Road Rage
July 1, 2005 12:19 PM Subscribe
The Road Rage Quiz Take this test to gauge your ability to create rage in yourself & others. How do you deal with ragers? Here's two sites which advocate carrying & displaying Signs. This site likes the "Sorry" sign, while this site offers cards of a different nature.
I like the last link: "Thanks for littering, you disrespectful piece of shit!" I must've seen 6 people throw stuff out of their car windows this week.
posted by ZenMasterThis at 12:30 PM on July 1, 2005
posted by ZenMasterThis at 12:30 PM on July 1, 2005
I'm stuck on question number 1. None of those answers seem any good.
posted by sfenders at 12:43 PM on July 1, 2005
posted by sfenders at 12:43 PM on July 1, 2005
The business at the last link is totally irresponsible. Jesus.
posted by Optimus Chyme at 1:00 PM on July 1, 2005
posted by Optimus Chyme at 1:00 PM on July 1, 2005
I HATE THIS F&*^*% STUPID LINK! ITS TOTALLY POSTED IN THE WRONG PLACE, WHO DO THEY THINK THEY ARE?!! PLUS, THEY TOTALLY CUT ME OFF FROM WHAT I WAS SAYING!! THE F&^%&^% COC^%^ING (AL SWEARINGEN HOMAGE) SON OF A BEATCHES!!
THEY SHOULD LEARN HOW TO POST FIRST, IN FACT I BET SHE'S A WOMAN POSTER, THEY ARE ALL THE SAME.
I WISH THIS WAS GERMANY WHERE THEY CAN POST WITH NO LIMITS ON THE SUPER HIGHWAY, MAN I'D BE POSTING LIKE MEFIER!!
YEAH I'VE GOT A SMALL PROCESSOR, WHAT'S THAT GOT TO DO WITH YOU!!
posted by Mr Bluesky at 1:14 PM on July 1, 2005
THEY SHOULD LEARN HOW TO POST FIRST, IN FACT I BET SHE'S A WOMAN POSTER, THEY ARE ALL THE SAME.
I WISH THIS WAS GERMANY WHERE THEY CAN POST WITH NO LIMITS ON THE SUPER HIGHWAY, MAN I'D BE POSTING LIKE MEFIER!!
YEAH I'VE GOT A SMALL PROCESSOR, WHAT'S THAT GOT TO DO WITH YOU!!
posted by Mr Bluesky at 1:14 PM on July 1, 2005
I'm with Optimus Chyme. The third link makes me despair because I know there are many who will purchase those signs with the intention of using them. Such thoughts go through all our heads while we're driving, but to communicate such things may lead to confrontation and, occasionally, homicide.
The "Sorry" sign idea is a bit too roll-over-on-your-belly for me. How about a sign that says, "My bad"? I would totally use that if my driving goof pissed someone off enough to give me the finger.
posted by mistersquid at 1:18 PM on July 1, 2005
The "Sorry" sign idea is a bit too roll-over-on-your-belly for me. How about a sign that says, "My bad"? I would totally use that if my driving goof pissed someone off enough to give me the finger.
posted by mistersquid at 1:18 PM on July 1, 2005
21!!!
Anyway, that flipcard is a little ridiculous. How is searching through for the proper saying to insult someone while you're driving any less dangerous than talking on a cellphone, eating, whatever. Speaking of signs though, I have a funny story about that.
Went to the local record store once. The store has a pretty small parking lot, and a few years back they repainted all the parking spots, making them narrower so they could add a few. There's one spot open when I pull into the lot, and the car to the left of it (driver's side) was parked at an odd angle, necessitating that I park in kind of an awkward way, just barely going over the line on my right/passenger side. I'm in the store for a while, then when I come out, the car to the right is gone, and left under my windshield wiper was a photocopied note with a cartoon figure flipping me off and the message "Hey asshole, next time you park that close, leave me a fucking can opener so I can get in my car. Fuck you!" I was simply stunned that someone would be a big enough prick to buy or make little notes like that and carry them around in his/her car, just waiting for the opportunity to use them.
posted by papakwanz at 1:25 PM on July 1, 2005
Anyway, that flipcard is a little ridiculous. How is searching through for the proper saying to insult someone while you're driving any less dangerous than talking on a cellphone, eating, whatever. Speaking of signs though, I have a funny story about that.
Went to the local record store once. The store has a pretty small parking lot, and a few years back they repainted all the parking spots, making them narrower so they could add a few. There's one spot open when I pull into the lot, and the car to the left of it (driver's side) was parked at an odd angle, necessitating that I park in kind of an awkward way, just barely going over the line on my right/passenger side. I'm in the store for a while, then when I come out, the car to the right is gone, and left under my windshield wiper was a photocopied note with a cartoon figure flipping me off and the message "Hey asshole, next time you park that close, leave me a fucking can opener so I can get in my car. Fuck you!" I was simply stunned that someone would be a big enough prick to buy or make little notes like that and carry them around in his/her car, just waiting for the opportunity to use them.
posted by papakwanz at 1:25 PM on July 1, 2005
I have to admit, lately I've been purposely rude to SUV drivers. I mean really rude-- not just keeping them from passing on the right, but giving them obscene gestures, stealing their parking spaces, basically doing anything that I don't think will cause an accident. I know I need to stop, but they piss me off more and more each day.
