Is Road Rage F*%#&@$ Worth It?

"Michael Woyahn" (michaelwoyahn)
06/24/2016 at 12:30 • Filed to: None

Within the past two weeks, middle fingers have been thrown around like candy at a parade. I have witnessed three minor road rage incidents from the passenger seat. One incident had especially terrible timing; it happened on the way home from seeing a loved one be taken away by a coroner. This is a problem.

To be fair, in that situation, the middle finger from the other driver was provoked. However, his previous actions were absolutely unacceptable. As we were exiting the freeway and traveling down the offramp, he pushed his Aveo so close to the back of the car I was riding in, I thought he could reach out his window and touch our tailgate. From the passenger mirror, I couldn’t see his headlights, or the beginning of his hood.

It is important to note that the driver of the car I was in was not even braking on the off ramp and was approaching a red light. What did the Aveo driver want her to do? Was she not supposed to brake? Was she supposed to blow the red light? Was she supposed to ram the cars in front?

The next incident happened when we were almost home after four hours of driving, and my dad was behind the wheel. Everything was good until he approached a roundabout somewhat fast, and had to stop to yield to a car in the roundabout. By the time we stopped, the passenger already had his middle finger prominently displayed in the window, and the driver tapped the horn. This was slightly more justified, but my dad did stop and wasn’t close to hitting them; he was behind the yield line. This occurred on Father’s Day, no less.

But this past Tuesday was a tipping point for me. Again, my dad was driving the family van and I was in the passenger seat. There was a Chevy Sonic in front of us that absolutely refused to keep a consistent speed. It was like her car would explode if she kept driving at a constant 45 or, God forbid, 50 mph. Now, when I say consistent, that includes slowing down a few miles per hour or speeding up a little. I understand that no driver can keep his or her speed 100% perfect. But this driver would slow down to 40, if not 35, and suddenly speed up to 50. So we already had to deal with this driver when a Mercury Marauder pulled out behind us.

This person must have wanted to slap the rump of our car, too, because their headlights were also absent in my mirror. I could have sworn that he actually almost hit us when we had to slow down for the Sonic to take a turn. Eventually, the Sonic turned off into a neighborhood and we were able to continue on our merry way at 50, which is five over the speed limit. Then we got to a roundabout.

We went through it like normal, and this Marauder honked and gassed it passed when we were far enough through for him to go straight around us. This was completely unwarranted. My dad did not go slowly through the roundabout, and the Marauder knew that there was a car in front of us for a majority of the time. He did that just to be a dick.

These situations brought me to some realizations. It’s easy to become angry when you have anonymity behind the layers of metal and glass, so I understand how one can become frustrated with other drivers. It happens to all of us, but try and contain yourself.

Chances are if you get right on someone’s bumper or flip them off, they won’t do what you want them to. Your actions won’t get the other driver to speed up. The other driver will do what they want to do, and the only thing you will accomplish is making them more angry. This, of course, tends to create more problems than there already are.

Just remember, you don’t know the circumstances of the other driver. Worst-case scenario, they have just experienced something awful, like the death of a loved one. You don’t want to be the one that makes their day worse. And remember to watch out for Chevy subcompact sedans.

Photo credit to Citizen Coaching.

DISCUSSION (38)

Opposite Locksmith > Michael Woyahn
06/24/2016 at 12:33

It's worth it

Nibby > Michael Woyahn
06/24/2016 at 12:33

WHAT THE FUCK GIVING YOU THE FUCKING FINGER DOESN’T FUCKING MAKE ME GET OUT OF THE WAY OR MOVE FUCKING FASTER YOU FUCKING FUCK

The Dummy Gummy > Michael Woyahn
06/24/2016 at 12:36

Smallbear wants a modern Syclone, local Maple Leafs spammer > Michael Woyahn
06/24/2016 at 12:36

only while it’s happening and/or if you come out unscathed

...but no. Not really. Though I can’t hold myself innocent. If someone’s giving, they’ll likely get.

Smallbear wants a modern Syclone, local Maple Leafs spammer > Michael Woyahn
06/24/2016 at 12:37

Also,

And remember to watch out for Chevy subcompact sedans.

FTFY

Daily Drives a Dragon - One Last Lap > Michael Woyahn
06/24/2016 at 12:37

I say it isn’t. Because if your life is so important that you want to blow me off the road, I shouldn’t stop you from revving your car too hard, getting poor gas mileage, and putting yourself and others in danger. After all, It’s their fault if they’re a dumbass.

Michael Woyahn > The Dummy Gummy
06/24/2016 at 12:38

Wow, Kinja is really getting me today. Edited a second time now.

This is the short answer haha!

