Ethics of not helping agressive drivers

mawk · 01-10-2011 10:53pm #1

Ive been pondering this since yesterday when I had the very same car pull the very same asshole maneuver twice within minutes.

he overtook me twice both times when there was nowhere to go. first time he overtook 4 cars before getting alongside me as the overtaking lane ran out and he found himself parallel to me with traffic coming straight for him. he pushed in on me until I eventually had to brake to allow him in front of me before he caused a head on crash.
this same car stopped and pulled into a house about 30 seconds later. Annoyed obviously but away I went. then about ten minutes down the road the cnut flew up alongside me and exactly the same thing happened again.
furious didnt cover it.

so, the question. why should I let him in? he clearly does this a lot, why should he not have to slap on the hazards and brakes and get stuck on the wrong side of the white line?

p.s ill thank anyone who can guess the car he drove.

Blazer · 01-10-2011 10:58pm

mawk wrote: »

p.s ill thank anyone who can guess the car he drove.

Those Yaris drivers are nothing but trouble:mad:

Seth Brundle · 01-10-2011 11:00pm

You are probably better off having someone like this heading off ahead of you rather than getting more and more inpatient behind you.
Anyhow, you don't know the reason for their urgency.

PARKHEAD67 · 01-10-2011 11:01pm

mawk wrote: »

Ive been pondering this since yesterday when I had the very same car pull the very same asshole maneuver twice within minutes.

he overtook me twice both times when there was nowhere to go. first time he overtook 4 cars before getting alongside me as the overtaking lane ran out and he found himself parallel to me with traffic coming straight for him. he pushed in on me until I eventually had to brake to allow him in front of me before he caused a head on crash.
this same car stopped and pulled into a house about 30 seconds later. Annoyed obviously but away I went. then about ten minutes down the road the cnut flew up alongside me and exactly the same thing happened again.
furious didnt cover it.

so, the question. why should I let him in? he clearly does this a lot, why should he not have to slap on the hazards and brakes and get stuck on the wrong side of the white line?

p.s ill thank anyone who can guess the car he drove.

Im guessing theres an M in the middle of the cars 3 letter name???

For Forks Sake · 01-10-2011 11:18pm

mawk wrote: »

p.s ill thank anyone who can guess the car he drove.

Audi A4

coolbeans · 01-10-2011 11:19pm

Thread failure imminent.

PARKHEAD67 · 01-10-2011 11:25pm

Well Mawk.Dont keep us waiting.Was it an A4 or a car with 3 letters with the middle one being M.Put us out of our misery.

maxfresh · 01-10-2011 11:25pm

mawk wrote: »

p.s ill thank anyone who can guess the car he drove.

honda civic

colm_mcm · 01-10-2011 11:26pm

Report him to the cops

Seth Brundle · 01-10-2011 11:28pm

colm_mcm wrote: »

Report him to the cops

1890 205 805 - Garda Trafficwatch

-Corkie- · 01-10-2011 11:30pm

kbannon wrote: »

1890 205 805 - Garda Trafficwatch

Thats a waste of time imo, nothing will be done about it unless the OP makes a statment and attends court.

