Getting passed on an off-ramp and other craziness thread!

[cbaber]

There may be a similar thread elsewhere but I figured we could all post stories about our travels and crazy drivers you encounter. Especially the drivers where your only reaction is

I have many of these encounters on a weekly basis. I had these encounters on an hourly basis when I lived in Kansas City during rush hour traffic. It seems that people are completely oblivious to other people on the road. Being polite, using your turn signals, following basic traffic laws... These are a few things that are rare on the road, at least where I drive. Anyway...

So today was exiting the highway when I noticed a minivan tailing me pretty close. It's safe to take the off-ramp at about 40 mph due to a 180-degree turn immediately after you exit the highway. After navigating the turn its about 500 feet before the off-ramp meets the intersecting road, where you either stop (left turn) or yield to crossing traffic (right turn). This off-ramp is not multi-lane, except it has a dedicated right turn at the intersect point. But apparently 40 mph was not enough for the minivan, and it continued to pass me on the left and then cut back in front of me, all just to slow down shortly ahead for the right turn yield. This is amusing to me, and I just laughed it off. I laughed harder when a few miles down the road I end up passing the minivan (multi-lane road) and gave them a nice little honk just to make sure they noticed that passing me had absolutely no advantage.

Anyone have moments like this to share?

[doviatt]

I get passed on the right more than I am comfortable with. 55 in a 65 isn't that bad with the hours I travel and the usual commuters and congestion. I am always in the right lane. Usually 3-4 usable lanes available to my left for proper use of someone trying to overtake. A few times they do use the emergency lane. Usually they try to use the entrance merge lane to pass me and run out of room.
If I get the finger or a horn...I always return with a happy smile and a serious friendly wave....like I'm an idiot. Turns the tables and makes them feel idiotic.

[doviatt]

I especially like watching (in rear view mirror) the people that get stuck behind me while using their cell phone. They really don't know what to do! They are stuck. No brain activity left to actually pass me but their instinct says they need to do something.
They usually stay their till their call is done then...they zoom around. Priceless!!!

[SentraSE-R]

Here's one - a

last minute lane change

by an impatient driver who couldn't wait 15 seconds.

Here's another

. The rear view video is reversed, so the van that appears to be overtaking me on the right is actually passing me on the left. But he tries to take the exit ramp by cutting in front of me,, and brakes when he realizes he's already missed the exit. He's so close, you can read his license plate number.

And

one more

. The white Stratus in front of me makes 2 questionable lane changes in half a mile, throws away a boatload of gas in accelerating, and doesn't gain anything on me.

[jeff88]

This one is my favorite. I laugh every time I see it. I haven't seen it since it first started "trending" and seeing it again I started laughing really hard like had seen it before! This is what you get when you can't have the common decency to drive WITH others instead of against them.

Road Rage Karma

In an unrelated story, I was going home and there is a ramp from one freeway to another and the north and south bound lanes from the first freeway come together to form a two lane on-ramp to the second freeway. The two lanes have a solid white line, meaning you're not supposed to change lanes. To make things even more interesting the left lane merges with another on-ramp, while the right lane has no obstacles of the sort. Anyway, I constantly see people changing lanes from left to right and right to left and I always just have to shake my head and think "if only I were a cop". I usually come from the right lane side of things. The funny thing is that I usually end up passing these people going from right lane to left lane less than a half mile down the road, because their lane gets stopped (usually because of the merge) and I always look at them to see if they are paying attention and see if they noticed their mistake (usually not!).
The other day this exact thing happened and when I caught up and started to pass I saw a company logo on the side of the car. It was a DRIVERS ED CAR!!!! And it wasn't a kid that doesn't know what they're doing, it was the teacher! No wonder we have such bad drivers, we have terrible teachers!

[Fat Charlie]

I got passed on an on ramp a few weeks ago. The highway was jammed, but the on ramp was merging in fits and starts. It was first gear if you were lucky. going up the on ramp I left a buffer of 2-3 lengths. The guy behind me was furious! He gave up on the horn and cut around me on the inside... to ride his brakes at the same mile or two an hour that he was doing, but this time on the rear bumper of a different car.

[user removed]

Houston Texas 1983. Driving north on I10 in bumper to bumper traffic. Moron behind me is flashing his lights for me to pull over and let him pass. No place to pull over, anyone who has ever driven in Houston understands this. It can be a two hour crawl to go 12 miles. Finally I pull over and let the idiot pass. He is screaming at me so I give him the one finger salute. He pulls in front of me and three kids, can't be more than 3rd grade are all giving me the one finger salute from the back seat. All that to get past one car in crawling bumper to bumper traffic.

One road rage incident on the Houston Beltway, two drivers get into a verbal confrontation outside of their cars. One guy pulls a 7 iron out of his bag of golf clubs and proceeds to beat the other guy to death, right there on the side of the road.

regards
Mech

[jamesqf]

Originally Posted by Old Mechanic

...anyone who has ever driven in Houston understands this. It can be a two hour crawl to go 12 miles.

Humm... On reasonably flat terrain, I can maintain ~15 mph average on a bicycle, in places with traffic signals.

[jakobnev]

One guy pulls a 7 iron out of his bag of golf clubs and proceeds to beat the other guy to death..

What an idiot - everyone knows the five is a better choice!

[kaiba]

I coast on the off-ramp, but maintain speed on the on-ramp. In other words, other drivers tailgate me on the off-ramp, I tailgate other driver on the on-ramp.