I travel 50 miles round trip for work in the Dallas metroplex, mostly on the freeway. On any given day I see about 3 near wrecks. I also see several idiots who feel the need to swerve in and out of traffic, ride my bumper, or act as if they were Mario (or Maria) Andretti. One of the problems is that people hang out in the &quot;hammer lane&quot; and go slow (this is illegal in the state of Texas, the left lane is for passing only and traffic that is going faster then other vehicles). This is one cause of the lane jumpers. I travel 5-10 mph over the speed and do not get in the hammer lane (I would get run over, or at least run into) . Most of the time if you tailgate I will spike my brakes and make you think twice about doing it (I especially enjoy spiking them when the other person is on a cell phone or drinking coffe), sometimes if you come up behind me very fast and are multiple lanes and cutting other drivers off, I will cut you off or feint like I'm going to cut you off. I am also not afraid to give the one fingered wave. This gets to my problem, I am just as guilty of aggressive driving and I know it. I need to curb these urges to inflict vehicular/bodily damage to these individuals that are disturbing my other wise peaceful commute of listening to my turbo howl and my valves clatter. How does every one else attain a &quot;Zen State&quot; while they are surrounded by idiots, when you know that most of the time, you are behind the wheel of something that could crush the offending vehicle? I need help in curbing my aggresive habits so that I can make the road a better place for all.<br>

 

When I'm not traveling, I go to my office in Houston, 50 miles one way on I-10. One thing that keeps me from expressing my anger is the fact that I am a husband and father of three kids. I don't need to anger some nut case who will shoot me, or follow me home to mess with my family. The other thing is the &quot;road rage&quot; law carries some stout penalties. Just flipping someone off could be construed as &quot;road rage&quot; in the courts. <br><br>I'll say a few choice words and maybe flip them off behind the dash, but that is about it. Let them go, they will reap the rewards of their actions in time. <br><br>If you want to learn restraint, get a CB and listen to the truckers in traffic. They say a bunch of stuff, but you always see them leaving plenty of room in front of themselves for safety. Also, they can tell you how to get around wrecks. 8)

 

I hear your plea, brother as I was once in your shoes. I do nearly 80 miles a day, nearly all Interstate up here in Massachusetts. After years of driving tailgating, white knuckle, teeth clenched, and finger gesturing on Philadelphia's infamous Schuylkill Expressway I decided it was time for a seriouis change when I moved up here. Now, once I come down the ramp it's just under 65 on cruise, right lane, and I even occasionally slip the loafers off. You know what?; it just ain't worth it to get home maybe 5 minutes earlier driving the old way. I don't touch the brakes all the way in or out. There's no tailgating me. Heck, I'm going way too slow for that idiot tailgater. They just go around me. If I get dirty looks or the finger, I just smile and wave. It gets them even more PO'd. Wife's glad to see me in the better mood too. Plus you have a birds-eye view of all the shenanigans going on around you. You have to force yourself into this new way of driving, and a good start is to set your cruise and force yourself to maintain a slower speed. Like any other bad habit you have to force yourself to break it. At least you've recognized it. That's half the battle.

Tom

 

I've found that talking on my cellphone, reading the newpaper, and drinking a cup of coffee while driving to work is a good way to take my mind off those other &quot;Moron-Drivers&quot; I used to get aggravated at every morning on my commute.









Just kidding folks.

 

[quote author=Commatoze link=board=10;threadid=15457;start=0#145166 date=1054643186]<br>If I get dirty looks or the finger, I just smile and wave. It gets them even more PO'd.[/quote]<br><br>Works for me!!!

 

I am legally licensed to carry a handgun...and I do so pretty much everywhere I go...including the morning commute. Being such, I am held to a higher standard by the state. Knowing that if I provoke something that turns into something nasty that I will be in some serious trouble keeps me pretty tame. Besides that...I'm pretty even natured for the most part and with the exception of tapping my brakes at the occasional tailgater I'm pretty easy to get along with. ;D<br><br>But...my BEST advice is to be the better person and drive friendly...somehthing I need to work on myself. Being courteous and polite is the best way to deal with morons.

 

Yep, Washington State and most states I've been in have the KEEP RIGHT EXCEPT WHEN PASSING signs but you'll notice there's many who can't read English, American or whatever you want to call it. We now have an anti-aggressive driver program and it's really getting some attention. Nightly news will occasionally show some of the stings set up and running for these people. Love it. Yes, I admit that I get &quot;upset&quot; sometimes but, the extra 5 minutes doesn't make that big a difference in my life. I also, being just slightly older than Top, find that soothing tunes on the CD help to keep the moods calmer. Instead of braking in traffic (careful, if there's an unmarked law enforcement vehicle watching you do it, you can be in trouble), a little or alot of smoke from your CTD will get their attention. I carry a scanner in my truck for entertainment purposes only and love it when an alert goes out for local law enforcement to keep an eye out for &quot;aggressive driver, quick lane changes, driving on shoulder, cutting people off, etc, etc&quot; at milepost whatever on wherever highway or byway they're seen by a citizen with a cellphone and the number of the local agency (vehicle description and license also provided, thank you very much). Up here, people are using the cellphone to alert for these fools. It's definitely made me more aware of my own aggressive thoughts and helps to keep them in check. These are not cheap trucks we drive and they ain't getting any cheaper. You may be getting even or fairs fair but don't try it up here, you also will be tagged and bagged if you do it enough. Remember, it's a easy revenue source for depleted state economies. Failure to wear a seatbelt gets you a $86. ticket. Wanna talk about aggressive driving???<br><br>~Coolin'itandenjoyin'lifeinthesl owlaneDave

