Road rage!!

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StephanieC said:
Years ago, I found an instant “cure” for the rage I would feel building inside me whenever I looked in my rear-view mirror and saw a persistent tailgater:

As soon as it is safe to do so, I throw on my turn signal, pull over, and let them pass me. They zoom by & I continue on my merry way. (And 9 times out of 10, I end up right behind him at the next red light!:p)

Seriously, though–it instantly solves the problem.
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Brava! I’ve traveled in Morocco, and the people will shift on to the shoulder to let faster cars pass them. If someone is in a hurry - let them pass.

Plus, not everyone has the same safety awareness, for lack of a better term. My BF has his set on HIGH. He drives supercautiously, IMO - TOO cautious! And he irritates other drivers and makes them impatient. I think it CRUCIAL to remember that God did not put on on that road to play traffic cop.

In the OP’s example - I will grant that the situation may have warranted it, but some of the other replies on the thread…
 
I used to drive like a maniac. Thank God, I never got into a serious acccident and never caused one. A couple of speeding tickets, old age and God knows what slowed me down to being a much safer driver.

Except for drunk driving, tail gating is by far the most dangerous bad driving activity. When the Church decided that speeding and drunk drinking were mortal sins, I was surprised that it did not include tail-gating among them.
 
MomaMary8 said:
I used to do that breaking, but realized I was goading another person into greater anger…not a good thing to do. We should not see how angry we can make another. If we do, we are culpable in the sin. (I know, I’m not a priest, but that is MHO)

I also don’t think God was laughing, but sad that the hurried driver didn’t listen to Him. He put you in front of that hurried driver to slow him down, he ignored the “hint” and still drove too fast and was injured.

I’ve been a hurried driver before. When I had a vomiting child in the car, on the way home from the park with a child who just broke his elbow, rushing to get an injured child from school. There are many reasons why we rush, I try to remember the possibilities before I let my anger/annoyance get ahead of me. I’m actually quite thankful for my OB who rushed to the hospital to attend the delivery of my quickly arriving little baby girl! 🙂

Mary
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Sorry, but I will not be made to think that I am responsible for someone’s issue with both reckless/rude driving and anger if I am driving safely and going the speed limit.

I guess my braking comment gave the impression that I suddenly or unsafely drop my speed. Nowhere did I say that, nor would I ever engage in that unsafe and rude behavior.

I drive the speed limit, stay out of the “fast” or left lane and do my job to pay attention to drivers. If they want to get close to a car carrying precious little lives, they can sit behind me all they want, I am not speeding up and I WILL make my brake lights go on to alert them to my position.

I come from the city voted third worst out of the nation under L.A. and N.Y for deaths by car accidents. I have seen way too many vicious, vile and stupid people driving…I wish we had more enforcement.

To the poster who said tailgaters might be young…where do you drive…all the young people I see on the road seem to gleefully cut people off, flip people off, race through lanes and drive drunk/stoned. I wish they would raise the license age to 18 over here.

😦
 
Thankfully most drivers are fairly reasonable, but the 5 or 10% of aggressive drivers, makes the road seem like a NASCAR speedway.

The best advice I’ve heard was from a sermon from our associate pastor. He said, just relax and let the speeders pass you by. They are just rushing off to either the hospital or a jail cell or to their own funeral.
 
I am one of those anal drivers that goes exactly the speed limit at all times, unless weather conditions or construction dictates a different pace. My father gets very annoyed when he rides in the car with me because I am a little cautious, and I never rush myself when I’m pulling out of a street, etc. I try to always remember that the big metal bucket I’m riding in can be a weapon if used improperly.

I’ve found my own road rage prevention with a combination of leaving five minutes early, listening to relaxing music, usually something I can sing along to because singing keeps me calm, and talking to Jesus.
 
No I don’t think you sinned either; and I can understand your anger. And I’ve been there and have had to learn to deal with it. There is a stretch of road I travel that is not the main artery of traffic through town…that’s why I use it, less traffic and the speed limit is slower. I go the speed limit and just enjoy my drive; but there is always someone with the same Idea to avoid the traffic but they want to go fast. I flip my rear view mirror so I can’t see them…it helps me to ignore them, then I figure this is as good a time as any to pray the Divine Mercy Chaplet. So I do and they are soon forgotten.
 
