Road Rage/Reckless Driver Incident

[AKDoug]

The asshats who go at or under the speed limit UNTIL you get to a passing zone piss me off. If it takes 100mph at that point to pass them I will. If they speed up to make it difficult or be cute I will cut it REAL close to their front end.

I'd like to ask one question, and the answers will say a lot about your driving demeanor: if you are in the left doing 85 on a 4-lane interstate (say 70mph limit) and someone comes flying up from behind (maybe they're going 100), what do you do? Do you stay in the left lane thinking "I'm going fast enough damn it, screw them" or do you move to the right and let them pass? My answer might surprise some of you given what I wrote above.

Should have crammed these responses into one response, but oh well.

Up here we have primarily two lane highways with passing lanes. The passing lane speeder-uppers are an epidemic up here. Just did a 500 mile round trip today and the majority of the people I passed in the passing areas jumped up 10 mph in the passing area. Then they wonder why they have four pickups and a semi on their ass for the next five miles until the next passing lane.. where it's all repeated again. When I was teaching my three kids to drive, maintaining a steady speed on the highway AND in passing areas was driven into them repeatedly... rule number one, don't be THAT asshole.

Same thing for four lane highways. I pass on the left then immediately move right when it's safe. Ditto on teaching the kids to drive.. move right and don't clog the left lane.

[Averageman]

When I worked in Los Angeles and lived in the Valley, I often would fantasize about filling the back of an older 70's era Dodge 4x4 Power Wagon with cement and a six inch lift and just enjoying my ride home in a rather sadistic way.

[AKDoug]

When I worked in Los Angeles and lived in the Valley, I often would fantasize about filling the back of an older 70's era Dodge 4x4 Power Wagon with cement and a six inch lift and just enjoying my ride home in a rather sadistic way.

Pushing people out of the way or slowing down the whole thing? Either way I'm not sure it would have made a difference Not sure if that run or the 10 out to the east is worse. I'm not sure how anyone likes living like that.

[Honu]

as we used to say if it is tourist season how come we cant shoot them

[jsbhike]

Should have crammed these responses into one response, but oh well.

Up here we have primarily two lane highways with passing lanes. The passing lane speeder-uppers are an epidemic up here. Just did a 500 mile round trip today and the majority of the people I passed in the passing areas jumped up 10 mph in the passing area. Then they wonder why they have four pickups and a semi on their ass for the next five miles until the next passing lane.. where it's all repeated again. When I was teaching my three kids to drive, maintaining a steady speed on the highway AND in passing areas was driven into them repeatedly... rule number one, don't be THAT asshole.

Same thing for four lane highways. I pass on the left then immediately move right when it's safe. Ditto on teaching the kids to drive.. move right and don't clog the left lane.

That is what we have here too and that happens also. Usually what I get is me doing a constant speed and the car following me speeding up just enough to get in my blind spot then stay at my speed.

[MegademiC]

What pisses me off is that more and more of them seem to want to force their way into the line whether there's an opening or not. I think they call that a "New York lane change." There's nothing road rage about not wanting some jerk to potentially ram you trying to cut in line. I don't call that "getting on with their lives." I call that "unsafe driving," " lack of road etiquette," "lack of common courtesy". This area used to not have that kind of crap. Must be all the Californians moving here.��

Its not “cutting in line”.
Its merging
You should be leaving room in front of you for 1 car to merge in.
Guy behing you should do the same
Merger should match speed and slide in seamlessly.

When people try to block people out, it causes people to slow down and then have to merge from a bear stop- that is unsafe.
Now if you have room in front, and they try to meege into you- they are just an idiot.

[AndyLate]

I guess the solution is to make drivers licensing much more difficult like Europe.

[Doc Safari]

Its not “cutting in line”.
Its merging
You should be leaving room in front of you for 1 car to merge in.
Guy behing you should do the same
Merger should match speed and slide in seamlessly.

When people try to block people out, it causes people to slow down and then have to merge from a bear stop- that is unsafe.
Now if you have room in front, and they try to meege into you- they are just an idiot.

That's bullshit. When the sign says LEFT LANE CLOSED AHEAD and people speed up to stay in that lane until it ends so they can cut in line, that is deliberately trying to cut in ahead of the other cars. The cops should be able to write a ticket for that.

[Arik]

That's bullshit. When the sign says LEFT LANE CLOSED AHEAD and people speed up to stay in that lane until it ends so they can cut in line, that is deliberately trying to cut in ahead of the other cars. The cops should be able to write a ticket for that.

Cutting in line? Seriously? I didn't know we had assigned order.

If his lane is open he can drive untill it's not. Nowhere does it say you have to merge X amount of distance from the closure.

[jsbhike]

That's bullshit. When the sign says LEFT LANE CLOSED AHEAD and people speed up to stay in that lane until it ends so they can cut in line, that is deliberately trying to cut in ahead of the other cars. The cops should be able to write a ticket for that.

That could be failure to yield territory depending on state law. The cynical side of me has to wonder if that isn't similar to how running stop lights/signs used to have a lower fine here, and didn't get much enforcement, versus speeding tickets which got a lot more action and a higher payout.

It is obviously annoying, but overall I don't feel like getting in a wreck or a fight over it.