Rude on the highway--what's wrong with people?

[m.hony]

Bright lights approaching on a 4 lane divided highway don't bother me, but on a 2 lane...

[m.hony]

I don't travel much in the dark, but there are other things that bother me, like people pulling out in front of me or passing just to slow down and turn in front of me or pass when there really isn't enough room or cross over the center line as they are approaching me or running a stop sign or red light while I have s green light or...

[chevl66]

Originally Posted by SteveSueMac

Last year was our first year with our airstream (or any trailer for that matter).

We took driving lessons.

We were cautious like the thing was one huge egg we didn't want to crack on the road.

And suddenly, I realized how everyone else drives like a$$-hats.

Here I am in the slow lane driving a 50' long 7.5 ton combo and "Johnny Jackass" decides it's a good idea to speed up on the entrance ramp (9 out of 10 times) so he doesn't have to get behind me - this forces me to brake hard to avoid killing him as he squeezes in front of my passenger fender with an inch to spare - happy he won his race and completely oblivious to both the change of underwear I now require AND the tapestry of creative language I wove for his benefit.

Too many examples like this to share. But it dawned on me - I was "Johnny Jackass" before the airstream. Not good.

And - who gives a flying flip about Johnny? I'm going CAMPING! And as I've said many times before, my very WORST day camping FAR exceeds my very best day in the office.

So this year, I'm going to try to hold back on the foul language tapestries, I'm going to try to feel bad for Johnny since he's not going camping, and I'm going to try to just keep it slow and simple and smile because I'm going CAMPING!

God I love my airstream!!! :-)

This cracked me up and made my day!

[SuperTrouper]

Originally Posted by Foiled Again

Road Rage IS a choice. Controlling other people's choices is a lost cause. Smart = good. Smarta$$, not so much.

I learned my road rage lesson young. Late warm summer night, mid 80's heading home up the west side highway in NYC with a car full of friends full of steam from a fun night out. We were at a red light at 14th St. with a Dodge Diplomat in front of us. While the light was still red, the Diplomat pulled a "u-ey" right in front of us! Of course, being full of steam and the windows being down on my 72 Buick Deuce and a Quarter, my outspoken crew screamed out one word in unison that we thought described the driver of the Diplomat fairly accurately. Well, the Dodge screeched to a halt and the driver leaned out and said "what did you say? we were silent. He said "pull it over NOW!" Well, it was a car full of NYPD undercover detectives. The next half hour was not a lot of fun but we did get to go home without going to the pokey although some of my crew kept bucking for trouble and acting tough. The head detective saw that I was a reasonable guy and instructed me to keep a lid on it in the future as the bad guys tended to shoot first rather than just spend a half hour threatening jail time etc. From then on I keep an eye out for idiots and give them a wide berth.

[r carl]

It seems patrolmen used to stop you for not dimming your lights.

[SStar]

Rude on the highway--what's wrong with people?

Why would people not be rude and obnoxious on the highway when they are probably that way in every other facet of their lives? Maybe it just goes with the "I want it and I want now generation" that our society has evolved to.
I think a part of RVing that I really enjoy is the fact that you meet a lot of people that are just not going anywhere and are not in a hurry to get there.

[ROBERTSUNRUS]

Originally Posted by SuperTrouper

I learned my road rage lesson young. Late warm summer night, mid 80's heading home up the west side highway in NYC with a car full of friends full of steam from a fun night out. We were at a red light at 14th St. with a Dodge Diplomat in front of us. While the light was still red, the Diplomat pulled a "u-ey" right in front of us! Of course, being full of steam and the windows being down on my 72 Buick Deuce and a Quarter, my outspoken crew screamed out one word in unison that we thought described the driver of the Diplomat fairly accurately. Well, the Dodge screeched to a halt and the driver leaned out and said "what did you say? we were silent. He said "pull it over NOW!" Well, it was a car full of NYPD undercover detectives. The next half hour was not a lot of fun but we did get to go home without going to the pokey although some of my crew kept bucking for trouble and acting tough. The head detective saw that I was a reasonable guy and instructed me to keep a lid on it in the future as the bad guys tended to shoot first rather than just spend a half hour threatening jail time etc. From then on I keep an eye out for idiots and give them a wide berth.

