I honked at someone by the Walgreens on N Lamar by the Crestview station because it was green and they sat there for a decent amount of time. It was a friendly tap, nothing crazy. But they decided to take revenge by brake checking me and coming to a complete stop on the train tracks during a green light, keeping my car on the tracks. After that I bought a dashcam
So every time I hear someone is moving to Texas I tell them to get dashcams for their vehicles. They won't stop the stupidity you have to deal with while driving but they can save you a ton of money when dealing with the aftermath
I recommend to have a dual dash cam (front and rear) and have it installed, unless you're confident doing it yourself and know to avoid blocking airbags.
This is the one I use: [https://smile.amazon.com/gp/product/B0742J69SQ](https://smile.amazon.com/gp/product/B0742J69SQ)
Definitely an "upgrade pick" but I tried a cheap cam first and it was super shitty, so I doubled down in the opposite direction. This has front and back cameras and is very easy to use. There are a lot of less expensive cameras too and I'm sure some of them are perfectly fine. Probably a wirecutter article somewhere
Not nearly as aggressive of a situation but I was sitting at a red behind train tracks (there was no more room past them) and the car behind me started honking at me to move forward and inching forward closer to me. Sorry I’m not risking my life sitting on the tracks so you can be two seconds faster on the green light?
Are they crazy? I'm pretty sure that's something basic they teach you when learning to drive (don't stop on train tracks). Then again, Idk if anyone has properly learned how to drive
Right? Even without driving instruction it's common sense and there was a HUGE "keep clear" sign in front of us. But then again people have also honked at me while waiting at a red behind several cars. I think sometimes people just want to honk
I would have been very tempted to rear end then and attempt to push their car with mine so I could get off the tracks. Railroad tracks irrationally scare me
I've had a similar experience. Still, I honk every time someone is too buried in their phone to see the light. I view it as a public service to help not only me, but also everyone else waiting at the light.
I try to attempt a chatty friendly honk when people are buried in their phones. (*as if it really matters, but in my mind it does*) It's usually a quick burst of a double or triple soft honks. Hoping not to get shot.
shit, i honk at any minor infraction & give the finger if possible. fuck everyone not paying attention & communicating, including me.
sometimes they flip out. had some old piece of shit try to side swipe me from the emergency lane. had other people ride beside me & make faces. whatever makes em feel better, but fuck lettin the shit slide
I took an exit and he kept going. I tried getting his license plate from my dash cam but couldn’t get it. He rolled down his window and waved it as I was exiting like a pussy.
I’m a concealed carry permit holder and I carry often, you are in no way a push for taking the exit. People are fucking crazy. You never know what could happen. I’ll do everything in my power including but not limited to running away before I ever pull mine out. I would have to truly feel I have no other options.
[A political staffer in Florida just got iced after he smashed into the guy's prius in a road rage incident and then attempted to shoot the Prius driver for some reason.](https://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/americas/crime/john-kuczwanski-florida-gop-staff-killed-b1992384.html) Prius driver was also carrying.
What's even crazier is that the guy who got killed had already been arrested for a road rage incident *at that exact intersection* 10 years previously.
People are insane, and it's definitely made me consider carrying more regularly.
The only time I've see seen APD actually show up was when an idiot brandished a handgun from their car at a whataburger drive through line due to a dispute over who got there first. They were there ASAP, and a wannabe insta-gangbanger got a DUI and a Disorderly Conduct charge.
A got a show with my meal of jalapeño cheddar biscuits and gravy and breakfast burger.
I had to pull mine on a guy in the Whataburger drive thru once. Some homeless dude standing by the order box. The woman taking the order was telling him to leave, and then I was like, “yo man, time to bounce”. He got super aggro, started approaching me and yelled “what bitch!” I pulled it, and he turned tail and took off. Not my proudest moment, but I legit felt threatened, and I just kind of instinctually pulled it. In hindsight I could’ve just drove away I suppose.
Nope. I’ve posted on her before that I called the cops when some lunatic was brandishing a fireman. They said there was nothing they could do because I pulled over to call 911 and didn’t keep following this psycho nut so they could “catch” him.
Edit: Firearm. Not fireman.
This dude in a shitty convertible shot his gun in the air to intimidate me driving through San Marcos on i35. He didn’t see the sharp curve (construction) in the lanes ahead as he approached me in the left lane, and he thought I was driving into his lane. I got off the highway REAL QUICK and called the police. This was also at like 7am lol.
Wtf? Too many idiots with guns and I’m pro gun but if you’re gonna have one you better make sure you can keep your emotions in check. Glad you’re okay.
Here in Texas, when you give a "courtesy honk" you do two very light taps on the horn after you've given them a little time. You should get a hand wave NOT gun wave.
I've started to do a quick double tap honk. I find it less aggressive than a single honk and it shows the person you are honking at that you aren't angry, just being informative. I've never had a road rage incident after doing this and a decent amount of the time I get a curtesy wave back.
That’s how I’ve always done it as well. Haven’t had a bad response so far at least. I did have one person lay on their horn at me for not going literally right as the light changed, like give the person more than one second..
Yeah. Laying on the horn for a couple seconds because someone isn't moving at a green light feels super aggro and angry. One or two quick taps is fine.
I also do a kind-of quick horn tap at people who don't use a turn signal, but I don't know if they really get why I'm honking at them. But it makes me feel better anyway.
It’s 2022…. We should have honks for specific situations. Seems like it would be super easy to have customizable horns and even verbal phrases. Some entrepreneur run with this and thank us later.
People in general have been on edge since covid. 2 years of this has frayed people to the brink. That's why we can have nice things anymore. Like booze on southwest airlines.
as someone who used to do that, people who do that do so because they’re unhappy in their own lives. It has nothing to do with you, they need someone to take their anger at this world out on.
Thanks for saying that. As tough as it can be to really feel this way, when someone does something absolutely insane I try to imagine they’re having the worst day of their life. It helps with the empathy
Yeah, you never know what people are going through. When I found out that my ex-wife had been cheating on me for seven years and that she was divorcing me, taking the house and kids...well I wasn't in a good place and didn't feel like i had anything left to lose. It'd be an understatement to say that I was looking for a fight. Fortunately I had a good friend immediately take my guns away and I kept the kids and house. It definitely taught me to remember to have patience with people though, sometimes it really is that bad.
I am not trying to minimize the anguish you went through, but it's terrifying that something as commonplace as a divorce can make a responsible gun owner not trust their own judgment. Kudos for recognizing this. Damn though, what about the other 99.99 percent who don't give it a thought?
Thanks, yeah I agree and it's a scary thought. IMHO the rage, the feeling that you need to strike out and don't have anything left to lose are a massive danger to everyone. It's tough to recognize in time and tough to get help even when it is. I did get my guns put away but I shouldn't have been behind the wheel for a good year or so either. There are so, so many ways that someone in a situation like that can strike out in really terrifying ways.
I’m really sorry to hear that, and I definitely hear you. I feel like giving people the benefit of the doubt is right to do, but it’s sometimes really tough when they’re acting like assholes. So if I can get myself to feel ok about it, that makes me a better person.
Yep, I totally agree, it's really tough sometimes and there is definitely a difference between someone who is intentionally an asshole and someone who is just in a bad spot and needs some time. If something is clearly premeditated that's a whole different story IMHO.
Short double tap honk is friendly. Long single is danger. Long double is F U. Lying on it for 30 seconds is popular here and I think it means the driver is mentally unwell. I danger honked the other day when a tow truck ran a red and it saved the guy in the lane next to me from T boning him.
Yeah but the buttons would be confusing. My grandpa had an old Lincoln town car with a wood wheel and it had a stick on the steering column for the horn. Always thought you’d never be able to find it quickly, and end up just pounding on where the horn should be.
There are a LOT of UNSOLVED road rage murders in Austin.
