I drive slow and how dare you pass me on the road!

[draftermatt]

I was sadly reminded of this story while reading.

Years back my wife (then gf) & I were travelling down MD-295 (Baltimore Washington Parkway) in my Jeep Cherokee (that I miss). Wer'e doing 60-65 MPH in a 55. A guy pulls up beside us in the left lane and changes lanes to get in front of me. Where he promptly slows down to about 45.

I say to my wife "I'm not sure what that was about, but whatever" and I get in the left lane and pass him. Next thing I know he comes roaring up the side of my truck almost clips the passenger side front panel, gets in front of me and slows way down.

So I grab my CB (offroad purposes only where cellphones don't work) and holler for police as my wife grabs her phone and starts calling. Jack ass guns it, as do I to keep up for the tag #. She gives the cops the tag # (I've hit 90 at this point and he's still pulling away) so I slow down and we go on our way.

Never got called into court so I'm sure they didn't catch the guy, and I'd still love to know what I did to piss him off.

There's also the time where I stopped a guy from constantly trying to run some lady off the phone (I almost pulled in front of him so he'd hit me instead of her) because she accidently (and it was an accident) cut him off. Dude spent the next 4 miles trying to run her off the road till he saw me (in front of him) reading his tag number in my rearview while on my cell phone. He too took off like a bat out of hell.

There are times I regret not getting into his lane so she'd get away and he'd either hit me or try and run me off the road. Where I would have let him hit the side of my jeep. Jackass desereved to have to buy me a new truck.

[Boozy]

Awesome story, AnqeiicDemise! I like the karmic bit at the end where the laughees become the laughers.

[Imogene]

I had a few interesting car driving experiences yesterday.
One my fault, and the other... well, probably also my fault, now that I look back at it.

The 'definitely my fault' one?
I sped up to pass someone who came into my lane and slowed way down, and hit an intersection where the road isn't completely level, and, with the speed I was going, I skidded a few times over the bumps. And nearly gave myself a heart attack, I'm glad I was the only one in the car, my parents'd have beat me for that one. I was getting air.

The 'probably my fault' one?
I parked in a Taco Bell parking lot to go inside and order lunch (I do NOT like drive throughs, cause they're always on my bad side. I don't like interacting with people using solely my left hand) Now, apparently, I parked way too far to the left, but I was still in my parking space, and there was no one in the spot to my left.
Just as I was coming out, I notice a guy walking away from this huge, monstrous truck that's parked right next to my car, leaving about three inches between them. I had to squeeze to even get to the driver's door, and couldn't open it enough to get in. I had to climb over the center console from the passenger's side to get out of the parking lot.

[ditchdj]

For those who run driving routes, consider getting some sort of dashcam, or an audio recorder and make notes of anyone who plays road games with you just to mess with you.

That's a serious violation, and a few reports to the police might get them to wise up.

I hear that some do and it comes in real handy when someone jerkoff calls the company on them.

[blas]

I think the people who speed past you, then slow way down, rinse wash repeat, are just what I call Sociopathic Drivers

People with absolutely nothing else to do all day and night long except for drive and annoy everyone on the road with their antics. Other antics include cutting people off, weaving in and out of lanes like weaving a basket, doing burnouts in Wal-Mart parking lots, matching speeds so that no one can pass, matching speed with people merging so that they can't merge, when they are merging they gun it really fast so that everyone has to scramble into the other lane, messing around with semi trucks, etc etc...

[Jack7957]

My biggest peeve are the leap-froggers on the highway. In my work, it's not unusual to drive 3-5 hours on the highway to a job site. I usually drive a little less than traffic, since I'm in no rush, so I keep the cruise control around 68-70mph. At some point at least one car will race up to pass me, get in front, and slow down so that within the next couple miles, I'll catch up and pass them. A few miles after that, they'll do the same. After a couple times of them doing this I'll hit the gas to pass them, and continue going faster than traffic to put some space between them and me.

[Kogarashi]

There is one state highway in the area that actually says "slower traffic keep right."

This one Insterstate in Upstate NY that I drove on regularly only had that sign when they had the third "passing lane" on the right. Otherwise you could really drive in either lane of the highway without a problem, so long as people could still pass you (and it was polite to get back into the right-hand lane if you saw someone gaining on you).

Long stretches of the New York State Thruway (I-90), on the other hand, have signs specifically saying, "Keep Right Except to Pass." And still a good third of the drivers I encountered on the Thruway would be cruising in the left lane with an empty lane to their right. ::sigh::

Regarding passing on a double yellow, I believe in NY it's just an understood exception that you can pass slow farm equipment on them, so long as it's safe. Sign or not, you shouldn't pass otherwise.

