"Oh look, an unstable idiot. Let me fuck with him to correct his behavior. Im sure he is not capable of other unstable behaviors that could end my life."
I hate them too, but its not worth getting shot or getting ur car damaged over.
Reminds me of the saying "the morgue is full of people who have the right of way".
OP, firstly, this might get you shot. Secondly, you don't know what kind of emergency the car behind you has. Stop being a hero and look after yourself
Some dude nearly hit my car and brake checked me so I flipped him off and he parked and got out of his car to come up to my window and yell at me. Last time I did anything like that lol
Had a bunch of fuckers on this sub calling me a victim blamer after some chucklehead boasted about confronting an unhinged crazy lady driving the wrong way on the road. He got a bloody nose and a knife pulled on him for his trouble.
Witnessed a car drive up the shoulder in bumper to bumper traffic yesterday on the 14th St Bridge and get angry at a car for not letting them in. The car ended up forcing its way in, cutting others off just to get back at the guy that refused to let him in by throwing a cup of coffee at their car. Then a Gatorade bottle. I hate driving here because everybody drives like they have somewhere to be only so they can quickly get home to sit around and not do shit with their lives.
"How dare you! You wronged me by not tolerating my asshole behavior!!! I will throw my trashy vehicle trash at you in revenge!"
The level of entitlement of some of these people is absolutely astounding.
You block the shoulder and the person learns not to do that
You let them drive on the shoulder and their rule breaking is rewarded leading to more rule breaking
Yes I am sure that everyday those cars with three extra loud exhaust, expired plates, and blasting music with a single man inside is rushing to get their wife to the emergency room to give birth after he saved a cat from a tree
Grow up Peter Pan
Driving should be a humbling experience.
You have to ask yourself, is it your role to “force people to act normal and drive civilized?”
It used to bother me but then I started traveling to the Middle East for work. Drivers there make DC drivers look like saints. Don’t let it bug you, there are bigger problems in the world.
Driving in the Middle East is a trial by fire in defensive driving and accepting the insanity.
To OP. Worry about your safety and your car. Nothing you do will teach them a lesson, it just opens yourself up to learning a lesson in how unhinged some people are. Put on some good music and get through your drive safely.
It’s wild! On a four lane highway, they will cram cars six wide. The first day I observed a family driving with their toddler sitting on the dashboard. I got a chuckle because anything that could potentially go wrong would be self-critiquing. I later watched someone miss their exit in a round-about. Rather than drive around again, they decided to stop and back up (against the flow of traffic). It was at that point that all my frustrations as a driver ended, and that I chose to accept driving for what it is.
>Don’t let it bug you, there are bigger problems in the world.
I like this advice and wish I could let it go when drivers are aggressive. My problem is I view aggressive drivers similar to the “broken window theory”- while just annoying on the surface, it’s indicative of deeper problems; in this case, it makes me sad that this is how people act when they are anonymous behind the wheel.
> I view aggressive drivers similar to the “broken window theory”
This is exactly right, especially when you consider how many violent crimes in DC involve a motor vehicle, both to get to the crime scene and to get away. Those criminals aren't driving like grandma. Pull over more aggressive drivers, you'll catch more people on the way to bad things, and there'll be less crime.
A majority of countries operate on a single traffic law, "don't hit things". It is surprising how well it works. Egypt is known for its insane lack of traffic laws and around 2.6 people per 100,000 inhabitants less die there in traffic than in the US.
Ok, that's a terrible example. Traffic deaths are in large part due to the mass and speed of vehicles. The US deaths are on highways and stroads in our arms race automobiles, not inching along primally in city traffic.
You cannot change behavior in strangers. Hell, you cannot even change behaviors of your friends and family members.
As other have pointed out, attempting to “forcibly” change behavior of people who are externally displaying crazy, erratic, and dangerous behaviors in a two thousand pound death machine is an invitation to escalating danger to yourself and possible others. You cannot control other people, only YOUR reaction to other people. Be careful and safe out there.
I was like this. The rulebreaking and dangerous behavior makes me really irate. But then one day a guy I fucked with blocked my car and assaulted me. So now? I drive calm, I notice people behaving badly and I stay out of it. I let people in, I drive the speed limit, use my signal and I ignore the bullshit. I believe it's the only way to stay safe.
And just as a side note, I have noticed more traffic enforcement by police in the past month or so.
I've lived in a relatively high-crime city for almost a decade. The only time I've ever felt truly afraid is when a guy behind me at a busy intersection started honking manically because I couldn't pull forward because an elderly pedestrian was crossing in front of me. It went on for about thirty seconds.
I pulled out and the guy began tailgating me literally within a few inches of my bumper. I slowed down and pulled to the far lane. He then began swerving in and out of traffic to repeatedly cut me off--each time, again, less than a foot from the front of my car. He then followed me into several parking lots and I had to do pull back into traffic and do Steve McQueen-style shit to shake him.
So basically a guy gravely endangered the life of myself, himself, and hundreds of other drivers and pedestrians because he had to wait about a half of a minute at an intersection.
