My Experience With Newsgroups
What Are People Thinking?
Table of contents:
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Subject: Re: unsafe cell-phone users on road |
Date:1999/12/10
I think there is a certain amount of class envy
involved as well. While the phones themselves are now cheap enough that pretty
much anyone can afford them, your average Joe working at the Burger King
doesn't really have a need to use his phone for business purposes, while the
fellow in the Armani suit driving the Lexus that just blew past you probably
does...
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The bottom line is that talking on a cell phone while driving put you and everyone around you at risk. There's no NEED for it. If you feel the call is important, pull over. Don't put others in danger. There have been many cases where people have gotten hurt or killed because another driver was talking on the phone and wasn't paying attention to the road. Running stop lights or stop signs and switching lanes without doing a shoulder check are just some of the things that people have done because they were talking and driving at the same time.
Some may think that they're impressing someone...wrong. It irritates me when someone doesn't use their blinker or drives 5-10 miles below the speed limit because they're too distracted or involved in a conversation. The author of this posting obviously feels like he can justify such irresponsible behavior with money and upper social class status. He should get off his high horse and stop being so narrow minded. People are not against cell phone usage while driving because they're jealous. They're against it because it's unnecessary and an irresponsible thing to do.
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Subject: Car Color Discrimination |
Date: 1999/12/08
HAVE YOU ever noticed the color of a car might
be a reason for an officer to pull you over?
I am a senior at a college in Rhode Island. I am doing a marketing research
project on the automotive field. I am a car lover. My question is: Is there
a significant and measurable relationship between the color of a certain
vehicle and its tendency to get pulled over for traffic violations more often?
If anyone has any stories or stats about this topic, I'd appreciate a
response. Thank you.
I am new at this and I don't know if I am in the right place. If anyone can
direct to the right place, I'd appreciate that as well. Also, in the coming
months, I would like to post a survey to prove this question. I would like to
know if anyone feels this to be improper etiquette or a waste of time to post
here. Thank you for reading this. And I hope you can help me.
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I chose this posting to give people an idea of what goes on in newsgroups. Research and surveys can be conducted on newsgroups because there's a very good chance of getting a large number of responses. People who participate in newsgroup discussions usually do so because they want the chance to be heard. They can voice their opinions, comments and reactions to other postings for anyone to see.
Unlike chat rooms, where conversations and discussions can be fast-paced and hard to follow, what you say in newsgroups remains available for viewing for a long time. Also, participating in newsgroup discussions can be very educational and interesting. It's important that we listen to what others have to say and take the time to see things from other perspectives. Newsgroups allow people to gain new insights into things that are going on all around the world and see how people are being affected by them.
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Subject: Road Rage |
Date: 1999/11/01
I'm a biker. I'm sick of drivers risking my life
because they can't be bothered to head check, pay attention, or whatever. If
they do this, I let them know about it. If they argue, I argue harder. If
someone wants to get out of they're car, fine, I'm pretty big.
The point is, road rage is a PC term that attempts to treat anyone who loses
their temper on the road as a leper. The truth is, it's the idiots who drive
like they own the road who are a far greater risk. So don't try to make me
feel bad if I let them know this.
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This is an example of someone who doesn't believe that people should be held accountable for their actions. To him, confronting or threatening a "bad driver" is justifiable because they're putting others at risk.
While I do agree that aggressive drivers are a threat to other motorists, road rage is not the way to deal with them. I know that people, such as this author, think that aggressive drivers should be getting all the blame and criticism, not the "victims" and that it's only natural to react and get angry when another driver doesn't care about driving safely. I disagree. Road rage is a choice. When another motorist cuts you off or is tailgating you (or whatever), you can either choose to react, or choose to "walk away." Road rage doesn't do anything except worsen the situation and increase your risk of getting hurt or hurting someone else.
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Subject: Rash Driving |
Date: 1999/12/03
I was doing about
90kmph and this jeep started following me. The only problem was that he was
about 20 inches from my rear. I moved on the side and gestured him to go
ahead. The fool just stayed behind me and started honking. There was little I
could do so I just kept ignoring him. The he suddenly overtook me and almost
scraped my side. I was so angry, but there was little I could do about it. Any
advice to tackle these rash drivers?