I don't really get bent out of shape by other drivers, though I always take the subway during rush hour or on my way to work.
posted by gesamtkunstwerk at 1:27 PM on July 1, 2005
I don't really get bent out of shape by other drivers, though I always take the subway during rush hour or on my way to work.
posted by gesamtkunstwerk at 1:27 PM on July 1, 2005
The irrationality of peoples' behavior appears to be proportional to the mass of their vehicles and the degree to which they enjoy accelerating their vehicles to speeds at which life and property are put at risk.
Rational societies prefer mass transit. :oP
posted by nervousfritz at 1:27 PM on July 1, 2005
Rational societies prefer mass transit. :oP
posted by nervousfritz at 1:27 PM on July 1, 2005
gesamtkunstwerk: you do realize that the big jerk in the equation is you, and not the SUV driver, right? I had an SUV for awhile, and its mpg was not great but no worse than a van or pickup. Are you prejudiced to the point of rudeness against vans and pickups, too?
posted by fleacircus at 1:51 PM on July 1, 2005
posted by fleacircus at 1:51 PM on July 1, 2005
gesamtkunstwerk, I fight my urge to flip off every Hummer I see on the road but I would never be able to give my finger a rest if I flipped off every SUV I saw. They are EVERYWHERE in my town and they drive like utter and complete assholes.
I don't go out of my way to be rude to them but I don't go out of my way to make way for them to drive their friggin' land yachts around.
fleacircus, SUV drivers have been shown to drive more aggressively and dangerously than other drivers. The combination of seat height from the road and big, big engines means people put the emphasis on Sport in Sport Utility and drive them like they're race cars. They are incredibly dangerous to other drivers (much more so than station wagons) because of their higher center of gravity and some have been known to ride up on another car in an accident and basically shear off the passenger compartment. I'm sick and tired of seeing enormous SUVs with one tiny woman at the wheel.
posted by fenriq at 2:04 PM on July 1, 2005
I don't go out of my way to be rude to them but I don't go out of my way to make way for them to drive their friggin' land yachts around.
fleacircus, SUV drivers have been shown to drive more aggressively and dangerously than other drivers. The combination of seat height from the road and big, big engines means people put the emphasis on Sport in Sport Utility and drive them like they're race cars. They are incredibly dangerous to other drivers (much more so than station wagons) because of their higher center of gravity and some have been known to ride up on another car in an accident and basically shear off the passenger compartment. I'm sick and tired of seeing enormous SUVs with one tiny woman at the wheel.
posted by fenriq at 2:04 PM on July 1, 2005
I scored as a reasonable driver but only because this question wasn't on there:
A car behind you pulls into the right lane and starts to pass you even though the left lane is wide open. There's no exit coming up and clearly their intention is to get back into the center lane. What do you do?
In this situation I have frequently been known to speed up just enough to keep them from getting back into the center lane. I'm trying to stop though.
posted by PinkStainlessTail at 2:21 PM on July 1, 2005
A car behind you pulls into the right lane and starts to pass you even though the left lane is wide open. There's no exit coming up and clearly their intention is to get back into the center lane. What do you do?
In this situation I have frequently been known to speed up just enough to keep them from getting back into the center lane. I'm trying to stop though.
posted by PinkStainlessTail at 2:21 PM on July 1, 2005
A car behind you pulls into the right lane and starts to pass you even though the left lane is wide open. There's no exit coming up and clearly their intention is to get back into the center lane. What do you do?
In this situation I have frequently been known to speed up just enough to keep them from getting back into the center lane. I'm trying to stop though.
Honest question - why does that bother you that they came up on the right instead of the left? Isn't it the same end result if they went ot hte left to pass you?
posted by tristeza at 2:27 PM on July 1, 2005
In this situation I have frequently been known to speed up just enough to keep them from getting back into the center lane. I'm trying to stop though.
Honest question - why does that bother you that they came up on the right instead of the left? Isn't it the same end result if they went ot hte left to pass you?
posted by tristeza at 2:27 PM on July 1, 2005
I was simply stunned that someone would be a big enough prick to buy or make little notes like that and carry them around in his/her car, just waiting for the opportunity to use them.
It's a two-way street, though; my wife (7 months pregnant with twins, which is -really- hard to miss) recently had this experience...
Later, she parks and gets out of her car, and as she's closing the door, she notices there's a guy (older, 50s-ish) waiting to turn into the parking space she's standing in. She makes eye contact, they both smile. Nothing wrong at all.
She comes back to her car, and he's parked so close to her driver's side that she can't get in her car. Not "seven-months-pregnant-with-twins" can't get in her car -- "no human being alive" can't get in her car. This, from a guy that -clearly- saw her, saw how pregnant she was, and who nonetheless decided to park really really far from the car on the other side, almost touching hers.
Ultimately she had to get in through the passenger side of her little economy car, and crawl over the seat and shifter to the other side.
I'll tell you what: a single day like that, and I'd be tempted to make little signs, too.
posted by davejay at 2:28 PM on July 1, 2005
It's a two-way street, though; my wife (7 months pregnant with twins, which is -really- hard to miss) recently had this experience...
Later, she parks and gets out of her car, and as she's closing the door, she notices there's a guy (older, 50s-ish) waiting to turn into the parking space she's standing in. She makes eye contact, they both smile. Nothing wrong at all.
She comes back to her car, and he's parked so close to her driver's side that she can't get in her car. Not "seven-months-pregnant-with-twins" can't get in her car -- "no human being alive" can't get in her car. This, from a guy that -clearly- saw her, saw how pregnant she was, and who nonetheless decided to park really really far from the car on the other side, almost touching hers.
Ultimately she had to get in through the passenger side of her little economy car, and crawl over the seat and shifter to the other side.
