Impatient drivers passing on shoulder

[Son of Wobble]

My best "don't pass in the shoulder" story happened not to me but to my childhood friend Boy Scout Dave.

Dave was driving out of the mountains when a car passed on the shoulder going into a turn. The passing car blew the turn and rolled down a steep, rocky hill. Boy Scout Dave pulled over and climbed down to the crumpled car. Blood and hair hung from the frame of the shattered windshield.
Dave found the driver's corpse a hundred feet further down the hill. It had been scalped going through the windshield.

TLDR - don't pass on the shoulder

 

[5544]

I have often dreamed of putting "Billy Bobs Nuclear Waste Transport" on the door of my truck complete with yellow 55 gallon drums in the bed.
I drive a retired F350 service truck

If you did that you would probably not be able to post updates from Guantanamo Bay.

 

[PortlandBass77]

That *******'s asking for a good fist right up their noise. If someone almost caused a crash, blamed me, and then followed me to my work to cuss me out I'd give them what they deserve. I don't have the time or patience to deal with ******** like that and I am not someone they will want to harass.

 

[5544]

That *******'s asking for a good fist right up their noise. If someone almost caused a crash, blamed me, and then followed me to my work to cuss me out I'd give them what they deserve. I don't have the time or patience to deal with ******** like that and I am not someone they will want to harass.

Getting fired, arrested for assault & battery, lawyer fees and possibly losing everything you have is your future if you keep the Jr. High School mentality instead of growing up.

 

[PortlandBass77]

Getting fired, arrested for assault & battery, lawyer fees and possibly losing everything you have is your future if you keep the Jr. High School mentality instead of growing up.

lol yeah right. The police have more important things to do than stop someone from giving ******** a taste of their own medicine. I draw my lines, and getting harassed at work is one of them.

 

[5544]

lol yeah right. The police have more important things to do than stop someone from giving ******** a taste of their own medicine. I draw my lines, and getting harassed at work is one of them.

Let me know how well your boss thinks of violence at the workplace - even in the parking lot - from the unemployment line.

 

[TOOL460002]

When I lived in the OC/LA area I saw people passing at 80mph+ on both the far left and far right shoulders on I-5. You know the kind that suddenly end without warning into solid concrete? Scared the crap out of me. They could've been going faster than that. Both times they were flying. That's borderline suicidal, but I didn't see any wreckage, so I guess those idiots didn't die that day. Double yellows are bad enough. The above was... Just insane. People be crazy.

 

[PortlandBass77]

Let me know how well your boss thinks of violence at the workplace - even in the parking lot - from the unemployment line.

I take it you would rather be harassed then? Either way I don't get payed enough to care.

 

[David Jayne]

I take it you would rather be harassed then? Either way I don't get payed enough to care.

I think the point is that in this case, you're GOING to be harassed. It's happening. How you handle it can have a profound impact on your life. If you handle it well, the bad guy goes down. Handle it badly, you all go down.

 

[hbarcat]

That *******'s asking for a good fist right up their noise. If someone almost caused a crash, blamed me, and then followed me to my work to cuss me out I'd give them what they deserve. I don't have the time or patience to deal with ******** like that and I am not someone they will want to harass.

Getting fired, arrested for assault & battery, lawyer fees and possibly losing everything you have is your future if you keep the Jr. High School mentality instead of growing up.

lol yeah right. The police have more important things to do than stop someone from giving ******** a taste of their own medicine. I draw my lines, and getting harassed at work is one of them.

A few things to consider.

1) I have extensive experience with mixed martial arts including effective self defense in street fighting situations. I've had to use my skills exactly twice in my life where I've had to use physical force against a dangerous aggressor. I support using violence in such circumstances but I firmly believe that it should be a last resort.

2) My training tells me that avoiding unnecessary conflict is almost always the wisest course. Life is full of situations where some hot head is being obnoxious and it's a losing strategy in the long run to react by beating up every person who acts like a jerk. I've had to put this self discipline to the test several times in the past while doing gigs in dodgy bars when some drunken idiot is trying to pick a fight with me or my band mates. Breaking some drunk's arm or ribs because he is being obnoxious is a gross overreaction, because it can easily be avoided if you keep your head.

3) I understand very well that there are serous legal consequences to physically assaulting someone who may be acting in a vulgar way but is not actively threatening me. If I hurt someone under such conditions, then I can be held civilly and criminally liable if I can't prove in court that I was in immediate physical danger. I have no doubt that if I punched out the guy for yelling at me the police would be there in less than 2 minutes and I would be on my way to the pokey soon after. Another foreseeable problem is there is a woman in the drivers seat and she might very well attack me as soon as I went to punch her boyfriend. It wouldn't want to be in the position of getting into a physical fight with a woman and then have to justify myself in court. There is also the possibility that a weapon might suddenly appear. I have training in defense against knives but I wouldn't want to put it to the test in the real world. And anyone who thinks it's fun to suddenly be staring down the barrel of a gun has never been in that position. I have been and it's far from fun.

