Road Rage.

[Selma in Sandy Eggo]

This morning, on I-8, I passed a very elderly geezer in his vintage Eldorado, who was having no luck at all in traffic. Old guy was determined to Not Tailgate - this apparently required more empty space in front of his car than can be achieved on the freeway during the morning commute. Every time he got five or six car-lengths open, some commuter would move into the space (duh!).

Picture this. The old Caddy moving at about 17 miles an hour down the far right lane of a freeway where traffic is flowing at about 50, with slow patches here and there. A line of annoyed commuters stuck behind the guy, cursing him for a speed bump in the road of life, as other commuters move into the open space ahead of him while he curses them for heartless opportunists.

I hope he gets where he's going OK. I also hope he stays there. Thus endeth the rant.

[jamiebk]

That's really frustrating...in a way, I can sympathize with the guy. On my commute in, if I leave any more than 1-2 car lengths between me and the car ahead of me, some %^$hole jams his car in the "gap" and usually ends up hitting the breaks as soon as he is in. This of course causes me to hit the brakes as well as the guy behind me who suffers the same problem.

[analog]

This of course causes me to hit the brakes as well as the guy behind me who suffers the same problem. Rant

That's how the simple flash of a brake light compounds into a two mile long gridlock with no apparent cause. Something about the mathematics of multiplying systems........ Maybe our math teacher Shos knows of a simple explanation for the phenomenon.

I do recall one rush hour in Ft Lauderdale, back when I-95 was only two lanes wide, two Cadillacs progressing north at 35MPH side by side and oblivious to the miles of seething bumper to bumper traffic behind them.

I left that all behind when retired here to nowhereville. It's a hundred miles to an interstate highway. Our county only recently installed its third traffic light. One of our local "old timers" still drives his Model A Ford to town and it's considered kind of an honor to pull behind him into such traffic as we have...


Now that I'm becoming a grumpy old man myself I'd love to have a '56 Fleetwood I could drive down to visit the kids in Florida, reeaaalllly slooowww.........


But I remember well the frustration, and you have my sympathy.

[monkeymd2b]

I'm trying to be better at tailing...Of course now I know what cars certain people drive so I try not to tail them. When I find out I was tailing anyone new, I always ask them if they got the hint that they were driving too slow and they give me dirty looks. What? It's just a question!

Anyway, I'm super happy since I got my block schedule for my last academic year in residency and it's pretty nice, especially since we now get 4 weeks of vacation instead of just 3. I've never been more happy over 7 days in my life. Next year I'm going to Thailand for a friend's wedding so that's one week but I also turn 30 in July so I may take that week off. Not sure about the other 2 weeks yet. No christmas or new years though. And I get to choose a month where I don't have to take call and my last month as a resident is an option so I'm going with that one.
Well, time to go to 24 hr fitness. My friends finally convinced me to join and now one of them is dragging me to the dance exercise classes. Monday was hiphop and we all looked like fools (4 of us went together) and tonight is some Nike dance class. Not sure what type of dance but since I can't dance, it probably won't be any better. I don't think I got much of a workout from the hiphop class that I couldn't get on the exercise bike or in the pool but it was fun with friends. Not sure how many will come to this one tonight. Maybe just 3 of us. I want todo the water classes but none of them will do it with me since they said it's for old people with arthritis. Great. Then I can look like a super star!

[Selma in Sandy Eggo]

This morning I was cut off by three Altimas, a Malibu, a Taurus, and the world's nastiest looking El Camino.

What, suddenly Igor the Behemoth is invisible?

[Schmeelkie]

Not fun Selma. I've found I get cutoff much less in the minivan than I did in my little Saturn and people are more likely to let me in. Had fun a couple of weeks ago blocking a lane (left lane closed ahead for construction and of course lots of people speeding by and cutting in) on the NYS Thruway - couldn't ever do that in the Saturn. btw - it was Victoria day in Canada that day and it seemed 90% of those passing me had Ontario plates. I think in Canada they generally drive 10-15 kph over the speed limit, whereas in the states we drive about 5-10 mph over the speed limit - so the Canadians are always passing you thinking they can go 10-15 MPH over the speed limit...and hopefully getting tickets...

