Road Rager Didn't Like Me Driving the Speed Limit

[AustinBoy]

I was that crazy driver screaming and yelling for the person to get out of my way and speeding down the highway back when I was 22.

I just left the scene of the accident where my best friend was injured.

I was trying to make it to the hospital before he died.

I made it. He died 2 days later.

You never know why the person behind you is acting the way they are.

If they are an idiot, is it really that hard to just get out of their way? (when possible)

If there IS an emergency, do you really want to be the guy "teaching him a lesson" as something tragic is going on?

I have no idea what the situation is so I just get out the way.

AB

(true story unfortunately)

[cewait]

A few months ago I was turning left out of my culdesac onto a subdivision through street. Speed limit 30. Coming around the bend from the left was a dude traveling at 45-50. He started honking and flashing lights and I just stopped once clear thinking he may need something... then came the one finger salute. He slammed the brakes once he saw me slow up and started to come out of the pickup. The funny stuff starts to happen. He hooked his foot on something as he came out of the truck and did a face plant in the middle of the road. That made him rage a little harder... until he noticed the truck was not in park and he had to decide between me or the pickup starting to move away.

Too bad you didn't have one of those car-based cameras... I'd have loved to've seen that on YouTube.

I purchased a GoPro camera just after the incident.... I really wish that I had it that day.

[OldCurlyWolf]

I usually never exceed the posted speed limit and most often drive 5-10 mph under it. If y'all are in that big of a rush to beat me to the next town or red light, you need to leave your starting point a little earlier.

In case your looking for it, It's an inferno red Dodge 2500 Cummins with a Rancher grill guard in front and a honkin' big trailer hitch in back. In between, is a cool, steely-eyed and armed, Sr. Gent enjoying your highway antics.

Y'all be careful, ya hear?

Sounds like me and my ride in a different color. Mine is metallic gold.

[Reserve161]

[quote="03Lightningrocks"]By the way... In that situation, a "throwing the hands in the air gesture", can be interpreted in a negative way. To many people, this is actually a challenge. It is similar to saying "so what you going to do about it", just after doing something mean to someone. [generous snip]

Most of the time, the situation at the time of the hand gesture is utilized to interpret the meaning.

[another snip]


I agree and want to add that different cultures interpret hand gestures differently. Acceptable gestures here are
offensive to many if not most other cultures....

[WildBill]

By the way... In that situation, a "throwing the hands in the air gesture", can be interpreted in a negative way. To many people, this is actually a challenge. It is similar to saying "so what you going to do about it", just after doing something mean to someone. [generous snip]

Most of the time, the situation at the time of the hand gesture is utilized to interpret the meaning.

[another snip]


I agree and want to add that different cultures interpret hand gestures differently. Acceptable gestures here are
offensive to many if not most other cultures....

Do you care to provide some examples?

[03Lightningrocks]

By the way... In that situation, a "throwing the hands in the air gesture", can be interpreted in a negative way. To many people, this is actually a challenge. It is similar to saying "so what you going to do about it", just after doing something mean to someone. [generous snip]

Most of the time, the situation at the time of the hand gesture is utilized to interpret the meaning.

[another snip]


I agree and want to add that different cultures interpret hand gestures differently. Acceptable gestures here are
offensive to many if not most other cultures....

Do you care to provide some examples?

I realize you weren't asking me but I want to play. I remember reading somewhere that extending the right hand to some cultures is offensive. I think it has something to do with the "three seashell issue" .

[sjfcontrol]

By the way... In that situation, a "throwing the hands in the air gesture", can be interpreted in a negative way. To many people, this is actually a challenge. It is similar to saying "so what you going to do about it", just after doing something mean to someone. [generous snip]

Most of the time, the situation at the time of the hand gesture is utilized to interpret the meaning.

[another snip]


I agree and want to add that different cultures interpret hand gestures differently. Acceptable gestures here are
offensive to many if not most other cultures....

Do you care to provide some examples?

The "hitchhiker's" thumb gesture in some Eastern European cultures is a request for a homosexual encounter.
The American gesture for money (rubbing thumb and fingers together) means "I want to pick my nose" in some asian cultures, and when done behind the back, means "I just did".

At least that's what I've been told...

[Reserve161]

Look up the "Thumbs Up" gesture.
I would provide some links but many would fail the "12-year old daughter rule"

Or our "OK" gesture.
Both are equivalent to the "one-finger" salute in some other cultures.

[Reserve161]

And offering anything with your left hand is offensive to many cultures (middle-eastern mostly?) as
the left hand is considered unclean.
I don't consider myself any kind of authority on this but a class in cultural awareness many years ago helped at
least open my eyes to these differences.

And since we are such a melting-pot of cultures one never knows what the perspective is of someone
else in that road-rage scenario.

[03Lightningrocks]

Austinboy makes a good point. The person in that car driving aggressively may be trying to get a loved one to the hospital. It is easy to think a person should call an ambulance, but when seconds count, an ambulance is only fifteen or twenty minutes away.

The thought has crossed my mind before when I see a car coming up fast from behind. I have been in this situation myself as I tried to rush someone to the hospital. I had my emergency flashers going and was constantly flashing my lights on and off as I came up on anyone. Fortunately, I didn't run into any citizen traffic law enforcers on my trip and folks got the heck out of my way.

[recaffeination]

I quit being in a self-important and imaginary hurry several years ago.

It takes a different kind of imaginary self importance to intentionally block someone in a hurry from passing.

To put some CHL content to it, that behavior is textbook "P" ego state from the NVDR part of class.

[Oldgringo]

I quit being in a self-important and imaginary hurry several years ago.

It takes a different kind of imaginary self importance to intentionally block someone in a hurry from passing.

To put some CHL content to it, that behavior is textbook "P" ego state from the NVDR part of class.

1. A failure to plan on someone else's part does not create an immediate, and potentially hazardous, emergency on my part.
2. The "P" ego state from the NVDR part of CHL class is what? Enlighten me, if you please.

[gras]

With the class fresh in my mind, I think you just proved his point.

[sjfcontrol]

Parent

[RoyGBiv]

So just to follow up, since I started this one....

Lots of good points about just getting out the way and letting an aggravated driver move along. If the situation allows, I move over. Even on a two lane, I'll move over to the shoulder if the shoulder seems reasonably clear of debris. I like this practice. I've rarely ever seen it outside of Texas, so I feel very "Texan" when I do it. I've also slowed down and moved over to enable someone to more safely pass me in a passing zone. And when I'm on my motorcycle, I get out of the way of aggressive drivers as quickly as I can do so safely, many times that means just twisting the throttle and creating distance, then getting out of the way asap.

In the case of the original post, in a construction zone that I knew was about 2 miles long, I chose to just proceed on my way without making any changes to my driving. I didn't consciously decide that it would cause more trouble than it fixed if I was to turn into a side street and u-turn, but that would have been the only way for me to to let the guy by. There was no shoulder, just two-way traffic in 2 tight lanes with cones on the outside blocking the shoulders and workers on the shoulders. I do recall thinking that since I was already over the limit, speeding up further was not an available solution.

So from what still seems like 2 "reasonable" options, stay the course or turn off the road, I figured just staying the course for another mile or so was the best solution. There were no indicators that the guy was having any emergency, and there was nobody else in his car.

Some other good suggestions about the car cameras.... Definitely going to add that to my wish list for Christmas.

Thanks to all for a good discussion..