Grrr... Jerk drivers

[TXlib]

Has this happened to you?

I'm driving to work, in the left lane of a 4-lane highway (2 each way). Traffic is not too heavy.

There's a car about 3 lengths in front of me, and none behind me for quite a ways (at least 15 car lengths or so). There's a car to my right, right alongside me.

Suddenly, the car on the right puts on a burst of speed, and cuts in front of me, causing me to hit the brakes. Then he starts to brake, putting on his left-turn signal, because he's preparing to turn left off the highway.

He could have tapped his brake when he was alongside me, then got behind me. Then when he turned, he would have inconvenienced nobody.

Instead, he chose to cut right in front of me and slam on his brakes, and nearly cause a collision.

I am absolutely certain I did nothing to provoke road rage on his part; I had been in my lane, not switching lanes, for several miles.

The kicker is, this kind of incident happens at least once each way every day. I can't wrap my brain around why somebody would get right in front of a car, just to make a left hand turn, rather than get behind it, when nobody else is behind for a long distance...

[theivoryqueen]

1. clearly you are dealing with morans there

you must be near Dallas... (I can say that - I live here)

[Richardo]

3. Worse - we're in Houston.

:scared:

[GOPisEvil]

5. What does it say that the first 3 to respond are from TX?

Nothing good, I tell ya. :D

[Richardo]

2. Was that YOU?

:D

[GOPisEvil]

4. Argh! That gets me too.

No one behind me FOR MILES!! Yet, some dope's got to get in front of ME just to turn. That shows a selfish, me-first attitude. Assholes.

[Sequoia]

6. Maybe the driver was somewhere else

like late for an appointment or something. It's easy to get upset and we all do but the roads are so crowded these days and those 4x4s and SUVs take up even more room. A new book about by Richard Freer called "Survive Your Drive" (1st Books) addresses these sorts of problems and suggests we take a calm attitude (in a Buddha kind of way I thought)and not waste time being angry. (That's a hard one)

[TXlib]

7. Being in a hurry is no excuse for the way he drove

And I didn't respond, no finger, no shaken fist, no horn, etc.

Just a bit of an inward growl, as I quickly swerved into the right lane.

[VelmaD]

10. You're a better man than I

Lord knows you showed more restraint than I would have.

[NightTrain]

8. Tell me about it!

I drive for a living and have to deal with those jerk-offs forty (or more) hours a week! :grr:

[MousePlayingDaffodil]

9. If you'd been driving in the left-hand lane for several miles . . .

. . . and had no imminent intention of making a left-hand turn yourself, it seems to me that you were being somewhat inconsiderate yourself (even if traffic was "light").

What is it about Americans that they don't understand "drive on the right/pass on the left"?

Violate that rule in a place like Germany or Switzerland and see where it gets you.

[TXlib]

11. Yes, you're right

If traffic had been heavier, I would have been in the right lane.

FWIW, I was generally passing all vehicles on my right, and I was not speeding.

On Edit:

Very appropriate that Lisa chastises Homer...