View Full Version : Fun with Idiots/Holiday drivers are out!!!
I took an hour drive to see my father in the hospital, and it seemed like every moron/idiot driver was on the road. I guess it's that time of year where people go from bad to worse. Saw accidents there, and back, cars weaving in and out of traffic at high speed, etc, etc.
The best was, there's a large rest stop/gas station off the highway. I put on my blinker, start to take the exist, and a van swings over 3 lanes, cuts me off, then comes to a dead stop on the exit, and swings open his door and gets out. I did emergency maneuvers, missed taking his door off by inches, and beeped at him. He gave me the finger.
I was the bad guy. I pull up and start pumping gas, and the van pulls up and the 2 twenty somethings in the van start giving me the finger. When I give no response, they roll down the window and yell some obscenities. Again, I give no reaction, just a steady expression, and no return verbal responses from me.
So they start getting out of the van, and now I have choices to make. I can't run as my 60+ year old sister is in the vehical between me and them. Can't jump back in my car as they are blocking that door with their van and I would have to close distance to them. I'm not going to physically engage two guys about half my age and probably 4-6 inches taller, and I may be a strong and in shape, but I'm no MA expert and know real fights don't work like TV fights...
I stop pumping gas, place strong hand on stomach, thumb in sweep position to cover garment, and stand there. I scan for weapons in their hands, but saw none.
They they walk a few ft, then for what ever reason, decide something is not right, and they go back to their vehical, and burn rubber (middle fingers sticking out windows all the way...) and I'm happy not to find out what effects their seeing a fire arm would have had.
This was exactly one of those situations I dread (seemingly) un armed aggressors, but out numbered 2:1 with no options (that I could figure out in the very short time frame I had) other then to let be known I was armed if they got much closer.
I think had my sister not been in the car, I would have back peddled to the rest stop, but I didn't see that as an option.
My only part in the exchange was having the bad manners of beeping at them for pulling a d-bag/moronic driving stunt that almost got someone killed. Why they stopped right on the exit vs driving into the rest stop I have no idea.
I hate the holidays, I hate holiday drivers, and the bad economy, people out of work, texting mania, etc, etc seems (to me at least) be amplifying the general poor manners, driving skills, etc.
That was my fun day, which was the begging of the drive to see 87 year old ailing father.
Sounds like you made a sound choice under the circumstances. I struggle to not offend morons too and occasionally fail at this.
Sorry to hear your dad is not doing well. Prayers for him and for you and your family.
Buckaroo
Sounds like you made a sound choice under the circumstances. I struggle to not offend morons too and occasionally fail at this.
I know. In retrospect, probably should not have bothered beeping, but it was one of those reflexive things where your hand goes to horn while trying to prevent death and destruction due others stupidity.
Sorry to hear your dad is not doing well. Prayers for him and for you and your family.
Buckaroo
Thank you sir.
Complication
12-06-10, 09:23
I was driving from MS to OH the Sunday after Thanksgiving. An ambulance pulls onto the highway and floors it, lights on, siren blaring.
2 lanes.
People are cutting him off to pass slower folks in the right lane. He keeps having to hit his brakes. We were going about the same speed so I pull into the right lane, slow down, let him pass, then pull in behind him a respectful distance back--maybe about 15 car lengths. Immediately people start pulling in in front of me. Okay, I intentionally left a lot of distance between us, maybe I should have expected that. Then people start squeezing in, close enough that they can probably read nametags from inside the ambulance.
Highway opens to 3 lanes, he floors it from 85 to 95 (speed limit 70). Everyone and their mother pulls in behind him, apparently convinced that cranking down the highway at 95 mph is okay as long as you're following an emergency vehicle ("But officer, the ambulance broke the speed limit first!"). The far left lane slows to 65. I pull into the middle lane and begin passing everyone because even though the ambulance is 3 miles down the highway and you can barely see the lights, EVERYONE wants to be in the same freaking lane. So the left-most lane looks like gridlock and the other two lanes are nearly barren.
