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shifuimam · Oct 18, 2007, 06:33 PM

I'm not the best driver in the world. I'm usually pretty passive, but if I'm irritated I can sort of be a bit of an aggressive driver. I've had two or three times (one of which was today, of course) where the person I've pissed off has followed me for a few miles to freak me out...I've never had to call the cops on someone, though.

So what about y'all? Anyone ever flip off the wrong person and end up having to take the "scenic" route to throw off your follower? Did you cut someone off and end up being tailgated down the interstate? Cause an accident? Am I the only one who has experienced this kind of thing?

Doofy · Oct 18, 2007, 06:43 PM

Originally Posted by shifuimam

So what about y'all? Anyone ever flip off the wrong person and end up having to take the "scenic" route to throw off your follower? Did you cut someone off and end up being tailgated down the interstate?

Nope. The sort of people who do that kind of thing are usually little pansies who only try being threatening to girls and not to a rough looking dude like myself.

shifuimam · Oct 18, 2007, 06:49 PM

This explains a lot. If only I had a wang and no boobies... life is hard.

brassplayersrock² · Oct 18, 2007, 06:55 PM

if you didn't have a wang or boobies, the female population here would be 1

had a guy run a red light beyond 5 seconds in, and of course i was in the intersection and had to turn on my brakes. i did the hand up fingers toward him thing, and so i keep driving. next thing i know he's barreling down the street and gets to my driver side (on the wrong side of the street) and starts yelling at me and his friend trying to throw junk in my car. after a minute or so of this i got tired of it and made sure no one was behind me and slammed on my brakes and he zoomed right by. i took the long way to the doctors that day since he was still going the same direction i needed to go.

mindwaves · Oct 18, 2007, 06:57 PM

I think that I posted this before, but one day, I was driving along the freeway minding my own business when a late 90s Civic with a large spoiler with 2 people inside started making "improper gestures" to me. I changed lane and so did they. They flicked a cigarette butt out the window onto my car and other stuff. I drove faster and switched lanes and so did they. I then drove really fast and exited and made a quick right (all while looking at my rear view mirror seeing them attempt to do the same) and another right and hid my car behind some Mexican shop. I called my brother and waited about 10mins before driving around a little bit checking to see if things were clear and continuing on my way. Pretty sure they were "red necks" or something or racist in some fashion or drunk or a combination of the above.

Oisín · Oct 18, 2007, 06:58 PM

if you didn't have a wang or boobies, the female population here would be 1

Are you suggesting shifuimam is a hermaphrodite?

shifuimam · Oct 18, 2007, 07:06 PM

Originally Posted by Oisín

Are you suggesting shifuimam is a hermaphrodite?

Or just a really fat man...

My latest incident - the one that happened this afternoon... I have a 40-mile commute each way to work. It's a straight shot between work and home on the interstate, and outside of Indianapolis, the speed limit goes up to 70. I tend to go about 75, since any faster will really hurt my mileage. When the weather's really nice (like this afternoon), I might roll down the windows, open the sunroof, and go 80 (zomg). Today, there was this dumbass in a Corolla with Florida plates doing about 72 in the left lane (highway's two lanes where the speed limit's 70). He finally got over, and about half a mile ahead was this ancient Buick or some other boatlike sedan going 70. I tried to pass the white trash chick driving it, and she floored it to keep me from getting past her - then immediately dropped back to 70 when I had to merge back in line behind her. I finally passed her later down the interstate, and sort of flipped her off.

She started tailing me, following me, etc. Ten miles later she came up next to me on the right, rolled down her window, and started screaming at me. My front passenger window motor and/or regulator is dead, so that window was up and I didn't hear what she was saying. At any rate, I got freaked for a minute that she'd written down my plate number and knew one of the more corrupt cops in town and was going to start stalking me (I'm not paranoid AT ALL).

I just don't get why people will stay in the left lane going right at or just above the speed limit, especially in rural areas where traffic generally flows much more quickly than in the Big City(tm).

