Road Rage Rant

[lynn]

Hey, you macho asshole on the freeway!....When I am the one in the right lane on the freeway and you are the one coming onto the freeway....
I have the right of way you stupid moron!...and YOU are suppose to yield...
So, when I notice you are not yielding, and about to crash into me...you better believe I'm going to slam on my horn and stay on it you asshole idiot brain!...
So, when you get upset at that, and think I should be the one to move over for you, and you drive back in front of me just to be an extra special asshole...You DESERVE a thousand finger flip offs. I wish no sex for you for at least a year either.
How many triple A's do you want after your name anyway...Stupid major AAAsshole!!

Geez...what is it with these idiot assholes on the road...

Whoever is driving on the freeway has the right of way....So you road Assholes...Remember that!...

[Dixon]

When I'm driving on the freeway, I always try to stay out of the way of people who are merging. I yield right of way to them because I'm mindful of the fact that if they can't merge at a pretty good speed, it may be next to impossible, or at least very dangerous, for them to merge at all. If they have to slow way down or even stop on the on-ramp because no one let them in, how can they get up to speed to merge safely?
Of course, it's possible that the guy Lynn is so vociferously complaining about could have merged easily behind her and chose to compete with her for the front space instead; I've seen that kind of thing happen a lot, too...

[Shandi]

Have you ever tried to merge onto the freeway, and had difficulty because the people in the right lane who have the "right of way" will not yield to you? I think it helps to consider that we all occupy positions of having the "right of way" at different times, but if we engage in "road rage", we can end up "dead right". I find that courtesy goes a long way, even with those men (and women) who appear to be unconscious or "macho" We're all unconscious at times when we're behind the wheel.

We never know what people are dealing with as we drive along with them on the freeway. There have been times when I've felt sad, angry, depressed, and emotionally unstable, but I needed to drive somewhere. I was an unintentionally distracted driver during these times.

These days, I think there are more distracted drivers now than ever, and I'm also aware that many drivers
may be emotionally upset due to financial difficulties, stress at home and may also be under the influence of alcohol, or might have a gun that they're just itching to use on someone who honks at them. I very seldom use my horn, and when people honk at me, for whatever reason, I just smile and wave. It disarms them every time.

Hey, you macho asshole on the freeway!....When I am the one in the right lane on the freeway and you are the one coming onto the freeway....
I have the right of way you stupid moron!...and YOU are suppose to yield...
So, when I notice you are not yielding, and about to crash into me...you better believe I'm going to slam on my horn and stay on it you asshole idiot brain!...
So, when you get upset at that, and think I should be the one to move over for you, and you drive back in front of me just to be an extra special asshole...You DESERVE a thousand finger flip offs. I wish no sex for you for at least a year either.
How many triple A's do you want after your name anyway...Stupid major AAAsshole!!

Geez...what is it with these idiot assholes on the road...

Whoever is driving on the freeway has the right of way....So you road Assholes...Remember that!...

[podfish]

Have you ever tried to merge onto the freeway, and had difficulty because the people in the right lane who have the "right of way" will not yield to you?

seriously, almost never. Part of that is probably because my definition of "yield" is pretty generous. If I've matched speeds with one car whose bumper is ahead of me (often by only a few feet) and the one behind it isn't accelerating to get its front bumper ahead of me, I've been given right-of-way. But then, I'm from L.A.... a little space is about all you're ever offered.

[Dixon]

seriously, almost never. Part of that is probably because my definition of "yield" is pretty generous. If I've matched speeds with one car whose bumper is ahead of me (often by only a few feet) and the one behind it isn't accelerating to get its front bumper ahead of me, I've been given right-of-way. But then, I'm from L.A.... a little space is about all you're ever offered.

But of course, when people are cruising along at 50-60 mph or more, "a little space" is waaaaay insufficient. "A little space" at those speeds equals tailgating, which equals extreme stupidity and irresponsibility because it equals needless risk of horrible injury and death, and does in fact kill lots of people, including innocent passengers. The fact that leaving only "a little space" for others is the rule rather than the exception is just one more symptom of the modern malaise--the combination of inconsideration for those around us and being hyped up and racing all the time is ugly and stupid.

[Hotspring 44]

Being aware of your surroundings in a merge going onto a freeway is paramount to safely (as is reasonably possible) getting onto the freeway in any traffic density weather it be congested, fast, or even when it appears to be clear in the lane you are about to merge into and/or also when someone else is merging and could have a space conflict where you would or are about to be in.

In California the handbook, and the law states which and when the right of way is but it also states to not to "insist" it because that could contribute to an "avoidable collision" and you could be at least (in legal terms) partly "at fault".

It is always driver's responsibility to judge the situation; particularly at times when other drivers near you are being less responsible than they should be; drive "defensively".

I have driven in LA recently and also Hwy 37, 101, 116, Hwy 1, Lakeville Highway etc. in Sonoma County; also City of Santa Rosa.

