"Deliberate" Road Rage?

[SnailyBoy 10]

Hi guys

 

Sorry - just got out of an all day meeting!

 

To clarify - yes there was someone right up my back axle, and I assumed (foolishly it seems) that there would be a minimum amount of time between one set of lights turning from Green to Amber, and the other set going from Red, to Red & Amber.

 

In this instance I decided not to stop, and go through the light on Amber, as per the highway code. Stopping at that moment would have caused a significant crash for both me and the party at fault who would now be embedded in my back bumper.

 

The part I objected to so much was that it must have been clear to the vehicle opposite me that it was unsafe for me to stop (observation - or do people just daydream in a queue?) and thus a delay of a second, if that long, would have negated the need for (s)he to toot their horn and drive in an agressive manner.

 

The question I posed was I suppose "Do other road users go out of their way to wind up other people, or ortherwise cause a confrontation, or is 'road rage' the result of poor driving on the part of the other person?"

 

I would suggest that the other party was at fault, however everyone is a perfect driver right? Im more than happy for anyone on SF to sit in my passenger seat and give me pointers on how I can improve my driving, as I will freely admit that at times i've not driven well, and may have cut people up etc, but in this instance I belive I wasn't in the wrong.

 

Hang on, you expected the driver going straight on to realise it was unsafe for you to stop at a traffic light?

 

Be interested to know where this happened.

[Stomp 10]

Hang on, you expected the driver going straight on to realise it was unsafe for you to stop at a traffic light?

 

Be interested to know where this happened.

 

Yes. As I was already half way (if not more) through my manoueuvre (turning right) when the person accelerated toward me.

[Stomp 10]

You have tried to justify your bad driving by assuming the driver behind you was equally bad. I agre with Alchresearch,I would rather someone hit me in the back rather than risk a head on with someone. Also,in that position,I probably would have abandoned my right turn and gone straight on.

 

I havent tried to justify my bad driving at all. The Highway Code was on my side. Look it up - I'll even post it here for you:

 

175

 

You MUST stop behind the white ‘Stop’ line across your side of the road unless the light is green. If the amber light appears you may go on only if you have already crossed the stop line or are so close to it that to stop might cause a collision.

 

[Laws RTA 1988 sect 36 & TSRGD regs 10 & 36]

[SnailyBoy 10]

Yes. As I was already half way (if not more) through my manoueuvre (turning right) when the person accelerated toward me.

 

You said they should have realised it was unsafe to stop at the lights.

 

What did the driver do behind you?

[Stomp 10]

You said they should have realised it was unsafe to stop.

 

What did the driver do behind you?

 

The driver behind me stopped. What's your point? If I had have come to a stop they would have collided with me.

 

As I was already clearly across the line and turning right BEFORE the person coming toward me accelerated, I felt that they should have just waited the extra second and allowed me to complete.

[hard2miss 10]

Yes stomp I am afraid you deserved the abuse, you should have stopped, if the person behind was also speeding through the lights as I imagine you were to make it through and crashed into you then that is there fault for not allowing stopping distance. You should slow down at lights and not speed up like most do to get through on amber. In fact I have a personal hate of people that do this myself and would have had to bite my lip not to have abused you if I was me at the other lights.

Sorry but you should accept that you were in the wrong in this instance and let it go. Maybe learn something from it and don't make the same mistake ?

[hard2miss 10]

The driver behind me stopped. What's your point? If I had have come to a stop they would have collided with me.

 

As I was already clearly across the line and turning right BEFORE the person coming toward me accelerated, I felt that they should have just waited the extra second and allowed me to complete.

First thing they teach you when driving, 'don't make assumptions'.

[CottonTop 11]

Rather than pick apart Stomp's particular incident I will go straight to his/her question which was "Do other road users go out of their way to wind up other people, or otherwise cause a confrontation, or is 'road rage' the result of poor driving on the part of the other person?" I think in the answer is "yes" some people do drive that way just to get a reaction out of others. I see it all the time where I live and, in my experience, it is usually young-ish males that are the perpetrators although I have seen a few females that are about as bad.

[SnailyBoy 10]

The driver behind me stopped. What's your point? If I had have come to a stop they would have collided with me.

 

As I was already clearly across the line and turning right BEFORE the person coming toward me accelerated, I felt that they should have just waited the extra second and allowed me to complete.

 

So the driver behind didn't follow you through, despite being so close?

 

Here's an idea, next time you jump lights, stop before you cross oncoming traffic.

[Pooch_1 10]

As I was already clearly across the line and turning right BEFORE the person coming toward me accelerated, I felt that they should have just waited the extra second and allowed me to complete.

 

The oncoming driver probably accelerated because he obviously assumed that you would conform to the rules of the highway code, and give priority to oncoming traffic. ----- Enough said.

[Squiggs 11]

you deserved the abuse

 

That's actually one of the big problems with the roads. If a road user disagrees with another user, percieves them to have made an error or misjudgement, too many people think that this means that it is then OK to dish out abuse, to drive agressively in order to "teach them a lesson".

 

Regardless of whether someone was in the wrong or not, it is NOT okay to shout at, swear at, drive at, cut up or otherwise retaliate. It is not even okay to beep the horn in a retaliatory fashion. The road is NOT a playground and those who can't advance beyond playground mentality, do not have the maturity required to pilot a vehicle safely.

[CottonTop 11]

That's actually one of the big problems with the roads. If a road user disagrees with another user, percieves them to have made an error or misjudgement, too many people think that this means that it is then OK to dish out abuse, to drive agressively in order to "teach them a lesson".

 

Regardless of whether someone was in the wrong or not, it is NOT okay to shout at, swear at, drive at, cut up or otherwise retaliate. It is not even okay to beep the horn in a retaliatory fashion. The road is NOT a playground and those who can't advance beyond playground mentality, do not have the maturity required to pilot a vehicle safely.

 

completely agree!