What would you have done?
 

Ok, had a little fun with a belligerant motorist on the way in this morning. Here's the scenario:

Was driving into work on loop 410 (speed limit is 65). I was doing about 70 or so in the left lane, passing a car in the center lane doing about 65. I was in my Honda Accord daily driver (wouldn't have risked the 911 doing this, lol). So this big bad truck comes up behind me in the left lane and starts tailgating me while I am passing this other car. There was another car about 2 car lengths in front of the one I was passing, also doing about 65. Instead of pulling into the center lane and cutting off the car I just passed to let the tailgating truck fly by, I decide to pass the next car as well and then get over where it is clear. This apparently really pissed off the truck because he starts flashing me with his brights. Now, I don't know about you, but last I checked this wasn't the autobahn and the surest way to make me want to slow down and make your life hell is to flash me with your brights when I am driving above the speed limit and passing another car. So, I slow down to 65 and basically just keep pace with the car beside me, blocking him in. I guess he got really pissed because he put his brights on all the time and kept tailgating me. Eventually he moved over and exited the freeway. Was I out of line?

Out here in California, your heirs would be divvying up your stuff right about now.

Just because he was tailgating you (which was not justified) that doesn't really entitle you to slow down just to piss him off.

I would have continued on at your previous 70mph speed and moved into the center lane when you cleared the second car. That would have been the appropriate thing to do.

"Having fun with a belligerent motorist" has gotten people killed around here. It's just not worth it in my book.

Mike

I understand why you'd want to do this, but it's the wrong way to go about things on so many levels. When I was younger (only 35 now) I did this sort of thing, and I've had it done to me.

You have no idea what the mentality of the guy in the truck was. He could be a moron that thinks with his nuts and has a gun or is willing to try to run you off of the road (he is in a big truck). He could be whacked out on drugs, anything.

Now, not only is he pissed at you, but when he finally gets by you he'll be driving like an a$$ for the next 20 minutes endangering everyone's lives.

It's better for everyone involved if you just ignore him and let him pass. Maybe not as fun in a childish sort of way, but control issues should be left at the curb when you get in a car.

I prefer to be far away from these mental midgets, so I either leave them far behind or let them pass as soon as possible.

If I were in California I would have been afraid for my life...course road rage can happen in happy southern Texas, but it is much less common. Anyhow, you guys are right, it was childish...but it sure felt good!!

I wouldn't have been doing 70 in the left lane, but even if I was doing 80 or 90 and someone wanted to go faster I would accelerate up to a clear lane change position and gotten out of his way. It's pretty rare for this to happen as I'm usually the one flashing the lights.

I hate it when people interfere with my god given right to speed. I only pass in the fast lane, or at least that's what I try to do.

Well, actually now that I think about it, I did speed up to almost 80 to try and pass the Jeep originally, that's when he started flashing his lights at me. I guess he thought I should have endangered the lives of those in the center lane by cutting them off and then braking suddenly to avoid rear ending the Jeep.

Re: What would you have done?
 

I can see a post on the truckers forum:

Just because the other guy is being belligerent doesn’t mean you should be belligerent as well. This belligerent trucker brought you down to his level, and you seem proud of it.

You should stay out of the left lane at 70. You will get branded here for that. Left lane is for commuters 75+ mph, and passing.
You must be getting old and slow. ....me too by the way.
I just move over & let 'em by.

Its impossible to know the mindset of other drivers. Its also very easy to call them "morons, psycho, and the like".

Consider this:
"Moron driver" (doing whatever you feel is out of line) received a phone call that their wife/child/parent/brother has been in a terrible accident and they are trying to get to the home/school/hospital. The aforementioned "moron" then drives like hell. Then, some very thoughtful/obedient/polite driver decides now is the time to teach them a lesson.

Those idiots out there aren't always just aggressive A-holes.

Just keep your current pace as if they are not there. Move over and let them go on. You have bigger fish to fry, IMO.

