Armed Polite Society
Main Forums => The Roundtable => Topic started by: vaskidmark on March 11, 2015, 10:11:15 AM
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http://blog.robballen.com/Post/25626/things-to-avoid-while-armed
I was driving somewhere on Saturday that required the use of the highway. Traffic was a bit heavy as people were trying to get onto I4 to go to the Strawberry Festival, but the left lanes were clear.
Until this jackass pulled out of the slow lanes to try to get 2 cars ahead and comes to a dead stop.
He got the horn, I got the finger – and then he went full road rage.
This guy pulled out of line, missed his turn intentionally, and started chasing me. In my rearview I could see him signaling for me to pull over (along with various other hand gestures that wouldn’t be welcomed in church). If I changed lanes, he changed lanes. He was waving his phone around then made a call, like he was calling the cops or something, but all I know was that he had lost his mind and I was going to be in a bad situation should he decide to follow me to my actual destination.
Pretty much standard stuff so far. Worth reading again, tho.
My exit was miles away, so I didn’t feel the need to call the cops yet, but that was my plan.
I respectfully disagree. Even in The Big City it takes a while to get the cops notified, figure out an intercept vector, and actually arrive in time to do something more than preserve evidence. Besides, they are always telling us to call them if we see trouble. Call early. If your call gets dropped call again.
Plus, who knows if he was armed.
This is where I almost popped a gasket. First, the enraged driver is armed. He's got a several-million grain projectile. Second, too many times we have read about enraged drivers who exited that several-million grain projectile and brought with them some other means of deadly force.
I'm always going to consider a driver engaged in road rage as armed. I'll do my best to avoid a face-to-face confrontation but until his gas tank runs dry he's considered armed and dangerous.
stay safe.
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People are frequently emotionally attached to the several thousand dollar "projectile" and aren't likely to willingly damage it, even while enraged.
Bullets are less expensive.
Chris
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I've mentioned this before, but it bears repeating: on those rare occasions when some idiot takes enough exception to what he imagines I did on the road to set off his road rage, I don't escalate things; if possible, I shrug, smile, wave, and let the <expletive> think I'm apologizing. Up to this point, it's worked - he gets to drive off thinking he's Alpha Male King of the Road, and I don't have to shoot anyone. Good outcome in my book.
And if there's anything to the idea of karma, eventually he's going to run into someone just as hotheaded as he is - and the odds are, he's not going to be very pleased with the ultimate outcome.
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My only experience with road rage had me exacerbating the situation.
A car sat at a green light (after turning from red) for 3-5 seconds. I wasn't angry, but clearly he wasn't watching the light so I tapped the horn to get his attention on the light.
After making the left turn, he pulls into the middle lane and slows down, shaking his fist and shouting at me. Unable to believe someone flipped out about a beep on the horn, I did what came natural. I laughed. He then proceeded to try to merge into me.
As I was taking the exit to the right, anyway, I just proceeded on my way. My parents and (soon-to-be) wife were in the car and were just as incredulous as I.
Apparently it takes almost nothing to set some people off.
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People are frequently emotionally attached to the several thousand dollar "projectile" and aren't likely to willingly damage it, even while enraged.
Which is why I like my $700 Saturn with light to moderate damage on pretty much every body panel; they know intimidation tactics aren't going to work because I don't care about my paint. They also figure out pretty quickly that there's no way the damage to their vehicle won't cost more than the damage to mine.
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Apparently it takes almost nothing to set some people off.
Years ago, I was driving home in rush hour traffic and not going anywhere fast. I had been sitting still for a while when some guy in a truck behind me starts yelling and gesticulating at me, then pulls around to my side via the turn lane, and starts hurling insults and threats for no apparent reason. Once he got it out of his system, he pulls a U-turn and heads off in the opposite direction.
I wasn't holding him up, the traffic was stopped. I had no offensive stickers or such on my car, nor was my car particularly attention-getting (dark green Camry). I was the very model of a middle-aged "grey man". I still don't have a clue what it was about.
Chris
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I still don't have a clue what it was about.
Chris
The longer I work in healthcare, the more convinced I am, based on what I see in my clinics, is how many people have anger management and/or psychiatric illnesses.
