Superman Syndrome

Tailhunter

I am a Trapper
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Had to be in VA early this morning to drop my truck off to get a seat fixed. Wife followed me to take me back home.
One the way home in 45mph zone approaching a school zone, flashing lights (25mph). Guy is riding my wife’s tail, leaning on the horn flashing his lights. Transfer truck on our right (two lane rd coming out of a town) already going well over posted limit, him licking the bumper.
As we get to the school zone we slow, guy whips out, pulls up, waving his hands and mouthing something. There is half a car lenght of room between us and truck on right. Guys cuts wife off, if she didn’t slam the brakes a move off road, he was hitting us.
All this in a school zone, then he speeds off at least 55.

I know he feels empowered because he is able to scream everything and everyone is against him but I wonder if he really wanted to take a walk on the wildside that early in the morning.
 
I had something similar happen last night while driving my wife's RAV4. People seem to be overly aggressive with that vehicle, but I've never experienced anything like that in my 4Runner.

The individual initially acted like they were going to turn into my neighborhood and follow me home (bad mistake for them) but they stopped and turned around. Guess they finally figured how stupid they were at the last minute.
 
So your wife was driving the speed limit in the left lane and a crazy guy was in the right behind a truck that was exceeding the speed limit? Why not slow down or move right so the crazy guy can move along?

Had a guy in a new flat black Tundra merge in from the left on a ramp, his lane was ending, and push me off the road a couple weeks ago. I always say that I’ll just take the hit, but it’s hard to do when you’re in the moment.
 
So your wife was driving the speed limit in the left lane and a crazy guy was in the right behind a truck that was exceeding the speed limit? Why not slow down or move right so the crazy guy can move along?

Had a guy in a new flat black Tundra merge in from the left on a ramp, his lane was ending, and push me off the road a couple weeks ago. I always say that I’ll just take the hit, but it’s hard to do when you’re in the moment.

Because the idiot driver passed him on the right. It's kind of hard to get out of someone's way when they drive like that.

I don't get road rage as a phenonemon. All it takes to cure it is for 1/2 a second to look at yourself behaving like that and to realize what a !@#$'in idiot you're being. Do people really have the cranio-sphicter-itis so badly that they can't do that?
 
Happens a lot when we're in the mini van. Some people just don't like riding behind vans

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In the hoity-toity areas (like Cary, but certainly not limited to there), they don’t like to be behind pickups either. I've had people bust a gut to pass me, often unsafely...then I glance in my rear view mirror and see that there's not another vehicle even remotely close behind us. This happens even if I'm moving at a pretty good clip. Can't stand to be that one vehicle behind...
 
In the hoity-toity areas (like Cary, but certainly not limited to there), they don’t like to be behind pickups either. I've had people bust a gut to pass me, often unsafely...then I glance in my rear view mirror and see that there's not another vehicle even remotely close behind us. This happens even if I'm moving at a pretty good clip. Can't stand to be that one vehicle behind...

Ha, riiiight, only to cut from the left lane across the right to take the exit. How many times have we seen that move?
 
Our driving habits today no longer accommodate the "Left Lane is For Passing" mindset that was in place when this driving policy was enacted.

Unfortunately, it is more of a "one man show" when driving anywhere these days.

I talked about this a while back. It's something I picked up from a class somewhere and I don't remember the monikers but it was about the different types of personalities especially in regard to driving.

The bulk of people are simply oblivious to anyone and anything else going on around them. So long as everything is fine they are fine but anything else and they become road hazards. Not aggressive you just have to be ready to maneuver around them because they do not have the capability. Something like 80% of drivers fall into this category.

Then you have the aggressive drivers. Their personality is that the only person that matters is them. They are much like people on the internet in the sense that anonymity gives internet people courage. Being in the personal bubble of their vehicle makes them incapable of seeing anyone else on the road as anything but an obstacle to their movement and you better get out of my way. These are the second largest group of drivers at about 10% but they cause a lot of problems.