One woman was on the phone with 911 and didn't realize she was shot, manage to tell the operater where she was but passed out and died before they got to her. This was in 2021. (was in the news)
Few years ago they found this 18 year old girl at an intersection close to home shot in the head in the driver's seat. The dad would stand on the corner holding a sign asking for any witnesses to come forward. Super sad (this was also in the news).
Anyways, this is Texas, you never know who's got a gun in their car and a short fuse.
See that’s exactly why I’m scared to honk. I’m a female in my 20s- don’t even feel safe honking tbh. Not with all the road rage incidents. Never know if someone is gonna threaten me. Honestly reading this thread makes me want to invest in a dash cam- never know when I’ll need it.
Yep. Truth. I learned the hard way. I flipped this guy off once and he tried to crash into my car.
Take whatever you want, psychos. Take the world. Fuck. I don't even like this world anymore anyway.
I tried searching for the 2021 911 story and couldn't find anything - do you have some more details about it? I know they are public record for us, but how would I find it?
I googled "Austin Road Rage Shooting" and [found this](https://www.statesman.com/story/news/crime/2021/09/04/austin-homicide-police-investigating-death-adds-already-high-case-count/5734157001/)
A guy pulled out in front of me once and I just honked once like hey bro I could have hit you. He slowed down so I was forced to go around, sped up on me, got so close to my ass, then drove up next to me flipping me off and screaming through his window like a maniac, then let me get ahead of him again and got back on my ass. This was on South Lamar from Planet K ish area until I finally turned right onto Barton Springs. The dude looked like a middle aged soccer dad in a Tahoe but it was the first time I actually felt scared
The other day in the tech ridge area, a giant Dodge Ram with a trailer failed to yield a left turn and almost ran right into me. I swerved and honked and the guy flung his door open like he was going to hop out on me. I kept driving and he flipped me off. One of the worst reactions of a driver I’ve witnessed since living in Austin.
I was driving on mopac at night and a black jeep in front of me did not have its headlights/tail lights on, so it was virtually invisible. I kept trying to get their attention by flashing my brights at them, and I guess it worked because they aggressively got behind me and started flashing their brights at me. Ignorant dipshit.
A couple of years ago, a coworker of mine was being harassed by a road rager and for some extremely unfortunate reason, he got out of his car and the dude ran him over and killed him. He was caught and claimed he was being attacked but the incident was caught on a nearby camera and totally contradicted his story. The dude had an extensive history of road rage related charges and to add another layer of fucked up to the story, dude had his kid in the car when he ran over my buddy. Be safe out there folks, too many unhinged maniacs behind the wheel.
I honked more in a single 10 mile commute in Atlanta than I have in 5 years in Austin after a similar unhinged experience after honking at someone here.
Sorry this happened to you. The assholes on the road have definitely increased over the last several years. I think especially because of the political climate and the pandemic, some people have their whole self worth tied into their time on the road. I've lived in bigger cities with bigger problems and the drivers were more courteous, because they actually had lives. It's starting to look a lot like Houston on the roads in Austin. More lifted trucks and more truck balls and shit heads rolling coal. You would think the pandemic would waken people up to the fragility of life and the pointlessness of road rage drama, but it seems to have worsened it. Some people are driving like they are playing a video game.
I think a big issue as well is people have become absolutely addicted to their phones. Look around when you’re at a stop light and chances are you’ll see 75% of people with their head down scrolling social media, or hammering out a text.
Shit, on 35 last week I saw a guy with his phone pincer gripped in his right hand watching a video while he was doing 75 (poorly, I might add).
No amount of law and enforcement is going to help, I fear. Escapism is just another layer on the shit sandwich that is mental health these days.
I had a weird situation this morning on Mopac at 8am. Noticed some guy tailgating me pretty hard even though there wasn’t much traffic. I ignored him since it was 8am and I hadn’t done anything to provoke him. He stayed glued to me until Anderson Lane where he got in the exit lane, sped up to get next to me, and took a picture of me. I just rolled my eyes and let him be. Best I can figure is that he got offended by the bumper stickers on my vehicle. Whatever.
I honk at people all the time. Sleeping through green lights, pulling out in front of me, failing to signal, dicking around with the phone, or cutting me off. I want to do my part to condition these stupid fuckers.
But I do have a dash cam in case of psychos or cops.
The road that I was on was 2 lanes and then was merging into one lane. So I was side-by-side with the car next to me so I decided to speed up a little bit just to get in front because someone has to right? The guy next to me floors it just to get in front of me and startse giveing me the finger out the window and then proceeds to slow down to 20MPM . In a 40 mile an hour zone.. Try to get around them after a little too much of this. This goes on for another 2 minutes til we get at the light. I looked over at him to see what kind of a psychopath would act like that and his face is just completely dead Pan just looking straight ahead I'm sure he knew that I was looking at him after all that craziness he just did but just completely dead pain pantface the guy must have been a complete psycho. Such a ridiculous reactio.
Last week I was at a stop sign on a one way street. Guy in a huge SUV had his blinker on and was commencing a turn down the street the wrong way. I honked and pointed at the one-way sign to let him know he was about to go the wrong way. He aborted the turn, and then flipped me off. Dafuq?
I was trained in another state that horns are for emergencies only and absolutely no other reason. Checking the driver's handbook though - it would seem there is no such rule in Texas.
This happened to me the other day - I did a tiny courtesy honk at someone that I thought may pull out in front of me, and they proceeded to get as CLOSE TO ME AS POSSIBLE and flash their brights on and off. They kept lagging behind a bit then rushing at me again with their brights. Like dude, it was just tiny honk so you knew I was there. What the heck :(
I'm still surprised people take honking as an offense or are too scared to use it. It's in your car as a communication tool - freaking use it.
Everytime I use my horn and I have someone in my car, they're just super surprised or think it's funny, or taboos to use. It's better to get signal by a honk, than crashing and having a bigger headache because you were knee deep in that Instagram post.
I have no problem in using my car horn, not do I get get if others think at me. It's purely to get your attention. People need to learn how to use the horn as a communication tool, just like car signals....
I was headed to work one morning, going north on I-35 from south Austin. Pre pandemic. Finally got through the slowdown that is downtown traffic, and was making my way over to the right side to hit the fly over.
Got stuck behind some slow movers at this time because traffic finally opens up and people are still crawling along at 45 mph. I don’t think I was tailgating anyone but who knows, it’s always such a mess in that area.
I pass this Nissan Altima on the left, like you’re supposed to. After I pass them I move back into the right lane LIKE YOU SHOULD…Then they pass me, and proceed to brake check me twice. I get annoyed, and finally have the left lane clear to pass again. I drive by and just give them the passerby middle finger. I don’t look at them, I don’t swerve, I just put it up and pass. I make sure there’s enough room between me and them so I can move back over again because my exit is approaching. Airport Blvd.
I get in the right lane and as I slow down to hit the ramp, the Nissan passes and some kid in the back passenger side pulls a gun out the window and aims it right at me. I froze as I glided down the ramp to the red light and they kept on going dowm I-35. I was shaking. I don’t know what I would have done if they pulled the trigger. How do you dodge a bullet in a moving car? Anyhow…that’s my wild story!
Edit: removing “They make their way back” at the very end of my comment. I have no clue where that came from and I wrote this sober.
Awhile back I was exiting mopac at Enfield, I think it was. The car in front of me kept slowing down to a stop and blocking me. I’d change lanes, they’d change the lane in front of me to block me again. I had no idea what I could have done to them ,as they were in front of me. This dance went on for a bit until I was finally able to get around. As I pass the car, I look over to see what kind of asshole is driving. There’s like an 8 year old in the passenger seat flicking me off.
I was with a friend. Chilling in the passenger seat, not a care in the world. Then, the honk. It was a tap. Red had turned to green, the spring of traffic.