I'll tell you what: a single day like that, and I'd be tempted to make little signs, too.
posted by davejay at 2:28 PM on July 1, 2005
Honest question - why does that bother you that they came up on the right instead of the left? Isn't it the same end result if they went ot hte left to pass you?
Absolutely. But they're supposed to pass on the left. It's the passing lane. That's what it's for. Oh, there's usually riding up on my bumper involved too, in the worst cases.
posted by PinkStainlessTail at 2:30 PM on July 1, 2005
Absolutely. But they're supposed to pass on the left. It's the passing lane. That's what it's for. Oh, there's usually riding up on my bumper involved too, in the worst cases.
posted by PinkStainlessTail at 2:30 PM on July 1, 2005
I mean really rude-- not just keeping them from passing on the right, but giving them obscene gestures
Hmmm. Ever know of someone who died in a car accident?
You are insane.
posted by _sirmissalot_ at 2:39 PM on July 1, 2005
Hmmm. Ever know of someone who died in a car accident?
You are insane.
posted by _sirmissalot_ at 2:39 PM on July 1, 2005
The combination of seat height from the road and big, big engines
Huh? Lots have 2--2.5 liter 4-bangers.
This, from a guy that -clearly- saw her, saw how pregnant she was, and who nonetheless decided to park really really far from the car on the other side, almost touching hers.
Maybe. Or maybe he just parked the car and didn't notice that it was close to your wife's car. It's possible to do rude things through inattention rather than malice.
posted by ROU_Xenophobe at 2:52 PM on July 1, 2005
Huh? Lots have 2--2.5 liter 4-bangers.
This, from a guy that -clearly- saw her, saw how pregnant she was, and who nonetheless decided to park really really far from the car on the other side, almost touching hers.
Maybe. Or maybe he just parked the car and didn't notice that it was close to your wife's car. It's possible to do rude things through inattention rather than malice.
posted by ROU_Xenophobe at 2:52 PM on July 1, 2005
The reason I hate SUVs is that, while I'm trying to turn right onto a 2-way street, people who are literally seven feet off the ground will pull up on my left side, nearly into the road, cutting off my view. What that means is that I can't turn right before they turn left, unless I want to risk killing myself or someone else. During traffic-heavy times that means that like ten people (me and everyone behind me) are at a standstill until both lanes are clear.
Hey: you are way above the ground. You can see fine. That extra foot I need to use to see other fucking cars will not get you home any fucking faster.
posted by Optimus Chyme at 3:11 PM on July 1, 2005
Hey: you are way above the ground. You can see fine. That extra foot I need to use to see other fucking cars will not get you home any fucking faster.
posted by Optimus Chyme at 3:11 PM on July 1, 2005
Optimus Chyme writes "The business at the last link is totally irresponsible. Jesus."
Nah, I think it'd be great if the sort of people who actually feel like that identify themselves for what they are (impatient twats).
posted by clevershark at 3:17 PM on July 1, 2005
Nah, I think it'd be great if the sort of people who actually feel like that identify themselves for what they are (impatient twats).
posted by clevershark at 3:17 PM on July 1, 2005
davejay-
it's one thing to get irritated in her particular situation. Does this happen multiple times a day, to the point where she needs dozens of little slips? Probably not. My point being that whoever left the note on my car is a prick, and I'd bet that they intentionally likes to be a dick to people; there's no other reason to keep such notes around. Plus, I know you'll have to take my word for it, but this person was not unable to get in their car, unless they were obese or pregnant. I don't know who it was, so these could be possibilites, but I tried my damndest to make sure that they had enough space to get in their car. In fact, because of the awkwardness of the parking spaces, there was about as much space on my driver's side as there was on theirs. Whoever the jerkoff was, my theory is that they figured the world should be their oyster, and everyone should cater to their comfort and convenience.
posted by papakwanz at 3:22 PM on July 1, 2005
it's one thing to get irritated in her particular situation. Does this happen multiple times a day, to the point where she needs dozens of little slips? Probably not. My point being that whoever left the note on my car is a prick, and I'd bet that they intentionally likes to be a dick to people; there's no other reason to keep such notes around. Plus, I know you'll have to take my word for it, but this person was not unable to get in their car, unless they were obese or pregnant. I don't know who it was, so these could be possibilites, but I tried my damndest to make sure that they had enough space to get in their car. In fact, because of the awkwardness of the parking spaces, there was about as much space on my driver's side as there was on theirs. Whoever the jerkoff was, my theory is that they figured the world should be their oyster, and everyone should cater to their comfort and convenience.
posted by papakwanz at 3:22 PM on July 1, 2005
papakwanz - I've gotten the almost identical card - I think in Baltimore. Did it have a bad cartoon on it, like a crude Disney character or something flipping the bird? These are the same people who think it's clever to have a Calvin-peeing-on-X sticker in the back window. You just have to let that shit go.
posted by _sirmissalot_ at 3:28 PM on July 1, 2005
posted by _sirmissalot_ at 3:28 PM on July 1, 2005
Some people are just jerks, whether they're driving or not. If you spend too much time wonder why those people are assholes you'll just end up wasting that much time out of your life.
posted by clevershark at 3:34 PM on July 1, 2005
posted by clevershark at 3:34 PM on July 1, 2005
I just got back from a seven-state motorcycle trip with my girlfriend on the back. At one point she asked me "People in SUVs drive really bad, don't they?" "Yes, honey, they do."
They drive past multiple pullouts with cars stacked behind them, change lanes randomly and without shifting, make aggressive moves all the time, distracted moves even more often, etc, etc.
