Road bullying

[xintersecty]

I dont know if this applies or not but I notice a definite difference on how I'm treated by other drivers depending on what car I'm in. Example being if I'm in the Aveo it seems as if I'm almost invisible to other cars larger than I but if I'm driving my Suburban then the whole game changes.

Of all the comments, I like this one the best. I have a Ford Ranger, not so bad on tail-haters (pun). As soon I am in the aveo, small car gets pushed around by some stupid SUV way to f'ng close. I used to be bad about tail-gating and I learned that keeping more distance actually allowed me to maneuver better and/or distance to accelerate.

This morning I had a dumb biatch tail-gate me, as I was accelerating to pass. She was all over me and I let her know not to play with me and then I let her go. I loved watching her tail-every over person up the high-way this morning. She was part of the me generation!

Yes I do think that aggressive driving is on the rise. We have all the factors mentioned before (small vs. big, me generation, distracted driving, stupid people). I took a safety driving class this past fall and we over aggressive driving, I am just as guilty as the next A-hole.

I wish law-enforcement would do stuff curb the behavior instead of pulling people for speeding. On the way to church on sunday, we had three cars pulled over on a empty road. The police here are too lazy to enforce things that would make a difference instead they do easy things like speeding. If there are any police on the forum I would like to here your views as I know you have a way too tough of a job.

For example: Statistically about 1/4 of accidents are directly reported to speeding then an other 1/4 are control violations (traffic lights and such), I sure don't see cops stopping people for running red lights and I assure you that the big thing to do in the south.

Now I am going to get on my soap box about our car culture. I love my cars and my aveo, but dammit cars are dangerous and can really kill you. Every time you pass somebody slower on the road (cyclist, mo-ped, scooter) how much room do you give them to pass? A lot or do you just zip right by? This sunday in the parking lot, I had a stupid old man skim with the nose of his car as I was locking my door he passed within a foot of my body. If had hit the accelerator, I would have been pinned and seriously hurt. Don't take chances with lives, don't take chances with the care and injury anybody.

Cars are dangerous.

By the way, I don't believe in car accidents just poor risk assessment as somebody made a choice to injury somebody.

And just in case of staying the right hand lane, cars are dangerous!

[petrified.rabbit]

i've found people only peek to change lanes on the highway instead of accessing the speed of the car your going to pull in front of. many times i will see a driver turn his head and look at me when i am 4-5 car lengths behind, but then when they actually go to change lanes i am beside them. or will change lanes to pass a mack truck right as i am coming up beside them..

when it comes to "aggressive" i am very aggressive. but i am courteous. i don't rage to other drivers but i do speed on ope highway. i take corners fast, etc. But i do not speed in residential areas, i always wait for other drivers to move over so i can pass them (two chances), and give cushions, etc if they deserve it. I know exactly what i can and cannot do in my car so i respect that as well.

they teach you to be a defensive driver, i am offensive.. i am trying to get to my "end zone" without being touched by any of the defensive drivers..

things that drive me crazy (short list)

quickly pulling out in front of me (even running a stop sign in some instances) to go no where. 40mph might be way to fast to pull out of the parking lot, side street, whatever, but when the speed limit on the road is 55, staying at 40 once your in front of me is unacceptable. you should have waited to pull out.

having to pass the car in the fast lane that was in front of you when it pulls over.. if the fast lane is going 70-75 mph and the front car pulls over, why do you need to stay in the fast lane until your in front of them, especially if they dont slow down? or if i was the front car why do you need to accelerate to 90mph to pass me, then slow down again once i get stuck behind you?

moving right to turn left, and left to turn right. been so close to getting sideswiped so many times because the guy in the hummer, escalade thinks they can just pull into the other lane to make the turn in the opposite direction.

coming to a complete stop to turn right.

[xintersecty]

when it comes to "aggressive" i am very aggressive. but i am courteous. i don't rage to other drivers but i do speed on ope highway. i take corners fast, etc. But i do not speed in residential areas, i always wait for other drivers to move over so i can pass them (two chances), and give cushions, etc if they deserve it. I know exactly what i can and cannot do in my car so i respect that as well.

Right on Rabbit! And well said!

[Thymeclock]

Florida is one of the worst states I've been in for poor drivers. One of the reasons I'm moving back to upstate NY is because I know some ****ty driver is going to crash their 3 ton SUV into my Aveo and kill/maim me if I live in Florida much longer. Sorry for the negativity/rant, but the real reason that people are more aggressive is because most drivers out there leave something to be desired.

Since I'm in metro NY I can say that most of the lousy drivers are former NY'ers (mostly retirees) that moved to Florida. Some of them still go back and forth (from the FL plates we see here). I call them 'Floridiots'. Many are elderly and probably couldn't pass a driver's test if they were retested. The old joke is that in Florida they sometimes drive on the sidewalks.

