I tell you ,ever since I've been driving my MCSc,I've seen more and more drivers out there who don't give me the respect as when I drive a bigger car. Just today,I'm going through an intersection with no STOP signs,a woman with a STOP sign sees me and just goes... I honk at the B#%*+ and she flips me off... I'm thinking that these kind of stuff is happening to me so much later since I've been driving the MINI...I think all those bigger cars just expects you to stop for them... I'm feeling a bit of rage and I tell one day I'm just going to gas it and let the insurance take care of it... A nice little law suit and maybe a new MINI... Does this kind of stuff happens to you guys out there???

 

Very similar to your situation, I run across the same woman on my morning commute at least twice a week. There's a 4-way stop sign that she treats like a yield sign. I'm stopped. She rolls through it and keeps on going. If I honk at her, she flips me off. :impatient

I'm not sure if it's the MINI that invites such rude driving or if it's just the direction the world is taking... that is, it's all about ME.

 

I know exactly what you are talking about,
They just turned a one way stop across a two way avenue into a three way and if im stopped people just roll by, on a spirited morning I dont give them the chance and i get past em really quick and make them mad
Karma is a B@£%

 

Hmm, it doesn't happen to me. Than again, I drive my MINI like a motorcycle and go if no one is going. I don't expect to get treated like an SUV/bigger vehicle and my day goes by just dandy

Perhaps it is the psyche of most new owners of MINIs whom never had smaller vehicles. I traded my Chevy 4dr Tahoe in for our MINI, but I also have a motorcycle license and in turn, I decided that a MINI is a 4 wheel motorcycle and so far, I have not had any issues like that.

I don't tailgate, honk (unless notifying of something), or flash, I just get out of the way and make sure I am first and have a way out of situations and make sure not to put yourself in situations you can't get out of.

 

Well I have that kind of stuff happen to me all the time, but in both big and small cars. It seems much more like a I'm behind the wheel so the world wil pow to me syndrome than anything else. Heck I even saw a few squad cars running lights and sirens get cut off yesterday because so many people out there just don't care.

 

me too
I have people pull out in front of me all the time.

I agree with the MINI /motorcycle

 

I've only been motoring a little over a month, but I'd say I encounter dorkwads with the same frequency as I did with my previous car of six and a half years (a Sentra). So, perhaps it has something to do with the size of my vehicle, but personally I believe it has more to do with the attitudes of other people--the "me first" mentality that other people have referred to.

I find myself taking a more relaxed attitude to driving simply because I'm still having a lot of fun with my MINI and I'm not going to let other people ruin it. That, and knowing that I could smoke them if I really wanted to.

 

You nailed it with this statement. I never assume that people will stop for a red light or a stop sign anymore. I even had a cop almost pull out in front of me on Thursday as I was pulling away from a stop sign (I was there first and fully stopped before he got to the sign). No lights flashing, so there was no emergency or I would have yielded to him.

 

This happens to me all the time damm SUV drivers.

 

I have been motoring since August of 2002 and have gotten so used to avoiding idiots and wrecks, that I don't even think about it that much, anymore.

I was reminded of this the other day: I was driving a friend down PCH on our way to the Getty Villa Museum and a fellow in a big pick-up truck started to drive into the passenger side, THEN looked to see if it was clear! I was fortunate enough to have an open center median to avoid being struck.

My passenger was STUNNED at almost being struck. I said, 'oh, I probably avoid 8+ incidents like that a day. The MINI is so agile, it is something I've gotten used to doing.' She was shaking like a leaf for another 15 minutes. I just laughed it off, but it is like driving an obstacle course on the SoCal roads. You have to have quick reflexes!

I don't think it's the MINI, per se, that is causing this. I think there are too many multi-taskers and inattentive drivers, in too many vehicles, on too few roads. :impatient

 

I can't believe that same women is in my little town too. She really gets around. If I get a chance I'm going to ask her if she is propositioning me with that gesture. So un-lady like.

 

I agree with the " It's all about me" because I have had a few people cut me off when there was absolutly no need.

