What causes you to go into a rage while driving?

[leftyladyfrommo]

I'm just curious. I was sitting at a four way stop and someone didn't wait their turn. They just went at the same time the car in front of them went. And I got so mad. But why? It wasn't that big a deal.

Why do people get so mad while they are driving. Mad enough to completely go crazy and kill someone.

It doesn't make sense. But it happens all the time.

[Auggie]

1. On the freeway: drivers who cut in front then slow down. On two lane roads,

drivers who pull out into traffic forcing you to slow down and then make an immediate left or right turn onto another road. Probably the latter infuriates me most.

[catbyte]

16. Northern lower Michigan is notorious for that. Irritated the hell out of me when I lived there.

I'd be the only one on the two-lane road for miles, some jerk would pull out in front of me, forcing me to brake, then they'd go a quarter of a mile & turn left, forcing me to stop & wait until they turned. Arrgh!

[Zing Zing Zingbah]

29. Even worse when they pass you, slow down in front of you, you pass them, then they speed up

to pass you again... then slow down in front of you... so you pass them again over and over. I had someone do this to me once for about 30 miles on the interstate once. I know I wasn't slowing down because I had my car on cruise control. It was pretty obvious the other driver was intentionally trying to be a jerk.

[rurallib]

44. or the guy on a two lane whose speed varies between 40 and 65

then speeds up if you try to pass. These folks are dangerous.

[femmocrat]

2. Nothing.

Life is too short to get crazy about other drivers' stupidity. I even refuse to ride with my husband because he gets all upset when having to follow a slow driver. Fortunately, we don't have to drive on too many interstates here. I stick to the local roads mostly. I take my time and don't try any fancy maneuvers.

[TexasBushwhacker]

99. +1 n/t

[Tommy_Carcetti]

3. Nothing causes me to go into a rage. But my pet peeve.....

....is when I'm already driving comfortably over the speed limit (10 miles over) and someone comes up behind me and starts tailgating and flashing his or her headlights like there's no tomorrow.

If they didn't flash the lights, chances are I'll just move over and let them zoom by and get nabbed by the state troopers. But the obnoxious flashing of the lights just makes me not want to budge a single bit.

[A HERETIC I AM]

12. THERE IT IS!!!

That train's never late!


You could...oh...I don't know.....just move over, since that situation reveals you to be in the wrong lane anyway, but there you go.

[Tommy_Carcetti]

19. Eh.

The guy going 30 mph over the speed limit and tailgating and flashing his lights like a madman's the one in the wrong lane. Actually more like the wrong road.

But I do move over in those circumstances. Unless the guy starts flashing his lights. Then fuck him.

[A HERETIC I AM]

21. The possibiliy that he is rushing to the hospital be damned, eh?

Here's the difference between that attitude and the correct one;

IT DOESN'T MATTER why he is flashing his lights.

The signs say either "Slower Traffic Keep Right" or "Keep right except to pass"

If there is open road in front of you and an open lane to your right and someone right behind you, YOU ARE HOLDING UP TRAFFIC and in the wrong lane.

Full stop.

Why people have a "Fuck them" attitude is beyond me. Who cares if someone wants to go faster than you? Just get out of his way, for crying out fucking loud. If you think you are making the roads safer by performing your self appointed speed regulator duties, you would be mistaken.

I'm closing on 40 years total driving experience and 30 years as a professional driver with well over 2 million accident free miles and I do my best to NOT hold others up. If they want to do 100 MPH it's OK with me. I just don't give a fuck. Holding someone up just because you can is little different than, as the Brits say, "Throwing your teddy out of the pram"

[Tommy_Carcetti]

24. Note I didn't say I'm traveling the speed limit.

In fact I'm usually significantly well over the speed limit.

And in that situation, I sometimes do come across people who might be in front of me who are driving slower than I am.

And do you know what I do in that situation?

I either

a) wait until I know the lane on the right is clear, and move to pass on the right.

Or

b) I slow down myself, because perhaps I'm going a little too fast myself and I realize it.

I don't act like a maniac and start flashing my headlights incessantly like an impetuous two year old who wants ice cream now.

The people who do this don't strike me as people in emergencies. They don't have their hazards on. They're usually in a sports car designed to go super fast.

As I said, in normal circumstances, I'd usually move over and let them pass, even though I'm going pretty fast myself. But the non-stop flashing of the headlights is a deal breaker for me. That just screams Type A asshole behavior.