Mastrap · Oct 18, 2007, 07:08 PM

Drive an old Land Rover. Nobody will even think about ****ing with you. Especially when your front bumper is a rusty double T bar.

theDreamer · Oct 18, 2007, 07:15 PM

An incident I had, maybe a month ago, I was leaving my office and I drive through a neighborhood (sort of). So the speed limit is 30, which is actually a speed trap since the rest of the roads are 35 (+), so the cops are extra picky in this area. Also I have seen plenty of people pulled over doing only a few over so for those few street lights I always do the speed limit.

Anyways, this guy comes rushing up behind me, hurry/late/what ever, he starts to jump back and forth between the two lanes, but the car next to me is the same and will not speed in this area. (Lady next to me works in the same office complex so she knows how picky the cops are.) So the guy starts to move into the on coming lanes to possibly pass me, no chance since there is a steady stream of cars coming. Basically we get to a light where there is a designated left turn lane and I am the last car that could move over if I wanted to turn, but I do not, but the guy behind me of course does. Well he pops the curb in his car and drives around me, he stops next to my car, rolls down his passenger window and starts yelling at me, the whole works. I turn and smile and wave, he missed the left turn lane light since he stopped to yell at me, but that did not stop him from running a red light.

I do not get made a people who have "road rage" against me, nor do I get it very much, but if I can tell the person behind me is pissed because I am not doing what they want, I sometimes have some fun with them.

Edit: Also the guys car was this early 90s coupe, looked sort of like a Ford pinto, front bumper gone, dents up and down the car, and surprised me he actually could pop the curb.

SSharon · Oct 18, 2007, 07:28 PM

the last time someone flicked me off for no good reason (she nearly hit me while exiting a gas station so I honked lightly at her) I started to follow her since I was going in that direction anyway. A mile later she turned towards the police station but I stated behind her. She pulls up to the station with this smug look on her face so I parked a few spaces behind her and actually went inside. When she saw me go inside she drove off and I asked them a question about their ride along program that I had been meaning to ask them.

starman · Oct 18, 2007, 07:28 PM

I had a guy flash his high beams on me when I had nowhere to go. The lane to my right was jammed. So I had no choice but to deal with his bullshit. Eventually was able to move but instead of passing me, he comes up beside me and starts inching over. I pulled out my cell phone, dialed 911 and showed him the phone. He backed off.

residentEvil · Oct 18, 2007, 07:32 PM

Originally Posted by brassplayersrock²

if you didn't have a wang or boobies, the female population here would be 1

had a guy run a red light beyond 5 seconds in, and of course i was in the intersection and had to turn on my brakes. i did the hand up fingers toward him thing, and so i keep driving. next thing i know he's barreling down the street and gets to my driver side (on the wrong side of the street) and starts yelling at me and his friend trying to throw junk in my car. after a minute or so of this i got tired of it and made sure no one was behind me and slammed on my brakes and he zoomed right by. i took the long way to the doctors that day since he was still going the same direction i needed to go.

a minute huh? some body was throwing stuff at you for a minute going down the road?

residentEvil · Oct 18, 2007, 07:43 PM

Originally Posted by starman

I had a guy flash his high beams on me when I had nowhere to go. The lane to my right was jammed. So I had no choice but to deal with his bullshit. Eventually was able to move but instead of passing me, he comes up beside me and starts inching over. I pulled out my cell phone, dialed 911 and showed him the phone. He backed off.

yeah, cause he saw 911 on a cell phone screen*.

*average width of highway lane is 11'; he would need to be in a honda civic or other cmall width car and touching/scraping your car to read your cell phone bouncing up and down from the road bumps. just say he/she saw you using your phone and got scared. besides, 911 on a highway won't give you a police station that will be anywhere near where you are. that call could have been picked up by a dispatch 20 minutes away or more. they in turn have to contact a local or state police force that is in the area. chance of that happening = f you, you didn't scare me. idiot.

starman · Oct 18, 2007, 07:51 PM

Originally Posted by residentEvil

yeah, cause he saw 911 on a cell phone screen*.

*average width of highway lane is 11'; he would need to be in a honda civic or other cmall width car and touching/scraping your car to read your cell phone bouncing up and down from the road bumps. just say he/she saw you using your phone and got scared. besides, 911 on a highway won't give you a police station that will be anywhere near where you are. that call could have been picked up by a dispatch 20 minutes away or more. they in turn have to contact a local or state police force that is in the area. chance of that happening = f you, you didn't scare me. idiot.