Michael Woyahn > Daily Drives a Dragon - One Last Lap
06/24/2016 at 12:43

Very true. Let’s just hope they only involve themselves when their stupidity gets them into trouble.

Michael Woyahn > Smallbear wants a modern Syclone, local Maple Leafs spammer
06/24/2016 at 12:46

Haha, it’s pretty easy to get roped into road rage. I don’t think anyone can really say they’re innocent.

But that’s a good point. They’ll get what’s coming to them at some point.

Tripper > Michael Woyahn
06/24/2016 at 12:46

Not worth it.

I live in an area where 70 percent of drivers are entitled shitheads in range rovers (or the BMW, Merc, Audi equivalent) I counted 11 black range rovers 2012 or newer stuck in a traffic roundabout near a local private school one morning.

I used to get pissed off about stupid drivers, but somewhere around 24-25, I just grew up a notch or two. Right around the same time that I stopped driving so damn fast everywhere.

Yelling “Fuck you, ya fuckin fuck...nice turn signal!” Turned into thinking, “heh, look at this jerkoff”. Middle fingers became sarcastic smiles/fake cry face and I don’t even do that unless the offender really wants to chat.

I just realized that it’s dumb to torture myself over the negligence/stupidity of others.

Michael Woyahn > Tripper
06/24/2016 at 12:55

I live in an area that seems similar with cars, and a sense of entitlement. I see a Maserati GranTurismo at least once a week, there’s at least two in the area, and there’s no shortage of BMWs and other luxury cars. These expensive cars must bring out the worst in people!

That is a really good way to look at it. I’m sure the smiles and crying faces get far less violent reactions than middle fingers, too.

Urambo Tauro > Michael Woyahn
06/24/2016 at 12:59

What is “road rage”? Is it used in too broad a manner? Should the term apply to wildly varying degrees of behavior? Does it make a difference if it’s justified or not?

Sideswiping another car in anger is certainly road rage, but does holding up The Finger count, too? And what about the “rage” I feel when I witness another driver run a red light, but I don’t do anything at all to express myself (not even a finger)? Would the use of the horn be rageful?

If every variety of discontent towards other drivers can be called “road rage”, is all road rage inherently wrong, or only under certain conditions, like when a moving violation is committed?

PanchoVilleneuve ST > Michael Woyahn
06/24/2016 at 13:07

Shankems > Michael Woyahn
06/24/2016 at 13:08

Road rage is never worth it. If you ever find yourself doubting this, just think, “what if they’ve got a gun”. That’ll set you mentally straight right quick!

Michael Woyahn > Urambo Tauro
06/24/2016 at 13:25

Very good points. I would say actions motivated by anger towards another driver would be classified as road rage. These actions can be big or small, but some are clearly more severe than others. A driver honking the horn to avoid an accident is different than honking at someone because he or she acted in a way that irritated the driver.

Of course, this is a much more complicated idea than only that scenario. A person can be motivated by any combination of anger, a need to protect themselves (avoiding an accident), or some other reason.

Additionally, everyone interprets situations differently. What is justified to one is completely unwarranted to someone else. Since road rage is a pretty complicated topic, as you pointed out, I wanted the main idea of this piece to be that it’s better to avoid any actions that could be classified as “road rage”, no matter how small.

Bryan doesn't drive a 1M > Nibby
06/24/2016 at 13:25

My favorite. So eloquent.

Michael Woyahn > Shankems
06/24/2016 at 13:25

Very true!

E92M3 > Michael Woyahn
06/24/2016 at 13:34

No it is not! You never know what kind of day that other person is having. Some people may feel they got nothing to lose. It often better to forgo your ego, walk (drive) away, and be the better man.

Urambo Tauro > Michael Woyahn
06/24/2016 at 13:41

I probably should have saved that question for a post of my own. I was inspired by your post to ask it, and now that I think about it some more, I think it would make a good community discussion, rather than just a response to you.

You make an excellent point about justification. After all, who decides what is right and what is wrong? How do we detect driver intent, especially when our methods of communication are so primitive? I like to think of horn-blowing as similar to cavemen grunting, as it depends so heavily on context to interpret.

I think it’s really important for all drivers to not only pay attention, but to carefully gauge their own expectations. For example, expressing frustration at the car in front of you is pointless if you’re both just part of a long line of traffic being held up from much farther ahead. Sometimes you have to just accept that this traffic jam is happening and it’s going to take a while to get through it.

Wrong Wheel Drive (41%) > Michael Woyahn
06/24/2016 at 13:46

I find it funny how mad people get while driving. I don't really understand it because I am just always happy to be on the road. The only time I ever feel angry is when I REALLY have to pee and there is a ton of traffic.