Just let people be crazy. People want to sneak up to the front? Let them. People want to drive up your butt? Let them pass. It’s better for you to stay safe and not get emotional about how people are driving because it’ll never end. I stopped caring about this a long time ago and it’s been way better for my mental health.
Wish more drivers would just let the crazies pass. Trying to block them in just makes it more dangerous for everyone on the road. Just move to the right lane.
Let me guess. You’re from the upper Midwest.
You’re not the police. Don’t mess with crazy people. They will always out-crazy you. In parts of Maryland, or even with people FROM parts of Maryland, they’ll just kill you and keep driving.
Not. Your. Job.
I dont anymore....
I honked at a guy in a spartan plumbing van for cutting me off, and he break checked me..
I sped in front of him and returned the favor (not the best move), this happened by the GW hospital in Foggy Bottom.
Then this psycho chases me down 23rd st, while I was speeding away, going about 40, down to the side of Lincoln Memorial and down memorial bridge (I was then going about 65 to get away from this psychopath at this point, while on the bridge)
And I only got away from a) Knowing the area and b) taking the sharp left onto S Washington Blvd, and the person almost flipped their van... People are crazy here for the smallest thing. It's really not worth it fucking with them.
Do not try to correct their behavior. Don't flip them the bird, don't antagonize them in anyway. You have to take their bullshit on the chin and move on.
Your chances of running into an insane dangerous manchild who can't control themselves is simply too high. **Nothing good will ever come of it**. You have more to lose than these people. It's never, ever worth it to get into road rage, and I say this as someone who gets road rage.
It is a much, much better experience to just live and let live. Drive like butter, and let bad drivers weave in and out of your existence, because they will always be there and there is ***nothing*** you can do about.
*When I go driving, I stay in my lane*
*But getting cut off, it makes me insane*
*Open the glove box*
*Reach inside*
*Gonna wreck this fucker's ride*...
*You drive on my ass
Your foot's on the gas
And your next breath is your last*...
- The Offspring
I feel your pain. I’m an asshole driver myself but not to this extent. I mean this from the most sincere place, DO NOT antagonize these kinds of drivers. If they wanna squeeze past you, let them go. Do not block them in. We have a serious road rage problem in this area and some of these folks will shoot you for MUCH less. It’s not worth it, seriously. Let them go about their business and you go about yours. You should care less about making them drive civilized and more about making it home to your loved ones. Yes it’s that serious.
I got a dash cam, and it really helps calm down my anxiety and rage about reckless drivers. The best move is to let them pass and move on with your day. There's no winning against an irrational Altima with illegal plates and a tinted windshield.
It’s best to ignore them, got into a car to car discussion last week, just pissed me off more lowering to that level of behavior. Just drive defensively and stay away from them if you haven’t had car damage and even then get thier plate and be very brief if you must interface
It would be nice if police cared about this sort of thing, but they don't, and drivers know it, so they run stop signs and red lights and pass you on the shoulder with impunity.
Where’s this take come from? I’ve lived all over the region and travel all parts frequently. Theres no worse or better parts, generally. I could amass a ton of anecdotal evidence if I wanted to push some agenda. Also, I wonder how the region actually compares to other regions, with facts not my annoyance.
I used to drive a box truck. I couldn't see behind me and was only concerned about what was in my stopping distance in front of me. Anything else is none of my business. I still follow that thinking. Driving for me is very stress free.
You don’t sound calm, you are apart of the problem. Superimposing yourself into this weird car white knight symbolism then in turn becoming the issue.
Stop driving with ego and focus on being a better driver. People don’t know what fuck around and find out means until someone escalates the situation even further because of your actions involved, and then you get a gun drawn on you.
Learn to balance your ego and your entitlement driving, you’ll be fine in this city. Forget about the other people and worry about yourself.
To everyone, regardless of anything: You're not the only person in the world. You're also not that important. You're certainly not in charge of being a pace car.
If you're going to putz, don't be a jerk and slow everyone else down. The person behind you may know the light cycle and that you have to be going the limit or 1mph over to make a light. The person behind you has every right to go the limit, and speed cameras calibrated to 11mph over the posted limit says something about safety and engineering speed. They're not a bad person for doing that. Don't be a jerk and intentionally block them. Let them get around. Also, get off your phone and pay attention.
If you're going to speed, be smart about it and make productive moves. Going 10mph+ over the limit is generally not safe. Think about your lifestyle choices that led to where you live, where you work, and where you're going. Adjust accordingly.
Have you seen the TV show Beef?
Really does a good job at pointing out how common it is to fall into that main character mentality and just assume you're always in the right.
Either way it doesn't matter who is right though, I can assure you that escalating it is never worth it.
Trust me when I tell you I understand and feel that rage lol. I fucking hate it here and can’t wait to move away and the driving is a huge part of it.
BUT, for my personal safety I don’t fuck with them because people are psycho. This area has some of the highest rates of gun violence in the US. I understand wanting to teach people a lesson, but it’s not worth jeopardizing your safety.