dr.fuzzenstein · 01-10-2011 11:31pm

I know the feeling.
In Limerick some people are obviously more important than others, so they don't have to wait in the correct lane at lights and roundabouts.
Instead these assholes will go into the wrong lane, blast past everyone and bully their way in at the top.
Gardai don't seem to care since I NEVER ONCE saw anything done about it and you will see the same people end up on the obnoxious parking thread, because they should be allowed to park wherever they want.
A lot of these people will play innocent when challenged, but when pressed further will surely become aggressive and violent.
In short, they are psychopaths who don't give a sh*t about anyone but themselves, if the police actually did something about it they would complain about being "picked on" and would not understand what they are doing wrong in a million years.
The problem is twofold:
1: Parents.
Never taught any manners by their mammy and daddy. Mammy and daddy probably the same ignorant assholes themselves, it goes back generations, until it becomes inbred.
2: Enforcement.
I.e. what enforcement? Aside from standing with a hairdrier on the side of the section of motorway that mysteriously has a suspiciously low speed limit and checking tax and insurance (and nothing else besides as far as I can make it out), I don't see the Traffic Corps do anything.
So, if you can't beat 'em...:
Long queue for going straight at the lights? Simply roll into one of the turn left or right lanes and floor it when you get to the top.
Sure, there might be some beeping and flashing, but other than that, nothing will happen. So why wait like a fool in line with the others? You don't have to wait!
Also, it's not good enough to make it past everyone in the queue, you have to make it past the first car at the lights!
Parking?
It's the process of coasting to a halt the shortest distance from the door possible.
Sure, someone might "tsk" at you, but that's the worst that's going to happen.
Remember, should you get in trouble just say "wha?" with a look of hurt innocence and if that doesn't fail, become aggressive.
Sorted, you are ready for Ireland's roads!

michael999999 · 01-10-2011 11:32pm

mawk wrote: »

Ive been pondering this since yesterday when I had the very same car pull the very same asshole maneuver twice within minutes.

he overtook me twice both times when there was nowhere to go. first time he overtook 4 cars before getting alongside me as the overtaking lane ran out and he found himself parallel to me with traffic coming straight for him. he pushed in on me until I eventually had to brake to allow him in front of me before he caused a head on crash.
this same car stopped and pulled into a house about 30 seconds later. Annoyed obviously but away I went. then about ten minutes down the road the cnut flew up alongside me and exactly the same thing happened again.
furious didnt cover it.

so, the question. why should I let him in? he clearly does this a lot, why should he not have to slap on the hazards and brakes and get stuck on the wrong side of the white line?

p.s ill thank anyone who can guess the car he drove.

Ice cream van?

Seth Brundle · 01-10-2011 11:34pm

You can make a statement and the gardai will issue a caution (been there and done that)

dr.fuzzenstein · 01-10-2011 11:44pm

michael999999 wrote: »

Ice cream van?

Ass cream van more like it.;)

mawk · 02-10-2011 12:04am

PARKHEAD67 wrote: »

Well Mawk.Dont keep us waiting.Was it an A4 or a car with 3 letters with the middle one being M.Put us out of our misery.

an m version of a 3 letter manufacturer containing the letter m.

johnny test · 02-10-2011 12:06am

Passat ?

-Corkie- · 02-10-2011 12:09am

johnny test wrote: »

Passat ?

Not many M`s in that....

ResearchWill · 02-10-2011 12:18am

-Corkie- wrote: »

Thats a waste of time imo, nothing will be done about it unless the OP makes a statment and attends court.

I remember a few years ago old cork Dublin road, had a bus stuck to my tail no more than a few feet away doing 70 mph on single lane road, when safe at next town pulled in to let him go cause if I had to brake we all wrecked. I rang the coach company straight away to ask them to get the guy to use safe stoping distance, they told me to f off. So rang guards, explained what happened and buses details, about 20 miles up the road later bus pulled in by motorbike guard. So make complaint.

guyfo · 02-10-2011 1:06am

You called the guards to report a bus tailgating while YOU were doing 70 mph on a single lane road? There's one set of rules for you then is there? Yer man shouldn't have been tailgating but you shouldn't have been doing those sorta speeds therefore I would argue you had no right to call the guards on him as you were also breaking the law. The phrase pot calling the kettle black springs to mind.

Now I'm not saying i haven't been guilty of the odd bit of speeding from time to time but i don't go telling on other people who break traffic laws. I try not to be a hypocrite.

(that riled me up a fair bit more than i thought it would lol!!)

rebel.ranter · 02-10-2011 1:07am

mawk wrote: »

p.s ill thank anyone who can guess the car he drove.

