Road rage

[WYFSKAAR]

Originally Posted by Isaac-1

The sad thing is these jerks can drive Challengers also, Thursday I had to drive my truck to work (crew cab super duty F250) as I needed to pick up some stuff on the way home from one of the big box hardware stores, at one point while I was driving, minding my own business on a 4 lane divided highway I started to slowly pass a Rallye Redline SXT, and for like 1 or 2 miles this guy would not let me get past him, or drop back and get behind him, making me miss my right turn, ended up taking a left at a turn around and doubling back. Part of me wants to play payback if I see him out and about on that stretch of road when I am driving my SRT8.

Imagine if your truck was nearly 75' long and you are on the Cross Bronx Expressway in NYC. You need to move over a single lane, have had your signal on, you keep bumping off the zipper trying to convey a message and then bye bye exit. Unfortunately, a bad attitude, just like courtesy, is highly contagious. It can be a challenge out there.

[Isaac-1]

I can imagine, still it is tempting to try to teach this guy a lesson if I ever see him when I am out in the Challenger

[titanman2789]

It was always my understanding that you had to allow people to merge in construction zones. It is against the law to not allow them to merge and that if the SUV had hit the OPs Challenger, the OP would be responsible for not letting him merge. Please correct me if I'm wrong.

However why even put yourself in this situation? Just let the guy merge. Then you don't risk your Challenger getting damaged.

Sent from my Galaxy Nexus using AutoGuide.Com Free App

[USRWDV8]

^^^ You and everybody who said that we're better off being courteous and shrugging off road rage are 100% right, of course. The problem is that people are human and fallible. I think that a lot of us feel more and more powerless and alienated in our daily lives and try to take back some control and dignity when behind the wheel. That's what leads to games of chicken and pissing contests while we're all basically driving deadly weapons. I know I tend to let people merge and pass and do whatever they need to do, but there's always that thought after a bad day that, "No, not that one." Trying to make sense of it, not to justify it.

Example: I try to keep a safe distance on the freeway, and everytime I do someone merges in front of me and I have to fall back. So it creates a constant parade of vehicles spotting a hole that they are drawn into like by a magnet, not that they go any faster that way. After a while and if in a hurry myself, I tailgate like everybody else or even speed up to prevent some large truck or blacked-out van from getting in front of me and preventing me from seeing ahead.
I definitely think that bad attitude is more contagious than courtesy.

[gooney0]

In my 20's I used to drive around in a flat black Buick and punish people like that. I'd hunt them down and cut them off in my loud, 350 powered, flat black, $800 car. I once played chicken with a brand new Caddy. I won as I was willing to trade paint and he wasn't.

Since then I discovered it just wasn't worth the aggravation. I'm polite, and try to move away from "victim" lanes. I get home 10 seconds latter, but at least I'm not all worked up and angry.

I agree with many of the above posts. We aren't required to accept this behavior. Just too many bad people.