People have gone mad on the interstate!

[DBravo]

Yesterday I was on the exit and a woman (I found out later) tried to cut in front of the person behind me. Then with no where to go she decided to try and push me to the shoulder so she could get off of the interstate. She nearly ran into me, but when I stayed put (all of us on the off ramp were inching along at 1-2 mph) she falls back and cuts a car off several cars behind me and comes up the shoulder of the off ramp window down screaming and trying to hit me on the other side with her old ass Altima..

I pulled up and stopped on the shoulder now in front of her and asked what the problem was , again incoherent yelling, so I took a quick picture of her license plate. She walked around and I asked her where her car was hit (there wasn’t a scratch in my truck). She couldn’t find anything and said I hit her on her passenger side I’ll get to that later. Then she started flipping out again. In my head was My friend’s daughter who was shot (she barely survived, and is still recovering) a few months ago with some gang banger trying to rob her in a store parking lot. I did not trust this nut I was dealing with so I got in my truck, someone let me back in line, and went up the ramp and on my way to the bike trail.

About 15 min later I get pulled over by a sheriff. I could see another police car coming up fast Behind us. First officer said I was involved in an accident and I fled the scene, a “hit and run”. That crazy woman called the police and lied. The sheriff asked for license and my insurance then went back to his car.

So the two stayed behind my truck for 15 min. Then the other sheriff came up and said I could get out. They were looking at driver’s side where lady tried to push me over to shoulder.I asked him if I was coming off the interstate, and cutting in front of someone to get on the off ramp wouldn’t the damage be on my passenger side? They laughed and after noticing no damage to the driver’s side of my JT, and again not a scrape on the passenger side either they eased up one left and i chatted with other officer while we waited for local police since this wasn't his jurisdiction. local police Officer shows up talks to other officer looks over my Jeep goes back to his car then comes back with my info. both officers said they think this lady did a similar report a week or two ago (Also false). All the officers were very nice and the one that was first on scene apologized for being rough. he said usually a “hit and run” for them means a police chase and bad things. He said when I pulled over immediately, parked facing a field and rolled all windows down he knew I wasn’t going to take off. He said I wasn’t acting like a hit and run driver and ... no damage to my Jeep.

So long story but in the end, the local officer, gave me a “No Damage” report and said he gave the crazy lady the same report, no damage on her car, So my insurance has to take on a fight with a crazy nut with no damage to her car and no damage to mine!
I showed him pic of the back of her car with license plate and both officers said they were going to check to see if this is same women with similar report “hit and run” recently. If she did she might see some jail time... I hope!

Be careful out there and an old roommate of mine that was a metro police officer, told me this;

If you are pulled over by the police roll all windows down, turn your vehicle off, put keys on the dash and hands on top of steering wheel. This sets them at ease immediately.

Officers have a tough scary job especially with all going on in this country. I appreciate them and pray for their safety.

I'm in Boston, MA and drive 50 hwy miles 5 days/week. I've commented aloud that people either forgot how to drive during the pandemic or just don't care anymore. It's gotten worse now that people are getting vaccinated and heading back out on the road. The last 12 months of little to no traffic were really nice!

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[Deleted member 30519]

I drive a transit bus and things have definitely got worse since covid. The roads are a much more dangerous place as of late.

 

[Sazabi19]

This is the exact reason why I have a dash cam. I have 1 with a front and rear cam that I need to install soon now that the weather is getting better. I highly suggest others do the same.

 

[Rocksalt]

too many selfish a##holes these days...

 

[ryan141]

I just let people merge, never have felt like I was diminished in any way.

You should not have to “let” people merge, hence the word. I can see giving them space if things are tight, but in my experience most people think they have the right of way while entering a freeway or exiting to an off ramp. They are supposed to either speed up or slow down to enter the space in front of or behind the car in the travel lane.

 

[bgenlvtex]

You should not have to “let” people merge, hence the word. I can see giving them space if things are tight, but in my experience most people think they have the right of way while entering a freeway or exiting to an off ramp. They are supposed to either speed up or slow down to enter the space in front of or behind the car in the travel lane.

