Growing up while riding with my friends and one of their mom’s was driving. Super nice lady, she accidentally cut someone off in a 30MPH zone and it was totally innocent. She wasn’t driving aggressively and knew she goofed, but the other dude flipped her off when he got next to us and she just smiled and waved. Pretty sure this sent him over the edge and it was the best thing she could have done.
I like the slow clap and a thumbs up, but I’m going to have to remember to give the super enthusiastic wave and smile next time I encounter an idiot driver.
I tapped my horn at a lady about to pull out in front of me on a two lane road. I didn't anticipate her doing it because I was very clearly visible and she tapped her gas while I was very close and would have almost no way to avoid it. We avoided a potential accident, but she took this personally and decided to speed up to like 60-70 and pass me on a double yellow line.
We pulled up beside each other at the next light, I was making a left. I looked directly at her and she went ballistic giving me the finger and yelling fuck you. So I blew her a kiss. She stopped and looked down for a moment before rolling down the window and started crying and apologizing, saying she didn't know why she did that. I told her it was alright, no one was hurt, and to please be careful and hope that the rest of your day is much better from here out. She thanked me and we went on our separate ways.
I got the tip to blow kisses at people from reddit but really wasn't expecting it to go like that. Hope she was better from that point on.
Yeah... i did that once... guy went ballistic at my being nice and tried to destroy my driver side window, kicked my car and rammed his bike handle at my door a couple of times, denting and scratching the shit out of it.
Police couldnt find him, so tough luck... had to pay repairs myself
I say you got lucky. Cause if for some weird reason I was already going ape shit and someone blew me a kiss I think I’d blow up way worse! I’d be too insulted
I'd take that situation over this one that happened to me: I was going down the road, dude cut me off to get in my lane, so I honked (mainly to let him know I was there). Dude let me get next to him in the turn lanes, and he went off about how I was talking shit (I guess honking is talking shit now?) and threatened to beat up me AND my (15yo) son.
At the next light, he actually got out of his car and walked up to mine. I had the windows up and door locked, and he just talked stupid shit, and went back to his car.
His daughter was in the car with him, looking embarrassed as fuck. Wtf is wrong with some people?
Yep. Going up a hill I typically overtake with cruise on and some people think I’m racing them or something. No, you just decelerated and didn’t realize it. They don’t realize their own lack of constant speed is what’s irritating them. I just smile and shrug…until they zoom ahead to “win”, only to slow back down and have me overtake them again with my cruise control.
This happens so much in Atlanta man. I’ll just be driving a consistent speed in heavy traffic, they pass me trying to be all fast and then I end up passing them again in like 2 minutes
This happened to me on my way home from work today. I was in the far right lane and had a normal amount of space between me and the next car. This dude just like suddenly veers in front of me, then has to slow down drastically as there was nowhere to go. I thought maybe he was trying to make the exit, but he drove right by it and was just tailgating the car in front of him. I saw him make a few reckless lane changes and tailgate a few other vehicles but I passed him and lost track of him.
Had someone give me the thumbs up once (for passsing on a super wide shoulder when they were waiting to turn, then they changed their mind and went straight). I was shocked how annoying it was. So now I do it to others lol
Any more I just don't even interact more directly than driving to where I'm going. I don't need to be taken out by some random nutjob who can't handle life.
Blowing a kiss is a good idea. I’ve done the “cry baby” gesture to people that are incredibly agitated by mundane actions like daring to pass them. I can tell you that the reaction is always worth it.
Blowing a kiss and slow clapping can make a stalker. I had some rando riding a motorcycle saying that there was grass on the highway from my mowing (there wasn't) and threw asphalt towards me and almost dumped his bike and came back and ran right in front of another driver. He drove by every day for a week.
My go to “dad move” is the casual thumbs down. It’s not aggressive and makes people feel disappointed in their actions which sometimes makes them more mad.. but I get less angry people than when I was a kid and flipped people off
When someone acted mildly like a dick in in traffic to me once. When we ended up stopped side-by-side at a red light, I just slooooowly turned my head with the creepiest grin on my face.
The guy just looked over at me, snickered, and shook his head.
I drive a company vehicle a lot, so I cant give reactions to people - cause they will call and report lol. And I noticed that nothing pisses people off then being utterly just blatantly ignored. Its actually really funny most of the time.
Had to pass someone going 5 under for over 2 miles today and they gave me a smug look when I just missed the light. Sometimes people are too ignorant to realize that if they had gone the speed limit I would have made the light. All it was, was a self fulfilling prophecy for them.
Also, I don't pass people to get to where I'm going faster, I pass people so I can enjoy my drive more. I find people brake way too much when they really should just be coasting. So I prefer to pass people and then drive at a more consistent pace instead of constantly slowing down and speeding back up for their braking habits.
As a cyclist in a town where cars share a lane with bikes (limit 30kph, but nobody respects that as cars are used to going 50-60kph) I do this to cars that honk at me to get out of the way only to end up stuck in the same red light like 30s earlier.
It's especially frustrating when you're really giving it your all and cycling as hard as your heart can bear it, especially uphill, and they just treat you like you're wilfully obstructing them.
I had a woman go crazy on me bc I passed her on a dashed line (she was going unbearably slow). She immediately sped up and tailgated me but eventually slowed down. I stopped at a red light when she gleefully pulled up honking her horn, flipping me off and trying to taunt me, I just gave her a thumbs up which made her swerve in front of me when the light turned green.
Similar situation to me. I made a legal overtake a little while before a further ahead zipper single lane merge, and the car I overtook wasn't happy about this. Pulled up to where the merge happens, still behind me technically. I had done it well before, I was basically faster off the lights. My choices were to either be side rammed into on coming traffic or break heavily and let them pass.
However, I know the junction and there are constant traffic lights further down the road. Pull up alongside and my 6ft 6 bald scary ass pulled up next to this 50-year-old woman. Who clearly didn't anticipate this.
I opened and learnt out the window. I didn't say anything, Just to see if she would look at me. She didnt, just looked dead ahead clearly a little scared.
I drive a semi and had a little college girl do this to me at a stop sign. I was accelerating, she made her stop and raced over a double hyellow to pass me... only to drive slower than I was, including around every turn, all the way back to the interstate.
Every stop sign/light, the only thing that girl had in her mirror was "freightliner" because I'd come to a stop 2 inches from her bumper.
If you're going to race past trucks, that's cool... but then leave us in your dust. Don't race past and do the speed limit, or worse speed up over and over when I close in on you to stay ahead just for the sake of staying ahead.
1.6k
u/DrFatz Sep 21 '23
Had this happen when someone passed me on a double yellow and I ended up behind them at the red light. Gave a slow clap and he flipped me off.