I hated the stupidity of flocking to the left lane but almost hated the stupidity of staying there as traffic slowed to a (relative) crawl even more.
ETA: Will, That story is one of the reasons I always feel a little safer with a friend strapped to the belt. Especially when stopping for gas at 3 am in Kentucky and getting approached by some very gregarious and very drunk good ole boys.
Belmont31R
12-06-10, 09:29
Driving/drivers in the US is by far the worst out of any western/modern country Ive ever been to.
Driving/drivers in the US is by far the worst out of any western/modern country Ive ever been to.
In many western countries driving a car is seen as a "privilege" instead of a "right". In the US, it is seen as a right.....and all the entitlement mentality goes along with it. More people are killed every year in the US by auto accidents that guns, yet there is little being done about it. Probably because the auto industry is a pivotal part of the US economy and making it harder for people to drive would restrict auto sales. Not to mention booze sales(tax revenue) if DUI enforcement was where it needed to be.
Stricter licensing standards, and harsher punishments for violations are common in western Europe which makes a difference the the civility of the drivers and reduced number of accidents.
Driving/drivers in the US is by far the worst out of any western/modern country Ive ever been to.
And the worst of the worst in the US, are in MA. I have lived and or driven in most major cities in the US, and other locals, and MA drivers are the cream of the cop for general A-hole/moronic/zero interest in general road laws/rules.
I believe a fair amount of data supports that also, but it depends on what stats you look at. Regardless, MA is always toward the top, and subjective experience by most will generally agree.
Belmont31R
12-06-10, 09:46
In many western countries driving a car is seen as a "privilege" instead of a "right". In the US, it is seen as a right.....and all the entitlement mentality goes along with it.
Stricter licensing standards, and harsher punishments for violations are common in western Europe which makes a difference the the civility of the drivers and reduced number of accidents.
Driving is a privilege, here, too.
The way we do things here...everything from obtaining a license, laws/regs, and how we enforce them is stupid here. It does next to nothing to make our roads safer or ensure people follow the rules.
Belmont31R
12-06-10, 09:51
And the worst of the worst in the US, are in MA. I have lived and or driven in most major cities in the US, and other locals, and MA drivers are the cream of the cop for general A-hole/moronic/zero interest in general road laws/rules.
I believe a fair amount of data supports that also, but it depends on what stats you look at. Regardless, MA is always toward the top, and subjective experience by most will generally agree.
Texas is the worst Ive seen. Haven't been to the NE since I was a little kid.
Here they allow "home taught" drivers ed so the quality of the Texas driver is generally crappy. http://www.txdps.state.tx.us/driverlicense/parenttaught.htm
Yikes Will if that happened I would be the pussy that would call the cops with the description say they followed me got out came toward me aggressively !
and hope they dont do it to some other person !!! bummer and to me I beep ! figure thats what its their for when people do idiot things and usually get the same response !
when at the pumps my Sheriff buddy said just pull your pump out and douse them with it :) hehheehhee not sure if he was being serious as he chuckled and then said hope you have a lighter on you and then see what they do !
never been to MA but if its worse than here ! no thanks ;)
have to say Phoenix is so full of idiots !!! and the size of the roads and such I have never seen such huge intersections and sheer amount of people this place freaks me out to drive !! its like constant defensive mode
not like the roads on Maui at all !!!
Maui though has idiots ! Tourists who turned their brains off and think they can just stop on the only road going to the west side and watch the whales ! or decide to stop to take in the view ! or do a U-Turn in the middle of any road ?
I hear FL is insane from some people ?
jklaughrey
12-06-10, 11:31
You haven't really driven till you have done LA freeway/downtown or done the DC Beltway shuffle. Although my BIL says NYC, forget it, that is what cabs are for.
Although I will admit, during peak hours(rush hour) there is less driving and more parking on the freeway/roads in LA.
