the WORST incidence of Road Rage - creepy igorant people!

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(justwatchme\";p=\"58369)</div>

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iv'e only done the wiper trick once and that was after someone cut me off and decided i was tailgating them even though my foot was completly off the accelerator and i was just waiting for them to accelerate. then she slams on her brakes and slows down to 40 in the fast lane. she changes lanes and as i pass her up she gives me the finger then gets behind me tailgates me with high beams on in a SUV. And after i did the wiper trick she stopped tailgating me. So if you really think that i shouldnt have done the wiper trick that one time then i hope its you who gets the chair.
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Maybe it's just here in Ca that we experiance the exact same situations.

I still think people are pist because the headlights are focused high.

 

Re: the WORST incidence of Road Rage - creepy igorant people

Very sad story, but it's still not a crime to be stupid (good thing, or there wouldn't be enough prisons for all of the guilty). However, I would think that the driver could be charged with negligent homicide or something of that ilk. The police are probably still gathering all of the witness statements and analyzing physical evidence before charging the driver. I also expect that there is a major lawsuit in that driver's future, so financial consequences are almost certain as well...

 

Re: the WORST incidence of Road Rage - creepy igorant people

Criminal charges in traffic deaths are rare, especially if alcohol is not involved, according to an Orlando Sentinel review of recent fatal crashes.

The Florida Highway Patrol is still investigating the crash that killed Anjelica and Victoria, leaving their parents childless.

But other fatal-crash cases suggest it is unlikely that driver Ashley Townsend, 22, would face criminal charges.

A Sentinel review of 70 fatal crashes on Colonial Drive,10th worst highway for deaths in the USA, since the start of 2001 found only eight drivers charged with felonies:


Three drivers went to prison for vehicular manslaughter while driving intoxicated, and a 16-year-old boy without a license went to prison for vehicular manslaughter. Felony charges are pending in two other cases in court. The drivers in two other cases were convicted of felony vehicular manslaughter but received no prison sentences.


In 40 crashes, the driver, passenger or pedestrian deemed most at fault by police was killed, and no one else was charged or ticketed.


In 15 cases, surviving drivers were punished with traffic tickets, most often for careless driving, running a red light or failure to yield. Three drivers got tickets dismissed, and one was found not guilty.


In the remaining seven cases, no charges or tickets were filed, or the cases await investigations.

The pattern frustrates police.

"The laws need to be changed. People need to be held accountable," said Trooper Kim Miller, a spokeswoman for the Highway Patrol. "Somebody who's speeding, a traffic ticket is fine to correct that behavior. But for somebody who kills somebody, they need to be punished. There needs to be a deterrent."

Florida law makes killing someone on the road a crime only if the driver is willfully reckless.

"We have to prove criminal intent before we can file criminal charges," Miller said. "It's easy if it's a DUI [driving under the influence] or driving on a suspended license. Otherwise, we have to prove they intentionally ran a red light. Talking on a cell phone is not against the law."

And causing a crash that kills someone after making a bad turn, speeding, cutting someone off or running a light is usually nothing more than an infraction -- a ticket offense.

 

Re: the WORST incidence of Road Rage - creepy igorant people

Ouch! Sounds like it's time to lobby the lawmakers on this. I know other states have negligent homicide laws on the books, but it is usually difficult to prosecute those cases. A few years ago in Maryland, a stranded motorist was killed on the shoulder of a highway when another driver reached down to pick up his cell phone, ran off the road and struck the stranded motorist. The negligent driver was charged, but eventually acquitted. :x

 

Re: the WORST incidence of Road Rage - creepy igorant people

Howdy all your SPEEDIEs....

We have several times had the pleasure (?) of driving on the "wrong side of the road" in the UK and noted on the Motorways (English for Freeways) that the British are very regimented. They drive in the appropriate lanes - ouside for slowest, middle for next highest speed and innermost lane for the fastest. I suppose those "manners" are similar to their queuing up at a bank or post office line or anywhere where you "wait your turn" with courtesy and consideration. For this, I honor the British. Some of our U.S. drivers seem to be void of consideration or manners feeling that their rush to "arrive" supercedes consideration and good manners, rather a "ME FIRST" mentality.

So, where do YOU categorize yourself? I would expect that the majority of Prius drivers fall into the "courteous and considerate" category. It rather goes with the mentality of folks that drive a Prius.

 

Re: the WORST incidence of Road Rage - creepy igorant people

I have driven on the Autoroutes in France, the Motorwegs in Belgium, the Autostradas in Italy and the Motorways in Great Britain. Lane discipline is strictly observed by drivers in all of those countries. Slow traffic keeps to the right (left in GB) and faster traffic in the center lane of three lane highways. The leftmost (right in GB) lane is always strictly reserved for passing traffic only, regardless of whether it is a two lane road or wider.

