I Got "Road Raged" Today!

[NY65912]

Sounds like a normal commute these days.

[speeder]

[DonDavis]

The goal I wish to convey is not let other drivers cause me to change what I'm doing behind the wheel.

Maintain course and speed.

What's going on behind me is every bit as important as what's in front of me.

Like Jeff said "I could see him a couple hundred yards behind..." is perfect.

That prepares the emotions for what's coming. Stay chill, just do you.

Don't overuse the flashers.

Originally Posted by masraum

From now on I'm going with DonDavis' method, hazard flashers for a handful of flashes. I think that may be effective communications and hopefully, less triggering for aßhats.

A "handful" is too many. Exactly 2 or 3 flashes the most.

I found those tips, Steve. I'm going to start another thread so as not to hijack this one.

https://forums.pelicanparts.com/off-topic-discussions/1132306-advanced-driving-tips.html

[zakthor]

I commuted by bicycle for many years in city traffic. Followed the vehicle laws and took the lane when side of road wasn't safe. Was reasonable because in the city I can mostly ride at the speed of traffic. Still was literally assaulted by a few drivers, elbow clipped by side mirror, unsafe pass then brake check. Some people in the big pickups are just angry.

Moved out of the city and suddenly arterial speeds are 45 and up, no shoulder, big angry pickups and suvs giving me no space. Terrifying so I quit riding on the road.

Few years later got my motorcycle cert, took the safety class. Class was a huge eye opener for me, the idea that you own your safety, you lose the ego and literally do anything to keep yourself safe. Sidewalk, run red lights, wrong side of road, split the lane, whatever it takes to not die. Always have outs, always be planning evasion. Boon of motorbike is the huge throttle so you can stay away from anyone you feel might grief you. I'd ride until I found a big open bubble on the freeway and squat there as long as possible with eyes always searching for the next car thats going to try and kill you. Also made it nearly impossible to ride a bicycle on the road because bikes don't have that throttle... imo the motorbike is far safer.

Idea of brake checking, or hazard lights... its some sort of vengeance, is not egoless.

Leave space so jackasses can snap no-signal merge in front of you. Put on your blinker when someone is approaching from behind to communicate your intent to submit. Ease up the throttle and submit. Thats the safe route, everything else you're being an ass.

Very, very rare that you actually need to emergency brake, but thats the time you'll be happy you maintained space around you.

One of my vehicles is heavy and slow. On freeway it lives in slow lane at 55. Folks zoom around, swerve, etc but generally I maintain space and I'm not hassled. I really don't like people merging close in front of me because my stopping distance is terrible but so it goes.

[Seahawk]

Originally Posted by zakthor

Very, very rare that you actually need to emergency brake, but thats the time you'll be happy you maintained space around you.

In emergencies, space is the final frontier for options.

Originally Posted by zakthor

...so it goes.

'Slaughterhouse Five' line and perfectly employed.

One more when I was parked running errands today:



I did a lot of "crew station" working groups when I was at Pax River. The location of the hazard light switch would have been an issue and we would have moved it. It should be next to one of the vents or between them.

The poorest human factors interface on the planet is, btw, the Sony radio I bought and had installed, which is in the picture...complete disaster in terms of sunlight readability, menus, interfaces, etc.

I will be replacing.

Sorry for the hijack, just thought this was interesting...every car is a workplace and office...some do it much better than others.

[stevej37]

^^^ what's the opening in the dash, directly above the Sony, used for?
A charger of some sort?

[Seahawk]

Originally Posted by stevej37

^^^ what's the opening in the dash, directly above the Sony, used for?
A charger of some sort?

On my LC, at least as I remember it, it was a small storage area for wallets, etc.

Yep:

Not my LC but exactly the same interior:



I bought the best phone holder I could find for this vintage LC that did attach to a window or have me look down. I'll find something to put there

[masraum]

Originally Posted by DonDavis

Don't overuse the flashers.

A "handful" is too many. Exactly 2 or 3 flashes the most.