I’ve used I 80, I 780, I 680, I 580, I 5, Hwy 14, Hwy 58, Hwy 99, and a couple others in LA area and in So. Cal too...

...Generally speaking; I notice in all of East Bay Area Freeways, Hwy 101 in Sonoma and Marin County's, I 580 and also I 680 have a higher percentage of inconsiderate drivers than the North end of Interstate 5 in LA!... ...And their actions are more dangerous too!!

[Hotspring 44]

If I've matched speeds with one car whose bumper is ahead of me (often by only a few feet) and the one behind it isn't accelerating to get its front bumper ahead of me, I've been given right-of-way. But then, I'm from L.A.... a little space is about all you're ever offered.

I see you've got that one down too.
When the freeway is crowded that is pretty much all you can do; otherwise, you would end up at a standstill for a long time and would most likely get ticketed for "obstructing traffic"!

That being said, if there is a vehicle in the lane to your immediate left anywhere near too close for you to safely change to that lane or if you would be putting yourself in the blind spot of a truck (for example), then anyone that jams you from the merging lane is being a dammed IDIOT, stupid, fucking irresponsible, shit-head, and dangerous driver!!!!

[Dixon]

...if there is a vehicle in the lane to your immediate left anywhere near too close for you to safely change to that lane or if you would be putting yourself in the blind spot of a truck (for example), then anyone that jams you from the merging lane is being a dammed IDIOT, stupid, fucking irresponsible, shit-head, and dangerous driver!!!!

If you have allowed yourself to get into that position, you bear some responsibility for it. I look and plan ahead to avoid such situations, by, for instance, getting over into some lane other than the rightmost lane if being there might put me in the tight situation you describe. We need to stay out of the way of the mergers because what do you expect them to do if you don't let them in--stop on the merge lane? How then could they merge at all?

[Hotspring 44]

If you have allowed yourself to get into that position, you bear some responsibility for it. I look and plan ahead to avoid such situations, by, for instance, getting over into some lane other than the rightmost lane if being there might put me in the tight situation you describe. We need to stay out of the way of the mergers because what do you expect them to do if you don't let them in--stop on the merge lane? How then could they merge at all?

I agree with that. It is reasonable.
I do exactly that which you describe.... ...However there are traffic metering lights in some merge lanes in LA area that do just that, they literally stop you a few hundred feet from the right lane of a freeway.

Also the California law states even if you do have to stop as you merge onto a freeway, that you may have to stop to give "right of way" to the freeway traffic.

In this publication: https://www.dmv.ca.gov/pubs/curriculum/Unit%207.pdf it states:

“Remember: traffic on the freeway has the right-of-way. It is dangerous to suddenly slow or stop in an acceleration lane or on-ramp, and merge into traffic at a speed that is too slow or fast for the flow of traffic.
When entering a freeway without an acceleration lane, you must check for yield or merge signs before entering, and you may need to slow in order to give you sufficient time to judge the best place to merge. It may be necessary to stop in these instances in order to merge safely Timed entrance lights provide a gap between vehicles which reduces the likelihood of sudden stops and congestion. Some of these lights will only allow 1 car per lane to go at a time, others will allow 2 per lane.

Double merge lanes allow traffic on high volume on-ramps to create gaps which allow vehicles to merge safely and may also include lanes marked for carpools.
Carpool lanes will not have a meter light.”

Sometimes I slow to allow a merging vehicle in the lane I am in when I don’t have the left lane to safely go into and it is close; particularly when the vehicle I am driving has slow acceleration rate; that is sometimes the safest thing to do I just hope the merging driver doesn’t panic and abruptly apply their brakes and cause a further dangerous situation which does happen to me occasionally. But in that situation, I (when physically possible) always leave enough of a gap to come to a complete stop if I have to.

Once when I was driving a 35 foot long converted school bus towing a small pickup, with a semi to my immediate left lane a merger who should have been aware of that got in front of me, half way into the lane and stopped to "let me pass!!! What a mistake that was!!!
Fortunately, I was able to come to a virtual stop; then he finally went ahead and had the nerve to flip-me-off!!! What an unaware fuck-head he was then. I know he should have realized; 1- that I could not have passed him without going into the lane to my immediate left that the semi was in and wreaking with the semi, and 2- (or) I would have rammed into him with a 35 foot school bus conversion that was surely enough to crush his car and him to a ultra-compact Minni!

[Hotspring 44]

If you have allowed yourself to get into that position, you bear some responsibility for it.

BTW, Philosophically speaking, we all “bear some responsibility for” existing in the first place and where we are at regardless of if we really have a choice or complete control in the matter.

Philosophy aside; in traffic, on a freeway, sometimes the exit I need to go in is close to (a) merging traffic, and also, the exit only lane is at one point the same lane as the merge lane is; if I change lanes into the immediate left lane (even if I could) I would be in a situation of either dangerously making lane change to go back into the exit lane I was just in to make the exit or I forfeit the ability to take the exit I need to safely go onto.