But NY is a lot to blame, too. In the past decade, since about 1990, NY state was handing out driver's licenses to virtually anyone who could sign their names. The licensing fees are a lucrative form of revenue. And then there are the immigrants (both legal and illegal) who are driving without any licenses.

You mentioned "predictable". That's the type that bothers me the most, the unpredictable. You can't take your eyes off them for a moment, as they might do something stupid.

[petrified.rabbit]

the thing with florida is all the illegals (in the past decade or so). they all come here, drive cars, and don't have insurance. But most of them come from countries where roads are one lane and you go around each other and they don't really have driving laws.. like haiti. My friend told me when he visited there, most of the road connecting the towns were one lane and it was a game of chicken and or being run off the road to drive on.. it was one of the few times in he life he said he was truly scared for his life. then in the cities, more of the roads are only 1 1/2 cars wide. so they swerve around people where they can..

now they drive on 4 lane highways in florida, they probably don't understand what the lines are for.

[AveoGirl]

I will have to say that driving in Miami is a nightmare because not only there are a lot violent people but crazy and get pissed off for anything simple.

[Aveeo]

How are you affected by this?

Can you provide some specific examples of what you call "road bullying"?

Seeing me right turn onto the road and slam the gas pedal down through the floor. This is usually a Dodge Ram or any of the new Midsize crossover vehicles attempting this behavior. I don't go until there is plenty of space to safely accelerate, but there will always be that one jackass.
I'd be cruising along in the right lane (55 mph speed limit) and have someone fly on my tail with 3 free lanes of traffic free to use. They play chicken on some of these back roads; the rednecks like to knock old people in Buicks off the road for fun. The people like to park on both sides on narrow 2 lane city streets, and they like to go about 20 over the speed limit in the middle of the road.

It's uncalled for behavior, it affects me because my insurance flew sky high when I first moved here. I can drive in Atlanta in rush hour no problem, but this playing chicken crap gets old really fast.

[Thymeclock]

the thing with florida is all the illegals (in the past decade or so). they all come here, drive cars, and don't have insurance.

I can't attest to the law in every state, but I'd bet it is the same universally: you cannot register a car without documented proof of insurance. Sure, you might have a license (or not) and can drive someone else's car, but to own (read: get plates for) a vehicle you need proof of having liability insurance. [/quote]

[Thymeclock]

Seeing me right turn onto the road and slam the gas pedal down through the floor. This is usually a Dodge Ram or any of the new Midsize crossover vehicles attempting this behavior. I don't go until there is plenty of space to safely accelerate, but there will always be that one jackass.

Well, if you slowly creep out at the last second in front of someone going the speed limit on a major thoroughfare, don't expect them to be happy if they need to slam on their brakes to avoid your not yielding right of way.

OTOH, if you did have plenty of room to enter reasonably, and are driving responsibly, all you need do is ignore them completely. Once you have entered and are both proceeding in the same direction you need not worry about being rear ended. In rear end collisions the offending vehicle is entirely at fault.

I'd be cruising along in the right lane (55 mph speed limit) and have someone fly on my tail with 3 free lanes of traffic free to use.

Let them sit behind you and wait, or pass you, since they have ample opportunity. You are too easily intimidated.

They play chicken on some of these back roads; the rednecks like to knock old people in Buicks off the road for fun.

Are you old? Do you drive a Buick? It seems to me you are hyping this up.

The people like to park on both sides on narrow 2 lane city streets, and they like to go about 20 over the speed limit in the middle of the road.

How is this relevant?

It's uncalled for behavior, it affects me because my insurance flew sky high when I first moved here.

This makes no sense. You insurance rates are set by the area in which you live, determined by population density and your age, primarily. If you have accidents or tickets, your driving record (which follows you for 40 months) will make your insurance premium fly "sky high". (I get the impression there is more to this story than is being told.)

I can drive in Atlanta in rush hour no problem, but this playing chicken crap gets old really fast.

So far, what you have described is not the "chicken" scenario. Let 'em hit you. I'll say it again: bullies choose their 'victims'.

[petrified.rabbit]

i am not sure how the laws are written in every/any other state, but from my understanding, you need to be a resident just to buy a car. I believe/understand in PA you need to be a resident to buy insurance, even car insurance.

i imagine these guys are driving around on signed titles?

some states the plates stay with the car, and you can update the address on the internet (loophole?) i know i bought a car from seattle right after the guy renewed the plates, and i was "legally" driving it for a year on those plates here in pittsburgh.

imho if illegals, etc put as much effort into life as they do beating the system they could all be productive and rich tax paying members of society.. i dont know how they get away with it, i know my parents got hit in the church van, they guys just got out of their car and ran away, leaving the car behind.. it was registered to a dead guy.