OK Rick, just so you don't feel alone. I most likely would have taken it one step further than you. When someone rolls up on me, flashing lights or not, I'll touch my brakes just enough to turn on my brake lights. Thats my first warning that they are too close for comfort. I'll make eye contact with the offender. This way you can read what your up against. IF it's some soccer mom with no sense of distance she'll likely pull back. If it's some a**hole on a power trip I'll take it a step further and if he doesn't back off I'll stab my brakes so he gets the message.
9 times out of 10 the offender will see the errors of his/her way and back off. For that one out of 10 the fight is on. Everyone is right when they convey the dangers of this behavior. But for me personally I refuse to be bullied or pushed about by someone. As much as I don't know who or what I'm dealing with (psychotic gun toteing drug crazed maniac) "they" don't know who they are dealing with either. And YES I carry a weapon in every vehicle I own. Kinda evens the playing field!!Granted two wrongs don't make a right but I'm not the type to live in fear over what someone else might do to me while I stand up for myself.

When he was tailgating you, you should have SLAMMED on your brakes. That way, you really teach him a lesson in physics. He would have run over you, and the fatality would have ruined his entire day.

George Carlin had it summed up...

"Have you ever noticed anybody going slower than you is an idiot, and anyone going faster than you is a moron?"

I do accelerate when in the passing lane and holding up someone behind me...why be an ass? Exception: I have fun with the ricers, but I wouldn't risk my ass to a tractor trailer.

People who do to me what you did, when they finally give up, I downshift and pass with authority, let the 944 bark at them a little. :) It usually doesnt impress, but it gives me an excuse to have a little fun.

Ok Superman, that was over the edge. You seriously think it is appropriate to insinuate that I should kill myself next time? Think before you post.

Just 99.9% of the time they are.

This my dear friends is one of the beautiful things about having a Porsche. Just a squirt of the gas and you are doing 90 and leaving all the bother behind...

According to what data?

Thank you for making my point, too. We just don't know what they are doing OR why.

Kind of like me saying "Oh, you're from Brooklyn. Must be some rude New Yorker".

Oh, wait. Bad example.;)

Kinda makes you think twice doesn't it? The next time you feel the need to intimidate someone to get your way, you need to ask yourself just how lucky do you feel?
P.S. If me stabbing my brakes effects you, Then YES your TOO EFFIN close. It's in the drivers handbook. Anyone really ever read that thing?

Your helping me make my point. Thank You
1.As wrong as my behavior is. It's just as wrong to try to intimidate and bully other drivers. Your right, it's just so much easier to just wait for a break in traffic then change lanes. But in the real world, who ever does that?
2. Stabbing ones brakes is done to either avaoid a collision or to convey a message. It's not very hard to tell the difference.

Now don't get me wrong. I'm not on some crusade to be a one man traffic code enforcer. I'm just taking care of myself. For the most part, when it comes to navigating traffic, I'm sure you don't need my help..

I do the exact same thing. I watch my rearview to make sure I have time to make the pass then get out of the way.

Some MINI owner in Miami did the same thing as you screwing with the car behind him. When he got where he was going he found a bullet hole in his rear 1/4 panel.

I do not mess with people on the road. I keep out of conflicts at all costs. During those moments when I am the one cooking in the left lane coming up on the slow car. I keep back far enough to be polite but close enough so the driver knows I want to pass. If they are camped out I pass on the right VERY quickly and go one my way, usually staying in the right lane for a long while after the pass.

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but seriously, folks. on the freeway, if someone is flashing me to get out of the way when I'm obstructing, I usually do just that, as I would want them to do the same if I need to get somewhere

Same idea as open track day. 'If there's a guy on your tail, and you didn't just pass him, he is going faster than you, so let him by.'
This ain't a race. Why is it that everyone going faster than you is a maniac, everyone slower a snail :)

I must say, the concealed carry law in Texas has made me change my aggressiveness in traffic, well that and getting older.

I'm really amused when someone is cutting in and out of traffic trying to make time and I casually and strategically choose my lane changes. They never seem to get away or they fall behind me and it looks like I'm just driving normal.

Yield the fast lane to faster traffic, or speed up. Let the guy that tailgated you be your radar shield.