Did I tell you guys about the lady in a truck ahead of me one day - she seemed to have something in her hand. Then when the road went to 2 lanes I went up beside her - she was READING the NEWSPAPER while DRIVING!!! Maybe just scanning for something but OMG!!! I was happy to get away - talk about an accident waiting to happen. And I still see tons of people on cell phones even though it's illegal in NY. what really gets me is when you see someone on the phone and they have a passenger - let the passenger talk! sheesh!

[BigJon@Work]

Last night some bonehead, yapping on a cellphone, pulled out of a private drive onto the road in front of me without stopping. Full ABS panic stop, including a sickening skid towards the ditch when my ABS decided to act up. (The ABS has acted up before, I need to get that looked at.) Thankfully, it was dusk and I saw his headlights steaming up the drive and thought his speed looked a little excessive for the amount of driveway he had left to cover. I had already started to slow when my brain registered that danger. He stopped too, spread across both lanes of the road. With my bumper just feet from his driver’s door, he just stared at me stupidly, cellphone still held firmly to his head. Probably only dimly aware of the carnage my Swedish tank could have done to his flesh in the hands of a lesser skilled driver. I’d been at Pocono Raceway all weekend driving the track, which probably accounted for part of my heightened awareness.

Idiots!

[Selma in Sandy Eggo]

Idiots, indeed. Newspapers and cell phones.

My sister, who is altogether too cheerful at times, considers them Organ Donors. Says they can be harvested any old time, there's no brain function to worry about...

[treebeau]

About a mile from my house/neighborhood, going toward a major road, there is a Stop sign at an intersection, because of a small historic section of just a few homes.

Anyone who has driven this road more than once knows about it and that you will get to the Stop sign behind a few cars. It usually isn't a long wait.

Frequently I leave my neighborhood going in that direction and get blown away by someone in a hurry to get to that stop sign, only to be stuck behind a small handful of cars. Then, about 20 seconds later, I catch up to them at a safe speed.

What's up with that? Why are people in a hurry to beat ONE car to a stop sign? Dummies!

Regards,
Tim B.

[barfle]

I recall a situation from a time when I was young (honest!). I was driving in Anaheim, CA. I noticed a sedan pulling a u-haul trailer. She was doing about 25 in a 35 zone, so I passed her. I glanced over and noticed that the driver was a blue-hair (which I am now capable of being accused of) driving the car, clearly stressed by the fact that she had a trailer. Hunched over the wheel, knuckles white from the intense grip on the wheel, looking straight ahead.

A few blocks later, I stopped at a red light. While I waited there, the blue-hair approached at her steady 25mph, and continued at that speed through the intersection.

Now I've pulled a few trailers in my day, and I acknowledge that the first couple of times it's a bit unusual, and you're doubtlessly hauling something you consider reasonably valuable. But the poor lady was so concerned about the trailer that she plumb forgot to notice silly things like red lights..

Another of my favorite bumper stickers reads
HANG UP AND DRIVE

I don't believe I've spent sixty seconds behind the wheel of a moving vehicle while talking on a cell phone. I can tell it's not a good combination.

[treebeau]

How about "Hang Up that phone in one hand and put out that cigarette in the other and drive" ?

Saw that last night on my way home. Every time the woman took a puff of her cigarette she veered into the other lane. And that didn't stop her!!! I stayed behind until I saw her take her drag and adjust course.

What a maroon!

Regards,
Tim B.

[piqaboo]

This weekend we watched a young lady walk across 6 lanes of heavy traffic, against the light. Her hurry forced her to detour around cars. We waited for the light and strolled leisurely across the street, admiring the building. She ended up reaching the door of the train station 13 seconds ahead of us. I cant see that as a reasonable return for the risk.