That is one reason the law says merging vehicles (to avoid a “conflict”)...must yeield right-of-way...(yes there is a legal term “conflict” in the CA vehicle code):

Conflicts. You are in conflict when you have
to change speed and/or direction to avoid hitting someone. Conflicts occur at intersections where vehicles meet, at merges (such as freeway onramps), and where lane changes are needed. Other situations include slow moving or stalled traffic and collision scenes. Watch for other drivers who are in conflict because they are a hazard to you. When they react to this conflict, they may do something that will
put them in conflict with you. must yield right-of-way.

That is reasonable and logical; also the safest way to proceed in that sort of a situation.
The "conflict we are discussing here is in “Sec1:47” of the .pdf document. If that (Sec1:47) doesn't work just search the word "Conflict" in the .pdf doc; it (the quoted one above) was the one on the top of the search results when I searched it.

[Conly]

Road Rage!!!! Arrrhg!!!
Who is that SOB racing around Santa Rosa in the Big gray/blue Pick-Up with Two big US flags(as if he were leading a calvery charge) and the Lic. Plate (R3DNECK). This "person" weaves in & out of traffice trying to get the "best" or first possition at the light. This has the effect of slowing everyone else down and leading to accidents. One day this person cut me off as I was trying to get through an intersection near Mendocino & steel lane. Their next offence was to stop in the "keep clear" area of the next intersection blocking cross traffic. This SOB cares nothing for the other drivers on the road.
As to his choice of Lic. Plates: Being a REDNECK is nothing to be proud of. Most of the self proclaimed rednecks that I have had the unfortunate necessity interacting with have been narrow mind, inbred, shallow, self righteous, biggited, chovanistic, misogynistic And selfcentered.
This Guys me-first attude is going to get someone else hurt or killed.
So to him I say "Better Dead than RED"

[Sara S]

Well, I had an interesting mergeturd experience yesterday: west on 12, right after Fulton, where the two lanes merge, I was nicely letting people go ahead (one of my New Year's resolutions) and when it got to be my time, a white pickup zoomed up on my right. I reacted by speeding up, he wouldn't back off, and there was almost a 3-car collision. I did step on the brakes, he got in, and I must confess I gave him the finger. What was interesting was that the rear of his little pickup was plastered with Peace-and-Love stuff....

Road Rage!!!! Arrrhg!!!
Who is that SOB racing around Santa Rosa in the Big gray/blue Pick-Up with Two big US flags(as if he were leading a calvery charge) and the Lic. Plate (R3DNECK). This "person" weaves in & out of traffice trying to get the "best" or first possition at the light. This has the effect of slowing everyone else down and leading to accidents. One day this person cut me off as I was trying to get through an intersection near Mendocino & steel lane. Their next offence was to stop in the "keep clear" area of the next intersection blocking cross traffic. This SOB cares nothing for the other drivers on the road.
As to his choice of Lic. Plates: Being a REDNECK is nothing to be proud of. Most of the self proclaimed rednecks that I have had the unfortunate necessity interacting with have been narrow mind, inbred, shallow, self righteous, biggited, chovanistic, misogynistic And selfcentered.
This Guys me-first attude is going to get someone else hurt or killed.
So to him I say "Better Dead than RED"

[Dixon]

...west on 12, right after Fulton, where the two lanes merge, I was nicely letting people go ahead (one of my New Year's resolutions) and when it got to be my time, a white pickup zoomed up on my right. I reacted by speeding up, he wouldn't back off, and there was almost a 3-car collision.

Yeah, Sara, this is a pet peeve of mine. It happens more often than not at the very location you mention, and many other places. It's so common that I'm sure some of you reading this now do this sort of obnoxious thing. Dig this, jerks: when you're merging into someone else's lane they have the right of way, not you. They should not have to slow down and let you in, because you shouldn't have driven up to the front and then tried to bull your way in, as if you're in a stupid race to be first. You should have merged into that lane further back, where (usually) you could do so without needing people to yield right of way to you when it's not yours. Your behavior is inconsiderate, obnoxious, self-centered, juvenile and dangerous. If the shoe fits, wear it. If this describes you, pay attention and change your self-centered attitude/behavior!

Once I was driving with a friend to a concert, and we were quite late. We got to our off-ramp and there was a long line of cars stacked up there; it was stop-and-go. My friend wanted me to go up to the front and cut in front of everyone who'd been there for several minutes before we got there. I refused. He said "Sometimes you have to drive aggressively." I said "What you call 'driving aggressively' I call 'being an asshole', and no, we do not have to treat people that way." His self-centeredness was clear, and is really, really common (again, I'm talking to you inconsiderate drivers who are reading this--those of you who drive up to the front and cut in front of those who were there before you). Come to think of it, the same applies to those of you dipshits who cut in when people are standing in line, too.

I did step on the brakes, he got in, and I must confess I gave him the finger.