HAS to be an Octavia! It's always mentioned on here!

As for the point of not letting him in, ask yourself this: 1) Would you really wish harm on another human being? 2) Even if you have no regard for a bad driver you surely have regard for the poor innocent that this tool might hit head on?

02-10-2011 1:10am

guyfo wrote: »

You called the guards to report a bus tailgating while YOU were doing 70 mph on a single lane road? There's one set of rules for you then is there? Yer man shouldn't have been tailgating but you shouldn't have been doing those sorta speeds therefore I would argue you had no right to call the guards on him as you were also breaking the law. The phrase pot calling the kettle black springs to mind.

Now I'm not saying i haven't been guilty of the odd bit of speeding from time to time but i don't go telling on other people who break traffic laws. I try not to be a hypocrite.

(that riled me up a fair bit more than i thought it would lol!!)

Eh, he said he pulled in.

guyfo · 02-10-2011 1:22am

had a bus stuck to my tail no more than a few feet away doing 70 mph on single lane road

If the bus was stuck behind him at 70 wouldn that mean he was doin 70? Just because he pulled in afterwards doesn mean its ok!

mawk · 02-10-2011 1:25am

rebel.ranter wrote: »

HAS to be an Octavia! It's always mentioned on here!

As for the point of not letting him in, ask yourself this: 1) Would you really wish harm on another human being? 2) Even if you have no regard for a bad driver you surely have regard for the poor innocent that this tool might hit head on?

thats exactly the reason I always slow to let asshat drivers have my spot. well that and the fact that if he the slightest glimmer of intelligence they will know its safer, for them, to sideswipe me than to plough head on into something

also im not a sociopath.

Kersh · 02-10-2011 1:25am

guyfo wrote: »

If the bus was stuck behind him at 70 wouldn that mean he was doin 70? Just because he pulled in afterwards doesn mean its ok!

Mind you dont get vertigo way up there on that horse shep

As for the op, leave him out there, he will get the message soon enough.

Ken. · 02-10-2011 1:38am

My father (ex army driver) and some of his mates tell great stories of doing cash escorts years ago. Someone would try overtake the whole convoy, go passed the first jeep,then the cash van, then the second jeep and then they'd see the cop car leading the escort and jam on the breaks and drop back behind the escort.

johndaman66 · 02-10-2011 3:14pm

johnny test wrote: »

Passat ?

I was going to guess that too before the OP ruled it out. Tiddly Diddly Eye of course.

-Corkie- · 02-10-2011 3:19pm

guyfo wrote: »

You called the guards to report a bus tailgating while YOU were doing 70 mph on a single lane road? There's one set of rules for you then is there? Yer man shouldn't have been tailgating but you shouldn't have been doing those sorta speeds therefore I would argue you had no right to call the guards on him as you were also breaking the law. The phrase pot calling the kettle black springs to mind.

Now I'm not saying i haven't been guilty of the odd bit of speeding from time to time but i don't go telling on other people who break traffic laws. I try not to be a hypocrite.

(that riled me up a fair bit more than i thought it would lol!!)

You are allowed to use your phone while driving to call the emergency services/AGS...;)

salonfire · 02-10-2011 3:40pm

mawk wrote: »

Ive been pondering this since yesterday when I had the very same car pull the very same asshole maneuver twice within minutes.

he overtook me twice both times when there was nowhere to go. first time he overtook 4 cars before getting alongside me as the overtaking lane ran out and he found himself parallel to me with traffic coming straight for him. he pushed in on me until I eventually had to brake to allow him in front of me before he caused a head on crash.
this same car stopped and pulled into a house about 30 seconds later. Annoyed obviously but away I went. then about ten minutes down the road the cnut flew up alongside me and exactly the same thing happened again.
furious didnt cover it.

so, the question. why should I let him in? he clearly does this a lot, why should he not have to slap on the hazards and brakes and get stuck on the wrong side of the white line?

p.s ill thank anyone who can guess the car he drove.

