My trailer got hit by someone who tried to pass on a country road and saw someone coming the other direction and just cut over right into the side of it.
Trailer damage: scuffs, broken light
Car damage: Bumper, wheel, tire, headlight, fender, door, marker light
Police showing up: priceless.
Maybe this should be in the minor confession thread. I brake checked someone HARD for tailgating me this morning. They would consistently catch me after every cross street and get so close that I could only see half of their headlights. I told my self if they get a little closer they are getting checked, I hit the brakes hard enough to engage the abs then let up a little then just as my trailer hitch was about to puncture their radiator I let up. Once they recovered, they tried to pass me in an unsafe manner I wasn't having that so I out accelerated them.
Later when we got to a two lane they passed me with no drama not even a wave, I think they got it. If I was in my old van they would have gotten the hitch treatment.
I did once ram a nice SUV with my old Maxima when they tried to pass me on an entrance ramp, I just held it to the floor and gave them a nudge. My passenger mirror dented their door with no damage to my car. The guy must have been in a real hurry because I don't take entrance ramps lightly, and I really don't like people messing with me.
Everybody who drives slower than me is a moron.
Everybody who drives faster than me is a maniac.
Houston is replete with road rage people. Mostly the kind who drive 5 feet off my Miata's bumper when traffic stackup precludes me from driving faster or moving over. Then there is the passive aggressive kind who speed up just enough to block you from changing lanes or cut you off and then slow down. Added bonus is when they speed up like a bat out of hell, cut in front, and then make a sudden, hard braking right turn when there is a mile of open road behind you.
Last year I was headed home from the Mitty (Road Atlanta) in my E36 M3. I always take the country roads home, as I hate droning down the interstate.
I was nearing the GA / FL state line (the actual line, not the crappy pop-country band) in the middle of nowhere when I came across an old truck. I passed him, as I was making good time. This apparently infuriated the driver, as he sped up and started tailgating me with his brights on. I guess being passed was a threat to his fragile ego. It was late, no one else on the road--- middle of nowhere, so I sped up......just to see what his threshold was. I also wanted to see if he'd blow his truck up trying to catch me. He ran that old beater past triple digits--- and at that point I knew I didn't want him in front of me again.
Every now and again speed is a safety feature.
I live in a rural area where many of the roads are two lane and windy. Mostly double yellow lines. Yesterday coming back from picking up some parts on one of these roads, doing about 5 over the limit. This shiny happy person comes up behind me going 15 over and decides to pass me over the double yellow, just before a blind corner. I headed for the fog line and the idiot misses getting into a head on by a few feet.
If I had been where I was supposed to be, the story would have been different.
You want to endanger your own life, knock yourself out - just don't endanger my life as well.
I agree with what Dean wrote a while back.
I almost never get into a road rage thing.
I drive a little over the speed limit out side of the city and a little agressive. Depens on conditions.
One thing , I drive with no distractions and try to keep aware of what is going on so that I don't p*** some one off.
On rare occasions some one takes offense and is acting up, I just ignore them, looking staight ahead.
Driven5 said:Everybody who drives slower than me is an idiot.
Everybody who drives faster than me is an shiny happy person.
Thank you, Cosby.
akylekoz said:Maybe this should be in the minor confession thread. I brake checked someone HARD for tailgating me this morning. They would consistently catch me after every cross street and get so close that I could only see half of their headlights. I told my self if they get a little closer they are getting checked, I hit the brakes hard enough to engage the abs then let up a little then just as my trailer hitch was about to puncture their radiator I let up. Once they recovered, they tried to pass me in an unsafe manner I wasn't having that so I out accelerated them.
Later when we got to a two lane they passed me with no drama not even a wave, I think they got it. If I was in my old van they would have gotten the hitch treatment.
I did once ram a nice SUV with my old Maxima when they tried to pass me on an entrance ramp, I just held it to the floor and gave them a nudge. My passenger mirror dented their door with no damage to my car. The guy must have been in a real hurry because I don't take entrance ramps lightly, and I really don't like people messing with me.
Yeah, to me that's INCREDIBLY stupid. Intentionally trying to cause an accident.