He fully deserved the finger. In fact, he deserved to have his teeth kicked down his throat.

What was interesting was that the rear of his little pickup was plastered with Peace-and-Love stuff....

I'm not at all surprised to hear that. Often it seems that the ones who make a show of being "spiritual" or progressive are the first to break the Golden Rule in their everyday behavior.

[podfish]

must be California.. driving threads always get attention. One qualification, Dixon -

... you shouldn't have driven up to the front and then tried to bull your way in, as if you're in a stupid race to be first. You should have merged into that lane further back,

Once I was driving with a friend to a concert, and we were quite late. We got to our off-ramp and there was a long line of cars stacked up there .. My friend wanted me to go up to the front .

completely true but there's a situation some people treat as if it's the same - and it's not. If there's a lane going away, it doesn't mean you should abandon it early. The traffic guys put it there for a reason. A good example is the northbound entrance to the Novato Narrows. Three lanes down to two, losing the right lane. The design would be that the left lane moves smoothly before and after, with occasional mergers from the middle lane. Those staying in the middle lane alternate with those coming in from the right lane as it ends. Some of them continue moving to the left as they continue northward. When people abandon the rightmost lane early, there's nothing wrong with using it and moving to the point of merger.
Actually, commuters pretty much follow that; it's one reason it's my favorite example, because it's not too contentious. But I've seen places where people do feel it's kind and generous to move over early, and resent those who don't as if they're somehow being greedy.

My bias is for efficiency - that means cover the pavement that CalTrans so generously built for you. When it's done consistently and politely it works peachy and you get the unjustifiably huge amount of traffic through as best as can be done.
sure will be nice when we don't all need cars, though!

[Sara S]

A column by Jon Carroll in the Chronicle, 1997:



SOME TIME AGO I described the following real- life situation: I was driving on Sir Francis Drake Boulevard when I saw, five blocks ahead of me in the right lane, a tow truck with a huge blinking arrow.

Clearly, there had been an accident and the right lane was blocked. Like the good citizen I am, I immediately merged into the left lane and inched along. A few citizens, more fearless than I, driving automobiles manufactured in Northern Europe or perhaps burly off-road vehicles that had yet to go off a single road, rushed ahead in the right lane until the last possible moment, when they attempted to merge left.
They experienced some resistance, but they nosed in. I realized that were I to adopt that course, I could leap ahead by about 30 cars or so. I would earn the enmity of strangers, but hey, I write a newspaper column -- the enmity of strangers is my bread and butter.


And I would not be doing anything illegal. So what, actually, I asked in this space, is wrong with racing forward and merging at the last possible minute? [an error occurred while processing this directive] I received a great deal of mail about this. Many people mentioned their hatred of lane jumpers and described in some detail certain armaments they wished were standard features on automobiles. The whirring extendable tire-slicing scythe, for instance, or the exploding paint- can catapult with optional skunk essence spray attachment.


BUT THERE WAS also this, from Jason Christian, an expert in resource economics at the University of California at Davis. He wrote that the driver of the car that sped up the vacant right lane and merged at the last possible moment ``did exactly the right thing.''
``Consider two approaches. In (a) everybody holds their lane until just before the blockage, then merges alternately, passes the truck, then separates on the other side of the stall. The bottleneck is one truck-length long.
``In (b), the Overly Polite Sheep merge as soon as the stall is in sight, extending the bottleneck many-fold, and interfering with other traffic (such as vehicles attempting to cross SFD) at a much greater distance.
``Similarly, `anticipatory merging' (neologisms 'R us) on Highway 24 in advance of the Caldecott Tunnel extends the traffic jam back toward Lafayette. Total flow of traffic over the entire stretch of road is maximized by using the road to its maximum -- then merging in a smooth fashion (taking lane by lane turns) at the last minute.''


MAKES SOME THEORETICAL sense, doesn't it? To see the logic, extend the distances -- suppose you merged five miles before the blockage. That would mean five miles of perfectly good unused roadway. Heck, make it 30 miles, so when leaving San Francisco going south, you'd merge left in anticipation of a blockage in San Jose.
The real-life problem (the wet-ware factor, as the computer folks say) is that people who queue early feel virtuous about it. They feel that they are part of the gentle, caring society toward which we are all working.
The outlaws must be therefore punished, and smooth merging at the last possible moment just ain't gonna happen. People will not cooperate in that way.


And yet they do every day. Ever used the Fifth Street on-ramp to the Bay Bridge? It goes from four lanes to one in about 100 yards. No one has time to develop an attitude; everyone can comprehend the dilemma. Smooth merging happens every day. I have seen with these old eyes actual Volvos brake to let gigantic trucks in front of them because the driver's finely tuned sense of traffic has made the calculations and determined that it was the truck's ``turn.''
If we can do it there, we can do it anywhere. As long as we're lumbering around in these huge vehicles, one driver per, we might as well make it easier on ourselves. This is the Bay Area, after all -- transit is our life.