 

[quote author=NWDave link=board=10;threadid=15457;start=0#145183 date=1054648108]<br>&lt;snip&gt; Failure to wear a seatbelt gets you a $86. ticket. Wanna talk about aggressive driving???<br><br>~Coolin'itandenjoyin'lifeinthesl owlaneDave<br>[/quote]<br><br>Wow! I mean, WOW! $86 for failure to wear a seatbelt?!!! They might as well just take you out of your truck and shoot you right by the side of the road... $86! Unbelievable! <br><br>In Missouri, they can't even stop you for not wearing a seatbelt. It's not a &quot;primary&quot; offense. They can make up something else to stop you for and then also give you a ticket for not wearing the seatbelt, but it's a $5 or $10 ticket. If you're licensed for 12,000 GVW or over, belts are not required (farmers wouldn't go for it). <br><br>Now, I always wear my seatbelt, since I don't want to be a candidate for a posthumous Darwin award, but I just can't agree with seatbelt laws. &quot;Nannyism&quot; run amok, that's what they are. Seems to me the lawmakers who make these idiot laws need to concentrate on pulling the lint out of their bellybuttons or something and leave the rest of us alone...

 

In Texas they'll stop you for nothing BUT not wearing a seatbelt....and I believe the fine is $250. Last week was &quot;Click it of ticket&quot; week...so they were really cracking down. One day last week when I left work we had two officers standing outside of the parking lot just watching for people not wearing them.

 

[quote author=Hoss link=board=10;threadid=15457;start=0#145238 date=1054656123]<br>In Texas they'll stop you for nothing BUT not wearing a seatbelt....and I believe the fine is $250. Last week was &quot;Click it of ticket&quot; week...so they were really cracking down. One day last week when I left work we had two officers standing outside of the parking lot just watching for people not wearing them. <br>[/quote]<br><br> I thought Texas was freer than that. Another illusion shattered.

 

[quote author=Shovelhead link=board=10;threadid=15457;start=0#145169 date=1054644203]<br>I've found that talking on my cellphone, reading the newpaper, and drinking a cup of coffee while driving to work is a good way to take my mind off those other &quot;Moron-Drivers&quot; I used to get aggravated at every morning on my commute. <br><br>Just kidding folks.<br>[/quote]<br><br>So how do you read the newspaper while your putting on your make-up at the same time ??<br> <br>Rich

 

I've discovered the Mrs.Doubtfire line of cosmetics.

Very simple application.....just nail the brake pedal.

 

[quote author=jfpointer link=board=10;threadid=15457;start=0#145242 date=1054656491] I thought Texas was freer than that. Another illusion shattered. <br>[/quote]<br><br>It is...as long as you're wearing your seatbelt. You don't have to wear a helmet on your motorcycle though....go figure. :

 

I found that if I have my shades part way on my face and my head looks as though its wobbling like I am about to pass out and I am crouched over the wheel as a speedster passes...they usually leave me alone. <br><br>I use the CB lots as it saves me from traffic hassles like wrecks, road construction etc.<br>Plus if there is a lot of bad weather ahead, especially in the winter, I will get off the road early to reduce the stress of fighting the weather and traffic, plus I get a room a heck of a lot easier. Its really aggravating to be pulled off the freeway cuz its closed and theres no place to stay. :'(<br><br>There was a time where I wanted to be right in the middle of the rally drive...now i enjoy the open road more. Dang I guess I am getting old. At least I don't drive REAL SLOW scouting and stalking the sheep pens like a few folks on here.<br><br>

 

Guess I'll weigh in on this, seein' as how I spent an inordinate amount of time on the LA freeways. I drive 45 miles each way from cow country (what's left of it-growing houses now) to east LA. A vast improvement over the 65 miles I drove for my last project, right through the middle of downtown LA. That 20 mile reduction cut an hour off of my commute time. Friday afternoons used to take me 3 hours to get home. Now it's an hour and a half on a bad day. Have to traverse an area with predominantly asian immigrant drivers. These folks aren't aggressive as they are completely oblivious to everything going on around them. Here I come hummin along at 70 MPH (on a rare occasion) in a 2500 with 37's (it's hard to miss) and they pull into the fast lane doing 55. They never seem to notice that they can't see anything but my front bumper in their rear view mirror. I think that's 'cause they never use it.<br> &gt;<br>Then there's the idiots in the rice rockets (driven by children of said asian immigrants) who have no reservations about changing lane so close in front of me I can't see the back window of their car. <br><br>Add to this brakes that stop on a dollar and ask for another .50.....oh well, if you don't respect the big truck and get run over..... ;D<br><br>I just give 'em lots of room. I always remeber that the truck speeds up now a lot faster than it slows down. ;D ;D <br><br>Too bad they don't know that. I got rear ended by a 1/2 ton dodge about 2 months ago, totaled his truck and did $6600 to mine :'(