Unfortunately Americans have not learned that the proper etiquette for signaling a driver that you want to pass is to flash the headlamps. This is typically used in other countries and allows the slower driver the chance to move over to allow the other vehicle to pass. Tailgating is rude and unsafe; headlight flashing is polite and respectful of others.
Please note that you have never heard a sermon (homily) on road rage as a sin against the first commandment. No one wants to admit that a great portion of the drivers out there are in fact idolaters. Putting yourself first, either because you think that your arrival at your destination by a certain time is more important than the safety of others, or that the rules of the road as defined by the motor vehicle act do not apply to you, or whatever, is making of yourself a God. It is idolatrous. Watch the behavior of people leaving the church parking lot after Mass on Sunday and see how little we believe in being courteous and accommodating to others. We provide a great witness to our true spiritual condition when we get behind the wheel of a motor vehicle.

Matthew
 
drafdog said:
Unfortunately Americans have not learned that the proper etiquette for signaling a driver that you want to pass is to flash the headlamps. This is typically used in other countries and allows the slower driver the chance to move over to allow the other vehicle to pass…
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That’s fine, if that’s the commonly understood usage over there, but around here flashing headlights in the daytime is commonly understood to be a warning to oncoming drivers of a speed trap you just passed. flashing headlights at night may also mean that, or may be a warning to oncoming drivers that either their headlights are off or their brights are on.

As with other forms of polite behavior, what is considered proper etiquette varies from one culture to another.
 
drafdog said:
Unfortunately Americans have not learned that the proper etiquette for signaling a driver that you want to pass is to flash the headlamps. This is typically used in other countries and allows the slower driver the chance to move over to allow the other vehicle to pass. Tailgating is rude and unsafe; headlight flashing is polite and respectful of others.
Please note that you have never heard a sermon (homily) on road rage as a sin against the first commandment. No one wants to admit that a great portion of the drivers out there are in fact idolaters. Putting yourself first, either because you think that your arrival at your destination by a certain time is more important than the safety of others, or that the rules of the road as defined by the motor vehicle act do not apply to you, or whatever, is making of yourself a God. It is idolatrous. Watch the behavior of people leaving the church parking lot after Mass on Sunday and see how little we believe in being courteous and accommodating to others. We provide a great witness to our true spiritual condition when we get behind the wheel of a motor vehicle.

Matthew
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I think the use of flashing headlamps is different in other cultures and it’s not that Americans have to learn the ettiquette of flashing our headlamps…we don’t flash headlamps unless it is an emergency…some times fast drivers will flash their lamps coming up on someone in the fast lane going slower then them; but it is usually only used if it is an emergency. And flashing uncoming cars is a warning of perhaps a speed trap; but also a courtesy to let oncoming traffic know of hazardous conditions ahead. while driving at night down in Mexico you will get flashed by oncoming semi’s as a signal to move over; as the road isn’t big enough for you and them too. So you have to get off on the shoulder whatever shoulder there is. The closer they get the more frantic they flash…they will not stop!
 
Driving at the speed limit is very commendable. I do that. Driving below the speed limit for no good reason, for great lengths of time can be a pain in the neck especially if you are causing a traffic jam. In fact, the Highway Code says that one must keep up with the flow of the traffic. People here have been fined for driving too slow and not keeping up with the speed of the traffic. However, tailgating is completely unacceptable. When people tailgate me, I slow to the speed required to put a safe stopping distance between us and if that means slowing right down, then, so be it. If I am the one causing the problem by not keeping up with the flow of the traffic (ie - on motorway with spacesaver tyre after a puncture) the I would move out of the way and let others go past.
 
And in IL, if you flash your lights while coming up on a car in the left lane, the person then usually brakes just to slow you down.

Personally, I try never to drive in the left lane, but if I do find myself there, and another driver wants to go faster than me, I move out of th way as quickly possible. Why anyone should act to upset other people intentionally is beyond my understanding.

Happily, at my parish, everyone is very polite in the parking lot.
 
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