I think it must have something to do with a belief in lack of consequences. If a typical car gets in an accident, the driver knows they can get hurt. Surrounded by a huge machine and smaller vehicles, I think SUV drivers must feel somewhat invincible.
Not that anything can be done about it - gesamtkunstwerk, that's definitely not what should be done about it!
posted by letitrain at 3:35 PM on July 1, 2005
They drive past multiple pullouts with cars stacked behind them, change lanes randomly and without shifting, make aggressive moves all the time, distracted moves even more often, etc, etc.
I think it must have something to do with a belief in lack of consequences. If a typical car gets in an accident, the driver knows they can get hurt. Surrounded by a huge machine and smaller vehicles, I think SUV drivers must feel somewhat invincible.
Not that anything can be done about it - gesamtkunstwerk, that's definitely not what should be done about it!
posted by letitrain at 3:35 PM on July 1, 2005
sirmissalot - yeah, something like that. It was a couple years back. I normally would have laughed it off, but I'd already gotten into an argument with some jerk at a restaurant that day, so I was in a bad mood in general.
posted by papakwanz at 3:35 PM on July 1, 2005
posted by papakwanz at 3:35 PM on July 1, 2005
I have the same gut reaction to SUV's as gesamtkunstwerk and I have no idea why. I am not overtly rude to their drivers, though.
Hummers, on the other hand, are fair game. The last guy I saw swaggering out of the Hummer that was taking up two parking spots, I looked at him and shook my head and said, "That's too bad. We all know what you're compensating for," and then I went on my way. In some sick way it made my day.
posted by leftcoastbob at 3:39 PM on July 1, 2005
Hummers, on the other hand, are fair game. The last guy I saw swaggering out of the Hummer that was taking up two parking spots, I looked at him and shook my head and said, "That's too bad. We all know what you're compensating for," and then I went on my way. In some sick way it made my day.
posted by leftcoastbob at 3:39 PM on July 1, 2005
papakwanz - I got the same note (the Disney character flipping the bird one) about ten years ago here in the Northeast.
Unfortunately, it was a day I was supposed to take my nine year-old little brother (as in Big Brother/Big Sister program) to the movies, and he was the one who found it under my windshield wiper. It was one of my very first "won't you please think of the children" moments in my life. I was less than pleased. And my parking job wasn't unreasonable to begin with.
posted by Chanther at 4:42 PM on July 1, 2005
Unfortunately, it was a day I was supposed to take my nine year-old little brother (as in Big Brother/Big Sister program) to the movies, and he was the one who found it under my windshield wiper. It was one of my very first "won't you please think of the children" moments in my life. I was less than pleased. And my parking job wasn't unreasonable to begin with.
posted by Chanther at 4:42 PM on July 1, 2005
fenriq: SUV drivers have been shown to drive more aggressively and dangerously than other drivers ... yet not as aggressive/dangerous as full-size vans or pickups. Also note that this study (which seems to be 'the' study as far as I can see) would conclude that motorcyclists are supremely unaggressive and safe drivers since they so rarely cause fatalities in struck vehicles.
I find it unreasonable that SUV-hating for some people crosses the line from a pet peeve into a fury. I imagine the non-SUV driver is probably feels jealous and inadequate and has the need to strike back in rather pathetic ways, probably seeking to get in an accident with an SUV that they can blame on them. (Hey reading minds of other drivers is fun).
That said, there probably are too many bad drivers out there who happen to be in SUVs (implying that if there were no SUV's, the roads would be safer), and I'll agree with hating Hummers, especially H2s, because they are incredibly ostentatious and ugly.
But there are so many other drivers to hate. Taxi drivers in SF are incredibly random and aggressive drivers, but the quiz thinks I must be racist and sexist to believe that (question 6). All too often people think a turn signal on the highway means "speed up to prevent me from getting into your lane" so that bizarrely it's sometimes safer not to signal. I despise people who stop at a light with a car length of empty space in front of them -- leaving someone behind them in the intersection or themselves blocking a lane change -- then sometime during the red light they creep up to where they were supposed to stop. So many bad drivers to be enraged at out there, and frankly I don't notice most of them being in SUVs.
posted by fleacircus at 4:51 PM on July 1, 2005
I find it unreasonable that SUV-hating for some people crosses the line from a pet peeve into a fury. I imagine the non-SUV driver is probably feels jealous and inadequate and has the need to strike back in rather pathetic ways, probably seeking to get in an accident with an SUV that they can blame on them. (Hey reading minds of other drivers is fun).
That said, there probably are too many bad drivers out there who happen to be in SUVs (implying that if there were no SUV's, the roads would be safer), and I'll agree with hating Hummers, especially H2s, because they are incredibly ostentatious and ugly.
But there are so many other drivers to hate. Taxi drivers in SF are incredibly random and aggressive drivers, but the quiz thinks I must be racist and sexist to believe that (question 6). All too often people think a turn signal on the highway means "speed up to prevent me from getting into your lane" so that bizarrely it's sometimes safer not to signal. I despise people who stop at a light with a car length of empty space in front of them -- leaving someone behind them in the intersection or themselves blocking a lane change -- then sometime during the red light they creep up to where they were supposed to stop. So many bad drivers to be enraged at out there, and frankly I don't notice most of them being in SUVs.
posted by fleacircus at 4:51 PM on July 1, 2005
How about trace the tag, go have a few beers, then after dark jump up and down on top of the aggressive drivers car. Or alternately, you could spell a profane word in their yard with salt...
posted by buzzman at 5:01 PM on July 1, 2005
posted by buzzman at 5:01 PM on July 1, 2005
*honks*
GET OUT OF MY F-ING WAY MORON!!