You haven't really driven till you have done LA freeway/downtown or done the DC Beltway shuffle. Although my BIL says NYC, forget it, that is what cabs are for.
I have done all those and then some, and none compare to MA drivers. I found LA drivers surprisingly polite in fact. I grew up driving in NYC.
jklaughrey
12-06-10, 11:36
Polite, wow thanks. There are or rather in my case were some of of us who are polite down there. Did you ever try to leave the Forum after the Laker's won. Isn't going to happen. Better to walk to Sonics and eat for 2 hours, then get your car if it wasn't stolen.
Yikes Will if that happened I would be the pussy that would call the cops with the description say they followed me got out came toward me aggressively !
?
No time for such things and they didn't follow me per se. Had they done that, I would have taken their plates and called cops to deal with it. Could have called cops afterward, but not much to actually report from the LEOs perspective other then they called me names, which I surely didn't enjoy, and it didn't start the trip off well I can tell you. :angry:
Thomas M-4
12-06-10, 11:56
I have family from Germany that came to visit one year [by the way they have international driving licenses] They compared US drivers to Mogadishu :sarcastic: Sounded about right to me:sad:
Vegas gets some pretty interesting driving scenarios... Every wingnut dipshit from every other state & country drives around here ogling at our naked women advertisements, bright casino lights and people in general down by the Strip. They drive like they're in Po'Dunk Alabamy, no offense intended Crimson Tide, or from Belgium, China or that they're in their home country of Mexico and have no idea what a freeway was designed for. Plenty of CA dipshits who think the left hand lane is their own personal hang out spot, especially on I-15 between LA and Vegas. Use your turn indicator? Time to speed up so they can cut you off. California drivers suck, period.
Not to mention everyone's on a frickin' cell phone and thinks they can cut you off 2" off your front bumper and then give you the bird. People have this sense of invulnerability while they're encased in their monster sized SUV and feel the need to brake check, flip the bird and scream at you. There are days when I wish there was a law you could shoot asshole drivers, it would definitely help with gridlock.
GermanSynergy
12-06-10, 19:02
PG County MD drivers are less than stellar...
Suwannee Tim
12-06-10, 19:28
Funny, I was just thinking of a week on some river. Your traffic story makes me think harder. Trouble with a week on the river, it's hard to see it come to an end. When I'm on the river I pack iron but mainly to avoid leaving it in the car as I'm pretty sure I won't need it.
Sorry your dad is ill Will. Tell him Suwannee says to get better soon.
Suwannee Tim
12-06-10, 19:53
I had an incident a couple of years ago, my first encounter with a human predator. A couple of young men approached me, one was about 24, 180, 6' or so, the other, the leader, the predator was maybe 18, maybe 19, 150, not much bigger than half my size, 5'7" or so. The predator demanded money. I said I had none, an evident lie. He became visibly angry, looked me down then up his eyes stopping on my right front pocket which contained my revolver. He turned and walked away without a word and his sidekick followed. I normally turn so my right front pocket is away from the person I'm interacting with, in this case I didn't have time to turn. Probably a good thing, probably saved me some serious trouble.
I have done all those and then some, and none compare to MA drivers. I found LA drivers surprisingly polite in fact. I grew up driving in NYC.
"Masshole" didn't come from nowhere :)
I long for the day that I no longer have to drive. I live in an area where people pay ZERO attention to the road...getting cut off or run off the the road is pretty much a daily occurence, I probably lock up my brakes at least once a month to avoid some idiot being an idiot.
And the best part is that THEY get pissed after doing all this. I don't even honk my horn or anything because it's doesn't work...but I'll still get a finger and a nasty look when I pass these losers. In fact just today some moron in a POS 80-something Toyota with the rear bumper almost dragging on the ground turns in front of me and I almost rear end him. I'm already doing 55 and his POS can't accelerate worth a damn because he doesn't feed the hampster under the hood.