[A HERETIC I AM]

25. Duly noted/doesn't matter

Fair enough that you do what you say you do. Fine. Good.

I see the other behavior you admit to all the time, however.

Type "A" or not, I just don't see that stuff as being any skin off my nose, that's all.

I suppose, though I am atheist, I try to live by the Golden Rule as much as possible in all aspects of my life. "Do unto others." I don't like being held up, so I don't want to hold anyone else up.

Just as I don't like it when people cut in line, I make sure that those waiting longer than me are served before I am, among many, many other instances.

[Inkfreak]

54. It's about power. The ability to control someone for just a few seconds.

That's why people sit in the left lane, imo.

[raccoon]

63. We have a winner! nt

[davidpdx]

102. Yep, that and the use of the blinker

I live in South Korea and I am pretty sure they teach that, but people just don't seem to give a shit about using it. I wish I could say my driving record was as good as yours.

[Hotler]

57. I don't go into a rage, but I do get irritated with

people on cell phones and people texting.

[Ptah]

13. I saw a bumper sticker you might like.

Speed enforced by the asshole in front of you.

[kelly1mm]

28. Why would you be in the left lane if you were not passing and/or you were slower than other

traffic? In MD the law is slower traffic keep right and the MSP tickets those who camp in the left lane if not passing others.

I guess I don't understand why one would be in the left lane if they were not passing.

[cemaphonic]

66. It can depend on road conditions though.

Here in WA, the official rule is even stricter - You are supposed to only use the left lane for passing, merging or the occasional left-lane exit. But the I-5 corridor between Everett and Olympia (about 100 miles of continuous urban-suburban development) is running at nearly-full capacity pretty much all the time (and is a parking lot during rush hour). At that level of congestion, the left lane becomes just another lane, and trying to reserve it as a "passing-only" lane would be absurdly impractical. I'm sure MD has similar traffic situations around the DC suburbs.

In those conditions, I frequently see situations where the left lane is full, and going about 10-15 mph over the speed limit. Some joker isn't satisfied with that, so they'll tailgate or weave around until they get ahead of one car, at which point they're still stuck behind the dozens of other cars in the lane, so they go through the same procedure over and over, with all the weaving and tailgating making everything slower and less safe for everyone around them.

On open highway, I agree that people shouldn't be in the left lane unless they're passing.

[annabanana]

4. that friggen idiot in the dedicated left hand turn lane who

has left his ass-end hanging over into the fast lane right in front of you!

MAJOR pain in the ass!

[CanSocDem]

5. I want to know...

....from a sociological perspective, why some driving behaviours are gender specific. After years of driving, from big trucks to taxis I have noticed that certain driving behaviors and attitudes disrupt the orderly flow of traffic. I have concluded that women and men view the car differently.

Why is that????


.

[Arugula Latte]

17. I've noticed that any time I have a "HOLY SHIT! THAT CAR ALMOST KILLED ME!" moment

it is some asshole taking a crazy risk and going way too fast, and the driver is invariably male.

[CanSocDem]

56. Yes, you're right...

...'risk taking' drivers appear to be gender specific. As do overly-cautious drivers who can disrupt traffic flow as much as the "risk taker". For example:

A vehicle that pulls up behind a semi, or any vehicle for that matter, and doesn't pass when they have the opportunity, is making it harder for any vehicle behind them to maintain 'traffic flow'. Soon there is a long line of vehicles, cautiously exercising their personal values, to the detriment of the public value of smooth traffic flow, and inducing, ironically, a higher level of "risk".

But I'm still at a loss as to why the genders view the highway environment differently.



.

[riderinthestorm]

6. Nothing. I can say honestly I never have road rage

[Myrina]

7. People who pull out in front of you, then go really slow.

Like, dude ... you saw me coming. You (I assume) can judge my speed, and how long it will take your vehicle to reach a similar speed. So why pull out from a dead stop, causing me to jump on my brakes, and then go significantly slower than posted speed?

Is my car invisible?

[kentauros]

32. My electric-blue Civic seems to be invisible, too.

For situations just like yours, and also when the same driver has a choice of two lanes to take. Invariably, they pull out in front of me, versus the empty lane to my left or right.