WHY DO YOU SUCK AT DRIVING?
*flips the bird*
*floors it*
posted by schyler523 at 5:56 PM on July 1, 2005
GET OUT OF MY F-ING WAY MORON!!
WHY DO YOU SUCK AT DRIVING?
*flips the bird*
*floors it*
posted by schyler523 at 5:56 PM on July 1, 2005
A good way to handle road rage is to scream in a Hollywood version of a southern belle's voice. Try it some time.
"Wha-eh'd you lehn haw to draaave? Dumb sun of a bi-atch! I do decla-uh!"
posted by raysmj at 6:26 PM on July 1, 2005
"Wha-eh'd you lehn haw to draaave? Dumb sun of a bi-atch! I do decla-uh!"
posted by raysmj at 6:26 PM on July 1, 2005
The reason I hate SUVs is that, while I'm trying to turn right onto a 2-way street, people who are literally seven feet off the ground will pull up on my left side, nearly into the road, cutting off my view.
Yes, this effing infuriates me. Especially because I live in a big, cramped city with lack of reasonable public transportation. Cars like this slow up traffic and cause regular driving maneuvers (making a left turn) to become an ordeal. And now, most parking lots have lost half their spaces. I really don't understand why someone would want to have a car like that in a city. And no, I'm not jealous of people who drive SUVs. Jeezus. I'm jealous of people who can afford hybrids, well... and people with really sexy Jaguars.
posted by Kloryne at 7:56 PM on July 1, 2005
Yes, this effing infuriates me. Especially because I live in a big, cramped city with lack of reasonable public transportation. Cars like this slow up traffic and cause regular driving maneuvers (making a left turn) to become an ordeal. And now, most parking lots have lost half their spaces. I really don't understand why someone would want to have a car like that in a city. And no, I'm not jealous of people who drive SUVs. Jeezus. I'm jealous of people who can afford hybrids, well... and people with really sexy Jaguars.
posted by Kloryne at 7:56 PM on July 1, 2005
To all the SUV haters: it's called confirmation bias.
You're full of shit, in other words. And I mean that in the best possible way.
To my Mom, the bad drivers drive Volkswagens. To my Dad, the bad drivers drive Saab's. When I was in high school, I thought all the bad drivers were in CRXs. To local news just ran a piece on horrible and dangerous motorcycle riders, so maybe they are the ones to hate now.
The reality is, you specifically notice all the bad drivers in the SUVs, because you already hate them. You ignore and forget the good drivers in SUVs.
I hate vans and garbage trucks I can't see around. I hat buses. I hate funeral processions. All these things cause some minor impediment to my drive.
And yet, I know that is my pettiness, not a condemnation of said drivers.
American drivers often just suck in general, as driving privileges are handed out like candy here. It doesn't have a hell of a lot do with the car.
posted by teece at 9:33 PM on July 1, 2005
You're full of shit, in other words. And I mean that in the best possible way.
To my Mom, the bad drivers drive Volkswagens. To my Dad, the bad drivers drive Saab's. When I was in high school, I thought all the bad drivers were in CRXs. To local news just ran a piece on horrible and dangerous motorcycle riders, so maybe they are the ones to hate now.
The reality is, you specifically notice all the bad drivers in the SUVs, because you already hate them. You ignore and forget the good drivers in SUVs.
I hate vans and garbage trucks I can't see around. I hat buses. I hate funeral processions. All these things cause some minor impediment to my drive.
And yet, I know that is my pettiness, not a condemnation of said drivers.
American drivers often just suck in general, as driving privileges are handed out like candy here. It doesn't have a hell of a lot do with the car.
posted by teece at 9:33 PM on July 1, 2005
Nah, teece, people who buy SUVs don't care about the environment. This means that they are shitty drivers.
In all honesty, though, I drive my Grand Prix through the parking garage when I get to work and every day an SUV nearly kills me. The garage is only wide enough for two cars to squeeze through, and when the Esuvee lines up in the middle of the damned lane there's nowhere to go. So then we stop, and they have to back up and move over a bit.
That makes me want to put sugar in their fucking gas tank.
In short, I think city-driving SUV owners should trade in their land yachts for something flashy yet practical. Like a nice mercedes, or one of those Subaru Outbacks. They - at least - don't make me fear for my life in a parking garage.
posted by Baby_Balrog at 9:48 PM on July 1, 2005
In all honesty, though, I drive my Grand Prix through the parking garage when I get to work and every day an SUV nearly kills me. The garage is only wide enough for two cars to squeeze through, and when the Esuvee lines up in the middle of the damned lane there's nowhere to go. So then we stop, and they have to back up and move over a bit.
That makes me want to put sugar in their fucking gas tank.
In short, I think city-driving SUV owners should trade in their land yachts for something flashy yet practical. Like a nice mercedes, or one of those Subaru Outbacks. They - at least - don't make me fear for my life in a parking garage.
posted by Baby_Balrog at 9:48 PM on July 1, 2005
and left under my windshield wiper was a photocopied note with a cartoon figure flipping me off and the message "Hey asshole, next time you park that close, leave me a fucking can opener so I can get in my car. Fuck you!"
papakuanz
Um..that might have been me. I had one of those left on my car and then made a few copies just in case I ran into the same situation. Wouldn't you know--I used up those copies quick. Everyone is just as bad at parking as at driving.
posted by zardoz at 10:09 PM on July 1, 2005
papakuanz
Um..that might have been me. I had one of those left on my car and then made a few copies just in case I ran into the same situation. Wouldn't you know--I used up those copies quick. Everyone is just as bad at parking as at driving.
posted by zardoz at 10:09 PM on July 1, 2005
Nah, teece, people who buy SUVs don't care about the environment. This means that they are shitty drivers.
