Announcement

**R.M.GREENMAN2** · 02-05-2004, 11:20 AM

Road ragers! These are a group of terorists that should be taken down with Al-Quida. You can't go anywhere these days without having some idiot riding your butt because you are only doing 5mph over the speed limit.

You can't safely exit a hiway without 1 or more people trying to beat you to the offramp.

There are people who would rather kill you then yield the right of way.

People who laugh about the fact that they almost sent you into a guard rail.

They all think that because they can run away, they won't have to answer for it and if you do get their plate #, state troopers don't think it is a priority, plus it is just your word against theirs'.

Maybe we should arm ourselves with dashboard cams.
What do you all think?
I've noticed a major increase in road rage just in Denver in the last 15yrs let alone what might be going on in L.A., Chicago, or any other higher population centers.

It is getting to the point that I fear going to the store, work,anywhere.

Before we spend any more money on suspected WMD's, maybe we should do more to make our cities safe!

**florida-david** · 02-05-2004, 06:24 PM

why make our roads safe when bush's friends companies are building roads in other countries while we pay for it?? you are right about road rage, though i admit i am usually the one in the fast lane. but i almost never cut people off. the difference is that i know how to drive fast but with respect for slower drivers (unless you are in the fast lane, than watch out). the other day some idiot woman in a SUV was going about 45 mph in a 15 mph school zone swerving between all the cars which were going the speed limit. i wish i had a rocket launcher so i could have taken out her tires and than yelled at her while she fumbled with her cell phone to call AAA. where are the road cops when you need them?!

**greensunshine** · 02-06-2004, 02:40 AM

I think one of the funniest cases of road rage I ever saw was this clown doing bout 80+ on the interstate a few years back...little did this clown know that I had my cell phone with me, thus when he went flying by, with the help of my son who happened to be with me at the time, we were reporting him to the state patrol.

Bout 10 miles down the road, we noticed he had been pulled over [img]/infopop/emoticons/icon_biggrin.gif[/img]

Another, was a clown who thought he could pass up a long line of motorists on the freeway going bout 10-15 miles an hour cause of something on the freeway...little did he ever suspect that his bright idea of trying to use the emergency lane to pass all of us up, would cost him more than the time he figured he would save in doing so...we too saw him pulled over bout 5 miles down the road [img]/infopop/emoticons/icon_biggrin.gif[/img]

So my way of trying to beat those jerks at their game is to keep reporting em [img]/infopop/emoticons/icon_wink.gif[/img]

Now who ever said a cell phone was such a bad idea...way I figure it, what my bill cost me a month more than saves what I would spend otherwise.

Greensunshine in the Pacific NW [img]/infopop/emoticons/icon_smile.gif[/img]
Female, Mormon and Proud of Both [img]/infopop/emoticons/icon_wink.gif[/img]

PS

****Here is a tip, for those of you who have spare cell phones that are no longer activated...keep them in every vehicle or better yet, donate them to a womens shelter...they can still dial 911 in an emergency...and who knows the life you could save could be someone you love [img]/infopop/emoticons/icon_cool.gif[/img]

**Stevedaoust** · 02-06-2004, 08:32 AM

By the same token:
I HATE it when drivers are doing well BELOW the speed limit. The other day a woman was doing 20 on a 45 for miles and guess who was behind her.
Another thing I hate is cellphonedrivers. Don't you realise just how messed up your driving is? 10 over, 5 under, 10 over, 5 under, swirving, straddling lanes,etc.
One last thing...."Blinker"...use it PLEASE.
{this announcement was payed for by the society of the drivers behind you}

**Paul in MI** · 02-06-2004, 10:44 PM

quote:
Originally posted by R.M.GREENMAN2:
[qb] You can't go anywhere these days without having some idiot riding your butt because you are only doing 5mph over the speed limit.
[/qb]

Hi R.M.,

I know EXACTLY how you feel. I hate tailgaters!

Dashboard cams is a nice idea. [img]/infopop/emoticons/icon_smile.gif[/img]

-Paul

**fred950** · 02-07-2004, 05:15 AM

As a former 120 miles a day, 6 day a week commuter, oh, the horor stories I could tell. As far as tailgaters are concerned, on multi- laned roads, I don't let them. Keeping an eye on the mirror, if I see someone coming up on me,no matter how fast I am going, I move over at the first safe opportunity. Let them pass you. (The real reason is I am a bit of a rat... The cops go for the car in front.) While I generally drive a 'little' over the limit, I have no problems with drivers you blow my doors off...In fact, I have a word for such people...I call them "Bear-bait".

