Road Rage - What route are we traveling?

[Ron H]

Just got back from moving my youngest to Miami where she took a new job out of college. I rented a 16-foot truck and what an ordeal it was from WI to FL! The worst part was traffic and the multitude of drivers with zero patience regardless of driving 5 or 10 MPH above the limit. In some cases 20 or 25 over would still not be enough to keep drivers from getting pissed off being in their path they think they own. Put on the turn signal well ahead and move over to pass when a large enough opening exists...still pissed people off. And leave a safe distance from the vehicle ahead only to have people zip in front of you and hit their brakes because they're driving so friggin fast and I have load of my daughter's home furnishings in a 13,000lb truck with inability to stop on a dime. I have gained more appreciation for the truckers out there with the huge trucks dealing with these drivers who don't give a ****...and hit them and it's all your fault. I got to wondering (as I had endless driving hours to do so) wtf is everyone in a such big rush for? Or is it just the thrill of getting ahead of the whoever is in front? Or is everyone just running late for some appointment? Here we all are sharing space on this tiny rock in the universe and don't you dare get in my way!

 

[not so famous bob]

Just got back from moving my youngest to Miami where she took a new job out of college. I rented a 16-foot truck and what an ordeal it was from WI to FL! The worst part was traffic and the multitude of drivers with zero patience regardless of driving 5 or 10 MPH above the limit. In some cases 20 or 25 over would still not be enough to keep drivers from getting pissed off being in their path they think they own. Put on the turn signal well ahead and move over to pass when a large enough opening exists...still pissed people off. And leave a safe distance from the vehicle ahead only to have people zip in front of you and hit their brakes because they're driving so friggin fast and I have load of my daughter's home furnishings in a 13,000lb truck with inability to stop on a dime. I have gained more appreciation for the truckers out there with the huge trucks dealing with these drivers who don't give a ****...and hit them and it's all your fault. I got to wondering (as I had endless driving hours to do so) wtf is everyone in a such big rush for? Or is it just the thrill of getting ahead of the whoever is in front? Or is everyone just running late for some appointment? Here we all are sharing space on this tiny rock in the universe and don't you dare get in my way!

hit it right on the head ! I drive about 4 miles over the speed limit , most usually, occasionally 9. If they don`t like it f--k em, there is nothin they can do about it !

 

[Dennis H]

Same all over. Todays romp from Rio Vista to San Jose was like the Indy 500 for lack of a better term. Had the Coronet. Seems safest to drive close to the same speed of other knuckleheads.
Way fast. While not sustained, it is not uncommon for the pack to run low 80's in spurts. That is fast for the volume here.

 

[Bladecutter]

It's a primal gut urge, instinct that goes back to humans running in packs......pecking order of the pack.....to move to the front......subconcious crap that idiots succumb to rather than using reasoning & manners

 

[Bladecutter]

It's a primal gut urge, instinct that goes back to humans running in packs......pecking order of the pack.....to move to the front......subconcious crap that idiots succumb to rather than using reasoning & manners

 

[moparcurt]

Here is my .02 cents on it...when I first got my license, I was one of those people always swapping lanes and trying to get ahead of everyone, I wanted to get ahead of all that traffic!
Now...when I started working for VSA Highway Maintenance out of Merritt (think Highway to Hell tv show), plowing roads in the winter, in the worst possible conditions and having to deal with accidents when they happen in front of you...or dealing with the aftermath...picking up the shrapnel...it does affect you!!
I think that people nowadays have WAY too much going on in there life right now, between the kids after school functions, jobs, grocery shopping, etc. and that little time we try to squeeze in for our personal time...that everyone thinks that if they just go a "little" faster....they will get all that **** done! You know the one co-worker who rolls in 1-2 minutes before their shift starts...this is the person who hits snooze 15 times and races to get to work on time...they stay up way too late and try and make it up...everyday! These are the ones you see...on our roads....driving like ******* morons!
My driving has changed 100%, I leave and give myself enough time to get to my destination, whether it is across town or for a road trip....I get there when I do, and try not to worry about it. I tell my kid the same thing, she has been on enough road trips to see how people drive...if I don't comment about someone and their driving skills...lol...she does!
And if you want scary....try working a closed road due to an accident or avalanche control...totally empty highway, all by yourself and then announce on the two way that they are opening up the road! You feel like your in the middle of the pack at Daytona when all those ******** who have had to wait go by you! Yup...even in a fully loaded plow truck....ya triple check your seatbelt and watch the mirrors and wait!