I really hate people sometimes.
ETA - This reminds me of an incident that happened with another local gun owner (Detroit area) who was cut off by some chick in an SUV. Guy honked his horn, got out of the way and proceeded on his way attempting to not be run the **** over by some ditz. Well, the chick apparently took the horn as 'road rage', pulled out a pistol with laser and covered the guy's chest with it. He was close enough to see it was clearly a pistol and proceeded to freak out and slam on the brakes to get the hell out of this bitches way.
Long story short he managed to follow her from a distance and called the cops, she was arrested and the trial process is starting right now. She had a carry license, admitted to aiming at the guy's chest with her pistol/laser, and also did not bother to register the pistol (mandatory here in MI). She said she was 'afraid of a road rage incident' because the guy honked his horn :rolleyes: That's the kind of crap we deal with around here.
Quiet-Matt
12-06-10, 20:11
Try my favorite holiday game to have some fun. I gift wrap my nasty garbage, park at the mall, accidently on purpose forget and leave my presents on the trunk. Then, watch as the thevin bastards steal my "presents".:sarcastic: Makes me feel better. Incidentally, these are probably the same drivers you are encountering on the road.
sandman99and9
12-06-10, 20:44
Florida has got to be high on the list of shitty drivers !! We have an abundance of shitty people from all over the place here including a large # of people from N.Y. Mass, and all the other wonderfull places out there.
I think the scariest thing to see on the road is a ****ing tourist in a rental:eek: I have been on the highway down by Disney world and have seen cars in the far left lane suddenly make a hard right across 4-6 lanes of traffic so they can stop at the gift store/discount tix outlet.
We call tourist "terrorists" down here. Plus a bunch of them are from other countries too. They are stupid but usually more polite than the american variety.
S.M.
William B.
12-06-10, 21:06
You haven't really driven till you have done LA freeway/downtown or done the DC Beltway shuffle.
I feel your pain, brother! I drive I-95 in Northern VA everyday. By far some of the worst driving in the country. The bad part is that sometimes you have to drive like a dick, too just to do something simple like make a lane change around these morons.
F
I think the scariest thing to see on the road is a ****ing tourist in a rental:eek:
as we used to say on Maui all the time :)
"If its tourist season how come we cant shoot them ?"
Driving/drivers in the US is by far the worst out of any western/modern country Ive ever been to.
I live three blocks from a Somali mall/ mosque . .. . coming home isn't always driving in a Western/ modern country. :sad:
WillBrink, if I read you right, you beeped your horn to let them know you were there. . . they stopped on the exit and exited the vehicle, people can get hit that way if they aren't aware of a nearby vehicle in the midst of evasive maneuvers. You were honking for their safety, they were just too high or whatever to realize it. Fine job, good use of restraint. I give ya an "A" for that encounter.
FromMyColdDeadHand
12-06-10, 22:52
We really need to crack down on this phone-driving thing. Maybe the kids can do it, but anyone over 25 (Including me) shouldn't be allowed to do it. Everytime now when I see someone doing something dumb behind the wheel, they are on the phone. I try to talk as little as possible, and I know that I loose most of my situational awareness to the rear, so I just get in the right lane and follow a truck while I talk.
Italy- worst drivers. Buddy picked me up at Milan's airport and we got on the highway and I thought we were going to die 5 times in the first minute.
China- just really efficient use of space. They seem to go faster the more traffic there is. All the trucks are painted blue too- and I've asked a bunch of people and they don't know why.
Make them split up and come around the car from two directions- it becomes a serial one-on-one. Saw my uncle (who is now a pussycat) take down two punks that way.