So, I'm a liar? Back then cell phones had BIG GREEN LED displays.

Atomic Rooster · Oct 18, 2007, 07:52 PM

I passed ca$h once as he was punching an old lady on the side of the road.

residentEvil · Oct 18, 2007, 07:52 PM

Originally Posted by starman

So, I'm a liar? Back then cell phones had BIG GREEN LED displays.

hahaha...

dork

peeb · Oct 18, 2007, 08:19 PM

Does anyone else carry a shotgun in their truck for just this kind of occasion?

pinenuts · Oct 18, 2007, 08:33 PM

Originally Posted by SSharon

the last time someone flicked me off for no good reason (she nearly hit me while exiting a gas station so I honked lightly at her) I started to follow her since I was going in that direction anyway. A mile later she turned towards the police station but I stated behind her. She pulls up to the station with this smug look on her face so I parked a few spaces behind her and actually went inside. When she saw me go inside she drove off and I asked them a question about their ride along program that I had been meaning to ask them.

Oy Shaya!

MacosNerd · Oct 18, 2007, 08:38 PM

I had an episode.

I'm on a main road, a divided road with traffic going both ways. There's a spot where you can turn left to enter the supermarket (no light). I'm sitting waiting for the driver in front of me to move, so I beep the horn, since they're sitting there and no traffic was coming and they're just sitting there.

Well that was enough to set the passenger (the husband) off, we exchanged pleasantries in the parking lot, but then things took a turn for the worse. He started following me around in the supermarket Yelling at me at the top of his lungs and trying to start a fight in the store. I stopped "exchanging pleasantries" in the store as I figured this guy was a nut. I figured that if he kept up too much longer the store manager would have called the cops and I didn't want to be seen as one who kept egging him on. I guess he got tired of yelling since I basically ignored him or his wife finished shopping, I'm not sure which and left.

King Bob On The Cob · Oct 18, 2007, 09:02 PM

Originally Posted by residentEvil

yeah, cause he saw 911 on a cell phone screen*.

*average width of highway lane is 11'; he would need to be in a honda civic or other cmall width car and touching/scraping your car to read your cell phone bouncing up and down from the road bumps. just say he/she saw you using your phone and got scared. besides, 911 on a highway won't give you a police station that will be anywhere near where you are. that call could have been picked up by a dispatch 20 minutes away or more. they in turn have to contact a local or state police force that is in the area. chance of that happening = f you, you didn't scare me. idiot.

I thought that was the point of A-GPS being in all the phones now-a-days. So they can send you to the proper Police Department if you dial 911.

imitchellg5 · Oct 18, 2007, 09:36 PM

I was going down the freeway the other day when a Suburban cut me off and slammed on his brakes to a complete stop from 85. Luckily my little Accord stops better than a 4,000 lbs SUV. It was totally random, I did nothing to him.

xi_hyperon · Oct 18, 2007, 10:04 PM

I drive through Houston rush-hour traffic now and then, and haven't had any instances since I moved here a year and a half ago. I drive defensively, get the hell out of people's way if they're in a hurry, and keep to myself as much as possible. Keeps the stress level down, and makes driving much more pleasurable. Plus, everyone here drives a truck, and well, I'm in a MINI, so it's not like I'd want to get into a road battle with anyone anyway.

brassplayersrock² · Oct 18, 2007, 10:08 PM

Originally Posted by xi_hyperon

I drive through Houston rush-hour traffic now and then, and haven't had any instances since I moved here a year and a half ago. I drive defensively, get the hell out of people's way if they're in a hurry, and keep to myself as much as possible. Keeps the stress level down, and makes driving much more pleasurable. Plus, everyone here drives a truck, and well, I'm in a MINI, so it's not like I'd want to get into a road battle with anyone anyway.

http://bridger.us/2002/12/16/CrashTe...perVsFordF150/

theDreamer · Oct 18, 2007, 10:42 PM

Originally Posted by xi_hyperon

I drive through Houston rush-hour traffic now and then, and haven't had any instances since I moved here a year and a half ago. I drive defensively, get the hell out of people's way if they're in a hurry, and keep to myself as much as possible. Keeps the stress level down, and makes driving much more pleasurable. Plus, everyone here drives a truck, and well, I'm in a MINI, so it's not like I'd want to get into a road battle with anyone anyway.

