Dealing with, or preventing, Road Ragers
Discussion
I’ve owned quite a few cars over the years and I definitely notice that you get treated very differently based on what you’re driving.
In particular I’ve had two Mercedes SLs - and in each case they seem to bring out the worst in other road users. If there’s a nutter behind the wheel of another vehicle then they’ll quickly manifest their insanity in my vicinity, or at least it feels that way. I get a lot of tailgating and often some very odd behaviour.
In very small cars everyone wants to get past you or push you around - I had a Nissan Micra (2015) for a day recently and I noticed that if I caught up with an A road dawdler they’d speed up, and people following me would try to overtake at speeds where in other cars they’d just let me be.
What do people think is the best car to have to avoid this?
Is it a shed? Or a huge SUV where you’re insulated from the outside world? Is it a super car where everyone wants to see you drive by or is it a family estate car filled with DIY paraphernalia?
What do you all think?
In particular I’ve had two Mercedes SLs - and in each case they seem to bring out the worst in other road users. If there’s a nutter behind the wheel of another vehicle then they’ll quickly manifest their insanity in my vicinity, or at least it feels that way. I get a lot of tailgating and often some very odd behaviour.
In very small cars everyone wants to get past you or push you around - I had a Nissan Micra (2015) for a day recently and I noticed that if I caught up with an A road dawdler they’d speed up, and people following me would try to overtake at speeds where in other cars they’d just let me be.
What do people think is the best car to have to avoid this?
Is it a shed? Or a huge SUV where you’re insulated from the outside world? Is it a super car where everyone wants to see you drive by or is it a family estate car filled with DIY paraphernalia?
What do you all think?
The buzz word in work these days is sub conscious bias and this definitely applies on the road.
I think I am more conscious of it depending on the car. I will hurry up a little bit to not let a certain type of car or driver pull out as you know they are going to be a pain in the arse to be stuck behind. When stuck behind things I try to stay calm it depends on how bad the car in front is eg doing 40 in NSL or breaking every time a vehicle comes the other way or breaking for every bend despite the already slow speed.
What is more annoying is they still do 40 in the 30 or 20 zones!
As for being harassed by others, now I am older I am happy to let them by as I can't be bothered with messing around, that being said tend to get a move on if not stuck behind others.
I think I am more conscious of it depending on the car. I will hurry up a little bit to not let a certain type of car or driver pull out as you know they are going to be a pain in the arse to be stuck behind. When stuck behind things I try to stay calm it depends on how bad the car in front is eg doing 40 in NSL or breaking every time a vehicle comes the other way or breaking for every bend despite the already slow speed.
What is more annoying is they still do 40 in the 30 or 20 zones!
As for being harassed by others, now I am older I am happy to let them by as I can't be bothered with messing around, that being said tend to get a move on if not stuck behind others.
I can't say I've found a drastic difference in the number of raging drivers dependant on the vehicle I'm in - Certainly a difference in how many people let me out at junctions based on the car but that's about it.
Nutters are nutters, regardless of what I'm driving.
If you're trying to feel more secure around those suffering road rage then I'd be wanting a weighty, low centre of gravity vehicle that could better deal with any incidents/accidents these idiots could cause. If you want a car that lessens the number you encounter, I'd have to guess some sort of common and almost invisible car... XC60, 3 Series estate, Kia C'eed.
Nutters are nutters, regardless of what I'm driving.
If you're trying to feel more secure around those suffering road rage then I'd be wanting a weighty, low centre of gravity vehicle that could better deal with any incidents/accidents these idiots could cause. If you want a car that lessens the number you encounter, I'd have to guess some sort of common and almost invisible car... XC60, 3 Series estate, Kia C'eed.
As far as possible, I ignore other drivers and their behaviour.
If they want to overtake, let them go. I'm usually driving at / around the speed limit or the maximum speed that I feel is safe for the conditions. If someone wants to get past, I'll give them space.