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Years ago, at a city intersection, I made a right turn on a red, when all traffic was stopped, before the opposing traffic light turned green. Then the light turned green and a guy pulled up on my right at the next light,honking and yelling, and I made a "what's up?" "sorry I offended you" sort of shrug. He kept screaming and ranting. He was pulling and pushing on his cars steering wheel so hard he was bending it, I expected to see it come off in his hands. Then his antics became so over the top I started laughing. Then he really got going, actual foam was coming out of his mouth, along with the words "I am going to kill you, you want to get shot?! And other words.
I stopped laughing then and started planning. It is really odd how quickly one can think with the right stimulus.
Millcreek is right- I think there are a lot of people out there just sort of hanging on, with a huge internal problem, and any perceived slight, is enough to give them an excuse to erupt. They can't afford to let it out to their boss, or their wife, or anyone else they know, and it builds and builds , and any stranger becomes fair game, and in their car they feel anonymous enough to let go. After the rage takes over for a couple of seconds,, they are so pumped with adrenaline they will do anything.
I feel sorry for them, seriously- I have met a few mentally ill people and it is the worst of afflictions.
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So glad I drive a POS, 1993 Ford F-150. Damage to my truck is pennies compared to the damage you will do you your vehicle. Plus it helps that people think I'm crazy because 90% of the time I drive around with my drivers side window down, even in sub-freezing weather.
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I've learned to shrug off a-hole drivers, I see a rager at least once a week. Its gotten even worse since I bought a car that is typically stereotyped as a 'liberal's car.' I used to give a 'happy retard wave' to people who gave me the finger because it almost always enrages them more, but I don't even bother doing that anymore.
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Road raging females are the worst. A male can meet mr tire iron but no matter what a guy looks bad cleaning a females clock. I had one follow me mikes and a quarter mile up a driveway
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Road raging females are the worst. A male can meet mr tire iron but no matter what a guy looks bad cleaning a females clock. I had one follow me mikes and a quarter mile up a driveway
How bad did you beat her once you had her out of public view?
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The quater mile if driveway belonged to the county sheriff. He came out in his pj's and seemed to have it well in hand as i left. He did not tip me at xmas however
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The quater mile if driveway belonged to the county sheriff. He came out in his pj's and seemed to have it well in hand as i left. He did not tip me at xmas however
So, officially, she beat herself unconscious *and* gave herself an over-the-head atomic wedgie?
I've seen more creative reports.
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I've mentioned this before, but it bears repeating: on those rare occasions when some idiot takes enough exception to what he imagines I did on the road to set off his road rage, I don't escalate things; if possible, I shrug, smile, wave, and let the <expletive> think I'm apologizing. Up to this point, it's worked - he gets to drive off thinking he's Alpha Male King of the Road, and I don't have to shoot anyone. Good outcome in my book.
And if there's anything to the idea of karma, eventually he's going to run into someone just as hotheaded as he is - and the odds are, he's not going to be very pleased with the ultimate outcome.
I agree that smiling and waving is usually the best plan. It either disarms the situation or they go away knowing they didn't upset you as much as they were. If the idiot tries to make some sort of claim to police that you did something, you want to be able to say no with a straight face.
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She was a large woman. I was way outclassed. He had her at gun point when i left and his wife was backing him up from the porch while they waited for backup.
If it got physical it woulda been good pay per view.
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Were you going there anyway? Or did you just know him? Also, did you get out? Just curious about the story.
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She was a large woman. I was way outclassed.
The bigger they are, the more satisfying that squishy crunch of a knee bending sideways sounds.
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Were you going there anyway? Or did you just know him? Also, did you get out? Just curious about the story.
I deliver his newspaper I called ahead to warn him I was coming. He's got a sense of humor. I told him I had good news and bad news. Good news was I was gonna deliver his paper right to his porch, the bad I had a crazy lady following me. He said something religious about my mom and was waiting. He had 3 or 4 mins lead time.
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The bigger they are, the more satisfying that squishy crunch of a knee bending sideways sounds.
Amen.
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shrug, smile, wave, and let the <expletive> think I'm apologizing[/quote
I don't know if I'd even do that. These nuts can be set off by anything.
the more convinced I am, based on what I see in my clinics, is how many people have anger management and/or psychiatric illnesses.
The amount of nuts out there is truly amazing.
