Road Rage anyone?

[imsorry]

Yesterday, we are driving along on a main road, doing the speed limit of 50MPH. There are many intersections along this road: strip malls, housing developments, etc. Well, this car makes a left turn onto the road right in front of us - it was either ram into him or go around him.

So my husband passes him on the left to avoid hitting him (thankfully there was no one coming the other way at that second). Well, now he pulls up next to me on the right side, waving his arms and cursing at us! I put down my window and said "you cut us off - what are you mad about?".
He leaned out of his car window and started spitting at me! This was an older man with white hair. His wife was sitting next to him, trying to pull him back into the car. I was shocked - I have never had anyone spit at me before. I was so mad I wanted to get out and punch him!

Thankfully, my husband is much calmer than I am. He pulled away and said not to let an idiot like that ruin our day. It took me ten minutes to stop shaking.

I never understood road rage before, but now I have experienced it - I had it because of this man.

 

[snoopy]

Yikes! He spit at you? I don't think my husband could have held me back.

I just witnessed a bit of road rage this morning...it happens pretty often in my neighborhood. There are lots of tourists and people who live in the suburbs who don't understand how to drive in the city. This morning I walking across the crosswalk (note to drivers: pedestrians have right of way in the crosswalk) when this guy comes flying over the hill and has to slam on his breaks to keep from hitting me. Then he just lays on his horn and starts cussing at me. I just laughed and told him to get a clue......DS was with me or else I might have gotten nastier. Its scary the way people become completely unglued on the road!

 

[stinkerbelle]

some people are just too jacked up to drive

omg - once, this guy was RIDING MY BUTT...and I gave him a little break check (I was on a curving on ramp and was going too fast...and he just wouldn't let up.) Well, he didnt' like the break check - flew around me (illegally) on the right and SLAMMED on his breaks (I slammed on mine, put my hands up like "I surrender")....then he took off...cutting off a few more people. Scared the crap out of me...that's the LAST time I give someone a break check!

This morning, I'm stuck in traffic. (A car flipped over on the road...I sat in traffic for over an hour, never saw the car...but anywho)

The guy in the car behind me kept me entertained.

He was yelling (as far as I could tell), slamming his fists against his steering wheel, the look of anger on his face kinda freaked me out. Thought he would rear-end me or something.

I mean - there's NOTHING you can do about it...so you get to work a little late? deal!

 

[agnes!]

A little over a week ago, I was making a right-hand turn from a main road in my neighborhood onto a side street and had to make a slight swerve to avoid an oncoming bicyclist.
Who was travelling on the wrong side of the road.
Who was with some other bikers who were on the left side of the road, so they split up, two on the left and one on the right.

Well, that wouldn't have been so bad, but it turns out the wrong-way biker is a member of my church. He chose to mention it (semi)jokingly during coffee time, saying something about how fast I was driving and how I almost hit him.

A couple of things...

I *never* speed in neighborhoods. I might on the highway, but *never* where there are kids and pedestrians.
My DH was with me in the car at the time and he didn't take kindly to Wrong-way bringing it up with me at church, out of the blue and in a social situation. Wrong-way had to seek me out to say something...he was the one "driving" on the wrong side of the road, yet he was mad at me because I had to swerve? He should count himself lucky that it was me and not some of the nut-jobs I see doing 35/40 mph down our neighborhood streets (and the posted limit is 25).

The whole situation has become very odd. "Wrong-way" is rough around the edges and tends to say he's joking when...well, he really isn't. He also has a history of getting into fusses with people.

*sigh*

agnes!

 

[Lisa loves Pooh]

So sorry to hear about that.

I was rear ended by someone (an alleged drunk or drugged up driver) who thought I was in his way.

 

[SwedishMeatball]

I get aggravated with other drivers, but I would not pull up next to someone and try to start something. Too many freaks out there and you never know who has a gun or something. I just curse them out as I leave them in my dust.

 

[Tigger_Magic]

Good advice, SwedishMeatball. I've read too many stories about people pulling out guns in road rage incidents. Now I just try to get out of the way and let the hot heads who think they own the road have it. Arrive alive!

 

[Honeibee]

Driving really isn't fun anymore. Not a day goes by when I don't have some maniac behind me trying to terrorize me into going faster. Like "Hoo, I'm so scared because all I see in my rear view is your front grill, I think I'll just break the speed limit here and really step on it!" Sorry, jerk, but I ain't gonna take my life in my hands and jeopardize some kid or animal that comes running out, or hey, break the LAW just because YOU are trying to compensate for your obvious LACK OF SIZE. And I ain't talking about your SUV!

ETA: I think the fact that he spit at you just proves he was mentally unbalanced. Good thing you guys drove away.

 

[Crankyshank]

Unfortunately in this area there have been several deaths lately due to road rage. Most recently a man's throat was slashed because he accidentally cut someone off, a man actually shot himself after he side swiped someone due to road rage, and a man holding a baby was shot and killed.