The last 2 groups (at about 5% each) are similar but the difference is pretty huge in mindset. The first is the "Let's all get to where we're going safely and help each other out" group. These people are relatively harmless however they are also the ones that stop in the middle of a highway to let someone out which causes accidents. They are so dead set on helping that they can cause major issues with the flow of traffic.

The last group is the "I'm not going to slow down to let you in but I'll speed the hell up so you can get in behind me crowd". These folks are generally harmless but when they meet up with an aggressive driver sparks usually fly.


Very rarely is anyone all one type. We usually bounce back and forth between 2 or more of them depending on mood and other factors but are usually predominantly one or the other.

For me I'm about 90% of the last one and occasionally the second to last although I won't hurt the flow of traffic to let you in. For a short stint in my late teens early 20's I would become an aggressive driver when I met with other aggressive drivers that pissed me off. Sort of an "I'll teach you a damn lesson buddy" mentality or even a "You are effing with the wrong Marine" thing. Luckily I lived through it.
 
One morning I had a guy in a company truck no less, pass me on the right and cut straight through a turning lane in an intersection, that was in a school zone, going I would guess about 50-55mph. I got the vehicle number and reported it to the company. About a month later, I got a signed apology letter from the guy. I just hope they had a safety review and training session to remind everyone how not to drive.

Anytime I am in a work vehicle, I am a lot more docile driver than if I am in my vehicle where I'm more like the last too groups. As a rule, I also avoid using a phone while driving.
Edit to add, I ended up getting behind that guy as he turned into the company lot a couple miles down the road. His little road tantrum saved him zero time.
 
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Unfortunately, in my 20s, I learned a big lesson....you never know what people will do (including yourself!).
I almost got my car bashed by a guy coming onto the interstate, and had to slam on brakes and move over. Being young and stupid, I gave the guy the middle finger, and he got in behind me and followed me, right on my bumper. I pulled in to a rest stop and parked, thinking he'd go away, but he followed, got out of his car and rushed toward my car....at which point I should have just left, but noooo, I got out of the car like a dumba** and showed him my gun. At which point, he turned around, got in his car and left.
What was I thinking!! People are crazy and some, like me, do stupid things. But I'm all grown up now and I hope I'm smarter than I used to be.
 
@Millie a friend of mine once hold me of a young and dumb story. Somehow he wound up in a road rage incident. He pulled over, opened his door and sat there with a gun at the ready. The other party to the encounter did the equally stupid move of get out of his car to confront him. When the guy got up to my friends car, my friend calmly told him that if he didn't get his backside out of there that he would blow his gosh darn head off(* not the real language). Fortunately the guy decided he had better places to be.
 
As I get older I am in less of a rush. I leave a few minutes earlier. Try to drive more defensively ... and still have idiots do things like in the OP. I try to let things go and chalk it up to them being dumbasses. It is better to not escalate the situation. Try drive with your head on a swivel same as you do for self defense awareness outside your vehicle and try to keep yourself in a position to not be in those positions. BUT if it ever happens have a dash camera (front and rear if possible) and act very similar to what we’re taught for using a firearm in self defense ... sticks and stones guys ... sticks and stones until someone follows you home.
 
Unfortunately, in my 20s, I learned a big lesson....you never know what people will do (including yourself!).
I almost got my car bashed by a guy coming onto the interstate, and had to slam on brakes and move over. Being young and stupid, I gave the guy the middle finger, and he got in behind me and followed me, right on my bumper. I pulled in to a rest stop and parked, thinking he'd go away, but he followed, got out of his car and rushed toward my car....at which point I should have just left, but noooo, I got out of the car like a dumba** and showed him my gun. At which point, he turned around, got in his car and left.
What was I thinking!! People are crazy and some, like me, do stupid things. But I'm all grown up now and I hope I'm smarter than I used to be.
Wow. You sound like you were a bit of a badass in your younger years. ;)

Oh, wait, aren't you a military brat? :D
 
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Wow. You sound like you were a bit of a badass in your younger years. ;)

Oh, wait, aren't you a military brat? :D
Mom was well out of the Navy before we came along.
And I was a stupid girl who thought she was invincible! I did what I wanted to do without thought of any consequences whatever....I'm amazed I lived thru my 20s and 30s. I'd like to think I've learned something since those wild days....
 
