"I'm a fast, and savvy driver. If I need to get around you, and you're dawdling along at only 130% of the speed limit, I'll usually just overtake you or if I'm in a hurry, I'll flash/honk - with 'respectful' intervals (varying on age of driver and vehicle) between reminders - until you are behind me. But one way or the other, you better believe I'm going to be in front of you in the next minute or so, regardless. I don't let slackers stand in my way for too long."

Just because you think you drive well doesn't mean you do. Every aggressive driver I know thinks they are right and the rest of the world needs to just have their eyes opened...gee that reminds me of another thread.


Where I live this selfish behavior could get you shot....that could take care of the question of your rights.

__________________

The practice of putting women on pedestals began to die out when it was discovered that they could give orders better from there.~ Betty Grable

If I wanted your opinion, I'd remove the duct tape and ask you for it.~ Me
<~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~>
One man's dream is another man's nightmare~~~~> §¤ Lilith ¤§
~>My Scribbles<~
==>Gone Shopping<== ~Just a Quickie~ *~A Celebration Vacation~* ~Surprises~ Sleeping With the Window Open
What Did You Do Today? Self Defense Class ~Short Sweet Snippets~ § Summer Spin § Story Challenge Submission Pajamas

By driving however you want to regardless of the law, you are endangering other people. Whether you think so or not. I have a right not to be endangered by you. Don't cloud the issue by bringing in nonsensical scenarios. Stick to the point. If you do whatever the hell you feel like on the road, you're driving irresponsibly and putting those around you at risk.

What about the satisfaction of people that are obeying the law? Your policies don't satisfy them. They appear to only satisfy you. If that's all that's important to you then be man enough to admit it.

__________________
Though I am different from you,
We were born involved in one another.

For it was not into my ear you whispered, but into my heart. It was not my lips you kissed, but my soul.

Complete surrender should not just come at moments in which one faces overwhelming odds, but in the calm when it seems one is personally in complete control of one's life.

I really don't see where this conversation is going. As far as 'admit' goes, I'm PROUD that I get from A to B quickly, and SAFELY. Maybe not legally, but SAFELY. We have ABS, Airbags, sports suspension and excellent road-holding. Oh, I'm not safe? Well, neither is living, let alone driving. My policy of risk-minimisation has worked BRILLIANTLY since the 80's, fulfilling two often conflicting priorities - arriving at my destination safely, and punctually. My accident rate is far below the average for the general population. I've read no case here to change it, even slightly. I'm an open-minded guy.

If anyone has a salient, RELEVANT point to make, I'll reply to it. I'm not sure what I'm doing here fending off these nebulous, and increasingly emotional charges.

Aside from that, I think it's best to leave the matter here, guys. Next topic.


Jaybee.

Maybe your attitude has gotten you here.....people have tried to politely point out to you that when you feel that your opinions, desires, etc...are more important than what has been determined to for the greater good of the community at large, and you act accordingly, you are willingly endangering others. And in general not being a law biding citizen. That is your choice but it's not your right, or it would not be where I live. Here agressive driving is prosecutable. They arrest people for it everyday.

The thread was about people's reactions to agressive/problematic drivers....this is how people react. They often feel threatened, intimidated, and bullied. It's all relevant. You can't really answer the question because you are that driver it seems.

You make it clear that your feelings (wanting to get where you are going fast) are more important than what has been decided with much research and investigation, to be safe driving habits. Just because you have not been in an accident does not mean that your driving habits will not cause one for someone else.

__________________

The practice of putting women on pedestals began to die out when it was discovered that they could give orders better from there.~ Betty Grable

If I wanted your opinion, I'd remove the duct tape and ask you for it.~ Me
<~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~>
One man's dream is another man's nightmare~~~~> §¤ Lilith ¤§
~>My Scribbles<~
==>Gone Shopping<== ~Just a Quickie~ *~A Celebration Vacation~* ~Surprises~ Sleeping With the Window Open
What Did You Do Today? Self Defense Class ~Short Sweet Snippets~ § Summer Spin § Story Challenge Submission Pajamas

Ok....next case!!!lol

errrr...I mean next topic

Maybe it will become RELEVANT to you one day if you kill someone due to your driving habits......

Let me start by saying I have not yet read all these posts. But to respond to the original question...lets just say i'm probably not typical.

When I was younger and I used to drive a fast stick shift automobile and I encountered a slow moving person in front of me....well let me correct that...slower moving than I was and i was stuck behind them, it would infuriate me. My response was always to downshift to the lowest gear I could, as i went around them, spinning the tires...making noise...and leaving them and dust and smoke behind as a way to voice my displeasure with them.

Eventually I realized this was bad bad behavior and I decided to save myself, and likely someone else by buying slower, safer, auto-transmission vehicles. I still long for a stick shift, and if ever in the detriot area with a corvette or other fast stick-shift type ride if you see me do not let me drive it, or be prepared for tires squealing from the moment I enter the drivers seat to the moment I leave. But I digress.

