batsh*t crazy drivers ... your experiences?

[jalmir]

Just thought I would share my latest experience, yesterday driving back home, 5:30pm in light traffic driving around 60km/h in the right lane. Some guy in a black Buick Rendezvous is on the left lane driving a bit slower (55km/h maybe?) ... anyway, I was going to pass him when he had a change of mind and changed lane, I had to swerve towards the sidewalk and brake so he wouldn't hit me. Following the maneuver I honk, that's when he went batsh*t insane!!!

He looked at me in his rearview mirror and started yelling at me AND pointing at the mirror (pointing at me in the mirror), that was too much for me and I started laughing! He didn't like that AT ALL, his yelling and hands gestures are now off the charts, he's not looking in front anymore (by that time I had slowed down and put a distance between us).

All the yelling and gestures in his car made me laugh out more (like I can somehow hear him???) ... this laughing pisses him even more so he rolls his windows down and sticks his head out to yell at me (like it's gonna help!)

At that point I'm in the car laughing my head off, almost crying of laughter over how idiotic this guy his ; he almost ram into me and because I honk he's MEGA pissed ... yelling at me his head out the window not looking where he is going.

He turned on a street a bit later but not before making laugh a little more!

I got other crazy/horror stories but this is the only one that made me laugh that much (seeing the guy instantly get pissed and yelling at his mirror was the funniest thing ever, had to see it).

[redpoint5]

My latest story isn't too crazy, but it infuriated me.

Driving I-5 south with 3 lanes of travel. Speed limit of 65mph. The left lane was occupied by a driver doing 63mph. The driver in the middle lane matched her speed. This went on for several miles, so I moved to the right lane to pass. I set my cruise to 70mph and was beginning to overtake the guy in the middle lane. He matches my speed and we are side by side. Often people will speed up when being passed without consciously thinking about it, so I just click up on the cruise and add 1mph to pass. The man matches my speed again. Now I'm a little annoyed, but no problem, I click up twice to continue passing. He matches speed. A semi truck is in the distance so I need to complete this pass soon. I push the accelerator and really start to add some speed. The man in the middle lane matches the speed perfectly. Now I'm very rapidly closing distance with the semi, giving full-throttle in my TSX. The guy in the middle lane cannot match my acceleration with his Escort, but gives it a try anyhow. Now I'm furious as hell playing chicken with a semi and his Ford. I end up making the pass at 90mph with less cushion space than I would have preferred.

I just don't know what goes through the mind of a person who doesn't want to go the speed limit, but also doesn't want to be passed. What could his argument possibly be that resembles a reasonable thought? Maybe he wants to enforce the "no passing on the right" law? If so, he should also be aware of "slower traffic keep right" law.

[thomason2wheels]

I had one happen the other day that was pretty annoying. I was cruising along in the rt lane doing 55 in a 60 and this clown in a pickup pulls up on me in the left lane and hangs there right in my blind spot and just stays there and we finally start approaching slower traffic in my lane. The bozo in the truck continuedto remain asleep at the switch, so i gagged it,cut in front of the truck, passed the slower traffic and got back in the right lane and continued on my way, annoyed by the idiot in the truck.

[user removed]

These days when I have an idiot like the one in these last two posts and slower traffic forces me to slow down, I just consider it a coasting or drafting opportunity.

I did have a big rig make a left turn then realise it was one turn too soon and he pulled over in my lane. I was on my bike so I just moved over and slowed down to let him get back in the lane. On a bike you just have to expect that kind of thing and give some extra room when it is practical.

One day my buddy and I were coming back from lunch. We came to the red light right at his familie's shop and stopped, waiting for the light to change. For some reason the guy in front of us went ballistic, I have no idea why, he even went so far as to put his car in reverse adn act like he was going to back up into us. We are both fairly healthy and we
waved him on. "Come on hit me you idiot". My buddy makes good money every time someone runs into him since his father lets him fix his own car for free any time it gets hit.

I gues the idiot decided that pulling away from the light normally was HIS BEST OPTION.

To this day I have no idea why he went off on us, there was absolutely no reason for his actions.

regards
Mech

[BackroadBomber]

Wow you guys handle it a lot better than me, I get Insane road rage towards stupid drivers. Also, my old truck had a gun rack in the back window with an airsoft shotgun on it. Nobody cut me off or got angry with me when I was driving that truck lol

[shovel]

I tend to drive, above all else, as if I was invisible - so basically no matter what other drivers do they can't influence me. That means staying far away from other cars where possible, which is OK with me - and works wonders for keeping a no-stress attitude on the road.

I don't know if it's just because I live in the ghetto now, I used to live in a more upscale neighborhood - but it seems like I see at least one driver per day now who's just opportunistic and selfish, where I know they aren't taking anyone else into consideration while they drive. It bothers me because I can only assume they're like that in their everyday life too, just "ME ME ME" .

I've seen this bumper sticker on a few cars, and it pretty much just makes me want to disregard the worth of that person because they're already bragging about their disregard for everyone else. Sorry buddy, it's not "all about you", we're a community like it or not and if you don't give back and give everyone else the courtesy of your care while driving, you're a parasite.

The worst I've seen lately was a driver in a beater Caprice, who I watched for a series of blocks pull the same move every single light - cut lanes without a blinker at the last moment, in front of someone else, brake swiftly, then their reverse lights would come on and they'd back up 10 feet. It looked like a practiced insurance fraud scheme, and what can we do about it? I only hope he tries that some time to a person in a fleet vehicle with a camera, or to a professional cage fighter with nothing to lose...

[Gealii]

To think all this crazyness and all i experience are semis passing people on a 4 lane road 2 lanes each way with only a foot behind the car in front of him and the car he was passing behind him

[Rokeby]

I had a strange on-the-road situation lately. I wasn't thinking attempted
insurance fraud at the time, but on reflection, it may well have been.

I was driving on a 4 lane divided urban street. Just me and a beater Buick
following. PSL was 35, but lights are timed at 40. I was doing 40, cresting a
hill. I hear a beep and the Buick is right up on my bumper. Driver appears
50-ish. I continue at 40. Then I see his right front fender at my door with
only about 1 ft. clearance.

I begin to brake and slide right. He swoops in front of me and brakes hard,
coming to a stop in the middle of a block. Only because I started slowing
early, I had to brake hard, but had room enough to stop, no contact. His
reverse lights then go on, but I didn't see any motion towards me. I shifed
into R just in case. Driver is staring at me in the rearview. Things were at
a stand still/stand-offf for a minute. Then he drove slowly to the next
intersection and turned right.

I'm thinking, "What the hell was that all about?"

(Now I wonder what would have happened if I'd gotten out of my car.)

I was pissed because I couldn't catch up to the "invisible bubble" and get
through the next light without stopping.

[Fat Charlie]

I love the ones who putt along behind someone (like redpoint5's middle lane driver) forever, not noticing the speed. You, minding your own business, approach. Mr. Clueless sees you approaching in his mirror, wonders how fast you're going and notices how fast he's not going. Now he's mad at the slowpoke in front of him and doesn't want to get pinned behind him by you, so he pulls out right in front of you- and then thinks about accelerating to pass the guy who he now realizes had been holding him up.

[jamesqf]

Then there was the one I was stuck behind the other day. About 20 miles of 2 & 3 lane freeway (sometimes more), and this idiot pulling a camper is in the left lane all the way, doing about 55, less on a couple of steep hills.

(I was pulling a load of hay, and so was doing about the same speed in the right lane.)