Is this really that bad?

[geordief]

38 minutes ago, DrP said:

 

 Really? Maybe in some 'shithole' country in Africa or some other 3rd world place.  Not in civilised societies.   

 

Did you read my post just now?

Edit: missed the sarcasm

Edited August 17, 2018 by geordief

[DrP]

1 hour ago, geordief said:

Did you read my post just now?

Terribly sorry about that - I missed it somehow - I had a lot of the thread to catch up on and the post before yours was tldr for me as I've just got into work.... I stand by what I said though -  if you live in a country that allows such barbarity then I feel sorry for you. If you have to live in THAT much fear of nutters with guns then is it really freedom? I am glad drivers don't carry guns behind the wheel in this country. Seriously though - fuck those idiots with guns - I am sure they will be in more trouble than you if they start shooting at you for drinking a covvee. I'd still flip the dick the bird.

 

I guess it's off topic  - but where do you live?  I imagine it's South Africa? Nigeria? Sudan?..  somewhere in the middle east? Where else in the world is it so backward that you can't look an aggressor in the eye and tell him to fuck off calmly?

 

Now I've had time to read it that long post was quite funny.

Edited August 17, 2018 by DrP

[StringJunky]

1 hour ago, DrP said:

 If you have to live in THAT much fear of nutters with guns then is it really freedom?

No, to me, freedom is peace of mind.

[Airbrush]

3 hours ago, DrP said:

 Really [fear a tailgater]? Maybe in some 'shithole' country in Africa or some other 3rd world place.  Not in civilised societies.   

That's what road rage is though isn't it?  Getting angry at other drivers  -  often associated with the shaking of a fist.

Regarding the OP - I'd have just flipped the guy the bird and laughed at his idiocy.

If you lived in the USA you would do well to fear ANY tailgating driver.  Get the hell out of their way, NOW!!  Many drivers routinely exceed the speed limit.  Guns are very common in the USA.  Road rage is no joke, even though you think it is.  Really, you would flip the tailgater off, where you live?  Are you sure everyone living there is decent and forgiving?

Edited August 17, 2018 by Airbrush

[MigL]

Sorry Koti.

Had to go do something at work and didn't log off my computer.
A lot of jokers at my work.
Last time they wrote a comment about me peeing in the litter box ( I have two cats ), but I caught it before it was sent.

( we make stuff that the US government considers WMDs, can't be too serious )

Edited August 17, 2018 by MigL

[DrP]

27 minutes ago, Airbrush said:

If you lived in the USA you would do well to fear ANY tailgating driver. 

I might fear their gun more than them.

 

27 minutes ago, Airbrush said:

  Really, you would flip the tailgater off, where you live?  Are you sure everyone living there is decent and forgiving?

I don't understand the fear  -  is someone pulled a gun here it would be a massive shock - we'd be like, "wtf, where'd that dick get that" - and drive to the nearest police station and report the number.  Of course if someone is being a dick we flip them the finger - so what?   Are you saying that your fellow countrymen are that up themselves that they can't take criticism enough to have someone stick a finger up at them?  Are they that backward and barbaric that they would shoot someone for it? What a fucking mess. lol.

As for it being a joke...  I think you misunderstand me  -  road rage in our country is where you shout at each other from the safety of the car. All over the world you'd get the odd idiot that will want to fight.  Here though we can run them over easily enough if they get out of their car to attack you.  Sounds like you live in a very dangerous place where every twat is carrying a gun and will shoot you for disagreeing with them over a traffic incident -  it's fucking ridiculous mate - I'm not joking at all.

Edited August 17, 2018 by DrP

[MigL]

I've only been driven ( bad pun ) to do this a few times...

If someone is tailgating, I usually just motion for them to back off or pass me, and that usually works.
For the ones who insist on forcing you to speed up ( they won't pass or back off ), I start slowing down.
I have on a couple of occasions, stopped in the middle of the road.
They finally get the hint.
( and, yes, the passing/fast  lane is just for passing. Not for you guys, but for all the other Americans driving in Canada, who don't seem to know any better )

Most of these guys are bullies who feel very brave inside their vehicles, but will not resort to violence when confronted.
( then again I live in Canada, not Texas )
Someone previously made the comment that cars and computers seem to make people act much more belligerent than normal, with a sense of anonymity if you will. You see it all the time. The guy in the car next to you picking his nose, like he thinks being in a car makes him invisible.

