Rep Power: 489

Okay, I admit that I have a problem. But it's gotten a lot better than a few years ago... or so I thought.

Okay, I was heading home to Stockton from Livermore, through Tracy on I-205. About 6:50 tonight, there was major traffic because of a really bad accident just east of Macarthur. Police, Fire Engine and Ambulance were just getting there, but they had to split traffic (eastbound is 2 lanes), and so I (in the fast lane) got all the way to my left. The guy in back of me doesn't, even though everyone else does. Instead, he waits until the Emergency cars are right behind us, and zooms past me to get ahead of me. I honk at him because he's an idiot, and that kind of driving pisses me off.

So the cars pass, I get back in my lane and proceed to get right up next to him, to reclaim my spot. He doesn't care if he sideswipes me apparently, so he tries to force me off the road. That pisses me off. So I lay on the horn. He responds with the finger.

By now I am steaming made. I unstrap my seatbelt, expecting/hoping for a fight. My wife franticly starts removing the lose change from the center console, knowing that I am opening the sunroof to throw it at him and scratch his car. She starts begging me not to do anything.

I was raving mad... but I didn't do anything. I missed with the only penny I got off at him. I got his license plate # and his make and model. I'd love to trace these and find out where he lives... but I don't know how.

Any thoughts? What would you have done? Do you know how I could find out info on him? Report him to the DMV? Anything?

Would you have racked him? Shot him? Times like this I am thankful I don't carry a weapon with me because I probably would have shot him, except my wife & baby were in the car with me

And yeah... I know I got a problem, I'm working on it. I don't usually get this worked up. As I was trying to calm down, I turned to my wife and told her "I hope you never have to see me this angry again in my life". She agreed.

 
Rep Power: 489

CLIFF NOTES:

Do you get road rage? What would you do in a road rage situation?

Is there any way I could find more info on a license plate that I found?

 
Rep Power: 811

Yea I used to have this problem. And down here, most drivers are complete idiots and should not be allowed to drive. The problem still exists, but I have learned to deal with it. If someone cuts me off, or does something stupid, I just honk and forget. If its really bad, they get the finger. Thats it. I've done really dumb things like swerve fast and furious style into their lane in a split second. Ya its annoying and it would be better to just shoot em to have one less idiot on the road, but there are too many. I just keep thinking its not worth wrecking my car over and I just turn up the music and sit back. You just gotta learn how to control anger but its harder than it seems. Just think of your car.

 
Rep Power: 811

give the plate to the cops and say he was driving wreckless (endangering lives) and failed to yield to emergency vehicles.

 
Rep Power: 0

`just let it go bro, it aint worth your time and stress. Cant change a bad driver, just gotta put up with their danger

 
Rep Power: 0

yeh ive been in alot of road rage/fights... but ive slowly stop b/c i know one of these days im going to get hurt...so yeh let it go his time will come...

 
Rep Power: 309

sometimes i have really bad road rage.

the last time someone pissed me off i almost rammed into their car. story->
i was getting off the exit to my girlfriends house and this ******* is on my *** like no ones business. i see that there are no cars coming so i go and try to merge over to the far left because thats the street i need to turn on.
BUT this ******* was trying to zoom past me. instead of letting him go, i swerved as hard as possible cutting him off. when he went to the other side and got next to me i swerved my car back and forth as if i was going to slam into the side of his car coming whitin inches of his car. he backed off and slowed down and tried to pull up to my car at the light and try and mad dog me. i simply turned on the dome light (it was around midnight) flipped him the bird and motioned with my mouth 'FVCK YOU BITCH', and off he went.

i was tripping off of how bad i reacted. if he would of got out of the car i probably would have beat the **** out of him with my Club.

so yes, i've had my fair share of road rage.
the worst was when i was on the freeway and my car pulled a gun and the other car pulled a gun and both pointed at each other. yes, i should stop my road rage....

 
Rep Power: 0

You do that shiot in Houston, you're just good as dead because people in certain parts of Htown carry their freakin rifles or pistol in public. Hey, its freaking TEXAS! Been there many times and I know how they are...fockin COWBOYS! LOL!

 
Rep Power: 317

give the info on the vehicle to the CHP, and let them know about the emergency vehicles that were behind him. they'll probably check with the responding firehouse, and see if they can concurr... then they'll take appropriate action.

i take my road rage out by causing others to obey the traffic laws..

example from other night: i saw a guy trying to speed his way through traffic, and i was able to stick with him (he was in an older model truck, MBARI truck if you know about the marine research center). well, anyways, he got into the slow lane trying to get ahead of some cars, so immediately took his spot in the fast lane. the fastlane ended up starting to pick up speed, so we all passed him. once i was passed him, i saw him dart back into the fastlane, so i slowed down (we were doing about 75-80, so i went down to 70). i paced him, allowing enough time for the car in front of me to reach the next car in the slow lane, basically not allowing him enough time to pass me at all. it at least makes me feel good. pissing someone else off, but causing them to actually obey traffic laws.

 
Rep Power: 307

I just like to mess with their heads !! And yes, They are lucky that my pistol is at home in the closet.