Hi, one night I was out cruising with my hot rod 56 Ford. There was some idiot in a Chrysler 300 behind me driving too close and with his high beams on. He went into the left lane and began to pass me. I down shifted and gunned it, so as to not let him pass me. As he got next to me, I noticed a sign on the side of his front door. "HIGHWAY PATROL" Oooooppppss

[mefly2]

Originally Posted by noreen&sal

The problem: when they moved the high-beam switch off the floor pan. Most folks just can't seem to get their foot up to the steering column to dim the high beams. Sal

great ...

[Ridgerunner3]

Originally Posted by r carl

It seems patrolmen used to stop you for not dimming your lights.

Maybe I am just getting old and cranky, but, it seems there are many traffic regulations that go without enforcement anymore. I recently observed so many cars run a red light that I actually thought it was a funeral procession. Drivers where I live seem to live by a motto of "I"ll pull out or run a light if I think there is a chance of the other guy stomping hard on his brakes and avoid hitting me". I believe the lack of enforcement is resulting in epidemic bad driving behavior. I suppose insurance companies just figure all of this horrible driving behavior into their rates. I have no clue why law enforcement seems to turn a blind eye.

[m.hony]

I went across town today to pay a bill.
Some annoying things I noticed:
1. When the light goes green everyone takes forever to get up to speed- like a mile or more-
2. Once everyone is up to speed (45 MPH on US Hwy 82 through town) they all then pass me.
3. One guy, once he passed me and swooped in front of me slowed down to less than 45- was he trying to teach me a lesson?
4. One lady ran the stop sign on me as she was failing to yield for another guy- I guess the right of way really belongs to whoever takes it by force? 2 possible outcomes for her actions- either she is lucky and everyone else yields to the idiot or she is involved in a terrible crash involving 3 or more vehicles-
All of this within 2-3 miles.

[m.hony]

5. People in state owned or company vehicles speeding and following too close-
6. People from a side street or parking lot running right up to the edge of the road and stopping quickly at the last minute- this spooks me- I am always afraid they won't stop-
7. People actually stopping at a stop sign, but then not looking left, right, and left again to make sure the intersection is clear-
All in the same 2-3 miles as the previous post-

[JackDog]

The Google car can't come soon enough!

Jack Dog in
So Cal

[Ridgerunner3]

Originally Posted by JackDog

The Google car can't come soon enough!

Jack Dog in
So Cal

Amen!

[Foiled Again]

Originally Posted by Isuzusweet

Take one (minimum needed) or two (much better) Piaa 520 ATP lamps and mount to the rear bumper for the buggers that insist on tailgating with their brights on. If an officer of the law wants to know why in gods name you have 135 watt lamps mounted on the rear, just point to the crazy little reverse lamps on the standard Monarch lights and he'll understand. Trust me, light them suckers up and the tailgating bugger will back off right pronto.

For the buggers coming at you lit up like something out of Close Encouters of the Third Kind. You know the kind, fog lamps lit up on a clear night, along with brights. We Airstream Classic guys have a spot lamp mounted on the top of our unit that can track these buggers all the way until they pass. I won't turn on my 145 watt IDF fog and driving lamps (I live in deer and fog country) to warn them off as that could cause permanent retina damage.

Other than that, I haven't yet figued out yet how to launch Hellfire or Maverick missiles off of my Silver Scud without damaging or destroying the front ABS plastic facade. However if you do come across a news story of a Cadillac EXT Slade having been mysteriously blown completely to bits……….you never read this post.

In college I dated a man who had turned his drag racer into a street legal vehicle. Problem... well dragsters let a significant amount of unburned petrol go straight out the tail pipes. The man had spark plugs inserted at the end of his tailpipes, and an on-off switch on the dash. When he "lit-em-up" (rarely and never without extreme provocation) it was like watching an F-16 kick in the afterburners. I bet that there was some ruined upholstery to go with the bubbled paint on the tailgater's cars.