**R.M.GREENMAN2** · 02-07-2004, 08:46 AM

The "Bear-Bait" thing can just as easily backfire!

A while back, I received my last moving violation ('93- I am actually proud of that record). As I was going down the hiway I spotted some red GTO flying up on me from the rear. I was in the left lane and I was along side another car. I sped up to pass that other car, moved over a lane to let that GTO jerk pass.
Shortly after I see police lights come on back behind me and I start to move over thinking he was after the GTO. The GTO started pulling over also thinking the same thing. As I moved to the right, the cop stayed behind me! Both the GTO and I pulled into the break down lane, but the officer stopped behind me and the GTO got back on the road and took off. I asked the officer why he pulled me over when I only sped up to get out of the way of the jerk and he told me that one was as good as the other.

Also on a road trip to Arizona, I had one freind trying to catch up to another friend who was in a bit of a hurry. Well the lead car wasn't the one to be pulled over.( This happened out in the middle of the New Mexico desert)

**Stevedaoust** · 02-07-2004, 09:43 AM

I guess we've all been thru tailgaters.
Last summer I had a van tailgating me for some time. Finally I sped up a bit to make it over to another lane. With all this deversion I ran a just changed red light, got pulled over and recieved a ticket. I told the officer that all this happen because I was trying to get away from a van that was riding my _ss.
I went to court to fight the ticket, the officer was a no show and the Judge sent me on my way, no fine no nothing. Phew...even still

$Nude\'n\'happy$ · 02-07-2004, 10:35 PM

The best way to deal with a tailgaiter is NOT to speed up as they will just speed up with you. To get them off your bumper, slow down. The closer they get, the slower you go. It won't take long for them to get the message and they will change lanes a go around you. This way you don't break any speeding laws and you are actually being safer as you would need extra room in front of you to stop in an emergency to keep the person behind you from running into you.

**Nude in the North** · 02-08-2004, 05:15 AM

Ok. I just gotta join in on the commentary.
I think tailgating, speeding, and many of these other problems are symptoms of a larger problem.
The people that have no courtisy towards others.
Bad Drivers come in all ages and types.
I can't count how many times I have had someone speed up while I was trying to pass them. I can't count how many times I have had to slow down and pull off onto the shoulder to convince a tailgater to pass me.
My rule is simple and easy to follow. SLOWER TRAFFIC KEEP RIGHT.
It doesn't matter what speed your driving or if the other person is speeding or whatever. If someone catches up to you from behind that makes you the slower traffic. Move over and let them pass.
When I'm driving on the open freeway I look ahead and behind. If I see that I am catching up to someone I pull into the left lane and continue in that lane untill I pass them. Then I return to the right lane untill I need to pass someone again. If someone is catching me I stay in the right lane untill they pass.
The drivers that I don't understand are the ones that will fly up behind you and sit on your bumper for 5 miles before they pass. Maybe they don't realize that they are on an interstate and they don't have to wait to pass. They can change lanes and pass without ever having to touch their brakes most of the time.

Alot of people need to think about Why they are speeding. I have a niece that always sped when she first started driving. She got several tickets for going 65 in a 55 zone. So I asked her why she was speeding. Was she late for school,or an appointment? No she said. She's just always in a hurry. I asked her how much time she felt she was saving by speeding. She thought she was saving 10 or 15 minutes by speeding to school. It's only a 15 mile drive I told her. If you go 55 mph it will take you 16 minutes. If you go 60mph it will take you 15 minutes. At 66 mph 14 minutes. And you risk an $80 traffic fine.
Is it worth $80 to save 2 minutes?
And even more interesting was her answer when I asked her what she did with those 2 extra minutes she saved by speeding.
" I just hang around waiting for school to start".

I think if more people thought about what they were going to do with the little bit of time they save by speeding, they would realize that it's not worth the risk. And it's certainly not worth getting all stressed out over a few minutes.

Steve

**Naturist Mark** · 02-08-2004, 05:56 AM

quote:
Originally posted by I be nude:
[qb] The best way to deal with a tailgaiter is NOT to speed up as they will just speed up with you. To get them off your bumper, slow down. The closer they get, the slower you go. [/qb]

Unfortunately that is a good way to tip an anti-social lunatic (a typical tailgater) into outright road rage.

Many years ago I had a semi tailgating me on a busy highway. I was only going 10 miles over the limit, I increased to 15, then 20, to no avail. I couldn't change lanes because of other traffic. In desperation I slowed down very gradually until the trucker got the message and backed off. As soon as I could I changed lanes so he could blast past me.