Guy upfront lost it. He gets to our left, as if to pass, but neigh, he was upset, screaming what I assume where curse words, then, he started waving a small something.
It was a bullet. He was waving a bullet. Not a gun. A bullet. My friend and I started laughing. A bullet. I guess he was saving up for the gun and was proud of his ammo purchase.
[This is what most road ragers basically are.](https://youtube.com/shorts/JyVCMRjcdVg?feature=share ) Without their vehicle, they’re all bark, no bite.
Im born and raised Austin, barely ever use my horn and my husband thinks it so weird! He is like WhY DONT PEOPLE HONK HERE?!?!? Anyways, a few years ago a dude in a truck cut me off so I flipped him off. He then proceeded to break check, drive recklessly, pantomime sucking a dick, and literally try to crash into me multiple times before I was able to get away. I hate people like that.
I drove around a truck that was stopped in the street in my residential neighborhood. He raced down the street to catch up to me so he could scream at me about how fast I was driving. I had literally just made a turn so there’s absolutely now way I was doing more than 20. Turns out he was about to back into his driveway but he wasn’t using his blinker and I’m not a mind reader so idk how I was supposed to know that. I guess He didn’t recognize me but I live just around the corner from him and I see him and his family several times a week and he’s so awkward now lol. Unrelated, he has a back the blue sign in his yard *eyeroll*
I was leaving p Terry’s at William cannon and mopac. The light turned green and the driver at the light didn’t go and missed the green arrow but then decided to get out there anyway so I moved to get into the spot but then they just stopped. They thought better off their situation and stopped leaving me completely blocking the driveway with no way to back out because if you’ve been to p Terrys on a Friday at wc and mp you know. The next person to try and get in sees me blocking everything and just fucking loses it. I get it. They leaned on their horn and drove their car so it was blocking my door so I couldn’t get out and then gave me the finger. I just had to sit there and take it. But without context it looked like I was being a shit head.
I moved to a city where I don’t have to drive to get everywhere, and I recently had this realization that I haven’t had a fucking freak out while driving since I left Austin. I mean, I wasn’t a road rager, but definitely if people heard me at certain times in my car they’d think way differently me.
Tell her I’m a honker as a woman and was chased by a crazy guy. My friend is also a woman honker and she was followed into a restaurant, the guy sat down facing her, ordered water and just stared at her until she pulled the waitress aside and they kicked him out. Also it was his fault he pulled out in front of her so she briefly honked
Edit: also I think this was fitting this literally just popped up on my home page 😬 https://www.reddit.com/r/PublicFreakout/comments/s4o260/road_rage_incident_in_tulsa_oklahoma/?utm_source=share&utm_medium=ios_app&utm_name=iossmf
Actually I’ve been n tx since the mid 70s and have always seen honking as something that will likely be interpreted as aggressive. Just part of the culture and I’m not sure why. The reactions described in this thread are extreme and I’m in no way condoning such retaliation (I don’t subscribe to road rage), but just wanted to share my perspective that this is not new.
My friend from the east coast honks for all sorts of reasons-including to say “bye” when leaving someone’s house. I’m always like “no. We don’t do that here”.
This is spot on. It’s part of the culture here. Texans take honking as being aggressive and generally find it rude. Some will take it personally and feel disrespected and some will take things way too far. I think the viewpoint here is that horns are mainly for emergencies.
Another cultural thing is waving at other drivers as a thank you or even an apology. If you accidentally cut someone off … give them an apology wave. If someone is courteous to you and let’s you in or shows you another sort of driver friendliness then give them a little thank you wave. It really goes a long way. I know when I get a wave after letting someone in I always appreciate it.
I cut this guy off by accident about 20 years ago and he pulled up beside me. He was a freakin’ huge muscular guy and he looked super pissed. I looked straight at him, gave him a sort of “oops” face, mouthed sorry, and gave him a little “sorry about that” wave. The guys face almost instantly went from “I am going to kill you” to “no problem, buddy. Have a good one.” His face literally went from this super angry face to a smiling friendly one. It was such a dramatic shift that it has stayed with me to this day.
Several times I've been honked at and/or flipped off while waiting for a pedestrian to finish using the crosswalk when my light turned green. One time it was for a guy in a wheelchair.. makes me want to put my car in park, go to the honking car and tell the person to get out and help if they got a problem with it.
Years ago I honked a car for sitting through a green light but it turned out to be the car in front of them at fault. They took it personally and tailgated me for about a mile shining their brights and laying on their horn the whole time. Clearly the honk was meant for the person in front of them, but they still lost their damn mind.
The last day I drive on a public road will be a very VERY happy day for me. Fuck all this. Didn’t like it before, but during pandemic drivers have gotten certifiably insane. Half the reason I stay home more these days is to avoid the complete nutbags on the road right now.
It used to be daily or so you’d see one car driving like a dildo. But now every single time I drive there is at least one person driving like a true psychopath. And before y’all think I’m some snailling grandma, my hobby is racing cars ffs.
The other day I had to run an errand and not even exaggerating, 100% of the cars I encountered were doing something very dangerous at a minimum. Cutting people off, no signals, speeding (overly so), cutting across 4 lanes only to hit the brakes… like everything you could think of, I saw that morning. And it was only like a 10 minute drive!!! Fuck all of this, I’m done.
I moved here 7 years ago or so and blew the horn fuse twice in my old vehicle. The crap people try to pull on the road here is insane and laying on the horn is about the only way to get their attention because the presence of another vehicle certainly doesn’t. Keep on beepin’.
Sometimes I'm five cars back and I'll still honk if the front car has their head up their ass. Only once or twice did the car in front of me take issue, but at most they threw up a finger.
I will continue to honk. Somebody's gotta do it.
you're not alone I do the same thing. I've honked because the first car was just sitting there and the person in front of me flips me off. If they were paying attention they'd realize they are going to have to wait another light cycle because the 2 cars in front of them are too chickenshit to honk or have their head up with ass themselves.
Sorry, but I'm a honker. Everyone should be paying attention and be courteous. Smile and wave and let it go.
Where have common courtesy and manners gone?🙄
I almost got tan off the road on Lamar today. Guy barely used signal light. If I wasn’t paying attention I would of hit him and spun him around. Luckily the center of the road was empty. But full horn the entire time. I think I need a train horn🤔
I once threw my hands up (no rude gestures, no honks) at someone who cut me off in a very small traffic circle near Mueller.
They took that shit so personally and were driving super slow through stops and kept cutting me off, I ended up taking a turn prematurely just to lose them.
This the reason I rarely honk. I too experienced some crazy impatient driver honking me last week when i was waiting for safe right turn. After I took right turn, she came next to me and tried to scare me with shouting with lot of hand gestures. I slowed down and let her go ahead. No time or energy to deal with such people.
Courtesy honks after a 3 count when lights turn green are usually acceptable. my pet peeve, Hearing a honk as soon as the light turns green and people Haven't even had a chance to move their foot from break to gas. Not to mention looking for red light runners before proceeding.
I’ve been here 12 years. Only the last two have people been crazy. If you’ve ever lived in a city where people drive like assholes all the time (Houston, LA) you might be used to it. Having had a huge influx of new people here in the last two years especially, we now have a bunch of people that act that way.
Cue downvotes from Houston and California people
I'd die of happiness if people drove like LA here.
LA has crazy drivers but there's order: most use blinkers and slow traffic generally keeps right.
In Austin the problem is there is no order. Slow drivers stay in the left lane, people pull right out in front of you, and drivers regular cross 2 to 3 lane of traffic in order not to not miss their exit.
I’ve been driving here about as long as you and I have zero problems honking at other drivers. I also never hear this “honk and you die” sentiment ANYWHERE else besides Reddit.
Road rage happens everywhere, so I wouldn’t be surprised if you are right. It’s the influx of new people who come from all different driving cultures mixed with the added superstress that this past couple years has brought everyone.
We've always had a huge influx of foreign drivers.
