Road Rage, revisited.

Jstpssng · Jun 12, 2022

While on my way home from my mother's house today I observed a vehicle pulled over onto the shoulder of the road, with a white (Ford?) pickup in front of it which was partially off the road with the driver’s side door open, so that the lane was almost completely blocked. The driver was apparently back talking to the occupants of the first vehicle.

This was on a hill on the main artery approaching town, in a spot where visibility is limited. I slowed down to around 30-35 mph and straddled the center line; then sounded my horn to remind the driver that he was blocking the road. He immediately jumped up and ran toward me, screaming. At that point my dog went on alert and started barking in a manner which says don’t mess with me. I thought briefly that I had made contact with the other motorist but when I looked in my mirror he was giving me a one finger wave. When I looked back the next time he was standing by his truck, with the door still open.

It wasn’t until I got home that I realized he had hit the side of my truck with both hands or fists, putting two small dents in it.

I contacted the PD in that town, just to make sure that a complaint hadn't been filed against me. So far they haven't heard anything, but took my information.
It still could come back to bite me. I probably shouldn't even post this, but haven't done anything wrong except blow my horn at the wrong person. I think that I'm going to disconnect it tomorrow.

Doughknob · Jun 12, 2022

Y would u worry if he hit Your truck? Don’t fix the dents for a while.

MossRoad · Jun 12, 2022

Jstpssng said:
While on my way home from my mother's house today I observed a vehicle pulled over onto the shoulder of the road, with a white (Ford?) pickup in front of it which was partially off the road with the driver’s side door open, so that the lane was almost completely blocked. The driver was apparently back talking to the occupants of the first vehicle.

This was on a hill on the main artery approaching town, in a spot where visibility is limited. I slowed down to around 30-35 mph and straddled the center line; then sounded my horn to remind the driver that he was blocking the road. He immediately jumped up and ran toward me, screaming. At that point my dog went on alert and started barking in a manner which says don’t mess with me. I thought briefly that I had made contact with the other motorist but when I looked in my mirror he was giving me a one finger wave. When I looked back the next time he was standing by his truck, with the door still open.

It wasn’t until I got home that I realized he had hit the side of my truck with both hands or fists, putting two small dents in it.

I contacted the PD in that town, just to make sure that a complaint hadn't been filed against me. So far they haven't heard anything, but took my information.
It still could come back to bite me. I probably shouldn't even post this, but haven't done anything wrong except blow my horn at the wrong person. I think that I'm going to disconnect it tomorrow.

Bummer. But I agree with your horn usage concerns. I was very well versed in horn. But I found myself also yelling and shaking my fists at folks. January of 2021 I decided to do something about it, and made a new year's resolution to not use my horn in anger. That lasted 3 days. So I reset my horn meter and tried again. That lasted about 6 days. Reset and try again.

I have to say that this is the only NY resolution that I've ever kept. I just keep trying to make a conscious effort to not use it in anger, and only use a quick double tap to gain someone's attention if needed. I do use it in emergencies.

Jstpssng · Jun 12, 2022

^^^^
I like my idea better. Unplug it, and I can pound on the thing in frustration all that I want.

Root Cause · Jun 12, 2022

I have a camera on my wife's car and have been thinking about adding one to mine. Problem is, you need at least 4.
After 2020, I figured we would all be wearing body cameras by 2021 to CYA as we keep seeing random acts of violence.

Jstpssng · Jun 12, 2022

Root Cause said:
I have a camera on my wife's car and have been thinking about adding one to mine. Problem is, you need at least 4.
After 2020, I figured we would all be wearing body cameras by 2021 to CYA as we keep seeing random acts of violence.

My employer is in the process of installing cameras on all company trucks but we aren't there yet. This is the third incident in 2 weeks. Last week I had to pull over to avoid a head on with a car, after it pulled out to pass a tractor-trailer He was 50 feet away when he pulled back in. Luckily there was a wide shoulder on that part of the road.

I've also been thinking about getting one for my truck. If anything had come out of it, it's my word against his and the occupants of the other vehicle.
Plus the dents in the side of my truck.

As I told the officer; after he attacked my truck, there's no way that I was stopping. Had I thought he'd been injured, I would have called 911 and driven to the police station.

ruffdog · Jun 12, 2022

People are so quick to go into angry crazy mode nowadays.

ultrarunner · Jun 12, 2022

I try to never give a reason because life is cheap and seems cheaper the last 30 months.

Road Rage and Side Show are reality.

I often think of my time driving in Washington State compared to SF Bay Area and night and day as far as those ignoring traffic laws and my LEO friends know one traffic stop gone wrong could be career or life ending.

