My Experience With Newsgroups:
Road Rage, On and Off the Road
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Here are the instructions for this report.
For this report, I spent a while exploring newsgroups on the subject of driving. I focused on topics dealing with road rage, fear, anxiety, and related attidudes.
"Expanding roads to
fight congestion is like loosening your belt to fight obesity"
(author unknown)
#1 : Road Rage Remedies
Subject:
Re: Road Rage Remedies
Date: 1999/09/28
People who drive slow in
the fast lane, then speed up when you try and pass them, *really* annoy me.
What about people who drive slow in the right lane and then speed up
when you try to pass them?
Left lane is for limit and above,
Huh? Where is that in the Colorado revised statutes? If the left lane
is for limit and above, then why do they call the speed limit
the speed "limit", specify it as the maximum
allowable speed (with few exceptions noted in the statutes),
and ticket people traveling over this limit?
BTW, something that as not yet been mentioned but which is important in
this debate is that even in the 21 states with "keep right except
to pass laws" (as opposed to the *29* states without),
this generally applies to *interstate* and major state
highways only. It would apply to a multilane street within the
city limits like South Boulder Road or Foothills parkway. I
know this is the case in Oklahoma, because I grew up there and regularly
visit my family there.
So even if Colorado passed a similar law, you'd still have people
getting angry on these streets because they felt they should
have the left lane clear so they can exceed the speed limit
unimpeded. How many cases of true "road rage" occur
on interstates and major highways versus multilane city
streets? My guess is more occur on multilane city streets than on the
interstates, so what do you really hope gain. -kelvin
There seems to be two different reaction here on the issue of left lane driving. The first opinion comes from the realist, who sees the left lane as the lane where you drive the speed limit or above. Then there is the law-abiding-citizen type who believes the left lanes are strictly for passing only. Well, if the later were true, which it legally should be, traffic would be extremely higher, and road rage waould be on the rise. I know that I will drive in the left lane if I have a long drive and I want to get to my destination the same day. When traffic is flowing, I go with it, this is the unspoken law of motorists. I have seen many police when driving in the left lane, and they don't pull me over (most of the time). However, I do see others being pulled over, the ones that may abuse take this 'unspoken' rule.
# 2 Rage on the Highway
This reminds me of a story a cop friend
of mine told me a while back. He pulled this guy over for tailgating, and
they guy said that if he didn't get close the the car in front of him, someone
would invariably get into that space, and he was "losing
ground." :-)
This really made me laugh. When I lived in Miami, I had a long
(1-1/4 hour) commute on I-95. I tried so hard to leave adequate space
between me and the car in front, and another car would always pull into that
space. There were definitely days I felt like I was going backwards - the days
that traffic was heavy and bottled up. I used to kid that one day I was
going to find myself back in my garage.
So logically you never concluded that:
a) your "space" was greater than what others deemed
appropriate
b) you should move over to the far right lane and let other less timid
drivers get to where they are going
You're kidding, of course!?! There was no room to move
over. Sometimes, I WAS in the right lane, too. The
"others" you're talking about were stupid drivers who frequently
caused accidents by cutting off people. They jockeyed around from lane to
lane, making others stop short for their maneuvers, thinking (wrongly) that
they were making better progress that way. BTW, I am not a timid driver.
I promised myself I would never commute like that again, and I've kept
that promise for almost 15 years. It's just not worth it. I wish everyone
else would realize that.
Now if we could just get all the others who don't enjoy driving off the
road, there'd be more fun and space for those of us who do ...
In fact, I DO enjoy driving. One reason I enjoy driving is that I
don't let the jerks get to me.
Keep up the good work Maraya.
I can't tell if this is supposed to be sarcasm, but it probably
is. You really must have a very hirsute butt, P.P., because you always
seem to have a hair up your ass.
I cannot forget a comment made to me when I was first learning how to drive. It was a tip on how to drive on the highway. I was told, " Driving on the highway is like a game, all the cars around you are either competetors or obstacles." I believe that a lot of people see driving in that way sometimes, especially those of highway commuters who ride the same drive day after day. I can see how it gets boring, or repetitive, and some people look for ways to make their drive more interesting. A person's personality or mood they are in determines the type of player they are.
Even just talking about driving creates differences and attitudes. The issue of left lane driving is an interesting one. I think any commute on the highway, or freeway can really show different personalities. If you pay attention to what everyone elso is doing, you.can really distinguish driving personalities.
# 3 Hit & Run
Hit
and run accidents are at an all time high! Why? Because people don't want to
stop. They are afraid of a road rage incident. There is so much violence on the
roads.
