Road Rage, revisited.

[Jstpssng]

Here's a question for people who live in other states... when entering a controlled access highway, do the signs say to "Yield" or to "Merge"? It's the former here but I suspect that we are in the minority. That could lead to friction when resident's from other places are here or vice versa.

 

[Raul-02]

t 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.

People are nuts.

Some decades ago in one of the most Road Rage intensive states, I've ever been in (Massachuttes) I was sitting in a K-Mart Mall parking lot. Across from me was a guy who had to squeeze into his car because some person parked a little too close. So he squeezed in and pulled his car out, then stopped and went to his trunk from which he extracted a tire iron with which he beat the offending motor vehicle, denting and gouging almost all the sheet metal on it. Then satisfied, he put his tore iron away and drove off.

I've been menaced by idiots swinging baseball bats, nun chucks, bottles, and even a sword while driving the highways around boston.

And all of that road rage is the result of highway engineers and politicians deliberately Choking the highways going into the city from 4 lanes to 2 and sometimes 1 because they wanted to limit the speed with which the interior roads filled up with traffic.

 

[crashz]

Raul - you're not wrong. As a former MA resident (currently work there), I can honestly say driving here is the worst. NJ and NY are congested, but not as entitled or aggressive. I'll add drivers from southern NH to that group too.

For nearly the last ten years I have had beater/commuter cars. These cars take the brunt of daily driving in the New England area, and take the salt, terrible parking, job sites and ridiculous drivers on the road. The best car was a 2003 Malibu with V6, rust and dents everywhere and faded red paint. I called it Nothing to Lose. I could leave the keys in it in Dorchester with no worries about being stolen. But it had the zip to really get around idiots on the road. Loved that car. Ironically, due to looking like it was owned by a careless teenager, people would stay FAR away from me!

I'm actually a pretty calm driver, but what really gets me absolutely fuming is the speed-checkers. The folks that get in the left lane and match speed with the right lane. Not folks that are simply driving a similar speed, but actually match speed and stay there. If their right lane counterparts exit or move, they blast ahead at ridiculous speed to the next right lane occupant, slow down and block the lane again.

 

[drssg]

People get shot and killed for honking at the wrong person. On rare occasions, I'll give a short honk when someone is zoned out on their cellphone at a green light.

I generally only use the horn as part of avoiding an accident.

I always follow with enough distance that an aggressive driver can cut in front of me, and I don't get worked up when it happens. It beats tailgating and increasing the risk of an accident.

 

[shooterdon]

I pray I never need to defend myself from these idiots. But what we are seeing is the decline of society and it has not reached bottom yet. It will get worse as we devolve.

 

[kenmbz]

I hate driving in NJ, where it seems passing on the right and never merge are the rule.
And they have jug handle turns on most major roads, but not always

MA was 2 different rule sets when I was there.
Eastern part, drive like you stole it and everyone else fend for yourself.
Western part, Sunday drive, 30 in a 45 , 40 in a 55 zone etc.

Zipper merge is so easy when people act normal, and it is much faster.
Those who don't follow the rules actually slow it down for those behind them.

I hope people start to chill out, my wife was threatened a few months ago by a guy going 20 in a 45 and he was doing it on purpose to rile people up.

Guy pushed down an old lady a few months back in a shopping area in town cause he didn't like her parking job...

 

[drssg]

One of my stupid guilty pleasures is watching car crash compilations on YouTube. A common scenario is merging conflicts, where two drivers are hellbent on not letting the other driver get in front, and they eventually run into each other. I find it ironic that they both would have gotten home earlier if one of them had yielded.

 

[Jstpssng]

I find it ironic that they both would have gotten home earlier if one of them had yielded.

That's the viewpoint I try to take. I do need to take it one step further. Every time that I look in my passenger side mirror now, I will be reminded of what happens when you blow your horn at the wrong person. It's not a bad dent, but sure is noticable when viewed through that convex mirror.
Years ago on an other site I mentioned flashing my lights at somebody who had forgotten to dim them; and was told it was a good way to get shot. I didn't understand at the time, but it's becoming more and more obvious what they meant. It's a PITA really, because I sometimes forget myself so a quick flash serves it's purpose. Yet some seem to think that if your lights are too bright that's their justification to give you their hi beams full on... even if it's just because their windshield is dirty.

 

[MossRoad]

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."

Yep. The things I'm talking about are in construction zones. The signs say to use both lanes, yet people purposely pull into the open lane to block people from using both lanes. It's a "I'm gonna show him, take the law into my own hands" kinda mentality.

 

[Jstpssng]

Yep. The things I'm talking about are in construction zones. The signs say to use both lanes, yet people purposely pull into the open lane to block people from using both lanes. It's a "I'm gonna show him, take the law into my own hands" kinda mentality.

I knew what you meant. However, what I see is signs that say
"Construction 1/2 mile"
"merge"
yet some will stay in the open lane until it ends, then force their way into the line.
That's why I say I wish they would enforce the speed limit in those areas.