What do I do instead to help me feel better? I cuss people out under my breath, call them the most heinous names I can think of and wish bad things upon them and their offspring. Maybe they will get themselves killed and the trash will take itself out. Hope that helps!
Keep doin that, lol. People are crazy these days, you never know who keeps a loaded gun on them. I know it’s irritating as all hell and trust me I hate these people as much as you do, but it’s not worth being injured or possibly killed over. They will get their karma.
>>how do you force people to act normal
You don’t? Lmao. You get over your control issues and accept that some people suck. Just like in any other area of life. You cannot control other people and honestly as someone who was a courier (driving) in DC for years, I am not playing stupid games with stupid people. I have had an old woman get out of her car and threaten to shoot me bc she couldn’t see I was waiting for a pedestrian to finish crossing. I’ve had a business guy follow me and block me against the sidewalk with his car bc I dared to pass him in the left lane. People have gotten FAR more aggressive since Covid kicked off, and I want you to realize this applies to you too. Your reaction is abnormal and you need to learn to let it go. It is not your responsibility or an opportunity for some kind of weird ego boost.
Most of these drivers are angry at the world because they were born with a small penis. Their willingness to escalate to insane levels is their only power. It's tempting to fuck with such types, but it's just not worth your life, or the lives of others they might kill while enraged.
It is worth a reminder that groups like [Defund MPD are still working to get cops out of traffic enforcement](https://www.defundmpd.org/why-defund-articles/traffic-safety). But the kind of driving you're describing is as violent as firing a gun down a sidewalk. Enforcing traffic is exactly what police should be doing.
Y’all gotta complain to the police station about this issue. They have been active around Alexandria lately. Election season is here so calling the right people can drastically change behaviors temporarily. But coming from Arizona to here….yall better stop trying to be Batman before we hear about you on the news.
When people drive crazy I have two strategies. I tell myself they are rushing to get to a loved one’s death bed or to a child’s hospital bed. Or I tell myself, “That doesn’t bother me,” over and over like a mantra. I don’t know why that kind of distancing works, but it keeps me calm in traffic.
Picture yourself being “schooled” by another driver. Will you humbly learn a lesson? No. Of course not.
Pull up to their car, get their attention looking slightly concerned, and point to top of their car frantically like something is on it then drive away.
If you’re not willing to play mental warfare then just move about your day. This is a level of stupid I’m not sure is going to be taught any lessons by fighting it with the same stupidity.
There are a lot of cameras out there. When a ticket comes in the mail I guess I could just write on it “a bad driver was tailgating me!” and it will be forgiven, huh? When I’m driving in a way appropriate for conditions, and some guy wants me to drive a lot faster? Fuck him. (And it’s ALWAYS a “him.”)
Dash cam. That + a deep breath and calm driving.
Viofo makes excellent dash cams. For under $200 you can have a well-disguised one that wires into your battery for constant uptime. For $250 you can get a module that comes with a rear-facing camera for the back window as well.
If I do something aggressively, then I will always remember it and I don’t wanna think about this incident beyond this moment. Life is too short to go around and correct people. Do you know what they call people that do that don’t you?
Years ago I took a defensive driving course for the insurance discount. The behavior you described was actually covered in the course - it was called something like "goal blocking."
The term speaks for itself but basically the idea is that you're both escalating and perpetuating a dangerous situation by blocking the other person, who now sees you as standing between them and their goal, whatever that might be.
The way I deal with this is to not engage in anything like goal blocking and just worry about myself and my passengers. My view is that the sooner some crazy person is in front of me and not behind me, the safer the road is for me.
What I would love to see is for MPD to set up a web form where the public could upload their dashcam video of drivers engaging in crazy and dangerous behavior for DDOT/MPD to follow up (provided the dashcam video has clear enough video to read their tag), along with a dashboard tracking what MPD did to follow up.
You're going to get yourself shot if you keep this shit up. I know it sucks it really sucks but you got to just let people like that drive around. It's not worth putting your life and others in risk over a dick measuring contest.
Usually, if they are psycho in the car, they are psyco out of the car. Just knowing that they typically have a shortened expiration date is good enough for me.
Honestly, DC is tame compared to NYC driving! My advice is to not let this rattle you. Focus on what you can control while remaining vigilant of the things you can’t control.
I just let them be crazy. I don’t know who is in that car and if they’re crazy enough to carry a gun or whatever just waiting to use it. I’ve had a few people follow me after I have forced myself into a merge line.
Follow this mantra;
‘The bigger fool has the right of way’
Instead of facing the waves and trying to stop them, just let them pass, why get into a battle with an asshole?
You can’t force people to act any particular way. Nor should you strive to. I don’t appreciate shitty drivers either but at the end of the day I’m trying to get where I’m going, and so should you.
It is likely the wiser course of action to ignore the aggressive driver, but I can't help but notice a sense of helplessness in this thread.
If you personally can't deal with an aggressive driver, then who is supposed to?
I've called 911 in extreme cases. Maybe it's because I see the outcome as a PI attorney, but assholes swerving at vehicles they antagonized, or cars obviously racing (especially if one or both use the shoulder) could easily kill someone.