[JLRodgers]

This thread just goes to remind me of how bad drivers are all over... Where I am (Illinois) just the other day I had one person driving 30 mph under the speed limit. When it was clear to pass him I did, ended up a cop was approaching. The officer did a double take when he noticed my speed because I was still going under the limit by almost 10mph! I just wish he'd of ticketed the car I passed for obstructing traffic (a line was slowly starting to form of about 10 vehicles).
Shortly after I was passed by someone thinking "85" was the new "55" and passed me like I was standing still.... wished a police car was there then -- he even passed me in a double-yellow line area with a clearly posted "no passing" sign.

I've tried to report people doing that crap before and was outright told the police wouldn't do anything about it since "they didn't see it happen".

[Andara Bledin]

Now, apparently, I parked way too far to the left, but I was still in my parking space, and there was no one in the spot to my left.
Just as I was coming out, I notice a guy walking away from this huge, monstrous truck that's parked right next to my car, leaving about three inches between them. I had to squeeze to even get to the driver's door, and couldn't open it enough to get in. I had to climb over the center console from the passenger's side to get out of the parking lot.

If there was a single other space in the parking lot even reasonably close to where you were, then the guy in the humongous truck is at fault there.

I think some of those trucks should be relegated to parking in the outer Mongolia spaces, just because most parking lots aren't really designed to accommodate really large vehicles.

^-.-^

[Pezzle]

I have a rule of thumb to go 5 over the speed limit on county roads in NJ (50 in 45, 45 in 35 sometimes if my foots heavy and its not so residential). I hate it when people ride my ass and flash their lights on these roads when I go this speed. I usually slow down to 25+ UNDER the speed limit.

There was one occasion where I was coasting and might as well have been in neutral for about 2 minutes until the jerkoff got the point.

[Gurndigarn]

I've tried to report people doing that crap before and was outright told the police wouldn't do anything about it since "they didn't see it happen".

It sucks when it happens, but I'm glad to live in a country where the police actually follow rules and laws (most of the time, anyway). Can you imagine some of our customers if they knew the police would believe anything they were told about a crime?

[sarahj]

We have speed cameras around Melbourne like you wouldn't believe. It's normal for me to pass 2-3 of them on my 3-hour round-trip to uni. So I don't speed - it's illegal and I'd probably get a ticket. I honestly don't care what the "done thing" is, I follow the speed limits. And I don't care if cars pass me, but I hate being tailgated when I'm just following the law.

I use my horn often, cos sooooo many people just don't see my car (big white sedan, crazy but true). When someone makes an illegal move and almost hits me, they get honked. Two or three times if it's a ridiculous thing like merging into my lane while turning onto a freeway when the car is already in a turning lane, plus our two lanes merge into one in like 50 metres, plus the lane the other car is in is the main lane that I would have to give way to anyway. Insane.

If someone tailgates me when I'm doing the speed limit, they get what they deserve. I knock off 10 km/h until they back off or change lanes. Never been honked for doing that. I also never pass people and then slow down. I just happen to enjoy the legal speed limit with no-one up my butt.

[IT Grunt]

And I don't care if cars pass me, but I hate being tailgated when I'm just following the law.

<snip>

If someone tailgates me when I'm doing the speed limit, they get what they deserve. I knock off 10 km/h until they back off or change lanes. Never been honked for doing that. I also never pass people and then slow down. I just happen to enjoy the legal speed limit with no-one up my butt.

Same here. I use the same tactic when someone is on my butt even though I'm following the posted speed limit. I slow way down, until I'm almost to a crawl, and if they continue to ride my tail even though I'm going very slow, I could care less. I've got all the time in the world, how about you asshole?

[protege]

I've got all the time in the world, how about you asshole?

Hehe I do that too! It sure takes them down a few notches. If someone's too close, I simply start slowing down. If they start with their high-beams, I simply use the power mirrors to point the light right back at them. Usually, they back off. However, if they don't...I take my good old time. I'm in no hurry

[Finance Gopher]

I completely understand all of the people who slow down while being tailgated. I want to do it half the time myself. There's just one problem. You are creating a road hazard. If you don't like being tailgated, the responsible thing to do is pull over where it is safe and let the person around you. By slowing down you are not only being sucky to the guy tailgating you, but to every other car stuck behind them. Your suck > tailgater's suck. It's about as acceptable as a cashier or CSR ripping into a SC in front of other customers (or, if a cop is present, a manager).