jrm1@pyuxh.UUCP (J McKeel) (04/06/85)
The most reasonable way to deal with ignorant people is to treat them as they treat you. If someone has their high-beams on and they bother you, just pull over and let them pass. Then, get right behind them and put your high-beams on. Let them know that your pissed off at them and only them. A good way to do this is to be considerate to other drivers and turn off the brights when there are approaching cars and put them right back on when the road is clear. Some people are so dumb they won't realize that you are beaming them because they beamed you, so flash you brights on and off and really piss them off. Sometimes they try to pull the double reverse and get back behind you, never let this happen. If they pull over, this is your que to speed away while they are slowing down. Also, high-beams are effective for the idiots that pull out in front of you and slow you down 20 - 30 MPH. Use the same methods as described above. These ideas may not solve the problem, but they let people know how you feel and sometimes they can be fun. John McKeel Bell Communications Research Piscataway, NJ pyuxh!jrm1 "Laughed at by time, Tricked by Circumstances . . ."
jcjeff@ihlpg.UUCP (jeffreys) (04/06/85)
> The most reasonable way to deal with ignorant people is to treat them > as they treat you. If someone has their high-beams on and they bother you, > just pull over and let them pass. Then, get right behind them and > put your high-beams on. Let them know that your pissed off at them > and only them. That would work, but be very careful and don't get too close, some people may actually put their brakes on, and I guess that nobody would want to damage their own car by shunting the car in front. So it's the guy in front that partly caused the accident, by putting his brakes on (without any reason other than a form of complaint about the high-beam treatment), but the person travelling to close is also to blame, if not more so. After the fact, try explaining that type of accident to a police officer!!!! Take Care, -- [ Why pander life's complexities, when the leather runs smooth on the passenger seat - The Smiths ] ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ || From the keys of Richard Jeffreys ( British Citizen Overseas ) || || employed by North American Philips Corporation || || @ AT&T Bell Laboratories, Naperville, Illinois || ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ || General disclaimer about anything and everything that I may have typed || ------------------------------------------------------------------------------
wa371@sdcc12.UUCP (wa371) (04/07/85)
> > The most reasonable way to deal with ignorant people is to treat them > > as they treat you. ........ Seems like the ignorant treating the ignorant. > That would work, but be very careful and don't get too close, some people > may actually put their brakes on, ............ > > Take Care, (sic)--or should I say (sick)? Seems to me like children fighting in a sandbox, without tolerance or kindness, but they now have lethal weapons without realizing it. Bernd.
acsgrlk@sunybcs.UUCP (Bob Lay Kong) (04/09/85)
I have found that there are some real twits that are out on the roads these days. I came up with one this past weekend, where this guy just didn't want to let anyone go by. I usually like to considerate to people and let them first know that I am behind them by flashing my highbeams one or twice and then backing off of there tail a bit. (Because I know there are times where some jerk just comes charging right into your rear end with there high beams on and I sure don't appreciate) After a we pass a few cars and if he still doesn't get out of the way flash him again, and if this doesn't work, I would then get up on his tail with all lights on, this usually works. But in my case this weekend after the guy did let me by no sooner as I passed him he pulled up on my tail with his high beams on. Now I don't know about most people but I sure know that this really p-sses me off especially after he also cut off my girlfriend following me. At this point I found out what works best is to lock up your brakes and pulling into the next lane letting this person get by and then showing them how p-ssed off you really are!!! And if you have a friend with you have them pull in front of the guy and block him in. Soon you will see the guy back off in most cases. Just LET ME PASS!!!! This is all I ask... Bob Lay Kong sunybcs!acsgrlk
mom@sftri.UUCP (Mark Modig) (04/12/85)
> > I have found that there are some real twits that are out on the > roads these days. I came up with one this past weekend, where > this guy just didn't want to let anyone go by. I usually like > to considerate to people and let them first know that I am > behind them by flashing my highbeams one or twice and then backing > off of there tail a bit. (Because I know there are times where > some jerk just comes charging right into your rear end with there > high beams on and I sure don't appreciate) How am I supposed to tell the difference between you and a jerk? Your behavior and the behavior of a "jerk" as you describe it above seem nearly identical. > But in my case this weekend after the guy did let me by no sooner > as I passed him he pulled up on my tail with his high beams on. > Now I don't know about most people but I sure know that this really > p-sses me off especially after he also cut off my girlfriend > following me. At this point I found out what works best is > to lock up your brakes and pulling into the next lane letting this > person get by and then showing them how p-ssed off you really are!!! Gee, you mean you don't like to have people pull up behind you and flash their brights on you, either??? My, my. I guess you have some inalienable right to flash others, but they can't do the same to you? > > Just LET ME PASS!!!! > This is all I