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It wasn't road rage per se, but I had a guy flip out on me after a very minor fender bender. It happened literally 100 feet from my town police department, so I pulled into the parking lot to exchange insurance info.
The other driver blocked me in and accused me of attempting to flee the scene of the accident. I calmly pointed out that while there is no shortage of dumb criminals in the world, this would take the cake. He refused to give me his insurance info until the cop arrived (there is typically only one cop on duty and it took him 40 minutes to arrive). He told the cop he wanted me arrested, the officer chewed him out for being an idiot and wasting his time. The damage to both vehicles was cosmetic.
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https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CceSRMmhv3w
:rofl:
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I'll admit I've got a little bit of a hot head driving. It boils over quick though, maybe it's just a quick outlet. I don't have much patience for stupid people. But that's a horn or a finger. Not a good idea, I know. Some people can't help but not drive off after that and will escalate.
The dumb one was once tossing the contents of a full soda out the window while being tailgated. Completely smothering the offenders window.
A woman. She lost her *expletive deleted*it and did the pass and squat for a few miles.
What I don't get is the green light honk rage. It's green. You're looking at your phone. I can see you looking at your phone. You get a horn tap, and flip out?
I wave if I miss the light changing and get the beep. And my first reaction to a beep is to....LOOK AT THE LIGHT AND SEE IF IT CHANGED. Not flip the person off behind me.
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What I don't get is the green light honk rage. It's green. You're looking at your phone. I can see you looking at your phone. You get a horn tap, and flip out?
I wave if I miss the light changing and get the beep. And my first reaction to a beep is to....LOOK AT THE LIGHT AND SEE IF IT CHANGED. Not flip the person off behind me.
I don't get the tension at the traffic light either. Taking an extra second or two to get through a light isn't going to cause the world to end. Even moreso with the local uninsured ghetto trash who think red lights entitle them to a 3 second grace period for speeding through an intersection at 3x the speed limit.
Last year I was in a right turn only lane at a red light. The cross traffic allowed a few gaps where I could have sped around the corner and got in, but I passed those up. The guy behind me started honking incessantly and I could hear profanities being yelled at me. What did I do? I put the car in park and waited for a green light, then shifted it back into drive and casually took the right turn. The guy pulled up next to me screaming out his window. His aneurism, not mine.
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The dumb one was once tossing the contents of a full soda out the window while being tailgated. Completely smothering the offenders window.
A woman. She lost her *expletive deleted*it and did the pass and squat for a few miles.
This is why holes in the floorboard can be handy; at highway speeds, it gets liquids to that mist state that's so extra annoying because it's just not wet enough for the wipers to handle properly, but plenty wet to be really hard to see through even before the wipers smear it around. I'm thinking about installing a funnel in place of one of the cup holders in the Saturn, leading to a small hole in the floor pan.
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At a busy traffic light I can see the tension. We have one here where the left turn signal is far too short. During peak hours, only about 1/3 of the cars trying to make that turn get through. The folks queued up for the turn lane end up blocking traffic in the through lanes because the turn lane is full. They don't have a choice but to block traffic, if they miss that turn all the options afterwards to make the left turn are even worse. An idiot not paying attention at the light means multiple people don't make it through. It's hard not getting a little road ragey on those folks.
A bunch of us are working on the state and city to fix it, either increase the time allocated to the turn or even better figure out a bypass to redirect some traffic. It's complicated because the road is technically a highway.
What really gets me sometimes is getting cut off by somebody who is going to go slower than me. Then we get to a traffic light and that person sneaks through on the yellow and I have to stop.
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At a busy traffic light I can see the tension. We have one here where the left turn signal is far too short. During peak hours, only about 1/3 of the cars trying to make that turn get through. The folks queued up for the turn lane end up blocking traffic in the through lanes because the turn lane is full. They don't have a choice but to block traffic, if they miss that turn all the options afterwards to make the left turn are even worse.
I go through one of those every day on the way home from work- usually 3-5 cars in queue, and only 1 or 2 get through per left turn arrow. Almost as you described it- left turners from cross traffic cheat out into the intersection at red lights blocking the people with the current green left turn arrow until they clear out. Worse is when there is gridlock and idiots cheat out into the intersection with nowhere to go as the light turns red- this only increases gridlock.