I have to wonder, Phi, if you're still upset about this incident a few days after it happened, are you maybe just as obsessive as the guy behind you ?
most of us forget about this kind of stuff within minutes.
I hope you're not upset enough, that the next time this happens, you escalate the situation.
Forget about all the assholes you meet in life. I you obsess about them, you miss all the beautiful people.

[iNow]

2 hours ago, MigL said:

Most of these guys are bullies who feel very brave inside their vehicles, but will not resort to violence when confronted.
( then again I live in Canada, not Texas )

I lived in Texas for over 20 years, but also tend to agree with this point. Just don't be one of those idiots who gets to the red light and opens their door to walk toward the other car and confront the driver. That's when guns would tend to be unnecessarily drawn.

2 hours ago, MigL said:

I have to wonder, Phi, if you're still upset about this incident a few days after it happened

He can answer for himself, but I don't read the thread as him being "upset" in any way whatsoever. Instead, I think he's more curious... More like, "Huh... That was odd... I wonder why that just happened the way it did."

[CharonY]

5 hours ago, DrP said:

Terribly sorry about that - I missed it somehow - I had a lot of the thread to catch up on and the post before yours was tldr for me as I've just got into work.... I stand by what I said though -  if you live in a country that allows such barbarity then I feel sorry for you. If you have to live in THAT much fear of nutters with guns then is it really freedom? I am glad drivers don't carry guns behind the wheel in this country. Seriously though - fuck those idiots with guns - I am sure they will be in more trouble than you if they start shooting at you for drinking a covvee. I'd still flip the dick the bird.

 

I guess it's off topic  - but where do you live?  I imagine it's South Africa? Nigeria? Sudan?..  somewhere in the middle east? Where else in the world is it so backward that you can't look an aggressor in the eye and tell him to fuck off calmly?

 

Now I've had time to read it that long post was quite funny.

Just out of curiosity, it seems that in the USA between 2014-2016 there were ~1,300 road rage incidences in the USA involving guns, resulting in 354 people wounded and 136 killed. Also according to UK Highway Code, the only item that are specifically named with respect to distracted driving are electronics (phones, natsav etc.). However the a) the rules explicitly apply even when queuing or waiting at a stop (i.e. anytime other than being fully parked) and b) the police can decide whether they think you have been distracted. I.e. even if not explicitly stated police could in theory pull you over for anything that they suspect that you are distracted by, even if it is not regular enforced such as the use electronics. 

 

[koti]

3 hours ago, MigL said:

Sorry Koti.

Had to go do something at work and didn't log off my computer.
A lot of jokers at my work.
Last time they wrote a comment about me peeing in the litter box ( I have two cats ), but I caught it before it was sent.

( we make stuff that the US government considers WMDs, can't be too serious )

You should thank your coworkers for being considerate, it might have been a lot worse than that. Great work environment you have, something to be thankful for. 

[Phi for All]

4 hours ago, Airbrush said:

If you lived in the USA you would do well to fear ANY tailgating driver.  Get the hell out of their way, NOW!!  Many drivers routinely exceed the speed limit.  Guns are very common in the USA.  Road rage is no joke, even though you think it is.  Really, you would flip the tailgater off, where you live?  Are you sure everyone living there is decent and forgiving?

Holy crap, Airbrush, I was on mostly deserted roads where there'd likely be no witnesses, and I wasn't afraid the guy would pull a gun! If you aren't the kind of person who enjoys aggravating people, the chances of you provoking someone to murder, even in the US, are pretty low.

I don't enable tailgaters by making it easy for them to bully their way on the roads, but as I said, waving usually calms things down. If the guy had done this a couple miles back, on a stretch barren of intersections, I would have moved a bit more to the right, indicating he can pass me if it's so important, but I would have left my cruise control on at the speed limit.

3 hours ago, MigL said:

For the ones who insist on forcing you to speed up ( they won't pass or back off ), I start slowing down.
I have on a couple of occasions, stopped in the middle of the road.

This is overly provocative for the US, and dangerous anywhere. To me, this is as bad as tailgating. You're interfering with the smooth flow of traffic, which I was taught was Road Rule Numero Uno.

