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Why are people such nasty SOBs when they drive? (1 Viewer)

Grant B

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I have been driving around Southern California now for 3 weeks and hate it. Yesterday I was at a red light and noticed that the guy next had his gas door open and the cap undone so I let him know....and he told me where to stick my head and a few other things. Great way to start the morning!
I try to let people out of driveways etc. and they dont even bother looking because they dont expect it.
It's not that the freeways are clogged, it's much worse up in the Bay Area...at least where I am driving.
Did the Zoloft supply run out down here????
 

Scott_lb

Supporting Actor
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Oct 7, 2002
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You have no idea how much I agree with your statement. I could be wrong, but it has been my experiene that driving in Los Angeles is completely different than driving in other large cities (Chicago, DC, Minneapolis, etc.). I have never in my life seen people who seemed nearly as rude and obnoxious on the road.
 

BrettB

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I try to let people out of driveways etc. and they dont even bother looking because they dont expect it.
I'm a very courteous driver but I've cut way down on trying to help other drivers out. Most of the time it just makes matters worse. There has to be a very high probability for success for me to try to help someone out.
 

Jay H

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Try riding out there on a bicycle and dealing with drivers! The majority of the drivers I encounter are fine, but there are the few that think just because you go wide to avoid getting doored by a guy who just pulled into the side to park on the street, you're slowing them down and they will be 10 seconds late for work. The horror! Just the other day, A guy in a P/U truck just pulled onto the side of the street to park and I was coming up on him. I looked in my mirror to merge into the row of cars and this middle aged lady in a Toyota Echo beeps and looks over in my direction as I pull back onto the side street. Now it wasn't a lay on the horn kind of beep but it makes me wonder what on earth was she thinking. Like waiting for a vehicle (me) who has every legal right to take the lane, is going to make her late for work by 10 seconds max. Plus, everybody on the sidestreet is only doing 30mph max while I'm chugging down around 19mph on my MTB.

People are such nasty SOBs because they think they are untouchable in their cages. The courts seem to think so too, unfortunately.

Jay
 

Garrett Lundy

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I drive for a living (ambulette), putting about 100,000 miles a year on the road I have to deal with other drivers alot more than your average Joe. After awhile you just develop a samurai "Death will come any minute" attitude and don't let the other people bother you as much.
 

Grant B

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Well at least I am not the only one who feels this way.
I think it's pretty sad, it's a fairly wealthy area...decent weather(too damn hot for me but most like it), everyone has nice cars, gated houses ....so why the hell is everyone so pissed off??
Just before I left my house, a kid asked me for a smoke. I told him I didn't smoke and he said that he shouldn't be smokin etc....and you know he didn't have a dime to his name ...but he was as nice as can be.
Oh Well 2 more hours and I get to fly home...I cant wait!
 

MickeS

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Exactly. They are rude because they can be, without consequences.

However, there is another reason for it, I believe. When you're in a car, you don't know the motivations behind other people's actions, and unfortunately that means we assume they're evil bastards and react that way to them. It could be that someone just really needs to go to the bathroom and is in a hurry to get home, so is trying to sneak by. If it was on a scooter, we'd see him crossing his legs :), and hear him go "excuse me.... sorry... bathroom emergency..." as he cruised between us. In a car, we'd assume he's just another asshole trying to get ahead.

If we could communicate better between drivers, we'd have much less of the road rage and hostility. I'm pretty sure that as technology advances, something that allows us to interact more with other drivers will emerge. It would (literally) save lives, IMO.
 

Danny Tse

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you just develop a samurai "Death will come any minute" attitude and don't let the other people bother you as much.
Having just come back from Gunagzhou, China, where there doesn't seem to be any traffic laws -- luv it when the taxi driver makes a U-turn on an one way street, then proceed to speed down the street against oncoming traffic -- that's the mentality over there. Given the number of cars, motorcycles, scooters, bicycles, taxis, buses, and pedestrians on the streets, I noticed surprisingly few traffic accidents.
 

Scott Strang

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May 28, 1999
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Yesterday I was at a red light and noticed that the guy next had his gas door open and the cap undone so I let him know....and he told me where to stick my head and a few other things.
Too bad he didn't have a rag stuffed in the receptacle and you with a lighter.:)
 

Zen Butler

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everyone has nice cars, gated houses
I don't even know where to start to contest this. So I won't.

Grant, agreed many drivers here seem to lack patience. This of course extends in other areas. It's in our fast paced fabric. Many are probably very unaware of their disposition. From a resident's standpoint, you just have to give up, turn up your radio, slow down and tune out. You can't police people flying by you at 100 mph. Despite the "sob" factor, it's out of your hands.
 

MarkHastings

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If we could communicate better between drivers, we'd have much less of the road rage and hostility
but then you'd have people telling you they need to go to the bathroom so that you'd let them by (even if they didn't).

When I left for work yesterday morning, there was a fender bender on the main road. I was on a side street trying to get onto the main road, but the accident was right at the intersection I was at and it was hard to get around. I had to wait for the traffic that was approaching the accident and then I had to be certain that the oncoming traffic was clear because I would need to use the other side of the road to get around the accident.

While waiting for the oncomming traffic to clear, this guy pulls up behind me and starts blowing his horn because I wasn't moving. :rolleyes:Where did he think I was supposed to go? The accident was right in front of me! Some people flip out WAY too easily before assessing the situation.


The thing that KILLS me is when someone cuts you off, you beep at them, and they have the nerve to give YOU the finger :eek: There was a response in another thread that has helped me from going balistic in this situation...Those types of people are "assholes" and they'll eventually get what's coming to them in the end.

So everytime you hear of someone being shot at "For no apparent reason", I sometimes like to think that maybe the guy being shot at flipped off the WRONG person and is now paying the price :D
 

Tim Markley

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Jun 12, 1999
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The thing that KILLS me is when someone cuts you off, you beep at them, and they have the nerve to give YOU the finger There was a response in another thread that has helped me from going balistic in this situation...Those types of people are "assholes" and they'll eventually get what's coming to them in the end.
Yea, I always love it when that happens. I can't help but laugh at these people because they're so obviously clueless.
 

Brian Perry

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I'm pretty sure that as technology advances, something that allows us to interact more with other drivers will emerge
That might make things worse...there are times I wish I had a programmable neon sign that I could type in:

"hey idiot--you just made an illegal lane change"
"...you just cut me off"
"...turn on your lights"
"...get out of the left lane unless you're passing"
"...this is a no-truck lane"

etc.
 

Simon_Lepine

Supporting Actor
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Feb 19, 2003
Messages
601
I just wish I had a James Bond kind of car with:

- Spikes or oil to drop behind for people that are tailing me too close

- Missiles up front to blow assholes that cut me, drive like a madman on cocaine or generally show total disregard for those around him.
 

Mark Zimmer

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I know what you mean. If they pass the concealed carry law here I will be sorely tempted to use it on the roads.:emoji_thumbsup:
 

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