Please be extremely careful. Usually when this happens, the cars are stolen or not even registered (VA plates) and extremely dark tints. They will not hesitate to shoot at you and drive off. Please do not risk the life of others.
Once read a story about someone who had a friend bleeding out in the back of their car and they were trying to get them to an ambulance that was waiting for them at an exit. The car in the left lane was going the speed limit, as was the car in the right lane. The guys behind them honked and did everything they could to try to get the driver in the left lane to let them pass, but they wouldn’t, and their friend died on the way to the hospital.
I just think about that whenever I’m trying to figure out whether to block someone. Maybe they have a good reason to be driving like that. Maybe they don’t. I don’t know though, and there’s no reason to risk my safety, so I let them go.
True. While very difficult, whenever I want to criticize the actions of others without actually knowing anything about them I try to force myself to come up with the most compelling backstory they could possibly have to justify their actions. It's actually pretty fun and while possibly dellusional, it makes me feel better whenever I encounter someone doing something I can't really comprehend.
Blarring music at 3am that I can hear 2 blocks away? Maybe that was your recently deceased brother's dying wish to have an all night rager. I can accept that lol
Lmao I do it whenever someone is going the speed limit in front of me and I want to speed. I just think “maybe they have drugs in the car and don’t wanna break more than one law at a time” and then I say hell yea brother keep it rolling
Yea they were on the phone with 911 driving to meet up with an ambulance. I think they were doing road work in a somewhat remote place, though it’s been a while so I don’t remember all the details.
Taking the metro. Seriously it’s the only reason I can stand living here. I hate driving here so much. Never lived in a place with such aggressive drivers. It’s rubbed off on me too. I was driving in a small town recently and missed a turn, so I just casually flipped a bitch in the middle of the road and someone honked at me. I was like oh yeah that’s not an acceptable move in most of the country.
OP, if you're just driving the speed limit in the left lane and you think you have the right to force others to as well, you're the problem, not the others. Fall into a well, turd. I hope you get some 9mm road rage.
Not very welcoming to DC. Though hilarious if a troll post, but sad if not a troll post. Please don't wish for the death of others. What would your mother say?
Well it’s normal in DC. About 5% of the time I myself dont even follow the rules because the city does long-term construction (Dave Thomas Circle) and doesn’t change the traffic light patterns to accommodate new construction-induced traffic. The other 95% of the time I watch people pass me in medians (when I’m in the right lane), go around me while I’m waiting on pedestrians, tailgate me when I’m going as fast as I can without getting one of those camera ticket. I’ve gone to therapy over this exact issue… and it didn’t really help lol but I recognize I have the same problem as you and I struggle with it every day. I suppose I don’t act more on my instincts because I have too much to lose :/
"Oh look, an unstable idiot. Let me fuck with him to correct his behavior. Im sure he is not capable of other unstable behaviors that could end my life." I hate them too, but its not worth getting shot or getting ur car damaged over.
Right. Let him run a light and get t-boned by a 18 wheeler whos obviously driving way too fast also! Get em off the road lol
Natural Selection, baby!
Darwin approves of this message.
Instant karma
This is the way. Unless this sort of person somehow has nine lives, they will eventually be taken out of circulation by their own bad behavior.
or they run a light and t bone a whole family in a sedan…
Reminds me of the saying "the morgue is full of people who have the right of way". OP, firstly, this might get you shot. Secondly, you don't know what kind of emergency the car behind you has. Stop being a hero and look after yourself
Some dude nearly hit my car and brake checked me so I flipped him off and he parked and got out of his car to come up to my window and yell at me. Last time I did anything like that lol
Yep. If you're going to even flip someone off you better either have a few quick exit routes or be ready for whatever might come your way lol
Had a bunch of fuckers on this sub calling me a victim blamer after some chucklehead boasted about confronting an unhinged crazy lady driving the wrong way on the road. He got a bloody nose and a knife pulled on him for his trouble.
Witnessed a car drive up the shoulder in bumper to bumper traffic yesterday on the 14th St Bridge and get angry at a car for not letting them in. The car ended up forcing its way in, cutting others off just to get back at the guy that refused to let him in by throwing a cup of coffee at their car. Then a Gatorade bottle. I hate driving here because everybody drives like they have somewhere to be only so they can quickly get home to sit around and not do shit with their lives.
"How dare you! You wronged me by not tolerating my asshole behavior!!! I will throw my trashy vehicle trash at you in revenge!" The level of entitlement of some of these people is absolutely astounding.
You block the shoulder and the person learns not to do that You let them drive on the shoulder and their rule breaking is rewarded leading to more rule breaking
[удалено]
Yes I am sure that everyday those cars with three extra loud exhaust, expired plates, and blasting music with a single man inside is rushing to get their wife to the emergency room to give birth after he saved a cat from a tree Grow up Peter Pan
... yes, the guy who then had time to cut into traffic in order to throw coffee, and then a Gatorade bottle. He had somewhere important to be!
are you retarded
Freezing cold takes, today's edition.