Of course you shouldn't, I'm not saying you should. I also open doors for people who are physically able, and frequently show no appreciation. I don'thave to.

I'm saying I let people merge and it cost me nothing, spares me unnecessary drama as seen in the OP and doesn't change my arrival by a perceptible amount.

 

[redrider]

You should not have to “let” people merge, hence the word. I can see giving them space if things are tight, but in my experience most people think they have the right of way while entering a freeway or exiting to an off ramp. They are supposed to either speed up or slow down to enter the space in front of or behind the car in the travel lane.

The signal is a way of asking permission but most folks believe it an entitlement device. All of this is why I quit teaching Defensive Driving. Women-Spoiled by Daddy, corrupted by Feminism. Teens-No social skills, absentee parents. Men-Aggressive away from home, powder keg looking for a war. Every one wants to be the first horse on the merry-go-round. These are some of the undercurrents gleaned from hundreds of discussions with the classes about behavior and road rage.

 

[Moe_Fugga]

I posted this in a different thread, but it belongs here. Behold, The Tale of Two Assholes:

About two weeks ago a teenage kid stabbed the hell out of a grown man during a road rage incident. The kid was in traffic at a red light honking his horn and yelling like an asshole. The grown man was standing at a restaurant nearby and decided to be an asshole as well and threw a full drink cup at the kid’s car. Well, kid don’t like that so he got out, approached the grown man, and started to talk shit. Grown man threw a punch and they started brawling. Kid is getting his ass beat, so he pulls out a knife and stabs grown man multiple times in the chest. Man went to hospital and kid went to jail. I believe Karma gave them both what they deserved.

 

[AmishMike]

@XJADDICTION I am sorry for you. This crazy happens all the time. At least you made it out safe and it was the police that came for you not the meat wagon.

I run school buses here in Pa., we are on the road for about 7,000 miles/day. In Pa., we have to recertify every 4 years with 10 hours of in-bus/classroom training. Our company does a few hours per year of training plus newsletters, helpful hints etc.. I can tell you that we are not perfect but we constantly try to be better. Driving a bus load of kids is different, the defensive driving changes. It is all about keeping that load of kids as safe as possible at any cost.
I am also a CDL examiner, and I have failed some great drivers and had to pass some not-so-great ones. Unfortunately, I can only score what they do with me on a test even when I know that is not their normal driving. If they demonstrate that they know how and can safely drive that vehicle then I sign off. I cannot judge whether they will drive safely.
It is sad that people are so off their rocker. I always help someone when I can but now I have to be leery that a flat tire isn't someone trying to lure me out.
Like many of us out there, I come equipped with a certain level of preparedness.
Just remember- Cooler heads prevail. Be safe.

 

[steve68]

Feel your pain daily,
we have a whole state of entitled drivers, and then you get to add in foreign tourists and foreign country transplants, very interesting at all times,

I see it all, 40 MPH phone conversation to 100 MPH "twerking" dance driving with the phone in the hand,

Breath deeply and drive defensively,

Almost got hit by a C8 racing a sport bike, I was going 80, and he passed my like I was sitting still, missed my front fender by 2-3 feet,

 

[Guntar]

My wife is a rural mail carrier. Rural is a subjective term. It just means the route can't be walked. She does about 30K miles a year. Driving the same roads a year. I have added lots of flashers to her RHD JKU. She comes home with tails of people flipping her off, almost rear-ending her (then honking at her) while she is parked mostly off the road. People trying to pass her on busy roads (1 lane each way). People walking up to her Jeep to yell at her. They walk up to the wrong side and then sheepishly walk away.
She does have nice tails as well, but during this covid issue she has way more bad than good to say about her fellow drivers.

 

[Jonny A]

Of course you shouldn't, I'm not saying you should. I also open doors for people who are physically able, and frequently show no appreciation. I don'thave to.

