So I’m coming home this morning and stop a few miles from home to get gas. I’m in a good mood, although tired from being up all night doing security. I get my gas and start pulling out towards the road. At the exact same moment, another guy begins backing up and keeps coming . I stop and honk the horn lightly because I don’t know if he’s going to stop before running into me. At the exact moment I decide to back up to give him room to get out, he yells for me to back up ( I have the right of way , but he’s yelling at me. )  I yelled back “ I AM “. He said something else that I didn’t understand, but it wasn’t thank you , have a nice day. I hadn’t done anything wrong up to that point. I then said something I wish I hadn’t, he said something,etc etc. 

He pulled out with me behind him. I decided to turn off and go a different way home just so nothing else would happen… years ago I would not have done that…

I’m tired of it…the last thing I need is drama. I just want peace with my Creator and fellow man.

Thanks for letting me vent a little… I’m sure that’s never happened to any of you before…😉

Sorry to hear that Mike. I am tired of ppl on the road who do the wrong thing but feel entitled to do so. This subject can be a huge discussion, but I don't have the energy anymore to deal ppl like you just had. I would have done exatcly as you did and avoided confrontation.

Good for you.  I’m not sure what I would have done.  The older I get the lower my tolerance threshold gets.  

I can admit that I might not be the sharpest tack in the pack.

But I am just savvy enough to always give the obviously witless the biggest buffer zone I can.

Then simply allow Darwin's theory of evolution to run its course.

Finally, I've been running a windshield-mounted GoPro in my truck for years.

With a simple button push, I get to relive the insanity as needed.

Fishing is Good.

Dogs are Great.

And people are Crazy.

And you can quote me on that.

😎

A-Jay

 

I feel like it’s a reflection of how we feel as a society right now.  Everybody is pizzed at something or someone.  Road rage is getting downright violent and dangerous.  Now that I’m retired, I don’t get out as much as I used to when I was commuting into Washington, DC and when I do get out it’s early morning and home early afternoon from the lake or river.  We decided to drive from Virginia to KC for my mother in laws 90th birthday (big party planned and my truck was requested) right before Christmas.  I’ll be stressing weather and traffic all the way.  There’s a deli owner on my local Facebook community pages that has taken upon himself to report every traffic and police call in the county.  The amount of traffic jams, wrecks, and issues is mind boggling.  

A.J , I think I’d be better off to live somewhere away from cities . In the country, there’s just less people   so there’s less chance for stuff to happen. It gets worse and worse every year here. The more rats you put in a barrel, the more frantic it gets. 

Living in an area with the 2nd or 3rd worst traffic in the U.S. (depending on annual reports), road rage is a daily occurrence. I can tell you that taking the next exit and re-entering the highway is your best bet.  He'll think you're gone, and you'll place enough buffer between you and him that you won't have to deal with him anymore.

I am the exact opposite of @Jig Man. The older I get, the better I’ve gotten dealing this daily items like this. Training in personal safety and de-escalation, along with nearly 20 years in state or federal regulation has taught me so many life lessons in this realm.

 

There was a day when I was younger when I would have responded aggressively.

 

Really doesn’t do much good to fight fire with more fire. Put the fire out. Then move on with your life.

 

3 hours ago, N Florida Mike said:

A.J , I think I’d be better off to live somewhere away from cities . In the country, there’s just less people   so there’s less chance for stuff to happen. It gets worse and worse every year here. The more rats you put in a barrel, the more frantic it gets. 

Why give up your happiness ?

Life is short and getting shorter.

Don't wait too long. 

Urban life vs Rural living is a trade off.

Both have their positive & negative sides depending on what folks want & like.

For example, here everything is really spread out; driving a while is a way of life.

If I can't get it with a 60-minute drive, I'll probably need to order it. 

But I'm never really sitting in traffic.

IMO, after living in 'several' different places, this is not the easiest area to live in.

But that's what I like about it most.

A-Jay

 

 

I grew up In and learned how to drive right outside of Houston. From that and the few times I've gone back to visit I'm extremely grateful to live in a small Midwest farming community. People around here don't seem to take other peoples safety as lightly as big city folks, in my experience. That said there are crappy drivers everywhere and all you can do is pay attention and look out for them.

 

I retired to an Ozarks city of less than 2,000 population, but still is the largest city in the county.  Doesn't have many amenities, but I won't trade it for somewhere that does.

We had a guy around here that got into a road rage incident over an interstate merge that ended with a shooting that killed his 11 y/o son. Just drive to where you’re going as best you can and let everyone else do the same.
Slowly (slower than I should have) over my adult life I have learned that it’s just not worth it. Let people have their space, let them merge, don’t race them to let them over, just do your thing and get where you’re going. Use your thumb 👍 not your finger.  