ask... > When some nut comes barelling along the highway behind me (which is usual, since I normally try to keep the car around 50 on freeways for various reasons, all of which seem worthwhile to me), flashing the brights is unnecessary most of the time. I can see the car coming perfectly well, thank you, and I am more than happy to get out of the way, but ONLY when I consider it safe to move aside to let those behind me pass. I'll be damned if I am going to get out of the way that very second just to please some yahoo who can't wait a few extra seconds. This is where most of my problems come up with people who want to pass, since I am a fairly careful driver and insist upon a few extra seconds to, for example, reach a larger gap in the next lane over rather than pull into one that I consider marginal. One other factor that people behind me flashing their brights and tailgating me seem to ignore is that I feel much safer and better able to make judgements about is safe and what is not without some dolt climbing all over my back end and flashing his brights so I can't see what is going on. In cases like these, my first priority becomes getting rid of the tailgater, starting with a few light taps on the brakes and working up to a slow, gradual braking (slamming on the brakes and risking a collision is not a consideration here, since my objective is to try to protect myself, not get revenge; if the other driver wants to take advantage of my now drastically reduced speed to pull around me and go speeding off into the night on a swell of insulting words and gestures, fine. I'm rid of them.) All I really have to say is this: All you really want to do is pass? Fine. Then, first, don't waste time flashing your brights at me and pulling up on my rear. And, second, just wait a few seconds. All I really want to do is get out of the way.. SAFELY. Mark Modig ihnp4!sftri!mom
tron@fluke.UUCP (Peter Barbee) (04/17/85)
In article <400@sftri.UUCP> mom@sftri.UUCP (Mark Modig) writes: >> >When some nut comes barelling along the highway behind me (which is >usual, since I normally try to keep the car around 50 on freeways >for various reasons, all of which seem worthwhile to me), flashing > >of the way.. SAFELY. Mark, you have your worrk cut out for you. Try to convince me that driving 5 mph slower than the preponderance of traffic is safe. It seems that you are creating a situation where large numbers of cars must pass you and it seems to be a problem for at least some of them. Another question is; if you are only going 50 shouldn't you be glued to the right hand lane? In this state the only people driving 50 (barring poor weather) are those that can't drive faster. If you are in the right lane I imagine that most cars pass you on the left and your diatribe is meaningless. If you are driving this slow in one of the other lanes you probably deserve one of the cute treatments recently discussed, do you prefer lasers or ICBMs? Sincerely, Peter Barbee
jackh@zehntel.UUCP (jack hagerty) (04/17/85)
> When some nut comes barelling along the highway behind me (which is > usual, since I normally try to keep the car around 50 on freeways > for various reasons, all of which seem worthwhile to me), flashing > the brights is unnecessary most of the time. I can see the car coming > perfectly well, thank you, and I am more than happy to get out of the > way, but ONLY when I consider it safe to move aside to let those > behind me pass. I'll be damned if I am going to get out of the way > that very second just to please some yahoo who can't wait a few > extra seconds. > > All I really have to say is this: > > ... just wait a few seconds. All I really want to do is get out > of the way.. SAFELY. > > Mark Modig > ihnp4!sftri!mom This certianly seems to be a rational, mature attitude except for one thing: If you're only travelling 50 mph on the freeway (only 5 mph above the legal minimum) then you have *absolutely no business* being in any lane except the far right. At 50 mph you're talking closing speeds of 20 mph or more compared to the rest of traffic. That's a powerful amount of momentum to lose not to mention that the person behind you is presenting higher-than-expected decelerations to the car behind him/her. How would you feel if you came up behind a farmer driving his combine down the road at 30 mph and wanted *you* to "just wait a few seconds" for him to get out of the way? -- Jack Hagerty, Zehntel Automation Systems ...!ihnp4!zehntel!jackh
mom@sftri.UUCP (Mark Modig) (04/18/85)
> In article <400@sftri.UUCP> mom@sftri.UUCP (Mark Modig) writes: > >> > >When some nut comes barelling along the highway behind me (which is > >usual, since I normally try to keep the car around 50 on freeways > >for various reasons, all of which seem worthwhile to me), flashing > > > >of the way.. SAFELY. > > Mark, you have your worrk cut out for you. Try to convince me that driving > 5 mph slower than the preponderance of traffic is safe. It seems that you > are creating a situation where large numbers of cars must pass you and it seems > to be a problem for at least some of them. Another question is; if you are > only going 50 shouldn't you be glued to the right hand lane? In this state > the only people driving 50 (barring poor weather) are those that can't drive > faster. If you are in the right lane I imagine that most cars pass you on the > left and your diatribe is meaningless. If you are driving this slow in one of > the other lanes you probably deserve one of the cute treatments recently > discussed, do you prefer lasers or ICBMs? Generally, I drive in the right hand lane. I am not a masochist, and I realise that a lot of people like to drive faster than I do. Fine. That's their problem. They can judge what speed is safe for them; I will judge what speed is safe for me. A lot of my highway driving takes place on two lane roads over hilly