I found those tips, Steve. I'm going to start another thread so as not to hijack this one.

https://forums.pelicanparts.com/off-topic-discussions/1132306-advanced-driving-tips.html

It is a minor peeve to see folks overusing the flashers. Driving with the flow of traffic on the Interstate through town and flashers on for miles? A string of 3 or 4 or 6 numbnuts following each other down the freeway with their flashers on?

Leave them for when there's actually an issue or as a means of quick communications.

Awesome, thank you!

[masraum]

Originally Posted by zakthor

Idea of brake checking, or hazard lights... its some sort of vengeance, is not egoless.

Absolutely, brake check, is the opposite of what you should be doing. But, you do need a means of communicating with other drivers. Often, that's lights of some sort. If you're in heavy traffic, say, in the middle lane of 3-4 lanes of traffic, and you can't move left or up, and there's a guy on your rear, yes, hitting the brakes is a bad route to go, but how is a quick 2-3 flash of the hazards any different from a turn signal (especially if you've got no way to actually change lanes)?

[zakthor]

Originally Posted by masraum

Absolutely, brake check, is the opposite of what you should be doing. But, you do need a means of communicating with other drivers. Often, that's lights of some sort. If you're in heavy traffic, say, in the middle lane of 3-4 lanes of traffic, and you can't move left or up, and there's a guy on your rear, yes, hitting the brakes is a bad route to go, but how is a quick 2-3 flash of the hazards any different from a turn signal (especially if you've got no way to actually change lanes)?

The hazard or brake light is two lights, could be perceived as a brake check. Assume he's a meth head in a stolen car.

Put on turn signal to indicate you're moving out of their way. Ease up the gas until there is space next to you and merge safely, or if they shoot next to you yield more and let them ahead. Just make them gone. Some jackass won't let you over just be patient and maybe the next guy will. .

I had a longish freeway drive today. Thinking about this freeway stuff. Not often I get the possibility to interact with so many potential crazies. Only weirdness I was on a 55mph road with inopportune stoplights, there was a big cluster of cars and delivery trucks at a red light. Behind me theres an absolute brick of cars coming at us quickly. Its 5-6 assorted vehicles that were all butt-hurt about each other, merging and tailgating and blocking each other. A hyundai suv, an audi a3, an old ford pickup, etc. I backed waay off and let them all go zooming into the pile of traffic ahead. Despite their best efforts cutting off and tailgaiting everyone they were all stuck 6-10 cars ahead of me for the next 15 minutes. Whole scene sucked as it was a beautiful afternoon, sun setting on the water and the mountains were out.

[Jeff Hail]

Originally Posted by pavulon

Schitt box nation sucks---here it's pickups. Many of which have little or no box remaining...which matches the rockers, doors, cab corners and fenders.

Those special trucks usually have little to no functional braking mechanism. Having to brake represents a conundrum involving momentum, iratic steering input and a uncompromising operator to overcome impending imovable objects ahead.

[Jeff Higgins]

Originally Posted by masraum

Absolutely, brake check, is the opposite of what you should be doing. But, you do need a means of communicating with other drivers. Often, that's lights of some sort. If you're in heavy traffic, say, in the middle lane of 3-4 lanes of traffic, and you can't move left or up, and there's a guy on your rear, yes, hitting the brakes is a bad route to go, but how is a quick 2-3 flash of the hazards any different from a turn signal (especially if you've got no way to actually change lanes)?

In retrospect, I can see from where this conversation went, that my description of "tapping" my brake lights wasn't clear. Funny, sometimes, when we think we are "communicating", even with the written word or when speaking, how we can think we got the message across but really did not. This one is clearly on me, since no one picked up on what I was trying to say.

When I "flash" my brake lights, or "tap" them, or use them to try to "communicate" without slowing down, I do just that - I "flash" them or "tap" them. Like tap dance on the pedal. I am flashing them rapidly in an effort to get someone's attention. So, essentially, it would make no difference how i activated them - the following driver couldn't tell the difference. Brake pedal, emergency flashers - wouldn't look any different.