My biggest pet peeve is what I call the 'entitlement lane'- people rolling up to a red light in the parking lane instead of acting like a normal adjusted adult and waiting in line 3 cars back. They end up causing a jam up as they get through the intersection using the parking lane then having to cut someone off up ahead because of a parked car in their way. This is the exact same thing as cutting in line at a grocery store.Some people would have no shame in doing that either, but its much easier (and safer) to cut in front of angry 250lb white guy using a SUV on the street versus in person at the grocery store.
People DO have a choice not to block traffic, but too many people are selfish aholes who think that getting somewhere 1 minute quicker is more important than everyone else's safety or time.
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This is more like 30 cars in queue
I guess I didn't explain the no choice part very well, this intersection is right after a bridge. There are no left turn lights for several blocks after the intersection and there are no good local access roads to work back to the original cross street on even after using one of those later lights. It's all filtering through residential neighborhoods and roundabouts.
Plus - the super wallmart is right at this intersection and anyone coming from the south side of town trying to go there needs to make this left turn which really doesn't help.
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There were a number of left turn lights like that in Clear Lake, TX when I used to live there. I would beep at people quickly if I could see they weren't paying attention. Usually, the person who wasn't paying attention would make it through the light, but the follow up cars wouldn't. I don't think I ever had anyone rage if I beeped them in that situation.
The only time I really had anyone go close to rage is when I flipped them off. I don't do that anymore. It isn't worth the potential agravation. Plus, I don't want to even be close to the one that started it if it turns into a mess.
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I've learned to shrug off a-hole drivers, I see a rager at least once a week. Its gotten even worse since I bought a car that is typically stereotyped as a 'liberal's car.' I used to give a 'happy retard wave' to people who gave me the finger because it almost always enrages them more, but I don't even bother doing that anymore.
Teehee
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...there are a lot of people out there just sort of hanging on, with a huge internal problem, and any perceived slight, is enough to give them an excuse to erupt. They can't afford to let it out to their boss, or their wife, or anyone else they know, and it builds and builds , and any stranger becomes fair game, and in their car they feel anonymous enough to let go. After the rage takes over for a couple of seconds,, they are so pumped with adrenaline they will do anything.
So much truth here. I've never been a cool cucumber, yet have kept from getting my butt kicked and out of jail. As I age, and the adrenal dump begins, after a few inappropriate thoughts or signals of impending doom, I can usually defer to a higher power, such as logic, a manager, some god, or the police.
Not everyone needs to boost their testosterone level.
:old:
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From the other perspective, if you have "ragers" getting mad at you very often, you might consider thinking about your own driving habits. For every "rager" that lets you know about it, there are probably 100 drivers who don't. Just something to consider. :angel:
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Its gotten even worse since I bought a car that is typically stereotyped as a 'liberal's car.'
I've seen that too. When I drive my lesbian wagon it seems there is a higher incidence, plus bro-dozers tend to cut me off more. Drive the land cruiser, folks seem better behaved. Drive the pickup, people tend to get out of my way because I look like I have no insurance and nothing to lose.
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From the other perspective, if you have "ragers" getting mad at you very often, you might consider thinking about your own driving habits. For every "rager" that lets you know about it, there are probably 100 drivers who don't. Just something to consider. :angel:
Yeah, no.
For the last 8 years I drove home on a different stretch of freeway and a longer drive, rarely had problems. I moved recently and use a different stretch of freeway to get home, and aggressive driving is at least 10x as bad, to the point where I doubt that I'll be riding my motorcycle to work come spring. Must be something in the drinking water...
I had a guy tailgating me in a fricken prius yesterday- in the right lane. He couldn't have been more than 1' off my rear bumper, and it wasn't like I had a lane I could move over to or room ahead of me to speed up.
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I've seen that too. When I drive my lesbian wagon it seems there is a higher incidence, plus bro-dozers tend to cut me off more.
There was a guy with little man syndrome in a dodge ram last week that nearly ran me off the road.
Like I said earlier- people act a lot more aggressively in vehicles than they would ever consider doing in person.
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Yeah, no.
For the last 8 years I drove home on a different stretch of freeway and a longer drive, rarely had problems. I moved recently and use a different stretch of freeway to get home, and aggressive driving is at least 10x as bad, to the point where I doubt that I'll be riding my motorcycle to work come spring. Must be something in the drinking water...