Mom was well out of the Navy before we came along.
And I was a stupid girl who thought she was invincible! I did what I wanted to do without thought of any consequences whatever....I'm amazed I lived thru my 20s and 30s. I'd like to think I've learned something since those wild days....
Goes with being young and fearless (stupid). Many if us can look back and say we shouldn't be alive today, but for the grace of God. But, it also makes for the best stories. ;)
 
Goes with being young and fearless (stupid). Many if us can look back and say we shouldn't be alive today, but for the grace of God. But, it also makes for the best stories. ;)
Oh yeah, I've got some stories....and probably some I don't know I have....it was the 70s, what can I say? Lol.
 
So your wife was driving the speed limit in the left lane and a crazy guy was in the right behind a truck that was exceeding the speed limit? Why not slow down or move right so the crazy guy can move along?

Had a guy in a new flat black Tundra merge in from the left on a ramp, his lane was ending, and push me off the road a couple weeks ago. I always say that I’ll just take the hit, but it’s hard to do when you’re in the moment.

Drivers like that usually try to pass on the right even if traffic is slower. Apparently there is really no thought process for them. I get it all the time in the truck. Had a guy in the left lane slow down last night. I was on cruise and pulled out to pass. That guy sped up ever so much and I could not pass. Once I had enough room to move over safely the 2 cars behind me decided they would pass on the right. So now we are all stuck for a while until they get enough room. Sorry, I'll pull over if I can't pass but if you go to pass on the right before I can I guess we can all wait. I'm not slowing the big truck down unless I have to stop.

Add governors and adaptive cruise control to the mix and doing that in traffic just really screws up a truck. Which really screws up traffic.
 
Oh yeah, I've got some stories....and probably some I don't know I have....it was the 70s, what can I say? Lol.
At some level, don't you feel a little sorry for people that haven't lived their lives this way, that don't have the stories to tell? ;)
 
At some level, don't you feel a little sorry for people that haven't lived their lives this way, that don't have the stories to tell? ;)
I do feel sorry for them, because I had a lot of fun and did a lot of things....though I probably killed a lot of brain cells that I might need right about now....but what the heck. It was great!
 
I do feel sorry for them, because I had a lot of fun and did a lot of things....though I probably killed a lot of brain cells that I might need right about now....but what the heck. It was great!
Too much of everything was just enough.
 
Drivers like that usually try to pass on the right even if traffic is slower. Apparently there is really no thought process for them. I get it all the time in the truck. Had a guy in the left lane slow down last night. I was on cruise and pulled out to pass. That guy sped up ever so much and I could not pass. Once I had enough room to move over safely the 2 cars behind me decided they would pass on the right. So now we are all stuck for a while until they get enough room. Sorry, I'll pull over if I can't pass but if you go to pass on the right before I can I guess we can all wait. I'm not slowing the big truck down unless I have to stop.

Add governors and adaptive cruise control to the mix and doing that in traffic just really screws up a truck. Which really screws up traffic.
Guys in the right that speed up to avoid being passed, a curse on their families and may they require blue pills at 40!
 
I have become a much more relaxed driver since moving back from Charlotte. I pretty much think it’s all the years of cdl driving. I wasn’t ever the aggressive, bumper riding, gesturing jerkoff. But I’d pull some sketchy moves to pass a slow vehicle after a while. Of course pretty early on I accepted 4cyl pickups as my ideal. So no super hammer down passes on double yellow 2 lanes will happen anyway. I even respect folks who wish to run the speed limit on backroads. Yes I get annoyed by the ones who slow to 15mph in every mountain curve but just resign myself to hope and the occasional headlight flash to indicate I’d like for them to move over when it’s safe. Still no bumper riding. All big trucks or super loaded vehicles typically get a pass as I get what’s going on.

