The Road Rage Thread!

[voidecho]

So...I'm what you'd call, an aggressive driver. I always want to go faster than the flow of traffic. I drive almost 100 miles a day to and from work and I don't want to spend any more time in my car than necessary.

There are many, many things that drivers do to piss me off which I can list out later in this thread, but today I'll start with a combination of slow drivers in the left lane and people that can't maintain a steady f*cking speed.

Rule #1 - The left lane is for passing. If you're not passing get the f' over.
Rule #2 - Maintain a steady f*cking speed if no one is impeding your progress (I almost always use my cruise control if I have an open road ahead of me).

The first one is self explanatory, but the second one can kind of fall into two categories. The most common are idiots that hang out in the fast lane either driving the same speed as the cars on the right (right lanes are blocked so you can't get around) or just slightly faster with no one in front of them. After five miles they finally make it around the car on the right. Usually they don't get over, but occasionally they're not complete ass hats and they'll get over. However, 95% of the time (not an exaggeration) these idiots speed up 10-15 mph after they pass the car. What the f*ck???? Now I look like a doosh because I'm not flying past them even though I've been tailing them for miles. This happens all the friggin' time. Car in the right lane is going 64, car in the left lane is going 64.5, then speeds up to 78 after getting around car on the right.

Rage....

The second, less common example of this is when I'm in the right lane and someone is driving faster than me behind me (gaining on me). I'm coming up on cars in front and I'm going to want to pass them on the left. The car behind me speeds up to get along side me and then of course slows the f*ck down to drive the same speed as me or the same speed as the cars in front of me forcing me to hit the brakes and turn off my cruise control. Then I get behind them and pass the cars in front of me and of course as soon as they're past those cars they speed up 10-15 mph again. I just don't get it.

I've got plenty more that'll I'll add. I know I'm the cause of many other people's driving pet peeves and I'm fine with that. I drive fast and if there's someone in the left lane, I have no problem passing on the right. This annoys people, I know, but if I didn't pass on the right here in California, I'd never be able to pass anyone.

So what are some of your biggest driving pet peeves?

 

[ruthcatrin]

I learned to drive in Boston MA.....USE YOUR EFFING TURN SIGNALS PEOPLE.....ehem.....

 

[DMikeM]

I live in the mountains and have to deal with tourists EVERY fuxering day! OMG a tree! screech!

 

[raechiemay]

This might explain why I have so many speeding tickets.

What happened to me today is probably a pretty good example of ignorant drivers. I was driving my brother's lifted F150, decent sized truck going about 25-30 miles an hour through a green stop light. I notice to my right that an oversized truck (crane?) with a huge heavy metal hook dangling in front of it is approaching the light in the right turn light at a pretty high speed. I told my brother, "he's not going to stop". So I slowed down to 15-20. Well as he got closer to the intersection he starts into his right turn completely ignoring the fact that his light was red & I had the right of way. I slammed on the brakes & blow the horn. I've got people behind me honking & throwing their hands in the air while the guy it's about midway through the right turn & he just stops. He looks straight at me, doesn't even mouth the word sorry, just throws HIS hands up like I'm wrong. Then puts his truck in reverse so I can continue through the light.

Here's my problem...had I hit that guy head on that huge hook would've shattered the windshield as it sat eye level in my brother's truck. We probably would've sustained pretty serious head/upper body injuries. If we were in my car, there's no doubt in my mind that this truck would've drove right over top of my car crushing my younger brother & potentially killing him.

Moral of the story: if you have a red light, that means STOP YOU DO NOT HAVE THE RIGHT OF WAY & A ROLLING STOP OR NO STOP AT ALL IS NOT ACCEPTABLE. People like that piss me off. You are not the only person on the road!

 

[voidecho]

OK, some more...

People that hang out in the left lane until a couple hundred yards from their exit, then slam on their breaks and cut off four lanes of traffic.
People that don't use their turn signal.
People that are in the left lane, see you coming up from behind, put on their right blinker, then take a mile to actually get over to the right.
People who hold up traffic trying to make an illegal left turn
People who don't know when it's their turn at a four way stop (or any intersection) and hold shit up (or cut ahead)
People who tailgate (from 10-20 feet) at 70 mph when there's nowhere you can go because there's a car in front of you
People who think that just because they put on their turn signal for 1/2 a second can cut over 5 feet in front of you
People that try to multi task when they're driving (put the phone and make up away)
People that pull out in front of you at the last minute and then go 5-10 mph under the speed limit
People that can't drive in rain and snow (you don't have to go 15 mph)

If you're in the right lane and someone is merging from your right and there's no one to your left be fucking considerate and move a lane to your left (unless you're exiting to the right shortly)

That's it for now. I'm usually a pretty chill guy, but drivers can piss me off like nothing else.

 

[motolyn]

Down here in Southern California I KNOW exactly what you're going through. Los Angeles/Orange County traffic could induce suicidal or homicidal tendencies. Sadly I pass on the right sometimes as well cause no one understands what the lanes mean. I also hate it when people don't check over their shoulder before changing lanes. I had many a run ins with people like that, that cause me to swerve, brake hard or pray to god that I don't get hit. I also want to add I think those people who race through the freeway like its an obstacle course are asshats. Swerving through traffic like you're playing frogger is going to cause an accident.

