Coping with Aggressive Drivers

[texanron]

For all of us who live and/or work in high traffic areas aggressive drivers are constantly around us. Long before I acquired my CHL I started noticing how aggitated these folks would get me and decided that I needed to learn ways to not let their antics on the roads get under my skin. I heard or read some thing that really helped me cope with aggressive drivers, "aggrerssive drivers will always be on the road. If you decide to teach one driver a lesson today there would be another half dozen just like 'em tomorrow." Now that I have a CHL, I really find myself conscious about not trying to upset other drivers. I use to drive the speed limit most of the time but lately I have started exceeding that by about 5 mph just to avoid holding up the flow of traffic. This sometimes is not good enough for the tailgater behind me so I ignore him, go my 5 mph over the speed limit and hope at the next traffic light they don't make it a topic they want to bring to my attention. If someone cuts me off in traffic I'm teaching myself to let it go and not gesture my displeasure in the other drivers direction. There are no doubt dozens of things that can occur on the roads that without any knowledge to us have upset someone else who is having a bad day.

I'm looking to my fellow CHL'ers on here for any other tips y'all have about dealing with our fellow drivers.

[speedsix]

...I got the best advice ever in a driver's safety education course when they described the PAC test...I'm a "Parent" driver if I want to change/control/punish other drivers...a child if I drive irresponsibly with no concern for others...and an adult when I drive responsibly, controlling my attitude and compensating with my driving for what the other two groups might do without creating a problem for anyone...I'm also trying to learn to sing, fly, and dance...

[Commander Cody]

I just think to myself that these type of drivers are ignorant, and I'm glad that I'm not as ignorant as them. Stay calm.

[RoyGBiv]

I had an SUV tailgating me down an icy side street a few days ago... So close I couldn't see their front bumper in my rear view mirror, and driving on ice with no clear pavement in sight... My non-CHL self would almost certainly have had a few choice words for the driver. My CHL-self just pulled over at the next opportunity and waited for them to pass before pulling in behind them.

As the car passed, I saw it was driven by a woman who was talking on her cell phone (while tailgating me on an icy road)...

[Dave2]

I've always asked myself, "Haven't I done that very same thing to somebody else?" If not, I move to, "Can I plausibly see myself making that same mistake?" Just asking myself those two questions keeps me pretty calm on the roads (really, I can almost always stop after the first one).

[Oldgringo]

I've always asked myself, "Haven't I done that very same thing to somebody else?" If not, I move to, "Can I plausibly see myself making that same mistake?" Just asking myself those two questions keeps me pretty calm on the roads (really, I can almost always stop after the first one).

Not me. I'm the senile old guy who's driving 5 mph BELOW the posted speed limit in the outside lane. It is I and others like me who cause road rage and the really big wrecks.

Why is it that some are ate up with, and prepared to quote, the laws relating to CHL but seem to think the posted speed limit is only a suggesion.

[chasfm11]

One of the RV forums that I frequent had a saying - FIDO (forget it, drive on). Even before I got my CHL, I found that was the best course of action. I have violated it a few times - at my peril. I have first hand experience that says that people who are willing to drive that aggressively are willing to kill you in the process of confirming how irresponsible they are. I do not have a suicidal streak in me and am not willing to start any sort of an escalation where having one is a necessity.

Our RV has an air horn. It isn't mounted on top but underneath the front grill - about level with the windows on most passenger vehicles. I mistakenly used it to signal my displeasure with drivers who cut me off (an all too common occurrence) and a variety of other dangerous moves. I lightly tapped it to signal a young girl who was texting on her phone while driving how close she came to running into the side of our vehicle. She went on a 10 minute rampage that nearly killed the people in 30 cars around us. I cannot remember the last time that I used the air horn now. I've made it a rule that the only time it will sound is in the last split second before a collision. As a warning tool (which is what I hoped to use it for), it about useless. Those bent on their own destruction ignore it and it seems to stir up those who have a latent streak toward their own destruction to activate that streak.

