A few days ago, I was driving to work, minding my own business, being the conscientious and safe driver that I always am. As a I approach an intersection, I have the green so I'm cruising along, within the posted speed limit, of course. As an attentive driver, I noticed a flashy, sporty Audi approaching from the right. I'm starting to get concerned as she doesn't seem to be slowing down. (Now, this is an intersection that I know quite well. I often come from her direction, so I KNOW there is no green arrow and plenty of signs saying that taking a right on red is prohibited. (I guess all our British friends can just reverse the lefts and rights :-) and, sorry if our driving rules are a bit different, but I hope you can figure it out.
So, anyway, luckily I started to slow down. I didn't want to slam on the brakes with all of the cars behind me, but I did want to approach with caution. Sure enough, the woman blows right through the light. She either ignores or doesn't even notice me slamming on the horn, as I'm desperately hitting the brakes and praying I can stop in time. We finally both stop moving. Our cars were literally inches apart.
The first thing I notice is the cell phone that she's still holding to her ear. Then, the b*tch starts gesturing, trying to say she had the right-of-way, I assume. I made a few choice gestures of my own, but, not wanting to tie up traffic anymore, I simply drove on.
For the next few hours, I was just shaking. There was the adrenaline rush from a near death experience. And also a lovely sense of pain from the way I locked up my body and forced my hand to hit the horn, simultaneously hitting the clutch and getting out of gear, the quasi-impact of the sudden stop and all that.
AAAAARRRRRGGGGHHHH!
WTF became of driving? I swear that 80-90% of people on the road have no concept or concern for everyone else around them. I have a dozen theories, and a dozen more stories. Maybe I'll share them later.
But first, what does everyone else think about this? Do you notice it as well? Does it annoy you? Cause anxiety and fear? How do you cope with it?
So, anyway, luckily I started to slow down. I didn't want to slam on the brakes with all of the cars behind me, but I did want to approach with caution. Sure enough, the woman blows right through the light. She either ignores or doesn't even notice me slamming on the horn, as I'm desperately hitting the brakes and praying I can stop in time. We finally both stop moving. Our cars were literally inches apart.
The first thing I notice is the cell phone that she's still holding to her ear. Then, the b*tch starts gesturing, trying to say she had the right-of-way, I assume. I made a few choice gestures of my own, but, not wanting to tie up traffic anymore, I simply drove on.
For the next few hours, I was just shaking. There was the adrenaline rush from a near death experience. And also a lovely sense of pain from the way I locked up my body and forced my hand to hit the horn, simultaneously hitting the clutch and getting out of gear, the quasi-impact of the sudden stop and all that.
AAAAARRRRRGGGGHHHH!
WTF became of driving? I swear that 80-90% of people on the road have no concept or concern for everyone else around them. I have a dozen theories, and a dozen more stories. Maybe I'll share them later.
But first, what does everyone else think about this? Do you notice it as well? Does it annoy you? Cause anxiety and fear? How do you cope with it?
posted by:
|
Allentown
|
-
Re: let's vent... about bad drivers!
Sat, March 15, 2008 - 7:44 AMtribes.tribe.net/thesanctu...eb7dc04794
Sorry that you had to experience that. The SF area has a LOT of bad drivers, so I can relate. -
-
Re: let's vent... about bad drivers!
Sat, March 15, 2008 - 9:55 AMSounds rough Heather :(
The otherday I came off a roundabout and onto a dual lane carriageway and this car came up behind me really fast but I was doing 60, the speed limit, so he gets right up my arse and starts shouting and swearing at me. Well this road is quite long and has a load of roundabouts so every one of them I manage to get out before him and then he comes tearing up behind me soon after and I can see him in my rear view getting really irate. He is red and screaming all kinds of shit at me, I have no idea why, there is a car in front of me so even if I did let him past there is no where he could have gone.
Anyway I was in a shit mood so when we got to some traffic lights, which I know well and knew I had a few minutes before they went green, I got out the car and walk to his. I wasn't gonna do anything I just wanted to scare him a bit and make him think twice about doing that to anyone else and as I stand at the rear of my car staring at him I see him lock the doors and then talk to his SMALL DAUGHTER in the back, who is crying because dad is driving like a cock and she's obviously really scared. So I get back in my car and we all go off and miraculousy he stops being a moron and starts driving normally again. -
-
Re: let's vent... about bad drivers!
Sat, March 15, 2008 - 10:47 AMI SO want to do that sometimes, but I'm scared to. People have guns around here. Not good.