 

[Ghostrider 67]

The many times that I have noticed that the person who darts in and out trying to get to the front ends up at the same light as those that have been passed, has taught me to not do it. It's nonsensical behavior for sure.

 

[Ghostrider 67]

Trying to run down a biker...

 

[mosquito13]

Welcome to FLA. First drivers in Miami are worse then Atlanta. I attribute this being taught to drive at Fidel's School of Driving. In Fla if you are not passing you must be not be in any lane but the far right lane. On any roadway add 20 mph to posted speed ,except school zones . Fla tags have "right of road". That full lane in the middle of every road is for left turns for either direction and get the whole vehicle in that lane or prepare for a blast of the air horns and a middle finger salute from every car behind you. Out of state tags automatically make you a tourist and the fault of everything, I mean everything. If unfamiliar with traffic circles watch a youtube before entering from Georgia . It's a f*%kin'(gator,flamingo,palm tree, ...) keep your eyes on the road. And lastly all Floridians are casualty vampires. We will slow down to a crawl to get a good look a wreck. Know these basic's and driving in Florida is just a breeze in a hurricane.

 

[Bruzilla]

I stopped having this problem, for the most part, when I started driving Police Interceptors back in the 1990s. People rush up to me, see it's a police car, back down and slowly go by until they can tell I'm not a cop, and then take off again. Those who can't tell the difference fall in behind me and behave.

But even so, many drivers don't understand following distance. What is a safe following distance? Depending on who taught you to drive that can vary. For me, it's about 100-150 yards. I let the car ahead of me get that far ahead, and then I match whatever speed they are going. Yes, there are lots of folks who cut in ahead of me and slam on their brakes, but I don't care because they are so far ahead of me I rarely even have to take my foot off the gas yet alone hit the brakes. And I do this in the travel lane, not the passing lane.

 

[Ghostrider 67]

4 car lengths is what I was taught.

 

[Bruzilla]

Trying to run down a biker...

I think that biker needed to get run down. Kick my Roadrunner and I will run you down.

Reminds me of back in the 1980s when my radar operator was making a right turn off Blanding Blvd here in Jacksonville and an asshole biker decided to take a shortcut up the breakdown lane and didn't notice Clay was turning his Superbird. The bike smashed into the 'bird's nose and damaged it while flipping the bike onto its side. Clay was a little dude, but he jumped out of that car, stormed over to the biker, and started beating the **** out of the guy.

A Jacksonville Sheriff's Office deputy pulled up and he and I pulled Clay off the guy and Mr. Biker was far more bloody from the beating than the accident. The biker wanted Clay arrested, but the deputy looked at the Superbird, saw what had happened, and told the biker he had a beating coming and next time obey the rules of the road.

I miss the 80s.

 

[Mike67]

I'm I. Fla right now on vacation and this was probably the worst traffic I have ever seen!!!. I live near Houston and have seen pretty much everything but this was the most tense trip I've ever been on.
Everyone drove in the left lane, rode the car in fronts ***, constantly hitting brakes....it was crazy!!!
I've never liked interstates and usually take back roads to see America....thinking about doing that when we leave for home...too many idiots out there...

 

[DeltaV]

1 car length per 10 mph is what I was taught.

 

[partsmonsta]

Ron, The traffic in the Miami area is indicative of the people that live in that area.
As soon as you hit West Palm Beach on I-95, it becomes a cavalcade of ********.

My parents went down to Ft. LAUDEEDAH, to sell my late brother's House. They were broken into 4 times, had a "hit and run" while traveling down Federal Highway (cops are equally as useless) and eventually their Car was stolen right out of the driveway, two days after being repaired from the previous hit and run. All this in a middle class neighborhood just off Las Olas Blvd. The CrackHeads have gone wild down there, terrorizing everything.

I know this is your Kid's first BIG JOB outta College, but you would do good getting her the hell outta there.
South Florida ruins people. Drugs everywhere, Scumbag Hispanics, 100 degree weather and a general hatred toward your fellow man - Welcome to South Florida.

So when your daughter visits you in five years from now covered in Tattoos (NOT MY DAUGHTER), a boyfriend named Jose, debt up to her *** and a bad attitude...you'll remember I TOLDCHA SO.

