Road Rage

[Ivor the Engine]

Get this. I'm driving to pick up my missus' car from her school and collect our son. Road is an A road and we're all travelling at the requisite 40mph. Approaching a roundabout - small, country type - I sneak up the outside and nip in front of a Volkswagon Van - the transporter type.

OK I'm being a bit naughty, but I didn't cut him up and my car was a damn sight faster off the mark. No hand gestures, no nothing.

I turn right about 300 metres later. He turns right too. I turn left into missus' school. He turns left, too.

As I'm creeping around looking for her car, he is creeping around behind me. It's then that I clock on that he has followed me.

I continue creeping, then make a three point turn - he does the same, but winds his window down as I pass. I just ignore what he has to say and call the missus. He takes this as his cue to drive off.

My point is this: does someone like this doughnut really think that they need to hunt people down in order to point out that their driving behaviour is not as good as it should be!!.

The whole escapade must have taken at least six minutes of his time and for what - to tell me off!!

I just felt embarassed for the guy.

Unfortunately, I see this sort of stuff all the time. Only last week did we see a burly fellow run down a stream of traffic to fist the window of some old chap who too had obviously not met the required standard of driving.

Is it just me?

 

[smallclanger]

I had some guy virtually follow me all the way home, all the time looking for a way to get in front and constantly barking something (I could see his mouth moving but could not make out a word) - it was quite comical really I found it hard not to laugh at the guy.

All because he didn't agree that a piece of road near my office is an unofficial two lanes - its not painted but everyone uses it as such to turn right or left at the roundabout. In fact we were in traffic with cars in front and behind using the two car width.

Some people need to calm down when driving.

 

[Codehead]

OK I'm being a bit naughty

My point is this: does someone like this doughnut really think that they need to hunt people down in order to point out that their driving behaviour is not as good as it should be!!.

Are you sure you were just 'A bit naughty' ?

Are you a member of the German Kar Klub?

 

[Ivor the Engine]

Absolutley sure. We can all be a little bit maniac at times, but I'm a 40 year old bloke driving a Focus. If he'd given me the finger - fair do's.

He must have been very upset with me, but what is his explanation going to do and what does he want me to say in return?

Him - 'Please don't drive like that.'
Me - 'Thanks for pointing that out - I won't'

Cars (and vans) have horns. Use that and save yourself the aggravation.

I have nothing to say about rear engined, air cooled people wagons that wouldn't offend.

 

[JackFord]

I say what the guy did was fair, if you did something you shouldn't have (which you admit to) maybe him huntin' you down will make you think twice before pulling it again.

 

[Solomon Grundy]

I'm not getting involved...before anyone asks.

 

[smallclanger]

I'm not getting involved...before anyone asks.

Do you have 'history'?

 

[rickinyorkshire]

Maybe you got off lucky, he might have been following you to then 'jump' you when you got out of your car but seeing you go into a school may have cooled him somewhat.

Not being a driver myself I'm not 100% sure what you did wrong.

 

[Solomon Grundy]

Do you have 'history'?

must...resist...

zen.

 

[Ivor the Engine]

I say what the guy did was fair, if you did something you shouldn't have (which you admit to) maybe him huntin' you down will make you think twice before pulling it again.

Madness. He isn't his own law enforcement agency.

All of us have done something naughty on the road at one time or another. I can't imagine we all expect to be remonstrated with and asked to reflect on our driving behaviour - certainly not in person. This was a minor example of sneaking in front of traffic. No one swerved. No one was asked to take remedial action. No one was frightened or in fear of their lives.

This guy was trying to intimidate me because he didn't like something and that something was me queue jumping for 300 metres of road.

Flash your lights. Flick me the finger. But, coming looking for me, quite frankly is pathetic.

 

[Ivor the Engine]

Maybe you got off lucky, he might have been following you to then 'jump' you when you got out of your car but seeing you go into a school may have cooled him somewhat.

Not being a driver myself I'm not 100% sure what you did wrong.

That's the sad reality of conflicts like this. I see it all the time. It's out and out rage.

Truth is, I didn't do anything 'wrong', I was just being a bit sneaky. It's like going to the newly opened cashier desk without inviting the person in front of you to go first.

Hardly the greatest moral failure of all time and certainly not worth getting into a scrape over.

 

[7ofnine]

Madness. He isn't his own law enforcement agency.

All of us have done something naughty on the road at one time or another. I can't imagine we all expect to be remonstrated with and asked to reflect on our driving behaviour - certainly not in person. This was a minor example of sneaking in front of traffic. No one swerved. No one was asked to take remedial action. No one was frightened or in fear of their lives.

This guy was trying to intimidate me because he didn't like something and that something was me queue jumping for 300 metres of road.

Flash your lights. Flick me the finger. But, coming looking for me, quite frankly is pathetic.

It wouldn't have been pathetic if he'd stepped out of the van with a hammer, or other dangerous object.
Really it's not worth winding people up on the road. There are some absolute nutters out there.
I know what you did was minor, but by your own admission you were in the wrong. Cutting someone up is almost guaranteed to wind them up.
As a rule I try not to antagonise, or react to other drivers on the road. You just don't know who you're dealing with.

 

[DJT75]

So you approached a roundabout that splits into 2 lanes & you chose to take a different lane to go past him? What's wrong with that? I do it all the time, although it's normally on the inside, not the outside of the car in front.

You should report a dodgy looking van going around the school car park!

 

[Ivor the Engine]

It wouldn't have been pathetic if he'd stepped out of the van with a hammer, or other dangerous object.
Really it's not worth winding people up on the road. There are some absolute nutters out there.
I know what you did was minor, but by your own admission you were in the wrong. Cutting someone up is almost guaranteed to wind them up.
As a rule I try not to antagonise, or react to other drivers on the road. You just don't know who you're dealing with.