Paula

[BAB]

We are unable to control the behavior of others, we can only control our reaction to what they do -- overtly or covertly. Since my field has been behavioral science (and NO that is not an oxymoron), I try to just let it go. The deadliest outcomes often seem to occur when anger just begets more of the same -- be it bright lights, being cut off by an idiot or someone who just has no sense of safe driving. Take a deep breath and just let it go.

[SStar]

Originally Posted by BAB

We are unable to control the behavior of others, we can only control our reaction to what they do -- overtly or covertly. Since my field has been behavioral science (and NO that is not an oxymoron), I try to just let it go. The deadliest outcomes often seem to occur when anger just begets more of the same -- be it bright lights, being cut off by an idiot or someone who just has no sense of safe driving. Take a deep breath and just let it go.

Very sage advice! Sounds like the basis for a defensive driving course!

[m.hony]

And then you have mornings like this morning- nothing annoying or unsafe happened on my 2.5 mile commute on a motorcycle-
That is, however, the exception and not the rule-

[FlashSilver]

Originally Posted by SteveSueMac

Last year was our first year with our airstream (or any trailer for that matter).

We took driving lessons.

We were cautious like the thing was one huge egg we didn't want to crack on the road.

And suddenly, I realized how everyone else drives like a$$-hats.

Here I am in the slow lane driving a 50' long 7.5 ton combo and "Johnny Jackass" decides it's a good idea to speed up on the entrance ramp (9 out of 10 times) so he doesn't have to get behind me - this forces me to brake hard to avoid killing him as he squeezes in front of my passenger fender with an inch to spare - happy he won his race and completely oblivious to both the change of underwear I now require AND the tapestry of creative language I wove for his benefit.

Too many examples like this to share. But it dawned on me - I was "Johnny Jackass" before the airstream. Not good.

And - who gives a flying flip about Johnny? I'm going CAMPING! And as I've said many times before, my very WORST day camping FAR exceeds my very best day in the office.

So this year, I'm going to try to hold back on the foul language tapestries, I'm going to try to feel bad for Johnny since he's not going camping, and I'm going to try to just keep it slow and simple and smile because I'm going CAMPING!

God I love my airstream!!! :-)

Great post, thank you for taking the time to deliver a bit of common sense. We choose what upsets us. We can choose not to be upset. For 40 years I worked in a very stressful environment and was a habitual road rager, and altogether bad a$$. After I retired I DECIDED never to let others ruin my day. It's been 12 years and so far so good. If you choose to be upset at bad drivers you will be upset everyday. There are just too many of them. If you choose to "teach them a lesson" you will only put yourself and others in danger and the only lesson you will teach them is that you are an a$$----. It just isn't worth it. And it certainly won't make you happy. Pull over, let them pass, or pass them and get far far away, either way you'll never see them again.

[Skater]

On the way home from work yesterday, a car rolled through a stop sign and pulled out in front of me - close enough that I had to hit the brakes to avoid them (and I blew the horn). Not too unusual or even the most aggressive thing I saw yesterday. What WAS unusual was that there was a cop directly behind me, who probably had to brake, too. But, he did nothing.

I know, cops go off duty. But when someone feels they can get away with doing something like that right in front of a cop, then there is a serious enforcement problem. Why wouldn't people drive like idiots when they have good reason to believe they're going to get away with that behavior?

[mayco]

I have to agree with FlashSilver, it is a choice thing. The only thing we have control over is how we choose to react. I give my wife a ride to and from work every day in the heart of the university of illinois campus and for those of you who live in college towns you know how frustrating driving can be "on campus". I swear that EVERY trip through the campus area i see at least one person do something on the road extremely stupid. Students seem to be the among the group of humans who EXPECT you to respect their lives and safety more than they do themselves. If i were to let them tick me off every time they did something totally stupid on the road, whether walking, biking, or driving, then i would be ticked off every day for sure. I choose not to let them have that type of control over my attitude. Same goes on the highway/interstate.