Don't Ruin My Fun

[nbusch1128]

I don't have much of a commute, total of 4 miles. There are only a few stretches for some spirited driving in my coupe. Normally I only encounter 2 types of drivers. The drivers that are asleep and the ones like me that actively participate in driving their vehicles. They're somewhat rare.
Do automatics turn people into zombies?
This morning I had a very odd encounter with the a driver of a Bentley. While it's normal for me to see an occasional Bentley, it is definitely out of the ordinary to see one on my morning commute.
The situation was a 2 lane left turn that merges to one onto the highway with a nice little curve that I like to take as fast as I can, you know...because it fun.
He was a couple cars ahead of me and was slow to come off the brake when the light turned green. So with my logic I put this driver in the asleep at the wheel category. I can not let this Bentley ruin my fun, so I speed up to get in front of him as we merged so I can have a little fun on my way to work.
He apparently took offense to it and tried to play cat and mouse, except I wasn't playing with him.
I'm just rolling like I always do, looking forward to the next sharp curve to have fun on. I thought Bentley had turned off, I didn't see him anymore. Next thing I know he is doing all kinds of crazy maneuvers just to try to get in front of me. He followed me for about 2 miles and finally got in front of me at a red light. Before the light changes decides he was done and just drove off. I'm like WTF? I guess because he didn't get a reaction out of me?
Anyway it was some old dude with handicap plates.
I was hoping he was going to get out of his car and approach me. I wanted to tell him that he probably should have spent his money on a performance car instead of a heavy boat. There's a reason you don't see Bentleys at the track, just saying...

[XMetal]

It's usually the slow pokes that like to be in front of everyone for some reason. I've seen many speed up just to merge in front of me and then slow down slower than what I was at previously for no reasons. If they were going to drive slower than what I was doing, why not just merge in behind me?

[nbusch1128]

Originally Posted by XMetal

It's usually the slow pokes that like to be in front of everyone for some reason. I've seen many speed up just to merge in front of me and then slow down slower than what I was at previously for no reasons. If they were going to drive slower than what I was doing, why not just merge in behind me?

That's the absolute worst. I try to remain calm in those situations but sometimes I can't help it.

[Hawkeye]

Originally Posted by nbusch1128

That's the absolute worst. I try to remain calm in those situations but sometimes I can't help it.

Depends on what I am driving. In my zed I can usually not let people in front of me. In my truck I just tailgate the shit out of them. A guy in a newer S5 almost learned the hard way that I care less about my front bumper than he does about his back one last week... he sped up and didn't try to brake check me again. To be fair, I don't hit the brakes from a combination of not wanting to lose control and not giving a shit if the idiot in front of me gets knocked into oncoming traffic for their stupid decisions. /rant

[racerbruce]

I was hoping he was going to get out of his car and approach me"....

So glad you enjoy your Z and the fun it brings.

A thought; in today's heightened awareness of road-rage, hoping someone gets out of their car to approach another car is frightful. Daily news is full of circumstances like this ending badly.

Please do not read this as a caution or attempt to direct, just a concern for safety.

[Manxman1950]

Originally Posted by Hawkeye

Depends on what I am driving. In my zed I can usually not let people in front of me. In my truck I just tailgate the shit out of them. A guy in a newer S5 almost learned the hard way that I care less about my front bumper than he does about his back one last week... he sped up and didn't try to brake check me again. To be fair, I don't hit the brakes from a combination of not wanting to lose control and not giving a shit if the idiot in front of me gets knocked into oncoming traffic for their stupid decisions. /rant

Wow... so you don’t let people get in front of you and if they do you tailgate them? Glad you’re not around here.

[racerbruce]

Originally Posted by Manxman1950

Wow... so you don’t let people get in front of you and if they do you tailgate them? Glad you’re not around here.

"I don't hit the brakes from a combination of not wanting to lose control and not giving a shit if the idiot in front of me gets knocked into oncoming traffic for their stupid decisions"

The Z Post Administrator needs to step into this convo due to the disregard for human life and road rage....

[Hawkeye]

Originally Posted by Manxman1950

Wow... so you don’t let people get in front of you and if they do you tailgate them? Glad you’re not around here.

