Rex Kramer 5000+ posts
12/22/11 12:28 AM
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I thought of another [censored] story from 7 years ago. This dude that looked about my size sitting in his Jeep Wrangler cut me off on Kirby in Houston, right at the Westheimer intersection. I was heading north on Kirby, and got the guy back by cutting him off myself right about the time we got to the light in the left hand turn lane to get on Westheimer. At this point, we were honking at each other and generally comparing [censored] sizes. I was seething, and decided instead of turning left onto Westheimer, I'd pull into the shopping center at the NW corner. Why, I don't know, but I was not in a good frame of mind.
He followed me, riding my ass. Which only pissed me off further. Once in the parking lot, I put the car in park and got out. Now, I thought this guy was about my size. I'm 6'4'' 215. As soon as I turn toward the Jeep, a guy about the size of Dolph Lundgren is sprinting at me with Teddy Lehman speed. Seriously, the guy was a few inches taller than me, at least 250, completely ripped in a smedium shirt (I'd like to think he had a barb wire tat), all-out sprinting directly at me with clear 4.4 speed. I exited my car prepared to assail him with M'erF'er bombs, and I turned to face a combo of Ivan Drago ready to break me bearing down on me with the speed of the fastest LB'er ever to play college ball.
I did what any honorable person would do. In a sobering moment of self-preservation, I turned back to my car like a complete vagina, threw it in drive, and peeled out in the parking lot. I was able to do this because when Drago exited his car, he left while I continued driving. So I had just the amount of time to get back in my car. As I peeled out, the guy's hands were reaching out on my Tahoe's taillights. After peeling out, I thought the problem was left in the dust. But this guy, kept chasing, and it became clear to me this was the kind of guy who'd throw his fist through my back or side window, or my front window. It was 10 or 11 on a weeknight, without much traffic, but I still floored it onto Westheimer without looking. The distance from my peel-out to the lot exit was about 75 yards, and this guy was to the side of my rear window the entire time. As I executed the turn, this guy actually dove onto Westheimer after my car. He was literally in the right hand lane of Westheimer, sprawled out, as I drove away. Yeah, I completely pussed out, and it was the smartest decision I had made that day and one of the smartest of my life. The whole ordeal toward the end was one of the most surreal experiences of my life.
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Dionysus 5000+ posts
12/22/11 11:29 AM
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Mr Angry Motorist could use a little meditation to help calm him down.
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mcbrett 2500+ posts
12/22/11 03:41 PM
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Rex, all I have to say is, "wow."
My wife always says, "what if the guy has a gun"- and I joke- what if they wonder if I do? But secretly, whether it's a gun or a NFL D-Lineman it's a huge risk to have road rage and I am as guilty as you are for occasionally losing it.
That being said, it really pisses me off when you get shoved with a car or have your life put at stake so someone else can shave 10 seconds off their drive. Grrrrr..
Someday I'll move to the country so I can chill out..
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NickDanger 10,000+ posts
12/22/11 03:57 PM
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I was the recipient of a shotgun blast on Hwy 16 between Bandera and Medina (totally random I think) so the country is perhaps more likely to be either armed or a goat roper who needs love too.
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buckhorn 2500+ posts
12/22/11 05:25 PM
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No.
I get mad when people don't make any effort to make a light, but I would never communicate that to the other driver, who has a right to drive as they desire so long as they do it safely.
I will honk at someone who does something dangerous, i.e., cuts me off or comes through a stop sign without stopping, but I won't do anything more than the horn.
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mcbrett 2500+ posts
12/23/11 07:12 AM
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Actually if you do nothing more than the horn as Buckhorn said- you are of a similar mind set as me and some of the other road ragers. Like me, you're wanting to convey to an idiot or dangerous driver what they did was really bad, you're upset about it, you don't want your car's paint or your health risked because they made a mistake- it's just that in addition to the horn sometimes I've given the finger or comment with windows rolled down.
I fully admit that most likely my venting may likely have zero effect on whether or not the other driver realizes what he did, why its bad and whether or not he'll improve in the future- however I still sometimes do it because as flawed as it is I want to feel like there's either a chance he will realize the mistake and improve- or at the least understand that the road involves other people who hate his style of driving.
Honking is simply level 1 of road rage
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Y Sanchez 1000+ posts
01/06/12 10:08 AM
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In reply to:
My road rage potential has disappeared since moving away from Dallas - and I moved to SoCal. Dallas is the selfish, [censored] motorist capital of the world.
There is no doubt about that. I wish every driver in Dallas had to go drive in Houston for a year. Those that lived could come back.
Dallas is the mystery traffic jam capital of the Universe. One car can tap its brakes and the freeway will be backed up for a mile in two seconds.
"Personally, I believe a rocking hammock, a good cigar, and a tall gin-and-tonic is the way to save the planet." P.J. O'Rourke
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jcdenton 2500+ posts
01/06/12 11:16 AM
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One of my best friends has road rage issues and has had at least three incidents become physical confrontations. This last time, my friend (I'll call him "Paul") was coming out of a parking lot and yielding to another guy who was driving down main road. But instead of continuing to go straight, the guy pulls into the parking lot without using his turn signal. This pisses my friend off because he had to wait, when he could have just pulled out onto the main road if the guy had used his turn signal, so Paul rolls his window down and flicks the guy off right to his face as he passes right by.