You are just as dangerous as the aggressive driver. If a driver is clearly impatient, and whats to overtake, then when safe to do so, you should let him.

Otherwise, how would you feel if he tries to overtake in a dangerous place and smashes headon to an oncoming car causing carnage.

While it is not your fault, if you make it easier to overtake rather than holding your ground, it may not have happened. And you may save a life.

mfceiling · 02-10-2011 4:10pm

mawk wrote: »

an m version of a 3 letter manufacturer containing the letter m.

GMC?...

Popoutman · 02-10-2011 4:55pm

Personally if I see an agressive driver behind I will drive exactly to the rules of the road, so as not to give any reason for coming off worse in court, when I phone up the garda hotline to report said car.

I will *always* phone up the hotline if I see a dangerous driver. I've seen plenty of manouvres that are idiotic but possibly a genuine mistake. If I see the same car make a second manouvre that is dodgy I will phone up at that stage as it's obvious there's either incompetence or gross negligence both of which come under either DWDCA or dangerous driving.

I've always found that the follwoup from the gardai has been very good. Generally the question is asked "how would you like this to proceed", and my answer is always to suggest that the garda go and has a chat with the driver and then to make his own judgement on the driver. If the driver is belligerent and non-apologetic, proceed with the court route. If the driver holds up their hands and says, yes, genuine mistake, then fair enough they actually realise their mistake and has had an opportunity to learn from it.

One example was a genuinely dangerous driver that was unable to get past me (and did not show any signal that they was in an emergency situation at all) for about 10 miles on a countryside national primary route, then stormed past me through the start of a ghost island pushing oncoming traffic into the verge. I phoned up, the gardai asked if I would make a statement and go to court. As it turned out that driver had previously been reported for dangerous driving and I was another witness to make the court case more iron-clad. I did go to court, as in my mind hte behaviour before the overtake nad the overtake itself was genuinely an idiot driver. This driver had a previous conviction as it was revelealed at sentencing of dangerous driving with no tax/license/insurance but the judge bought the clemency request and convicted of DWDCA and fined a total of just under €1000. That driver did spend months hiding and lying to the gardai as well which didn't help his case at all.

A different one was the situation where I was last in a line of cars being overtaken by a 1.1 polo driven by two foreign nationals, and the overtake was on the wrong side of a double white line on a long blind over-crest left hand bend. Shortly after this I saw that car overtake another line of traffic on a single white line approaching the brow of a hill. After ringing up and giving the details, the local garda met that car heading the same way a week later, pulled them over, and had a chat with them. The driver readily admitted that yes it was bad driving, but that they were late for prayers (!)

but that it certainly wouldn't happen again. In that case, the garda used his discretion and let them off with a warning, and I couldn't agree more with the garda's decision. The other driver was polite and appeared to show genuine contrition, and now has an awareness that the local garda (who is the garda for the area that this driver was living in) will be keeping an eye out on his driving in the future.

If there's an ass behind me I'll not deviate from my driving in any way. If there's a genuine overtaking possibility I won't get in the way. If there is half a chance and the risk to me is too high I will try to make it obvious in a non-agressive way that there is no space to come in front of me so please don't try. If there's a failed overtake manouvre I will generally just drive my own car and not compound a bad situation by changing my path and speed. I've seen failed overtake ahead of me and having the car that was being overtaken put the anchors on leaving the overtaker outside with nowhere to get back in, leaving me to use up my margin of safety to stop in a hurry before becoming part of an unpleasant situation.

It's a tough one to call though, when you weigh up the risk of having to take avoiding action from an agressive driver (possibly causing you to get out of shape) and entrenching that bullying behaviour in the dangerous driver, or being on the receiving end of a sideswipe. Sometimes there is actually nothing that can be done in a situation and you just become a no-fault victim of an incident caused by an idiot.

Ethics of not helping agressive drivers

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