Someone just gave me a dirty look

[Silveredwings]

To RH77,

I'm sorry I came on so strong. Maybe "be a man" got to me, but that's more me than you. I think this thread is a metaphor for road rage: I said... you said... and so on. I made what I thoughtlessly believed was an off the cuff remark about the 1911 and then helped escallated it to where it ought not to have gone. Before long, it was I, not you, who opened up my sordid baggage. I can't blame anyone for taking my strong comments any way they did.

You are indeed a voice of well moderated reason. If, as you say, you were once a sort of poster child of road rage, you either reformed admirably or hide it well. I supect the former. Kudos to you. I hope you can accept my appologies for having flamed you as I did.

To other gentle readers:
In my road altercation, I did what many hypermilers do: go the speed limit or otherwise slower than desired by traffic. Some people get really angry about this. Know this: some percentage of those people will be violent (and probably do carry). We often think we're anonomous or even safe within our metal cars. That's complacency. Any indication I gave earlier that a handgun would have improved the situation or ensured my security is pure fantasy marinated in my own issues.

Before a situation gets out of control, you need to treat it extremely carefully and do the right thing as best you can: don't react with emotion, get out of there, call authorities. Even if you have major trust issues as I do, you'll atleast be covered legally and maybe get the assistance you need. YMMV.

Humbly, Dan

[SVOboy]

I'm glad we can be civil about it, because in the end getting mad about how to deal with getting mad is just about as dangerous as getting mad about driving too slow, and I don't want to see any of us flying off the handle here or in real life,

[DifferentPointofView]

... I like to drive the speed limit

So... how ya been?

Most people I give them my own self made, rear wiper swipe.

When the rear wiper goes, its ok to pass

I don't get how you can get mad because theres a slow car in the way... if that makes you flip off the wall and draw a knife, I'd like to see what you do to the people around you that make you mad 0.o

[dcb]

Originally Posted by Silveredwings

...Maybe "be a man" got to me...

Consider, that was from a source that looks for a fight on the road AND online almost all the time. Call the cops, we pay them for that sort of thing, no?

[RH77]

I apologize too, Dan. Ben made a good call as "not to get mad over getting mad".

I just take road rage personally and let it get the best of me in the argument. In the beginning, hypermiling was my "rehab" to get my road-anger under control. It was probably frustration of having my incident occur unsolicited -- much like yours. But today, I'm a different person -- just ask my family -- I have changed dramatically.

...and I owe it to folks here on the forums, so apologies to the readers as well.

Best Regards,
-Rick

[TrikeKid]

Originally Posted by almightybmw

I have 100W off road lights. I'd turn the 4 of them on. Then, I'd speed up and ram them. It's 3 in the morning, and you're all along with them. If they're like most people, ram their car and they'll leave you alone because you're the crazy one now.

You aren't crazy till you eat one of them while the rest are forced to watch. Yeah...that'll teach em.

I don't end up with too much road rage here, just people that are mad I don't want to do 60 in a 25-35. That's usually at night, they give me the tailgating/high beam treatment most often. Joke's on them as I have a canopy with tinted windows, between that and the mirror in the night setting, their lights are a dull glow, and I can position myself such that their reflection in the side mirror won't blind me. Also, the vast majority of them drive a much smaller vehicle than me, I WILL win if they decide to play bumper cars.

I will be wiring up my off road lights in the front soon enough though (they're basically just housings for 2 sealed beam high beam headlights) and a pair of off road lights in the rear. People that aren't courteous with their high beams piss me off. There are also the people that assume I have my highs on because my truck sits higher than their super low sub compact (BTW, my lights are adjusted to hit the same spot they would if the truck was stock). If they think I'm a dick because of my low beams, they're going to HATE these in combination with the highs.

[IsaacCarlson]

I get some people that RIDE my bumper. I usually touch the brakes and they back off for a minute or pass. I WILL stand on the brakes for a prick. My nice heavy rear bumper can send him the message. Those dual piston calipers will stop the truck on a dime.

[Old Mechanic]

I usually just slow down on a 4 lane until they pass. On two lanes I go the speed limit and increase my P&G speed differentials when they want to tailgate inside of 3 car lengths.

When all you can see in your rear view mirror is a GMC grille at 50 MPH in a 45 zone, and you pass a lot of military installations where some GIs might be just out of a combat zone, you need to have a little reserve or patience.

On the other hand, I believe in defending myself from agression, if necessary. I have managed to avoid a physical confrontation for 46 years, but at times it has been very close, very very close.

I'll walk away, even run away, but when an agressor keeps coming, especially if other lives are at risk I have the means to end the confrontation quickly, and legally.

regards
Mech

[gascort]

I agree with RH77; not worth your life or letting you stoop to their level. Keeping your cool is best, even though it is tempting to get them back.
Luckily I haven't ever had anyone really mad like you guys mentioned. Lately people point and laugh at my silly looking car. I smile and wave, and many wave back. Best to keep it friendly if at all possible.

[MARTINSR]

My usual defense is to smile and wave at them like I know them. It's pretty funny actually I think some people will think "Holy crap, do I know that guy" and get a dumb, embarassed look on their face!

For the rest of the day they will be trying to figure out how they know me going thru store clerks and their childrens teachers in their head.

Brian