I used to work with a woman who was a victim of "road rage". She was stopped at a stop sign, and there was a pedestrian crossing in front of her, but the person behind her seemed to think that she should be going NOW, and laid on the horn, cursing, gesticulating, etc.. My friend tried to ignore her, eventually progressing to her home, and failed to note this woman had *followed* her. So she's gathering her things to go in the house, and had the car door open, when this woman's fists came flying out of nowhere. She pretty much pulled my friend out of the car, and pounded her so many times that her cheekbone was shattered, and her jaw damaged. She only stopped because the people in the car with her pulled her off, and then they made a clean getaway. I can't even imagine a person doing such a thing...perhaps she was on something, but nobody knows.
At any rate, I wish that *more* people were not afraid to socially censure horrid and dangerous behavior, like James did, but after my pal's story, I'm too much of a wuss to make a fuss, unless I'm in a state, myself. And I *have* experienced road rage since I've lived here...usually as a product of someone scaring the crap out of me. But the worst I've done is follow someone for about 5 miles, until they were sure that *I* was a psycho (which I probably was, at that moment). Not wise, but yeah, I've done that. -
-
Re: let's vent... about bad drivers!
Sat, March 15, 2008 - 10:56 AMWow I can't believe anyone would do something like that!
Anyway I would just like to say, to all the ladies, don't do what I did. I'm perfectly willing to get my head smashed in if I pick a fight with the wrong person but I think girls should just do the right thing and be the bigger person and rise above it. Sadly I'm a man, roar, and I need to show my frustration, even if it will one day end in an arse kicking. -
-
Re: let's vent... about bad drivers!
Sun, March 16, 2008 - 4:48 PMYeah, we Yanks tend to get a bit worried about "road rage" and the possibility of physical harm. I just read a story in the local newspaper a few weeks ago about a grown man who punched a 16-year-old girl. Can you imagine? About two years ago, a man was killed when an aggressive driver (in a great, big gas-guzzler) forced the guy in his little car off of the road. It's insane. I'm sure there are many less drastic events that don't even make the news. Just yesterday, I watched a woman driving with a cup of coffee in one hand and her cell phone in the other.... that's right, no hands on the wheel!
Then again, there is a school not far from my house and, yes, pedestrians have the right-of-way, but these kids act like they own the road. Sure, you may have the right-of-way, but what good will that do if you wind up in the hospital or worse? Maybe there is just a general lack of courtesy growing in the world. Did anyone ever read Robert Heinlein? He wrote mostly sci-fi, which is an excellent medium for social commentary. (Again, a whole 'nother topic!) But he said repeatedly that the decline in manners is a precursor to the decline of civilization. I think I agree.
-
-
-
Re: let's vent... about bad drivers!
Sun, March 16, 2008 - 4:57 PMJames, please translate for the non-Brits around here....
>>>The otherday I came off a roundabout <<<<
Is that what we call a circle? Since I live on the East Coast, the roads were built early and tried to accommodate the vagaries of geography and everything else. Around here, a circle is usually a point where several roads meet and form, well, a circle. If you want to go forward, you actually have to go around and skip the first exit.
There is a famous circle in a town near to me, with some giant statue of some hero and a little park-like area. I swear, I am the only one who knows how to drive it properly. The outer lane is only for the next exit. If you need to go further, then you have to get into the inner lane until you get to place where you want to exit. I get so annoyed by the people who ride the outer lane all the way around without exiting.
Ooooh, I just had an awful flashback. The scariest circle (or roundabout, perhaps) that I've ever experienced is in Paris around L'Arc de Triomphe. Luckily, I wasn't driving. I just huddled in the back seat and closed my eyes. -
-
Re: let's vent... about bad drivers!
Sun, March 16, 2008 - 7:40 PMwe call those roundabouts in the midwest. -
-
Re: let's vent... about bad drivers!
Sun, March 16, 2008 - 11:14 PMAlong my travels, I have noticed that the further west one drives, the straighter the roads are. I don't know if is flatter geography or the newer construction, but whatever, it seems to be the case....
And, now now I'm s\tuck with an annoying earworm..... In an a roundabout...... And it just wont go away. Uggghghh! -
-
Re: let's vent... about bad drivers!
Tue, March 18, 2008 - 2:01 PMYes a roundabout is a circle, Britain is FULL of them, we even have mini ones for me to drive straight over and ruin the suspension on my car. -
-
Re: let's vent... about bad drivers!
Tue, March 18, 2008 - 2:35 PMThey put a roundabout in a little section of a neighborhood in town near where I live - simple enough.
There are an *amazing* number of wrecks there. You can see all the broken little bits of cars and chunks of plastic frosting the entire area. You can hear people screaming "whaaat the fuuuuuck" and then the inevitable *crunch* of them beaching on the median...
It's hilarious. Best tax money spent in the entire city of Atlanta since the big 1920s rebuild.
-
-
-
-
-
-