Horn or flipping someone off is all the excuse some need...

Be safe out there...

LS Tractor Owner · Jun 12, 2022

Road rage has no boundaries.... When I was a paramedic, while responding lights and sirens, used to get yelled at, cut off, and on a couple of occasions, followed to a scene, then yelled at!

One time I was in the supervisor vehicle. It was an early Saturday morning (around 06:00) and the 3 lane road was almost deserted. My navigation / computer had to be rebooted, but I was actually enroute to a scene (non-emergent). I was in the center lane, doing about 25-30 mph in a 45 zone. The only other car was behind about 3-4 car lengths in the left lane.

I was "covering the brake" while attempting to reboot the computer. Unbeknownst to me, the brake lights were flickering on and off. The lady driving the other car finally pulled up alongside, was yelling???, and gave me the finger multiple times.

When I cleared from the call, the other supervisor on duty called me and asked what had happened. I told him nothing that I was aware of (thinking about the call). He told me some crazy woman called the office and said "one of your supervisors kept brake-checking me any I wasn't even behind them"

We both got a good laugh out of that one. I was surprised when I first became a supervisor.... I would get 4-5 calls a shift from the general public complaining about where units were parked at scenes, going too slow, going too fast, 'they blew their horn at me', etc... If you can imagine a complaint, we heard it.....

People just don't have respect anymore!

CalG · Jun 12, 2022

Horns should be removed (or disabled) They really can't do much good, and are responsible for a lot of bad.

I've always wanted a horn that would make a deer in the headlights jump away!

But the best horn I've "seen" is one that runs a loop tape that sounds like gun fire. EVERYONE clears out when that button is pressed!

ultrarunner · Jun 13, 2022

Ambulance broad sided me... driver forgot lights and siren and plowed through intersection...

Another time during road construction 3 Lanes into one with no shoulder as it was excavated...

Poor driver in front of me had No Where to go as traffic blocked up ahead by loader.

The Ambulance was relentless yelling and screaming with siren and horn so driver went right and plunged into the 3 foot deep abyss and almost rolled.

Just be careful...

MossRoad · Jun 13, 2022

ruffdog said:
People are so quick to go into angry crazy mode nowadays.

I had one just this Friday afternoon while driving in Missouri. There was construction ahead. Sign after sign after sign said "Use both lanes. Take turns at merge point". Yet a good 3/4 of a mile from the merge point, 80% of the people merged to one line. 20% of the people tried to follow the signage and continue in the more open lane up to the merge point, yet every time they did, some doofus in the line would pull out to block them. Some old man and his wife tried it on us and they both started giving us the fingers. I wanted to pull the pit maneuver on them and send them into the ditch.

But cooler heads prevailed and I pulled in behind them. Then for good measure, he stomped on his brakes a couple times even though I wasn't anywhere near him. What a doofus.

People get so angry that they get blind. I work with a guy that does the exact same thing to people that follow the signage. I asked him why? He said because they should get in line and wait like the rest of us. I showed him the laws in his state regarding the zipper merge, as it's called, and the studies that show it moves traffics faster and safer. His exact words, "I don't care. I'm not letting them get ahead of me." I said "You're breaking the law and being a danger to others." He said "I don't care." To which I replied "*** you're a dumb***. Did you hear what you just said?" His reply, "I don't care."

So there you have it. People like that don't want other people to get ahead of them because they think it's not fair, yet the studies and the law say it's a better, safer, faster way to cooperatively drive with others and that's the way it should be done. They're blinded by anger.

So use your horn and someday you might get shot because one guy thinks you shouldn't be able to get ahead of him and he's sick of it. There's millions of them out there.

jaxs · Jun 13, 2022

The man who boarded a plane in South America last week despite knowing he was infected with Monkey Pox speaks for the attitude of far too many people.

jaxs · Jun 13, 2022

MossRoad said:
I had one just this Friday afternoon while driving in Missouri. There was construction ahead. Sign after sign after sign said "Use both lanes. Take turns at merge point". Yet a good 3/4 of a mile from the merge point, 80% of the people merged to one line. 20% of the people tried to follow the signage and continue in the more open lane up to the merge point, yet every time they did, some doofus in the line would pull out to block them. Some old man and his wife tried it on us and they both started giving us the fingers. I wanted to pull the pit maneuver on them and send them into the ditch. But cooler heads prevailed and I pulled in behind them. Then for good measure, he stomped on his brakes a couple times even though I wasn't anywhere near him. What a doofus.