Ok, so I made a bad choice. I would like to point out, though, that I WAS speeding up and trying to get out of his way when he decided to escalate things with his high beam switch. The only other thing I could have done is gun my engine and pass the two guys in the center lane at 100 mph. My Honda has a little 4 banger in it...it only accelerates so fast...

That's the nice thing about a 930, when you want to leave someone in your dust, you really leave in your dust. :D

In my truck, I'm just another crazy redneck.

I would have followed him off the exit and when he parked I would have walked up and brandished my sword. If he's an immortal all the better (except when the quickening happens).

Geez, some of you guys are pugnacious drivers.

My solution:

I usually drive in the slow lane(s) at 65-75, pulling into the middle lane(s) to pass and then ducking back to the slow lanes. I do this mostly to keep a low profile with the CHP, but as a result I have almost no weird incidents with other drivers. Have never been nailed for speeding on the freeway, ever.

On the occasions when I'm in the fast lane, I make sure I'm doing 80+. That means I'm barely keeping up with other cars in the lane.

Maybe once a year I get an obnoxious tailgater, even in the slow lane. Then I admit that I do tap the brakes and then slow down to 45 or so. In the slow lane, the tailgaters are usually merely bad drivers, not hostile ones, and they get the point. Anyway, I'm already in the slow lane, and can't really pull over any farther.

Hey Rick (Nathans_Dad), here's a neat trick I learned while living in the Dallas/Ft. Worth area (I know these guys are not really going to change your driving tactics). You know in the winter when the ice is on the overpass but not on the highway? Ya wait till you clear the ice, but said offending driver is still on the ice, THEN you hit the brakes. That really wakes them up.

Dan

I may of held him up for a very short period until it was safe to get out of his way. I sometimes purposely & briefly frustrate aggressive drivers so they'll go faster, then bird-dog them to get where I'm going faster. I am an aggressive driver & try not to give people the opportunity to do this to me.

The only time I blatantly piss people off is when jackasses try to speed by everyone in merging lanes & cut to the front of the line. I accomplish this by moving over to cut them off right after the last dividing line.

holy cow, he lives. whatcha do to your car?

Kevin, I've got a question/scenario.

You are cruising in the left lane, slowly passing other cars. The lane in front of you is clear for quite a ways, but the other lanes next to you are blocked so no one can pass. A car is coming up behind you going 10mph faster than you and you can see him coming for the last mile or half mile so you have lots of warning that someone going faster is coming and you are in the way. They get behind you and you are still leisurely cruising along without having sped up or moved over. That person then flashes their lights a couple of times. Do you then brake check that person?

I think I know the answer, but I'm curious to know if I'm right.

KevinP73

I hope you are just having fun and joking... Otherwise in my opinion you are a very dangerous driver, to yourself and to other people. I hope I never encounter anybody like you...

If the car approaching from the rear catches up but keeps a "safe" distance (as described in the drivers handbook) I'll do my best to let him pass as soon as I can get out of his way. If he/she gets on my rear bumper seeing I have nowhere to go to let them pass then I'll touch my brake pedal enough to give them my brake lights. Just to let them know they have entered my "comfort zone". If they continue to tailgate or become more aggressive then I'll raise the stakes also. If that means stabbing my brakes to get the message across then thats what I'll do.
I'll admit that most of the time it's a mood thing for me. I may not behave this way everytime, sometimes I just may not be in the mood to F with someone. But in your scenerio if I have no way of pulling over to let them pass then I will most likely draw from my "inner a**hole" and respond in a less than admirable way.

For the most part I am being just a little "tongue in cheek" or admitting to a worst behavior characteristic. I think I'm pretty much the average driver that you'd encounter on just about any public road in America. We all have our bad days and our bad behaviors and to be honest I'm probably not the best date your daughter/sister could have either.

Dude I meant not encountering you on the road... I guess we could have fun with a couple of beers...

Still i think it is a dangerous behaviour..

I'll take you up on that beer on one condition
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I get to drive!!

Yep, makes me want to shoot people.

Nasty tailgater = empty windshield washer bottle. Totally passive aggressive.