When he did, a gunshot went off.

It was apparently either a blank, or fired into the dirt, there was no sign of impact on the car. When I returned to the road, the same truck and another truck boxed me in and drove me off the road.

This was before cell phones. But a few miles down the road I saw a state trooper on a side road and flagged him down and gave him the truck's license.

20 minutes later I saw the truck pulled over. I stopped too (as the trooper asked me to if I saw them). Nothing was done to the trucker -no other witnesses (I guess my two sisters in the car didn't count). But hopefully he got a chance to reflect on his behavior.

Today I would call the troopers right away if I couldn't shake a tailgater. Hopefully seeing the phone would be enough to send the message.

-Mark

**Nude in the North** · 02-08-2004, 07:29 AM

quote:
Many years ago I had a semi tailgating me on a busy highway. I was only going 10 miles over the limit, I increased to 15, then 20, to no avail. I couldn't change lanes because of other traffic. In desperation I slowed down very gradually until the trucker got the message and backed off. As soon as I could I changed lanes so he could blast past me.

Your story sounds pretty terrifying.
I think it's a perfect example of why people should drive in the Right lane unless they are passing . I have had times myself where in the process of passing, someone caught up to me before I could get back to the right lane to let them pass. Some people are so impatient. I don't think speeding up has ever worked for me either. I find it's better to simply get to the right lane a soon as possible. Even if you have to slow down a little to find an opening.
You don't always have to "get ahead" of someone to change lanes. Falling in behind another car works too.

Steve

**Paniga** · 02-08-2004, 08:01 AM

here in a part of ontario where i live we have a program called road watch. Its a program where if you see a bad driver you can fill out a foarm and give it to the police. The police will send the driver a letter about their driving. And if you get 3 of these letters guess what. The 3rd one also comes with a fine (traffic ticket). It has help out alot in this area as ppl have learned that a officer dosnt need to be around when you break the law just another oerson that saw you. I think most places should use this program.

**R.M.GREENMAN2** · 02-08-2004, 10:18 AM

Colorado has a *csp dial to report bad drivers, but I've yet to hear of it working.

As a truck driver, I've noticed that people drive worse around trucks. #1 rule it seems is,"Don't be caught behind a truck!" I have had people pass me in NO PASSING ZONES, on the right shoulder, on blind curves, in school zones, while exiting on a ramp, residential areas, and just about anywhere one can think of.
Once while coming down the east side of Vail Pass during a winter storm, effecting a chain law for comm. vehicals, I had people taking deadly chances all because they didn't want to be behind a truck. My truck was empty, which makes traction a little difficult. I was doing 45 in a 65 zone because of the conditions. People would pass on the left (which is fine) but then would move back to the right lane, realize they are going to fast for the conditions and hit their brakes. Alot of people could be killed if drivers don't expect that.
Another thing was out east of Denver in the plains, where the speed limit is 75. I was in the right lane, doing exactly 75 (cruise control) and I started to catch up to a car going slower than the limit. I moved over to the left lane and started to pass. Well the driver of the car probly thought,"I can't be passed by a truck!" then immediatly sped up. So I moved back into the right lane and 2 miles later I was coming up on him again. Once again I went to pass and sure enough, he sped away. This went on for several miles until I pulled into a P.O.E. Not that anything that happened was dangerous, just irratating. Some times I think other drivers believe they have more right to be on the road than trucks.

Truck drivers are not innocent people either! I'm not sure what the qualifications for these rock haulers that drive out of the canyons west of Denver, but I am convinced that a prerequisit is a recent release from a mental institution!
While driving my own vehical down a twisting , curving, two lane canyon hiway, I had the scary experience of dealing with one of these drivers.
After driving X- amount of miles down this canyon towards Denver, I looked out my rear view mirror and saw one of these trucks driving a ways back behind me. I was doing the 45 mph limit and didn't think anything about the truck. Next thing I know, I recheck my mirror and see nothing but the letter "H" in the word Frieghtliner in my mirror. I sped up to put some comfort zone between him and I, but he speed up also. I know that this was not a case of lost brakes, because he slowed for curves and there are plenty of places to force your truck to stop. Well when I Finally came to the mouth of the canyon, where the hiway becomes a four lane, I stayed to the right, he passes me on the left, giving me the finger as if it was I that was doing something wrong!
Since then, I have seen several rock hauler trucks from various companies and locations doing the same thing. I was told that these drivers get paid by the load which means they are putting $ over safty. [img]/infopop/emoticons/icon_mad.gif[/img]

I must rest now, my blood is boiling remembering all the other incidents.

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