Funny Road Rage Incident

"Scott en Aztlán" wrote:
>
> On Sat, 04 Jun 2005 16:48:00 -0700, The Real Bev
> > spake thus:
>
> >> If they're already stopped what would jamming on the brakes do, I say.
> >
> >Make them stop longer than they would have if you'd just bit the bullet and
> >done the silent scream thing.
> >
> >> Personally I would have honked at him myself and I would hope that
> >> others would do the same. Again, doing nothing is the same as telling
> >> these people that it's OK to drive around like Mr. Magoo.
> >
> >In theory you're right; if we can't actually push them off the road we should
> >at least try to make them as miserable as possible. My experience, however,
> >indicates that honking almost never achieves the intended purpose.
>
> If the intended purpose is to get them to move quickly, you're
> probably right.
>
> OTOH, if the intended purpose is to make the experience o memorably
> unpleasant that they think twice before pulling the same bonehead
> maneuver next time, then I think it's worth "taking one for the team."
> I personally may not benefit directly from my action at that moment,
> but in the long run the more people who stand up to asinine behavior
> the less asinine behavior there will be.

BUT you must remember that the use of the horn to annoy or frighten is illegal
and ticketable and that a granny is a more sympathetic figure than a guy in a
Vette -- it's supposed to be used only as a warning. Does that also mean "I'm
warning you that if you don't get the hell out of the way I'm going to kill
you"?

For a while I took great pleasure in honking whenever I drove over a speed
bump in a residential neighborhood...

--
Cheers, Bev
################################################## #################
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facility for 10 years before operations ended in November 2000.
The island was turned into a wildlife preserve."
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The Real Bev wrote:
> "Scott en Aztl=E1n" wrote:
> >
> > On Sat, 04 Jun 2005 16:48:00 -0700, The Real Bev
> > > spake thus:
> >
> > >> If they're already stopped what would jamming on the brakes do, I sa=
y=2E
> > >
> > >Make them stop longer than they would have if you'd just bit the bulle=
t and
> > >done the silent scream thing.
> > >
> > >> Personally I would have honked at him myself and I would hope that
> > >> others would do the same. Again, doing nothing is the same as telli=
ng
> > >> these people that it's OK to drive around like Mr. Magoo.
> > >
> > >In theory you're right; if we can't actually push them off the road w=
e should
> > >at least try to make them as miserable as possible. My experience, ho=
wever,
> > >indicates that honking almost never achieves the intended purpose.
> >
> > If the intended purpose is to get them to move quickly, you're
> > probably right.
> >
> > OTOH, if the intended purpose is to make the experience o memorably
> > unpleasant that they think twice before pulling the same bonehead
> > maneuver next time, then I think it's worth "taking one for the team."
> > I personally may not benefit directly from my action at that moment,
> > but in the long run the more people who stand up to asinine behavior
> > the less asinine behavior there will be.
>
> BUT you must remember that the use of the horn to annoy or frighten is il=
legal
> and ticketable and that a granny is a more sympathetic figure than a guy =
in a
> Vette -- it's supposed to be used only as a warning. Does that also mean=
"I'm
> warning you that if you don't get the hell out of the way I'm going to ki=
ll
> you"?
>
> For a while I took great pleasure in honking whenever I drove over a speed
> bump in a residential neighborhood...

It is a warning - "stop blocking the goshdarned road before some idiot
rear-ends me, you, or both of us." (not you, Bev, the idiot stopped in
the road.)

BTW I just saw this the other day - returning from a parts store run I
was exiting the highway. The exit ramp is two lanes and curves to the
left back underneath the highway, so you can't really see all that well
around it. Someone in the left lane of the offramp decided that they
didn't like that particular lane and slowed to about 10 MPH with their
right blinker on, while chaos ensued as everyone else tried to figure
out what the heck was going on (there was no opportunity to turn right
for at least another 1/4 mile) I suppose a horn would be inappropriate
there as well?

nate

N8N wrote:
>
> The Real Bev wrote:
> > "Scott en Aztlán" wrote:
> > >
> > > On Sat, 04 Jun 2005 16:48:00 -0700, The Real Bev
> > > > spake thus:
> > >
> > > >> If they're already stopped what would jamming on the brakes do, I say.
> > > >
> > > >Make them stop longer than they would have if you'd just bit the bullet and
> > > >done the silent scream thing.
> > > >
> > > >> Personally I would have honked at him myself and I would hope that
> > > >> others would do the same. Again, doing nothing is the same as telling
> > > >> these people that it's OK to drive around like Mr. Magoo.
> > > >
> > > >In theory you're right; if we can't actually push them off the road we should
> > > >at least try to make them as miserable as possible. My experience, however,
> > > >indicates that honking almost never achieves the intended purpose.
> > >
> > > If the intended purpose is to get them to move quickly, you're
> > > probably right.
> > >
> > > OTOH, if the intended purpose is to make the experience o memorably
> > > unpleasant that they think twice before pulling the same bonehead
> > > maneuver next time, then I think it's worth "taking one for the team."
> > > I personally may not benefit directly from my action at that moment,
> > > but in the long run the more people who stand up to asinine behavior
> > > the less asinine behavior there will be.
> >
> > BUT you must remember that the use of the horn to annoy or frighten is illegal
> > and ticketable and that a granny is a more sympathetic figure than a guy in a
> > Vette -- it's supposed to be used only as a warning. Does that also mean "I'm
> > warning you that if you don't get the hell out of the way I'm going to kill
> > you"?
> >
> > For a while I took great pleasure in honking whenever I drove over a speed
> > bump in a residential neighborhood...
>
> It is a warning - "stop blocking the goshdarned road before some idiot
> rear-ends me, you, or both of us." (not you, Bev, the idiot stopped in
> the road.)
>
> BTW I just saw this the other day - returning from a parts store run I
> was exiting the highway.

No matter how many cars you have, sooner or later you're going to have to make
a parts run on your bicycle.

> The exit ramp is two lanes and curves to the
> left back underneath the highway, so you can't really see all that well
> around it. Someone in the left lane of the offramp decided that they
> didn't like that particular lane and slowed to about 10 MPH with their
> right blinker on, while chaos ensued as everyone else tried to figure
> out what the heck was going on (there was no opportunity to turn right
> for at least another 1/4 mile) I suppose a horn would be inappropriate
> there as well?

I think the horn would be very appropriate. A truck air-horn would be even
more appropriate. But it's not what I think, it's what the officer who's low
on his ticket quota thinks.

--
Cheers,
Bev
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
"My life outside of USENET is so full of love and kindness that I have
to come here to find the venom and bile that I crave." --R. Damiani