Manuals
You just admitted that you slow your speed when people tailgate you. Trust me. It's the people.
It amazes me that I even had to respond to this.
To your first paragraph: You are not even reading my responses. You took one sentence from my first post, cast a judgement and immediately started labeling me as an aggressive SOB trying to be this macho man on the road when that couldn't be farther from the truth. I didn't know gradually reducing your speed was worse than, say, jamming the brakes, speeding once the guy attempts to pass you as to not allow him to safely do so, yelling out cuss words through an open window to him, giving him the bird, threatening him, chasing him closely just as he was doing previously to you, etc. The first time I ever react in one of those ways, I'll put MYSELF in anger management courses. I have never nor will ever do any of that. I'm not as "narrow-minded" or, frankly, stupid, as you think I am. I have enough to worry about with what's in front of me. I have no control over others drivers and other vehicles, and I can't ever end up putting more of my attention on what's behind me than what's in front of me. If somebody is riding my tail, slowing down a little encourages him to pass. Speeding up could potentially cost me a ticket like it did the OP, and it is merely a short-term fix because a tailgater is not going to have any less reservation following too closely at a fast speed than he would at a slow speed. I'm not going to be intimidated into breaking the law myself simply because another driver is "inconvenienced" that I am not going fast enough to accommodate his preference. But it's too late. Nothing I say can possibly change your mind about my habits or make you understand where I'm coming from because you think I'm trying to be a tough shot myself. I'm not.
To your second paragraph: How on Earth could you peg what I'm saying as something racial? "White individual?" What does that even mean? Bad drivers come from all walks of life, white skin, black skin, orange skin - skin color makes absolutely no difference. You are here acting like slowing speed is the absolute worst thing that could possibly be done in a situation where you are being tailgated and I gave you a whole host of things that are. Do you disagree with anything on that list? There is so much worse that could be done and I've seen and learned first-hand that escalating tension on the road is dangerous and not worth my well-being and safety. Not necessarily through me, but through a friend.
To your third paragraph: Yeah, when you look at all of the car crashes that involve texting and driving, talking on the phone, drinking, being distracted, veering into other lanes without a turn signal, running red lights and stop signs, not paying attention, driving fast to impress a friend or a girlfriend, blaring the horn at everybody, not yielding the right of way, backing out of a parking spot blindly without looking, all of that has ZERO to do with the road rage in this state. Hell, some people get ticked off at something as asinine as road construction or being forced to wait for a train to pass and, subsequently, that causes them to drive erratically to make up the difference in time. Other people have problems at home with a spouse, girlfriend/boyfriend, parents, friends and have no business getting behind the wheel in the first place because they have it in their minds they're going to be aggressive right off the bat. But forget all that. All of the fault can be placed on the shoulders of people like me. That what you're saying? And don't sit there and act like you are better than me. Nobody forced you to respond. If you feel like my words are so idiotic to the point where you don't even deem them to be worth your time, why don't YOU just go on YOUR merry way and stop patronizing other people for having a different opinion. Again, for one second, really digest my words and you will understand that this is not some monster you are talking to. The last thing I would ever do is escalate a situation on the road, and like I said many times already, I don't slow down a bit to "teach the tailgater a lesson" or be malicious, I do it defensively because slowing down encourages that driver to pass. If you think my mentality is so far out of whack, don't you think my so-called "antics" would have gotten me in trouble at least ONCE in the six years I've been driving?
You keep telling me to just maintain my speed and go on my merry way. Who's to say that maintaining speed wouldn't ALSO tick a tailgater off? If your first instinct is anything BUT speeding up to the MPH he wants to go, he's already going to be angry at you and start getting more aggressive anyway. I direct you to page 41 of the State of Connecticut Department of Motor Vehicles driving manual:
Being tailgated. Every now and then, you may find yourself being closely followed or "tailgated" by another driver. If you are being followed too closely and there is a right lane, move over to the right. If there is no right lane, wait until the road ahead is clear, then reduce speed slowly. This will encourage the tailgater to drive around you. Never slow down quickly to discourage a tailgater. It increases your risk of being hit from behind.
Is the DMV wrong? Seriously, is the DMV wrong? I very distinctly remember reading those words in the manual when I got my license.
Last edited by JayCT; 07-29-2013 at 11:35 AM..
Reason: Removed deleted quote
To the OP, you were speeding. Go to court and 'fess up. Don't give him the BS response you gave us. Say, "Yes, Your Honor, I was speeding hoping to get back out of the passing lane, but it was wrong." I have found that when I go to traffic court, 'fessing up always works wonders. One day I was there for a rather hefty ticket. Everyone in front of me seemed to think they could go up and basically say the LEO was lying or just wrong. (As in didn't know what he was doing.) Most of the judges would barely look up and rubber stamp the ticket.
I came up and when asked what I did, I explained that I knew what I did was wrong and I know the fine could be severe, but at the time I didn't see any other way than to drive with no insurance. I told her I knew she could basically make my life tough, and that since I made the decision to drive, I would be fine with whatever she decided. I also showed her my POI. She let me go with less than a two hundred dollar fine when it could have been more than $1200.
Point being, you did the crime, now pay the fine. (And you may get a sympathetic judge.)
To the OP, you were speeding. Go to court and 'fess up. Don't give him the BS response you gave us. Say, "Yes, Your Honor, I was speeding hoping to get back out of the passing lane, but it was wrong." I have found that when I go to traffic court, 'fessing up always works wonders. One day I was there for a rather hefty ticket. Everyone in front of me seemed to think they could go up and basically say the LEO was lying or just wrong. (As in didn't know what he was doing.) Most of the judges would barely look up and rubber stamp the ticket.
I came up and when asked what I did, I explained that I knew what I did was wrong and I know the fine could be severe, but at the time I didn't see any other way than to drive with no insurance. I told her I knew she could basically make my life tough, and that since I made the decision to drive, I would be fine with whatever she decided. I also showed her my POI. She let me go with less than a two hundred dollar fine when it could have been more than $1200.
Point being, you did the crime, now pay the fine. (And you may get a sympathetic judge.)
It usually doesnt even get ti explaining, just simply they offer you a lesser ticket and then if you dont accept it you go back yet another time for an actual trial. At that point what youre saying is the way to go.
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