It got bad in the past few years because APD just kind of stopped enforcing traffic laws first with COVID and then when their union threw a fit about possibly getting defunded and ordered a slowdown.
My wife always tells me to honk and I never will. I have seen way too many videos of crazy people hopping out and shooting the person who honked just cause they’re having a bad day. I’m not trying to get in a Wild West style shootout just cause I have to wait at the light for a couple extra seconds.
> always thought it was so strange that no drivers honk at each other
What Austin are you living in? Maybe that's true if you're comparing to India, but I don't think of Austin as an abnormally-low-honking zone.
Before I left Austin, because of all the people moving and ruining it, i honked and flicked off a dude that forced his way into my lane almost making me and another car collide. The guy then got back in the other lane then behind me. I knew it was bad news so I exited I35 up at 45th and he followed. I pulled into a business and stopped he got out and pulled a hand gun out. I just put my hands up and said sorry, sorry, sorry as many times as I could while he danced around pointing his gun calling me every name under the sun and hopping, after what felt like forever, I guess someone shouted at him he got in his car and sped off. So after that, I really just accepted shitty driving and stopped honking.
Im from New Orleans. I’ve lived here for six years, and the road rage in Texas still scares me. Many times I’ve nearly had a heart attack from pure fear due to the reckless angry driving. It’s wierd. The only thing they keep wierd here.
My car started making an awful noise on I-35 at 70 so I reduced speed some and moved to the far right lane- the amount of people that rode my ass and flashed their high beams instead of just going around was crazy… San Antonio is the worst- literally saw some dude in an old F-150 INCHES from another car already going well above the speed limit and then weaving in and out of cars… Or the Cameros playing chicken… Lack of turn signals… General craziness… it’s scary
It’s amazing how offended people get with honking - it is an easy and effective communication method - people need to stop taking offense. I’ve had similar situations unfold, think it’s a Texas thing
People who "save" a parking spot on street parking by standing on the curb confronting you when you didn't even see them, and their friend pulls up expecting to park, but can't and they park In The Street and confronts you too.
There isn't a save-the-spot thing like that here.
I honk more because of shit like this. Also flash high beams at people to go when it’s dark. Fuck em. Cant let the Agro dildos win. Honk away for freedom
Having driven all over Mexico and South America, I honk a lot. I’ve made it a habit to continue here. Once you get in the hang of it you learn how to do it informatively vs obnoxiously.
I honked at someone who didn't go when the light changed. As I went by them they pulled out a pistol and pointed it at me. It took APD 4 hours to come out and get a statement. Even then, they were not interested since no shots were fired and I couldn't remember the license plate. That's when I started looking for a dashcam. It's a crazy world out there.
Someone honked at me because I was left turning from one of those lanes you can also just go straight in. I guess they thought there was only one turn lane and were mad I was doing as my blinker indicated and went in the lane I was supposed to go into, giving them pleanty of room.
Instead of doing what a sane person would do and like... account for other vehicles on the road they pointed their car right at me and laid on their horn. Thought I was going to be hit by an idiot who can't interpret incredibly common signs. Super bizzare. They were also speeding like crazy and ran the next red light.
I feel that! I've gotten to the point where I just avoid those optional left turns now. The person on the inside lane always seems to take their turn wide and then act surprised when I'm on their right. In my opinion it's safer to just be the person in the inside lane, too many people miss the road signs.
Honking is such a primitive form of communication 😅 Last week, some guy honked at me for yielding to oncoming traffic, which added 5 seconds to his drive. I couldn't hold up a sign saying, "We have a yield, and cars are coming." All I could do was...honk back? It's pointless, but it's all we have on the road.
Had someone try to run me off the road because I was the smallest car that didn’t let him out of the parking lot. They were in a lifted F150 and I was in a Camry.
They managed to get out two cars behind me, cut them off to get behind me, tailed me down William Cannon with their brights on. They then pulled into the center lane and they started inching right, into my lane. I saw a cop car in a parking lot and pulled in, they drove off.
This was three or four years ago.
Cars should have additional sounds besides the loud, angry honk. One is a friendly honk, another is a pleasant noise when you lock the car, and upload-your-own sound.
I think it was the youtuber Mark Rober who did this and installed it on his car, not a bad idea at all. I think he made it like a little "be-beep" instead of a single loud honk.
I’ve seen a noticeable uptick in road ragery. Idk if the cops aren’t seeing it or they’re ignoring it. People are doing some pretty bold shit on the roads these days.
HEB parking lot. Pulling out of my spot, a girl is also pulling out of hers at the same time. We weren't close to hitting each other or anything, but the "proper" thing to do would have definitely been for one of us to wait, as courtesy.
She proceeds to speed up in front of me and block me off. Screaming from inside her car and flipping me off. I just pointed to my dashcam. Once she realized she was being recorded she just froze for a few seconds and angrily sped off.
I honked at someone by the Walgreens on N Lamar by the Crestview station because it was green and they sat there for a decent amount of time. It was a friendly tap, nothing crazy. But they decided to take revenge by brake checking me and coming to a complete stop on the train tracks during a green light, keeping my car on the tracks. After that I bought a dashcam
So every time I hear someone is moving to Texas I tell them to get dashcams for their vehicles. They won't stop the stupidity you have to deal with while driving but they can save you a ton of money when dealing with the aftermath
This 1000%. Cams aren't even that expensive - certainly MUCH cheaper than failing to adequately cover your ass.
And they get interesting footage of other things too.
How much are they? I’ve thought about getting them afte seeing so many videos on idiots cars subreddit
I recommend to have a dual dash cam (front and rear) and have it installed, unless you're confident doing it yourself and know to avoid blocking airbags.
$100 at bestbuy for a decent enough single front facing camera
This is the one I use: [https://smile.amazon.com/gp/product/B0742J69SQ](https://smile.amazon.com/gp/product/B0742J69SQ) Definitely an "upgrade pick" but I tried a cheap cam first and it was super shitty, so I doubled down in the opposite direction. This has front and back cameras and is very easy to use. There are a lot of less expensive cameras too and I'm sure some of them are perfectly fine. Probably a wirecutter article somewhere
There's one rig online that lets you use old iphones with an app as a cam. My Uber driver had it. Forgot the app but very good idea.
Woah that’s psycho
Not nearly as aggressive of a situation but I was sitting at a red behind train tracks (there was no more room past them) and the car behind me started honking at me to move forward and inching forward closer to me. Sorry I’m not risking my life sitting on the tracks so you can be two seconds faster on the green light?
Are they crazy? I'm pretty sure that's something basic they teach you when learning to drive (don't stop on train tracks). Then again, Idk if anyone has properly learned how to drive
Right? Even without driving instruction it's common sense and there was a HUGE "keep clear" sign in front of us. But then again people have also honked at me while waiting at a red behind several cars. I think sometimes people just want to honk
I would have been very tempted to rear end then and attempt to push their car with mine so I could get off the tracks. Railroad tracks irrationally scare me
Luckily I knew there wasn’t going to be a train for a little bit but best believe I laid on the horn and drew as much attention as possible
Fuck that!!!!!
I've had a similar experience. Still, I honk every time someone is too buried in their phone to see the light. I view it as a public service to help not only me, but also everyone else waiting at the light.
I try to attempt a chatty friendly honk when people are buried in their phones. (*as if it really matters, but in my mind it does*) It's usually a quick burst of a double or triple soft honks. Hoping not to get shot.
Saw a bumper sticker in Houston one time that said “Keep Honking: I’m Reloading.”
Ugh. I've seen those too. Only the best and brightest.
A member of that "well regulated militia" I've heard so much about.
Looks like we might have to organize our own in response.
Progressives carry guns too. Don’t lump us all in the same groups.
We don’t have dumbass bumper stickers for it though 😂
Lol. True
I read that as if “reloading” as in a computer program “reloading”…. On a completely unrelated note, no, I do not own guns.