The guy then stops his car right there and gets out of his truck, and Paul does the same. The parking lot was pretty busy and already there are cars pulling up behind both vehicles and getting blocked, so those cars start honking at them. The guy walks right up to Paul and starts yelling at him, but Paul is so enraged he can’t even process what the guy’s saying, and when he gets close enough Paul clocks the guy right on the jaw.
It’s a clean hit and at this point Paul expects the guy to be pretty [censored] up but he shows no effect. He also sees that this guy’s face looks pretty [censored] up to begin with, as if he had been in a lot of fights before, so he starts thinking he may have made a big mistake.
Paul is just about to hit him again, when the guy puts his hands up defensively, cowers back, and says “Wait!! Hold on a second”. He then calmly walks back to his car, opens the driver’s side door, flips his turn signal switch in both directions, and… nothing.
UT Highlight Videos:
jcdenton40.com
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NEWDOC2002 2500+ posts
01/06/12 07:26 PM
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In reply to:
Someday I'll move to the country so I can chill out..
It's pretty hard to get mad at the 85 y/o granny doing 50 in a 70 out in the sticks but there is usually a passing lane within a mile or so. Plus everyone knows who you are so you keep minding your manners.
It's surprising what anonymity and 2 tons of automobile will do to peoples inhibitions.
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l00p 25,000+ posts
01/09/12 01:31 AM
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I had some road rage last night. I have to confess. Last night I rolled my eyes a couple of times!
I use cruise control and love it. There are always those cars not using it and it's obvious. You pass them. They then pass you. Your speed has not changed and you pass them again. Wait, they now speed up in the lane to the right. You cannot pass now unless you floor it. Hang back, get back in lane so others can pass you as they are going much faster. Don't want to be that guy.
Hey look, it's that guy again now going ten under the limit. Pass 'em. Three minutes later they creep up again. So I roll my eyes as this game goes on. My speed never waivers. Why can they not make it easier on themselves? I guess they don't have cruise control or know how it works?
Well, I showed them.
Is that fair?
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Dionysus 5000+ posts
01/09/12 02:38 PM
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In reply to:
Well, I showed them.
Oh they just got told.
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l00p 25,000+ posts
01/09/12 09:04 PM
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Oh they just got rolled! Had they seen my eyes roll they would have lost control of the steering wheel. I have mad skills.
Is that fair?
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accuratehorn 10,000+ posts
01/09/12 09:43 PM
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I have graduated to a new stage of road rage reaction. I used to shoot the finger at the guilty parties. But I eventually decided there were people with guns, wackos, retaliators, drunks, the mentally ill, and aggy behind the wheel, so why antagonize them.
I switched to the milder response, honking at them. Then I evolved further, aided by extensive readings authored by the Dalai Lama. Now I don't honk at anyone. But I flash my bright lights.
So if you cut a car off in traffic and they flash their lights at you, they are really shooting you the finger, but in a peaceful, gentlemanly way. I hope you appreciate the gesture.
Knowledge is good
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Uninformed 10,000+ posts
01/10/12 07:53 PM
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In reply to:
So if you cut a car off in traffic and they flash their lights at you, they are really shooting you the finger, but in a peaceful, gentlemanly way. I hope you appreciate the gesture.
I moon my evil driving enemies. So if you see a guy drop trou while standing on the seat of his car on cruise control, that is me and my way of saying f... you.
Hookem
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l00p 25,000+ posts
01/11/12 12:21 AM
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That could be construed as a please F me, right?
Is that fair?
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Statalyzer 25,000+ posts
02/03/12 03:05 PM
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In reply to:
The way people drive says a lot about them, who they are and what kind of person they are. Drive douchey...be douchey.
Yep.
In reply to:
You may be right but that makes about 100% of the population douches.
And ... ?
In reply to:
I was the recipient of a shotgun blast on Hwy 16 between Bandera and Medina (totally random I think) so the country is perhaps more likely to be either armed or a goat roper who needs love too.
At first I thought you said "goat raper".
We're Texas
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Gadfly 1000+ posts
02/09/12 10:56 PM
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In reply to:
I use cruise control and love it. There are always those cars not using it and it's obvious. You pass them. They then pass you. Your speed has not changed and you pass them again. Wait, they now speed up in the lane to the right. You cannot pass now unless you floor it. Hang back, get back in lane so others can pass you as they are going much faster. Don't want to be that guy.
This made me laugh. I go through the same process.
What's real fun is the truckers. You know they almost always have cruise control, but you'll get that one trucker who is going just a hair slower. You think, "Am I gaining, or are we staying the same?" You eventually realize you're gaining, and then you think, "Should I speed up to complete the pass quickly? Am I bothering him if I take 2 minutes to pass?"
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l00p 25,000+ posts
02/10/12 12:03 AM
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ME TOO!!! Trust me, just pass him. He does not like you lingering next to him any more than you do.
Is that fair?
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Statalyzer 25,000+ posts
02/14/12 09:31 PM
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In reply to:
I use my brain and love it. There are always those drivers not using it and it's obvious. You pass them. They then pass you. Your speed has not changed and you pass them again. Wait, they now speed up in the lane to the right. You cannot pass now unless you floor it. Hang back, get back in lane so others can pass you as they are going much faster.
Fixed it for you.
We're Texas
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DallasCowpoke 1000+ posts
02/16/12 07:38 PM
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I SO miss the days when this was the norm for vehicles in this state, and the half-cocked, hair-triggered driver was the rarity.
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