I had a guy tailgating me in a fricken prius yesterday- in the right lane. He couldn't have been more than 1' off my rear bumper, and it wasn't like I had a lane I could move over to or room ahead of me to speed up.
This especially gives me the willies when I am on my bicycles or the motorcycle. The only crumple zones are my legs.
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I had a guy tailgating me in a fricken prius yesterday- in the right lane. He couldn't have been more than 1' off my rear bumper, and it wasn't like I had a lane I could move over to or room ahead of me to speed up.
As if he could.
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I've seen that too. When I drive my lesbian wagon it seems there is a higher incidence, plus bro-dozers tend to cut me off more. Drive the land cruiser, folks seem better behaved. Drive the pickup, people tend to get out of my way because I look like I have no insurance and nothing to lose.
The car for city driving is a 20 + year old full size pickup, with dents, rust, and a bumper replaced with a railroad tie.
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The car for city driving is a 20 + year old full size pickup, with dents, rust, and a bumper replaced with a railroad tie.
Well - other than the railroad tie you described my truck.
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The car for city driving is a 20 + year old full size pickup, with dents, rust, and a bumper replaced with a railroad tie.
There were a lot of guys in the area I grew up with those big homemade deer guard bumpers. Little cars bounce off of them. I knew a guy in college that had a 6" pipe as a rear bumper.
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The car for city driving is a 20 + year old full size pickup, with dents, rust, and a bumper replaced with a railroad tie.
Well - other than the railroad tie you described my truck.
Mine.
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Yeah, no.
For the last 8 years I drove home on a different stretch of freeway and a longer drive, rarely had problems. I moved recently and use a different stretch of freeway to get home, and aggressive driving is at least 10x as bad, to the point where I doubt that I'll be riding my motorcycle to work come spring. Must be something in the drinking water...
I had a guy tailgating me in a fricken prius yesterday- in the right lane. He couldn't have been more than 1' off my rear bumper, and it wasn't like I had a lane I could move over to or room ahead of me to speed up.
One of the many reasons I leave my drop pintle hitch in even if I'm not planning on towing something. It's a big, rusty steel incentive to not tailgate me.
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There were a lot of guys in the area I grew up with those big homemade deer guard bumpers. Little cars bounce off of them. I knew a guy in college that had a 6" pipe as a rear bumper.
This is texas, home of the big ass bumper
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This is texas, home of the big ass bumper
I didn't know that Kar-dashin' gal was from Texas!
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I don't even get mad at road rage people, but I have intentionally hit other vehicles. Proud of the BMW wheel mark on my door. My goal nowadays is to not escalate anything, I'm armed and everyone else in the world has a camera. I refuse to tailgate. My goal on the road is that no one else has to change what they are doing. I do not include in that the moron that slams on the brakes when I pass them in a two-lane passing zone. Sorry buddy, I knew I was going to pass you here 2 miles ago and anything you do right now is moot I've got enough speed to get it done. My one bad behavior now is mistreatment of left lane donkeys on the interstate. Can't help it, they are wrecking people 2 miles behind them.
There was a guy with little man syndrome in a dodge ram last week that nearly ran me off the road.
Like I said earlier- people act a lot more aggressively in vehicles than they would ever consider doing in person.
Telephone tough-guy syndrome. Interests me, how the car becomes a psychological conduit.
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The single most infuriating thing to me is when the *expletive deleted*ing idiot in the lane you are trying to get into tries to match your speed and hide in your blind spot to cause you to wreck or prevent you from merging (I've actually had them be back a couple car lengths and when I put my blinker on they slam the gas to catch up and block me). Fortunately I have my mirrors set properly so as to minimize my blind spots as much as possible and I see them.
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The single most infuriating thing to me is when the *expletive deleted*ing idiot in the lane you are trying to get into tries to match your speed and hide in your blind spot to cause you to wreck or prevent you from merging (I've actually had them be back a couple car lengths and when I put my blinker on they slam the gas to catch up and block me). Fortunately I have my mirrors set properly so as to minimize my blind spots as much as possible and I see them.
I set my mirrors in a similar fashion. In urban driving I do not signal lane changes, that's the invitation for the moron. I know where my hole is and the relative speeds of what is in my target lane. One exception, in 3+ lanes I signal if anyone is two lanes away from me and may want the same hole.