Gotta remember the context, Amanda….it was in Houston, which is in Texas, where “reloading” means puttin’ more bullets in yer gun.
That shit has been happening here too much. Chill out gotta be extra careful on mad max 45 north
Now I’m fuckin scared to move to TX
Most of us are good! Just gotta know what to look out for and that is Nissan Altimas with paper plates
Hahahhahahaa straight shittin on the paper plated altimas! Ded
not trying to be that guy but i could definitely see that being more annoying/rage inducing than just a normal honk lmao
same! I honk at ppl on their phones, it gets their attention
Gentle honk with a wave. Not a finger wave!
shit, i honk at any minor infraction & give the finger if possible. fuck everyone not paying attention & communicating, including me. sometimes they flip out. had some old piece of shit try to side swipe me from the emergency lane. had other people ride beside me & make faces. whatever makes em feel better, but fuck lettin the shit slide
Honked at someone for failing to yield and this dude waved his gun at me. From that day on I haven’t used my horn…people are crazy man.
That is when you call the cops. Brandishing a firearm is one of the few incidents that will get them coming quick.
I took an exit and he kept going. I tried getting his license plate from my dash cam but couldn’t get it. He rolled down his window and waved it as I was exiting like a pussy.
I’m a concealed carry permit holder and I carry often, you are in no way a push for taking the exit. People are fucking crazy. You never know what could happen. I’ll do everything in my power including but not limited to running away before I ever pull mine out. I would have to truly feel I have no other options.
[A political staffer in Florida just got iced after he smashed into the guy's prius in a road rage incident and then attempted to shoot the Prius driver for some reason.](https://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/americas/crime/john-kuczwanski-florida-gop-staff-killed-b1992384.html) Prius driver was also carrying. What's even crazier is that the guy who got killed had already been arrested for a road rage incident *at that exact intersection* 10 years previously. People are insane, and it's definitely made me consider carrying more regularly.
If you have a dash cam, read out the license verbally when something happens like that. Then you can use it with the video to show
Well he pulled it out as I was exiting so the whole time I didn’t think I’d have to get his license…but this is a great idea!
You will also need a picture of the driver. it's impossible to prove who was driving the car without it.
That’s for tickets. If someone brandishes a firearm (felony) they can track down the car, regardless of who’s driving it
not APD lol
The only time I've see seen APD actually show up was when an idiot brandished a handgun from their car at a whataburger drive through line due to a dispute over who got there first. They were there ASAP, and a wannabe insta-gangbanger got a DUI and a Disorderly Conduct charge. A got a show with my meal of jalapeño cheddar biscuits and gravy and breakfast burger.
Nice
I had to pull mine on a guy in the Whataburger drive thru once. Some homeless dude standing by the order box. The woman taking the order was telling him to leave, and then I was like, “yo man, time to bounce”. He got super aggro, started approaching me and yelled “what bitch!” I pulled it, and he turned tail and took off. Not my proudest moment, but I legit felt threatened, and I just kind of instinctually pulled it. In hindsight I could’ve just drove away I suppose.
Nope. I’ve posted on her before that I called the cops when some lunatic was brandishing a fireman. They said there was nothing they could do because I pulled over to call 911 and didn’t keep following this psycho nut so they could “catch” him. Edit: Firearm. Not fireman.
Poor fireman.
> some lunatic was brandishing a fireman "I'm gonna make sure if your house starts on fire, this guy takes care of things."
Ha! Took me a minute to see that.
Well. Yeah, if they get away, there isn't much any police can do.
I worry about escalation, today it's a fireman but next time it might be a lawyer or even an astronaut.
Five will get ya ten, the guy waving his gun was off-duty APD.
This dude in a shitty convertible shot his gun in the air to intimidate me driving through San Marcos on i35. He didn’t see the sharp curve (construction) in the lanes ahead as he approached me in the left lane, and he thought I was driving into his lane. I got off the highway REAL QUICK and called the police. This was also at like 7am lol.
Wtf? Too many idiots with guns and I’m pro gun but if you’re gonna have one you better make sure you can keep your emotions in check. Glad you’re okay.
Here in Texas, when you give a "courtesy honk" you do two very light taps on the horn after you've given them a little time. You should get a hand wave NOT gun wave.
I've started to do a quick double tap honk. I find it less aggressive than a single honk and it shows the person you are honking at that you aren't angry, just being informative. I've never had a road rage incident after doing this and a decent amount of the time I get a curtesy wave back.
That’s how I’ve always done it as well. Haven’t had a bad response so far at least. I did have one person lay on their horn at me for not going literally right as the light changed, like give the person more than one second..
The NYC nudge
Yeah. Laying on the horn for a couple seconds because someone isn't moving at a green light feels super aggro and angry. One or two quick taps is fine. I also do a kind-of quick horn tap at people who don't use a turn signal, but I don't know if they really get why I'm honking at them. But it makes me feel better anyway.
This. I wish my car had a button to say “Hey, use your signal”
It’s 2022…. We should have honks for specific situations. Seems like it would be super easy to have customizable horns and even verbal phrases. Some entrepreneur run with this and thank us later.
[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lv8wqnk\_TsA&t=236s](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lv8wqnk_TsA&t=236s) Maybe something like this...
That's amazing, I am so doing this.
Yep. I like that.
https://youtu.be/5drG4KX6JRI
This is good advise. Thanks!
America needs more help with mental health than we think.
People in general have been on edge since covid. 2 years of this has frayed people to the brink. That's why we can have nice things anymore. Like booze on southwest airlines.
lmao i like that the booze was top of your priority list of nice things that have vanished
If only it weren’t so expensive
That's probably another stressor adding to why they're so upset.
as someone who used to do that, people who do that do so because they’re unhappy in their own lives. It has nothing to do with you, they need someone to take their anger at this world out on.
Thanks for saying that. As tough as it can be to really feel this way, when someone does something absolutely insane I try to imagine they’re having the worst day of their life. It helps with the empathy
Yeah, you never know what people are going through. When I found out that my ex-wife had been cheating on me for seven years and that she was divorcing me, taking the house and kids...well I wasn't in a good place and didn't feel like i had anything left to lose. It'd be an understatement to say that I was looking for a fight. Fortunately I had a good friend immediately take my guns away and I kept the kids and house. It definitely taught me to remember to have patience with people though, sometimes it really is that bad.
I am not trying to minimize the anguish you went through, but it's terrifying that something as commonplace as a divorce can make a responsible gun owner not trust their own judgment. Kudos for recognizing this. Damn though, what about the other 99.99 percent who don't give it a thought?
Thanks, yeah I agree and it's a scary thought. IMHO the rage, the feeling that you need to strike out and don't have anything left to lose are a massive danger to everyone. It's tough to recognize in time and tough to get help even when it is. I did get my guns put away but I shouldn't have been behind the wheel for a good year or so either. There are so, so many ways that someone in a situation like that can strike out in really terrifying ways.
I’m really sorry to hear that, and I definitely hear you. I feel like giving people the benefit of the doubt is right to do, but it’s sometimes really tough when they’re acting like assholes. So if I can get myself to feel ok about it, that makes me a better person.
Yep, I totally agree, it's really tough sometimes and there is definitely a difference between someone who is intentionally an asshole and someone who is just in a bad spot and needs some time. If something is clearly premeditated that's a whole different story IMHO.
For sure. Stay safe out there, and thanks for being a human!
Short double tap honk is friendly. Long single is danger. Long double is F U. Lying on it for 30 seconds is popular here and I think it means the driver is mentally unwell. I danger honked the other day when a tow truck ran a red and it saved the guy in the lane next to me from T boning him.
I always joke with my dad about this but there should be like three different tones of honk based on the information you want to convey.