Reaction:
First of all, the author of this posting did the right thing by trying to
let the motorist who was tailgating him pass. Those who complain about "slow"
drivers are really complaining about drivers who are blocking their way; it
was good that he moved out the way. In this case, however, it didn't
alleviate the problem. I can understand why he got so frustrated and angry
about the situation. I don't know why the driver behind him didn't take
advantage of the opportunity to pass. Drivers' behavior can be
unpredictable. The sad reality is that there are motorists out there who
don't care about the safety of others and drive in a reckless manner. There's
little we can do to change that. All we can do is make sure that we are safe
and courteous drivers at all times, in all situations. Which means trying to
remain calm and tolerant of others, whatever their driving behavior may be. It
may be a difficult thing to do and it may seem unfair, but it's the only was
to ensure that you're helping, and not contributing to the problem.
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Subject: re: road raging whore from hell...(vent) |
Date: 2000/04/03
Nytebyte wrote: So the other day, I get off of work and I'm driving out of the parking lot. There are a lot of cars coming out from various intersections and I'm usually very polite and I let people "in", so they can exit. Well, the other day, I stopped to let someone in and a maniacal bitch, who was flying up from behind me at about 40 mph, slams on her brakes and honks at me. The speed limit in the parking lot is 15 mph. I notice she's in some kind of POS Saturn and she's throwing her hands in the air mouthing obscenities at me. I could tell from reading her lips that she said the words "fu-king asshole, what the fu-k," and "dickhead". She couldn't have been in her car for more than 30 seconds and she's already having a road-raging fit. So I flipped her a big birdie and she flipped me one back.
At this point I was resisting the urge to throw it into reverse and flooring it. Instead I just crept forward at 15 mph, and she tailgated me the whole time. She must have been an inch off of my bumper. So I pulled a "JD" and stopped waiting for her to go around me. She stopped too and began honking, waving her arms and calling me "asshole". Finally I just put it in gear and did a loud, smoky burnout right in her face and continued on my way, at 15 mph. After that, she backed way off and stopped her flailing gyrations. I guess there's nothing more intimidating than having a muscle car roar its displeasure right in your face. I'm still want to have a word with this "hoe" the next time I see her in the parking lot. Thirty years ago, nobody behaved like this. It still baffles me when I see this kind of behavior, even though it happens all the time.
Jeez! Nice lady! I would have just sat there until she got done throwing her childlike tantrum and went around me. Who knows. Maybe she was just dismissed from her job, was rabid, jilted by a lover, just discovered she's truly ugly, or was having a homicidal PMS attack.
I'm always tempted to step out to ask about the nature of their problem. I only did this once, and it got WAY out of control. I ended up punching the driver in the face after being told to 'fuck right off'. I dazed him pretty good, but then he steps out demanding we duke it out. The wife insisted I not do it; I respect her wishes and let it go, but OH MAN...I easily had 70 lbs. on this moron, and would have cheerfully made a big ol' bloody mess out of him. In retrospect, I wish I'd flattened him. The sheer amount of disrespect on the road these days is sickening.
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The responder started off on the right track but then made a 180 degree turn into another direction. His initial comments, while somewhat offensive, did give me something to think about. We forget sometimes that we're sharing the road with other human beings, not just vehicles. They're people, with their own lives and problems and emotions, just like you. I'm not saying that something like being fired justifies road rage but it's definitely something to consider when dealing with "moody" drivers. It may make people more tolerable of some of the things that other people do.
His story about his confrontation with another driver shows another side to him. He may be upset with the amount of disrespect on the road nowadays, but it's the behavior like the one he demonstrated in that situation that is making the problem worse. I don't think he understands that.
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Subject: Recent Road Rage Arrest |
Date: 2000/04/04
A few days ago, some woman got arrested on a number of charges, because she waved a gun to get some other woman off her tail. Apparently these two women were experiencing a road rage incident, and the one woman started tailgating the other. The woman who was arrested was the one being tailgated, who pulled a gun and showed it to the tailgater in her rear window. The news never scolded the tailgater or anything. If you had a gun, wouldn't you think about showing it to someone who was harassing you? I don't know all the facts of this case, but I did watch it on at least one TV news broadcast. I can see someone getting arrested if they were tailgating someone (being the aggressor) and threatening the person they were tailgating with a gun. But, I cannot see someone being arrested if they showed a gun in self-defense, which is what this sounds like.