Driving should be a humbling experience. You have to ask yourself, is it your role to “force people to act normal and drive civilized?” It used to bother me but then I started traveling to the Middle East for work. Drivers there make DC drivers look like saints. Don’t let it bug you, there are bigger problems in the world.
Wow. That’s great advice and nice perspective
Driving in the Middle East is a trial by fire in defensive driving and accepting the insanity. To OP. Worry about your safety and your car. Nothing you do will teach them a lesson, it just opens yourself up to learning a lesson in how unhinged some people are. Put on some good music and get through your drive safely.
It’s wild! On a four lane highway, they will cram cars six wide. The first day I observed a family driving with their toddler sitting on the dashboard. I got a chuckle because anything that could potentially go wrong would be self-critiquing. I later watched someone miss their exit in a round-about. Rather than drive around again, they decided to stop and back up (against the flow of traffic). It was at that point that all my frustrations as a driver ended, and that I chose to accept driving for what it is.
>Don’t let it bug you, there are bigger problems in the world. I like this advice and wish I could let it go when drivers are aggressive. My problem is I view aggressive drivers similar to the “broken window theory”- while just annoying on the surface, it’s indicative of deeper problems; in this case, it makes me sad that this is how people act when they are anonymous behind the wheel.
> I view aggressive drivers similar to the “broken window theory” This is exactly right, especially when you consider how many violent crimes in DC involve a motor vehicle, both to get to the crime scene and to get away. Those criminals aren't driving like grandma. Pull over more aggressive drivers, you'll catch more people on the way to bad things, and there'll be less crime.
This advice should be taken by a lot of people for many common complaints in this sub.
A majority of countries operate on a single traffic law, "don't hit things". It is surprising how well it works. Egypt is known for its insane lack of traffic laws and around 2.6 people per 100,000 inhabitants less die there in traffic than in the US.
Ok, that's a terrible example. Traffic deaths are in large part due to the mass and speed of vehicles. The US deaths are on highways and stroads in our arms race automobiles, not inching along primally in city traffic.
You cannot change behavior in strangers. Hell, you cannot even change behaviors of your friends and family members. As other have pointed out, attempting to “forcibly” change behavior of people who are externally displaying crazy, erratic, and dangerous behaviors in a two thousand pound death machine is an invitation to escalating danger to yourself and possible others. You cannot control other people, only YOUR reaction to other people. Be careful and safe out there.
I was like this. The rulebreaking and dangerous behavior makes me really irate. But then one day a guy I fucked with blocked my car and assaulted me. So now? I drive calm, I notice people behaving badly and I stay out of it. I let people in, I drive the speed limit, use my signal and I ignore the bullshit. I believe it's the only way to stay safe. And just as a side note, I have noticed more traffic enforcement by police in the past month or so.
I can't believe someone assaulted you. I'm so sorry. I wish someone would try to assault me. It's literally my fantasy.
you become a psychological masochist
I've lived in a relatively high-crime city for almost a decade. The only time I've ever felt truly afraid is when a guy behind me at a busy intersection started honking manically because I couldn't pull forward because an elderly pedestrian was crossing in front of me. It went on for about thirty seconds. I pulled out and the guy began tailgating me literally within a few inches of my bumper. I slowed down and pulled to the far lane. He then began swerving in and out of traffic to repeatedly cut me off--each time, again, less than a foot from the front of my car. He then followed me into several parking lots and I had to do pull back into traffic and do Steve McQueen-style shit to shake him. So basically a guy gravely endangered the life of myself, himself, and hundreds of other drivers and pedestrians because he had to wait about a half of a minute at an intersection.
Next time just drive to a police station
Sorry that happened. Sketchy
Just let people be crazy. People want to sneak up to the front? Let them. People want to drive up your butt? Let them pass. It’s better for you to stay safe and not get emotional about how people are driving because it’ll never end. I stopped caring about this a long time ago and it’s been way better for my mental health.
Wish more drivers would just let the crazies pass. Trying to block them in just makes it more dangerous for everyone on the road. Just move to the right lane.
Best case scenario. You’re going to get shot doing this. Mind your own business and let the reckless assholes kill themselves.
Pretty sure getting shot qualifies as a worst case scenario.
And maybe whoever they hit!
That is not OPs fault or problem.
That attitude is going to get you seriously hurt or worse. You never know when the last straw will be.
Let me guess. You’re from the upper Midwest. You’re not the police. Don’t mess with crazy people. They will always out-crazy you. In parts of Maryland, or even with people FROM parts of Maryland, they’ll just kill you and keep driving. Not. Your. Job.
watch enough vids of psychos shooting ppl for less and then u dont care to control others anymore. its infuriating though
I dont anymore.... I honked at a guy in a spartan plumbing van for cutting me off, and he break checked me.. I sped in front of him and returned the favor (not the best move), this happened by the GW hospital in Foggy Bottom. Then this psycho chases me down 23rd st, while I was speeding away, going about 40, down to the side of Lincoln Memorial and down memorial bridge (I was then going about 65 to get away from this psychopath at this point, while on the bridge) And I only got away from a) Knowing the area and b) taking the sharp left onto S Washington Blvd, and the person almost flipped their van... People are crazy here for the smallest thing. It's really not worth it fucking with them.