If someone that is driving faster than I want to drive gets in front of me then I will drive the speed I want to drive. If someone speeds up to get in front of me just to slow back down, then fuck them. You sound like one of those people, glad you're not around here as well.

edit: and because you seem to have trouble reading, this is the post I was responding to

It's usually the slow pokes that like to be in front of everyone for some reason. I've seen many speed up just to merge in front of me and then slow down slower than what I was at previously for no reasons. If they were going to drive slower than what I was doing, why not just merge in behind me?

[Hawkeye]

Originally Posted by racerbruce

"I don't hit the brakes from a combination of not wanting to lose control and not giving a shit if the idiot in front of me gets knocked into oncoming traffic for their stupid decisions"

The Z Post Administrator needs to step into this convo due to the disregard for human life and road rage....

Yeah, because someone being passive aggressive and then brake checking me is my fault.

[Huz-Z]

Originally Posted by Hawkeye

If someone that is driving faster than I want to drive gets in front of me then I will drive the speed I want to drive. If someone speeds up to get in front of me just to slow back down, then fuck them. You sound like one of those people, glad you're not around here as well.

I totally get what you are saying and while I understand your frustration, having been in similar situations myself, consider:

First, its always possible that the person who hauled in front of you may have reduced speed because there was an unexpected road obstruction / hazard that isn't visible from the following car.

Second, even if the lead car driver was truly being an ass, up here the driver at fault in a rear-end collision is usually deemed to be the following car. That's bad enough if it results in a driving offence / expensive ticket / demerit points. But if there is a personal injury, then the following driver will likely be dealing with nasty lawsuits and the resulting fallout for some time. Not to mention the fact that the injured party could be an innocent passenger, like a young kid or someone's wife, parent etc. That's quite a nasty weight on your conscience. I'd really hate to see any of that that happen to anyone in this group who have been my cyber buds since 2009.

[dc_wright]

Originally Posted by Huz-Z

I totally get what you are saying and while I understand your frustration, having been in similar situations myself, consider:

First, its always possible that the person who hauled in front of you may have reduced speed because there was an unexpected road obstruction / hazard that isn't visible from the following car.

Second, even if the lead car driver was truly being an ass, up here the driver at fault in a rear-end collision is usually deemed to be the following car. That's bad enough if it results in a driving offence / expensive ticket / demerit points. But if there is a personal injury, then the following driver will likely be dealing with nasty lawsuits and the resulting fallout for some time. Not to mention the fact that the injured party could be an innocent passenger, like a young kid or someone's wife, parent etc. That's quite a nasty weight on your conscience. I'd really hate to see any of that that happen to anyone in this group who have been my cyber buds since 2009.

^This^
Driver of the car that hits another in the rear is considered at fault in virtually every state in the U.S. Unless you've got a dash cam that clearly shows the driver in front did something that caused the accident (and take note of the "clearly" term) you're going to get cited for the accident.

[yousefnjr]

I don’t act like a tough guy until I see it’s somebody non-threatening at the wheel, only then do I pretend to be a badass lol

NSFW

[Hawkeye]

Originally Posted by dc_wright

^This^
Driver of the car that hits another in the rear is considered at fault in virtually every state in the U.S. Unless you've got a dash cam that clearly shows the driver in front did something that caused the accident (and take note of the "clearly" term) you're going to get cited for the accident.

I do have a dashcam, and the only people that seem to do that around here, or are able to do that to me, are smaller cars that I can easily see over. I don't tailgate unless it is open road in front of them and they are just being an asshole. Yes, it is fault to the driver behind 99% of the time. If you can show the person in front purposefully caused the wreck then you may get off alright but they can just easily say "I thought I saw something on the side of the road" or whatnot.

My own behavior is the reason that I don't brake check people and I get over when someone is wanting to drive faster than me. Treat others as you wish to be treated or whatever you know the phrase to be.

[rockstar93]

In my province brake checking is deemed to be stunt driving and sees the same charge as racing, driving >49km/h over the limit, wheelies, burnouts, etc. Side of the road license suspension, impound your vehicle, up to $10k fine, possible jailtime etc. etc. - the whole nine yards.

3. For the purposes of section 172 of the Act, “stunt” includes any activity where one or more persons engage in any of the following driving behaviours:

8. Driving a motor vehicle without due care and attention, without reasonable consideration for other persons using the highway or in a manner that may endanger any person by,

ii. stopping or slowing down a motor vehicle in a manner that indicates the driver’s sole intention in stopping or slowing down is to interfere with the movement of another vehicle by cutting off its passage on the highway or to cause another vehicle to stop or slow down in circumstances where the other vehicle would not ordinarily do so,

That said, what I've learned from riding a motorcycle is that just because you're not at fault doesn't mean you come up above. Personal injury aside, the headache of being in an accident, dealing with insurance/bodyshops/rental car companies is just not worth the hassle and I usually let the asshats on the road by and generally avoid confrontation (most of the time to the chagrin of my passengers).