And just today, I had several people coming at me that refused to yield due to parked cars on their side of the road. I didn't budge, causing a couple of them to finally yield to let me by (no parked cars on my side.) People seem to think that you're supposed to move over so they can go around the parked vehicle, too. If it looks like there's just no way they're going to yield, then I do, but without moving over in my lane (usually by having to come to a dead stop with room for them to get around the parked car.) I often get a glimpse of someone that appears to be pissed at me for attempting to obey the law.

[Marthe48]

39. this is one of mine

The other, which bothers me more, are people who run red lights and stop signs.

[Populist_Prole]

8. Metaphysically speaking: People who think they can thumb their noses at the rules...

...And just do whatever they want.

Under this falls so many scenarios, some mentioned in this thread, some not.

I take it personally.

[The Velveteen Ocelot]

9. Nothing causes me to go into a rage, but some things do irritate me.

I think the reason driving can be such an irritating experience is that people do dumb, rude and sometimes dangerous things and you can't do anything about it except sit in your car and fume, or maybe honk your horn, which doesn't do any good anyhow.

[NV Whino]

10. Going up my hill

The slow poke idiots that drift into the single passing lane, ignoring the sign that says "slow traffic keep right."

Can they not read? Do they not understand that they are going slower than the rest of traffic? Do they even care? Are they conscious?

[Iggo]

11. Driving.

[geardaddy]

14. People who swerve into the opposite direction that they're turning.

e.g., when they're making a left hand turn and swerve slightly right to make the turn.

[Iggo]

15. OH GOD, THOSE SWING-LEFT-TURN-RIGHT MOTHERFUCKERS

HOW FUCKING BIG DO YOU THINK YOUR CAR IS?!?!?!?!!


GAAAAAAAH!!!

[geardaddy]

20. Zactly

Pisses me off.

[Marthe48]

40. perfect!

I think they think they are Walter Mitty driving the big rig. lol

[Arugula Latte]

18. This doesn't cause me to go into a rage, but I do roll my eyes and mutter "idiot" when

some doofus driver doesn't know how to turn. They come to almost a complete stop in front of me and slooooooowly round the corner.

Come on people, it's really not that hard to signal, hug the curb, brake as appropriate, and smoothly make your turn without almost grinding to a halt.

[BlueJazz]

46. If somebody is in the car with me I say:"Now slow down Henry, we wouldn't want the car to turn over"

[Polly Hennessey]

60. Boy, do I agree with you on this one. n/t

[Lizzie Poppet]

22. Some peeves:

I don't tend towards rage (I'm more the cold, plotting-your-demise anger type), but I can definitely get choice words rolling around in my mind over:

* People not yielding the left lane to faster traffic on the highway, when safe to do so. Here in Oregon, it's not just good manners, it's the law.

* Drivers who can't be bothered to USE THEIR FUCKING TURN SIGNALS.

* Littering. Seriously, how much more self-absorbed and lazy can you get? I favor bordering-on-cruel-and-unusual-punishment level fines.

* Talking/texting while driving, particularly here in Portland with its abundant bicycle traffic. I'm part of that bike traffic, and this is the closest I ever come to actual road rage. They're risking my life over their fucking smartphone addiction.

[csziggy]

23. When I'm hauling a trailer full of horses and someone in a small car

Veers into the safe stopping zone I've left and slams on their brakes ignoring the laws of physics - my two and a half ton truck with a two ton trailer and four tons of horses CAN NOT stop as fast as their one ton compact car! That is WHY I left a BIG space between my truck and the cars in front of me.

So far I've been lucky - I've managed to stop without hitting anyone or injuring my horses. One time I had to stop so quickly the ton of feed I was carrying slid forward and bent the frame of my pickup bed. The topper never fit properly after that.

Once I was got into a road rage such that I am glad I never carry a fire arm with me. I was carrying a sick foal to the veterinary hospital when a moron in a little car pulled that trick. The foal could barely stand and that fast stop threw her to the floor of the trailer - I pulled over immediately to check her. She'd fallen to the floor but I'd bedded the trailer floor down with a thick layer of hay so she wasn't hurt.

If she had been hurt and if I'd had a gun with me, I'd probably be in prison for murder right now.

[OriginalGeek]

26. My list of irritating behaviors:

1. Not knowing how to work a 4-way stop sign. And it's 50/50 between those who try to cheat their way ahead and go before it's their turn versus people who are too polite and wait for someone else to go even if it's not someone else's turn. Everyone just go when you are supposed to. Seriously, god bless ya for being nice but it fucks up traffic.

