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Its becoming clear, not just from this forum but from comments made all around, that the warmer weather is allowing the Neanderthals to thaw and get back behind the wheel. I would love to know why driving in warmer (and I'm not saying warm), weather creates these people. At the end of March, everything still seemed the same, but during April the rate of agression is already increasing from only 1 every few weeks to 1 or 2 a day.

This (very foggy) morning I was traveling on a road that has been under constuction for ever and is currently down to just one lane each way. Makes it kind of nice actually...not having drivers jockeying for position. Anyway as I'm coasing to a red light with about 15/30 people backed up behind it, black Toyoda tundra, suddendy get all up in my butt and I think I hear a horn, but its so quick I'm not sure. Next thing I know, The guy is less than a yard from from (still doing about 30mph) flashing lights and honking for all hes worth. I don't do anything except keep coasting. About 20 seconds later, I have to start braking for the traffic and finally Mr Tundra, goes on the right shoulder and drives past me, honking his horn and making rude gestures at me, as he proceeds on up to the right hand turn. Now whats really funny about all this is that where I stop, its still another ~20 yards till you can legally get in the right turn lane. So even if I did warp 9 and slammed on my brakes at the last second, the jerk behind me still would have had to drive illegally on the shoulder to get where he was going. He could have moved over a block before and passed everyone, but I guess he wasn't comfortable doing that so close to a police station. And the best part....he was stuck at the right turn lane for a good 30 seconds after I did finally stop. He never has to be an ass, and would have still been in the exact same spot.

I guess its just gashole season....anybody know where I can get a hunting license? :)

I know just what you mean, Jonathan. I had both a truck and a van pass me by driving into an oncoming turn lane, then later I had a car pass me in the oncoming lane some 40' from a red light just so he could cut over to make a right turn.

All three were over double yellow lines.

I'm already on the road well before 6AM. I don't know what else I can do.

yup, i had one this morning. i did the speed limit and he followed me almost all the way to work, occasionally getting too close. however, i make a left turn onto a 2 lane bridge, speed limit 30. he had to speed up, go around me, and cut in front of me so we could both stop at the light at the end of the bridge. i followed him then almost all the way to work (another 2 miles) before he turned off. all he did was move himself to in front of me. idiot.

What it is about the morning commute? I seem to have more angry people on my way to work rather than on my way home. In the morning is when I get tailgated and honked at.... And most of the people who do this end up passing me, and then I catch up when they are forced to slow down.

I wonder how commute times and traffic patterns would change if more people coasted and didn't feel so attracted to the rear of my car...

More times than I can count I have been tempted to get out of my car at the red light both of us got stuck at anyways, go up to their window, knock on it, and ask them how much time they saved by zipping around me to the red light.

Yesterday's traffic was ... erratic, that's the only word I can
come up with for it. Just on the normal shot home from work
I had TWO instances to call in -- a taxi that tried to pass me
on the right [in 20 mph rush-hour crawl traffic] by squeezing
into the closing tail-end of an *on-ramp* and then trying to
force his way back in next to me. Later, a straight-truck from
some company in NC clamped onto my butt as I exited for my usual
offramp to home, responding to my hazard/thumb entreaties by
lighting his brights and getting closer. One pic and phone call
later, another one's probably looking for work this morning. I'm
hoping their safety/dispatch people are actually going to get
back to me with the driver's side of the story, for whatever
that's worth since he was completely in the wrong.
.
It's not the full moon. Everything over the weekend and up until
yesterday was fine, and I was on the road quite a bit -- for the
most part smooth, non-confrontational, etc through a wide variety
of traffic types. But suddenly yesterday everything was crazy,
with a much higher delta speed between freeway lanes and wild
milling knots of commuters all trying to out-jockey each other.
They haven't dropped the big one on Boston yet, so I can't
imagine what the triggering factor is.
.
Now today I have to drive to Baltimore for an event, and I'm
mildly dreading it...
.
_H*

I had a passer on a blind corner with solid yellow lines this morning as well.

This ties in well with the jerk I had last night.

Oh well. People are short-sighted and think they're the rulers of the road. Just like everybody else.

More times than I can count I have been tempted to get out of my car at the red light both of us got stuck at anyways, go up to their window, knock on it, and ask them how much time they saved by zipping around me to the red light.

I have that unction too, but then I figure if I did I'd get punched in the face.