I've also had occasion to tow large heavy trailers on I-95. You have to signal, no acceleration to match holes. So, once I see an opportunity to move over I signal and wait for those abreast to clear me. Once they do, I start moving to the lane. If you, said *expletive deleted*ing idiot, have sped up to block me that's nice, but I am still coming. I leave it to *expletive deleted*ing idiot to do the math. I've got a 7K lb pick-up pulling 28 feet and 12K of trailer.
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Last night's brain surgeon:
Pulling up an on-ramp to merge. Guy ahead of me accelerating for once. And then hits the end of the on ramp and slams on his brakes. :facepalm: 60 to 40 like that.
WITH NOBODY COMING UP TO MERGE WITH.
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Did you know thast you can get excellent dash cameras from Amazon for relaatively dirt cheap? I've got something similar to this http://www.amazon.com/2-5-inch-Monitor-Dashboard-Accident-RECORDER/dp/B005680BX2/ref=sr_1_71?s=automotive&ie=UTF8&qid=1426361894&sr=1-71&keywords=dash+camera but in 1080P. One mounted on the windshie;d right below the rear view mirror and one in the bottom right corner of the rear window. Records to the SD card in 15-minute blocks with something like 25 blocks before it begins overwriting block #1. Good picture without much wide-angle distortion but yes it does that annoying thing with the window wipers. It can be swiveled to cover either front side window.
I've never seen the sort of driving/accidents the Russians seem to deal with on a daily basis but it is satisfying that should something happen there will be something other than he said/she said for the cops and insurance company to use in determining why I was not at fault.
stay safe.
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With the increased idiocy I'm considering getting a Falcon Zero unit at around $120. Seems to be rated better than the el cheapo units around the $30 mark.
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Today's brain surgeon
One way frontage road, three lanes. Left exit to the freeway. I go to the left lane about 50 yards behind said brain surgeon, blinker on. I accelerate towards said on ramp exit. Literally as the on ramp comes up, brain surgeon attempts to merge with me (mid sized car vs. my F150), sans blinker. I honk. He has to slam on his brakes, because there is no way he's A) getting over, B) making the on ramp at his present rate of about 50mph. I get the finger from brain surgeon.
1) Plan your *expletive deleted*ing exit ahead of time. If you miss it, double back or take the next one. Swerving to make an exit is poor planning on your part.
2) Use your blinker. I generally slow down and let blinker users over.
3) My horn prevented an imminent collision you seemed hell bent on causing. I know where you can insert your finger.
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Did you know thast you can get excellent dash cameras from Amazon for relaatively dirt cheap? I've got something similar to this http://www.amazon.com/2-5-inch-Monitor-Dashboard-Accident-RECORDER/dp/B005680BX2/ref=sr_1_71?s=automotive&ie=UTF8&qid=1426361894&sr=1-71&keywords=dash+camera but in 1080P. One mounted on the windshie;d right below the rear view mirror and one in the bottom right corner of the rear window. Records to the SD card in 15-minute blocks with something like 25 blocks before it begins overwriting block #1. Good picture without much wide-angle distortion but yes it does that annoying thing with the window wipers. It can be swiveled to cover either front side window.
Might have to look into a pair of those. Whoever designed it actually put some thought into it by having the lens come out the little side; way too many of them have it on the big side so your end up with a 3x5" chunk of your view blocked.
It says auto start at power on, but will it auto start upon receiving power, (i.e. plugged into a switched 12V line so it's always running when the car is on) or does it have to be turned on manually each time?
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Today's brain surgeon
One way frontage road, three lanes. Left exit to the freeway. I go to the left lane about 50 yards behind said brain surgeon, blinker on. I accelerate towards said on ramp exit. Literally as the on ramp comes up, brain surgeon attempts to merge with me (mid sized car vs. my F150), sans blinker. I honk. He has to slam on his brakes, because there is no way he's A) getting over, B) making the on ramp at his present rate of about 50mph. I get the finger from brain surgeon.
1) Plan your *expletive deleted*ing exit ahead of time. If you miss it, double back or take the next one. Swerving to make an exit is poor planning on your part.
2) Use your blinker. I generally slow down and let blinker users over.