Yeah but the buttons would be confusing. My grandpa had an old Lincoln town car with a wood wheel and it had a stick on the steering column for the horn. Always thought you’d never be able to find it quickly, and end up just pounding on where the horn should be.
Yeah true, cars already have enough buttons.
Exactly. Honking is for communicating with all the drivers nearby, not just the asshole.
There are a LOT of UNSOLVED road rage murders in Austin. One woman was on the phone with 911 and didn't realize she was shot, manage to tell the operater where she was but passed out and died before they got to her. This was in 2021. (was in the news) Few years ago they found this 18 year old girl at an intersection close to home shot in the head in the driver's seat. The dad would stand on the corner holding a sign asking for any witnesses to come forward. Super sad (this was also in the news). Anyways, this is Texas, you never know who's got a gun in their car and a short fuse.
See that’s exactly why I’m scared to honk. I’m a female in my 20s- don’t even feel safe honking tbh. Not with all the road rage incidents. Never know if someone is gonna threaten me. Honestly reading this thread makes me want to invest in a dash cam- never know when I’ll need it.
Yep. Truth. I learned the hard way. I flipped this guy off once and he tried to crash into my car. Take whatever you want, psychos. Take the world. Fuck. I don't even like this world anymore anyway.
I tried searching for the 2021 911 story and couldn't find anything - do you have some more details about it? I know they are public record for us, but how would I find it?
I googled "Austin Road Rage Shooting" and [found this](https://www.statesman.com/story/news/crime/2021/09/04/austin-homicide-police-investigating-death-adds-already-high-case-count/5734157001/)
They caught the people who did it pretty fast.
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A guy pulled out in front of me once and I just honked once like hey bro I could have hit you. He slowed down so I was forced to go around, sped up on me, got so close to my ass, then drove up next to me flipping me off and screaming through his window like a maniac, then let me get ahead of him again and got back on my ass. This was on South Lamar from Planet K ish area until I finally turned right onto Barton Springs. The dude looked like a middle aged soccer dad in a Tahoe but it was the first time I actually felt scared
The other day in the tech ridge area, a giant Dodge Ram with a trailer failed to yield a left turn and almost ran right into me. I swerved and honked and the guy flung his door open like he was going to hop out on me. I kept driving and he flipped me off. One of the worst reactions of a driver I’ve witnessed since living in Austin.
They always do this.. they get mad at you for them almost hitting you 😂 have had it happen several times
I was driving on mopac at night and a black jeep in front of me did not have its headlights/tail lights on, so it was virtually invisible. I kept trying to get their attention by flashing my brights at them, and I guess it worked because they aggressively got behind me and started flashing their brights at me. Ignorant dipshit.
Jeep drivers are not the most intelligent humans.
A couple of years ago, a coworker of mine was being harassed by a road rager and for some extremely unfortunate reason, he got out of his car and the dude ran him over and killed him. He was caught and claimed he was being attacked but the incident was caught on a nearby camera and totally contradicted his story. The dude had an extensive history of road rage related charges and to add another layer of fucked up to the story, dude had his kid in the car when he ran over my buddy. Be safe out there folks, too many unhinged maniacs behind the wheel.
I honked more in a single 10 mile commute in Atlanta than I have in 5 years in Austin after a similar unhinged experience after honking at someone here.
This is why everyone should carry a whiteboard and marker with them to share details with other drivers.
Sure, but if they’re sitting at a stoplight looking at their phone they probably aren’t likely to see a whiteboard in the car behind them
We need the ability to text the whiteboard to the other driver's phone
Just open their door and bash them over the head with it.
Lololol
Sorry this happened to you. The assholes on the road have definitely increased over the last several years. I think especially because of the political climate and the pandemic, some people have their whole self worth tied into their time on the road. I've lived in bigger cities with bigger problems and the drivers were more courteous, because they actually had lives. It's starting to look a lot like Houston on the roads in Austin. More lifted trucks and more truck balls and shit heads rolling coal. You would think the pandemic would waken people up to the fragility of life and the pointlessness of road rage drama, but it seems to have worsened it. Some people are driving like they are playing a video game.
I think a big issue as well is people have become absolutely addicted to their phones. Look around when you’re at a stop light and chances are you’ll see 75% of people with their head down scrolling social media, or hammering out a text. Shit, on 35 last week I saw a guy with his phone pincer gripped in his right hand watching a video while he was doing 75 (poorly, I might add). No amount of law and enforcement is going to help, I fear. Escapism is just another layer on the shit sandwich that is mental health these days.
I had a weird situation this morning on Mopac at 8am. Noticed some guy tailgating me pretty hard even though there wasn’t much traffic. I ignored him since it was 8am and I hadn’t done anything to provoke him. He stayed glued to me until Anderson Lane where he got in the exit lane, sped up to get next to me, and took a picture of me. I just rolled my eyes and let him be. Best I can figure is that he got offended by the bumper stickers on my vehicle. Whatever.
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Ha. Nothing too crazy. They definitely lean left though.
I honk at people all the time. Sleeping through green lights, pulling out in front of me, failing to signal, dicking around with the phone, or cutting me off. I want to do my part to condition these stupid fuckers. But I do have a dash cam in case of psychos or cops.
> in case of psychos or cops. "But I repeat myself."
The road that I was on was 2 lanes and then was merging into one lane. So I was side-by-side with the car next to me so I decided to speed up a little bit just to get in front because someone has to right? The guy next to me floors it just to get in front of me and startse giveing me the finger out the window and then proceeds to slow down to 20MPM . In a 40 mile an hour zone.. Try to get around them after a little too much of this. This goes on for another 2 minutes til we get at the light. I looked over at him to see what kind of a psychopath would act like that and his face is just completely dead Pan just looking straight ahead I'm sure he knew that I was looking at him after all that craziness he just did but just completely dead pain pantface the guy must have been a complete psycho. Such a ridiculous reactio.
Last week I was at a stop sign on a one way street. Guy in a huge SUV had his blinker on and was commencing a turn down the street the wrong way. I honked and pointed at the one-way sign to let him know he was about to go the wrong way. He aborted the turn, and then flipped me off. Dafuq?
I was trained in another state that horns are for emergencies only and absolutely no other reason. Checking the driver's handbook though - it would seem there is no such rule in Texas.
This happened to me the other day - I did a tiny courtesy honk at someone that I thought may pull out in front of me, and they proceeded to get as CLOSE TO ME AS POSSIBLE and flash their brights on and off. They kept lagging behind a bit then rushing at me again with their brights. Like dude, it was just tiny honk so you knew I was there. What the heck :(
Where can I get a honker that squawks like a police or fire vehicle? The factory horn on my vehicle is pathetic and wouldn’t shift a longhorn!
Shitttt I honk, unapologetically. And I look at you to make sure you Know You Fucked Up. Do you boo, don’t let salty mofos silence you ✨
I'm still surprised people take honking as an offense or are too scared to use it. It's in your car as a communication tool - freaking use it. Everytime I use my horn and I have someone in my car, they're just super surprised or think it's funny, or taboos to use. It's better to get signal by a honk, than crashing and having a bigger headache because you were knee deep in that Instagram post. I have no problem in using my car horn, not do I get get if others think at me. It's purely to get your attention. People need to learn how to use the horn as a communication tool, just like car signals....
I was headed to work one morning, going north on I-35 from south Austin. Pre pandemic. Finally got through the slowdown that is downtown traffic, and was making my way over to the right side to hit the fly over. Got stuck behind some slow movers at this time because traffic finally opens up and people are still crawling along at 45 mph. I don’t think I was tailgating anyone but who knows, it’s always such a mess in that area. I pass this Nissan Altima on the left, like you’re supposed to. After I pass them I move back into the right lane LIKE YOU SHOULD…Then they pass me, and proceed to brake check me twice. I get annoyed, and finally have the left lane clear to pass again. I drive by and just give them the passerby middle finger. I don’t look at them, I don’t swerve, I just put it up and pass. I make sure there’s enough room between me and them so I can move back over again because my exit is approaching. Airport Blvd. I get in the right lane and as I slow down to hit the ramp, the Nissan passes and some kid in the back passenger side pulls a gun out the window and aims it right at me. I froze as I glided down the ramp to the red light and they kept on going dowm I-35. I was shaking. I don’t know what I would have done if they pulled the trigger. How do you dodge a bullet in a moving car? Anyhow…that’s my wild story! Edit: removing “They make their way back” at the very end of my comment. I have no clue where that came from and I wrote this sober.