 

[Ron H]

My brother is a retired WI state trooper and does motorcycle training for cops all over the country; a three-week intense course. He's an old gearhead having had several muscle cars back in the day and worked at a few dealerships getting to know cops from getting pulled over all the time! He became friends with a few and knew how to trick up their squads for more performance when they would bring the cars in for service. They sure appreciated the extra HP. He lead a couple of the long Harley tours back to Milwaukee for the HD anniversaries; one from CA to WI. Anyway, as you can imagine, he has some incredibly horrendous stories being first on the scene from traffic accidents. The dead mangled up children and toddlers used to be the roughest to deal with. He'd rarely talk about it; but does more now after being retired several years. I know a guy who spent 3 years in prison when he ran a stale yellow light in his truck killing a guy in a sedan t-boning the driver's door at 60MPH. He's a dad and he killed a dad. I remember being stupid back when in my muscle rides driving like an idiot burning up the streets and now think how friggin lucky I was not killing someone or myself. There were some close calls.

 

[the mississippi madman]

I think that biker needed to get run down. Kick my Roadrunner and I will run you down.

Reminds me of back in the 1980s when my radar operator was making a right turn off Blanding Blvd here in Jacksonville and an asshole biker decided to take a shortcut up the breakdown lane and didn't notice Clay was turning his Superbird. The bike smashed into the 'bird's nose and damaged it while flipping the bike onto its side. Clay was a little dude, but he jumped out of that car, stormed over to the biker, and started beating the **** out of the guy.

A Jacksonville Sheriff's Office deputy pulled up and he and I pulled Clay off the guy and Mr. Biker was far more bloody from the beating than the accident. The biker wanted Clay arrested, but the deputy looked at the Superbird, saw what had happened, and told the biker he had a beating coming and next time obey the rules of the road.

I miss the 80s.

Before the video started recording witnesses say the car tried to run the biker off the road twice before he kicked it, motorcyclist has no protection so you would be charged with using your vehicle as a weapon, if he died you will be going to prison

 

[Ron H]

I've had encounters with a few bikers who really take some risks they shouldn't take irritating me; most are pretty safe as they know they're vulnerable. Couple weeks ago on the IL toll way two crotch rockets had to be going well over 100MPH as I was pushing 80 with traffic and they flew by darting between cars. Anyone with some common sense would or should know road-raging with a biker could easily kill them. If they'd just think for a few seconds before finding the urge to get even that could easily happen...is that what they want to do...kill or maim the biker for life because they pissed 'em off? Well maybe some do. Think about how many people are shot or stabbed to death because someone pissed them off and in the heat of that very moment they make the ultimate reaction because they have the gun or knife handy (or the vehicle). Then it's a murder charge and years or life behind bars...but "I showed them not to mess with me!" A pretty sad way to "win". I'm more apt to think today and hold my anger that some idiot on a bike or in a car is going to lose eventually if they keep pulling the **** they do and hope I'm not there or someone I care about when they do...

 

[Ron H]

Partsmonsta - I hear ya about moving to south FL and was not happy about my daughter moving there. I read an article about the most dangerous cities to live in and mine came up (Milwaukee though I live some 20 miles out of the city) and as did Miami and 48 other places a lot of us on the forum live in or near! On the plane ride back I caught a long article in the airline mag about development in south FL. Wow - 30% growth since 2010 in Miami! Bob Seger's old 80's tune "Miami" is accurate. No wonder the freeways are jammed going 80 or zero! I'm a boomer and the millennials have a whole new way of living. Old cars ain't on their list; it's "Urban" living, public transport, and having anything you do... work, recreation, eating, shopping all within a couple blocks where ya live. Coral Gables, Doral, Ft. L, Miami Beach...and of course all over the place. What a switch from when people moved out of the cities to the burbs. My idea I'm sure being raised out in the far burbs is being out of the city...I don't like cities and traffic jams when I can avoid them. I'm an old quasi country boy...

 

[Greg Ducato]

I think the populace in general is long on anger and short on patience. You can see this kind of behavior transpire in everything from retail sales, to driving, flying, sports and school activities etc. My theory is that computers and social media have emboldened people and desensitized them to common courtesy and good judgment. I will still choose road travel over todays plane travel experience, what a cluster f___k that has become.