3) My horn prevented an imminent collision you seemed hell bent on causing. I know where you can insert your finger.
You can't just expect drivers to do a head check before changing lanes or be aware of other vehicles around them. That is just completely unreasonable. =D
Changing lanes and merging is easy if you think ahead, but many don't based on my observation. I cannot count how many people I have seen on the highway that will run right up behind a slower driver, hit the brakes, then decide to change lanes, then accelerate again. There was either an open lane or room to pass the whole time. A simple lane change would have avoided all that. I see it repeated all the time. I wonder sometimes if it is a complete lack of depth perception with some drivers.
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You can't just expect drivers to do a head check before changing lanes or be aware of other vehicles around them. That is just completely unreasonable. =D
Changing lanes and merging is easy if you think ahead, but many don't based on my observation. I cannot count how many people I have seen on the highway that will run right up behind a slower driver, hit the brakes, then decide to change lanes, then accelerate again. There was either an open lane or room to pass the whole time. A simple lane change would have avoided all that. I see it repeated all the time. I wonder sometimes if it is a complete lack of depth perception with some drivers.
I'm pretty sure it's that most people won't look further ahead than the bumper of the vehicle in front of them. I can't count the number of times I've seen people swerve out of the lane I was in to try and jump ahead via a gap (to either side), with me travelling at the same speed as the lane of traffic ahead of me. If they're lucky, they can swerve right back in behind me when the lane I'm in catches up to and passes them, because we were moving faster than traffic in that other lane all along.
There was one guy several months ago who was BOUND and determined to get ahead of me on the Beltway. Heavy traffic moving under posted speed in the afternoon rush, and he comes on, gets in behind me (at prevailing speed in the far-left lane) and proceeds to tailgate me, I'm pretty sure LITERALLY 6 inches off my bumper, under the delusion that would get him where he was going faster. We were already moving slightly faster than all other lanes, and ain't NO ONE was going anywhere any faster. Over the next several miles, dude proceeded to swerve in and out of the lane trying to get past me, sometimes falling a few car lengths back, sometimes able to recover and get back in behind me, but there literally was NO WAY he was going to be able to pass me - miracle of miracle, the far-left lane actually WAS the fast lane, that day. I watch him go shooting off to the right, making it across the entire width of the Beltway into an exit lane, and figure I'd seen the last of him, as all traffic came to a stop. Probably took about 5 full minutes to get past that exit. As we made it around the curve after that exit, I see... same freakin' idiot swinging all the way over from the off-ramp (having gone over the solid lane lines of the off-ramp to do it) and laboriously working his way back over, visibly frothing at the mouth. To slot in right behind me again, where he could just have stayed all along.
I literally laughed out loud over that. Pretty sure he saw me, and I didn't care one bit.
He shot off to the right again almost immediately thereafter, fell behind ( :rofl:), and I never saw him again.
Re: blinker use in these parts - I too will make an effort to accommodate someone using their signals, either speeding up to get past or hitting my brakes to open a gap for them. Don't use a signal when trying to break into an existing lane of traffic? Why, that means you want to follow THAT lane, not be in MINE, right?
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That is why I like my F150. I can actually see ahead in heavy traffic most of the time.
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...'happy retard wave'...
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Works for me!
A memory I have stored for future reference: A 'rager in an econobox tried to cut off an old Belchfire V8 that appeared to have already been in a demolition derby and won. The 'rager became a participant in a PIT maneuver (http://www.wimp.com/pitmaneuver/). =D I enjoyed providing witness info for that one but was never called.
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Might have to look into a pair of those. Whoever designed it actually put some thought into it by having the lens come out the little side; way too many of them have it on the big side so your end up with a 3x5" chunk of your view blocked.
It says auto start at power on, but will it auto start upon receiving power, (i.e. plugged into a switched 12V line so it's always running when the car is on) or does it have to be turned on manually each time?
Plugged into the 12-volt siocket that is powered by the turning of the ignition key - comes on when the ignition is turned to either the AUX or ON positions. Goes off after about a 15-second delay when the ignition switch is turned OFF.
The Gimpmobile is blessed with a set of auxilliary power sockets along the driver-side wall behind the second row of seats. Makes it easier to run the power cord to the camera mounted on the rear windshield. Guy I know who drives a Subaru Forrester had enough cord to run clipped under the dash, up in front of the windshield pillar, along the roofline, and then back down to the camera.
stay safe.