2. People who don't use their signals. Especially when they give me dirty looks for not reading their minds.

3. People who drive with their hazard lights on. I was always taught that hazard lights are for when you are stopped on the side of the road and present a hazard to traffic coming up behind you. Hey, look at me - I'm having a problem so don't hit me please. But here in Florida I see people EVERY effing day driving down the road with their hazards flashing. SO now if you do brake or change lanes with a signal I probably won't know it until you do it which may be too late. Yes it's raining pretty hard but just turn your headlights on like normal people and we normal people will see you.
*However, I was visiting Denver for the first time in my life last week and I noticed a lot of truck drivers in the slow lane with their hazards on going up steep grades. My buddy said it was to let you know they wouldn't be going the posted speed limit. Not sure if it was the law or what but I guess different rules could be in effect in those different circumstances.
On a side note, I would like to own the concession for diapers and butt-wipes at the end of those run-away truck ramps. I don't have any idea how you could need one of those to stop your tractor-trailer and NOT shit your pants doing it.

[Marthe48]

42. 4 way stops are the epitome of civilization

You have to know the rules and abide by them, or the system totally breaks down.

[leftyladyfrommo]

49. Or people who don't stop.

I see that a lot. They just slow down and then go on through.

[kelly1mm]

27. Not a rage but those that fail to stay right except to pass/slower traffic keep right. Luckily

here in Maryland the MSP at least in Western Maryland tickets people for it. Some people think if they are going the speed limit (or even what they consider a 'reasonable' speed above the limit) that they can legally camp out in the left lane. WRONG!

For those that like to camp in the left lane I just have a question. Why? Why do you sit the left lane when you are not passing? What is 'better' about that lane?

I guess being trained to drive in the EU has ingrained in me a respect for the left lane being for passing.

[d_r]

30. on the way to my kids' school

there is an intersection where the two lanes reduce to one. We live in the city, the road is one of the roads into the city from the suburbs. So this is the point where it goes from two lanes coming in to one lane. It is about four blocks from our street, and about two blocks further is the turn for my kid's school. So we have to go on it for a few blocks in the morning when traffic is coming in from the suburbs. Usually traffic is at a stop beyond the street where we turn in. So it is stopped, and usually people in the right lane are kind enough to just let you pull out because they are stopped.

Now here is the thing. Everyone there knows that that the left lane is going to end in a few blocks so 95% of the people pull in to the right lane and wait it out, and let people take turns coming out of the side streets. But there are always some people who will race right down to through the intersection and merge into the right lane in the intersection. Everybody else has been waiting a turn, but these ones think they get to race down to the end and cut in. And those last second merges stop everyone from getting through the intersection and end up blocking the box for the street going the other way. And I swear it is always mercedes and bmw and lexus that pull this every single morning. its like they think they are just more important or something.

[mnhtnbb]

31. Gee. Where do I start?

People who think the speed limit doesn't apply to them and as a result
they'll ride your tail even when you're in the right lane. Weaving in and out.
Tailgaters. People who don't signal so you lose a chance to turn
and have to wait for a giant line of traffic to pass by. People who blow through
red lights and make you glad the signals are timed to allow for it. People who
don't respect the rules of the road regarding four way stops and right of way.
Seeing drivers talking on phones or texting.

Anything else?

[Skittles]

33. people making an unprotected left in front of three lanes of rush-hour traffic

they expect everyone to make room for them - f*** that

[Snobblevitch]

34. Nothing.

I have not gotten into a rage for several years.

Edit to add:

Ok, now I've read the thread. Driving on the freeway through the Twon Cities can be annoying. Generally, there are at least three lanes. Slower traffic should stay out of the far left lane. If you are not going to exit right, stay in the middle lane and keep up with traffic. I don't like when I can't get over to exit right because somebody who is not exiting is in the way.

Of course texting while driving is probably the most dangerous thing for a driver to do. Some say it is worse than most drunk drivers.

On a local road that I frequently travell there are two lanes in each direction. I mostly go straight across on my way home. What bugs me are people in the left lane in front of me at the red light and wait until the light turns green before turning on their left turn signal and I have to wait for them to make their left turn. I hit the horn to let them know I'm annoyed with their driving, but I doubt they have any idea why I beeped my horn. I use the left lane to go straight a ross because I am leaving the right lane for those who wish to make a right turn on red.