Bullsh*t. The real reason why hit & runs are at an all time high is
because people are increasingly selfish and loathe to accept responsibility
for their actions. They'd rather let you die on the side of the road than
inconvenience themselves or their family and have GEICO drop them.
These posts discuss two entirely different views on hit and run accidents. I don't believe that either answer is right or wrong, there may be many different reasons why a person may drive away from the scene of an accident. To make an assumption about the topic, more information would be needed.
I think that the answers reflect the author's personality. The tone in the first response is that of fear. He doesn't seem like the type to be involved in istagating road rage, but is one that fears it and expects it. This tone is very different from th second opinion. The other person is probably an aggresive driver himself. Right away his answers with swearing. His answer is very defensive. He seems to be perceiving other drivers in a way that he might even react himself. I think that in a driving situation this is the type of person that would retaliate or even initiate road rage.
# 4 : LLB's (left-lane blockers)
Subject:
Re: To the Dumbass LLBs (ie. Tooley, Ibuttery, etc)
Date: 1999/09/16
i bet that everyday, a
bunch of people, who are usually the more agressive ones since they drive fast
in the left lane to begin with.....cuts you off within inches, hits their
brakes once in front, gives u the birdie, throw shit out the window, etc,
etc....the list goes on and on....
Are you aware it is a crime to threaten someone with violence, as you
are doing here? the joke is really on you for being a dick
No, my father is Dick, I'm Doug.
the joke is really on the rest of the left lane blocking dorks (ie.
Ibuttery, etc).....
I don't get it. Am I a dork dick or a dick dork?
i usually drive in the
lane next to the right at around 55-65mph and nobody bothers me.....my daily
commute is quite relaxing....and for entertainment, i watch what kind of new
shit the roadwarriors pull on the 55mph LLBs......one guy i
saw, threw a plastic grocery bag out his window once he managed to cut off the
LLB.....and the bag landed on the passenger side of the LLBs windshield....then
the LLB turn on the wipers which caused the bag to get stuck .....he was lucky
it was blocking only the passenger side view.....
I'll take this as testimony of something you actually did.
i thought i was going to see a 50 car pile up at that
point....LOL...it's not funny, but the stupidass crap that you dumbass LLBs put
yourself in is hillarious.......
bye, bye...and happy motoring at 55mph in the left lane....LOL
Yup, I bet you'll be LOL alright, when they cite this message in both
your criminal and civil trials...
[Douglas Tooley ]
These peoples' comments seem to reflect their driving personalities. There is the agressive driver who responds negatively to any comment made against driving illegally. Then there is the courteous driver who believes that driving cautiously and defensively is the way. The issue of left lane driving is a controversial one. Some say that it should strictly be used for passing while others see it as the fast lane. In these cases where road rage is involved, it seems safer for everyone if the left lane should be free and used only for passing. This would help with those occasional slow drivers that think it is alright to drive 55 in the left lane. But is this really realistic?
I have to admit that I am more of an aggressive driver when it comes to the highway, so I am a little biased. To keep traffic flowing, it is more sufficient to utilize the left lane. During rush hour, it is necessary for the left lane to be used. As ilustrated with these comments, people do not always conform to these ways and this can cause irritation. Irritation then causes road rage. Road rage can never be safe on any street. There are many different personalities in the world and one place that they come out the most is on the road.
# 5 : Justifiable Rage
Date: 1999/09/24
Well, I still haven't re-assembled my 1964 MBW. Haven't ridden for close to 10 years now. Don't know if I really want to.
Here's what I saw today. Westbound 24, Orinda, traffic moving very well. (55-65, in all lanes). Cyclist moving along with traffic, leaving about 3-4 car lengths ahead of him. (Recommended 5-6 car lengths). WELL, THIS IS WAY TOO MUCH FOR THE IDIOT CAR DRIVERS!!!!!
They are litterally
tailgating 10 feet behind him. If anybody slows down for any reason, this guy
is dead. I cannot understand the mentality of this tailgating. Most drivers
seem to get upset that there is a gap for one more car, and maybe they can
nudge this driver (cyclist) to take up the gap? Are they literally trying to
get to S.F. one car length sooner? Why do they tailgate? My wife says it is
probably bad eyesight. We have two female friends (fair waring given) that
don't feel comfortable driving unless they can see every flyspeck on your
license plate. We have discussed this with them (both have bad, but corrected,
eyesight) and they claim they feel safer. Safe from what? Are they afraid that
someone is going to enter their lane if they leave a gap? What is the
psychology involved? These people are not all "Type A's". What's
worse, is their reactions are probalby poor, and they try to compensate by
living (read "driving") up closer.
