It's only Wednesday, and three times this week I have had kamikaze drivers (1 pickup, 1 van, 1 pickup with 15 foot haulmark trailer) decide to speed up and cut me off at merge areas. I'm talking about people blowing by traffic until the end of a merge area, and they pick their prey, and jerk the wheel in front of me. I know drivers stink overall in this area, and it's a free for all nowadays, but if I had not jammed my brakes to the floor in all 3 of these situations, I would have been hit and GOOD.
So I'm wondering, is it the small car and the who cares they will stop for big me attitude, or just people that need the old wood shampoo? The trailer one last night really stunk, I dodged the truck fine, but had to take the shoulder to keep the attached trailer for scraping down the side. When I'm in the Durango, I don't quite get the same problems. Believe me, I'm no Granny driver in this thing either, so I'm not really asking for it. May be luck of the draw, and sign of the times. Makes we want an old beater blues brothers type car, and no care to stop the next time.

 

Next time, let them scrape you with their trailer, and then sue the crap out of them... make them buy you a new MINI, so they can see how much these "little" cars are worth!

 

Don't have my MINI yet, but we have the same problem in our Evo. It's a bit bigger than the MINI, but it is BRIGHT yellow with a big a$$ wing. There is no way that these people don't see it. Then if you honk at them or something they go bullistic like its all your fault b/c you were in their way! One time, a woman in a Suburban or something on a 4 lane road with no center divider shoved us into oncoming traffic. Fortunately, there was enough room for us to speed up and zip around her

 

I try to keep a good eye on who's coming up behind my car, 9 times out of 10 I can tell who's in a hurry and have time to give them space.

That 1 car that does cut me off gets the high beam for as long as I feel like staying behind them.

 

Know the feeling, and here 1 in 10 has a gun in the car!!.................mgg

 

That's a good assumption. Here in good 'ole Virginny, EVERYONE is totin' a gun. And, I don't doubt that a large number of idiots who are consistently aggressive drivers wouldn't hesitate to shoot you for trying to retaliate.

Experts agree that it's best not to mess with aggresive drivers. It's logical: if they're crazy enough to use their car as a weapon, they're crazy enough to shoot you!

 

the guns are a scary thing......how about mounting a fake(or real ) 50cal. to the roof.

you guys are right though, there are a bunch of crazy people out there and it's best to learn to recognize and avoid them. high beam at your own risk!:smile:

 

Maybe they are late for BRAIN SURGERY! is why they are in such a rush?

 

"Maybe they are late for BRAIN SURGERY?"

You may be right, plus they are probably irritated that they have had to fast for 12 hours before surgery too.

 

ElonCooper-
I grew up in NOVA (PG County in MD then moved to Fairfax County for like 10 years)... went ot medical school in Ft. Laud and hated it, and am now in Tampa. NOVA does have incredibly rude drivers and I think it has gotten far worse since I left... but it cannot compare to Ft. Lauderdale or Miami. The drivers down there have absolutely no regard for the law, or other drivers... and its normal to see people whiz by on I-95 at 140 MPH and cut you off.

People are so crazy out there, and it pi$$es me off when an aggressive driver cuts me off or zooms down the shoudler to avoid "daily" traffic. I try not to let it bother me, count to ten, and avoid it, because there are some wackos out there who WILL shoot you, I promise.

Just try to remember how much fun your MINI is and let that occupy your thoughts, not wacko other drivers.

Q

 

I have encountered several people like that on the streets. One have
actually cut me off 3 times within 20-30 seconds and even blocked me
when I tried passing him on a 4 lane hwy. I was ticked off, but just
backed off. Not worth my time starting some road rage with him.

Usually SUV's, Minivans, and pickups driven by men in their 40's that
look tired and depressed do this... it looks like they're over worked,
too much time with obligations and not enough fun time for himself..

Don't do anything stupid with these people. It's really not worth your
time.

 

Autocross!!!
There is no better way to prepare yourself for close calls.
I assume that everybody is a poor drivier. I just pretend they're all moving pylons.

Most people can't drive worth a flip! I really don't understand how people drive a car every single day and never get any better at it. It is just a fact.

 

Sometimes I get the feeling that the ******* bully drivers out there are on a MISSION to annoy MINI drivers! But that has only happened to me in SoCal.

On the Roadtrip from L.A. to Alabama in April, I had the opposite experience: Wanda was wearing a black bra borrowed from YuccaPatrol's MINI, had her first Union Jack sunroof flag (the static cling one that later peeled off in FL), and I kid you not: people saw us coming and MOVED OUT OF THE WAY! It was AWESOME! She looked like a tough customer and NOBODY wanted a piece of her....YAY!

Clover

 

exactly.

 

Right on, fellow Chicagoan! (how you liking those double tolls, and the increased traffic in the I-Pass lanes?) But, what I'd like to know is, which are looking tired and depressed, the men, or the "SUV's Minivans, & pickups"?

Motoring @ Last,
Tatt

 

One tactic would be to never let them overtake you in the first place...

 

i carry a potato gun for safe measures. i want to get a high beam in my back window so when they tailgate me i can turn it on or a poop shooting tube would send the point

 

It's not the small car it's the nice car that doesn't want to be hit.
Watch the line ahead of you and you will see people cut in in front of a nice MINI, Lexus, Chry, Toyota, Infiniti, etc. that doesn't want to be crashed but not in front of a rusted out 59 Cadillac that you would not be able to tell the new damage from the old.

Earl

 

Exactly... with my old car, I had the "hit me if you want to" mantality and no one wanted to try it.

 

Anticipate it...I dunno...I don't have this problem...cause I expect it...I drive like noone knows I am there...comes from riding motor cycles...don't ever sit next to someone...in back or in front...just keep moving...just pretent yo uare not there...so ofcourse they are going to move there...etc

 

Driving is pretty bad here in the DC Metro area but the morons are stupid even when they park. This is how we found one of our MCC (< 1K and only one month old). The lady parking on top of the car (we could not remove the cover !!!) said " It was your fault you parked in such a way that I couldn't get in... " Surprise surprise when removed the cover there was a dent and missing paint .. $ 350.00 plus 3 days rental...

MD STREGA2
DC STELLA (she is the one in the pict)

 

just by mistake mind you...that they don't just scrap you, but end up crunching you? Please explain how to get someone to "just scrape you" so that I can add that to my driving talents. Thanks.

 

One day on my way home from work I was trying to get around a woman in a minivan in the fast lane going 50 in a 65. Everytime I tried to pass her she would speed up to 80 to keep me from passing her and then when I would get trapped she would slow down to 50 again. When I finally got to pass her she pulled up next to me in the middle lane and I started hearing big thuds on the side of the truck. When I looked over, she was throwing tomatoes at me! Her 6 year old daughter in the passenger seat was handing them to her and the other 3 kids in the van were standing at the side window watching(read: no seatbelts on) Then I noticed that we were coming up to a rest area that generally has a state trooper sitting there. So I called 911, told them that a minivan was driving erratically with 4 children who were not wearing their seatbelts adn gave them my location and her license #. By the time we got to the rest area, the cop was waiting for her and pulled her right over. I gave her a nice little wave and drove on :smile:

 

I do this too, and depending on how pissed I am and my general mood at the time I have been known to go around them and show them what the brake lights look like.

 

I use to be a mad man with my GTI. No one ever cut in the front and get away without me put on a race mode to them every time. After 7 accidents in one year I managed to tone down a lot.

Now I'm completely cured by AutoX...no more road racing.