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cucumber3732842 3 hours ago

>I was never honked at, even by the crazy semi truck drivers.

Because you were towing a camper and "slow and in the right lane" fits people's mental model of how recreational/nonprofessional heavy traffic or otherwise "handicapped" vehicles ought to behave.

When you have problems is when you behave to a standard beneath what other people expect from whatever kind of traffic you are.

its_magic 2 hours ago | parent [-]

In the Atlanta area I've experienced a few times people FLYING up on me in the right hand lane while I'm cruising along at a conservative, gas sipping 55 MPH in my old truck, blaring their horn at me like I'm some kind of maniac.

I don't want to live on this planet anymore.

duncangh 2 hours ago | parent | next [-]

Driving and living in Atlanta after living in Charleston and Raleigh felt like transitioning from a modern cooperative society to an island of cannibals. The amount of aggression needed to change lanes largely regardless of attempts to signal good faith and politeness is baffling. Driving is a fascinating ritual with vastly differing norms across regions. It would be interesting to learn if anthropologists have studied this

rramadass an hour ago | parent [-]

> Driving is a fascinating ritual with vastly differing norms across regions. It would be interesting to learn if anthropologists have studied this

And Psychologists!

Reading the comments in this thread is quite amusing.

As a driver in India, i can tell you anything goes as long as you don't get into an accident (which may/may-not kill you) or get caught by the police.

No rules matter and the only goal is to "one-up" everybody else on the road and if they are trying to "one-up" you, then prevent it by any means possible. It is a "game of chicken" in its purest form; game theory in action. Rules are mere suggestions only followed by the meek and the weak.

You have no idea how invigorating it is to drive in India.

its_magic 44 minutes ago | parent [-]

I don't mind that sort of traffic, as long as I'm in Somebody Else's Car or an old junker that's already banged up. In these situations, the biggest and ugliest car/truck with the meanest driver always wins.

I did have a weird experience in Miami one time, driving the same truck. This guy behind me in a Charger suddenly shot around me in the side lane right as traffic started moving, and got in front. Traffic was heavy (brutal) and I wasn't lagging behind and wasting time/space, or so I thought, but I guess my standards of proper "closeness" are different than what he expected. It was funny, actually. I guess he was just in a hurry.

Do you have any experience driving in China? How does it compare?

ssl-3 an hour ago | parent | prev | next [-]

That's easy to deal with: They're behind you. Ignore them.

Setting the side mirrors based on the AAA method works for a lot of reasons, and it helps with this too. So does flipping the center mirror over to the dark side.

Out of sight, out of mind.

They can be elect to stay back there behaving however they want, or they can go around be however they need to be somewhere else.

If you just can't stand it anymore, then just hop off the highway. It can be a good opportunity to stop for some coffee or a soda. Or, you know: Just to get out of the car, stretch out the ol' legs, and taste that acrid city air, think about something or someone in the world that is beautiful for you, and chill down a second.

Or just go up one exit ramp and down the entrance ramp on the other side of the crossroad, if the intersection design allows this move to be made safely and conveniently.

They almost certainly won't follow. They'll instead be disappearing down the highway at warp speed the whole time you're doing this, and you'll probably never across them again in your entire life.

It only costs a few minutes. They may seem interminable, but they're few. The benefit is relief from the mounting agony of dealing with this aggressive driver that might otherwise stick with you the rest of the day and that's good for your brain health.

(And if they do follow after you give them every opportunity to not do that? It's not Hollywood or the national news and this actually doesn't happen much in the real world on an individual level, but: Call the police at 911 or 999 or 0118 999 881 999 119 725 3 or whatever it is, and get some help.)

its_magic an hour ago | parent [-]

It's all fun and games until one gets rear-ended by one of these mental patients.

The solution is just to stay out of Atlanta, or drive faster. I'm OK with that.

Not really sure where you were going with all this. Sounds like pretty extreme, weird behavior that you are advocating.

Dylan16807 an hour ago | parent [-]

> Sounds like pretty extreme, weird behavior that you are advocating.

Advice for when someone is following closely in anger that summarizes to "try getting off the highway for a minute and if that fails call the cops." is suggesting you perform "extreme, weird behavior"? I don't understand your reaction at all.

its_magic 37 minutes ago | parent [-]

The people in question weren't angrily following me. If that were the case, there's no need for any theatrics.

The first weapon to be employed is a Middle Finger. If that proves ineffective, it's followed by a lugnut taken from a coffee can that I keep handy. If and when things get to that level, the person usually wises up quick and finds a new hobby. There are other tools available if the nutcase decides to escalate further.

No, in this case it was just people speeding along at 95 (in a 70) who were terribly offended at my dangerously slow driving, who wished to register their indignation as they flew by, momentarily held back but undeterred as they sped off to their Bright New Tomorrow. Message received, loud and clear.

ssl-3 13 minutes ago | parent | next [-]

So just... let them go. It's easy to do.

Escalation usually doesn't improve things, including for the person displaying the universal finger (or throwing the lug nut).

You've got a choice: You can keep plodding along in your truck while you escalate and retaliate and get all grumpy and stuff, or just keep plodding along in your truck without any of that noise.

The errant, instigating driver won't really learn anything either way.

Dylan16807 10 minutes ago | parent | prev [-]

> The first weapon to be employed is a Middle Finger. If that proves ineffective, it's followed by a lugnut taken from a coffee can that I keep handy. If and when things get to that level, the person usually wises up quick and finds a new hobby. There are other tools available if the nutcase decides to escalate further.

I, uh, okay but I hope you realize that this is far more extreme than what the other person was suggesting!

cindyllm 2 hours ago | parent | prev [-]

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