Any way, I'm not sure I want to get back on the old bike. Things have
changed. My reactions are probable much slower than they used to be. I have
always driven defensively, but what do you do about the above.
The above mentioned cyclist changed from the # 2 lane to the # 3 lane,
to the slow lane. In each case they tailgated the hell out of him. Very
frustrating, I'm sure.
I have noticed the same behaviors during my attempts at sharing the road with cars while riding a bicycle. It seems to me that drivers don't have respect for the cyclists on the road with them. It's like a power trip for motorists, they have "armor " protecting them, while cyclist are bare and very vulnerable. You would think this would be all the more reason to steer clear of them, but they don't. There is still a negative attitude toward the cyclist. Drivers become aggrivated because a cyclist may make them go a little slower at times.
It's hard enough to pay attention to
everything going on while riding a bicycle on a busy street. It's even more
difficult to concentrate when cars are not courtious, and even exhibit road
rage. The same thing can apply to mopeds. Just this morning on my way to class,
I witnessed road rage toward a moped driver. It was early morning and my
roomate was not happy to begin with. We were riding along a two lane street
where there are sometimes parked cars in the right lane. The moped was in the
middle of the left lane. My roomate was dangerously close behind, cursing him
for not moving over or I guess just being there.
I kept quiet and just observed. Then we come to a traffic light, still with two lanes. We were in the left lane going straight and it was a red light. My roomate noticed a different moped driver, sitting at the front of the right lane, he was going to go straight. She just thought that was the most awful thing he could ever do. She started venting again about the 'stupid' moped driver who had no courtesy to others and so on. This time I laughed and commented on her hatred toward moped drivers. Needless to say, she didn't like my comment, but she did finally realize what was going on. She admitted that she already had a negative opinion toward moped drivers, and she might have not being fair. Just being aware of bad driving behaviors is the first step to solving the problem.
Subject:
Re: Road Rage; C'mon guys, forgive them!
Date: 1997/11/04
I
agree, as stated below, that feedback is needed in order to help improve the habits
of other drivers on the road. Dirty looks are probably necessary and okay, so
long as things don't go beyond that. I don't know how effective this could be
(likely, not very), but one should never cross the line from voicing one's
discontent through one's car horn, to acting upon that discontent, and
endangering your life or someone else's life through acts of retribution.
I agree completely. Attacking another driver with my car just doesn't
make sense to me, and never has.
[...] Best thing to do is drive defensively; assume that the drivers
around you are going to make mistakes, and be prepared for that eventuality.
After that, the best thing to do is to try and remain
calm. If at least one person is thinking rationally, that's one extra
chance that an accident will be avoided. Agreed again. Driving in a blind rage
is a terrible idea. But ãcalm" is relative, IMHO. When another driver
almost crashes into me, I won't be completely undisturbed, but neither will I
be
overwhelmed by rage. My "prime directive" is to maintain full
control of my vehicle, and
rage doesn't allow me to do that (though I can drive fine if I'm just
kinda pissed-off :-).
[Chuck Tomlinson]
These posting is one of the few I found to be rational. The defensive driver gives good advice to those who might be willing to listen. Unlike most others who attempt to express their discontent with road rage, these people respond calmly, stating their feelings with out emitting angry attitudes. This makes it easier for others to actually listen and not disagree. These guys are realists, they understand that it would unreal to ask drivers to smile at every turn. They're just saying it''s ok to get a little ticked, but it's never necessary to go off the deep end, especially to someone you've probably never met. These are the type of drivers that we want on the road.
Dear panic when driving;
'am new to this group, and had panic ttacks for twenty
years now. Driving ,
or taking trips is very hard on me.When I drive I have
to take someone with me I feel very comfortable with. I
belive; we got out of practice in driving. We belive that we
can't do this by our selves and when we start out on our own there is
so many negtive thoughts and many what if's that
we just what to stay home and be safe.
I guss we need to make small trips, and pratice,
pratice, pratice. We will have good days and bad ones But if we drive every
day and look at it possitivy it can't be wrong.And keep saying I can do
this and take deep breaths slowly in and out this will help.
write back if you think this will
help you. signed M. L.
I agree with this person's response about panic and driving. Whenever I have not driven for a long period of time, I become nervous, sometimes even experiencing panic attacks. However, once I drove for more than a week straight, the anxiety disappeared. I felt comfortable driving as long as it was regularly. Some people may have more anxiety than others while driving, any type can be dangerous on the road. This person also gives some good advice to try to always to drive with someone else. This should be a person you feel comfortable with, s/he can help talk you through the panic attacks.