Are you sure, Baby_Balrog?
Because I'm pretty sure I care about the environment. I also am pretty sure that I contribute less pollutants to the air than the average American, even though I own a Blazer (the S-10 size).
I have put thousands of miles on my bicycle that could have been on my car. I ride the bus downtown otherwise, in general. When I am in my SUV, my wife is almost always with me. I take my SUV off-road and into the mountains in winter (well, not off-road, I'm not a 4-wheeler, but onto badly maintained or unmaintained dirt roads). I take it climbing and skiing and backpacking and hiking and ... But I live in the city. And I get kind of tired having to defend my choice of car to my fellow lefties as if I was some sort of Bush Oil exec. buddy or something. And then the same people, starting from there, telling me I'm a dangerous driver and I want to kill them because of my SUV.
Sure, my lefty friends will give me a pass once I show them my 'creds' and explain my 'need.' But that's just the thing: you shouldn't be doing the generalizing in the first damn place.
posted by teece at 10:26 PM on July 1, 2005
Are you sure, Baby_Balrog?
Because I'm pretty sure I care about the environment. I also am pretty sure that I contribute less pollutants to the air than the average American, even though I own a Blazer (the S-10 size).
I have put thousands of miles on my bicycle that could have been on my car. I ride the bus downtown otherwise, in general. When I am in my SUV, my wife is almost always with me. I take my SUV off-road and into the mountains in winter (well, not off-road, I'm not a 4-wheeler, but onto badly maintained or unmaintained dirt roads). I take it climbing and skiing and backpacking and hiking and ... But I live in the city. And I get kind of tired having to defend my choice of car to my fellow lefties as if I was some sort of Bush Oil exec. buddy or something. And then the same people, starting from there, telling me I'm a dangerous driver and I want to kill them because of my SUV.
Sure, my lefty friends will give me a pass once I show them my 'creds' and explain my 'need.' But that's just the thing: you shouldn't be doing the generalizing in the first damn place.
posted by teece at 10:26 PM on July 1, 2005
gesamtkunstwerk:
I am generally prejudiced against SUV drivers, and it has nothing to do with mpg. Do you know how difficult it is to back up safely when the car beside you is an SUV? Do you know how galling it is to be denied yet another parking place because an SUV is taking two spots? How irritating it is to have an SUV idling in front of you, making it is impossible to see the pedestrian at the crosswalk, or sometimes even the traffic lights?
I have been a cashier at a busy store, and I can see what people pull up in. Out of the hundreds of customers that I have served in an average week, do you how many cretins come in with a wad of tobacco under their upper lips? Approximately five. Do you know how many of those drive SUVs? Approximately five. If I have a customer who uses the word nigger or Jew (in a derogatory manner), or faggot, or who reeks so badly that I have to spray the room after they have left, do you know how many drive SUVs? Nearly 100%. If a customer complains about the price of an item, or the sales tax, all the while purchasing several cartons of cigarettes and cases of beer, they usually drove up in SUVs. If they listen to Art Bell, they almost always drive SUVs.
Stereotypes? Yes. True? Also yes.
An SUV is a lifestyle choice that tells me a great deal about your personality. Sometimes, it means that you live 10 miles out of town and haul a lot of shit to and from various places, so an SUV is a logical choice. Frequently, however, it means that you are an inconsiderate asshole who needs to compensate for something, or that your husband does. And, just to be non-sexist, the few women I've known who owned SUVs were complete douchebags.
That's the end of my rant.
posted by Chasuk at 11:06 PM on July 1, 2005
I am generally prejudiced against SUV drivers, and it has nothing to do with mpg. Do you know how difficult it is to back up safely when the car beside you is an SUV? Do you know how galling it is to be denied yet another parking place because an SUV is taking two spots? How irritating it is to have an SUV idling in front of you, making it is impossible to see the pedestrian at the crosswalk, or sometimes even the traffic lights?
I have been a cashier at a busy store, and I can see what people pull up in. Out of the hundreds of customers that I have served in an average week, do you how many cretins come in with a wad of tobacco under their upper lips? Approximately five. Do you know how many of those drive SUVs? Approximately five. If I have a customer who uses the word nigger or Jew (in a derogatory manner), or faggot, or who reeks so badly that I have to spray the room after they have left, do you know how many drive SUVs? Nearly 100%. If a customer complains about the price of an item, or the sales tax, all the while purchasing several cartons of cigarettes and cases of beer, they usually drove up in SUVs. If they listen to Art Bell, they almost always drive SUVs.
Stereotypes? Yes. True? Also yes.
An SUV is a lifestyle choice that tells me a great deal about your personality. Sometimes, it means that you live 10 miles out of town and haul a lot of shit to and from various places, so an SUV is a logical choice. Frequently, however, it means that you are an inconsiderate asshole who needs to compensate for something, or that your husband does. And, just to be non-sexist, the few women I've known who owned SUVs were complete douchebags.