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Off topic, but I find it mildly amusing that many, many years ago, it was part of Benny Hill's comedy routine to wear his hat sideways, and that it was considered a joke and not fashion.
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Some of those cameras can be wired into the power supply for auto dimming mirrors. Most of the good radar detectors out there as well. That way there's no wire draped all over the place, and you can still use your lighter to charge your phone etc. The best way I've seen of dealing with these mental midgets who aren't actually aware that anyone else is on the road is train horns. We installed a set on my buddy's Ford 250 work van about 10 years ago. Its great seeing how fast someone snaps to attention when 140db of car vibrating honk goes off as they try to merge into the side of you. If there was room for all the hardware I'd have a set on my car; but under the hood is just too packed as it is. Apparently the newest thing is cruise ship horns. They could be fun too.
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Off topic, but I find it mildly amusing that many, many years ago, it was part of Benny Hill's comedy routine to wear his hat sideways, and that it was considered a joke and not fashion.
The last few trips to the VA I've seen guys older than me with both sagging pants and flat-brim hats turned sideways. (And they are being squired around by what looks like their adult kids and/or older grandkids (who are having similar problems with their clothing).
It it were not for the hat I woud have a completely different supposition for the condition of the pants.
Back in the day :old: ;/ kids grew up in a gang and "graduated" into the alumni where they might retain identification but except for certain social functions (reunions, funerals mostly) did not wear the gang-identifying clothing. They did bring their kids into the gang, but not dressing them in colors/jackets as pre-toddlers. Nowdays I would not be surprized to learn there is a cottage industry coloring ultrasounds to show the speck wearing colors.
(BTW - what ever happened to sateen gang jackets?)
stay safe.
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I was a "victim of road rage Saturday. I was on a 2 lane highway going about 57 in a 55 mph. A lone motorcycle dude comes up behind me a 1/4 mile before my turnoff onto a township road a mile from home. I gave plenty of signal for turn and brakes and cleared my lane as soon as reasonable with no oncoming traffic. I had the window down and I hear some yelling and I look back and he locks up the rear wheel, spins it 180 and sits stopped in the middle of a curve on a state highway! Shaking his fist and finger at me a screaming something unpleasant at me.
I didn't understand how I got to be the source of his frustration, he was behind me, curved road no passing zone etc. I ignored him shrugged and went home and he didn't follow. I checked my brake lights and turn signals when I got home and it was all OK. I was driving my farm truck. A Ford F-250 super duty 4x4 with the brush rack, tool boxes and DMI rear bumper. And Yeah it was only a 9mm on my hip but I didn't feel too threatened by one skinny guy on a soft tail.
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Some people are just looking for an excuse. I don't know if most of them would actually do anything if you were actually face to face though I don't know how to tell the difference.
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Some people are just looking for an excuse. I don't know if most of them would actually do anything if you were actually face to face though I don't know how to tell the difference.
It seems that bikers are more likely to act out physically if they are in groups.
Don't stop. Call 911 and do not scream but tell them where you are, what's going on, and where you are tying to get to. Don't stop - run red lights/stop signs with care but keep moving. Do you have a passenger(s) that know how to use a handgun? That SBS you have under the seat? Can they work the cellphone without screaming? Don't stop - there is nothing you want/need to say to them face-to-face or through a window rolled down a fraction of an inch.
I've heard that some of the "less-elegant" bikers carry a ball-peen hammer and will pound on your metalwork if they are pissed at you. As far as I'm concerned so long as they don't try to break glass they can do anything they want. (I may be startled and momentarily lose control should they go after the glass.)
stay safe.
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For absolute best handling of a road rager, I have to give props to Bedlamite
We were on I43, heading south from Green Bay. Don't remember what (if anything) we had done to pee in this guys Post-Toasties, but he was bound and determined to get into it.
Traffic got a lil heavier, rager tailgaiting us. Bedlamite spotted a VERY small hole in the traffic, said "hang on", and BOOM, downshift and we're through the hole and gone.
No fingers, shouting, or anything. Just pure evasion. Although it would have been nice to have a second or so more warning between "hang on" and the downshift...