---

[Dixon]

Now there's a reasonable argument I hadn't considered. I'll have to re-think my position on this.

Of course, my critique of the underlying bad attitude of most (apparently not all) of the lane-cutters remains intact. How many of them do you think are doing it for the good reasons stated in the Carroll article, as opposed to doing it just because of self-centeredness?

[Conly]

I still think "Cutting", "lane jumping" Is rude and selfish. We need more Ahloha spirrit on the road not less.
But then I'm still looking for a bumper sticker that says "I Slow down for tailgaters"

Now there's a reasonable argument I hadn't considered. I'll have to re-think my position on this.

Of course, my critique of the underlying bad attitude of most (apparently not all) of the lane-cutters remains intact. How many of them do you think are doing it for the good reasons stated in the Carroll article, as opposed to doing it just because of self-centeredness?

[podfish]

Slow[/U] down for tailgaters"

why the warning?

[theindependenteye]

>>>But then I'm still looking for a bumper sticker that says "I Slow down for tailgaters"

Actually, I do slow down for tailgaters. First, I generally look for a place I can pull over and let them pass, cause I just DON'T WANT THEM IN MY LIFE — but if not I wait till there's a place they could clearly pass and then slow down a lot, gradually, so they'll go around me. If I don't do that they often won't pass — they're so obsessed with wanting to that they don't. This works, though someday it'll probably get me shot.

Cheers—
Conrad

[Hotspring 44]

Now that it's been mentioned tailgating is one of the problems associated with not being able to merge safely. Tailgating is one of my pet peeves. I don't like being tailgated. Talk about inconsiderate, self-centered, ass-holes!

I oftentimes get tailgated because traffic is obviously slowing down I slow down smoothly so I'm not tailgating, and some stupid idiot ass-hole has to be just a few feet from my rear bumper!... ... As if it's my fault they have to slow down so somehow they are expressing harsh disapproval at me for it. What ignoramus idiocy!

Then there are the ones that tailgate instead of passing when it's safe, even after I slowly and smoothly slow down, move over a bit to the right of the lane so they can see around me so they can tell that it is safe to pass. What kind of chicken shit idiot thing is that?... ...Or are there really that many virtually blind people driving?

Then there's the ones that tailgate me when I am driving on Pacific Coast Highway 1 (and other places with similar road conditions) where I usually drive relatively slower on the curves than most drivers with cars do because the vehicle I have is a little top-heavy... ... of course when there is a place to pull over that doesn't have big, huge, deep, pot-holes or a sharp drop-off at the shoulder I signal, then I slow down enough to safely move completely off the road (usually with plenty of room to spare) and the dumb fuck's cross over the double yellow, and go all the way into the other lane to go around! What's up with that!?... ... Can't they just slow down enough not to go over the double yellow line all the way into the oncoming lane to avoid rear ending me?... ... Sometimes it's around a blind corner too! How fucking idiotic!!!(?).

Then there are also the ones that tailgate for long distances, because there's nowhere to pass or for me to pull over and let them by safely; (as if by doing so, they are going to get me to drive as fast as they would in their sports car In my top-heavy, 1978 vehicle!) but eventually there is a place for them to safely pass and when they do, they cut back into the single lane, unnecessarily close to my front bumper as if to make some sort of snide disapproval like comment about me being there in the first place!... ...Then a certain percentage of the ones that do that drive slower then I was going!!! What the fuck is that all about!!!(?)... ...Good Grief!!!.

Anyway, for the most part, I don't get mad, I don't "get even", but I have so far (knock on wood), always been able to get there, where I'm going without getting in a wreck.

["Mad" Miles]

This seems as good a place and time to repost this as any:

Driving Peeves, or Get Off My @$$ Tailgater!!!

By R. Miles Mendenhall

1/31/2007

(Content/Style warning: This commentary contains hyperbolic writing that for the most part is tongue in cheek. There is also some use of obscenities. If you are humor impaired or otherwise impervious to irony your delicate sensibilities may be ruffled. Of course this proviso is not directed at anyone actually reading this, you are obviously an intelligent, enlightened being who likes a good hyperbolic, obscene screed written from the gut.)

Recently I was accused of behaving like a redneck. Here’s the proof.

I live in a world where I have to drive my car to do what I need and want to do. In the last few years and especially the last few months I’ve noticed consistent lame behaviors by some other drivers that really “chap my grits”!

They are:

Tailgating, Halogen Headlights, No Use of Turn Signals and Driving Under The Speed Limit


I will elaborate, but first some background. I learned to drive in Northern Alabama, Huntsville, in the early 70’s. At the time we had Driver’s Ed, but it wasn’t mandatory. We had learner’s permits, but none of the insurance, passenger and drive time restriction requirements that teenagers have to face nowadays. As long as you passed the written and driver’s tests at the DMV you got your license. And it wasn’t probationary. We now live in a different world.