If someone is tailgating me I do one of two things:
1. I slow down to the point that they finally go around me (this is in the middle or outside land, never the inside).
2. I hammer it and leave them far behind.
In reply to z31maniac :
It really is not a good idea and it doesn't happen very often but the only accident caused was the one in his pants. I travel at 5:30 in the morning so we were the only ones on the road.
I dunno what it is. People with perfectly fine manners, but sometimes they don't bring them along in their vehicles or on the internet. I have been guilty of both, but I try to do better.
My favorite is Clark Griswold, the pickup truck, and the logging truck. Man I love that movie . . . .
STORY TIME MY FAVORITE!
My best/worst “victim of road rage” story happened when I was maybe 19, driving home from a girlfriends house late at night, maybe 12:00. I was driving the coolest & fastest car ever…… a green Ford Escort station wagon.
I was speeding & sort of “flew up” behind a car, a white Pontiac Grand Am I think, who was doing maybe 5 under the limit in an already slow area... 25 or 30 mph zone. That was my bad, but apparently it was VERY upsetting. I backed off and started following at a normal distance.
About a mile later they pulled into a large retail parking lot, and I drove past. They pulled right out behind me and started tailgating me HARD. Swerving back and forth, flashing high beams, honking the horn… so close to my bumper I can’t see their headlamps in my rear view. After a few minutes of this ridiculousness I let off the gas (in a passing zone, even!) and slowed down gradually, they pulled around me and took off. I figured “phew, glad that’s over”.
Several miles later, the road has opened up a bit… still two lanes but ~45-50mph speed limit with wide shoulders. I spot the car again… parked on the side of the road in the shoulder, no lights on. Just as I come up on it, 3 people jump out of the car, one wielding a baseball bat! The driver practically jumps out in front of me, just as backseat baseball bat guy tries to take a swing at my car. I swerve into the (thankfully empty!) oncoming lane and continue on.…They jump back into their car and give chase.
The tailgating and light flashing starts again. After a couple miles of this I cross the MA state border back into CT & my home town. Around this point they started backing off & then flying up behind me, slamming on their brakes (locking up tires!). I come upon another nice open passing zone and decided to try moving over/slowing down again, in hopes that they would give it up & pass me again.
I was getting pretty close to home at this point, so I knew the area and figured if I could get them to pass I could zip down a side street (to another side street, to another side street…) and they would be unlikely to be able to follow. Unfortunately this plan did not work out. I slowed a bit, they moved up next to me, about a half car ahead, and started forcing me toward the shoulder! Slowing/stopping seemed like a VERY BAD IDEA at this point so I floored it and used every inch of that shoulder and all 88 horsepower to get in front of them again… the tailgating resumed.
I turned down the side street I was planning to take, they followed, but not as closely since there were now turns to negotiate & I knew the roads well. I took a few subsequent turns, but couldn’t put enough distance between us to lose them... they kept following. At that point I decided I was never going to lose them on my own, called the state police on my nokia brick phone & explained the situation. They had a speed trap set up a couple miles from my location, so they kept me on the phone & had me lead the car past the speed trap, where the trooper pulled them over & I kept going.
Another trooper met me about a mile down the road to make sure I was alright. Shaken… ayup you bet…. But OK. I asked him what would happen to them and got some BS answer about how “well WE didn’t actually see them do anything wrong, and from what you said this all started out of state, so all we can really do is give them a warning.” That REALLY pissed me off.
Well if we're telling real bad, likely ill advised stories....
The worst one I ever had took place in South Daytona during the time of $5 per gallon regular gas. I remember this one pretty clearly because it isn't something I'm real proud of in hindsight.
On S Nova, there's a left turn lane you can get into there to pull into a particular Circle K on a corner. Normally I never stopped there because getting into the lot was a hassle but they happened to have the cheapest gas I could buy with my student money and income from playing poker.
I end up behind this guy also making a left who apparently has better things to do than drive his car and misses traffic move up during the left turn arrow. Okay that sucks but whatever. Unfortunately he continued doing other things when it turned green again. After waiting a few seconds I blip the horn. The guy flies into a rage yelling and pointing then proceeds to get out of his car. At that point I smiled and held up my carry pistol (21 and stupid.)
