Was just rereading this thread and it really seems that most are stories regarding incompetent or inattentive driving rather than road rage. I don’t know if that good or bad, just and observation.

Is it better to be intentionally run over or by accident?

 

I noted that as well, as well as potential new Road Ragers driving MINIs who feel they are being stepped on.

 

The best cure I have found the indiscriminate tailgater is to
take that opportunity to wash my front and rear windshields,
liberally. They always back off.

 

I noticed the MINI Ragers also, was not going to mention it.

“I tend to drive aggressively….""...I don’t know what their problem was….”

 

Turn your headlights on first! You'll look like a jet busting through a vapor barrier.

Not that I would do this....

 

Point taken, here's my "victim" story.
Several years ago we drove a Buick Park Avenue, designer edition with padded cloth fake convertible b.s. [note: add to confessional thread]. We were coming back on AZ169, a wide open two lane rural highway. Got behind a 5 vehicle pack at a curved section; when it got straight and open, and nobody else wanted to pass, I did. Just when I approched the second car in line, this clown pulled out in front of me! I grabbed the brakes, waited for him do something, finally he pulls back behind the rental truck, and I finish passing. I go about 20 over for several miles, then I notice what looks like this clown (blue new Bettle with junk-mail logos all over it) zooming up from behind. I give him room to pass, then he brakes and motions me to pull over! I don't, he stops IN THE LANE, gets out, comes stomping back to me yelling. Wish I had my gun! I drive around his car (tempted, again, to take off his door) and go just down the road and pull into the Fire Dept.'s driveway. He follows us. Wife gets the video camera out while he unloads on me. I just stare at him while my wife tapes him while getting into his face. The firemen needed some amusment. I called his company later.
Moral of this story, get witnesses.
Note: People didn't like following the Buick. It wallowed nicely.

 

I just checked our local paper's web site. This happened down the road about 6 miles, where 89A meets AZ69. Someone turned left in front of a Toyota SUV, one died.
Some people don't get a chance to RR.

 

Here is an example. THIS is RR. Anytime you slow down in front of someone to "teach them a lesson" you are commiting RR.

 

There seems to be an ever increasing segment of the motoring public who actively solicit RR. Give them what they want. If you put one a-hole in the ditch, I GUARANTEE that will be one less a-hole pulling this crap. Just make sure you cover your tracks.

 

The one thing I would add to all of this is even if the other guy is a road rager doing something complete unsafe or illegal, antagonizing him makes you just as guilty. There's no need to pour gas on the fire to take it to the next level. I've read plenty of posts where people think its funny to do this that or the next thing to get even which makes you just as guilty. The best thing to do is simply get out of the way, find a pack of cars to run with and chill out.

 

How does this help solve the problem? You're just giving them what they want. The problem won't go away if you keep giving in. I don't think this is funny at all. Some folks just need a wake-up.

 

Look, I know where your comming from but I can guarantee you that no matter what you do you will not change their behavior. I've tried, it doesn't do anything but **** everyone off. I'm 37, put on around a million miles locally and over the road, have been on both sides and nothing ever good comes from it. I've tried to change the world and it doesn't work. The situation sucks, it really does, and thats one reason I quit driving truck. If you think you have it bad in your car then try driving an 18 wheeler, you have'nt seen nothing, trust me on that.

It all comes down to this, its a free for all out there. If you want a war then have at it, if you want peace of mind then let them go or just get away from them. When your little prank is funny are you laughing like you do at a good joke or is it an evil laugh with a little bit of fear and revenge in the backround? Be honest, I know what goes on in your head.

The only way to solve it is proper laws and enforcment. Unfortunatly thats not the focus of law enforcement.

 

Agreed. I know of many areas that have laws the specifically target agressive driving. RR caused a major accident outside of Orlando several weeks ago on a major highway.
I have learned to avoid the RRs, stay between major packs of cars not in them, and drive at off peak hours and stay alert. Point being that the biggest defense you have is how you act when in hazardous situations. My advice, get away and don't prevoke, sure can't always avoid it but, one driver can't change how millions drive esp. when they come off as being an equal

 

Hmmm...well what is worse...just following the guy and doing absolutely nothing so the traffic keeps piling up for miles, or trying to do something to get them to move so the traffic will be able to get by. Every car comes with a horn so why not put it to use. My point was that some people are so thick headed and unaware of their surroundings, which ends up inciting road rage in other drivers like myself. If they would just have some awareness and common sense to move out of the way and let others go then I wouldn't have any problems, but they refuse to do that.

Is driving the speed limit in the "fast lane" to teach people a lesson considered road rage then too?

 

The problem with waiting for law enforcement is that it wont do any good. By the time you call it in, the person is long gone. It takes an accident before law enforcement gets involved. The problem with most traffic enforcement is that they are reactive instead of proactive. It takes a good accident with injuries involved before they show up. Do I agree with taking matters into my own hands? Not in a whole. But if they cant patrol all streets all the time, what can you do? It just continues to get worse as more and more people move into an area creating more and more traffic.
I think I have made people think twice at times about what they did, other time it may have added to the frustration.

 

Good advice. I call it "keep away" from ME.
I'm using subtle suggestive moves, like really using the turn signal, looking in the mirror at the tailgating bonehead. I don't use get-in-your-face aggression (any more).
I have to remember that other people just don't like to drive, and/or hate life because they don't drive a MINI!

 

Once by him, you could have just forgot about it buy you chose a different course of action.

See http://www.healthylife.net/body/roadRageTest.html for a good test. In this case, you impeded his flow of traffic ... to what end? Bambam made a good point

The only way to solve it is proper laws and enforcment.

 

I think a lot of the problems come from a decline in proper driver education in the US. Here in Texas parents were signing off that they did behind the wheel driving hours with their 16 year old, when in reality they hadn't done any. Then once they got their license they were given a brand new car to crash.I know in Europe driver education is a lot more thorough and difficult. I lived in Germany for 5 years and road on the autobahn. Traffic on the autobahn has a lot of order to it than the free-for-all of US highways. I think I would be less inclined to have road rage on the autobahn, since in a typical day you would probably encounter a lot less "idiot drivers" if any at all.

 

Weezer, I was only trying to point out that ''reacting" to bad driving won't solve a thing. That guy is just going to do it again and again and again. It was nothing directed to you but to the generalization of people "reacting" to the "idiots" just feeding them

 

I agree with Bambam's point, but in reality enforcement would be difficult. They have enough trouble enforcing the speed limit right now.

What I was getting at is there seems to be two types of roadrage. Passive and reactive. Passive are those who aren't aware what is going on and might not necessarily be angry, but they are making other drivers do what they think is right. These are the speed limit in the left laners, cell phone chatters, etc. Then the reactive are those who react to them, since they are being prohibited from driving properly. The reactive want to let them know that they are doing something wrong so in the future they might not do it again. In that process sometimes things are done that shouldn't be.

 

Your right weezer, most are as you say passive and have no clue at whats going on around them. That pisses people off and they react to it. I used to try to teach em a lesson but it doesn't work, they just simply don't get it. All I do now is pass them when I can and get away from them.

 

 

This thread was in need of some humor.

 

Agreed! In my time in Belgium, it typically cost over $3000 to go through driver's education because they required behind the wheel time under many circumstances: day/night, snow/rain/fog, city/country,2 lane/ highway, etc. It was all very intensive and very good training, but whoa doggie did it cost a lot.

 

yes. i have.