That's the end of my rant.
posted by Chasuk at 11:06 PM on July 1, 2005
I think city-driving SUV owners should trade in their land yachts for something flashy yet practical. Like a nice mercedes, or one of those Subaru Outbacks
An Outback is an SUV, ya big silly. Car-based instead of pickup-based, but nonetheless a high-clearance vehicle that's at least nominally off-road.
posted by ROU_Xenophobe at 11:14 PM on July 1, 2005
An Outback is an SUV, ya big silly. Car-based instead of pickup-based, but nonetheless a high-clearance vehicle that's at least nominally off-road.
posted by ROU_Xenophobe at 11:14 PM on July 1, 2005
Chasuk: let me say it again: confirmation bias. Really. Start writing it down, cataloging what everyone comes up in and how they behave. You'll see just how amazingly bad people are at trying to form a rational opinion on a statistical sampling issue like this from memory.
We remember the cases that reinforce your bias. We forget the ones that don't. That's the way our brains work.
posted by teece at 11:22 PM on July 1, 2005
We remember the cases that reinforce your bias. We forget the ones that don't. That's the way our brains work.
posted by teece at 11:22 PM on July 1, 2005
teece:
I admit that there is prolly some truth to your claim. However, understand that I, as a USian male, didn't get my driver's license until I was 26 years old, and, when it expired four years later, I didn't get another one for TWELVE YEARS. Cars are only transportation to me. I am not fixated on them to any degree, either in a positive or a negative sense. I'm not conservationally-conscious, either. An SUV is a Mazda is a Pinto is a Chrysler. I can't even tell you, most days, what type of car I OWN. It isn't any more important to me than the brand of dental floss that I buy.
So why would I have confirmation bias any more against SUVs than I would against station wagons?
posted by Chasuk at 11:41 PM on July 1, 2005
I admit that there is prolly some truth to your claim. However, understand that I, as a USian male, didn't get my driver's license until I was 26 years old, and, when it expired four years later, I didn't get another one for TWELVE YEARS. Cars are only transportation to me. I am not fixated on them to any degree, either in a positive or a negative sense. I'm not conservationally-conscious, either. An SUV is a Mazda is a Pinto is a Chrysler. I can't even tell you, most days, what type of car I OWN. It isn't any more important to me than the brand of dental floss that I buy.
So why would I have confirmation bias any more against SUVs than I would against station wagons?
posted by Chasuk at 11:41 PM on July 1, 2005
For those who live in LA or anywhere else where this is applicable: It really ticks me off in traffic jams on freeways that cars would pass in the exit lane and change back in once the exit lane exits. I blame them for part of the traffic problem. This would be the only time I will tailgate the car in front.
posted by state fxn at 12:40 AM on July 2, 2005
posted by state fxn at 12:40 AM on July 2, 2005
Tragically, most of the driving public seems to have decided to emulate my early bad example. Most people now drive like I used to as an ignorant, selfish, testosterone addled, 18 year old idiot. Grown men, women, all ages, doesn't seem to matter, everyones become an 18 year old male behind the wheel.
Anyhow I'm with teece, confirmation bias would certainly be a major concern since it would appear to be an enabler for self-justifying retaliatory behavior. This of course is the point of question six. How much do you buy into the notion you can predict behavior or pre-assign blame to individuals by categorizing them according to some simple visible characteristic and how far do you chose to act on the perception.
posted by scheptech at 2:26 AM on July 2, 2005
Anyhow I'm with teece, confirmation bias would certainly be a major concern since it would appear to be an enabler for self-justifying retaliatory behavior. This of course is the point of question six. How much do you buy into the notion you can predict behavior or pre-assign blame to individuals by categorizing them according to some simple visible characteristic and how far do you chose to act on the perception.
posted by scheptech at 2:26 AM on July 2, 2005
An good article from Malcolm Gladwell: "Big and bad: How the SUV ran over automotive safety".
However, I have recently gotten over the whole anti-SUV driver thing. My new pet peeve is people turning left, without an arrow, who don't yield the right of way to oncoming traffic that's turning right. Please keep this in mind, everyone: if you're turning left you must yield the right of way to all oncoming traffic, whether it's just going straight or turning right. Thank you.
posted by JT at 7:52 AM on July 2, 2005
However, I have recently gotten over the whole anti-SUV driver thing. My new pet peeve is people turning left, without an arrow, who don't yield the right of way to oncoming traffic that's turning right. Please keep this in mind, everyone: if you're turning left you must yield the right of way to all oncoming traffic, whether it's just going straight or turning right. Thank you.
posted by JT at 7:52 AM on July 2, 2005
I understand the confirmation bias thing, teece; as a skeptic, I have to use that phrase nearly every day when talking with people who believe that horoscopes and psychics are real. But it's pretty impossible to talk about confirmation bias in an instance where the only reason a type of vehicle infuriates you is because of its physical dimensions. I'd guess that most SUV drivers simply don't realize that the rest of us with regular-sized cars simply can't see though a six-foot high hood.
posted by Optimus Chyme at 8:45 AM on July 2, 2005
posted by Optimus Chyme at 8:45 AM on July 2, 2005
I imagine the non-SUV driver is probably feels jealous and inadequate...
Yeah, people who buy large machismo-associated "sport" vehicles aren't compensating for anything unlike those sedan buyers.
That said, I have a large pickup truck. I need to haul all kinds of stuff all kinds of places. I carry tools in it. I carry my sports bag in it (rugby boots, balls, hoops, etc) and sometimes players.
It is used for sports and utilities.
Why I would want to put a roof over the back and install some seats, a lift kit, and a low torque engine (so I have more "power") is beyond me.
I understand people's irritations with SUVs. I have no idea why people buy cars based on anything other than need (and associated parameters), and gas milage. I could care less about say, what color car I'm buying.