I guess that was enough to encourage him to get into his car, rip through the now red light across two lanes of moving traffic on the divided road and head down the adjoining road. Being the dumbass I was at that age, I'm glad he didn't force the confrontation because my life would have turned out differently despite being protected by Florida's laws.
Duke said:Driven5 said:Everybody who drives slower than me is an idiot.
Everybody who drives faster than me is an shiny happy person.
Thank you, Cosby.
George Carlin, I think...
Duke said:Suprf1y said:And if I pass you on a solid yellow line don't flip out because I'm breaking the law because I'm not.
Ummm, how does that work? Literally everywhere I have lived in my 53 years on this planet, a solid yellow line specifically means passing is illegal. With possible exceptions for extrememly slow moving agricultural or construction equipment. It may or may not be safe, but it is definitely illegal.
It works quite well. You pass on a solid line and you don't get a ticket.
It's like those orange or yellow speed signs you see on curves, or on ramps. It's not actually a speed limit, it's only a recommendation.
Maybe you should look at your local laws. If you asked 100 people here if you're allowed to pass on a solid yellow I bet 100 of them would say no. They would all be wrong.
In reply to Suprf1y :
According to New York State traffic code:
S 1126. No-passing zones. (a) When official markings are in place indicating those portions of any highway where overtaking and passing or driving to the left of such markings would be especially hazardous, no driver of a vehicle proceeding along such highway shall at any time drive on the left side of such markings.
That sounds like you can’t cross a double yell line.
A while back I missed a turn and made a left into a gas station to turn around. It pissed off a guy that was behind me and he turned around too. I kept going thinking he’d get tired of following me but after a couple miles I pulled over in a 7-11. Angry guy got out of his car ranting and waving his arms. As he got close to the car I said I was sorry, I really screwed up back there. It seemed to take the wind out of him and he didn’t know what to say. He just got back in his car and drove off.
Suprf1y said:Duke said:Suprf1y said:And if I pass you on a solid yellow line don't flip out because I'm breaking the law because I'm not.
Ummm, how does that work? Literally everywhere I have lived in my 53 years on this planet, a solid yellow line specifically means passing is illegal. With possible exceptions for extrememly slow moving agricultural or construction equipment. It may or may not be safe, but it is definitely illegal.
It works quite well. You pass on a solid line and you don't get a ticket.
It's like those orange or yellow speed signs you see on curves, or on ramps. It's not actually a speed limit, it's only a recommendation.
Maybe you should look at your local laws. If you asked 100 people here if you're allowed to pass on a solid yellow I bet 100 of them would say no. They would all be wrong.
Interestingly Ontario is the only province or territory in Canada where passing on the double yellow is legal. In the US you can pass on the double yellow in VT and in PA if there is no "Do Not Pass" signage.
I've had two guns pointed at me from inside moving vehicles so far. Luckily none of them were cops or i'd probably be dead. I've come to the conclusion that the best way to avoid being the target of road rage is to be obviously female.
It happens to me a lot less as i get older and i certainly raised a lot of ire on the roads back when, but i don't particularly feel bad about it. I never hurt anyone and as a driver i make it a point to let anyone who wants to go fast do so as long as they're more or less respecting my space and being vaguely patient with my attempts to get out of their way. That's a line in the sand but I can honestly say that if two of me came across each other on the street there would be no issue, and i dont think that's true for a lot of people who end up road raging. There are a lot of thin-skinned hypocrites out there who would get E36 M3ty with someone for doing the same thing they themselves might blithely do 40 seconds before or after, who think that other people create all the danger in their lives and take no accountability for escalating the danger of a given situation by raging over it. We often talk about driver training being inadequate. It would be nice if everyone had to do a little wheel to wheel racing or formation driving until they stopped freaking out about stupid E36 M3. People will happily cram their flabby human bodies together in clubs and concerts and get stampeded to death when one person yells the wrong word but they flip out if anything comes within 17 feet of their 4000 lb suit of armor when they're on the road checking their texts or applying mascara.
It won't matter when they take the wheel away from us, and eventually we will all be hapless passengers in 'cars' hauling ass so close to each other that us obsolete human drivers would all be squawking like angry geese on the way home to the safety of our cigarettes and 4000 calorie dinners.