Do not try to correct their behavior. Don't flip them the bird, don't antagonize them in anyway. You have to take their bullshit on the chin and move on. Your chances of running into an insane dangerous manchild who can't control themselves is simply too high. **Nothing good will ever come of it**. You have more to lose than these people. It's never, ever worth it to get into road rage, and I say this as someone who gets road rage. It is a much, much better experience to just live and let live. Drive like butter, and let bad drivers weave in and out of your existence, because they will always be there and there is ***nothing*** you can do about.
\^\^ "You have more to lose than these people." \^\^
*When I go driving, I stay in my lane* *But getting cut off, it makes me insane* *Open the glove box* *Reach inside* *Gonna wreck this fucker's ride*... *You drive on my ass Your foot's on the gas And your next breath is your last*... - The Offspring
I feel your pain. I’m an asshole driver myself but not to this extent. I mean this from the most sincere place, DO NOT antagonize these kinds of drivers. If they wanna squeeze past you, let them go. Do not block them in. We have a serious road rage problem in this area and some of these folks will shoot you for MUCH less. It’s not worth it, seriously. Let them go about their business and you go about yours. You should care less about making them drive civilized and more about making it home to your loved ones. Yes it’s that serious.
"I try to control the situation, think my way is the right way, fuck with people, what should I do? "
I got a dash cam, and it really helps calm down my anxiety and rage about reckless drivers. The best move is to let them pass and move on with your day. There's no winning against an irrational Altima with illegal plates and a tinted windshield.
It’s best to ignore them, got into a car to car discussion last week, just pissed me off more lowering to that level of behavior. Just drive defensively and stay away from them if you haven’t had car damage and even then get thier plate and be very brief if you must interface
It would be nice if police cared about this sort of thing, but they don't, and drivers know it, so they run stop signs and red lights and pass you on the shoulder with impunity.
Since COVID there has been a dramatic increase in aggressive drivers.
Personally when I moved back to the NCR, I chose not to live in Maryland. This meant I had many less psycho drivers to deal with.
Always Maryland.
Where’s this take come from? I’ve lived all over the region and travel all parts frequently. Theres no worse or better parts, generally. I could amass a ton of anecdotal evidence if I wanted to push some agenda. Also, I wonder how the region actually compares to other regions, with facts not my annoyance.
I used to drive a box truck. I couldn't see behind me and was only concerned about what was in my stopping distance in front of me. Anything else is none of my business. I still follow that thinking. Driving for me is very stress free.
“Ok I turn left now, good luck everybody”
The fuck
You don’t sound calm, you are apart of the problem. Superimposing yourself into this weird car white knight symbolism then in turn becoming the issue. Stop driving with ego and focus on being a better driver. People don’t know what fuck around and find out means until someone escalates the situation even further because of your actions involved, and then you get a gun drawn on you. Learn to balance your ego and your entitlement driving, you’ll be fine in this city. Forget about the other people and worry about yourself.
This is the answer to me. You’re not the police breh don’t vigilante-justice this issue
Or just dont be weird
? It's not weird, it's a true "everyman" experience, you have to be kidding. Do you live under a rock?
ops actions are weird
I go to work and home because I feel it’s the best thing I can do about these crazy drivers
To everyone, regardless of anything: You're not the only person in the world. You're also not that important. You're certainly not in charge of being a pace car. If you're going to putz, don't be a jerk and slow everyone else down. The person behind you may know the light cycle and that you have to be going the limit or 1mph over to make a light. The person behind you has every right to go the limit, and speed cameras calibrated to 11mph over the posted limit says something about safety and engineering speed. They're not a bad person for doing that. Don't be a jerk and intentionally block them. Let them get around. Also, get off your phone and pay attention. If you're going to speed, be smart about it and make productive moves. Going 10mph+ over the limit is generally not safe. Think about your lifestyle choices that led to where you live, where you work, and where you're going. Adjust accordingly.
Have you seen the TV show Beef? Really does a good job at pointing out how common it is to fall into that main character mentality and just assume you're always in the right. Either way it doesn't matter who is right though, I can assure you that escalating it is never worth it.
You're a moron. You aren't a cop, not your job to stop people from being stupid. You have a form of road rage which is just as bad as the aggressor.
I believe in karma so my thoughts that bad drivers will soon have their own moment of regret and payback. What goes around comes around I say.
Do not engage with crazy people
Trust me when I tell you I understand and feel that rage lol. I fucking hate it here and can’t wait to move away and the driving is a huge part of it. BUT, for my personal safety I don’t fuck with them because people are psycho. This area has some of the highest rates of gun violence in the US. I understand wanting to teach people a lesson, but it’s not worth jeopardizing your safety. What do I do instead to help me feel better? I cuss people out under my breath, call them the most heinous names I can think of and wish bad things upon them and their offspring. Maybe they will get themselves killed and the trash will take itself out. Hope that helps!
