One-Upper Almost Pwned...

[blas]

I'm going to say almost pwnded because I DID get the point across, but since he still managed to squeeze away without hitting my car or anyone else's, it's not a full victory.

If anyone is still wondering, "one upping" is probably something you all experience every day, or almost.

The best example would be on a freeway or highway, when you're merging, and someone behind you thinks you're merging too slow or just wants to blast in there, and right as the merge lane is coming to a close, they will skip around you and merge in before you, causing you to have to make a split decision quickly....do you still merge in and risk an accident, or do you slow down and let them have their way and get around you?

Yesterday, I was merging, and I'm sure I was going fast enough where I'd fit right in once the merge lane ended. But of course, to the dumbass in the giant fancy SUV behind me, I was going far too slow, dontcha know you're supposed to merge at 80+ mph?!!?!

Anyway, it got to that point where the lane was going to end.....there were vehicles on the freeway already in both lanes, but that didn't stop Mr. SUV from quickly weaving around me and hopping into the right lane before the merge lane ended. I said "Oh FUCK no!" and merged over myself, leaving just inches between our bumpers, and that's when he said "Oh yeah?!" and he cut off someone in the left lane to jerk over there and then rocket away as fast as he pleased.

Oh well, I got the point across. I was NOT going to hit the brakes or lay off the gas just to let him have his way.

[Lurking Sockpuppet]

cool, WTG

[LillFilly]

Hey! That happened to me yesterday! You're psycic!

But today, a woman tried to kill me by pulling-out of a drive into my lane, then stopping perpendicular to me and just...sitting there. Somehow I got my car to go from 40-stop in about 5-feet! I might have broken something...

[blas]

I've noticed that trend ever since Saturday...people, even on the busiest residential or business streets, just SITTING there. Gosh only knows what the hell they are doing..most likely drooling and contemplating the difference between left and right....

And then it happened this morning after I left my parents' house. One of those enormous Econoline vans the size of small buses, just sitting at the stop sign, not even signalling, just SITTING there....I gave him thirty seconds after I looked around and saw he wasn't waiting for traffic to clear, I blasted the horn and he took off.....and proceeded to turn down another street and then park it and just sit THERE as well. Dude, find a parking lot to just sit and contemplate life in.

[Gerrinson]

Ah, yes, a similar mentality I see around here is the 'must be FIRST!!!ELEVENTY!!!' mentality. And particularly I see it in Maine when I'm driving up the highway (no offense the Maine natives, but some people up there are complete idiots - same here, of course )

The one guy, driving a big oversized pickup, was in front of me going north on 95 a few years back. We were the only two vehicles in the northbound lanes from Bangor to Houlton. For those not familiar with the area, that's about 120 miles or so.

Just north of Bangor, I was driving in the right hand lane and caught up to him. I moved to the left well before I reached him, passed him, and moved back into the right lane with about 5 car lengths between us.

Clearly, passing him was an incredible insult to his ego, as he slammed on the gas, passed me, and then pulled back in front of me. At which point he slammed on the brakes and dropped back to a speed slower than I was traveling (on cruise control, so my speed was constant.)

I simply pulled back to the left and maintained my speed, moving back to the right when I had passed him again.

Well, he passes me again, hits the brakes, yadda yadda, wash rinse repeat for 120 miles.

Now, if you're going to go slower than the posted speed limit on a major highway, why get upset about being passed?

I get the same thing going to work, but its a two lane road, so I often get stuck behind them at 10 - 15 mph under the speed limit. If you want to go that slow, why not let other people by?

Idiots.

[blas]

I don't understand that, either. That happens to me at least once per week, if not then it happens biweekly, and it only seems to happen when I'm driving home later in the morning (9 or 11) from doing overtime.....it's usually a Bumpkin in a pickup truck or SUV that can't stand someone being in front of them, but they really don't want to go more than 55 mph...they'll start speeding up as soon as they see you approaching and before you even signal to get in the other lane!

[wolfie]

I've had that happen to me a few times. I'd be motoring along I90 with the cruise set at 56 (for fuel economy), and be slowly gaining on the car in front. I'd pull out to pass, and start accelerating, but for some reason I wouldn't be gaining on them any more. Eventually, I'd trigger the "driver endangerment device" (most trucking companies have them, and they're mandatory in the jurisdiction where I'm based - it's a gizmo that, when you're trying to complete a pass in a short enough distance to be safe, causes a sudden and complete loss of power once you reach an arbitrary speed) and still not be able to pass them. When I pulled back behind them, naturally they'd cut their speed to what it had been before.

[Chromatix]

A similar phenomenon appears to be the reason why the speed limits for the Helsinki Metro and the adjacent main road (Itäväylä) are the same in each direction - but different between the directions. It means that cars don't end up trying to race the train and going over the speed limit as a result.