My driver role models were my friends a year or two older. Burt Reynolds’s moonshine runner films inspired them. We used to go, what we called, “dirt trackin’” That meant driving around Redstone Arsenal Army Base on backwoods gravel and dirt roads at the highest speeds we could without going into a ditch, crashing into the trees or flipping down hillsides. For the most part we were successful.

All this is to say that I learned to drive fast, to push the limits but control the car at those limits to avoid accidents. And yes, we suffered from adolescent imperviousness to consequence and the possibility of death or maiming. Luckily as Jesus Freaks we didn’t drink, much, and we never drank and drove, as far as I was aware.

My long history of getting speeding tickets is part of this legacy. Before the cost of tickets and insurance and the threat looming in the distance of licensing restrictions or revocation finally forced me to moderate my habit of speeding, I liked to say I drove with “alacrity.” I prided myself on being a safe driver who gave everyone a wide berth, never cut anyone off on the freeway, always signaled my turns well ahead of time, etc. I still do all that. I just don’t fly as fast.

That is why the behaviors I’m seeing more and more, really piss me off and worry me. Specifically:


Tail-gating: I use River Road to go between Forestville where I live and Santa Rosa where I used to work and where I still go to shop, eat, drink, hear live music, go to films, visit friends, etc. Every single time I do someone is following someone else at a car length and a half going fifty to fifty-five (the speed limit on most of that stretch of RR.)

It’s nuts! There are few opportunities to pass legally and fewer to pass legally and safely. We have seen the horrific and tragic consequences of this in the recent rear-end collision on 101 where a family of six burned alive, and only a four year old survived, with massive injuries. The offending driver is devastated and will have to live with the psychological and legal consequences of his negligence for life. He’s a young man.

I have a friend who likes to push it over the speed limit and if you’re in front of him he’ll ride your bumper, honk and flash his brights until you pull over and let him by. I’ve never told him this but I find it extremely stressful to be his passenger when he’s driving on a two-lane road. I’ll never again take a road trip on PCH / Highway 1 with him. And if he were behind me and I didn’t know him, I’d wish I packed so I could send him a little message about his obnoxious and dangerous behavior. No I don’t have projectile weapons at hand in my car. For the most extreme possible consequences of such behavior see the end of this account.

What I do when someone is riding my ass is flash my emergency signal lights three or four times. This sends the message that I’m uncomfortable and usually people back off to a less obnoxious distance. I fantasize having an LED display in my back window programmed to deliver messages like, “I don’t think you’re a dog so quit sniffing my butt!” But that’s the kind of behavior that triggers road rage. I was a victim of a “rhoid rage” attack in June of last year, but that’s another story.


Bright Halogen Headlights: Maybe I’m just losing my tolerance to bright light as I age, but it seems to me that headlights have gotten brighter in this last decade or more. Especially with the halogens. I find myself thinking oncoming cars have their brights on when it’s just the increased lumens from this technology. There are laws against having too much intensity in a headlight, but they’re not being enforced. It’s a sign of the “I’ve got mine Jack and fuck you if you don’t like it” atmosphere that permeates our society. When visibility trumps safety things are out of balance. Also the habit of lowering your brights for oncoming traffic seems to be a dieing art. Or is it that they are lowered but just too bright?


Turn Signal Aphasia: I’ve noticed this more recently. People slowing down to turn, but never signaling that intention. I’m supposed to read their mind so I know how to drive defensively? I mean, if you’re in a turn lane and you have the light, I’m not going to sweat that you’re not signaling. I do as a courtesy even if it is over-indication, and legally required. But pulling up to a stop sign and then going right or left without signaling? Get a clue! I mean, give me a clue!!


Driving under the speed limit: I also use 116 between Forestville and Graton/Sebastopol. It is posted forty-five, which in most parts is appropriate and in a few sections five miles per hour less than what I consider safe and expedient. But I’m not a traffic engineer and they go to college to learn what is best. How come there’s a certain crowd who insist, on clear days with good light, on only going thirty-five to forty? I’m not talking about driving at night, or in fog and rain. Are they being safe? Are they stoned? Given the local community this is quite likely. Is their speedometer calibrated differently than mine? What‘up!?

The issue of passing: When you’re driving down the road, essentially you’re in line with the cars behind and in front of your vehicle. So if you pass, you’re cutting in line. Now I don’t mind if you are going to go significantly faster than me, you pass me safely and legally and I see your rear end receding into the distance in front of me. And if in moderate traffic you make a smooth and safe move and make your way on without impeding me, it’s cool. But cutting me off? Jumping my lane in an obnoxious, dangerous manner? Trying to intimidate me into letting you cut in front of me? Even when the flow of traffic and the number of vehicles on the road mean you’re not going to be able to go any faster than I am? Talk to the hand. Preferably in the form of a CHP officer.



I follow people with at least one car length for every ten mph of speed. Except on the freeway where that habit will get you cut off by every driver coming up behind you.

I signal my turns, well in advance.