The police say they are doing what they can to cut back on road rage, but I don't really see much of a police presence or any sort of decline. DH is on the road 5hrs a day for his job and he said it's unbelievable how many near accidents he has because people are in such a hurry that they need to cut everyone off.

 

[AllyandJack]

I get annoyed, too, but I usually keep it to myself. I'm not about to make a moron out of myself by being the person flipping people off and yelling. I usually just shake my head and move on. Plus, like someone said, you don't know who is crazy and might have a gun.

That's what always amazes me....how do people know I don't have a gun?? When they're flashing their headlights at me because 80 just isn't fast enough for them, how do they know I'm not a nutjob that will slam on my breaks and beat the crap out of them??

It's always the bad drivers who have the road rage, too. If anything, the rest of us should have the road rage because we have to encounter the idiots.

 

[Marseeya]

How creepy! I'm sorry you had to experience that. I would have been calling the police!

I only experienced it once. I pulled out of a gas station just as a light was turning green unbeknownst to me. This guy came roaring through the light and because I pulled out, he had to slow down. He got right on my bumper and started freaking out, so I pulled over to let him pass. When I pulled back on to the road behind him, he slowed down to about 10 mph. I know darn well he wanted me to pass him, but I followed him at that speed and turned off as soon as I could and took off in the other direction.

And I'll tell you what. I'm really concerned about my sister. She gets nuts behind the wheel of a car and takes offense at every imagined slight. She's either going to be the victim of a "real" road rage person or she's going to cause an accident. I hate riding anywhere with her and I don't unless I can help it. When I drive, she'll tell me, "don't let him pass! cut him off!" stuff like that.

 

[Honeibee]

That's what always amazes me....how do people know I don't have a gun?? When they're flashing their headlights at me because 80 just isn't fast enough for them, how do they know I'm not a nutjob that will slam on my breaks and beat the crap out of them??

That is SO true and a really good point!

 

[stinkerbelle]

And I'll tell you what. I'm really concerned about my sister. She gets nuts behind the wheel of a car and takes offense at every imagined slight. She's either going to be the victim of a "real" road rage person or she's going to cause an accident. I hate riding anywhere with her and I don't unless I can help it. When I drive, she'll tell me, "don't let him pass! cut him off!" stuff like that.

my younger brother is the same way. he drives with one hand on the horn and the other out the window with the middle finger salute.

he's so gonna get in trouble one day.

 

[Kimberly]

Spitting at you, after he cut you off? What is wrong with some people?

 

[OhMari]

I stopped making left hand turns at intersections unless I have a green light for turning. So many people fly through yellow lites and then red, it doesn't pay to try to make the left hand turn after all the traffic has gone through and it is suppose to be your turn. I would have hit 2 people on Harley bikes yesterday if I would have gone through on a yellow, both bikes flew through and I almost turned in front of them, they both flipped me the bird.

I hate people that don't use their signals and weave in and out of traffic on the highway.

 

[imsorry]

When someone much younger than me does something like this, I say
"Wow, your mother must be SO proud".

But this guy was old enough to be my father-grandfather. I guess he forgot to take his medication!

 

[diznygirl]

Someone once spit at me - problem is his window was still rolled up!!!!!

 

[brekfist]

I'm starting to wonder if the road ragers printed off a driver's license from the Internet. There's a sharp curve by my house and even though the speed limit is 45, you need to do 30 max or else you and your car will wind up in a ditch. Unfortunately, this guy driving behind me apparently didn't pay attention to the sign and decided to tailgate me. And since I don't believe in tailgating, I dropped my speed down to 25 just so he would go around.

I thought he would have had sense enough to go around me but he actually started going faster! I'm thinking to myself, what is wrong with you? Thankfully, he went around and looked back at me with such an ugly attitude. I can't help it if I want to get home in one piece. Which is why I leave wherever I am early enough so I don't have to speed.

 

[Arielle22]

My coworker was telling me just the other day about how her brother was cut off and forced to stop by a road rage person. However her brother is a cop. He was going home after work and had a coat over his uniform. He got out of his car and the other driver came storming up. Her brother folded back his coat to reveal his uniform (and gun). The other driver took 1 look, let out an explective ( OH xxxx) ran back to his car and drove away.

I never did find out what happened after that.

My dh and I were on our motorcycle about 10 years ago when a car tried to ram us into the jersey barriers in the middle of the road. When we slowed or sped up so did the car. It kept swerving into our lane. Dh was kicking at the car. Finally a truck (who we didn't know) blocked the car and we got by. we got off the highway and headed for the state police. The car followed us, we had to go through a red light as it was trying to run us over. When the car saw where we stopped it turned around and took off.

The worst thing was that there was a young child in the back seat of the car.

I just love it when a person with road rage is dragged into court and can offer only excuses. Well, if it isn't their fault, whose is it?

 

[nativetxn]

Road rage is a terrifying phenomenon. I'm sorry you had to experience this but so glad that you and your dh stayed safe.

Katholyn