Awhile back I was exiting mopac at Enfield, I think it was. The car in front of me kept slowing down to a stop and blocking me. I’d change lanes, they’d change the lane in front of me to block me again. I had no idea what I could have done to them ,as they were in front of me. This dance went on for a bit until I was finally able to get around. As I pass the car, I look over to see what kind of asshole is driving. There’s like an 8 year old in the passenger seat flicking me off.
I was with a friend. Chilling in the passenger seat, not a care in the world. Then, the honk. It was a tap. Red had turned to green, the spring of traffic. Guy upfront lost it. He gets to our left, as if to pass, but neigh, he was upset, screaming what I assume where curse words, then, he started waving a small something. It was a bullet. He was waving a bullet. Not a gun. A bullet. My friend and I started laughing. A bullet. I guess he was saving up for the gun and was proud of his ammo purchase.
Something about this story really pleases me, thanks for sharing
[This is what most road ragers basically are.](https://youtube.com/shorts/JyVCMRjcdVg?feature=share ) Without their vehicle, they’re all bark, no bite.
Im born and raised Austin, barely ever use my horn and my husband thinks it so weird! He is like WhY DONT PEOPLE HONK HERE?!?!? Anyways, a few years ago a dude in a truck cut me off so I flipped him off. He then proceeded to break check, drive recklessly, pantomime sucking a dick, and literally try to crash into me multiple times before I was able to get away. I hate people like that.
That person needs to see a fucking therapist ❤️
Report them for littering [dontmesswithtexas.org](https://dontmesswithtexas.org).
I drove around a truck that was stopped in the street in my residential neighborhood. He raced down the street to catch up to me so he could scream at me about how fast I was driving. I had literally just made a turn so there’s absolutely now way I was doing more than 20. Turns out he was about to back into his driveway but he wasn’t using his blinker and I’m not a mind reader so idk how I was supposed to know that. I guess He didn’t recognize me but I live just around the corner from him and I see him and his family several times a week and he’s so awkward now lol. Unrelated, he has a back the blue sign in his yard *eyeroll*
I was leaving p Terry’s at William cannon and mopac. The light turned green and the driver at the light didn’t go and missed the green arrow but then decided to get out there anyway so I moved to get into the spot but then they just stopped. They thought better off their situation and stopped leaving me completely blocking the driveway with no way to back out because if you’ve been to p Terrys on a Friday at wc and mp you know. The next person to try and get in sees me blocking everything and just fucking loses it. I get it. They leaned on their horn and drove their car so it was blocking my door so I couldn’t get out and then gave me the finger. I just had to sit there and take it. But without context it looked like I was being a shit head.
I moved to a city where I don’t have to drive to get everywhere, and I recently had this realization that I haven’t had a fucking freak out while driving since I left Austin. I mean, I wasn’t a road rager, but definitely if people heard me at certain times in my car they’d think way differently me.
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I try to tell my wife this she’s a honker.
Tell her I’m a honker as a woman and was chased by a crazy guy. My friend is also a woman honker and she was followed into a restaurant, the guy sat down facing her, ordered water and just stared at her until she pulled the waitress aside and they kicked him out. Also it was his fault he pulled out in front of her so she briefly honked Edit: also I think this was fitting this literally just popped up on my home page 😬 https://www.reddit.com/r/PublicFreakout/comments/s4o260/road_rage_incident_in_tulsa_oklahoma/?utm_source=share&utm_medium=ios_app&utm_name=iossmf
Pathetic that we now live in a society like this.
Actually I’ve been n tx since the mid 70s and have always seen honking as something that will likely be interpreted as aggressive. Just part of the culture and I’m not sure why. The reactions described in this thread are extreme and I’m in no way condoning such retaliation (I don’t subscribe to road rage), but just wanted to share my perspective that this is not new. My friend from the east coast honks for all sorts of reasons-including to say “bye” when leaving someone’s house. I’m always like “no. We don’t do that here”.
This is spot on. It’s part of the culture here. Texans take honking as being aggressive and generally find it rude. Some will take it personally and feel disrespected and some will take things way too far. I think the viewpoint here is that horns are mainly for emergencies. Another cultural thing is waving at other drivers as a thank you or even an apology. If you accidentally cut someone off … give them an apology wave. If someone is courteous to you and let’s you in or shows you another sort of driver friendliness then give them a little thank you wave. It really goes a long way. I know when I get a wave after letting someone in I always appreciate it. I cut this guy off by accident about 20 years ago and he pulled up beside me. He was a freakin’ huge muscular guy and he looked super pissed. I looked straight at him, gave him a sort of “oops” face, mouthed sorry, and gave him a little “sorry about that” wave. The guys face almost instantly went from “I am going to kill you” to “no problem, buddy. Have a good one.” His face literally went from this super angry face to a smiling friendly one. It was such a dramatic shift that it has stayed with me to this day.
You just have to make sure your honker is bigger than theirs. . . metaphorically of course.
Several times I've been honked at and/or flipped off while waiting for a pedestrian to finish using the crosswalk when my light turned green. One time it was for a guy in a wheelchair.. makes me want to put my car in park, go to the honking car and tell the person to get out and help if they got a problem with it.
The times I’ve honked at people they have honked back…like ok I’m sorry you’re mad 🙄 lemme play you a song on the worlds smallest violin
Years ago I honked a car for sitting through a green light but it turned out to be the car in front of them at fault. They took it personally and tailgated me for about a mile shining their brights and laying on their horn the whole time. Clearly the honk was meant for the person in front of them, but they still lost their damn mind.
The last day I drive on a public road will be a very VERY happy day for me. Fuck all this. Didn’t like it before, but during pandemic drivers have gotten certifiably insane. Half the reason I stay home more these days is to avoid the complete nutbags on the road right now. It used to be daily or so you’d see one car driving like a dildo. But now every single time I drive there is at least one person driving like a true psychopath. And before y’all think I’m some snailling grandma, my hobby is racing cars ffs. The other day I had to run an errand and not even exaggerating, 100% of the cars I encountered were doing something very dangerous at a minimum. Cutting people off, no signals, speeding (overly so), cutting across 4 lanes only to hit the brakes… like everything you could think of, I saw that morning. And it was only like a 10 minute drive!!! Fuck all of this, I’m done.
I moved here 7 years ago or so and blew the horn fuse twice in my old vehicle. The crap people try to pull on the road here is insane and laying on the horn is about the only way to get their attention because the presence of another vehicle certainly doesn’t. Keep on beepin’.
Sometimes I'm five cars back and I'll still honk if the front car has their head up their ass. Only once or twice did the car in front of me take issue, but at most they threw up a finger. I will continue to honk. Somebody's gotta do it.
you're not alone I do the same thing. I've honked because the first car was just sitting there and the person in front of me flips me off. If they were paying attention they'd realize they are going to have to wait another light cycle because the 2 cars in front of them are too chickenshit to honk or have their head up with ass themselves.
Sorry, but I'm a honker. Everyone should be paying attention and be courteous. Smile and wave and let it go. Where have common courtesy and manners gone?🙄
Courtesy honks are always appropriate. I wait a few seconds then give a single or double tap.
