Road Rage Random Thoughts Thread

[Lace Neil Singer]

To the dickhead who ran the red light at the pelican crossing, I hope that when you get home, you step on infinate legos.

[BPFH]

The signs on the highway say this:

MOVE OVER OR SLOW DOWN FOR STOPPED EMERGENCY VEHICLES

Note the wording.

Move over or slow down.

Move over OR slow down.

Move over OR slow down.

One is sufficient. Both are not required.

That is all...

[protege]

One is sufficient. Both are not required.

Neither is slamming on the brakes, when an emergency vehicle is coming the other way...and you're on the opposite side of a divided highway. Seriously, do they really think that a fire truck is going to jump a 3-foot-high Jersey barrier? You can see the lights, hear the siren, and the truck is on the other side of the wall. There's no reason to stop, unless you're trying for the "Biggest Douche in the Universe" award.

[Deserted]

Yesterday, I saw a cop in Local Stadium City pull over to "discuss" with a pedestridiot why jaywalking in heavy traffic is a bad idea, especially when one does so directly in front of a police cruiser.

Oh, the evil glee in my eye.

[Dreamstalker]

Oh, if only the jaywalking law in my city were actually enforced...but the fine has to be far steeper than $1 (really old law).

I heard on the news that Singapore is instituting fines for texting while walking (I think it was specifically crossing in a crosswalk, but I'd do fine with fines for texting while walking on a public way).

[Deserted]

I don't think I've ever seen it enforced here before... but then, this guy was especially egregious -- cars were literally having to slam on the brakes to avoid hitting him.

[Dreamstalker]

That's a daily occurrence around here, and you know they know what they're doing.

On my commute home this evening, I saw some fool try to jaywalk in front of a train (not even on the paved crossing ten feet away, she had the stones to run across the gravel and tracks in heels). After that she then ran across the main road during rush hour traffic...somehow survived and of course cops were nowhere to be found.

[Nunavut Pants]

I heard on the news that Singapore is instituting fines for texting while walking ...

Honolulu just did that.

[Deserted]

Oh, hi there, large truck, what'ssssssOH MY GOD I'M GONNA DIE!!!

[deep breath]

[pries knuckles fingers off steering wheel]

Please, for the love of Gord, use your signals! All the other big boys in big trucks do!

[bunrotha]

Dear bint in a BMW X3.

You are on a dual lane road in the airport, which is very strictly no stopping. It's a 30mph road, which is a far cry from the 10mph you're doing. There are clearly defined lanes, you're supposed to pick ONE.

However, that's small fry. What I really want is
STOP STOPPING DEAD IN THE RIGHT HAND LANE because you are lost. FOUR TIMES.

IF you can't manage this, at least stop in the left hand lane so we can all overtake you.

If even that is a trial, could you consider NOT stopping in the right lane, waiting just long enough that the cars behind you start to pull round, then signalling left BUT NOT MOVING?

And, if even that's too much, for the love of Clarkson, once you've stopped, dithered, indicated, and pissed us all off, the one thing I ask above all else- DON'T PUT YOUR DRUGDEALERWAGON INTO REVERSE AND THINK A DOZEN CARS ARE GOING TO REVERSE FOR YOU. Cause we aren't.

[RealUnimportant]

Gatwick or Heathrow? I'm assuming Heathrow 'cause Gatwick's just one loop inside another, while Heathrow can be a little more intimidating. Still, stopping is one thing but trying to reverse? That's some epic level fail.

[protege]

On my commute home this evening, I saw some fool try to jaywalk in front of a train (not even on the paved crossing ten feet away, she had the stones to run across the gravel and tracks in heels).

There's video floating around of someone getting hit by a train. Apparently, she thought that the bell ringing was coming from the stopped Metra train sitting alongside the platform. Rather than wait, she stepped front of that train, started to cross the middle track...only to get killed by a passing train 70mph on Chicago's "racetrack" (the ex-BN line), meant she didn't have a chance.

[RichS]

So, it's been snowing a lot lately around my area. Doesn't matter if school's closed, if I can go in I'm going in; I don't like wasting my vacation days on snow days.

So, dear 4x4 driver, I know you want to go faster by tailgating me, but I can only manage the speed I can, y'know, thanks to the snow, and the ice...

[Aria]

So, dear 4x4 driver, I know you want to go faster by tailgating me, but I can only manage the speed I can, y'know, thanks to the snow, and the ice...

Heh... once I left my condo and was trying to make my way to the chiropractor. I was doing probably 20 mph because the ice. Oh my god the ice. A big white van, probably trying to make deliveries, attempted to pass me... and suddenly hit the ice and realized how bad it was. He ended up turning around to get out of it. I felt vindicated.

[SpyOne]

Dear Drivers,
While this road is wide and straight, it has a speed limit of 25. Probably due to being a residential neighborhood and on-street parking. If traveling at 25 is a major issue for you, I would suggest finding an alternate route.

Also, while in your mind a scooter = slow, I am in fact doing 10mph over the limit. I chose this route specifically because the law limits me to 35mph (or more accurately says if I am going over 35 then my vehicle magically becomes a motorcycle), and I want to avoid holding up traffic on roads with 45mph limits. I am doing 35 for basically the same reason: given the choice between speeding or being an obstacle in traffic, I pick the one that seems less dangerous.

Which brings me to the meat of my complaint: those among you who feel compelled to cross a double yellow line and pass me.
I can kinda understand the people who do that when I'm doing 25. I mean, the limit is supposed to mean something, but for decades now everybody speeds by at least 5mph, so from your perspective I'm the jerk blocking traffic by driving at the limit.
But when I am doing 10mph over the limit, and exceeding the limit by 40%, and am doing so on a residential street with cars parked on both sides that just happens to, because it runs diagonally, be the shortest route to your destination (saving you several hundred feet over sticking to a road with a 35mph limit), ...
I'll be honest: what I really think about that is that you are far too casual about the consequences of threatening somebody's safety like that. That you need to be shown what it is like to have someone frighten you like that.
That in a world ruled by justice rather than laws, the police would respond to your behavior by subjecting you to several weeks where, at random intervals, they would shoot at you. To make you learn the lesson that making other people afraid for their life is not cool.
Which nobody should have to teach you at this age if your parents raised you right.

If I thought the police would do anything at all, I'd save my lunch money until I could buy a GoPro so I had video evidence of the reckless endangerment I experience on my daily commute, but I suspect the ones that did get taken to court would wind up being a $400 fine and 2 points on their license.
That hardly seems right: cars are recognized as a deadly weapon under the law. Trying to hit someone on purpose is Assault With A Deadly Weapon. Why is operating one recklessly treated as a minor offense? Because if they acted that carelessly with a gun, I guarantee they'd spend at least one night in jail.