Around me there's so many ignorant, idiotic, or just plain bad drivers that if I let every one bother me every drive would be an angry one lol.

[nbusch1128]

As I've gotten older I rarely get road rage. Driving can be the source of enormous stress. I even noticed changing jobs had an effect on my driving. I would love to say the car also has influence, but I've been driving the Z4 with a big old smile and a Billy Badass attitude for almost 10 years. Because I drive a very recognizable car with a vanity plate, I'm more concerned with someone remembering me for something other than "Wow that's a good looking car." Unfortunately or fortunately... the crazy old man, handicap, unsafe Bentley driver also has a very recognizable car and we might meet again. I'll invite him to the track to settle his beef with me. I can recommend a sexy little Z4 to help with his frustrations to rule the road. Enjoy that ultimate driving machine, don't drive into battle with it.

[Hawkeye]

Originally Posted by rockstar93

In my province brake checking is deemed to be stunt driving and sees the same charge as racing, driving >49km/h over the limit, wheelies, burnouts, etc. Side of the road license suspension, impound your vehicle, up to $10k fine, possible jailtime etc. etc. - the whole nine yards.

That said, what I've learned from riding a motorcycle is that just because you're not at fault doesn't mean you come up above.

I wish it was that severe here for brake checking and just being a passive aggressive driver in general. I do drive completely different when on my motorcycle, and no matter what will not follow one of those too closely. Not sure why I see a difference, but I do. Cars are much much more protective of their occupants.

Originally Posted by nbusch1128

As I've gotten older I rarely get road rage. Driving can be the source of enormous stress. I even noticed changing jobs had an effect on my driving. I would love to say the car also has influence, but I've been driving the Z4 with a big old smile and a Billy Badass attitude for almost 10 years. Because I drive a very recognizable car with a vanity plate, I'm more concerned with someone remembering me for something other than "Wow that's a good looking car."

I drive completely different depending on what vehicle I am driving, and mainly see myself being mad in my truck as it is harder to pass and get by people... they seem to think if they can accelerate faster they need to be in front no matter what the cruising speed is. Perhaps I just need to do myself a favor and get into a Raptor or Power Wagon so I don't have that problem anymore. I have very distinguishable vanity plates on all of my vehicles as well, definitely easier to recognize than most.

[unluky]

People are Aholes. Driving back from the farm to work (hour drive) this morning in my SUV. Work van with ladders on the roof and all that had 6-7 cars piled up behind him because he was being a left lane nazi and the first couple of cars behind him just stayed there making it even worse.

I work my way through the field until I could get around him and being the guy I am.....I slow down slightly in front of him to prompted him him to the right lane. It does but now he is FURIOUS! He floors his old work van and luckily I catch it before he gets up to speed and also speed up so he does not get around me. The car behind him caught on to what I was doing and the whole chain behind him sped up on my tail and we ran him into a "blocker" in the right lane and the whole group behind him smoked past him as he slowed for the "blocker" and had to go to the end of the line. He did pass the blocker then pull back into the right lane, so maybe he got the hit.

Seriously if you want to be an asshat and block the left lane up - its one thing. But to get pissed when someone does it back to you make you a royal dbag. I will never believe you can't see the 15 cars piled up behind you and figure out you need to get over.

[Hawkeye]

Originally Posted by unluky

Seriously if you want to be an asshat and block the left lane up - its one thing. But to get pissed when someone does it back to you make you a royal dbag. I will never believe you can't see the 15 cars piled up behind you and figure out you need to get over.

That is pretty funny, I generally just pass and keep going. I would hate to slow down, have them hit the brakes and have some poor guy behind them get in an accident.

[unluky]

LOL - it is not a braking moment....I pull over, set the cruise and then click it down 1 MPH till the left lane nazi get the hint and pulls over. No braking is involved.

And I think the 15 people behind him nose to tail trying to get around is cause for more concern than that!

H.A.T.E. those people. So easy, pass pull over. When I get to drive in Europe it is so amazing that everyone just gets over most of the time. Its like Heaven for us USA drivers!