terrain that are heavily used by trucks. Needless to say, these suckers sometimes are not exactly keeping up with the flow of traffic, especially when they are going up hills. So, rather than sit behind the truck, I choose to pass. Because this frequently occurs going uphill ,and the trucks can be pretty long, it can take a fair amount of time to pass, especially if the road is fairly crowded and you can't get back into the right lane quickly. This is a typical sort of situation in which trouble occurs. I don't feel that it is asking too much to use the left hand lane to pass-- after all, that's what it's there for, isn't it? Also, a lot of people drive slower than you might think in this sort of terrain, particularly when the traffic is heavy. I like to keep a constant speed of about 50 to 55 regardless, unless conditions dictate otherwise. As to whether I prefer lasers or ICBMs, I really prefer neither; I would just like to be left alone on the road and be rid of those people who seem compelled to play games at high speed. I nearly lost one friend who liked to toy with other drivers on the road, but he got lucky-- he only ended up in a body cast for a year and now walks with a limp. Mark Modig ihnp4!sftri!mom
phil@amdcad.UUCP (Phil Ngai) (04/19/85)
> When some nut comes barelling along the highway behind me (which is > usual, since I normally try to keep the car around 50 on freeways > for various reasons, all of which seem worthwhile to me), ... > just wait a few seconds. All I really want to do is get out > of the way.. SAFELY. > > Mark Modig > ihnp4!sftri!mom 50 on a freeway? I think you must not care as much about safety as you claim to. I'm not surprised you get tailgated a lot. If you really want to go so slowly, take a surface street. From my observations anything more than a 5 to 10 mph difference between vehicles causes a lot of problems and you're as much as 20 mph slower than everyone else. -- First thing is, we kill all the lawyers. Phil Ngai (408) 749-5720 UUCP: {ucbvax,decwrl,ihnp4,allegra}!amdcad!phil ARPA: amdcad!phil@decwrl.ARPA
mat@hou4b.UUCP (Mark Terribile) (04/20/85)
> As to whether I prefer lasers or ICBMs, I really prefer neither; I > would just like to be left alone on the road and be rid of those > people who seem compelled to play games at high speed. I nearly > lost one friend who liked to toy with other drivers on the road, but > he got lucky-- he only ended up in a body cast for a year and now > walks with a limp. Agreed that there are folk who do foolish things, remember that there are other people on the road and unless their habits are bent to accomodate you, you are going to have to accomdate them sometimes. > Also, a lot of people drive slower than you might think in this sort > of terrain, particularly when the traffic is heavy. I like to keep > a constant speed of about 50 to 55 regardless, unless conditions > dictate otherwise. Conditions, my friend, include your fellow drivers. I too get irritated when people slow needlessly. Notice how the cars with the ``WARNING: I Brake for No Apparent Reason'' stickers rarely do? And those that should have the warnings are usually either the cleanest or the dirtiest cars on the road? > Needless to say, these [ trucks ] sometimes are not exactly keeping up with > the flow of traffic, especially when they are going up hills. So, rather > than sit behind the truck, I choose to pass. Because this frequently occurs > going uphill ,and the trucks can be pretty long, it can take a fair amount > of time to pass, especially if the road is fairly crowded and you can't get > back into the right lane quickly. This is a typical sort of situation in > which trouble occurs. I don't feel that it is asking too much to use the > left hand lane to pass-- after all, that's what it's there for, isn't it? Sure! But remember, you are one of a number of people sharing that resource. You'll be doing others a disservice if you hold onto it longer than you need to. Remember that when you are not IN traffic. You ARE traffic. Things that YOU do cause accidents and traffic congestion. A case in point: I was driving throught the Holland tunnel into NYC a few weeks ago and noticed that traffic was slow. Not stopped, but very slow, with stop- and-go spurts. Suddenly, a hundred feet or so ahead, in the other lane (two lanes in each tube, you see) a car came to a sudden stop. Behind him other cars (with 1/2 set to 1 sec following space) came to more sudden stops. One car tapped the bumper of the car ahead of it. Both drivers got out, saw no damage, and got back in. Moments later, when there was a slowdown in my lane, the fellow two cars ahead of me came to a sudden stop. He had plenty of room to slow and stop behind the fellow ahead of him, but he paniced and jammed on the brakes. The fellow in behind him (and in front of me) bumped him. Again no harm was done. Because I was watching three cars or so ahead, I began to slow gently at the same time as the first fellow paniced. Both drivers got out ... The scenario was repeated at least five times while I was in the tunnel, and must have happened over a hundred times over the lenght of the tunnel that evening. One or two of those might have been serious accidents, if the second driver was going at 25 mph and the first one stopped real fast. -- from Mole End Mark Terribile (scrape .. dig ) hou4b!mat ,.. .,, ,,, ..,***_*.
brian@digi-g.UUCP (Merlyn Leroy) (04/24/85)
Jack Hagerty writes: >..If you're only travelling 50 mph on the freeway (only 5 mph above >the legal minimum) then you have *absolutely no business* being in any >lane except the far right. At 50 mph you're talking closing speeds of >20 mph or more compared to the rest of traffic. Gee, if you're closing at 20 mph, you have *absolutely no business* being in any lane, period. You're speeding. Merlyn Leroy I've run rings around you, logically.