These days everyone seems to think the road is there just for them. No knowledge of the “rules” much less common sense. My daily commute ends in 30 min of two lane. For whatever reason there is always someone at the front running 45 in a 55. 20 cars behind. So I leave several car lengths between me and the car in front. Why “push” them. We aren’t gonna gain anything..... but every couple weeks there is some jackass who uses the rare dotted line to whip in front of me....... I mean we’re 20 cars back from the slow car, wtf did they accomplish....

The part of that that truly pisses me off, is 9 times outta 10 that idiot hits the curvy second half. Then those 20 cars ahead pull away and I’m stuck behind this asshat because curves are scary I guess. I rarely go 5mph over on the roads but there are few curves I need to slow way down on. People are annoying and care about nothing but themselves.

Fun story from last week. Hope I taught them a lesson about following people to seek “justice” when they think they’ve been wronged...

I have to turn left on the way home from work to get to my driveway. 4 lane street with open center turning lane. 100’ before my turn is the second entrance to the hs on the right. With a light. 50’ past is the entrance to the gas station with the cheapest gas in town. Across from my turn they just put in apartments and a dr office. A few hundred feet past that is a cookout and a Verizon store. Yep a cluster. I try to watch for signals and signal early for my left turn but since people will be people they use the turn lane as a deceleration lane and get over with no signal right about Verizon and cruise all the wAy to the light. At least once a week I get into the turn lane, stop for my left turn and have someone come in in front of me heading for either the gas station or the HS road and look confused or self righteous at having to stop before they get to their turn. 99% of the time they realize what’s happening and get that sheepish look. Even when they gesture with the wth, look. Me pointing at the drive way registers and they revert to embarrassment.

But oh that one percent lol. Always mad, indignant, self righteous. Honk and make faces. It cracks me up. I tease them back. But this last week was the best yet. They get in the turn lane above Verizon, no signal, no idea where they may turn so get into my lane as usual . Stop, watch this car speed up, slam on the brakes in front of me and go to making the motions and mouthing that I’m in the wrong. Still no signal. I do the usual point at my driveway, then mimic their motions and mouthing. They mouth, they are calling the cops. I laugh, then back up a touch as they are so close I can’t turn without hitting them.

It’s clear, I turn left. I hear the passenger scream “your running from the cops!!”o_O

Then as I glance in my mirror I see them whip across the busy lanes from the center divider to follow.,..:eek: I pull past the gravel road where some other college kids rent a couple trailers (oh didn’t mention that. Boy and girl in a blue Subaru from our local institution of higher learning).

I stop as I damn sure am not showing them where exactly I live and they stop behind me still yelling that they called the cops and I’m “running” from the law:rolleyes:. So I step out and say I broke no law but they are on private property and aren’t welcome (it’s a neighborhood so not my property but I have great neighbors and we stopped on theirs). Hysterical shrieking and such leads me to let them be with the statement that if they won’t leave they better not approach me until said popo show up. Stupid histrionics continue as I lean on my hood with my cell camera going to capture the moment from behind the truck. Not blatantly filming just recording for the words.

Town cop shows up shortly. Doesn’t even turn on the lights. I presume they know what a cluster that intersection always is. They instantly set in on the poor kid about the wrongs done to them by some redneck “me”.

After a minute he tells them to hang on, comes to talk to me. I walk to the end of my truck to meet him. Say hey officer sorry you had to come out. Before we go any further. I want to let you know I’m armed, on my right hip.

He says ok, no problem. But I see the kids go ashen:D. Then tell him what happened and I just didn’t want them to follow me home. He says ok thank you. Have a nice day.

I never even closely felt in danger of much more than an annoyance headache. Despite the threats and intimidation tactics :rolleyes:So why even mention, show or otherwise that I was armed:cool:

It never occurred to those kids (college students) that following someone home is a good way to have a bad day if they get all righteous on the wrong person. One more reason to respect everyone on the road
 
Too much of everything was just enough.
That's much wiser than our motto at the time: "Too much is never enough!!!"
You were obviously using your brain more than I was!
 
