What type of driver are you, Raging or Calm?

My condolences, assholes are everywhere. Today I saved the lives of at least two people when I came around a corner and noticed an MPV with lots of condensation coming from it's exhaust (indicating it was being accelerated hard from cold) pulling out across me from a side road, assuming there were assholes about I covered my brake incase another followed it regardless, of course they did and a family of four very shocked looking people in a BMW were saved from near death by my anticipation. Thank you ABS. The driver didn't acknowledge anything (infuriatingly) so I held my hand up and mouthed 'Sorry!'.
FFS.
Be careful out there.

 

This shit happens to me all the time, apparently right-of-way is meaningless when the vehicle with it is a bicycle. I love catching them at the next light and giving their window a 'love tap' with an "I fucking dare you" look when they think about responding.

It suddenly occurs to me that I may have a serious case of 'bike rage'.

 

I live in Orlando. If you've been here you understand, if not it can only be experienced. The best explanation I can offer is to point out that vehicles deliberately driving right over bicyclists under the assumption that the rider will just bail out of the way isn't number 1 for deaths only because of the hipsters trying very hard to darwin themselves out of existence. With the number of absurdly oversized and usually modded trucks, Old People, and Minivan Mommies around here I feel only marginally safer in my mother's sedan.

If I were a truly angry driver I'd probably have several more ulcers by now. I'm not exactly Mr. Zen either though, so I'd say I'm somewhere inbetween in that my vitriol is usually careful focussed into biting sarcasm rather than released in a spray of unrefined crude. I tend to just say something smartass when people do things like when the light well ahead turns yellow and I just let off the gas to slowly start coasting to the red and someone (or several of them) tailgate me before blasting past at 10+ over just to come to a stop in front of me.

"Great job there Sparky, you got the redlight faster than I did. Now what genius?"


Of course I do have a very special hatred for people that need to hang up and drive, but given we're the Gunshine State I don't usually share that with others outside the vehicle.

 

Im almost always calm; even when I want to run someone off the road. I drive fast in the fast lane. And I stay there. I dont switch lanes a million times to be in front. If someone happens to be going slower than I want I just pace him ( with ample space between us) until I can safely go around. With my family I drive like grandma - slow and extremely defensive.

 

I generally drive very defensively, here in south FL, I see every lind of driving, from Grandma poking along barely able to see over the wheel of her Grand Marquis, to hotrod econo boxes passing on the right and left on I95 at 20-30 mph faster than the traffic.
I know that my reaction time has slowed, but after 65 years of driving I can generally anticipate what some moron is going to do...so I leave room.
Where the speed limit is over 60 (in places 70) I'm usually 9 mph over, and if traffic allows I like the left lane because there is "someplace to go" when you have to slow down and the "a*****e, behind you is following too close and/or not paying attention. (having been hit from behind where I couldn't move out of the way)
One more observation, why do idiots race up to a red light....then brake hard?

 

That last one's always stumped me as well. Apparently there's some kind of achievement for it here in Orlando because it seems like everyone is trying to get to the red light and start waiting first. The hilarious thing is that technically I come out ahead because while they're having to accelerate from a dead stop I've only coasted down to 20-30 or so and can just speed up a bit again without ever actually stopping.

 

Calm. No need to get worked up over crazy stupid drivers.

 

When I used to drive, I was fast and defensive. Fast enough to motivate my alertness, and enjoyed pre-seeing negative scenarios which almost never happened but for which I was ready when I did. Those were some of my pessimistic/paranoic side's happiest days.

Knowing I was quite fast, I felt smugly calm, retaining my speed when other drivers tried to force me to go faster by tailgating me, rather than just overtaking me.

Though typically, I'd keep an eye in the mirror for the needs/desires of roadusers behind me so that, if possible, I could already be where they needed me to be for their smoothness of ride.

Calm? Yes, though I'd say 'coldly alert' ... I suppose it's that my practice of defensive driving included the belief that loss of calm = loss of concentration.

I've only ever 'roadraged' when I was a pedestrian, and a car did a U turn at a traffic light-controlled crossroads where lights were green for pedestrians and a group of kindergarten children were lucky not to have been decimated. I jumped on the roof-rack and bellowed that the police be called forthwith and that the driver had committed a serious crime, that innocent children had nearly been killed etc. It was a freaking amazing 10 minutes' ride. Someone did call the police and yes he got 'nicked' and yes, I was cautioned in a decidedly congratulatory manner, and yes, I'd do it all over again, but in a less English public-school manner.

 

I am a raging driver as said by mom but my girlfriend said that you are normal driver my top speed is 60-80 mph
and I think that I am normal driver

 

I know what your talking about, I'm down here for a visit in Hollywood and I have seen them all within one hour. With a road raging husband I just want to crawl into the back seat and hang on!

 

This is the way I am also, it is so peaceful when I'm in the car alone.

 

Just depends on the day.

 

This guy had huge spikes on his front tires, heard him coming. Moved out of his way! lol

 

I'm usually crazy and impatient. I try not to, but other drivers/cyclists just irritate me if they don't know how to share or drive properly. Unless I'm really tired or extremely relaxed.

 

Pretty calm in actions, angry in words.

Never drive over 75-80 MPH (speed limit in UK is 70MPH but you are supposed to be allowed to go up to 77 cos there's 10% grace)

I might give out a bit of language sometimes when dealing with some of these clowns on the road who get their licenses out of a christmas cracker, but it doesnt effect my driving or behaviour, and its not genuine anger - just letting off steam.

I have once had a road rage incident when I got out of my car and confronted someone, but it didn't come to actual punches, but I might have hold of his shirt and shoved him. I feel genuinely like I am a different person to how I was then. (when I was on the verge of bankruptacy, working 14 hour days, living in a shithole of a flat, suffering bad blood pressure, drinking a lot, etc...)

(now I am bankrupt, work 8 hour days, live in a normal flat, hopefully am a lot healthier, and drink booze maybe once a month rather than 3/4 times a week)

 

I've come to be a very calm driver anymore. The way I see it, it is a speed limit, not requirement or minimum. However if you are driving under the speed limit, you should either stick to back roads or stop bitching about someone riding your ass.

 

Depends on where I'm driving. If I'm making the trek up north, I'm very calm. I'll occasionally get frustrated by someone actually going the speed limit on the 2 lane highways up north, but I just pass when I get a chance.

I go to school in downtown Detroit. Driving there is another story, and I get intense road rage, because the drivers are terrifyingly bad.

 

/rage

If you go 20mph down a merge ramp then brake to a complete stop before deciding to merge

If you tailgate me, proceed to pass me, then move in front of me only to reduce your speed lower than what I was going

If you hog the left lane while going slower than the speed limit or moving over when the right lane is clear

If you speed up, slow down, speed up, slow down (cruise control. works wonders)

If you suddenly decide to move 3 lanes to the right during morning rush because there isn't another exit in a 1/4 mile

If you decide headlights aren't cool

....

then get.the.fuck.off.the.road.

 

I wouldn't say that I rage, but I will curse people (loudly) who drive without awareness. That's what really makes me nuts about it - is that so many people have (seemingly) never developed the sense that driving is a collective, communal experience. It's not just you out there.

The frustration does not translate into my driving, though. I drive safely.

 

Have you ever noticed that anybody driving slower than you is an idiot, and anyone going faster than you is a maniac?

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