Regardless of what I'm driving, I'm looking for the first available opportunity to get off the road and let a tailgater pass and I work extremely hard at anticipating the lunacy of other drivers. In over 30% of my anticipations, I was correct and have to act on the results. I tend to be no more than a couple of mph over the speed limit under any conditions (Our Town is famous for speeding tickets for 3mph over) and I'm almost never anyplace but the right most lane.

The situations that almost make me forget about FIDO are where there are multiple lanes and not another car in sight except the one parked 5 feet from my back bumper. I've signaled and moved to the adjacent empty lanes - and had the tailgater follow me. Then, I wish that I could eject 'Stop Sticks" off the back of my vehicle.

[WildBill]

I'm looking to my fellow CHL'ers on here for any other tips y'all have about dealing with our fellow drivers.

Based on your comments I would say that you are getting close to mastering "your problem". That is not a dig at you. When you realize that you can't control the actions of other drivers and accept that, you can then deal with your own feelings and actions. The best thing for you to do is just make the best of it and alter your driving habits to insure your own safety. I think that they called it "defensive driving."

When another motorist does something stupid or unsafe and you get mad, the other driver doesn't care or even know if you are mad. They are so self-absorbed that they don't even think about you or even know that you exist. So when you get mad or do something you are only upsetting yourself and putting yourself through un-necessary stress. Don't let the actions of others control you. This philosophy applies to life, not just aggressive drivers.

This sums it up pretty well: God, grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change, Courage to change the things I can, And wisdom to know the difference.

[Oldgringo]

I'm looking to my fellow CHL'ers on here for any other tips y'all have about dealing with our fellow drivers.

Based on your comments I would say that you are getting close to mastering "your problem". That is not a dig at you. When you realize that you can't control the actions of other drivers and accept that, you can then deal with your own feelings and actions. The best thing for you to do is just make the best of it and alter your driving habits to insure your own safety. I think that they called it "defensive driving."

When another motorist does something stupid or unsafe and you get mad, the other driver doesn't care or even know if you are mad. They are so self-absorbed that they don't even think about you or even know that you exist. So when you get mad or do something you are only upsetting yourself and putting yourself through un-necessary stress. Don't let the actions of others control you. This philosophy applies to life, not just aggressive drivers.

This sums it up pretty well: God, grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change, Courage to change the things I can, And wisdom to know the difference.

Well said.

A great lesson for living and...

[Big Tuna]

Some of the worst aggressive drivers are left lane hogs.

[Texas Size 11]

I usually smile and wave to them...that probably has come from riding a motorcyle a lot and knowing that I have no chance if it gets ugly.

I've just accepted it for what it is and don't get bothered any more by them. Let them go by and don't worry about it. Life's too short to get caught up getting bent out of shape about idiots because you'd be mad all of the time.

[texanron]

Based on your comments I would say that you are getting close to mastering "your problem". That is not a dig at you.

I didn't think it was a dig at me. Thanks for your insight.

Some of the worst aggressive drivers are left lane hogs.

Are you talking about the left lane on a multi-lane highway/freeway/interstate or any place there is more than one lane?

[Ropin]

You don't tug on Superman's cape /You don't spit into the wind / You don't pull the mask off that ol' Lone Ranger and you don't mess around with Jim (or Slim).

My vehicle is paid for and insured, but I see no point in starting or continuing a multi-thousand pound shoving match when there's no way to even come close to maintaining some semblance of control. Since I have no way of knowing how far Mr. Angry-pants is willing to go, I'm not willing to poke the hornet nest with a stick. My doing so won't make him a better driver, so there's nothing to be gained.

[suthdj]

I just verbally abuse them for a few minutes.................................... Sadly they never hear me from inside my car.
Then all is good until next idiot comes along then he/she gets a taste of the same.

All in all not much I can do about them except vent to myself.

Now if I see a drunk driver I will call 911 and follow until police say to break off, done this on 2 occasions.