 
Rep Power: 0

I too have this problem. But my girl who is my voice of reason has calmed me down a bit. Around here you never know if some one is strapped. I try to think about what would happen if he missed me and shot my girl and she died cause I could not control my self. So I end up yelling or just pass the morons till I feel better. My thought process is that guy will one day *** with the wrong person and he will either up dead or in jail. I just more os less want to point out there stupidity by pointing and luaghing at them and telling them!

 
Rep Power: 489

I been to Houston, it's not as hick/bad as East Texas or something like that... I can have some roadrage there and it's not a big deal.... but then again I am in the more "business" areas of the town, it's almost like LA down there, not what you'd expect in Texas.

I seriously was about to get out of my car, I remember taking my seatbelt off and pulling up close to him (we were still creeping at this time) and the blood was just flowing to my head. Usually my wife isn't with me when I drive, so I guess I should just thank God that she was, because I just might have thrashed him really good... and that's not good, because cops were right there anyways.

I do think that if I was put in a situation like that again, without my wife there and with my 9 somewhere around me, I would have blasted him. Dang I don't want to be like that.

On the way home my wife asked me "What would me and Simeon do if you were in jail?" And that really kinda hit me, they depend 100% upon me, why am I trippin over stupid stuff like this?

So it all boils down to, I just gotta learn to control my anger BETTER. Once about 7 years ago this woman cut me off, but so close that she ran me off the road. I went and caught up to her, and if there wasn't an emergency vehicle around, I think I would have gotten into the third lane, gunned it and swerved into her (1st lane) as hard as I could have, I was so pissed. I've gotten a lot better since then. But I clearly still have a ways to go

 
Rep Power: 320

Yeah listen your woman. All the consequences that can happen from you doing something stupid isn't worth it. If they do something at night i usually just turn on my high beams and follow them for awhile, until they move to another lane. When i finish my retro, i'm going to have two high beams. If someone cuts me off, i'm going to light up there life....lol.

I lke the idea of throwing loose change at them...lol. That thought never occurred to me.

 
Rep Power: 288

if he did what you said fireman and ambulance drivers can call in to dispatch and have tickets sent to the owners home.

 
Rep Power: 0

I must admit... I'm guilty of a few bouts of road rage... for example, cussing at people, flipping off people, tailgating, even following a person who cut me off/nearly sideswiped me/etc. While I still have visits from my inner Irish Hooligan, I have pretty much learned my lesson. With so many people packing weapons these days, it's not worth it to me to let my temper take control while I'm behind the wheel. I think my wake up call was when a guy pulled over and wanted to fist fight my MOTHER because she honked her horn at him. That incident only reinforced my belief that there are some incredibly stupid people in this world... and unfortunately... many of them have driver's licenses.

Now what I do is give people a double thumbs up when they cut me off. Or if someone has to squeeze in front of me just to be one car ahead, they get the two fingered "sir-yes-sir" salute. If I have someone tailgating me, especially when I'm about to turn into a driveway, I pull to the side and give them a big happy wave when they go past.

I figure... sure... it's sarcastic... but if they turn around and flip me off for waving at them.. who looks like the @$$hole in the situation... me? or them?

 
Rep Power: 811

dam i'm gonna start doing that

 
Rep Power: 0

people out there are stupid as F**K!! Everyday we drive with our lights and sirens and people still dont see or hear us. We could be on there *** for ever and they still dont get over and when they finaly do, i roll down my window and yell at them for not paying attention. legally if they obstruct traffic for long enough i can get them written up. So the moral of this is, pay attention to your surroundings when driving. if there is a big red fire engine with all its flashing lights, air horns, and sirens going, get out of the way..

if some one passes you in traffic, get over it! dont start a fight or anything. what did you loose out of it? 5 seconds? you will still get home with in the min.!

 
Rep Power: 303

i keep all my change in the center console. and eskrima sticks in the back of my car...strictly for show of course .

 
Rep Power: 489

You do escrima? Do you attend Bahla Na (sp) over on Pacific? I have been meaning to get back into escrima, I study under Master Art Miraflor over in Stockton... at least I used to, been out of it for a while. I got a nice set of Kamagong sticks, but I rarely even take them out.

But yeah anyways, I keep change in my center console, mainly for use at fast food resturants ... but if I need it, I can get in front of a car and drop a penny out the sunroof on the freeway, it'll SMACK into the car behind me and create a nice paintchip, or maybe even a crack in their windshield. I haven't ever used this tactic before... although almost. I was actually throwing them in front of me the night of the "road rage", traffic was stopped and I was thinking if the guy heard change hitting his car he might get pissed enough to jump out of his car and get killed

ah well...

One more point, I was just being alert and observant, getting over much earlier before everyone else, hoping they would get the hint. This dude simply waited for the last minute to zoom by me... little ho.

 
Rep Power: 303

used to do a little arnis when i was younger. i've been looking online for a set of kamagong and i'm hesitant because people just paint them black.

anyway, yeah, i heard a story of some lady just being shot randomly at a stoplight so that freaks me out. imagine if you just **** them off . i try and just let everything slide now. i never flip anyone off because that usually sets them off, but i usually give the "what the hell" hands (see: or similar) and just talk to myself

 
Rep Power: 0

As long as you don't answer yourself, then you're okay...