It is amazing how punks and bullies can smell when something isn't going right. You hope you get one experienced enough to know when things aren't as they should be. Maybe it is the faint hint of a smile we get ;)
FromMyColdDeadHand
12-06-10, 22:56
I live three blocks from a Somali mall/ mosque . .. . coming home isn't always driving in a Western/ modern country. :sad:
Somali family couldn't get their 85 Caprice out of the parking spot in an icy and wet parking lot at Safeway. I felt bad, until I saw that they had NO tread on their tires, AT ALL. I helped them out of the spot they were in. I should say, his wife and I pushed while he tried to make the tires even more bald. I shouldn't be mean, I don't know if I'd be able to get my car out of camel shit, so I shouldn't judge.
"Masshole" didn't come from nowhere :)
Nope. :rolleyes:
Rmplstlskn
12-07-10, 07:15
Drivers are assclowns in all States? Uuggghhhh.....
Society is lost... Mankind is doomed! I give up...
Rmpl
FromMyColdDeadHand
12-07-10, 07:23
Drivers are assclowns in all States? Uuggghhhh.....
Society is lost... Mankind is doomed! I give up...
Rmpl
Looks like I'm walking to The Reckoning.
I'll second the vote for LA and surrounding area. Never in my life have I seen more horrible drivers in my life. And there were a lot of them!
Up here in Michigan over the past couple of years I've noticed drivers have gotten worse, but I think that's more due to the cell phones and all the other crap they put in cars these days. And yes, most people that I see driving like idiots are on the phone.
But one thing I'll never understand is why Ohio drivers think the left lane is for doing 60mph when visiting Michigan. Now as most Michigan drivers know, the right lane is for 75mph(highway speed limit is 70 here), and the left lane is for passing or driving over 80mph. I've seen big rigs that I know are governed at 67mph passing people from Ohio . . .
Complication
12-07-10, 13:37
But one thing I'll never understand is why Ohio drivers think the left lane is for doing 60mph when visiting Michigan. Now as most Michigan drivers know, the right lane is for 75mph(highway speed limit is 70 here), and the left lane is for passing or driving over 80mph. I've seen big rigs that I know are governed at 67mph passing people from Ohio . . .
Unlike in many (sane) states, it's not illegal to pass on the right. And unlike in many states where it is legal, it's not even encouraged to pass on the left in Ohio. You know how you see signs all over highways that say "keep right" or "slow traffic keep right" or even "pass on the left"? In my 6 years in this state I think I've seen 2 or 3 of those signs.
Ohio drivers don't distinguish between lanes on the highway. Most people understand that faster traffic stays to the left and that you shouldn't cruise in the fast lane--and if you do, you get out of the way of faster traffic. To most Ohio drivers, every lane on the highway is equal. So you often get a situation where the right-most lanes are actually speeding along faster than the left-most lanes.
This is also why an Ohio driver cruising at or just above the speed limit in the fast lane will refuse to move over to left faster traffic pass.
Ohio drivers don't distinguish between lanes on the highway. Most people understand that faster traffic stays to the left and that you shouldn't cruise in the fast lane--and if you do, you get out of the way of faster traffic. To most Ohio drivers, every lane on the highway is equal. So you often get a situation where the right-most lanes are actually speeding along faster than the left-most lanes.
This is also why an Ohio driver cruising at or just above the speed limit in the fast lane will refuse to move over to left faster traffic pass.
Exactly like California and they have the signs!!! They're either oblivious or assholes and I tend to think the latter. Driving down to L.A. later today and get to be pissed at all the left lane losers all the way down the 15.
Gutshot John
12-07-10, 14:00
Having lived in Southern California and DC...I'd take LA any day of the week and twice on Sunday.
Pittsburghers are pretty dumb but they drive so slowly they're pretty harmless...just frustrating. The sign "Maintain Speed Through Tunnel" has no effect.
Ohio...bleeechhhh...if you're going the speed limit in the far left lane you're going too freakin slow... what about "Slow Traffic Kept Right" can they not understand?
Germans on the other hand...know how to drive.
