My Road Rage Rant
09-15-2008, 12:11 AM
#1
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My Road Rage Rant
I was on 280S today between the exits for Eastmoor Ave. and Serramonte Blvd. cruising at about 60mph on the furthest right lane when some dickwad in a full-size pickup truck flies up on my ass and proceeds to flash his high beams at me.
I ignore him for a few seconds, giving him the benefit of the doubt, thinking that maybe he was trying to clean his windshield or something. But after a while I realized that he was trying to get my attention. I threw up my hands as if to say WTF??! and then he flips me off. He just kept giving me the bird.
For some reason this really aggravated me today. So I did what I've never done before, I brake-checked him.
Now he's getting really riled up! He goes around me, tries to side-swipe me, gets in front of me, and repays me with some brake-checking of his own. At this point, I'm equal measures livid and confused, wondering what the @&$% I did to piss him off in the first place.
I drop a couple of gears, and go around him all the time motioning for him to pull over. I was ready to a) ask him what I did to offend him, and b) kill him. I pull off and stop on the shoulder of 280S, but the chickenshit flies by and doesn't stop. So by now my wife is shaking uncontrollably and sobbing. All I've achieved is to scare the crap out of her.
I responded very poorly by letting this douchebag push my buttons and I'm not proud of that. I should never have lost control and brake-checked him back. Fortunately, the situation didn't end in a worse way. We thought about it later, and we really couldn't think of anything that I did to piss this guy off. I wasn't driving aggresively, in fact I was cruising with the top down at 60mph in the slowest lane! I'm pretty sure I didn't cut anybody off at any point before that.
I'd like to think of myself as a pretty fair person, and if I am in the wrong, I have no reservations about apologizing. But I don't suffer fools and bullies gladly. I have always had a pretty short fuse, but my reaction to todays incident has got me worried. I was enraged, but I wasn't shaking or anything. It was a cold, calm rage, if that makes any sense at all. I wasn't thinking about the consequences, all I wanted to do was confront the bastard face-to-face. I didn't get the satisfaction of doing that, but maybe it was for the best.
Anyway, I just needed to get that out of my system. Rant over. Be careful out there folks.
I ignore him for a few seconds, giving him the benefit of the doubt, thinking that maybe he was trying to clean his windshield or something. But after a while I realized that he was trying to get my attention. I threw up my hands as if to say WTF??! and then he flips me off. He just kept giving me the bird.
For some reason this really aggravated me today. So I did what I've never done before, I brake-checked him.
Now he's getting really riled up! He goes around me, tries to side-swipe me, gets in front of me, and repays me with some brake-checking of his own. At this point, I'm equal measures livid and confused, wondering what the @&$% I did to piss him off in the first place.I drop a couple of gears, and go around him all the time motioning for him to pull over. I was ready to a) ask him what I did to offend him, and b) kill him. I pull off and stop on the shoulder of 280S, but the chickenshit flies by and doesn't stop. So by now my wife is shaking uncontrollably and sobbing. All I've achieved is to scare the crap out of her.
I responded very poorly by letting this douchebag push my buttons and I'm not proud of that. I should never have lost control and brake-checked him back. Fortunately, the situation didn't end in a worse way. We thought about it later, and we really couldn't think of anything that I did to piss this guy off. I wasn't driving aggresively, in fact I was cruising with the top down at 60mph in the slowest lane! I'm pretty sure I didn't cut anybody off at any point before that.
I'd like to think of myself as a pretty fair person, and if I am in the wrong, I have no reservations about apologizing. But I don't suffer fools and bullies gladly. I have always had a pretty short fuse, but my reaction to todays incident has got me worried. I was enraged, but I wasn't shaking or anything. It was a cold, calm rage, if that makes any sense at all. I wasn't thinking about the consequences, all I wanted to do was confront the bastard face-to-face. I didn't get the satisfaction of doing that, but maybe it was for the best.
Anyway, I just needed to get that out of my system. Rant over. Be careful out there folks.