4) Even if I decided that responding to this person's aggression by beating him up actually was the best idea, my current health makes it impossible for me to effectively use the experience I have. Frankly, I would lose nearly every fight I might find myself in. An old geezer like me doesn't have the same options that the young pre-geezer me had.

5) I had just decided to call 911 when the woman suddenly drove away. I believe that she realized the situation was getting out of hand and decided it was wiser to leave. If she had stayed 10 seconds longer I would have been requesting a police officer to respond to the scene. The police would rather show up to break up a verbal argument than to arrive in the aftermath of a vicious street fight.

 

[J-Bassomatic]

How would our driving be different if we were walking.
Is driving psychology any different from the internet badass psychology compared to walking?

When I am walking and someone stops right in front of me to text or answer a call I do feel like committing 'walk rage'

 

[murphy]

and here I am about to spend all day out at my driving job...Oh boy

 

[two fingers]

How would our driving be different if we were walking.
Is driving psychology any different from the internet badass psychology compared to walking?

My productivity is hampered by stupid people walking each day as much as it is by stupid people driving.

Walking three wide like you have nowhere to be and blocking "traffic" makes you a dipstick. But at least I can say "Excuse me" and get by.

Standing in the middle of a hallway carrying on a conversation with half a dozen other people not moving.....and none of you noticing that "traffic" is backing up in the hallway....makes you one big collective dipstick. But at least I can say "Excuse me" and go about my day.

Walking around with your face buried in a phone and basically being in the entire universe's way makes you a dipstick. But at least I can grab one of your headphones and pull it out enough to say "Excuse me" so I can go about my day.....walking away hearing all the snowflakes say "Whoa. Did that dude just touch your head, bro?" Find your safe space and therapy crayons. I have work to do Skippy.

Basically, on the road and on foot, move quickly or get out of the way. Some of us have places to be on the other side of your universe. Having to get out of the way should not offend you. You're the one....in the way.

 

[RedLefty]

My productivity is hampered by stupid people walking each day as much as it is by stupid people driving.

Walking three wide like you have nowhere to be and blocking "traffic" makes you a dipstick. But at least I can say "Excuse me" and get by.
...

Basically, on the road and on foot, move quickly or get out of the way. Some of us have places to be on the other side of your universe. Having to get out of the way should not offend you. You're the one....in the way.

Sorry, poorly selected "our" in my post there. I was referring more to the following of people home, cutting in line, and intentional blocking of people in a hurry among other driving habits.

I agree, If you are in the left lane, go fast and watch your 6 for someone going faster.

But by the same token, I drive 65 and it makes people mad that they have to get into the passing lane to go by. Not everyone goes as fast as they can get away with. I drive a large truck that's geared down for hauling and screams at 75 so I do my best to stay out of the way.

If traffic is bad and you are behind me, tough! I have my hands full with the people slamming on their brakes or cutting in in front of me. It's not worth my time or the minivans life next to me to be checking my mirror for the BMW driver that can't get into lane three. I'm not going to match the speed of people behind me for their sake.

 

[pcake]

impatient drivers going around cars when they can't see why those cars have stopped have caused several bad accidents to people i've known. years ago, a woman i knew let her 7 year old son walk to school on his own for the first time. according to witnesses, the traffic stopped for him when a car who couldn't see why they were stopping went zooming around into a non-parking empty lane and ran over the boy, trapping him under the car till emergency services could get him out. the boy was very lucky, as after being in a coma for a couple days, he woke up with just a few broken bones and a concussion, but he could easily have been killed.

i hate hate hate people who, whether on the street or the freeway, go around people like that. they're pretty much always stopped for a reason.

 

[HeavyDuty]

I love driving the speed limit if I know it's pissing off some hothead behind me.

I also feel an obligation to maintain a safe following distance behind me when someone is up my tailpipe.
I slow down so the guy behind me has room to stop for the speed in play.

Are you in the far left lane when you do this?

 

[two fingers]

I love driving the speed limit if I know it's pissing off some hothead behind me.

I also feel an obligation to maintain a safe following distance behind me when someone is up my tailpipe.
I slow down so the guy behind me has room to stop for the speed in play.

Do you do this in the fast lane? If so, why? A power trip?

 

[LiquidMidnight]

I have often dreamed of putting "Billy Bobs Nuclear Waste Transport" on the door of my truck complete with yellow 55 gallon drums in the bed.
I drive a retired F350 service truck

I remember a bandleader I know always joked that he'd put something on the band trailer like "Tim's Septic Flushing Service" to discourage would be thieves.

 

[David Jayne]

I remember a bandleader I know always joked that he'd put something on the band trailer like "Tim's Septic Flushing Service" to discourage would be thieves.

I have friends who tour a bit. Their van is adorned with brand label and band stickers. I've warned them but they don't listen. It's just a matter of time.

 

[FunkBear]

I see something similar to OP's post nearly every day on my drive going home from work. On I-95 in south Florida during rush-hour traffic some people treat the right shoulder as a passing lane.

It's also fairly common down here now for drivers to enter the express lanes when they are closed in order to pass traffic, then merge back into normal traffic when the lane is actually blocked.