People get so angry that they get blind. I work with a guy that does the exact same thing to people that follow the signage. I asked him why? He said because they should get in line and wait like the rest of us. I showed him the laws in his state regarding the zipper merge, as it's called, and the studies that show it moves traffics faster and safer. His exact words, "I don't care. I'm not letting them get ahead of me." I said "You're breaking the law and being a danger to others." He said "I don't care." To which I replied "*** you're a dumb***. Did you hear what you just said?" His reply, "I don't care."

So there you have it. People like that don't want other people to get ahead of them because they think it's not fair, yet the studies and the law say it's a better, safer, faster way to cooperatively drive with others and that's the way it should be done. They're blinded by anger.

So use your horn and someday you might get shot because one guy thinks you shouldn't be able to get ahead of him and he's sick of it. There's millions of them out there.

Unless I'm misundrstanding the situation,I'm of the same opinion as your "dumb***" co-worker.
I see what you describe alot. Signs saying right lane closed x miles or xxxx feet ahead,merge left. Most cars merge into the stop and go left lane while a few zip by in right lane then stack up where lane ends. The cars passing cars in line go down the road and cause line to stop so they can get in line ahead of 50 cars they just passed. My understanding of "zipper merge" is slow moving cars in right lane moving into openings in slow moving left lane so that neither lane is stopping. The actual dumb*** is whoever did a study and concluded a stop and go line of cars will allow more cars to flow than a slow moving line. Yea I heard you when you said signs say "Take turns at merge point". ROTFLMAO have you heard any other jokes lately? The same jazzaxes that pass 50 cars to get in line in front are not taking turns with anyone if they can help it.
If you will please "show me the laws in his state regarding the zipper merge". Seeing those laws will at least explain why people do it here where it is'nt supposed to be done. They are simply doing what they were taught in driving school back home which doesn't make them bad but sure speaks poorly of the law makers.

MossRoad · Jun 13, 2022

jaxs said:
Unless I'm misundrstanding the situation,I'm of the same opinion as your "dumb***" co-worker.
I see what you describe alot. Signs saying right lane closed x miles or xxxx feet ahead,merge left. ...

When the sign says that, do that.

When the sign says USE BOTH LANES TO MERGE POINT, do that. If you don't, then you are not following the posted traffic control signs, which is illegal, and then yes, you are the proverbial dumb*** that can't (or won't) follow directions for whatever reasons.

jaxs · Jun 13, 2022

MossRoad said:
When the sign says that, do that.

When the sign says USE BOTH LANES TO MERGE POINT, do that. If you don't, then you are not following the posted traffic control signs, which is illegal, and then yes, you are the proverbial dumb*** that can't (or won't) follow directions for whatever reasons.

Come on Moss, I just want to look into the law in the event I find myself in that part of the country I'm prepared. Studying differing laws across the country is a hobby of mine. Can't blame me for expanding my knowledge can you?

scaredychicken · Jun 13, 2022

Horns can be used for good ... I think that was jstpssng 's intent. Sorry that that happened

My favourite sign is "Keep Right Except To Pass"

Jstpssng · Jun 13, 2022

MossRoad said:
When the sign says that, do that.

When the sign says USE BOTH LANES TO MERGE POINT, do that. If you don't, then you are not following the posted traffic control signs, which is illegal, and then yes, you are the proverbial dumb*** that can't (or won't) follow directions for whatever reasons.

You are right on both points. However, not many people, in this state at least, understand the concept of the zipper. That leads to a lot of irritated people. Furthermore, often the speed of traffic will drop 10-15 mph after the merge; some people intentionally drive that way. I will stay in whatever lane everyone else is in, even though I know it's wrong; by doing like everyone else, there's a lot less frustration. I tend to leave a gap in front of me big enough for another vehicle to drop into, any time that I'm driving. Right or wrong, I simply don't have time for an accident. That often causes the driver behind me to ride my bumper, even though I maintain the same speed as the vehicle in front of me.
Construction zones are different. I wish that they would enforce that "Fines double" on people who will speed up to get to the front of the line after everyone else has merged.

This incident has caused me to rethink my driving habits. I've taken some red tape and put an "X" on the horn button of both pickups. People are triggered too easily today. Furthermore, there could have been a reason he'd parked the way that he did... he was most likely already POed about something else. Getting shot isn't on my list of things to do, yet is becoming more and more common as people lose courtesy. As I told the officer last night; "My mother always said that it takes two to make a fight."

oosik · Jun 13, 2022

Had a friend who installed a CB unit in his Toyota Land Cruiser. He always thought it was humorous to flip it over to "speaker" and tell the driver up ahead exactly what he thought.

This was all fun and games until the day a police car was two vehicles behind him - waiting in the line. He was given seven days to remove the speaker and come to the police station for verification.