09-15-2008, 12:51 AM
#2
We've all been there man, i know how you feel. Some drivers out there can be complete asshats. Don't let it get to you, or they would have succeeded to what they wanted to get at, basically get you pissed off. For whatever reason it is, just let it slide by, maybe that person was having an off day or something and felt like taking it out on drivers on the road. 
09-15-2008, 01:08 AM
#3
I feel you man. Everyday I commute from SJ to Menlo Park on 280, 101 and Central. I run in to the most idiotic drivers & the most dangerous ones too.
Sometimes, you just need to take some deep breaths & think of the consequences of your actions. Sure, you may seem like you're loosing the battle to the other driver or you may hurt your pride, but in reality, you just gave him a chance & ensured your safety first; as well as the other commuters on the road.
It's hard especially when you did nothing wrong or people are hating on you because of your ride...but in the end when you get home safely with no damage to your vehicle, its well worth it
PS: I've noticed listening to hip-hop/rap doesnt help calm you down on the road but makes you even angrier - at least for me it does. So maybe try listening to something a little more soft/lite.
Sometimes, you just need to take some deep breaths & think of the consequences of your actions. Sure, you may seem like you're loosing the battle to the other driver or you may hurt your pride, but in reality, you just gave him a chance & ensured your safety first; as well as the other commuters on the road.
It's hard especially when you did nothing wrong or people are hating on you because of your ride...but in the end when you get home safely with no damage to your vehicle, its well worth it
PS: I've noticed listening to hip-hop/rap doesnt help calm you down on the road but makes you even angrier - at least for me it does. So maybe try listening to something a little more soft/lite.
09-15-2008, 01:17 AM
#4
Originally Posted by slightly2ned,Sep 15 2008, 01:08 AM
I feel you man. Everyday I commute from SJ to Menlo Park on 280, 101 and Central. I run in to the most idiotic drivers & the most dangerous ones too.
Sometimes, you just need to take some deep breaths & think of the consequences of your actions. Sure, you may seem like you're loosing the battle to the other driver or you may hurt your pride, but in reality, you just gave him a chance & ensured your safety first; as well as the other commuters on the road.
It's hard especially when you did nothing wrong or people are hating on you because of your ride...but in the end when you get home safely with no damage to your vehicle, its well worth it
PS: I've noticed listening to hip-hop/rap doesnt help calm you down on the road but makes you even angrier - at least for me it does. So maybe try listening to something a little more soft/lite.
Sometimes, you just need to take some deep breaths & think of the consequences of your actions. Sure, you may seem like you're loosing the battle to the other driver or you may hurt your pride, but in reality, you just gave him a chance & ensured your safety first; as well as the other commuters on the road.
It's hard especially when you did nothing wrong or people are hating on you because of your ride...but in the end when you get home safely with no damage to your vehicle, its well worth it
PS: I've noticed listening to hip-hop/rap doesnt help calm you down on the road but makes you even angrier - at least for me it does. So maybe try listening to something a little more soft/lite.
09-15-2008, 07:25 AM
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the new Metallica will calm you down 
next time they come up on your back just downshift and let off the gas. you slow down but the brake lights don't flash. it is a kinder version of the brake check. with all these recent fatal acts of road rage, it's better to keep a cool head.
mabye the guy was in a hurry to get to Home Depot
next time they come up on your back just downshift and let off the gas. you slow down but the brake lights don't flash. it is a kinder version of the brake check. with all these recent fatal acts of road rage, it's better to keep a cool head.
mabye the guy was in a hurry to get to Home Depot
09-15-2008, 08:16 AM
#6
Glad the moron didn't do anything crazy to you guys. He probably lost a lot of money with Lehman or whatever and decided to take it out on everyone. I've noticed a lot of road rage lately. Be careful out there.
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09-15-2008, 10:05 AM
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Yeah thanks for the support guys. I'm usually able to keep my emotions in check, but for some reason, that guys actions made me want to fight back. I'm doubly ashamed for putting my wife in danger too.
09-15-2008, 10:07 AM
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Originally Posted by Stephenopoly,Sep 15 2008, 09:44 AM
BTW did you watch the last F1 race???
