Anyone else 'tease' Type-A drivers?

I haven't done any racing from the light. Usually I race people who tried going around me. They would tailgate me for a couple of second and decide I was going too slow. They change lane and try to go around me and as soon as they do that, I put on the power mode and floor it.

 

I get the crazy drivers that tailgate until they're well frothed and blow by me WFO

I like to dust em off the light too. It's so easy and they always go like hell to pass me

 

I like to see them go flying off at a light and then make the right turn.

 

Funny

I purposely stopped at a Yellow light and ticked off the Jeep behind me today

 

A lot of people around here are slamming on their brakes on yellow because of the red light rip-off cameras.

 

Bob - once in awhile, I just like to show people that a Prius is not as slow as they think.

 

I've come to the conclusion that most, most tailgaters are not road bullies. I think most are oblivious! They just don't get it! They are not thinking about safety, they are not thinking about the consequences of driving too close.
I know this because I designed a really overt bumper sticker. Basically, it says BACK OFF you are pissing me off! I can tell as soon as they read the sticker, because sure enough they actually back off! Sometimes pretty far too. It's great!
Maybe 95% of the time it just took that warning. I did have one guy that didn't back off. Who knows why, may be he just didn't see it? My point is a reminder, a bumper sticker or what ever, my experience is when they read it they back off. It might also help that on that bumper sticker is a handgun pointing at them, just a picture, but it really adds emphasis that I don't like it!

 

I attribute tailgating and road rage to the high coffee intake of the American public.
Instant jerks, just add coffee

 

Recently, I was driving along a very narrow road, near a school, at school coming-out time. I'm not a slow driver, but this was a situation in which it was essential to drive slowly - a kid could run out at any point, and there was no room to swerve. So I was going at about 30km/h (20mph), which was as fast as one could safely go, and it's the speed most people drive along that road at.

Behind me was a w----r in a Subaru XV, with a very expensive bike on the roof. He had the lycra shirt and the cyclist glasses and everything. He had the look of the angry mid-life-crisis-keep-fit-guy (I, on the other hand, am calm-mid-life-crisis-let-myself-go guy). And he was flashing his lights and beeping his horn, because he had to get to where he was going to ride his bike and wear his lycra. He just kept at it: beep beep flash flash beep beep.

So I stopped. The road was narrow, so he couldn't pass me. I had a good look around my car, examining the lights and checking my tyres and looking deeply confused. He continued beeping and flashing. So I went over and said, "Thanks for the beeping and flashing: I do that too if the person in front of me has left their boot [trunk] open or they've got a flat tyre or something.... very public-spirited of you. But I can't see what's wrong with my car. What is it?" He screamed "THERE'S NOTHING WRONG! YOU WERE JUST GOING TOO SLOWLY!" I allowed a look of sudden realisation to dawn, and said "Oh..... sorry. I didn't think it could be that, because I was going as fast as it's safe to drive on this narrow road past a school where a kid could run out any second. I'd just assumed that you were being nice. Sorry: I should have realised that you were just a d--k." I had a friendly-but-confused smile all the way through. And then I got back in my car and drove off. He didn't look that happy.

But then yesterday, I was at a friend's place, and we were talking to her neighbour. Three months ago, his girlfriend accidentally pulled out in front of someone. There was no crash, but he got road rage. He followed her home, and got out of his car, and was screaming "I KNOW WHERE YOU LIVE! I KNOW PEOPLE!" The car has now had its tyres slashed three times in the past three months. The girlfriend has gone to Canada, but this guy is still taking out his monthly revenge against her car.

So maybe I shouldn't wind people up, just in case they're psychos.

 

My wife used to call me a Type A driver in my younger days The Prius has taught me to join the "right hand lane group" and enjoy my drive.

My observation is that the Type A drivers are not necessarily wanting to go faster than I am. They just do not want anyone in front of them!

They will weave in and out of traffic and stress out until they get in front of everyone. Then they run the normal speed but they are "in front". I see threads about Prius Hate, etc., but what I see has nothing to do with the Prius. After they pass me they jump on the bumper of the next car in front of them.

If I see one of them pull up just in front of me and I know they are getting ready to switch lanes and "assume" my safe following distance, I will typically tighten up enough, yet keep a safe distance, to keep them from making the move

 

guilty as charged.

 

The ticket can cost $300 plus around here. Glad I to avoid that problem

 

Some people seem to think Prius are slow cars, that should always be at the back of the line. It's our responsibility to prove them wrong.

 

Bob, I think your lil' devil should be our Gen III mascot.

And yes, I enjoy maximizing the output of the hybrid powertrain at stoplights to the chagrin of other drivers.

 

A few years ago, I did challenge some young pickup drivers that thought I was a 98-pound weakling. Four times out of five they did not get past me. One of the couple of times I got my Honda Insight to 113 mph was with an F-250 doolie...the frown on the face of that obese driver was priceless!

I'm pretty much over that now. These days I just mock them in an animated voice when they drive stupid.

 

Great topic - Bob!

I've been on countless driving behavior threads.

My preemptive strike: Many if not most aggressive drivers are STUPID

I'm going to support it with fact.

Many green and hypermilers drive to save fuel, so shouldn't aggressive drivers drive to save time?

I've witnessed numerous times they do not save time. I will be driving and one of these nutcases will blast by in an obscene manner, then in a mile or two I'm gliding past them...yes, on occasion I will honk or something to rub it in to the driver behaving like a bada$$ he is really a dumba$$ - I passed him.

Probably at least half of the accidents (being charitable here) that cause gridlock in Dallas/Fort Worth freeways are some kind of aggressive driving that on each incident waste thousands of drivers time. It's not always drugs or booze, but just being stupid.

I see two potential root causes of idiotic aggressive driving.

1. Must come in first/Can't be beaten. Come on - where is the start and finish line? Fifteen years ago leaving work late I realized my speed was considerably slower because there was nobody on the road to compete with.
2. Time management/behavioral issues. Think people that can't plan a trip is a lot of aggressive driving - they don't know where they are going and/or never give themselves enough time. Not as likely is a few people venting on the road for "therapy" - bad day at work, beat up their girlfriend, etc.