So do I, except I drive through it every M,W,F, and drive up I45 T,TH.
What roads do you drive through traffic?

xi_hyperon · Oct 18, 2007, 11:10 PM

Originally Posted by theDreamer

So do I, except I drive through it every M,W,F, and drive up I45 T,TH.
What roads do you drive through traffic?

Mostly I-45 too. I start from just north of Houston, and go downtown some days, so it can be a long drive through traffic.

residentEvil · Oct 19, 2007, 04:42 AM

Originally Posted by King Bob On The Cob

I thought that was the point of A-GPS being in all the phones now-a-days. So they can send you to the proper Police Department if you dial 911.

a lot of times, 911 calls are handled by a large dispatch, not a local police/fire station in the city you are driving in/near. they in turn get the callers info of what is passed on during the call header and place a call to the authority that handles the area in which the caller is from. we have #911 or *911 for cell phones in the city/burbs of Detroit; it takes you to the state police dispatch right away. you would still need to tell them where you are...

Kevin · Oct 19, 2007, 05:16 AM

I can't say I've ever had road rage, or even been the victim of it. I usually can spot an idiot driver a mile away, and I avoid them.

Sherman Homan · Oct 19, 2007, 05:23 AM

Originally Posted by peeb

Does anyone else carry a shotgun in their truck for just this kind of occasion?

The trunk? Nope, mounted in the rear window rack, visible to all!

JonoMarshall · Oct 19, 2007, 05:45 AM

No rage here... laughing hysterically till the issue resolves itself works well.

Kevin · Oct 19, 2007, 05:49 AM

Originally Posted by JonoMarshall

No rage here... laughing hysterically till the issue resolves itself works well.

Yeah I've seen someone rage against another car, following it, yelling out the window like idiots.

If they only knew how many people were actually LAUGHING at them for acting like that...

IceEnclosure · Oct 19, 2007, 06:20 AM

so many times I can't count them all. Worst case, probably being followed around for like 15 minutes until my friends could pinpoint my location and we kinda surrounded the wacko who was following me. Fun stuff..

South Florida roads are a crazy thing, it pays to be very defensive. Unfortunately I don't have a lot of patience for people doing dumb things behind the wheel, so I freak out occasionally. Take deep breaths.

IceEnclosure · Oct 19, 2007, 06:21 AM

Originally Posted by Kevin

Yeah I've seen someone rage against another car, following it, yelling out the window like idiots.

If they only knew how many people were actually LAUGHING at them for acting like that...

maybe they don't care what you or others think?

MacosNerd · Oct 19, 2007, 06:55 AM

Originally Posted by IceEnclosure

maybe they don't care what you or others think?

seeing enough road rage cases on the highway, I can safely say they're pretty much oblivious to the fact that others are laughing at them.

I was stuck in traffic one day on the way home from work and when I say stuck, we're barely moving. I'm in first gear just barely creeping along. Well in the lane next to me, a car was all creeping, but some other car snuck in front of him.

For what ever reason that set him off. (the windows were down because it was summer) he was screaming, racing up to the bumper of the other car, not that he could race too much because we were in a veritable parking lot.

Everyone was looking at this guy just melt down. Yelling "colorful metaphors" out the window, waving his arms and shaking his fist, flipping him off and trying in vain to get in front of the offending car. He was completely clueless of his surroundings and almost ran into a bunch of other cars trying to get in front or besides the other car.

No I think its less about that they care about people seeing them and more about losing sight of where they are.

xi_hyperon · Oct 19, 2007, 07:19 AM

Originally Posted by brassplayersrock²

http://bridger.us/2002/12/16/CrashTe...perVsFordF150/

I missed this link last night, somehow. Holy crap!

shifuimam · Oct 19, 2007, 07:36 AM

It's pretty amazing how different cars handle impacts. I've been in several fairly major accidents, and in all of them, the car took the force without me ending up trapped or hurt. I've not been in a direct, head-on collision...but in my last accident, a guy in a little Saturn turned left in front of me, and I nailed the back half of his car pretty hard. I was going about 45mph, although I did slam on the brakes before I hit him.