This is normal traffic, almost 24/7.  It's a sure-fire recipe for road rage....every day!

 

 

NOW you know why I avoid Seattle at all costs!  I NEVER go there unless I have absolutely no alternatives.  Quite literally, I Ubered there for my last meeting in downtown....and I'm 20 miles out.  It's THAT bad.

^ Happens all over really. Locally, our 'ring' highway gets nicknamed "The 494 Parking Lot" during rush hour. 60mph limit....you're lucky if you average 10mph through one section.

I liked the traffic patterns during Covid...you can keep the Covid equation out of it  

 

I agree with @MN Fisher. the volume of traffic is everywhere. There no "rush hour" anymore. 

Be careful. Getting out of the car and physically striking someone can ruin your life with a possible Felony charge and jail and prison time. But I get it ...

When I was commuting, I would get in the “zone” driving.  All attention on the road and what was going on around me.  I saw many wrecks and was involved in a couple of which neither was my fault and neither could have been avoided.  One, I was sitting in dead stopped traffic and the driver of a big suv wasn’t paying attention and slammed into the rear of a car 3 back from me.  The impact was so great it pushed them all forward and I got slammed from behind.  I managed to turn the wheels on my vehicle so that I missed the car in front of me and I got launched into the ditch.  To add insult to injury, now you can’t get inside the 495 loop around DC without paying a toll.  It has been up to $40 one way.  

4 hours ago, MN Fisher said:

our 'ring' highway gets nicknamed "The 494 Parking Lot" during rush hour

 

It's the section in Bloomington where it meets 35W.  Eastbound 494 goes to the airport and MOA.  And 35W goes into downtown Mpls.

 

That section has also seemingly been under construction for about 10 years.  And it's STILL being worked on.

 

 

5 hours ago, MN Fisher said:

^ Happens all over really. Locally, our 'ring' highway gets nicknamed "The 494 Parking Lot" during rush hour. 60mph limit....you're lucky if you average 10mph through one section.

i miss twin cities public transportation,busses just hit the shoulder and keep going. they have a schedule and by golly they are going to keep it! Here in michigan, that is far from the case.

20 hours ago, GreenTrout said:

Be careful. Getting out of the car and physically striking someone can ruin your life with a possible Felony charge and jail and prison time. But I get it ...

Yeah, that ship sailed a long time ago. I just hope they never come to me like that.  Not because I’m the least bit scared but because I don’t have time for the aftermath of what would happen.

As far as I’m concerned, they can go their way thinking they are the bigger man. And I’ll go my way without caring what they think.

Easier said than done sometimes for an ol southern boomer like me. But that’s the goal anyway…🤠

Mike, I know it can be hard, but don't let ride people bother you. I drove in to KC for over 30 years each morning and encountered a lot of rude drivers on the roads. Now, I don't have that problem anymore. People seem uptight these days. But there's no excuse for acting stupid . Don't let guys like this ruin your day . You did the right thing.

Strong work staying calm @N Florida Mike!

 

@A-Jay, thanks for the reminder...I need to get that dash-camera set up in my daily driver(!)

 

 

 

 

 

 

You ever seen the Beverly Hillbillies movie? It’s a Californy howdy! That’s what I told my wife the other evening when a semi truck ran a stop sign and almost killed us. It’s everywhere Mike , and I’m tired of it too. 

I drove Chicago expressways for years before I got out of Dodge;  now they are 600 miles in my dust and only a bad memory.  Today I travel on 2 laners, cow paths, and rabbit trails;  heavy traffic means 4 or 5 other vehicles in sight.

2 hours ago, Tackleholic said:

I drove Chicago expressways for years before I got out of Dodge;  now they are 600 miles in my dust and only a bad memory.  Today I travel on 2 laners, cow paths, and rabbit trails;  heavy traffic means 4 or 5 other vehicles in sight.

  It was semi rural here when I was younger. I have many great memories from those days. And we were 7 miles out from downtown then, 6 1/2 now !

Now, I’m like a fish out of water. We are  the redneck family in the neighborhood  with several pick up trucks in the yard lol. 🤠
 

I wish I could get out but both jobs I have are somewhat close.Even Living one county away would just mean I’d be driving more than I am now. 
 At this point, I’d nearly have to live 2 counties away to get far enough out to feel like it was worth it. 
And I plan on working until I physically can’t anymore.

so it looks like I’m stuck here in  suburbia. At least I have a nice lake to fish!