As to what I do with tailgaters. Well I still do drive faster than most traffic in my area, and reside mainly in the left hand lane. If someon faster than me approaches and does not go around but simply backs away to a safe distance, I am more than happy to move over and let them by.

HOWEVER, if some jerk who thinks they own the road drives as fast as they can to my rea end and proceeds to tailgate, flash lights or beeps horn, they shall be prepared for my wrath. I'm sorry mr. jerk-off, you don't own the road, and i am nto required to move becuase you want me to. That said, on to my wrath, well what I normally do is make their trip with me on the highway as LONG as possible. I will hunt them down like wild coyotes and trap them in traffic. I will slow down so as they can't get past because the traffic in the lane next to us now has a mile long train of cars that won't let anyone in. Did i mention I do most of my driving in heavy rush hour traffic? And I will continue this so long as they are on the same highway until one of us gets off of it. Iv'e played the game from both sides, I know EXACTLY what it takes to make their head explode, and I will be doing my best to make that happen.

This may make me a bastard, or a jerk, or simply just a not so nice person. It may make me the #1 candidate to get shot in the metro detroit area. The simple fact is this. If you want to be courteous, I can be so too. If you want to be an A-Hole, guess what, I am a bigger one than you.

Or more simply put. Treat others as which you yourself would like to be treated.

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What are the speed limits like in the UK and Australia? I can't stand going the speed limit unless it's raining or there are other people on the road and then it's a matter of how safe I feel. There are alot of people complaining about tailgaiters, do they tailgait you on multiple lane roads or are they doing it when you/they have nowhere to go, either way it's plain stupid. I only tailgate when there is some granny in the fast lane and even then its very rare.

With age comes grace I guess....

Tailgaters are a major frustration for me as well. Typically, depending on where I am driving, I will tap my brake lights to inform them to "back off". If that doesn't work, the I usually slow down to allow the driver behind me to pass. It isn't that important to me to get upset at that other person as they probably won't even realize that they are causing a negative reaction to their discourtious driving habit - so I don't get worked up about it.

I also don't get too troubled by what we call "Sunday drivers" around these parts. You know the type - the driver isn't really watching what speed they are traveling at (which is typically 15-20 mph under the posted speed limit) and looking at everything but the road around them. (Hey Harriet! See that deer in the field over yonder? - lol)

I am more of a defensive driver and the cargo that I carry is very precious to me. Even if I am late (which is seldom as I do plan my time well), I will take the proper time and precautions when I drive.

As far as the other driver who likes to speed and arrive at a destination quickly, the only concern that I would have is that eventually the percentages will work against you. Either you will find yourself (hopefully not) in an accident, or you will startle some old soul into driving into a ditch or another vehicle. You cannot contol all the variables and I believe that is the message others have been trying to get across to you.

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A blessed thing it is for any man or woman to have a friend, one human soul whom we can trust utterly, who knows the best and worst of us, and who loves us in spite of all our faults.

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Thanks. I have a question that i've been wondering about for a while, for those of you who have the drivers seat on the right... is it hard learnig to shift with your non dominant hand?

Even if you are as skilled a driver as you say you are (in which case you probably should, as others have alluded to, be driving at the local racetrack), the probability increases with time that someday your skill will fail you. Mistakes at 100 MPH will very likely kill someone, maybe you, or worse yet, maybe innocents. Mistakes at the posted speed limit have a decreased likelihood of causing fatality, I'd have thought. Consider the fact that your skill has not failed you since the '80s may very likely be a reflection of extremely good fortune, at least in part.

Speed limits are not completely arbitrary, at least not in this country. They are based on scientific research into reaction times, stopping distances, and so forth. The technological advancements that result in a decreased road toll are not reasons to counteract this decrease by permitting, legally, or socially, drivers to exceed the posted speed limit because in their own opinions, they are safe drivers. Do not forget that public roads are filled with drivers who have no reasonable expectation that a car is going to fly past them at frightening speed. Are they supposed to trust your superior skill, having never so much as seen you for more than a split second? I don't like sounding like a sanctimonious arsehole, but fuck it: Your behaviour likely causes terror and confusion in the minds of other drivers. This is not a healthy state in which to drive, and it is not a healthy situation for anyone sharing the road with a driver in this state. How do you know that your driving has not and will not cause accidents due to the road rage it causes in others?

Why are the goals of punctuality and safety in competition, for you? Most people simply leave earlier in order to meet both.

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I want to know everything
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Don't assume everyone is right handed. I am a leftie and sit on the left and therefore use my right hand to shift gears and it isn/t a problem. It's the way your taught to drive so you know no different.

Knew I'd get something like this, people take offence to anything these days. I was jsut wondering if it was harder seeing as though my mom didn't want to drive my car even though she knows how to drive stick but is left handed and cited that and the fact that she hadn't driven stick in many years and that she did not want to "learn all over again".