Road Rage

[Freddy88FM]

Hi all,

I've seen a lot of posts on here recently about dealing with road rage. Some of the advice that followed was good and some was awful! So I am just posting how I deal with it (as I have in previous threads) in the hope it may help some of you avoid letting the blood rush to your head and doing something silly.

I have had my fair share of maniacs reacting badly to horn/gesticulations. As a result I realised beeping someone and waving your hands isn't worth risking being killed by lunatic with a hammer on his back seat. Because they are out there. Personally I refuse to beep my horn these days.

Anyway- my advice to all is as follows: aggressive drivers are dangerous drivers. Dangerous drivers are not drivers that you want close behind you. When someone 'wrongs' you on the road... first be thankful the danger is now ahead and much more manageable by keeping a distance and, secondly... make a mental note and count it. See how high (how many incidences) you can ignore and therefore count before you react. If you react, your counter resets to zero.

Right now I'm at 15. I was beyond 50 but beeped at a van driver a few months ago who decided he needed to be at the front of a queue of right turning traffic at red lights. So he went on the wrong side of the road and drove to the front only to be met by traffic coming the other way. We all had to back up to make room for him. I let my displeasure be known. However I still wish I hadn't. Self control is harder than anger.

Same story with tailgaters. If they are distracting you... pull over and let them go. And don't try to follow them an inch from their bumper! This won't help you! Better to let the danger get on its way.

Feel free to post your high-scores on this thread!

EDIT: for clarity, this isn't a recent thing. I've been doing this for five or six years. I just felt it worth sharing given recent threads!

Edited by Freddy88FM on Friday 9th October 14:54

[Freddy88FM]

kambites said:

I have never reacted angrily to another road user. With despair occasionally, but never angrily. Life's too short and I'm never in that much of a hurry.

Sadly from my experiences of driving around London... few seem to be quite so relaxed.

[Freddy88FM]

J4CKO said:

Someone put it very well on here once "Try not to let them become part of the rest of your life" I think was the quote, its so easy to get into a pissing competition and before your know it you are in court, if you know the road ragers name or they know yours, you have failed.

Excellent advice... Ronnie Pickering.

[Freddy88FM]

BorkFactor said:

Do you guys really experience Road rage like this on such a regular basis? I find I hardly ever have to brake or swerve for someone, and most of the time it's an honest, if dim witted, mistake.

Can't say I have ever had anyone shout or swear at me, worst I usually see is a manic overtake or similar.

I'd think this probably suggest you rarely drive in busy cities. Countryside, A-Road and M-Way tend to be much less unfriendly. You cant drive a mile in London without being cut up, undertaken, over taken or similar.

[Freddy88FM]

Reardy Mister said:

What zen techniques of forgiveness would you recommend in that case?

Oosh, good question. I think I would probably end up gesticulating and having to 'reset my counter'. I suppose the best thing to do is clutch in, scoot forward and free your leg.

[Freddy88FM]

Ghost91 said:

Since then I've stopped beeping at idiots like this, unless they really do need to be made aware of my presence to stop anyone being crashed in to. It's really not worth it. Imagine if I'd stopped and got out, he did the same but had a knife or something.

Exactly. As a previous poster said... let them go and in a month you'll have forgotten all about it. Beep and confront them and they could end up becoming part of your life... and not in a good way.

[Freddy88FM]

Impasse said:

I live in a very compact and congested city and drive in and out regularly. The continued function of my car's horn is known only to the guys who service and MOT the car. I may have to give it an experimental press a bit later just find out, but I'll wait until I'm outside the city on a quiet bit of tarmac in case a PHer with pent up seething decides to dashcam me or follow me for miles shaking their little red fist.

To be clear the point I was replying to wasn't about beeping the horn, it was about encountering road rage itself. My response was based on being based in London during the week for the past five years and noting that even if you drive like a saint you will be beeped, cut up, undertaken, overtaken ... the list goes on... I already mentioned the van who used the wrong side of the road to get to the front of a right turn queue at lights, we had to reverse to let him in when he encountered traffic coming the other way. The user I replied to seemed like he doesn't regularly encounter poor driving like this.

It sounds like (if you never use your horn) then you are not reacting to poor driving. . Well done! The point of this thread is to remind people that this is the best way to do things.

[Freddy88FM]

C70R said:

I disagree a bit with that. I grew up in a VERY rural part of the world, and now live in London. I find London driving pretty easy, if you are tuned-in correctly, based on a number of factors

I have a feeling you're referring to the main through roads. I invite you to drive around Brixton/West Norwood and then decide which points you want to maintain!