What was he thinking?

[enjenjo]

Tonight, after the cruise I went to, I was taking the Marlin back to the storage garage I keep it in. I was on a 4 lane road, in the left lane. A Honda Accord came up in the right lane, and disappeared?  I soon passed another car in the right lane, and the Honda appeared again behind me. as soon as I passed the third car, he got back in the right lane, and pulled back into my blind spot, and stayed there! This makes me nervous, so I slowed down to let him pass, I don't like knowing  there is a car there, and not being able to see it. He slowed to keep pace with me! So, I hit the brakes, he passed me, and I swung in behind him. At that point, he speeded up, and drove on down the road.  This happens all the time, even with the daily driver. What are these people thinking?

[58Apache]

Well either he wasn't thinking ....or maybe he was thinking his 4 banger import with a fart can could whip up on an American muscle car?

I took the Chevelle to the local cruise-in tonight myself! Breaking it in and getting it ready to go to the Nats in a few weeks!

[Carps]

It's a universal thing, but I have no idea why or what they are thinking.

Be thankfull you dont drive a large SUV, coz then they hide directly behind you, so close you can't see them.

[river1]

i have figured out a trick i use in circumstances like that. if i KNOW he is there and i've tried the same slow down/speed up and he's still there. i "drift" over towards his lane, he usually backs off. i don't drift very far but most of the times it doesn't take much to scare them off.

later jim

[Bruce Dorsi]

If the vehicle I'm driving has power mirrors, I adjust the mirror to reflect the other guy's headlights back into his eyes.

This usually works against "blind-spot drivers" on either side of my vehicle.  .....It is also usually effective on tailgaters and people behind me that won't dim their highbeams.

My rude behavior usually annoys them enough to make them pass me or back off.

Of course, this only works at night!

[wayne petty]

there is a lot of that happening out here on the freeways of los angeles..

people hiding in the blind spot waiting for you to change lanes and touch the nose of their car...

i have seen while creeping along the hollywood freeway...
a brand new range rover pull in front of a crashed honda... and back up into it.. smashing the honda more and damaging the still with dealer plates on it LR..

there was a group of 4 people in one firebird as i recall.. they kept cutting off this car transporter that was full to the front...   the truck driver said they just kept trying and trying to cut him off until they clipped his front wheel and the entire big rig flipped..   the car in the first position smashed the rear of the firebird.. killing the 2 people sitting there...    seems  these people in the firebird had been in several accidents before.. all of them settled out of court..  with them and their lawyers receiving insurance payments..   this time.. their lawyer was convicted of insurance fraud along with the firebird driver and passenger who survived for the death of the 2 passengers..


when i lived in korea town..    a few miles south..  i heard a crash... looked up to see a man get out of his car.. he had been rear ended.. walk to the car that hit him.. talk to the woman driver .. then cross 2 lanes of traffic to get to the pay phone..   walked back to his car.. had the woman back up slightly...  he opened his trunk..  got out a neck brace and a cane.. walked over to the far sidewalk when he heard the paramedics siren..  and layed down..  when the paramedics got there a firetruck showed up also..  i got the captain.. told him of what i saw..   after  the paramedics checked him out.. they left him laying on the sidewalk..  got in their truck..   and drove away..   he got up.. walked across 4 lanes of traffic again to the pay phone..  soon the sirens were heard again.. he then crossed again and layed down where he was before...   the captain walked over to me as his truck had also responded... i told him that he had gotten up and called .

he said.. they know how to take car of the guy..  

the truck driver should have called chp.. or pulled off the freeway.. even if he got back on a 2 minutes..  but hopefully the rodders who read this might be able to spot it.   and AVOID these situations...

a few year back.. the wife and i were on the way to the 99 cent store.. when a driver in a black BMW made a quick left turn though oncoming traffic..   hit a nissan sentra left front to left front.  the nissan was full of people.. as they started to stagger from the car.. he threw his bmw in reverse.. then sped away forward weaving through oncoming traffic and hung another left..   Hit and run..  i followed and found him in a parking lot out of his car looking down the street and laughing at the accident he caused..   as i pulled through the parking lot.. i wrote down his license number...  intending to give it to the other car.. but when i got there they were gone.. probably looking for him..   i took it to the police station..  the desk officer did not want to take my report.. as i was not involved...  but i made him write it all down..    2 hours later he called and thanked me... saying the victims were in his lobby to report the hit and run..


think of the staged bus crash in new york city..  all bus line employees on the bus..   within a few minutes people jumped on the bus..  all caught on hidden camera...   all had to be carried out by paramedics..  by the next day... i think there were 76 personal injury claims filed..

[zzford]

I thought WE had all the crummy drivers down here. I guess there is plenty to go around. I wish the state would ban bad drivers from the road...I sure would be lonely, being the only one left driving.  

[Carnut]

Kinda brings back memories of a friend of mine who always drives armed.

Seems he was returning from Tulsa to Wichita on the Cimarron Turnpike in Oklahoma when a van began trailing him and then driving up beside him.

He took notice of the van as being somewhat sinister in it's intentions and he pulled a 45 from his console and fired 2 shots into the van when it was pulled up beside him.

Heh, heh, seems a bit extreme to me, but anyhow he formerly being an AP in the Air Force I guess he figured he had the situation sized up.

Said he stopped at the next toll booth and reported it to the authorities that he had fired a weapon on the road and explained his reason. Apparently nothing came of it as he was never charged with anything as far as I heard and never did find out what happened to the van.

[slocrow]

From the other side; I'll hang back there in the slow lane on occasion. Not necessarily in the blind spot but further back so I can take evasive action should the need arise. I will do this when I find a "rabbit" who is speeding and a left lane hanger all in one. I'm assuming he'll get the ticket because he's the first and easier lead target.
To those blind spot folks, I like River do the drift over and that usually wakes them up quick. The left laners get pulled ahead of and then I set the cruise till they get the message.
And now with this texting and cell phone long talkers, I just get away from traffic, for my own safety.
Actually, with the advancing years and in heavy traffic, I've been known to set the cruise control slower then the mob is traveling. Kind of set it and forget it.................  

[unklian]

Idiots are everywhere/

[WZ JUNK]

Hooley taught me a little trick from his truck driving days.  We often have people traveling in the passing lane looking at the race car on the trailer.  After awhile and they are still running along in our blind spot, he told me to wag our tail a little.  Just a little weave back and forth and they take the hint and move on.  They figure out real soon that they do not want to be close to the car trailer.

John

[Carps]

Of course, this only works at night!

Guess that explains why it didn't work for me today.      

[Carps]

i have seen while creeping along the hollywood freeway...
a brand new range rover pull in front of a crashed honda... and back up into it.. smashing the honda more and damaging the still with dealer plates on it LR....

Wouldn't wiork for them here.

Local rules are simple, you make contact with another car behind the driver's line of vision and you are automatically in the wrong.  If the contact is anywhere behiond the driver's seat, then the person in the following car gets to pick up 100% of the tab and possibly cops a fine and license demerit points to go with it.

You can * and moan all you like about him pulling over in front of you, but it won't cut it with the judge.

[58Apache]

As far as I'm concerned, everyone going slower than me is an idiot!

Everyone going faster is a *!  

                       Steve

[Crosley.In.AZ]

I have learned that tail gaters  on the expressway  usually do not like my wind shield washers ,  specially the motorcycle guys.  The Jetta's winder washer sprayer works real well