[Tobin S.]

35. Passive-agressive driving.

I drive a truck similar to a large dump truck for a living and I do most of my driving on two-lane roads. Every once in a while I'll run across someone doing about ten under the speed limit. When it's clear to pass and I get out in the other lane and start building up speed, they speed up as well not allowing me to pass. I fall back in behind them and they slow back down to ten under the speed limit.

It's people like that that make me angry out on the road: people who are intentionally fucking with you. It's stupid and dangerous.

[leftyladyfrommo]

37. Or people that purposely won't let you change lanes.

I always slow down to let other people in safely.

[Tobin S.]

38. That's another example of them intentionally fucking with you.

That's the thing. I don't sweat a lot of stuff that happens out on the road because I know people make mistakes sometimes. It's the ones who are messing with you on purpose that bother me.

[leftyladyfrommo]

36. I drive a lot and it's people who tailgate

That drive me crazy. It's so dangerous.

I always just try to get out of the way and let people do whatever they want. I stay over in the right lane, do the speed limit, and keep as much space around me as I can.

And I always check intersections before I pull out to be sure someone isn't running the light. Or the stop sign.

I can't afford tickets so I pretty much follow the rules of the road. And I am really careful about getting into the left lane. My car has a terrible blind spot and I have accidentally cut a couple of people off. I really watch out for that now.

[Kali]

41. other drivers

[Marthe48]

43. Semis going into the left lane uphill

I do not care how big your freaking engine is. A semi-truck is not going to get uphill faster than a car. And if I had a nickel for every semi that pulls into the left lane and cuts me off, and then ends up going 40 mph slower halfway up the hill - because GRAVITY-I would be rich. That is the main reason I would stay in the left lane when I drove interstates often. The ********* couldn't cut me off near as often.

[Ptah]

45. cool your jets, SpeedRacer!

One mile at 74 mph takes .8 minutes. That's 48 seconds.

One mile at 40 mph takes 1.5 minutes. That's 90 seconds.

You are blowing a gasket over 42 seconds off your trip?

Leave earlier!

[Marthe48]

90. They cut me off, that's rude and dangerous

and it happens way too much, so yeah, that's my road rage.

[Ptah]

93. 42 seconds enrages you?

That truck is doing all that can be done.
The truck that that trucker is passing is going slower.
Give that working driver a break and chill.

It's not all about you.

[kentauros]

68. There's that issue,

and also the ones (mostly cars) that slow or even brake before going up a big overpass or steep hill. I still haven't figured out why some people do that. Are they afraid of going up a hill?

Whereas I'm relying on my forward momentum to get me up that hill/overpass without putting a bigger strain on the engine and transmission (and fuel economy.) I don't really like losing that momentum because I end up going slower than the rest of traffic (my car just doesn't seem to be built for anything but the local flat terrain.)

[BlueJazz]

47. I used to get pissed but finally just thought "Aw Fuck it, drive like you want"

It's easier on my mental attitude.

[panader0]

48. Nothing

I murdered my rage about 25 years ago.

[leftyladyfrommo]

50. The important thing is to get there safely.

That's my goal always. Whatever that takes.

[U4ikLefty]

51. This one is really irritating.

[leftyladyfrommo]

52. There's always someone.

Has to get in the head of the line.

[Arugula Latte]

61. I hate that, although occasionally I'll be that person if I'm unfamiliar

with the roads and don't figure out in time that I need to be in the other lane.

When I lived in the Bay Area where people drive aggressively, emphasis on aggressive, every day there was a fierce battle (still is) to not let these people merge to go through a major East Bay tunnel. People keep about two inches between them and the car in front of them so these intentional line skippers couldn't merge to go through the tunnel.

[Manifestor_of_Light]

53. Tailgaters

who don't pass me when the road widens out to four lanes.

Tailgaters when it's night time, I'm on a two lane blacktop winding country road, and I refuse to go 75 at night, especially when I might hit a deer. This is when the speed limit is 75 or 70. The idiots in the Lege in Austin don't understand that you can't violate Isaac Newton's laws. They think 75 at night under those circumstances is perfectly fine.

As far as people not going fast in the left lane, there is a problem with this: In some places, there are exits on the LEFT SIDE of the freeway.

Slicers who give me a few inches, slice behind me, then in front of me. Right angle turns crossing four lanes to hit an exit ramp in time off the freeway.