 

the world is becoming so selfish *sigh*

 

Probably not a good idea and nothing new. That WILL hurt ... a bit and definitely leave a mark

Happens all the time

What is a MINI an ANT to be stepped on?

and most likely will never change ... although the R56 IS larger so might get more respect

 

AIR HORN!!!! Or just wave with a smile and go on and enjoy your day...

 

Good point, if we let them hack us off it only makes their day. Not what I want to do.

I have an AIR HORN!!!! on my Miata, but my MINI's horns are loud enough to be heard by the one finger saluter's.

 

I notice this especially when I have a F150 and in the same situations people tend to get out of my way when they see the grill in their back window. In the mini, I learn to pass on the right often.

 

someone was tailing me one night. i was going 40 on a 35..sheesh.
so i decided to stomp on my brakes. boy..did he stomp on them even harder..
then while i was accelerating he high beamed me..then couple seconds later. he came onto my rear REAL quick. so i decided to brake a bit. he then broke.
and once again i accelerated. then went on home..
people sure do have road rage...
and am i mean by doin that? he deserves it. xO

 

Couple weeks ago i pull out onto a residential street that's 45 mph. I pulled out in front of a SUV or full size 4X4 I didn't pull out where there was a chance he'd have to put on his brakes (I like my car too much to get rearended) Anyways when pulling out I open her up and look in the mirror and I am a good 1/8th of a mile in front of him so I start to slow down (from 60ish or maybe more - shhhh) cause I feel I've left a good distance between him and I. Well a few seconds later I see him just barreling towards me and he finally gets close and starts flashing me and honking his horn more than a 1/4 mile from where I pulled out. I couldn't believe it. Oh wait yeah I could.

 

I just let people be a-holes if they want to so badly. They wanna be first? They can be first. If they run up behind me, I move over and let 'em pass. Only one lane? Maintain speed, and if they continue to ride my butt, I slow down to a crawl and let 'em swing around me. They don't wanna be back there, and will stay there only just so long - and the slower they are forced to go, the less time they'll spend back there. They wanna yell and scream and flip the bird? Be my guest. Sometimes I just keep on keepin' on, and sometimes I just smile and wave, boys, just smile and wave.

Zip

 

Unfortunately, size does seem to matter. I remember one time when I had my 2003 Denali where even a Ford Expedition started to cut me off and then thought better of it. With the MINI, you really have to drive it like you would drive a motorcycle. I have also had people cut me off when I am driving my C5. It would seem that the jerk gene is alive and well. If you want a car that people will not cut you off in, get a Denali. No one wants to go up against 5,500/5,800 lbs. of mass. Of course, you need to be able to rationalize 12/16 mpg and nowhere the fun factor of the MINI.

 

I've been lucky I guess because in over four years of ownership I've never had anyone react rudely to my MINI on the road. If anything it'd be the opposite.

 

I have similar problems. I was cut off twice on the Interstate on Thursday. Once by a semi and once by a medium sized auto. The surprise to me is I was driving my beomouth 1964 Chevy pickup truck!

 

Absolutely an everyday occurrence since I began driving my MINI in December, 2004. No problems in the entire time I'd been a driver with any other car (since 1978). But just today, a woman driving a minivan full of kids pulled out of a gas station, across two lanes and ended up diagonal half-in my lane (fast lane) and half-out of her left-turn lane. I was going 45 MPH and had to slam on the brakes because the lane to my right had a truck coming. By the look on her terrified kidlets' faces in the windows, I really believe she didn't realize just how close I was because the MINI is so tiny.

There was another MINI on the other side of the intersection and I know the driver saw the whole thing. The driver gave me that telltale smile & nod of comraderie that said, "been there, done that!"

I think it's probably 50% rude ME ME ME and 50% "oopsie - I didn't realize you were so close". It's all a matter of perspective.

Thank God the MINI can out-maneuver most dangerous situations like this.

 

OMG how rare is it to run across the same a$$ more than once? Can you say raw egg HELLO whooooshploop zoom off didn't seeathing buhbuh not that I would ever do that because it is just wrong