I lower my brights as soon as I see oncoming headlights over a rise, and on the straightaway at least two to three hundred yards away.

I drive at, just under or just over, the speed limit, depending on conditions and the likelihood of speed traps in the area. By just over I’m talking five to ten mph. My days of flying twenty miles above the law are over for reasons already mentioned.

In really bad conditions, heavy rain, fog, snow, ice, etc. I slow down at least ten mph below the speed limit, even more when anything faster is unsafe, no matter the limit.

I give other vehicles a wide, wide berth. I don’t pass trucks when I’m in the fast lane until the entire length of the truck is clear so I’m not boxed in beside them in traffic.

I keep a three hundred and sixty degree map of every vehicle around me in my head and I constantly update that map with visual sightings using my mirrors and peripheral vision.

I check over my shoulder when changing lanes to the right and especially to the left.

I back up looking behind me over my right shoulder, not just by using my mirrors.

I check both ways before pulling out into traffic.


These are all habits that near misses and a couple of minor, and a not so minor, fender bender(s) have burned into my synapses. In the serious rear-end collision, that was my fault, the CHP was talking to a blonde across the road and I was wondering if it was a flirtation or a roust (A roust/flirtation?) and wasn’t paying attention to the traffic at the stop sign in front of me. It was totally my fault, luckily no injuries other than to a bumper and my front end. I learned my lesson. What the F^(& is wrong with these other idiots?


And what is going on with Americans (U.S.) and their humongous pick-up trucks and SUV’s? Just because you could roll over my Nissan Altima sedan like a monster truck at a stadium rally doesn’t give you the right to ride my bumper and muscle your way into traffic when I have the right of way. Does it?

If enough of you think it does then this country is headed for a civil war that will make Iraq and Chechnya look like the Gilded Age. That’s something Americans don’t seem to grasp. We’re not exempt from societal collapse and if it ever happens here, it will be mass suicide with no winners.

Keep it up folks, we’re riding for a fall and you’re going to get much more than you bargained for. Not from me, the others like you.

If you are a courteous driver these admonitions are not addressed to you. Feel free to share them, preferably without using my name, with anyone you know to whom they apply.

Are first person shooter video games training the urban guerillas of tomorrow? I hope the question remains unanswered.

Whew! Glad I got that off my chest. Hope you were interested in the ride.

“I gotta git me one of dem Biiig Trucks! Dodge Ram that’s it. No, a HUMMER. Hwooo Dawggie! Heck Fayre! Fuck civility. Fuck the planet. I got mine…and I’m gonna take YOURS!”

[Star Man]

Hey, you macho asshole on the freeway!....When I am the one in the right lane on the freeway and you are the one coming onto the freeway....
I have the right of way you stupid moron!...and YOU are suppose to yield...
So, when I notice you are not yielding, and about to crash into me...you better believe I'm going to slam on my horn and stay on it you asshole idiot brain!...
So, when you get upset at that, and think I should be the one to move over for you, and you drive back in front of me just to be an extra special asshole...You DESERVE a thousand finger flip offs. I wish no sex for you for at least a year either.
How many triple A's do you want after your name anyway...Stupid major AAAsshole!!

Geez...what is it with these idiot assholes on the road...

Whoever is driving on the freeway has the right of way....So you road Assholes...Remember that!...

There are two things going on here. One is the content. The other is the relational process. The content is the poor driving of the person who attempted to crowd onto the freeway. The behavior is dangerous and reckless, and it is also symptomatic of an unconscious person.

The relational process reveals itself in Lynn's rage. Her process is one of Victim. In her process she sees the other driver as a persecutor intentionally attempting to harm her. Psychology calls this a Victim Story. Victim stories get started in childhood when a person is actually victimized. Internalizing that, as children do, victimization becomes the child's protocol for making sense of the world. Carrying that into adulthood, the person victimized in childhood interprets all negative behavior is persecutory. The response to persecution is rage. The response to an unresolved Victim Story is ongoing rage at every perceived insult.

In fact, the driver is merely unconscious. When one is able to accept that the thoughtless merging driver is merely unconscious, one acts differently. One looks ahead and watches for unconscious drivers and then takes appropriate action to avoid the kind of confrontation Lynn reports. One does not feel rage at the unconscious driver, one feels pity or sadness. By avoiding the kind of rage Lynn describes, one manages one's blood pressure much better and avoids ulcers.

Star Man

[podfish]

.. in Lynn's rage. Her process is one of Victim.... Victim stories get started in childhood when a person is actually victimized.

wow, Lynn, sorry about that childhood.

I find this pretty offensive, SM - I don't want to violate Lynn's privacy that much.

This is an example of what I think UMH (from another thread) will do to us. It speciously explains someones motives and behaviors, judging the appropriateness and health with a veneer of professionalism. I prefer out-and-out moralization if you insist on rating people. It seems to me to be doing just what Rush Limbaugh got slammed for.