[Serenity]

I like keeping a one car distance.

I've noticed, though, that there are many drivers behind me that switch lanes, try to pass me and get in front of me because that one car gap is there. They seem irritated that I am not driving bumper-to-bumper and that the gap is going to be exploited by other drivers, leaving "them" with just one more car between them and their destination. If someone puts their blinker on, I'll let them in and drop back one car length. If they pass me from behind and are in a position to get in front of me, I tighten the gap so they have to put their blinker on and ask to get in front of me.

Does this sound like OCD (obsessive-compulsive disorder)? For example, people who constantly wash their hands because they feel their hands are dirty again a few minutes later. Driving Gap Compulsive Disorder?

[OperaTenor]

OT,

If you have a neighborhood association, maybe you can bring it up to them. I think a neighborhood would have more power, united, than an individual.

Wouldn't it be funny to see a personalized license plate that said "1FATFK" ?

Seriously, though, I feel for you. You want to do something right and the other guy shows himself to be a jerk.

Regards,
Tim B.

Tim,

No HOA. We used to have a neighborhood watch, but that seems to have dies due to lack of interest. I do have neighborhood consensus on it, and have offered to show proof of to the city. They don't seem to be interested.

However, the day before yesterday the city set up a 24-hr tr4affic counter just down the street from us. One of my more civically-active neighbors called to let me know it was up, and suggested we get a bunch of people to drive back and forth over it a lot to make sure we make our case.

[Trumpetmaster]

I like keeping a one car distance.

I've noticed, though, that there are many drivers behind me that switch lanes, try to pass me and get in front of me because that one car gap is there. They seem irritated that I am not driving bumper-to-bumper and that the gap is going to be exploited by other drivers, leaving "them" with just one more car between them and their destination. If someone puts their blinker on, I'll let them in and drop back one car length. If they pass me from behind and are in a position to get in front of me, I tighten the gap so they have to put their blinker on and ask to get in front of me.

Does this sound like OCD (obsessive-compulsive disorder)? For example, people who constantly wash their hands because they feel their hands are dirty again a few minutes later. Driving Gap Compulsive Disorder?

They use blinkers....... WOW....

they do the same thing here but they don't signal..... just cut you off...........


It's not OCD...... It's called ME FIRST SYNDROME

[Serenity]

The farther you are from the city, the more likely it is that people use blinkers. If the timing is to close to change lanes, then they just cut you off. Sometimes people use hand/finger signals to switch lanes.

[BigJon@Work]

I like keeping a one car distance.

I've noticed, though, that there are many drivers behind me that switch lanes, try to pass me and get in front of me because that one car gap is there. They seem irritated that I am not driving bumper-to-bumper and that the gap is going to be exploited by other drivers, leaving "them" with just one more car between them and their destination. If someone puts their blinker on, I'll let them in and drop back one car length. If they pass me from behind and are in a position to get in front of me, I tighten the gap so they have to put their blinker on and ask to get in front of me.

Does this sound like OCD (obsessive-compulsive disorder)? For example, people who constantly wash their hands because they feel their hands are dirty again a few minutes later. Driving Gap Compulsive Disorder?

It's a Boston/Massachusetts problem. I've driven all over this country and nowhere are people as aggressive at filling small gaps as in your state. I normally leave a one-second gap, and the vast majority of U.S. drivers will respect that.

[Giant Communist Robot]

It's a Boston/Massachusetts problem. I've driven all over this country and nowhere are people as aggressive at filling small gaps as in your state.

Try Hawaii. Many dangerous drivers here change lanes agressively.

[Shapley]

It was that way in the Oakland/San Francisco Bay area when I was there twenty-odd years ago. Sports cars and motorcycles being the worst offenders.

[barfle]

I found driving in San Francisco to be quite similar to driving on a race track. Take what you can get, and make room for your car when there is none.

However, I found parking in San Francisco to be far worse than driving, so I leave my car outside the city if I go there (which hasn't been for quite a while).