I won't engage with drivers who think that a public road is a good place for a race. I get the occasional idiot who wants to try a race when I'm out in my Boxster - I just let them go. If I want to race, I'll go to a track. This is the only difference I notice based on type of cars though - no-one specifically tries to 'race' if I'm driving my F30 or Mrs Magnums 2 series.
As for tailgaters, just hold speed, and get them a chance to overtake asap.
I'd rather not get into the sort of confrontation that has the potential to lead to a criminal conviction, so just avoid conflict with idiots on the road.
If they want to overtake, let them go. I'm usually driving at / around the speed limit or the maximum speed that I feel is safe for the conditions. If someone wants to get past, I'll give them space.
I won't engage with drivers who think that a public road is a good place for a race. I get the occasional idiot who wants to try a race when I'm out in my Boxster - I just let them go. If I want to race, I'll go to a track. This is the only difference I notice based on type of cars though - no-one specifically tries to 'race' if I'm driving my F30 or Mrs Magnums 2 series.
As for tailgaters, just hold speed, and get them a chance to overtake asap.
I'd rather not get into the sort of confrontation that has the potential to lead to a criminal conviction, so just avoid conflict with idiots on the road.
I do think certain cars will attract different things and jealousy may be involved.
Key thing is to try not to react if you want to avoid confrontation, as you may set off, by reacting a chain of events you didnt want, best to let it wash over you than potentially engage and enrage a lunatic, most folk arent but they are out there.
You know, the ones that are in such a hurry they overtake you round a traffic island or on chevrons, then if you show any objection their hurry is forgotten and they have all the time in the world to follow you.
Even the correct use of the horn as a warning to a situation where you think someone may not be aware of your presences can illicit an aggressive reaction, its gone from being "Cheers for the info, I didnt know you were there" to a pavlovian response to maybe have a punch up at the side of the road.
Key thing is to try not to react if you want to avoid confrontation, as you may set off, by reacting a chain of events you didnt want, best to let it wash over you than potentially engage and enrage a lunatic, most folk arent but they are out there.
You know, the ones that are in such a hurry they overtake you round a traffic island or on chevrons, then if you show any objection their hurry is forgotten and they have all the time in the world to follow you.
Even the correct use of the horn as a warning to a situation where you think someone may not be aware of your presences can illicit an aggressive reaction, its gone from being "Cheers for the info, I didnt know you were there" to a pavlovian response to maybe have a punch up at the side of the road.
Magnum 475 said:
As far as possible, I ignore other drivers and their behaviour.
If they want to overtake, let them go. I'm usually driving at / around the speed limit or the maximum speed that I feel is safe for the conditions. If someone wants to get past, I'll give them space.
I won't engage with drivers who think that a public road is a good place for a race. I get the occasional idiot who wants to try a race when I'm out in my Boxster - I just let them go. If I want to race, I'll go to a track. This is the only difference I notice based on type of cars though - no-one specifically tries to 'race' if I'm driving my F30 or Mrs Magnums 2 series.
As for tailgaters, just hold speed, and get them a chance to overtake asap.
I'd rather not get into the sort of confrontation that has the potential to lead to a criminal conviction, so just avoid conflict with idiots on the road.
I’m talking about people emptying their screen wash to try to get water into the passenger compartment (doesn’t work, thank you aerodynamicists)If they want to overtake, let them go. I'm usually driving at / around the speed limit or the maximum speed that I feel is safe for the conditions. If someone wants to get past, I'll give them space.
I won't engage with drivers who think that a public road is a good place for a race. I get the occasional idiot who wants to try a race when I'm out in my Boxster - I just let them go. If I want to race, I'll go to a track. This is the only difference I notice based on type of cars though - no-one specifically tries to 'race' if I'm driving my F30 or Mrs Magnums 2 series.
As for tailgaters, just hold speed, and get them a chance to overtake asap.
I'd rather not get into the sort of confrontation that has the potential to lead to a criminal conviction, so just avoid conflict with idiots on the road.