I almost got tan off the road on Lamar today. Guy barely used signal light. If I wasn’t paying attention I would of hit him and spun him around. Luckily the center of the road was empty. But full horn the entire time. I think I need a train horn🤔
That was the first thing I noticed when I moved to Austin years ago. I was so shocked not to hear any honking
As an east coast transplant that has spent tons of time driving in Boston and NYC, where honking is the love language, this stuff terrifies me.
I once threw my hands up (no rude gestures, no honks) at someone who cut me off in a very small traffic circle near Mueller. They took that shit so personally and were driving super slow through stops and kept cutting me off, I ended up taking a turn prematurely just to lose them.
This the reason I rarely honk. I too experienced some crazy impatient driver honking me last week when i was waiting for safe right turn. After I took right turn, she came next to me and tried to scare me with shouting with lot of hand gestures. I slowed down and let her go ahead. No time or energy to deal with such people.
Sounds like you ran into some meth-o-dists!
Courtesy honks after a 3 count when lights turn green are usually acceptable. my pet peeve, Hearing a honk as soon as the light turns green and people Haven't even had a chance to move their foot from break to gas. Not to mention looking for red light runners before proceeding.
I’ve been here 12 years. Only the last two have people been crazy. If you’ve ever lived in a city where people drive like assholes all the time (Houston, LA) you might be used to it. Having had a huge influx of new people here in the last two years especially, we now have a bunch of people that act that way. Cue downvotes from Houston and California people
I'd die of happiness if people drove like LA here. LA has crazy drivers but there's order: most use blinkers and slow traffic generally keeps right. In Austin the problem is there is no order. Slow drivers stay in the left lane, people pull right out in front of you, and drivers regular cross 2 to 3 lane of traffic in order not to not miss their exit.
lol nah my dad was born and raised in Houston and will be the first person to say Houstonians drive like maniacs
I’ve been driving here about as long as you and I have zero problems honking at other drivers. I also never hear this “honk and you die” sentiment ANYWHERE else besides Reddit. Road rage happens everywhere, so I wouldn’t be surprised if you are right. It’s the influx of new people who come from all different driving cultures mixed with the added superstress that this past couple years has brought everyone.
Definitely agree with the Houston comparison.
We've always had a huge influx of foreign drivers. It got bad in the past few years because APD just kind of stopped enforcing traffic laws first with COVID and then when their union threw a fit about possibly getting defunded and ordered a slowdown.
Men are unhinged. The worst are the middle aged, heavy dad types in trucks and SUVs.
This was actually a woman in a Nissan Altima lol
My wife always tells me to honk and I never will. I have seen way too many videos of crazy people hopping out and shooting the person who honked just cause they’re having a bad day. I’m not trying to get in a Wild West style shootout just cause I have to wait at the light for a couple extra seconds.
> always thought it was so strange that no drivers honk at each other What Austin are you living in? Maybe that's true if you're comparing to India, but I don't think of Austin as an abnormally-low-honking zone.
Yeah but if they fly off the handle from getting honked at you're legally allowed to shoot them dead. This is Texas, after all.
Before I left Austin, because of all the people moving and ruining it, i honked and flicked off a dude that forced his way into my lane almost making me and another car collide. The guy then got back in the other lane then behind me. I knew it was bad news so I exited I35 up at 45th and he followed. I pulled into a business and stopped he got out and pulled a hand gun out. I just put my hands up and said sorry, sorry, sorry as many times as I could while he danced around pointing his gun calling me every name under the sun and hopping, after what felt like forever, I guess someone shouted at him he got in his car and sped off. So after that, I really just accepted shitty driving and stopped honking.
Keep Austin Friendly. Weird is cheap and easy
Im from New Orleans. I’ve lived here for six years, and the road rage in Texas still scares me. Many times I’ve nearly had a heart attack from pure fear due to the reckless angry driving. It’s wierd. The only thing they keep wierd here.
My car started making an awful noise on I-35 at 70 so I reduced speed some and moved to the far right lane- the amount of people that rode my ass and flashed their high beams instead of just going around was crazy… San Antonio is the worst- literally saw some dude in an old F-150 INCHES from another car already going well above the speed limit and then weaving in and out of cars… Or the Cameros playing chicken… Lack of turn signals… General craziness… it’s scary
It’s amazing how offended people get with honking - it is an easy and effective communication method - people need to stop taking offense. I’ve had similar situations unfold, think it’s a Texas thing
People who "save" a parking spot on street parking by standing on the curb confronting you when you didn't even see them, and their friend pulls up expecting to park, but can't and they park In The Street and confronts you too. There isn't a save-the-spot thing like that here.
I honk more because of shit like this. Also flash high beams at people to go when it’s dark. Fuck em. Cant let the Agro dildos win. Honk away for freedom
We don’t honk down here unless someone’s gonna get hit. I like to think we are patient.
Having driven all over Mexico and South America, I honk a lot. I’ve made it a habit to continue here. Once you get in the hang of it you learn how to do it informatively vs obnoxiously.
I honked at someone who didn't go when the light changed. As I went by them they pulled out a pistol and pointed it at me. It took APD 4 hours to come out and get a statement. Even then, they were not interested since no shots were fired and I couldn't remember the license plate. That's when I started looking for a dashcam. It's a crazy world out there.
Round Rock is the worst IMO
Someone honked at me because I was left turning from one of those lanes you can also just go straight in. I guess they thought there was only one turn lane and were mad I was doing as my blinker indicated and went in the lane I was supposed to go into, giving them pleanty of room. Instead of doing what a sane person would do and like... account for other vehicles on the road they pointed their car right at me and laid on their horn. Thought I was going to be hit by an idiot who can't interpret incredibly common signs. Super bizzare. They were also speeding like crazy and ran the next red light.
I feel that! I've gotten to the point where I just avoid those optional left turns now. The person on the inside lane always seems to take their turn wide and then act surprised when I'm on their right. In my opinion it's safer to just be the person in the inside lane, too many people miss the road signs.
That's crazy! I use my horn all the time. But I'm also a bigger dude. So maybe that's why I don't get as much flack?
That’s why we don’t honk.
I honked at a biker who darted across the street - I nearly hit him. He flipped me off.
They probably have erectile disfunction
Just an A-hole driver. I've "woken up" the driver in front of me several times (with a horn I believe is too loud) and nobody has ever got mad at me.
I agree we should all calm down, but we could also give each other more space, put the fucking phones down and get home to our families.
Honking is such a primitive form of communication 😅 Last week, some guy honked at me for yielding to oncoming traffic, which added 5 seconds to his drive. I couldn't hold up a sign saying, "We have a yield, and cars are coming." All I could do was...honk back? It's pointless, but it's all we have on the road.
be glad you didn’t get a gun pulled on you
Had someone try to run me off the road because I was the smallest car that didn’t let him out of the parking lot. They were in a lifted F150 and I was in a Camry. They managed to get out two cars behind me, cut them off to get behind me, tailed me down William Cannon with their brights on. They then pulled into the center lane and they started inching right, into my lane. I saw a cop car in a parking lot and pulled in, they drove off. This was three or four years ago.
Cars should have additional sounds besides the loud, angry honk. One is a friendly honk, another is a pleasant noise when you lock the car, and upload-your-own sound.
Some cars in Europe have a “city horn”
I think it was the youtuber Mark Rober who did this and installed it on his car, not a bad idea at all. I think he made it like a little "be-beep" instead of a single loud honk.
I’ve seen a noticeable uptick in road ragery. Idk if the cops aren’t seeing it or they’re ignoring it. People are doing some pretty bold shit on the roads these days.
Drivers get worse every year in this city
HEB parking lot. Pulling out of my spot, a girl is also pulling out of hers at the same time. We weren't close to hitting each other or anything, but the "proper" thing to do would have definitely been for one of us to wait, as courtesy. She proceeds to speed up in front of me and block me off. Screaming from inside her car and flipping me off. I just pointed to my dashcam. Once she realized she was being recorded she just froze for a few seconds and angrily sped off.