DynamicWeight > Michael Woyahn
06/24/2016 at 13:54

If someone tailgates me I turn around and stare at them. It is amazing what eye contact will do to a person. Works better than the finger; so far they’ve backed off with a 100% success rate. Just make sure not to crash into anything.

Wrong Wheel Drive (41%) > Shankems
06/24/2016 at 13:56

Too many times I have sat at a green light behind someone because I don’t want to get shot for honking at them. Eventually I will try to give the lightest possible honk but it is always such a worry. Mainly this is due to one friend that I had who said "If anyone honks at me, I will get out of my car, drag the guy out of the car, and beat the shit out of them". Now this dude had some anger issues but who knows how many other people drive around like that.

Michael Woyahn > Urambo Tauro
06/24/2016 at 14:10

It would be really interesting to see other people’s responses to those questions! That’s an excellent analogy for honking, too.

I completely agree with your last point. There’s nothing that the driver in front could do to change the situation, so it’s pointless. Drivers need to be mindful of those situations.

Shankems > Wrong Wheel Drive (41%)
06/24/2016 at 14:12

This is why all cars should have two horns! One should make the cutest toot-toot and the other should be the anger horn.

That friend you mention is the person who ends up shot or stabbed on the evening news.

Michael Woyahn > Wrong Wheel Drive (41%)
06/24/2016 at 14:14

It’s crazy how much of a difference changing your mindset can make. If you go out thinking everyone sucks driving, then you’ll get angry. But, like you said, you can just approach driving with a happy mindset and you’ll naturally be happier.

Michael Woyahn > DynamicWeight
06/24/2016 at 14:16

Interesting tactic. I’ll definitely have to remember that one!

Urambo Tauro > Michael Woyahn
06/24/2016 at 14:16

I’ll save it for later, I promise. I’ll be sure to bring up the justification angle too. I’m working on something else right now, though... Stay tuned!

Michael Woyahn > E92M3
06/24/2016 at 14:18

Very true. Like I said in the intro, one instance of road rage happened after I saw a family member get taken away in a hearse. My day was clearly already terrible, and the road rage did not help.

Michael Woyahn > Urambo Tauro
06/24/2016 at 14:18

Sounds good. I’m looking forward to it!

Wrong Wheel Drive (41%) > Shankems
06/24/2016 at 14:41

Well I already have the toot-toot horn, I just need to attach a train horn to the bottom of my Miata, then I will be set. Fill my trunk with an air compressor. Wonder if I can still pass tech at an autox with that...

Wrong Wheel Drive (41%) > Michael Woyahn
06/24/2016 at 14:44

I think it also helps that I don’t live somewhere particularly trafficky and I am generally happy outside of the vehicle anyways. Often times I don’t really blame people for getting mad if they have to drive in LA or DC every day. But the best are people that are super nice outside of the car and then behind the wheel they become a foul mouthed, vindictive, psychopath.

luvMeSome142 & some Lincoln! > DynamicWeight
06/24/2016 at 15:09

My MSF instructor said that was his favorite tactic when someone was tailgating his motorcycle. Of course he was a 250 lb grizzled Harley dude, so that might have helped.

Nimbus The Legend - Riding on air like a cloud > Wrong Wheel Drive (41%)
06/24/2016 at 16:13

i have an air suspension already, and you dont know how long and hard ive thought about getting an airhorn...

DynamicWeight > luvMeSome142 & some Lincoln!
06/24/2016 at 16:31

I am not an intimidating dude by any means. I think it makes the person feel exposed. They can’t look away from you because it’s where they’re headed, they can’t hide because they’re stuck, like, right there . Plus, it’s disconcerting seeing the driver in front of you not looking where they’re going. It’s just really uncomfortable all around. So they retreat the only way they can, away from your car/bike.

Wrong Wheel Drive (41%) > Nimbus The Legend - Riding on air like a cloud
06/24/2016 at 20:22

Do it! The compressor for the suspension is powerful enough to run a horn? That would be a sweet setup haha

Nimbus The Legend - Riding on air like a cloud > Wrong Wheel Drive (41%)
06/27/2016 at 12:57

yea, im running 2 viair 380c compressors to fill my 5 gal tank. the system i have can go up to 200psi lol

Wrong Wheel Drive (41%) > Nimbus The Legend - Riding on air like a cloud
06/27/2016 at 13:26

haha that’s perfect then!

V8VespaStoppie > Michael Woyahn
07/27/2016 at 03:00

Nope dumb drivers are fucked in the head. Had a crazy old lady in a Fusion that wanted to argue that the left has the right of way when we both meet at a 4 way stop signed intersection. Then another dipshit in a Blazer who is to dumb to be driving or wanted to be a cunt and said fuck it! I can’t go North so I will block the only hole the other cars left so the cars going East and West get fucked to.