I used to get into serious confrontations, sometimes leading to fights. My best story is how I'm driving in a fairly dense urban area and a cabie cuts me off. I flip him off, and he starts following me around town. After a few turns, I pull over and exit my vehicle. Out of the cab get's a huge guy who looks like he could be playing linebacker in the NFL. He gets in my face and tells me that he's going to kill me. Well I'd pulled over next to the local high school, and the students were heading out for their lunch break. Their answer to the cabbie's threat was a resounding "Do it!" Somehow I talked the guy down without getting beaten up or losing my dignity, but I'll never forget how the students of my Alma Mater had my back that day.
Duke said:Ummm, how does that work? Literally everywhere I have lived in my 53 years on this planet, a solid yellow line specifically means passing is illegal. With possible exceptions for extrememly slow moving agricultural or construction equipment. It may or may not be safe, but it is definitely illegal.
You must’ve never lived in Pennsylvania. In PA, case law has determined that the lines on the road only serve as a recommendation from PennDOT, and do not represent law. There are 3 Vehicle Code sections that deal with passing or driving on the left side of a 2-way road, and they are basically that you can’t ever come within 200 feet of an oncoming vehicle (so you’d better be on the right side of the line before you come within 200 feet of a blind rise or curve), you can’t pass across an intersection, and you can’t pass within a half mile after passing a “DO NOT PASS/NO PASSING ZONE” sign (signage represents law).
If your driving reflects your outrage, you're definitely doing it wrong. If the person driving like he's outraged is really outraged, there is nothing you can teach him while you're in your car. If you're a law enforcement professional, please pull over more bad drivers and broadcast the fact that you will be doing so more often.
Passing over a solid yellow line is not legal unless someone is extremely below the speed limit. The speed limit is the MAXIMUM speed to be traveled legally. It is not the mandated speed of the road. 5 or 1o under is perfectly legal and they have every right to drive at that speed. As a driver you are responsible for determining your safe speed up to the posted limit. Secondly just because YOU don't see the danger does not mean it is not there. The whole point of a double yellow is to protect you (and others) from hidden dangers. It is there because you can not see the potential danger. Like say some one pulling out of there driveway that you can not see.
Also if getting to where you need to get to is really all that important leave earlier. Driving like a dick (yes passing on a solid yellow puts you in that category) is doing something that is not expected by others on the road that alone is reason enough for you not to do it. When ever I listen to people try to justify there failure to obey traffic laws I always here a self absorbed I am better than the other people on the road and there for I can do it attitude. News flash you are not better than anyone else. If people are obeying the posted laws they have every right to use the road as you do. Get over your self. It is not a matter of if there will be an incident. It is a matter of when you are going to cause bad things to happen. I have seen it. I have dead friends because of it. They were idiots and spued the same logic I am hearing here. Eventually your number will come up. Hopefully innocent people are not involved when it happens.
Sorry to be so harsh about this. I was young and stupid once. I get it.
I’m surprised how much road rage there is in some parts of the country. I am in dense, aggressive traffic all day and rarely experience any. I would have expected it to be better in less crowded areas.
I have been on both sides of road rage (giver and receiver) and I'm convinced that it has very little to do with what the victim of road rage actually did and more to do with how angry the perpetrator of road rage is. For clarification, I don't consider horn honking or lights flashing to get somebody's attention as road rage, but swerving, tailgating or brake checking definitely is. I used to have suppressed anger over stupid stuff and would get pretty worked up when other motorists wronged me and would retaliate. I'm embarrassed how aggressive I have been to other motorists in the past. But, now I'm a pretty happy person and when somebody does something wrong in traffic, I just assume they are having a bad day or maybe they are from out of town or just got their license.
The guy in the truck was angry about something else in his life and took it out on you. The best thing you can do is disengage. I no longer get into what my wife and I call "Traffic Wars". If you find yourself in one of those angry exchanges with another motorist where you tailgate each other or try to cut each other off or get ahead of each other, you are doing exactly what they want you to do. You are allowing them to ruin your commute. If somebody starts to engage me in an aggressive manner in traffic, I don't give them the opportunity to ruin my day. I just turn off the road at the next opportunity. Hopefully, they aren't a violent person who is now out to ruin my day and start following me. I have ways of dealing with that, too.
In reply to dean1484 :
OP was passing in a dotted line zone, there's no blame on him for this
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