Blips on the radar

[Gerrinson]

There's always some poor driving going on around my area. Always. But today, they were just bugging me more than usual, so I'm gonna vent here.

Dipshit: You passed me when I was doing the speed limit, in a legal passing zone. Cool, dude, no worries. Then you immediately cut me off and hit your brakes until you're going 10 under the speed limit. Fuck you, dipshit, fuck you.

I pull over, pass you, and continue on my way. At the last second, before the passing zones end, you sped up to try to pass me again. I goosed my gas pedal to stay ahead of you until the merge. This led to much hand-waving and obnoxious flashing of headlights from you. Had you just kept going faster - or even as fast as I was - I would not have cared that you passed me. I gave you one chance, and you used it for nearly instant douchebaggery. You do not get a second chance.

You can die if you want to: We had extremely thick fog here this morning when I was heading in to work; as in, I can normally see about 1/2 a mile down the road and I was squinting to see 100 ft.

Needless to say, in the foggy valley, I was driving much slower than the speed limit. About 3/4 of the other traffic were all blazing along at high speed with no headlights. Idiots. I wound up with a big extended cab pickup behind me, tailgating, who kept revving his engine and otherwise making it known that he wanted me to go faster. Yeah, nope, I have no death wish.

He passed me at the first available passing zone. Then signaled for a turn 250 ft. after completing the pass. He started to turn, then came to a dead halt blowing his horn as a black SUV with no headlights came out of the fog and went roaring around his front end, using the breakdown lane for travel.

Adjusting your speed, lights, etc. for bad driving conditions? Who needs that nonsense?!?

Jackass: Our final contestant came to a full and complete stop at a stop sign. I'd say 'Huzzah!' but he then stayed at a full stop for at least 5 full minutes. I know this because I saw him when I went into the local market to grab some food and he was still there when I came back out.

Since I had to leave by that intersection I pulled up behind him and flashed my lights as I did so, in the hopes he would realize there was another car and move. Ha ha, I'm stupid!

After sitting there to a nice slow 10 count with no other traffic in sight on either road, I tapped my horn a couple times. Dude reached out his window to wave me past. Well, gee, thanks, I'll just drive OVER the island and THROUGH the large block of decorative marble that sits on it. That should be no problem at all!

I give him a nice long blast of the horn. Jackass slides forward and to the side, creating enough space for me to get past. As I pull up to check for traffic, he leans out his window, waving his phone at me and screaming about how he was on an important call and I need to stop being an asshole.

Yeah, tell you what, I'll stop being an asshole when you stop being a narcissistic jackass who blocks an intersection in order to make an important phone call. There were literally dozens of empty parking spots in sight along the street you blocked off and the main road. But at the stop line is where you really, really needed to be. Shove that phone up your ass, next time, right next to your head. It will probably improve your reception.

-Fin-

[notalwaysright]

There's always some poor driving going on around my area. Always. But today, they were just bugging me more than usual, so I'm gonna vent here.

Some days are worse. Some days I just white knuckle it and hope I make it home. And speaking of fog, I'm always amused by the people who think high beams are the answer.

Around here when it rains really hard many people just fly by on the highway. Okay, yes we get a lot of rain, but not generally torrential downpours. So when it's raining super hard, slow down! I was driving on the highway at night through very heavy traffic during a hard rainstorm. I could barely make out the tail lights of the car in front of me. The sane people had moved to the right hand lane and were going maybe 40. The idiots were flying by at 70. Hydroplaning is a thing people!

[EricKei]

And speaking of fog, I'm always amused by the people who think high beams are the answer.

I hate that, too. Is it that hard to learn why they're a really bad idea in fog? It takes ten seconds for someone to explain it to them...Or two seconds of observation to figure it out for themselves.

[wolfie]

Jackass: Our final contestant came to a full and complete stop at a stop sign. I'd say 'Huzzah!' but he then stayed at a full stop for at least 5 full minutes. I know this because I saw him when I went into the local market to grab some food and he was still there when I came back out.

(snip)

I give him a nice long blast of the horn. Jackass slides forward and to the side, creating enough space for me to get past. As I pull up to check for traffic, he leans out his window, waving his phone at me and screaming about how he was on an important call and I need to stop being an asshole.

I sense a VERY strong temptation to tell the guy "You WILL move NOW - gas or diesel?" Also, with the right horn, it'll be too loud for him to carry on his phone conversation. My compressor can build air faster than my horn uses it, so I can give a nice LONG blast of the horn.

[Gilhelmi]

I admit, I have driven too fast for the road condition a couple times. Example.

Once I was on the interstate, driving 30 mph (10 under the "MINIMUM" speed limit), when I spun-out on the ice. I admit, I was going too fast. Every (sane) person thought I was going too fast. By unanimous consensus, I was going too fast (only sane people can vote in my reality, anyone who thought I was going too slow was outright ignored. the police agreed with me, I was going too fast).

I now define the speed limit as "the speed you can safely go, with a maximum of the posted speed limits".