I broke his rear axle, and my car had nothing but some cosmetic damage to the hood and bumper, which cost me about $800 total to fix...whereas his car (he didn't even have the registration for it yet, since he had just bought it) was probably declared totaled.

Powerbook · Oct 19, 2007, 08:06 AM

Originally Posted by xi_hyperon

I missed this link last night, somehow. Holy crap!

Absolutely no surprise... truck safety standard against very modern German small-car engineering. We (DaimlerChrysler) had a couple of those "unfair" crash tests with the then new Smart. That small thing hold out really well against much larger cars.

PB.

mdc · Oct 19, 2007, 08:15 AM

Originally Posted by imitchellg5

I was going down the freeway the other day when a Suburban cut me off and slammed on his brakes to a complete stop from 85. Luckily my little Accord stops better than a 4,000 lbs SUV. It was totally random, I did nothing to him.

Maybe he wanted your insurance to buy him a new Suburban.

Kevin · Oct 19, 2007, 08:16 AM

Originally Posted by IceEnclosure

maybe they don't care what you or others think?

I am sure they don't even realize it at the time. There is a reason they use the term "blind" when describing fury a lot.

I used to date a gal that had MAJOR road rage. And the biggest thing she'd be upset about when she got home wasn't the person that caused the road rage, but the ass she made out of herself for getting mad at said person.

But I am sure there are people out there that simply don't care what a asshat they are making themselves look like by acting like that.

But Karma has a way of dealing with them too.

Originally Posted by MacosNerd

seeing enough road rage cases on the highway, I can safely say they're pretty much oblivious to the fact that others are laughing at them.

Exactly.

Eug · Oct 19, 2007, 08:55 AM

My car broke down once at an intersection. The guy behind absolutely freaked and started screaming at me because I was blocking his path. I was truly scared. However, he just started driving again when the oncoming cars were gone and screeched around the corner at full speed.

When I got my car started again, I saw that one block down the road he rear-ended some woman's car. Serves him right . (No, nobody was hurt.) I felt sorry for the woman he rearended though. He was screaming at her because he rearended her.

Kevin · Oct 19, 2007, 09:08 AM

Originally Posted by Atomic Rooster

I passed ca$h once as he was punching an old lady on the side of the road.

She must have flicked a cig out the window while not using her blinker lights.

Oisín · Oct 19, 2007, 09:09 AM

Originally Posted by Kevin

She must have flicked a cig out the window while not using her blinker lights.

... while driving an SUV, of course.

peeb · Oct 19, 2007, 09:43 AM

Originally Posted by Sherman Homan

The trunk? Nope, mounted in the rear window rack, visible to all!

TRUCK! Not TRUNK!

Dork. · Oct 19, 2007, 09:55 AM

Believe it or not, with all the driving I've done around New York City, my worst Road Rage episode has been in Rochester.

I was making a left turn at an intersection with a green arrow, and after I enered the intersection the gentleman coming the other direction had to slam on his brakes because he felt he had the right of way even though since I had a green arrow, he likely had a red light.

I was on my way to Wegmans a mile or two away to go grocery shopping, and honestly I don't rememeber noticing if he followed me the whole way or not. But he was obviously going there too, and started yelling at me inside the produce department, ranting about how I nearly killed him, and said some choice stuff about Liberals as well. (I think he took note of the fact that my hair is a bit longer than his, and made some assumptions.) I simply noted that I had a green arrow at the time and walked away. When he followed me in the store, the Produce Department manager intercepted him and had a brief discussion with him. I walked away because I didn't want to escalate the situation, but I wish I had stayed, because seeing that guy get pwned by the store manager would probably have been fun to watch.

peeb · Oct 19, 2007, 10:19 AM

Originally Posted by Dork.

(I think he took note of the fact that my hair is a bit longer than his, and made some assumptions.)

Reminds me of the occasion when Hunter Thompson ran for office against a Republican with a crew cut - he shaved his head and peppered his speeches with the phrase "my long-haired opponent".

peeb · Oct 19, 2007, 10:22 AM