I agree, and , for the most part, I just smile and tootle along in the slow lane listening to radio 4.

I was only wrong in making a decision to queue jump. No cutting up occured and, in fact, his journey would have been unaffected as I accelerated way faster than he did.

Don't you get the feeling sometimes that these 'self appointed knights of the road' go looking for it?

 

[Ivor the Engine]

So you approached a roundabout that splits into 2 lanes & you chose to take a different lane to go past him? What's wrong with that? I do it all the time, although it's normally on the inside, not the outside of the car in front.

Precisely.

And similarly the exit goes from two back down to one.

 

[Geege]

I had one driver shout at me "******* ******" whilst gesturing at me with his hand. This was just after he cut me up (pulled right in right of me on purpose it seemed) and I was enroute to an emergency with blue lights & sirens on at the time.

The careless arrogance of some people!

 

[DJT75]

Precisely.

And similarly the exit goes from two back down to one.

I don't think anyone actually knows which lane is for what unless there's arrows painted on the road anyway. Most people tend to stick in the outside lane if they're going left or straight over. I don't, I only go in the left lane if I'm turing left so I'm not in the way of traffic to my right who are turning right (if you know what I mean). Never quite understand people that hug the outside of roundabouts but maybe I'm in the wrong, dunno.

 

[kav]

I don't think anyone actually knows which lane is for what unless there's arrows painted on the road anyway. Most people tend to stick in the outside lane if they're going left or straight over. I don't, I only go in the left lane if I'm turing left so I'm not in the way of traffic to my right who are turning right (if you know what I mean). Never quite understand people that hug the outside of roundabouts but maybe I'm in the wrong, dunno.

The general rule I was taught to apply was to think of the roundabout like a clock face - you're entering it at six o'clock. Any junctions between six o'clock and twelve o'clock - use the left lane. Any junctions between twelve o'clock back to six o'clock - use the right lane. Of course there are exceptions, but as a general guide it's useful.

 

[stealther]

I regularly loose it a bit shout and gesticulate it makes me feel better. I would never follow someone though what if they had a gun?

Some people get really bothered if you pull in front of them like the Op described. But if you’re in a much faster vehicle what’s the harm? You’re not going to hold them up.
I regularly will get in the wrong lane at a roundabout where it’s big enough for me to accelerate and nip back in to the correct lane. On the odd occasion it turns out not safe to do so you end up going round the roundabout and losing more places then you gained no big deal really.

Leaving motorways to join others is another one. Why do people queue for 2 miles when you get to the exit and there are two even three lanes. Just because they were stupid enough to qeue for 2 miles doesn’t mean they get to get angry when I pull into a comfortable gap where the slip road opens up.
Then there’s the magic lane 2 on the M25. Lane 1 is for slooow trucks, lane 2 is free for me, lane 3 is for selfish bastards who should be shot and lane 4 for everyone else trying to squeeze through because of selfish pricks in lane 3.

 

[7ofnine]

I had one driver shout at me "******* ******" whilst gesturing at me with his hand. This was just after he cut me up (pulled right in right of me on purpose it seemed) and I was enroute to an emergency with blue lights & sirens on at the time.

The careless arrogance of some people!

Are you a police officer? Amazing that someone actually gives out abuse to a police car.

 

[FZR400RRSP]

Are you a police officer? Amazing that someone actually gives out abuse to a police car.

I'm not suggesting the officer concerned was wrong in this instance, but I was involved in a right verbal set-to with a copper in a police car once.
He drove like a twit and cut me up, at a roundabout, funnily enough.
Why should I let him off, just because he's a copper?
He tried to intimidate me after the verbal set-to as well, following me for ages.
It was laughably pathetic.

 

[Kieron]

Had a guy in a new Audi TT in the left lane with me on my motorbike on the right lane stationary at a set of traffic lights.

Both lanes progress forwards and then merge about 100 yards down the road. I can see him looking over at me and muttering something - "noisy old Harley Davidson, shouldn't be making that noise" or something or other.

Lights go green and this guy races forward at full pelt. 0-60 in some naff hairdressers car - probably 12 seconds.

I looked at him as I passed him after just 10 yards and laughed.

"I'll show him" he must have thought....

I really don't know what the guy's problem was in the first place though. I hadn't filtered to the front of the queue or anything like that - he just took a dislike to me. Probably would have pulled a gun had we been in the USA.

Idiot.

 

[DJT75]

The general rule I was taught to apply was to think of the roundabout like a clock face - you're entering it at six o'clock. Any junctions between six o'clock and twelve o'clock - use the left lane. Any junctions between twelve o'clock back to six o'clock - use the right lane. Of course there are exceptions, but as a general guide it's useful.

Ah! So you see my point, which rule applies if you're going straight on to 12 o'clock? Both of yours do.

 

[Dancook]

What about... on a wide roundabout where there's two lane's approaching it, each exit is only one lane.

For me, I would enter the left lane to go left or straight ahead, the right lane for turning right. (or use judgement depending on the layout)

People will enter the right lane to also go straight ahead, in effort to overtake the person on the left during the roundabout.

I've seen it before where the person in the right lane didn't manage to overtake on the roundabout, then because of the flow of cars in the left lane, there was no room for the overtaker to get in, and instead had to STOP on the roundabout and wait for a gap.

Is overtaking on the roundabout allowed? Because I can see that it can cause problems, and I will never overtake on a roundabout that is not a dual lane exit.

 

[smallclanger]

It gets a bit dicey sometimes on ath big roundabout near my office, where the routes round it are quite clearly marked with dashed lines, but so often I am in the left lane and the car to my right just drifts over into my lane, in the past they have blasted their horn at me when I have maintained my position.