Drivers like that usually try to pass on the right even if traffic is slower. Apparently there is really no thought process for them. I get it all the time in the truck. Had a guy in the left lane slow down last night. I was on cruise and pulled out to pass. That guy sped up ever so much and I could not pass. Once I had enough room to move over safely the 2 cars behind me decided they would pass on the right. So now we are all stuck for a while until they get enough room. Sorry, I'll pull over if I can't pass but if you go to pass on the right before I can I guess we can all wait. I'm not slowing the big truck down unless I have to stop.

Add governors and adaptive cruise control to the mix and doing that in traffic just really screws up a truck. Which really screws up traffic.

I'll never understand how people can be so stupid to mess around with OTR trucks. Whether I'm on my motorcycle, in my Jeep, or any other vehicle, I stay away from trucks. If I'm in the right lane I let them pass. If I'm in the left lane and a tractor is in the right lane, I stay in front.

Basically I stay away from them. Some people don't understand how heavy and deadly OTR trucks can be vs. a normal passenger vehicle.
 
That's much wiser than our motto at the time: "Too much is never enough!!!"
You were obviously using your brain more than I was!
Too much of everything was just enough.
Shakedown Street, Jerry Garcia
 
I'll never understand how people can be so stupid to mess around with OTR trucks. Whether I'm on my motorcycle, in my Jeep, or any other vehicle, I stay away from trucks. If I'm in the right lane I let them pass. If I'm in the left lane and a tractor is in the right lane, I stay in front.

Basically I stay away from them. Some people don't understand how heavy and deadly OTR trucks can be vs. a normal passenger vehicle.
I stay away from them now, but back in the day we used to travel behind them to get clues on where the police were. They go fast, we go fast. They slow down, we know there's a cop nearby, so we slow down too. (This was on interstates, which I hardly ever travel on these days.)
 
I stay away from them now, but back in the day we used to travel behind them to get clues on where the police were. They go fast, we go fast. They slow down, we know there's a cop nearby, so we slow down too. (This was on interstates, which I hardly ever travel on these days.)

Oh yeah. I remember doing that as well. I'd just keep a safe distance when I used to do that.

I've driven big heavy trucks, not for a living, just when I worked for my Dad in the summer while on break from school, and I know how dangerous those trucks can be to smaller vehicles.
 
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It can be challenging, but slowing down so they can pass works 99% of the time.
There was a truck on the right, couldn’t go any faster to pass him and the butthead was right on her tail. When we hit the flashing lights for the school, she slowed down and guy sped up and passed on right before she could pull over.

You sir would argue with a fence post.
 
There was a truck on the right, couldn’t go any faster to pass him and the butthead was right on her tail. When we hit the flashing lights for the school, she slowed down and guy sped up and passed on right before she could pull over.

You sir would argue with a fence post.
Not arguing, and especially wasn’t arguing with you, just responding to, and generally agreeing with, Catfish’s post.

That said, you aren’t entirely wrong. Grew up with 4 brothers and often spend my days fighting over legal minutia...it’ll warp a guy.
 
Probably the dumbest thing that I have ever done was on my motorcycle. Some bitch went from the far-left lane (3 lane city road with a speed limit of 45) and decided that she wanted to turn right at the next light (maybe 150 up the road) and I was in the far-right lane going straight. Damn if she did not cut me off and I have no idea how I kept the bike up. I was pissed and followed her and another female with a baby in the back seat to the hood. I started following her and she knew I was pissed. She must have been a mind reader. Then I see her on the cell phone but that did not persuade me to stop and go on my merry way. I was going to give her a piece of my mind. Thank G-D that was one of the very few times that I did not have my gun with me.

We head into the “hood” and she stopped in front of a house. 2 of the biggest guys come out and I am saying to myself DO NOT TURN OFF THE BIKE, KEEP MY HELMENT ON and STAY ON THE BIKE. They come over and start asking me why I have such road rage. Don’t you see they are females with a baby in the back seat. Not sure what I said but they were getting aggravated that I was hassling their girl. Time for me to leave and leave fast.

I learned a lot that day. Somethings are just not worth it!
 
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