How do you guys deal w/ roadrage? Confrontations?

[combatmedic]

The other day this dingus damn near hits me in the wifes car, had to swerve to miss him, then he flips me off. He was pulling out of an apt complex and I was driving straight in the right lane. Anyway I figured he was bird watching so I threw a bird out there, he then tried to zoom around and cut me off, (In our 40k dollar acura mind you) and almost hits me again. ANyway I let it go, my wife was with me and after a year of therapy (I had PTSD real bad after 3 years in afghanistan) I figured it was the best thing to do. Normally I would've got out and pulled his fat ass out of the truck. Just sayin.

 

[steezemcqueen]

Road rage doesn't happen to me that often. People just see my 4Runner and get scared.

 

[combatmedic]

Road rage doesn't happen to me that often. People just see my 4Runner and get scared.

You are the McQueen :AK47::AK47:

 

[02SE]

There are a lot of oblivious and just plain stupid drivers out there. Quite often they're on a cellphone, or paying attention to everything but driving.

As a Motorcyclist, this is even more apparent, as I/we are far more vulnerable than someone in a car.

I just do my best to not let the general driving incompetence out there get to me. As soon as I allow my emotions to get going over nearly being killed by some idiot, then I'm no longer paying attention to all the other idiots on the road, and I'm more likely to be taken out by them.

Expect drivers to make the dumbest move possible, and then when they do it won't be a surprise.

It's not worth pulling someone out of their car and beating them to a pulp, for being stupid and nearly killing you. Then you end up going to jail for assault, etc. It's a big hassle.

Just try to let it go, and go on about your day without giving them another thought. eace:

 

[Atlanta_man]

I carry a gun like about half the drivers here in the south (it's legal, often without any license). That actually makes me very careful to avoid being in any way perceived as the aggressor in any confrontation.

These days most every driver seems to be way more assertive, angry, and dangerous than I am. They are probably a better shot too ! It's great when these folks engage each other on the road. Me, I try my best to avoid and get away from the wack jobs. The best advice I have is to give the BMW drivers lots of respect, they are the worst road ragers.

 

[BucknutBob]

02SE, I know all too well about the mentality needed for survival on a motorcycle! I once read a great article listing the "rules" of riding--wish I would've kept a copy. It included stuff like "treat 80% of the people like they're out to get you, and the other 20% like they're drunk", or "make your lane changes, etc., quickly and abruptly--it gives the 4-wheeled vehicles less time to counteract you"! I've ridden many years, and been cut off many times--constant awareness, good-handling bikes, and knowing AND practicing how a motorcycle REALLY works (things like counter-steering, front braking, etc.) have saved me every time.

As for other times (in a 4-wheeled ride), sometimes the ones around you don't give you much choice. I had someone pull right out in front of me in a 35 zone--I was up his tail immediately, and then he slammed on his brakes! I backed off, was coming up to where the road widened into 4 lanes, started to speed up to get around this idiot, and he swerved in front of me and slammed on the brakes again! He picked the wrong day--I was in one of my old clunkers, I was still a young buck, and so I just plowed him. I pulled alongside him, he took one look in my direction, and floored it out of there...with his rear bumper nicely twisted for a memento. I've mellowed a bit since then...but only a little (LOL)!

 

[Hepar]

I try not to let it effect me and laugh it off as much as I can. Try to think about how crappy that persons life must be if they're getting so mad. Works sometimes and sometimes not. For example:

Recently I was leaving my local park (which includes a huge dog park that I always take my mutt too) and a guy comes flying up behind be doing probably 40. It's a big park with two main entrances, so people are always using it to cut through to save time. I hate that because there's always families walking around, people on their bikes, pets etc etc. It's the last place you need to be racing around. Well, he ends up riding RIGHT up my arse. Also hate that so I hit my brakes. What does he do? Comes right back up even closer. Literally within a few feet. So, I hit the brakes again and throw it into park. He immediately gets out of the car and runs up to my window. I ended up shoving him through my window and he got all defensive. He started yelling at me that he was in a rush and that I needed to move my car. I just kept telling him that it was a park and that if he was in a rush that he needed to take a different route. This wend back and forth for more than it needed too. He kept saying "just move your f'in car" and I kept telling him that all he needed to do was to tell me he was going to stop driving like a jacka$$ through a park. Didn't get anywhere. Finally I moved because other cars had come up and I didn't want to get them involved.