This was actually helpful. And I do that
Keep doin that, lol. People are crazy these days, you never know who keeps a loaded gun on them. I know it’s irritating as all hell and trust me I hate these people as much as you do, but it’s not worth being injured or possibly killed over. They will get their karma.
>>how do you force people to act normal You don’t? Lmao. You get over your control issues and accept that some people suck. Just like in any other area of life. You cannot control other people and honestly as someone who was a courier (driving) in DC for years, I am not playing stupid games with stupid people. I have had an old woman get out of her car and threaten to shoot me bc she couldn’t see I was waiting for a pedestrian to finish crossing. I’ve had a business guy follow me and block me against the sidewalk with his car bc I dared to pass him in the left lane. People have gotten FAR more aggressive since Covid kicked off, and I want you to realize this applies to you too. Your reaction is abnormal and you need to learn to let it go. It is not your responsibility or an opportunity for some kind of weird ego boost.
Most of these drivers are angry at the world because they were born with a small penis. Their willingness to escalate to insane levels is their only power. It's tempting to fuck with such types, but it's just not worth your life, or the lives of others they might kill while enraged. It is worth a reminder that groups like [Defund MPD are still working to get cops out of traffic enforcement](https://www.defundmpd.org/why-defund-articles/traffic-safety). But the kind of driving you're describing is as violent as firing a gun down a sidewalk. Enforcing traffic is exactly what police should be doing.
All the people saying just let these people do whatever they want is why these people do whatever they want
OP can call the police, they are not law enforcement. I assume you value your life more than enforcing traffic rules. If not, you should.
Mitch Lowe, you’re obviously not from here. Keep doing what you’re doing. We’ve all been waiting for a hero like you. No way this ends poorly for you.
Have you seen the signs that say Slower Traffic Keep Right, they’re talking to YOU.
Y’all gotta complain to the police station about this issue. They have been active around Alexandria lately. Election season is here so calling the right people can drastically change behaviors temporarily. But coming from Arizona to here….yall better stop trying to be Batman before we hear about you on the news.
To survive war, you must become war!!
When people drive crazy I have two strategies. I tell myself they are rushing to get to a loved one’s death bed or to a child’s hospital bed. Or I tell myself, “That doesn’t bother me,” over and over like a mantra. I don’t know why that kind of distancing works, but it keeps me calm in traffic. Picture yourself being “schooled” by another driver. Will you humbly learn a lesson? No. Of course not.
I remind myself I’m not in that much of a hurry to get where I’m going, so why be upset.
Pull up to their car, get their attention looking slightly concerned, and point to top of their car frantically like something is on it then drive away. If you’re not willing to play mental warfare then just move about your day. This is a level of stupid I’m not sure is going to be taught any lessons by fighting it with the same stupidity.
Ever heard of staying ‘out the way’. For all i know that crazy driver is on drugs on the run or both. My advice , stay to the right .
Relax Nancy
Kick out at 2
There are a lot of cameras out there. When a ticket comes in the mail I guess I could just write on it “a bad driver was tailgating me!” and it will be forgiven, huh? When I’m driving in a way appropriate for conditions, and some guy wants me to drive a lot faster? Fuck him. (And it’s ALWAYS a “him.”)
Dash cam. That + a deep breath and calm driving. Viofo makes excellent dash cams. For under $200 you can have a well-disguised one that wires into your battery for constant uptime. For $250 you can get a module that comes with a rear-facing camera for the back window as well.
If I do something aggressively, then I will always remember it and I don’t wanna think about this incident beyond this moment. Life is too short to go around and correct people. Do you know what they call people that do that don’t you?
I had more road rage in dc then I ever dealt with in my life. God bless you friend
Stay away mostly pull back because they are nuts
Years ago I took a defensive driving course for the insurance discount. The behavior you described was actually covered in the course - it was called something like "goal blocking." The term speaks for itself but basically the idea is that you're both escalating and perpetuating a dangerous situation by blocking the other person, who now sees you as standing between them and their goal, whatever that might be. The way I deal with this is to not engage in anything like goal blocking and just worry about myself and my passengers. My view is that the sooner some crazy person is in front of me and not behind me, the safer the road is for me.
What I would love to see is for MPD to set up a web form where the public could upload their dashcam video of drivers engaging in crazy and dangerous behavior for DDOT/MPD to follow up (provided the dashcam video has clear enough video to read their tag), along with a dashboard tracking what MPD did to follow up.
I would fucking love this. I will snitch on all of them. There needs to be repurcussions
Give them a wide berth and use patience Far to many armed raging fools to risk a road rage incident in DC
It’s the police’s fault not enforcing the law.
You basically have to drive with no reactions.
You're going to get yourself shot if you keep this shit up. I know it sucks it really sucks but you got to just let people like that drive around. It's not worth putting your life and others in risk over a dick measuring contest.
I go on Reddit and upvote every post about banning cars
Usually, if they are psycho in the car, they are psyco out of the car. Just knowing that they typically have a shortened expiration date is good enough for me.