 

I think the root problem is that people view traffic infractions as minor offenses, because usually no harm is done to anyone. The very fact that we classify them as infractions, a big leap behind even misdemeanors in the legal code, tells us how they are viewed.

The key to reducing this kind of accident lies in reducing the frequency of traffic infractions. And since traffic infractions are so seldom caught, as it is not practical to flood the streets with traffic cops, the alternative is to make the penalty sufficiently severe.

Large fines are unfair, as they punish the poor more than the rich. So my modest proposal would be mandatory jail terms for moving violations. Running a red light or stop sign, unsafe lane changing, speeding, distracted driving, etc., should result in a mandatory jail term on the first offense. I think a modest one month in jail for the first offense would be adequate to make people think carefully. Second offense, one year in jail and permanent loss of driving privileges. Driving after permanent revocation would be life without parole.

People would think twice before taking their eyes off the road or being in too much of a hurry.

 

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(Charles Suitt\";p=\"58445)</div>

I fully agree too. We try to imply this here. Well... a couple of us do. I do.

Since people over here cruise in the fast lane, you get traffic. The other thing is knowing your car. Many try to pull into a lane and speed up with not enough room, so they slow down the traffic. This is why i like the prius. It's very fast in the 50-70mph range. I can jump into other lanes that are going faster than me and get up to speed with the car in front of me in no time. If someone comes up behind me while i'm in the fast lane, i'll jump over if space is provided. If the lane next to me is empy, i'll cruise in that lane instead of the fast lane. We should all try to stay over to the right. This is why the other lanes are called passing lanes. According to the california handbook, it's actualy supposed to be illegal to drive in the fast lane. it's supposed to only be for passing. Once passing, go back the right.. .. So see? they have the idea.. we just dont' tend to follow rules in the US... but that's a different topic

 

Re: the WORST incidence of Road Rage - creepy igorant people

I had a couple of recent incidents myself.

I was on my way to work one morning when I noticed this woman behind me weaving to the left and right looking for a way around me while at the same time tailgating me. This was a two lane highway with a speed limit of 45 and I was doing 50, so I wasn't exactly holding up traffic (In this case, "traffic" consisted of me and her. There was no one else behind us.). I ignored her until I came to the next red light. While I was waiting for the light, I looked in my mirror and noticed that while up until this point, this lady had been on my butt all the time but now that we've stopped, she's backed off a good 10' or so from my car. I realised then what she was up to. She was going to wait for the light to turn green and then floor it past me on the shoulder and sure enough, the light turns green, and I see her start to floor it. I wasn't about to let her get away with that, so I floor it also. She couldn't get by me and had to spend another couple of miles being behind a Prius.

The next day, I get passed out by a woman in a SUV who decided that she was going to bypass all the cars that are waiting for the light by making her own third lane. :roll:

 

Re: the WORST incidence of Road Rage - creepy igorant people

I wonder if some of this road rage is caused by the erroneous idea some people have that driving is a right (kinda like the way some national politicians seem to feel that cheap oil is a right--but that's another novel) instead of a privilege. "I have a right to drive, d--- it, and I have a right to go as fast as I want, cut people off, weave in and out of traffic, etc...."

Just my two cents...

 

Porky: It may be fun to prevent another driver from passing you, but it is rude. If someone wants to pass you that badly, let her pass. The life you save may be your own. Then, if you feel she is driving recklessly, phone 911 and report her.

 

Re: the WORST incidence of Road Rage - creepy igorant people

Do you think that she had the right to speed pass me on the shoulder? Is that what shoulders are for? She had plenty of chances to pass me up to that point. I was doing nothing to stop her. As to being rude, do you think that she was being rude to me?

This is not to say that I'm completely in the right here, but this kind of thing pisses me off.

 

Re: the WORST incidence of Road Rage - creepy igorant people

Porky,

It certainly wasn't right for her to pass on the shoulder, but cutting off idiots like that can lead to a road rage incident with damage to your vehicle, you, or others. Yeah, that would have ticked me off, too, but it's better to let the moron go by, take a deep breath, and continue enjoying your great car!

 

Re: the WORST incidence of Road Rage - creepy igorant people

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(Canuck\";p=\"58305)</div>

Gary:

Gosh, you can't be referring to the fact that for most of its length, the "Canadian national highway" or TransCanada is a two-lane affair supporting heavy traffic?

Especially that dangerous part that goes by Kenora and Dryden and towards Thunder Bay: sheer rock cuts mere inches from the shoulder. Goat trails are safer!

I can only imagine what carnage would happen if road rage became popular on such a dangerous, twisty two lane road.

I realize my Prius gets a lot of attention, as folks are starting to clue in just how special it is. So I drive with extra care, caution, and courtesy, even letting folks squeeze in. Have never been honked at or given the Middle Finger Salute. Folks usually smile and wave.

As far as road-rage in general, those folks are deranged. Put them in a straitjacket and lock them up. If they kill somebody, and they usually do, off em.