Something like 80% of all drivers think they are above average. Which means 30% of drivers are full of shit. :sarcastic:
rickrock305
12-07-10, 17:02
I've never seen drivers as bad as here in south FL. Its not that they're just bad, they're outright rude, obnoxious, arrogant, etc.
Belmont31R
12-07-10, 17:20
Having lived in Southern California and DC...I'd take LA any day of the week and twice on Sunday.
Pittsburghers are pretty dumb but they drive so slowly they're pretty harmless...just frustrating. The sign "Maintain Speed Through Tunnel" has no effect.
Ohio...bleeechhhh...if you're going the speed limit in the far left lane you're going too freakin slow... what about "Slow Traffic Kept Right" can they not understand?
Germans on the other hand...know how to drive.
Cali was too bad unless in a major metro area. Outside of the cities the left lane is 80+, and CHP doesn't enforce it like nazis (may have changed since its been 7+ years since I lived there). You pretty much have to be going 85+ to catch their attention. Out in in the open areas it wasnt uncommon to be a spread out pack going 90+ especially out in the deserts or central valley with nothing for 100 miles in either direction.
In TX they take pride in catching people going 5 over. I got pulled over by a local LEO when I was still active mil, and he gave me a warning (didnt even check my ID in his computer or over his radio), and said to be careful of DPS because they'll write you for 1 over if they're bored. I once got pulled over 4 times in less than an hour here, all by DPS, for a burnt out bulb. Ridiculous.....
Bolt_Overide
12-08-10, 05:31
And my friends still wonder why Im mostly a hermit when Im at home, or why I will go 10 minutes out of my way to stay on back roads.
Magic_Salad0892
12-08-10, 08:29
Oregon is full of California and Washington drivers who are all RETARDED.
I can't tell you how many times I've been tail-gated at the same time I get cut off.
ShortytheFirefighter
12-08-10, 13:27
Things get real interesting here in MN during the winter. The rest of the year people are already dumber than a bag of hammers, but throw a foot of snow in and suddenly people are even worse. Yes, it gets hard to see the lines but if you've got a halfway functioning brain you have a good idea of where they are. If you're in the left lane on a major highway and only doing 20mph, there should be a voice in your head telling you to get over before my horn is doing the job.
Thanks to LED lighting, air horns and a good Federal Q you can *usually* get the attention of someone who's on their cell phone or has the radio cranked up when you're trying to respond to an emergency. I can see how it'd be difficult, a Engine or Ladder is pretty inconspicuous and doesn't really stand out.
I really hate other drivers.
Oregon is full of California and Washington drivers who are all RETARDED.
I can't tell you how many times I've been tail-gated at the same time I get cut off.
I-5 is the only road i ever have problems with- aside from people doing 50 in the passing lane. "slower traffic keep right" is apparently only a suggestion, according to these types. if anything, they probably view ME as the "asshole" driver when i'm upset about going 50mph down 30 miles of 4-lane highway because they want to hold a perfectly parallel course to the only other car on the road.
i-5 is basically the opposite... you really can't get into the left lane unless you're prepared to go 75-80 (oregon urban limit is 55, for you non-oregunians) AND be tailgated. since i can be a fairly aggressive driver to begin with, this usually isn't a problem for me- but most of the time, i just stay the hell out of that lane if i can avoid it. wouldn't want to give a guy with a cali or WA license plate a ****in aneurysm... especially with my W'04 and W'08 bumper stickers.
other than that, Oregonians are usually really chill/passive drivers. for example- my wife and i once waited a little too long to get headed to the hospital during one of her pregnancies/subsequent deliveries... we got in the car, and she said something to the effect of "baby, i think you should hurry this time." it was about 6pm on a weekday, so plenty of residual rush-hour traffic left on the road, and her starting to grunt and sweat pretty bad... i flashed my lights at people in the way, and MOST MOVED OVER! try that in any other state.
Powered by vBulletin® Version 4.2.5 Copyright © 2024 vBulletin Solutions, Inc. All rights reserved.