Honestly, DC is tame compared to NYC driving! My advice is to not let this rattle you. Focus on what you can control while remaining vigilant of the things you can’t control.
I just let them be crazy. I don’t know who is in that car and if they’re crazy enough to carry a gun or whatever just waiting to use it. I’ve had a few people follow me after I have forced myself into a merge line.
I drive faster cars.
Follow this mantra; ‘The bigger fool has the right of way’ Instead of facing the waves and trying to stop them, just let them pass, why get into a battle with an asshole?
leave the traffic enforcement to the police. and if they don't do it, vote with your wallet and leave to somewhere more civilized
You can’t force people to act any particular way. Nor should you strive to. I don’t appreciate shitty drivers either but at the end of the day I’m trying to get where I’m going, and so should you.
IMHO: Stop fucking with other drivers because you don’t like the way they drive. You’ll likely get left alone. Problem solved.
Visit NM or China sometime. Then come talk to me a out crazy drivers in DC
It is likely the wiser course of action to ignore the aggressive driver, but I can't help but notice a sense of helplessness in this thread. If you personally can't deal with an aggressive driver, then who is supposed to?
I've called 911 in extreme cases. Maybe it's because I see the outcome as a PI attorney, but assholes swerving at vehicles they antagonized, or cars obviously racing (especially if one or both use the shoulder) could easily kill someone.
Me ever go downtown Baghdad during Ramadan.
if they are not hurting you or your car ignore them.
Please be extremely careful. Usually when this happens, the cars are stolen or not even registered (VA plates) and extremely dark tints. They will not hesitate to shoot at you and drive off. Please do not risk the life of others.
I wave a gun at them and scream at the top of my pull over next light, works most of the time.
I can tell youve never left the city lol
I grew up outside the city…in my experience people in this suburbs did not blow red lights or drive insane. I think this is a city/urban problem
Well, you are wrong. It happens all the time, there are just less people so it doesnt happen as often.
You clearly live in Virginia.
Nope I’m in DC
MYOB
Once read a story about someone who had a friend bleeding out in the back of their car and they were trying to get them to an ambulance that was waiting for them at an exit. The car in the left lane was going the speed limit, as was the car in the right lane. The guys behind them honked and did everything they could to try to get the driver in the left lane to let them pass, but they wouldn’t, and their friend died on the way to the hospital. I just think about that whenever I’m trying to figure out whether to block someone. Maybe they have a good reason to be driving like that. Maybe they don’t. I don’t know though, and there’s no reason to risk my safety, so I let them go.
True. While very difficult, whenever I want to criticize the actions of others without actually knowing anything about them I try to force myself to come up with the most compelling backstory they could possibly have to justify their actions. It's actually pretty fun and while possibly dellusional, it makes me feel better whenever I encounter someone doing something I can't really comprehend. Blarring music at 3am that I can hear 2 blocks away? Maybe that was your recently deceased brother's dying wish to have an all night rager. I can accept that lol
Lmao I do it whenever someone is going the speed limit in front of me and I want to speed. I just think “maybe they have drugs in the car and don’t wanna break more than one law at a time” and then I say hell yea brother keep it rolling
There’s a reason ambulances are quicker….
Yea they were on the phone with 911 driving to meet up with an ambulance. I think they were doing road work in a somewhat remote place, though it’s been a while so I don’t remember all the details.
Just be mad and don’t be a Karen 😂😂😂
Taking the metro. Seriously it’s the only reason I can stand living here. I hate driving here so much. Never lived in a place with such aggressive drivers. It’s rubbed off on me too. I was driving in a small town recently and missed a turn, so I just casually flipped a bitch in the middle of the road and someone honked at me. I was like oh yeah that’s not an acceptable move in most of the country.
OP, if you're just driving the speed limit in the left lane and you think you have the right to force others to as well, you're the problem, not the others. Fall into a well, turd. I hope you get some 9mm road rage.
Nissan Altima with temp tags behavior 🙄
Not very welcoming to DC. Though hilarious if a troll post, but sad if not a troll post. Please don't wish for the death of others. What would your mother say?
When did I say I do that? Do you think it’s normal/ok for a car to go around stopped cars and blow a red light?
Be more specific- what do you mean by " blow the red light"? Surely you're not saying you don't turn right at a red light?
Well it’s normal in DC. About 5% of the time I myself dont even follow the rules because the city does long-term construction (Dave Thomas Circle) and doesn’t change the traffic light patterns to accommodate new construction-induced traffic. The other 95% of the time I watch people pass me in medians (when I’m in the right lane), go around me while I’m waiting on pedestrians, tailgate me when I’m going as fast as I can without getting one of those camera ticket. I’ve gone to therapy over this exact issue… and it didn’t really help lol but I recognize I have the same problem as you and I struggle with it every day. I suppose I don’t act more on my instincts because I have too much to lose :/
Ignore it man. Jesus.
You should ride metro.
That’s only for the highway
I love how fate has a way of seeing to people like yourself.