Road Rage - Near Miss

[Marcad80]

Just for clarification. I don’t own a gun, and don’t plan on getting a gun. I found an alternative to the gun.

The aggressor can pull out his cell phone and start videoing all they want as well. I just smile for their camera. The point is to immediately put rational thought back into an escalating situation. And the fact is even very unintelligent, angry people know what “going viral on you tube (twitter, etc)” can do to their lives. And a high, horizontally held cell phone is now the international symbol of that. No need I have it on….

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[TDinDC]

Just for clarification. I don’t own a gun, and don’t plan on getting a gun. I found an alternative to the gun.

The aggressor can pull out his cell phone and start videoing all they want as well. I just smile for their camera. The point is to immediately put rational thought back into an escalating situation. And the fact is even very unintelligent, angry people know what “going viral on you tube” can do to there lives. And a high, horizontally held cell phone is now the international symbol of that. No need I have it on….

I agree as a last resort if you can't get away from them, but I personally would keep the raising of a phone to a very last resort because the phone could be (1) mistaken for a gun; or (2) viewed as another interaction (which could prolong) or aggression (which could worsen).

 

[FlyDriveBike]

Like many of the posts here, the Lexus driver's behavior is totally unacceptable. Apparently you weren't "holding up traffic" if you were being passed on the left and the right, and he should have just passed you on whatever side he wanted and been on his way. Instead, he chose to be an ass and try to teach you the laws of driving. NOT HIS JOB!!! BUT, drivers should always stay in the right lane unless passing. In some parts of the world it is illegal to pass on the right (Germany) so you definitely would have been obstructing traffic. Most states in the US have driving laws that state you should only move into a more-left lane WHEN ACTIVELY PASSING a slower vehicle. Any time people are passing you on your right, you need to move to the right.

 

[Zcd1]

Wherever you live, if other drivers are passing you on both sides, you’re most likely doing something wrong ?

Exactly!

 

[Scandinavian]

Like many of the posts here, the Lexus driver's behavior is totally unacceptable. Apparently you weren't "holding up traffic" if you were being passed on the left and the right, and he should have just passed you on whatever side he wanted and been on his way. Instead, he chose to be an ass and try to teach you the laws of driving. NOT HIS JOB!!! BUT, drivers should always stay in the right lane unless passing. In some parts of the world it is illegal to pass on the right (Germany) so you definitely would have been obstructing traffic. Most states in the US have driving laws that state you should only move into a more-left lane WHEN ACTIVELY PASSING a slower vehicle. Any time people are passing you on your right, you need to move to the right.

It is not only Germany where this would be against the code. All of Europe I think. And I agree, if you are being overtaken both left and right there is no excuse for not moving to the right in your case. No matter if you are driving at the legal speed limit or not. Get into to the slowest lane and be safe!

 

[TXAG]

Thanks to all of you for the excellent responses!

• I should have used my right turn signal to move to Lane 3 with Lane 4 open to have an out if the driver (I'll call him Bubba) still wanted to teach me a lesson by swerving partway into Lane 3 while passing me in Lane 2.
• I should also move into Lane 3 when I'm not passing others.
• And thanks for the dashcam feedback - I'll review the threads on this forum to learn more.

I pass my fair share of folks in Lane 2, but every few minutes a convoy of 5 to 10 speeders comes along to pass me. For the past two years it was never a problem as they changed lanes behind me in plenty of time, sometimes to the point of it being pointless for me to move to Lane 3. Also, trucks are usually in Lanes 3 and 4 which increases the risk of broken windshields. My wife's SUV had two windshields replaced in four weeks, and we started calling her the Crack Queen.

@TDinDC if I slowed down Bubba might have bumped me if I stayed in Lane 2 even though Lane 1 was open. And you're right - you can't win an argument with someone who doesn't want to listen.

@Archimedes I'm reluctant to look over at Bubba for more than a split second. When the going gets tough, I'm constantly keeping track of my surroundings, upcoming exits, and outs.

@cgfrndpor passing on the right is legal in Arizona if done safely and not on the shoulder. Also see the second paragraph above.

@Bigben Bubba never flashed his lights. I always move over for flashing lights.

@WattTurbo @Archimedes the solid white HOV lines aren't enforced on the weekend. Single-passenger vehicles move in and out of Lane 1 all the time around here. Other folks in Bubba's convoy moved from Lane 2 to Lane 1 to pass me, but Bubba didn't follow the pack and instead stayed behind to tailgate me. BTW I used to live off the Mason Road exit and can definitely say that Houston drivers are much worse than Phoenix. And 73 mph on my speedometer is 71 on GPS.

@Fish Fingers I can relate! When driving our son home from chemotherapy (23 miles / 37 km), sometimes he was so nauseous that I had to drive extra carefully. Helps to understand the other driver before making myself understood.

@AngloCan while your advice is excellent, note that moving from Lane 2 to Lane 3 is not a no-brainer here because of gravel-spitting trucks.

@Marcad80 I'm not sure if Bubba would have seen my phone because I have 35% tint on the rear and side windows. I've never owned a gun. Bubba can video me all he wants. Being from Georgia he might have a gun as well. Cool heads should prevail.

@nickmdp I-10 was four lanes throughout this incident. Lane 1 is the HOV on weekday mornings and afternoons. Also see the second paragraph above.

@f1eng @DCYL725 I can relate! My driver in China navigated a different obstacle course every day for the four years I lived there. Everything comes at you from all directions. And the noiseless electric bicycles on the sidewalks are the worst because you can't hear them. I drove when living in the Middle East, and that was the most dangerous by far. While I agree that zombie ACC can be annoying, it allows drivers to focus on the road without looking down frequently to stay within the speed limit. I've never gotten a speeding ticket, but I've heard that US insurance companies will drastically raise your rates or drop you if you get one.

@Teufel Hund blowing kisses - brilliant!

Thanks again to all for this excellent feedback!

 

[RBGtaycan]

It is not only Germany where this would be against the code. All of Europe I think. And I agree, if you are being overtaken both left and right there is no excuse for not moving to the right in your case. No matter if you are driving at the legal speed limit or not. Get into to the slowest lane and be safe!

Sadly I see this a lot in the US ..but the solution, as noted, is easy..move to the far right lane. If you are getting passed on the right constantly, you are doing something wrong IMHO.

 

[Archimedes]

Never said it was the law. If more drivers were more considerate of their fellow road users, perhaps these instances would lessen. I see all too often here merging traffic crossing the driving lane, the middle overtaking lane to then sit in the left hand lane when there’s barely another sole on the roads.

OP stated they were out late on a Sunday PM and assuming AZ doesn’t see a rush hour during this time, I’d assume this part of the code: During rush hours, drivers not intending to exit may want to avoid these lanes during these times. still applies. OP shouldn’t have been in that lane at that time and by their own admission was causing other road users to over & undertake. Common sense should‘ve prevailed and moving to the left lane should have been a no-brainer.

I think you’re unclear on where he was. He was not in the right lane, he was in the #2 lane, with the #1 lane open to his left. The bolded part above refers to the far right lane.

 

[AngloCan]

I think you’re unclear on where he was. He was not in the right lane, he was in the #2 lane, with the #1 lane open to his left. The bolded part above refers to the far right lane.

My bad, I mean‘t move to the right hand lane.

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