Honestly, the more I think about it, I think it was my goofy wave that he might have misinterpreted. He couldn't know that my cruise control was on, and may have thought I was paying too much attention to him and not enough to driving. It works in most situations, but obviously not all.

37 minutes ago, iNow said:

He can answer for himself, but I don't read the thread as him being "upset" in any way whatsoever. Instead, I think he's more curious... More like, "Huh... That was odd... I wonder why that just happened the way it did."

In non-science threads, I often miss the mark with MigL when explaining my positions. I love him, but I think he often uses a liberal caricature of me in his replies. 

 

7 hours ago, DrP said:

Sorry - that came out a bit more bromantic than I intended. lol.

I love you too, bro.

[MigL]

Lot of love going on here.
This is getting uncomfortable.

[geordief]

3 hours ago, MigL said:

Lot of love going on here.
This is getting uncomfortable.

Feel the love......but not too close.

[mistermack]

On 8/17/2018 at 10:06 AM, DrP said:

That's what road rage is though isn't it?  Getting angry at other drivers  -  often associated with the shaking of a fist.

No, that irritation. Rage is several levels up from that. 

I have remembered one incident of nearly road rage in my life, that was nearly forgotten. I was doing some very early morning deliveries, I was in an absolutely STINKING mood, can't remember why,  and in the dark a cyclist with no lights nipped right in to the place where I was reversing. I was in such a foul temper I just said fuck him, and carried on reversing. I just thought, if he can't be bothered with lights, I can't be bothered with seeing him. He jumped out of the way just in time, pulling his bike out of the way and dropping it. 

He started mouthing off, and I offered to fight him right then and there in the street, and I think he knew I meant it, because he decided to leave. It was a really stupid thing to do, he was younger than me and looked a bit bigger, I would probably have regretted it even more, later.

But the point is, you can catch someone at the wrong time, on the wrong day, who isn't normally like that.  That's the only time in my life I've ever got remotely close to road rage, but it still happened. 

[Airbrush]

Occasionally I drive myself through a mountain pass to the ocean that has only one lane going each way.  Going around mountain curves, if you go over the side you are dead.  There are places every few miles to pull off to allow cars to pass.  I like to stay at the end of the "train" of cars so I can drive slower.  When I find myself in the front of a train of cars, I feel tailgated.  So I always look for the next pull out to allow the speedsters to pass me, then I get back on the road behind them to continue at my leisure pace.  I will do this several times in a half hour.

On ‎8‎/‎17‎/‎2018 at 5:43 AM, DrP said:

I might fear their gun more than them.

I don't understand the fear  -  is someone pulled a gun here it would be a massive shock - we'd be like, "wtf, where'd that dick get that" - and drive to the nearest police station and report the number.  Of course if someone is being a dick we flip them the finger - so what?   Are you saying that your fellow countrymen are that up themselves that they can't take criticism enough to have someone stick a finger up at them?  Are they that backward and barbaric that they would shoot someone for it? What a fucking mess. lol.

As for it being a joke...  I think you misunderstand me  -  road rage in our country is where you shout at each other from the safety of the car. All over the world you'd get the odd idiot that will want to fight.  Here though we can run them over easily enough if they get out of their car to attack you.  Sounds like you live in a very dangerous place where every twat is carrying a gun and will shoot you for disagreeing with them over a traffic incident -  it's fucking ridiculous mate - I'm not joking at all.

Does it make sense to fear a gun rather than the man holding the gun?  I don't understand your point.

You never know what kind of person is tailgating you, no matter where in the world you are.

Yes I live in a dangerous place, the USA.  Few carry a gun, but enough do to make me NOT act out in any way.  Anything can be misinterpreted.  It seems to work because I never experienced a "road rage" incident.

Edited August 18, 2018 by Airbrush

[Phi for All]

1 hour ago, Airbrush said:

Occasionally I drive myself through a mountain pass to the ocean that has only one lane going each way.  Going around mountain curves, if you go over the side you are dead.  There are places every few miles to pull off to allow cars to pass.  I like to stay at the end of the "train" of cars so I can drive slower.  When I find myself in the front of a train of cars, I feel tailgated.  So I always look for the next pull out to allow the speedsters to pass me, then I get back on the road behind them to continue at my leisure pace.  I will do this several times in a half hour.