[Otter74]

There's nothing I can say to the OP or about his story that hasn't already been said, but from the very beginning I pictured the other driver in a ten-year-old Altima with a big dent in the rear fascia, probably also on a high-interest loan from the local BHPH lot. There is a lot of Big Altima Energy (look it up) out there.

[stevej37]

Need more details after post #1

[Jeff Higgins]

Originally Posted by stevej37

Need more details after post #1

The mere fact that this made it six pages says something about us. Must be winter or something. Everyone snowed in...

Of course I feel like I should thank my old buddy speeder for breathing fresh life into this dying thread with his deeply analytical presentation of all things emergency flasher. His enthusiasm and eagerness to share his expansive knowledge on this important topic are unmistakeable. It's guys like him, selflessly posting their hard earned knowledge, that make this little community such a valuable asset to us all.

[matthewb0051]

I was going to dinner last Friday with wife and son, we were in 3 separate cars (SMH). I was literally maneuvering my Range Rover to get into a pretty tight space in a small parking lot. Around the corner of the parking lane came a car and the 65+ year old man driving just parked it in my space.

I flashed the high beams and rather than acknowledge his incredibly rude actions, he just flipped me off.

As I do every day, I was carrying concealed. I made eye contact with him as he got out of the car. He maintained his belligerence. What a douche. Rather than be an idiot at his leve., I just drove off.

[stevej37]

^^^ Thank God that you had a gun with you.

[Shaun @ Tru6]

Originally Posted by matthewb0051

I was going to dinner last Friday with wife and son, we were in 3 separate cars (SMH). I was literally maneuvering my Range Rover to get into a pretty tight space in a small parking lot. Around the corner of the parking lane came a car and the 65+ year old man driving just parked it in my space.

I flashed the high beams and rather than acknowledge his incredibly rude actions, he just flipped me off.

As I do every day, I was carrying concealed. I made eye contact with him as he got out of the car. He maintained his belligerence. What a douche. Rather than be an idiot at his leve., I just drove off.

This just illustrates how soft our country has become. When you don't shoot someone for taking your parking space, what has this country become? Canada? Sheesh. Fall of Rome and all that. Our days are numbered.

[Otter74]

Originally Posted by matthewb0051

I was going to dinner last Friday with wife and son, we were in 3 separate cars (SMH). I was literally maneuvering my Range Rover to get into a pretty tight space in a small parking lot. Around the corner of the parking lane came a car and the 65+ year old man driving just parked it in my space.

I flashed the high beams and rather than acknowledge his incredibly rude actions, he just flipped me off.

As I do every day, I was carrying concealed. I made eye contact with him as he got out of the car. He maintained his belligerence. What a douche. Rather than be an idiot at his leve., I just drove off.

I don’t think that story comes out quite the way you imagine it does. You tell us that you’re armed. Why? How is that relevant? Were you fantasizing shooting someone because they parked in “your” parking spot, or flipped you a bird? Idiocy isn’t only expressed outwardly. Some self-reflection might bear fruit, hopefully before someone else with a similar mindset shows everyone how non-idiotic they are by pulling a gun on you.

[speeder]

Originally Posted by Jeff Higgins

The mere fact that this made it six pages says something about us. Must be winter or something. Everyone snowed in...

Of course I feel like I should thank my old buddy speeder for breathing fresh life into this dying thread with his deeply analytical presentation of all things emergency flasher. His enthusiasm and eagerness to share his expansive knowledge on this important topic are unmistakeable. It's guys like him, selflessly posting their hard earned knowledge, that make this little community such a valuable asset to us all.

I took a photo of the flasher switch on the old Benz for you as well but it was night time. They always make them easy to find! And flashers don't look the same as brake lights to someone behind you, they are the turn signal lights and they are flashing. Mine are yellow on the old MB. I'm not judging you for touching the brake pedal like some here, I don't think that you did anything wrong there but brake lights look like brake lights...they are bright and usually there are 3 of them.

Always here to help!