I don't like SUVs, but for the same reasons it irritated me when I saw a guy driving a Ferrari down my (albeit poorly repaired) street at 12 mph. But he didn't even punch it once he got on the main road. Man, that's just offensive.
posted by Smedleyman at 9:19 AM on July 2, 2005
Yeah, people who buy large machismo-associated "sport" vehicles aren't compensating for anything unlike those sedan buyers.
That said, I have a large pickup truck. I need to haul all kinds of stuff all kinds of places. I carry tools in it. I carry my sports bag in it (rugby boots, balls, hoops, etc) and sometimes players.
It is used for sports and utilities.
Why I would want to put a roof over the back and install some seats, a lift kit, and a low torque engine (so I have more "power") is beyond me.
I understand people's irritations with SUVs. I have no idea why people buy cars based on anything other than need (and associated parameters), and gas milage. I could care less about say, what color car I'm buying.
I don't like SUVs, but for the same reasons it irritated me when I saw a guy driving a Ferrari down my (albeit poorly repaired) street at 12 mph. But he didn't even punch it once he got on the main road. Man, that's just offensive.
posted by Smedleyman at 9:19 AM on July 2, 2005
Man. I bought a motorcycle a couple of weeks ago. Since then, has my car driving style ever changed.
posted by mendel at 9:50 AM on July 2, 2005
posted by mendel at 9:50 AM on July 2, 2005
I have no idea why people buy cars based on anything other than need (and associated parameters)
People "need" a car that will haul 2 parents, 2--4 rugrat-aged kids, and their crap. But they don't want to be complete uncool lame-o's like their parents were, or at least want to pretend that they're still cool.
Back in the day, they'd have just bought a station wagon -- but those became Mom's Lame-O-Mobile, complete with applied faux wood and Mom singing along to oldies from the late 50's. So people invented minivans, which seemed a good idea, and people bought those... until they became Mom's Lame-O-Mobile, complete with faux wood siding and Mom singing along with oldies from the late 60's. Now parents who want to pretend that they're still cool buy SUV's, but thankfully the Mom's Lame-O-Mobile stink is spreading to them too. I don't know that I've seen any with woodgrain siding, except for the Jeeps that have had it for eons, but you know that day is coming just as surely as you know that there are moms out there singing along to Dexy's Midnight Runners and Madonna's "Lucky Star" as they drive their deeply embarrassed kids from school to baseball practice.
Maybe they'll shift back to wagons, or minivans tarted up to look more like the PT Cruiser.
Me, if I could afford it and didn't mind the unreliability, I'd just pick up one of the go-fast Volvo wagons.
posted by ROU_Xenophobe at 10:10 AM on July 2, 2005
People "need" a car that will haul 2 parents, 2--4 rugrat-aged kids, and their crap. But they don't want to be complete uncool lame-o's like their parents were, or at least want to pretend that they're still cool.
Back in the day, they'd have just bought a station wagon -- but those became Mom's Lame-O-Mobile, complete with applied faux wood and Mom singing along to oldies from the late 50's. So people invented minivans, which seemed a good idea, and people bought those... until they became Mom's Lame-O-Mobile, complete with faux wood siding and Mom singing along with oldies from the late 60's. Now parents who want to pretend that they're still cool buy SUV's, but thankfully the Mom's Lame-O-Mobile stink is spreading to them too. I don't know that I've seen any with woodgrain siding, except for the Jeeps that have had it for eons, but you know that day is coming just as surely as you know that there are moms out there singing along to Dexy's Midnight Runners and Madonna's "Lucky Star" as they drive their deeply embarrassed kids from school to baseball practice.
Maybe they'll shift back to wagons, or minivans tarted up to look more like the PT Cruiser.
Me, if I could afford it and didn't mind the unreliability, I'd just pick up one of the go-fast Volvo wagons.
posted by ROU_Xenophobe at 10:10 AM on July 2, 2005
An Outback is an SUV, ya big silly.
Rou X ... you just lost all crediblity. :)
Having said that, my car is a tin can (metro) and I know if I am hit I will become a null quantity. Everyone cuts me off, even bikes. I am a passive person but after awhile I start to envision james bond-esque anti-car offensives.
posted by uni verse at 10:25 AM on July 2, 2005
Rou X ... you just lost all crediblity. :)
Having said that, my car is a tin can (metro) and I know if I am hit I will become a null quantity. Everyone cuts me off, even bikes. I am a passive person but after awhile I start to envision james bond-esque anti-car offensives.
posted by uni verse at 10:25 AM on July 2, 2005
An SUV is a high-clearance vehicle that at least pretends to be off-road capable. Lots of them are basically raised wagons. Fits the Outback or Forester or Rav4, just like it would have fit the old AMC Eagle. It's not required somewhere by the SUV Police that they be large (viz, Jeep Wranglers) or frame-and-body instead of unibody.
It's annoying to me because I wouldn't mind picking up some of them if only they weren't raised.
posted by ROU_Xenophobe at 11:06 AM on July 2, 2005
It's annoying to me because I wouldn't mind picking up some of them if only they weren't raised.
posted by ROU_Xenophobe at 11:06 AM on July 2, 2005
I know, I had an old subaru 4x4 wagon and loved it, it was only slightly less raised then the new one I think, and several occasions going over broken seattle asphalt I was glad to have that slight amount of clearance. But mainly it was unstoppable in the snow, I went through snow almost a foot deep: got through right before they closed the pass. Good times.
posted by uni verse at 11:16 AM on July 2, 2005
posted by uni verse at 11:16 AM on July 2, 2005
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