Subject:
Re: Road Rage in Raleigh
Date: 1997/09/27
get
a clue - if someone is tailgating you in the left lane, pull the : hell to the
right. If I'm doing the speed limit, you can kiss my a$%!
Thanks!
[Dave]
What part? Hell anybody who drives in the left lane at the speed limit
for very long is 100% a$% and 100 % idiot too. Two wrongs (speeding and
impeding traffic) don't make a right. Only 3 lefts make a right.
The slower traffic keep right sign don't say nuthin about "unless you are traveling at the speed limit". You are impeding overall traffic flow and causing different dangers (but very real dangers) from what speeders might or might not be causing. Not to mention acting like arrogant, selfish, and spoiled child. Are your related to Tom Fetzer.
-- Wes Dukes
I agree with Dave when he says that it is wrong for someone to impede others in the left lane. It is easy to see that if someone drives up behind you and gets close, they want to get by. It's common courtesy to move to the right. I believe that those people who don't budge are the people who like to irritate others, unless they haven't noticed. They could take the tailgaiting personally and find it as a challenge, and then purposely stay in the left lane.
In Dave's response, he sounds aggrivated but he doesn't show too much rage. It souds more like he's frustrated with people not understanding. I think it goes both ways. The two contrasting driving personalities are what causes problems and irritation which may eventually lead to road rage.
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11/27/1999 |
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Subject: |
Re: Road Rage Attact Deemed Misdemanor |
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ROCHESTER, N.Y. (AP) - A man
who became so enraged at the elderly man driving slowly in front of him that he
forced him to a halt and beat him up was found guilty of assault on Monday.
If people knew how to drive with some balls there would not be road
rage.
This man's thought process is one of the very reasons road rage exists. It enrages me to hear that he feels that way. After reading an article on the incident, it is evident that there was nothing 87 year old man could have done. The man who wrote the response is probably the type that initiates conflicts. His driving personality would most likely be agressive. By saying that people should drive with 'balls' means that there would be even more road rage, each person would attempt to 'show up' the other. Noone would ever let anyone by. It's scary that this insensitive man is on the road, he needs to realze what it is that he is proposing.
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Subject: |
Re: Road rage |
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11/12/1999 |
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OK,
DIPSHIT YOU WANT CLARITY? THIS WAS THE FIRST TIME YOU SAID YOU WERE
REFERING ONLY TO CONTROLLED ACCESS HIGHWAYS!
Next, you use the term Refuse to yeild??? Grow up asshole, YOU DO
NOT HAVE THE RIGHT OF WAY!! if that person decided to be nice and change
lanes to let you by you should in fact be gratefull, they are not required by
law to do so. I'll say it again, the law states that SLOWER VEHICLES STAY
IN THE RIGHT LANE, this does not mean slower than assholes like you!.. and
while on the subject, I have never said I was against speeders... YOU ASSUMED I
WAS! To me there is a great deal of difference in the avg speeder and
idiots like you. The avg speeder, really would not get angry if he
came upon a sitation like you described, he would simply change lanes and
procede. Speeding does not give a person the right to drive recklessly
and they are not the same thing hence a reckless driving is a ticketable
offence in and of itself seperate from but sometimes
combined with speeding.
Contrary to your asinine beliefs, you ARE WRONG. SLOWER VEHICLES STAY RIGHT MEANS IF YOU ARE SLOWER THAN APPROACHING TRAFFIC, GET YOUR FREAKING ASS OVER!!! IS IT THAT DIFFICULT FOR YOU???
It's a good thing that these two respondants are communicating through computers. The hostility is expressed thoroughly enough through usage of capatilization, punctuation, and strong words. When I come across posts like these I wonder if people go on the internet solely to vent. It definately might be a safer form of ventilation than road rage. The first response makes a good point that most drivers would not become angry when approaching a slower driver. Most people simply move around, provided there is space. At times, a person may be irritated, for a second, but quickly get over it until the next irritation. It also depends on a persons state of mind, personality, and reason for being on the road. A person in a good mood, would not become angry, whereas a person who may already be uptight would become agitated more easily. People in hurry would also have a higher chance of getting angry than someone who was not. Driving personality also plays a major role in behavior.
COCLUSION: Advice for future generations
For future generations, I suggest finding the newsgroups and writing your responses as you go along. When you have finished this then go back and add all the links and page formatting. I'm sure that you already know - DON'T PROCRASTINATE!!! I have a tendency to do this, and I'm sure I don't have to tell you, all the work piles up fast. These reports recquire alot of time and effort. To do well, I think it's best to take it a little at a time and not cram it all together at once.
Try to find postings that give you something to say. I found it quite difficult to write responses to some and had to go back to look again.
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