Or stopping at the lights until they turn red then driving through them specifically to hold me up.
That sort of thing so I can’t just ignore it, I sometimes need to take avoiding action!
Years ago a guy undertook me through a row of empty (marked) on street parking spaces and clipped me on the way back into the lane, so I couldn’t ignore that. I had to take him to court.
These were all in an SL
Unless you really are driving something way out of the ordinary, how you drive, rather than what you drive, will have a far greater impact on your interactions with other road users.
The rest of it is mostly in your own head. Driving something small and sheddy, you'll be on the lookout for people trying to "bully" you and notice it more. Driving something you are proud of and you feel warrants other drivers' "respect", you'll take it far more personally when someone passes you or whatever, like they've just deliberately pissed on your chips.
The rest of it is mostly in your own head. Driving something small and sheddy, you'll be on the lookout for people trying to "bully" you and notice it more. Driving something you are proud of and you feel warrants other drivers' "respect", you'll take it far more personally when someone passes you or whatever, like they've just deliberately pissed on your chips.
Magnum 475 said:
Slightly tongue-in-cheek question, OP...
Does your SL have an 'offensive' registration, like P155 OFF? There was a poster on here a while ago who had a seriously bad c12appy chav plate that read: BO05T F U. I can see people taking offence at the F U bit.
Not to my knowledge. It doesn’t even have any vowels in it.Does your SL have an 'offensive' registration, like P155 OFF? There was a poster on here a while ago who had a seriously bad c12appy chav plate that read: BO05T F U. I can see people taking offence at the F U bit.
My wife swapped from a TTS to a boggo Q3 for a while and we both noticed a change in attitudes as nobody wanted to pull in behind us on the slip road. (She no longer has that car).
On the other side of the spectrum I get tailgated a lot in my Porsche away from traffic lights, even though I am straight up to speed and already levelled off when they catch me up.
Last weekend it was some sort of Mercedes who clearly didn’t know, the road ahead was a camera van hotspot. Not my problem as I turned off before then.
I wouldn’t call that road rage though.
On the other side of the spectrum I get tailgated a lot in my Porsche away from traffic lights, even though I am straight up to speed and already levelled off when they catch me up.
Last weekend it was some sort of Mercedes who clearly didn’t know, the road ahead was a camera van hotspot. Not my problem as I turned off before then.
I wouldn’t call that road rage though.
Edited by Hol on Monday 26th June 12:19
What I find frustrating is the ones where you're genuinely minding your own business and driving defensively anway.
Had one yesterday where I'd just overtaken a car, I was in the middle lane, just about to pull in a normal distance beyond the overtaken car and the car behind had already pulled in and was attempting to undertake.
This made him very angry after which point he made several very close passes and brake checks before buggering off.
He could have used lane 3 no issues.
Had one yesterday where I'd just overtaken a car, I was in the middle lane, just about to pull in a normal distance beyond the overtaken car and the car behind had already pulled in and was attempting to undertake.
This made him very angry after which point he made several very close passes and brake checks before buggering off.
He could have used lane 3 no issues.
There's no question that certain cars provoke aggression in some drivers, whether it's overt such as tailgating or passive such as blocking a gap. I agree that how you drive will also produce a reaction.
As to why people react aggressively to the mere sight of a car, you'd have to ask them, but it would be pointless, as no-one is ever going to own up to feelings of inadequacy, jealousy or enjoying trying to intimidate or inconvenience other drivers. Perhaps someone here knows one of these people and has sat next to them during an episode and can shed some light on the thought process.
As for the thread title, ignore it apart from an acknowledgement if you screwed up.
As to why people react aggressively to the mere sight of a car, you'd have to ask them, but it would be pointless, as no-one is ever going to own up to feelings of inadequacy, jealousy or enjoying trying to intimidate or inconvenience other drivers. Perhaps someone here knows one of these people and has sat next to them during an episode and can shed some light on the thought process.
As for the thread title, ignore it apart from an acknowledgement if you screwed up.
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