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This person's belief that it's okay to flash a gun at another motorist for tailgating shows just how big the problem on are roads are nowadays. I don't know if I agree that it should be considered self-defense. Perhaps this person feels that it's the only way to ensure his/her safety while driving. However, the mentality shown here is that confrontation and threatening another life is justifiable in a situation like this, which would put others in danger. Or perhaps he thinks threatening the motorist is going to prevent them from repeating the behavior. There are always going to be bad drivers out there, no matter how many you threaten or confront. You have a responsibility to be the safest driver you can be, and that means remaining calm even when other drivers aren't.
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Subject: re: bicyclist shot and killed in road rage incident |
Date: 2000/05/06
I worry more about drunk drivers and drivers who pass within inches of me. One killed a cycling companion of mine a few years back and injured two others on A club sponsored ride, happily for me I was not on that ride. He was caught and convicted, but allowed to serve his time on weekends. I carried a gun on my bike for years after that, thinking if it happened again I would get even with the drunk MOTORIST. But guns are heavy, the holster rubbed the finish off of my handlebar stem, and emotions do cool over time. I do stop my car and call 911 several times a year when I see drivers drunk or with booze in their cars. Police always ask for details and thank me for the call. For close passing drivers, there ought to be an aerodynamic and lightweight way to have a sharp knifelike attachment that sticks out about 18 inches from the left of the bike. That might make them give us more room if it is seen as a risk to their paintjobs...
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This person obviously has many frustrations about the way he sees motorists treating bicyclists. I agree that we need to be more considerate of them; we're all sharing the roads. However, this posting gives another example of someone who feels like they have the right to punish those who wrong them in some way. He carried a gun for awhile, thinking that he would be able to get even with motorists who passed him to closely. Our society seems to advocate that type of behavior and as a result, this type of behavior is viewed by others as acceptable. Until we change what we consider acceptable driving behavior, people will fail to see why road rage is not the responsible response to other motorists.
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Tailgating, weaving & aggressive driving IS speeding |
Date: 2000/04/09
Watching a hurried idiot the other day, I was reminded of the connection between tailgating, weaving and speeding; a set of behaviors generally referred to as "aggressive driving." You don't see slower, law-abiding drivers all over the road trying to get ahead of other cars by tailgating and weaving. Why? Because they don't NEED to. They aren't trying to pass everyone to maintain their higher speeds! Let me put it another way: if you drive in such a way that you're constantly passing people, you cannot avoid those behaviors to some degree, whether you're trying to be safe or not. The faster you go relative to other traffic, the greater the degree of aggressiveness. The people you're passing only see that you're trying to get around them and it often doesn't feel safe from their perspective.
On the majority of U.S. roads it is impossible to maintain speeds in the 80s and 90s and not engage in some form of aggressive driving. Those who claim to safely drive at those speeds should spend a week commuting in the rightmost lanes and see what you look like from a law-abiding perspective. Do the same on surface streets by never exceeding limits by 5 mph. Watch what speeders look like from a vantage point of less momentum and greater safety. You might learn something. You can't get tailgated by someone driving slower than you. Someone can't weave around you if they're going slower than you. If you remove speed as a factor, aggressive driving ceases to be aggressive! That's why it's idiotic to claim that speeding can be isolated from other unsafe behaviors, unless there's no other traffic to interact with. Remember, people have claimed to commute at 90 mph.
"Commute" implies there are other cars, and I know that they aren't all going 90 (show me a video if they are). Let me repeat: slower, law-abiding drivers do no NEED to tailgate and weave and pass all the time. Constant tailgating, weaving and passing are speeding-related behaviors by their very nature. When they say "speed kills" they are including a whole subset of reckless behaviors entwined with speed.
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I thought that this person had an interesting and somewhat valid argument. I especially liked his suggesting to speeders to try and see things from other motorists' perspective. A lot of things wrong with world today (violence, crime, discrimination, etc.) stems from the fact that people fail to understand (or fail to care) how their behavior affects others.
However, I don't think eliminating drivers who speed from the roadways will entirely eliminate our problems with aggressive drivers. It's a much too simplistic and narrow-minded way to look at the situation. It's easy for people to pinpoint a single causal factor for today's problems. It makes complex situations seem easy and manageable. Placing on the blame on people who speed may lead others to falsely conclude that aggressive driving only occurs if you're speeding.
This person fails to recognize how violent a society we live in. Whether it be because another motorist looked at someone the wrong way or forgot to signal when switching lanes, people drive aggressively for all sorts of reasons. I wish the solution was as simple as the author believes, but realistically speaking, it doesn't work that way. Until we become a more patient, considerate, and understanding society, aggression and violence will continue to be prevalent among all aspects of our lives, and that includes our roadways.