The guy ended up passing me while still inside the park and then proceeded to drive like a jackass around me until we parted ways. Man, I wanted to punch him in the face SO bad. I think what really steams me up too is that he most likely went to his friends sometime that day and vented on how much of an ahole I was.

 

[ndcent]

Tailgaters? Pop off OD so you slow down w/o brake lights, and sometimes hit the washer fluid because it flies up over your windshield and onto theirs, mild annoyance.

Cut me off? Brights, and oh are they bright!

Endanger anyone in my family? Beat to death with their own limbs.

 

[Thai]

Never confront. I learn that while growing up in a rough city. Hey, i rather move on and see my family at the end of the day than let my pride put me in danger. There is a time and place for everything......on the road against a pissy stranger with unknown arsenal is NOT one of those time and place!!

My opinion.

 

[Atlanta_man]

I call the drivers around here "Atlanta People"
The ratio of major league jerks on the road is very high here
and plenty dangerous too

Probably somewhat due the roads, mostly paved over wagon roads built for the traffic load of the 1950's.

let 'em go, not worth the risk of meeting them

now if they want to do some tumultuous entry of my car with me in it, that's a different story

 

[4runnerBrett]

Road rage is all fine and dandy till you mess with the wrong person. I remember watching a old buddy of mine get punched in the face by someone he had a road rage incident a year prior. The guy saw him at a fast food place and comes up an just hits him in the face.

 

[ndcent]

What's your favorite hand signal?

I love the "talking hand/all talk" gesture, oh how that pisses people off.

 

[shadow247]

Road rage is no joke! A buddy of ours was murdered by an off-duty police officer in Dallas a few years ago. He was cut off by someone and the guy decided to be a jerk, so he followed him into a church parking lot. An off-duty cop (not in uniform) came up and started to intervene. Our friend showed his pistol and the cop shot him dead! No charges were filed against the officer.

 

[Mark86]

Don't you love it when after giving a driver (especially in a sedan) the brights, they try to retaliate by give you the brights in a 4Runner? It makes me chuckle every time.

I used to be more immature and really take offense to people flipping me off or cutting me off. Now I realize that I have more to lose by falling to their level.

 

[riceandpho]

good long honk with the 2 pairs of hella supertone (4 horns), then i play more bass tracks to make them roll the window up.

 

[03L4RUNNER]

Like this

 

[RunninInGA]

Like this

Wtf?!?!?!

 

[BucknutBob]

That airhorn might work well for INATTENTIVE drivers, 03L, but it might just feed the rage on a nutjob driver--LOL! What do you do, aim that monster by hand out the window?

 

[Dusty Driftwood]

I get road rage pretty bad sometimes because I drive all day every day and the number of stupid drivers out there is just plain astonishing. It pisses me off to a point of saying to myself "what a fu***ng idiot" but never more than that. Of course, I drive a company vehicle with phone number on the side, so I have to behave myself.
When I'm in my 4Runner, I am a little more courageous, but never offer anyone more than a flip of the bird or flash of the headlights. Its just not worth it. I've had someone try and run me off the highway at 50mph during rush hour and it was just scary. Don't get me wrong, people pi$$ me off, but only to a point where I shake my head at them. This business of following people, fighting, etc is excessive to me and just isn't worth it because you never know who is in the other vehicle.

 

[03L4RUNNER]

That airhorn might work well for INATTENTIVE drivers, 03L, but it might just feed the rage on a nutjob driver--LOL! What do you do, aim that monster by hand out the window?

Nah I have it mounted behind the front bumper, aimed with the decibel side towards the passenger side. Works great in Atl