The old joke is that A.J. Foyt, who won the Indy 500 multiple times, learned to drive in Houston.

I did not get my license at 16 in Houston. I knew that I could not pay attention, although I had taken drivers' ed and flunked parallel parking, and would get killed. So I waited a few years, and lived in college dorms. Probably saved my life.

None of my friends in band and orchestra got a drivers' license at sixteen either. We were all too busy practicing our instruments and going to school.



Guess what? They're WORSE in Dallas. I could not believe it. Dallas traffic can potentially be lethal.

It took me six hours to get north thru Dallas on I-35 one year near a holiday. I was in the hospital ICU 2 days later with blood clots in my lungs from having deep vein thrombosis in my legs from that drive break free.

I lived.

[BlueJazz]

55. "I lived" DU is much better having you here.

[OriginalGeek]

65. I'd like to second that.

Huge MoL fan right here.



(I learned to drive in Dallas, MoL - but I got better. Ages 16 to 22: 3 wrecks and I can't count how many tickets and a night in jail for one of them going unpaid. Moved to Florida and got a passenger seat driver, err, I mean married, ages 22 to 51: 2 tickets and one was for going 39 in an un-posted 30mph zone that, THE DAY AFTER I paid my fine, they raised to 40mph. The street right outside my work. That was almost 15 years ago and it still chaps my hide every day.)

[Manifestor_of_Light]

95. Thank you, BlueJazz & Original Geek! You made my day!!!

It's so nice to have mutual fan clubs here on DU. Except that I didn't know this one existed!!! I tend to rant and rave about music which I am completely nuts over (classical and some others) and have been since I started piano lessons at a tender age.

I'm not sure why you guys/gals think I'm so great, but I tend to stay out of current political discussions except to note observations from watching politics since I was a pup in the Kennedy Administration and my dad was watching TV and telling me that the Republican were always nasty. and the Democrats were generally positive. Surprise! That hasn't changed in 50 years!! My folks told me Joe McCarthy and Roy Cohn were horrible people, and the first politician I heard my mom bitch about had four names: "That Bastard Richard Nixon".

you'd never guess we were yellow dog Democrats, would you? With 3 pictures of John F. Kennedy on the way and no pictures of Jesus or Mary?





Kentauros, I never have any reason to go out 290 to A&M so I am not familiar with that interchange. But it sounds like bad engineering. I hate it when they don't label lanes properly that die unexpectedly.

Husbo says that when you merge onto the freeway that instead of "Prepare to enter freeway" it should say "Prepare to die violently" !! LOL! Yeah, I'm sick.

[kentauros]

72. You may know this one:

I am convinced that the 290/Hwy 6 interchange was designed and built by Aggies (it's the exit for College Station / Bryan, too.)

If you're driving west, you'll see the exit sign stating that the right lane is "Exit Only"
Okay, so you get over.
Only to see once you get up to the exit that it now has it's own lane, which is Exit Only, and your right hand lane is still there and going past the exit!
The sign should read:

[font color="green"]College Station / Bryan
Right Lane[/font]

but it doesn't, and causes anyone not familiar with the area to move over when they don't need to (I don't travel it often enough to remember that or the next one, so I end up making that same mistake.)

So, when you're coming back from Austin (or wherever) and driving east, here's what happens:

Two lanes of traffic, with traffic entering from the right, twice in a row.
That traffic entering from the right doesn't merge. They get their very own lane for a bit (maybe a tenth of a mile), then it merges with the right lane. Within a few more tenths of a mile, the traffic from the overhead lane to the right comes into play.

Sign in the left lane: Lane Ends MERGE RIGHT
65 MPH. No advanced warning. You either remember it's there, or you don't and end up in a close call.
So now, all traffic on the busy state highway must merge together to allow the sparse traffic on the right to get their very own lane out of two.

Damn Aggies!@#!

(the interchange on Google Maps for those that want to take the StreetView ride through it all)

[JustABozoOnThisBus]

58. When I pull into my driveway ...

... and remember the one item that I forgot to get at the grocery.

Grrrr!

[quickesst]

59. In my town....

...If I confronted every goofball that did something stupid, and/or dangerous, I'd get into fifty fights before even making it to work. It's like someone handed a bunch of vehicles to five year olds, and said, "HAVE AT IT!!!"