 

[motolyn]

Let me also add, people who try to cut in last minute at a freeway interchange and either A) ram their car into an small opening causing the cars behind to brake hard or B) hold up a lane of cars and sit there with their turn signal on waiting for someone to let them in while on a freeway!

 

[DMikeM]

 

[raechiemay]

Ruth:

 

[Kujo]

@Rachiemay: you just laid out a classic example of defensive driving, watching all the other idiots on the road and trying to predict what they are going to do so you can avoid an accident they would have caused if you hadn't been paying attention. Kudos to you for being an aware driver!

here's my driving pet peeve: I live in Oregon and it rains a lot (shocking, I know), you would think that if you live in Oregon you would become accustomed to rain and not let it effect your driving too much. But no...it starts raining and suddenly everyone must go 20mph UNDER the speed limit. I don't understand!!! You live in a rainy environment, get used to it and don't freak out every time it sprinkles!! I have others...lots of others in fact, but this is most annoying one I have to deal with.

 

[voidecho]

I also want to add I think those people who race through the freeway like its an obstacle course are asshats. Swerving through traffic like you're playing frogger is going to cause an accident.

I agree. It's amazing the risks some people will take just to get a couple car lengths ahead. I do pass on the right, but I'm not one of those people cutting three lanes to the right, gunning it, cutting left, gunning it again, then right, then left. I'm always ready for a big pile up to happen every time I see one of those people.

 

[ruthcatrin]

I came within inches of getting run off the road a few uears ago by an idiot who didn't check his blind spot before changing lanes on the highway.

10pm, dark, freezing rain......I was in the left hand lane going about 15mph faster than the right lane, and JUST as my passanger window goes by the tail-lights of the car in the right lane I see his turn signal flip on and he starts to move over. Brake pedel to the floor hand on the horn...HE sped up and continued to move over...I reacted fast enough that instead of hitting me broad side his rear driverside quarter panel smacked into my front passanger corner and sent me spinning 360....in the middle of a major highway...thankfully between the time of night and the weather traffic wasn't heavy....but of course he didn't stop. I spent several weeks watching for a white 4door sedan with green paint on its gascap....

Oh, and if I dive for an exit from three lanes over my foot's on the gas, not the brake

 

[raechiemay]

I agree. It's amazing the risks some people will take just to get a couple car lengths ahead. I do pass on the right, but I'm not one of those people cutting three lanes to the right, gunning it, cutting left, gunning it again, then right, then left. I'm always ready for a big pile up to happen every time I see one of those people.

While I am guilty of speeding, I will not swerve in & out of traffic in this manner. Gas is far too expensive at this time & that just sounds like you're wasting it

 

[ruthcatrin]

Ruth: View attachment 21237

Yup! Thats it exactly lol

 

[ruthcatrin]

here's my driving pet peeve: I live in Oregon and it rains a lot (shocking, I know), you would think that if you live in Oregon you would become accustomed to rain and not let it effect your driving too much. But no...it starts raining and suddenly everyone must go 20mph UNDER the speed limit. I don't understand!!! You live in a rainy environment, get used to it and don't freak out every time it sprinkles!! I have others...lots of others in fact, but this is most annoying one I have to deal with.

We go through that every wintwr here....I mean, hullo! Upstate NY! It SNOWS here, we win the Golden Snowball regularly! And every winter its like half the population has forgotten what its like to drive in the snow....

 

[Kujo]

double post..sorry

 

[motolyn]

So many!!!! Another one, idiots that will jump double yellow and get into the carpool lane just to pass all the traffic to the right and then JUMP back over double yellow when they get past the traffic. I had a couple of instances where I would see a car do this in the review mirror and race up the carpool lane. If I can I like to mess with them and speed up and just stay at to the right and a little behind of the next car in the carpool lane and box the idiot in. I swear my poor husband has to endure my cussing when I run into these idiots.

 

[Kujo]

We go through that every wintwr here....I mean, hullo! Upstate NY! It SNOWS here, we win the Golden Snowball regularly! And every winter its like half the population has forgotten what its like to drive in the snow....

RIGHT!!! it rains in Oregon 9 months out of the year...I mean come on people!!

 

[Kujo]

Here's something that I do on purpose and I'm sure it pisses a lot of people off

When there is massive traffic on the freeway and I'm in the right lane and people coming off the offramp to merge with traffic, instead of finding a hole and merging they race up til the lanes merge and bully their way in. What I will do is move my little SUV's butt into the middle of these 2 lanes so it forces them to actually merge instead of bullying their way to the front. I'm sure I piss people off and have been given the finger on many occasions, but I could give a shit, MERGE ASSHOLES!!

 

[motolyn]

Here's something that I do on purpose and I'm sure it pisses a lot of people off

When there is massive traffic on the freeway and I'm in the right lane and people coming off the offramp to merge with traffic, instead of finding a hole and merging they race up til the lanes merge and bully their way in. What I will do is move my little SUV's butt into the middle of these 2 lanes so it forces them to actually merge instead of bullying their way to the front. I'm sure I piss people off and have been given the finger on many occasions, but I could give a shit, MERGE ASSHOLES!!

I've done what you do, cause I think those drivers are bullies, and you know what they do in response...... drive in the shoulder and get around me..... yeah.... sometimes I hope they get a nail in their tire.