I'm saying I let people merge and it cost me nothing, spares me unnecessary drama as seen in the OP and doesn't change my arrival by a perceptible amount.

I have had folks rage behind me for actually letting someone merge. It is a no win situation.

 

[74747474]

Anymore, the first sign of any stupidity, I just back way off, even if I am ahead of it all. Seems like most clueless and witless people have this insatiable urge to be first even of it is 3 seconds ahead on an exit ramp or first in line at the ice cream stand. Guess what we all get the same ice cream and we all get to get off the interstate, geniuses.

Really is insane you had to go through that, some people have too much time and anger on their hands

Yesterday I was on the exit and a woman (I found out later) tried to cut in front of the person behind me. Then with no where to go she decided to try and push me to the shoulder so she could get off of the interstate. She nearly ran into me, but when I stayed put (all of us on the off ramp were inching along at 1-2 mph) she falls back and cuts a car off several cars behind me and comes up the shoulder of the off ramp window down screaming and trying to hit me on the other side with her old ass Altima..

I pulled up and stopped on the shoulder now in front of her and asked what the problem was , again incoherent yelling, so I took a quick picture of her license plate. She walked around and I asked her where her car was hit (there wasn’t a scratch in my truck). She couldn’t find anything and said I hit her on her passenger side I’ll get to that later. Then she started flipping out again. In my head was My friend’s daughter who was shot (she barely survived, and is still recovering) a few months ago with some gang banger trying to rob her in a store parking lot. I did not trust this nut I was dealing with so I got in my truck, someone let me back in line, and went up the ramp and on my way to the bike trail.

About 15 min later I get pulled over by a sheriff. I could see another police car coming up fast Behind us. First officer said I was involved in an accident and I fled the scene, a “hit and run”. That crazy woman called the police and lied. The sheriff asked for license and my insurance then went back to his car.

So the two stayed behind my truck for 15 min. Then the other sheriff came up and said I could get out. They were looking at driver’s side where lady tried to push me over to shoulder.I asked him if I was coming off the interstate, and cutting in front of someone to get on the off ramp wouldn’t the damage be on my passenger side? They laughed and after noticing no damage to the driver’s side of my JT, and again not a scrape on the passenger side either they eased up one left and i chatted with other officer while we waited for local police since this wasn't his jurisdiction. local police Officer shows up talks to other officer looks over my Jeep goes back to his car then comes back with my info. both officers said they think this lady did a similar report a week or two ago (Also false). All the officers were very nice and the one that was first on scene apologized for being rough. he said usually a “hit and run” for them means a police chase and bad things. He said when I pulled over immediately, parked facing a field and rolled all windows down he knew I wasn’t going to take off. He said I wasn’t acting like a hit and run driver and ... no damage to my Jeep.

So long story but in the end, the local officer, gave me a “No Damage” report and said he gave the crazy lady the same report, no damage on her car, So my insurance has to take on a fight with a crazy nut with no damage to her car and no damage to mine!
I showed him pic of the back of her car with license plate and both officers said they were going to check to see if this is same women with similar report “hit and run” recently. If she did she might see some jail time... I hope!

Be careful out there and an old roommate of mine that was a metro police officer, told me this;

If you are pulled over by the police roll all windows down, turn your vehicle off, put keys on the dash and hands on top of steering wheel. This sets them at ease immediately.

Officers have a tough scary job especially with all going on in this country. I appreciate them and pray for their safety.

As much as I hate to admit it, but a very sound reason for self driving cars. Not that I have even the slightest shred of hope that this will ever happen.

 

[mike921921]

I always roll down the windows and place my hands on the window sill. And, even though I live in a 'no declare' state, I let the officer know I'm carrying and then ask them for direction on how they'd like to proceed. I'm an old guy, so it usually goes pretty well after that.

 

[brianinca]

I had that happen the other day, dingbat merged at 50 MPH but I got screamed at by the person behind me. WTF?

I have had folks rage behind me for actually letting someone merge. It is a no win situation.

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