[RobinA]

62. You're On The Highway

doing 70 in the righthand lane. Mr. Important behind you wants to do 90. Does he pull out to pass a safe distance behind you? Nooooo. He has to zoom up behind at 90 and then whip out into the left lane, almost removing the left rear of your car. If you have to slow down for any reason, he WILL remove the left rear of the car, as well as the rest of the car and you.

People who speed through parking lots and then get bent out of shape when you try to back up before they can possibly be seen and, because they are going so fast, you end up in their path.

[Fla Dem]

64. Not road rage, but extremely irritated..people driving while on cell phone and

people drive in the left hand lane on a 2 lane road and don't even drive the speed limit.

[Generic Brad]

67. Drivers passing on the right side on a single lane street

I'm going to hit one of those dopes one of these days if I have to make a right hand turn.

[kentauros]

69. Anything that endangers me and other drivers.

I don't actually do anything about it other than yell at them through closed windows, but it does allow me to reduce the adrenaline rush they just caused by their inattentive, aggressive, and/or inexperienced driving habits.

Here's an example of something causing a major rush of adrenaline and abject fear of one's immediate safety that I've been in more than once:

Driver tootling along in the left lane, seemingly just another driver in traffic, presumably having planned out where they were going and how to get there. Suddenly:

"Oh shit! There's my exit!" ZOOM!!! across three or more lanes of traffic in order to not miss that sacred exit, the same one for which they've ignored at least two large green freeway signs detailing the exit is coming up.

Miraculously, they don't hit anyone on the way, though they are also long gone when the rest of us either end up in accidents due to screeching to a halt or swerving to avoid getting hit by the exiting asshole.

And I can't tell you how many times I've seen people stop on the shoulder in order to back up to get to that exit they missed.

[ScreamingMeemie]

70. I get sad about the person in the lefthand turn lane who is daydreaming/celling it up

and doesn't move when the light changes... and then the dude after that person has like 3 car lengths before they turn, and I always count how many of us cars behind them just got screwed over when the light turns red. It happens at EVERY lefthand turn down here.

[kentauros]

73. Another rule of thumb you may have learned while down here:

DO NOT follow any box truck through a left-turn light. 9 times out of 10 they're running the red already, and you can't tell unless you hold back several car-lengths.

[mythology]

71. I live in the Boston area this could be a long list

But in addition to the things already mentioned, in Boston the streets are generally poorly marked and often there is no notice that this is now two lanes, or this was a left/right turn only lane.

Alternately how bad people are at figuring out these confusing intersections on my way to work. It's a four way intersection going under a major road. Three of the roads have a stop sign with a notice that traffic coming under the major road doesn't have a stop sign. But nobody seems to be able to navigate these correctly. You see people coming under the road where they don't have a stop sign stopping, nearly getting rear-ended by the person behind them and the people from the other three lanes that do have stop signs either not knowing when they can go, or all wanting to go at once because otherwise you can be there a while.

[leftyladyfrommo]

74. I go down a street like that here.

It would be safer if all the streets were stop signs. People who don't know the street just assume it's a 4 way stop.

[DFW]

75. Hearing "Yummy Yummy Yummy" on the radio

[leftyladyfrommo]

76. That would do it.

I don't listen to the radio. When I drive I just drive.

[oregonjen]

77. Drivers that don't understand how to enter a roundabout

I've used my horn a few times trying to get their attention when they enter a roundabout without yielding to the cars already in it! They think they have the right of way and enter without looking!

[leftyladyfrommo]

78. Roundabouts are new to our area. Everyone is still confused.

But it's getting better.

[dr.strangelove]

79. Whenever there is any other car on the road with me, at any time!

I believe roads were all constructed with me as the sole intended benficiary. If there has to be another car on the road with me, they should pull to the side and stop when the notice I am on the road. Otherwise, I am just going to rage.

[narnian60]

81. My husband's philosophy, also.

[dr.strangelove]

85. I'm really not a road rage type of guy

Except for people with Bush Cheney stickers on their car. Its totally okay to hit those people.

[Le Taz Hot]

80. No rage

but irritating is people who do not know how to enter/exit a freeway. I had Driver's Ed (yes, boys and girls, we used to have them in school) in L.A. so Day Two we went on the L.A. freeway system. Here are the rules by which I still drive and of which 99.9% of the people in are completely unaware:

1) When getting on the freeway, try to be up to freeway speed when you merge.
2) When merging onto a freeway, don't ride out the onramp, merge as soon as you can do it safely.
3) If you're in the slow lane and a car is going to merge onto the freeway, alter your speed in necessary to allow the person to get onto the freeway.
4) When exiting a freeway, don't slow down until you get onto the offramp.