[Dixon]

...Her process is one of Victim. In her process she sees the other driver as a persecutor intentionally attempting to harm her. Psychology calls this a Victim Story.

More accurately: Some people in the psychology industry call this a Victim Story.

It's not clear to me from her initial post whether she was actually victimized in this instance or, if so, whether part or all of the victimization was conscious/malicious. But I do try to keep these things in mind:
1. People really are victimized, sometimes horribly, every day.
2. It's also possible for people to see themselves as victims when they have not in fact been victimized.
3. So, in a given situation, the victim stance can be true or false (or maybe some of each). To see yourself as a victim when you have in fact been victimized isn't pathological; it's enlightened.
4. Some philosophies/subcultures tend to err too much on the side of minimizing victimhood, wanting to believe that people aren't victims even when they are, i.e., "blaming the victim".
5. Other philosophies/subcultures tend to err on the other side, seeing victimization where it doesn't exist--denying their own responsibility for their suffering and projecting it onto others.
6. Some like to play "Our group's victimization is bigger and better than yours" which, even when true, is maybe not the most growthful tack to take.
7. Anger is a reasonable response to victimization. The capacity for anger/rage presumably became part of our genetic heritage because of its survival advantage: organismic arousal that enables us to fight more effectively.
8. In the modern world, wherein our challenges are less likely to be immediate and physical, anger, while not being obsolete, is unhelpful in many (most?) instances.
9. We can benefit from learning to honor and use anger/rage constructively, or suppress or transcend it as appropriate, without pathologizing it except in those instances wherein it is expressed pathologically. (This last one is a big challenge for me, as I carry a lot of anger about the persistent injustices of this world!)

Victim stories get started in childhood when a person is actually victimized. Internalizing that, as children do, victimization becomes the child's protocol for making sense of the world.

This may be true in some or even all instances, but I get nervous when people start talking about the purported early-childhood genesis of our problems because the last I knew (and I'm admittedly not very up-to-date), the weight of the psychological research suggested that a focus on childhood is not correlated with good psychotherapy outcomes. So even if we assume a childhood genesis for these issues, I hope the proposed treatment approach would be more present-day oriented. Maybe cognitive-behavioral or, I dunno, whatever the research supports nowadays.

In fact, the driver is merely unconscious.

I don't see enough info in that initial post to justify this conclusion. I don't see how you can necessarily rule out some malice in his actions from the info given, though it might be good to give him the benefit of the doubt. More importantly, I don't see unconsciousness/inconsideration as discrete from malice; I think they're often on the same spectrum. People who are habitually inconsiderate (i.e., unconscious about the effects of their behavior on those around them, without conscious malice) are showing a "Fuck you, everybody; I don't care enough about you to become more conscious of my effects on you" attitude which, if not literally malice, is the next worst thing. It's essentially sociopathic, and requires some sort of response that will make them think twice about unconsciously stepping on others' toes the next time. In many cases a pleasant response won't work to change such peoples' behavior, though pleasantness should generally be tried before having to resort to a punch in the nose to raise their consciousness.

By avoiding the kind of rage Lynn describes, one manages one's blood pressure much better and avoids ulcers.

While I'm not sure the connection between anger and ulcers (especially in the absence of certain disease organisms or damage to the stomach lining caused by medications) is currently accepted, I'd agree that chronic anger is likely to be physically harmful, and is really unpleasant (I'm talking from my experience here)!

[lynn]

Well, I haven't read all the postings on here...But, caught the drift of a few...
Yeah, so I wasn't on my mostest, bestest charitable behavior...And the guy had room to yield but didn't...Then by 'shoving' his car in front of me, I guess he just wanted to be an extra special asshole...

I love that stick figure guy, pelvic pumping the 'logic'!....Man, that is priceless!...
I had not seen that one before!....

Mad Miles' Redneck driving school sounded reeeaaaaallly fun...I'd love to do that NOW!...At least down the freeway!...:)...

And another thing I really hate...
When people have too much time on their hands, and get into extra-super-hyper-psycho-analytical babbling mode....Geez, give me a break...
'Victim schmicktim'...I don't give a rat's ass...I think more people should get pissed off more regularly, and quit walkin' around like a bunch of pre-occupied, bonked out zombies talkin' into their 'stupidphones' all the time...
If I could yell at every single person I see talkin' on their cell phone while they are driving I would be thrilled...Maybe, with a lot of super luck, I'd even manage to stop a bad accident once in awhile...:)

And...Why the hell do you think so many nutcase-lets privatize everything people got elected Nov. 2010?....'Cause a bunch of people got pissed, got organized and acted on it...It's called constructive anger/rage...
And all these people, like 'progressives' (whatever that term is suppose to mean) sat around on their asses whining and moaning, and then whining and moaning some more...
Yeah, it just proved the right-wing right when they state how whiney 'libs' are...They are right...

Note to self: SCREAM at those who think it doesn't matter if they vote, or if the whole 'system' falls apart...