I've got some gorgeous winding mountain drives near me as well, and I can understand the sentiment. The locals want to get in and out, but we just want to enjoy the drive and the scenery.

But most of the time, I don't want to go slow. I'd rather go faster, but I don't need to get pulled over for a ticket either. In the battle between the tailgaters and the cops, I choose my cruise control.

[dimreepr]

On 8/17/2018 at 1:43 PM, DrP said:

As for it being a joke...  I think you misunderstand me  -  road rage in our country is where you shout at each other from the safety of the car. All over the world you'd get the odd idiot that will want to fight.

if you really want to piss them off just smile and wave. 

[Ten oz]

16 hours ago, Airbrush said:

Occasionally I drive myself through a mountain pass to the ocean that has only one lane going each way.  Going around mountain curves, if you go over the side you are dead.  There are places every few miles to pull off to allow cars to pass.  I like to stay at the end of the "train" of cars so I can drive slower.  When I find myself in the front of a train of cars, I feel tailgated.  So I always look for the next pull out to allow the speedsters to pass me, then I get back on the road behind them to continue at my leisure pace.  I will do this several times in a half hour.

I lived in San Diego for 4yrs. My favorite beach in so-cal is Newport. My wife and I would regularly drive up for the day on weekends. Highway 1 between San Clemente and Balboa Island is exceptional. That said I hate driving. In San Diego I road my bike to and from work everyday. When we'd go to Newport my wife always drove. When I lived in the San Francisco Bay Area and then later in Idaho I drove everywhere. My wife and I had 2 cars. Once I ditched driving and we dropped down to just one car I quickly realized what a chore driving is. Being on the road everyday one become conditioned to it. After breaking the cycle though it is tough to go back.

In my opinion people treat driving too carelessly. It is an extremely dangerous activity. Tens of thousands of people die in accidents each year and hundreds of thousands of people are hurt. Yet most driving are numb to the threats and more interested in getting into the lane they want to be in than safety. So I only drive when I absolutely must nowadays. I walk, cycle, and use public transportation 95% of the time. What is cool about untethering ones self from a car is you get a better sense of a location. A car in climate controlled and one isn't seeing their neighbors eye to eye. I walk through my community and say hello to my neighbors and smell the fresh air. Sometimes it is humid or other times windy but it all adds to my experience. When one walks they literally can stop and smell the roses if they choose. While in San Diego I lived in East Village and I don't think there is a single street in Little Italy, Gaslamp, East Village, Golden Hill, North Park, Hillcrest, Old Town, or Mission Valley I didn't walk down. 

[Airbrush]

On ‎8‎/‎19‎/‎2018 at 6:03 AM, Ten oz said:

...In my opinion people treat driving too carelessly. It is an extremely dangerous activity. Tens of thousands of people die in accidents each year and hundreds of thousands of people are hurt. Yet most driving are numb to the threats and more interested in getting into the lane they want to be in than safety. So I only drive when I absolutely must nowadays. I walk, cycle, and use public transportation 95% of the time. What is cool about untethering ones self from a car is you get a better sense of a location. A car in climate controlled and one isn't seeing their neighbors eye to eye. I walk through my community and say hello to my neighbors and smell the fresh air. Sometimes it is humid or other times windy but it all adds to my experience. When one walks they literally can stop and smell the roses if they choose. While in San Diego I lived in East Village and I don't think there is a single street in Little Italy, Gaslamp, East Village, Golden Hill, North Park, Hillcrest, Old Town, or Mission Valley I didn't walk down. 

Excellent point about driving!  It is probably the most dangerous activity that large numbers of people engage in.

I'm retired now and it is heavenly to not have to get on the freeway every morning to hustle to a miserable job!  Now I need to drive only a few times each week.  I'm totally with you about walking through your neighborhood.  I got into the habit when we had a dog that loved going for walks, so he daily begged me to take him for a walk.  We went for walks around our neighborhood more days than not for 14 years.  During the last 2 years of his life we went for walks almost every day because I had retired.  I learned to love the smell of the neighborhood especially early in the morning, herbal fragrances and cut grass.  Now I still go for a jog of 4 km around my neighborhood in the San Fernando valley almost every morning.

I have a brother that lives in La Jolla and I've seen the Midway Museum several times. 

Edited August 20, 2018 by Airbrush