There Endeth The Lesson.

[leftyladyfrommo]

82. That works unless the on ramp is really short.

We have some near me that are too short. If there is a whole line of traffic people have no alternative but to stop which means it takes them longer to get up to speed once the line of traffic clears. It's so dangerous. Or you come around the cloverleaf and wham you are right on the freeway.

People behind coming up then do stupid things like blasting their horn or driving around and passing the person trying to get on. Bad, bad planning when they built those on ramps.

[Initech]

83. LA Traffic

Nothing is more rage inducing than sitting on I-10 for two hours and moving a total of 4 feet.

[aidbo]

84. People on phones! Every time.

Also, On my regular drive, I need to take a left off of a busy one way road onto a less busy two lane two way road. Half the time there is some one on the two way road waiting to turn left onto the one way and they've creeped out so far into the intersection that it is hard to turn onto the street past them.
Kind of like this situation, but much tighter.

I would be car number 4 in this illustration.
I try to give them a good glare every time.

Most of the time they're on their phones though.

Also drivers that don't wait for pedestrians to cross at an intersection before turning in front of them.

[kairos12]

86. People who drive around a backed up exit and then try and cut in. The 1% move.

[AngryOldDem]

88. Or those who ignore the red light because they can't wait and wind up blocking the intersection.

Major roadwork tied up a main artery I take for most of the spring and summer. Traffic getting off the highway just south of where the work began would often keep coming through the light long after the yellow had turned to red, which messed up traffic in ALL directions.

You're right. The sense of discourtesy and entitlement some drivers have is enraging.

[AngryOldDem]

87. Tailgating.

I deal with it almost every damn day. On some roads I'm forced to go upwards of 10 to 15 miles over the speed limit, because of traffic, and that's STILL not fast enough for some people. I've had people ride my bumper, flash their lights, you name it. But I am not going to go at an unsafe speed so that some asshole can pretend he's at the Indy 500.

This morning was another case in point. I got downtown, and a light was flashing yellow at an intersection. Just before I got there, I saw a cyclist blow through, so I figured it would be a really good idea to follow the law and treat it as a four-way stop. So I slowed to stop. Suddenly I hear a horn and look up, and sure enough --- someone on my ass.

If I could give up my car and not drive at all, it would be a blessing. I HATE driving.

I get angry because that's the way wrecks happen, and it makes no sense to be reckless.

[bigwillq]

89. Everything. Lol

I am such an awful rage driver.

[Marthe48]

91. My husband, just today

Trying to turn left out of our street, which is challenging any time of the day; the traffic lights; the people who run their red light; the slow drivers; the fast drivers; the lane changers; the 3 vehicles who pulled out in front of both lanes of traffic and cars just ahead of us; the very tiny old lady who drove v-e-r-y carefully;the guy who almost came to a stop lighting his cigarette, with his window down, so his lighter was not lighting;more people who ran lights. Is there a club? Because if he wasn't complaining, I was! lol

[paul ofnoclique]

92. When I can't make the green on a lousy par 3

My putting game is so-so, but I can usually get the ball in play on the shorter holes.

[Texasgal]

94. Just had someone

STOP on a 65 MPH freeway to take a left exit! Are you KIDDING ME? You will start an accident with multiple people involved!

DO NOT EVER STOP ON A HIGHWAY! UGH!

[auntAgonist]

97. A big pet peeve of mine is the driver who turns left onto a 4 lane road but moves directly into the

right lane!

Left into left people, right into right.

I FINALLY have my husband convinced that drivers should NOT turn left into right etc ... I see it all the time and they don't even check their mirrors prior to doing it (at least I don't see them looking) they just make the turn and cut across that left lane moving directly into the right .... an accident waiting to happen.

[Broken_Hero]

98. People who cut me off

to get into the lane, although there was no car behind me....then they decide to go 15miles below the speed limit. I drive in a lot of rural area's and this happens a lot. Big hurry to get in front of me...to do 35mph.

[Liberal_in_LA]

100. Not signaling for lane changes

[Capt. Obvious]

101. Left lane squatters

Sitting passenger while my wife drives. Every trip is like we're delivering a kidney.