Learn How to Drive/Passenge/Pedest

[Dion]

Originally Posted by Rathji

No it's isn't much different.

When driving in a blizzard, you are expecting a blizzard. When driving on Deerfoot at 8am when there isn't a blizzard you don't really expect your windshield to be instantly covered in snow.

Couldn't have said it better

[Tron_fdc]

Has anyone else noticed the amount of road rage out there these days? I haven't adjusted my driving habits much since I got my license, but it seems I get yelled at more often than anytime before.

I keep thinking that one of these days people who take it upon themselves to yell and try to correct other drivers on the road are going to one day wind up in the hospital, or beat up like the guy on Crowchild last year. Calgary is just about the only city I've seen that has this phenomena......every other city I regularly travel to (mainly in the US and Australia) doesn't have people acting like road police.

If people have problems with the driving of others, wouldn't it just be easier to call the cops instead of picking a fight?

[Mazrim]

Originally Posted by Tron_fdc

Has anyone else noticed the amount of road rage out there these days?

I only notice more angry drivers in the last few weeks, and I imagine that's because of the snow and ice.

Originally Posted by Tron_fdc

I haven't adjusted my driving habits much since I got my license, but it seems I get yelled at more often than anytime before.

Are you sure you haven't adjusted much? It might be more than you think, or your habits were bad from the start to get people yelling at you.

[4X4]

Originally Posted by Tron_fdc

Has anyone else noticed the amount of road rage out there these days? I haven't adjusted my driving habits much since I got my license, but it seems I get yelled at more often than anytime before.

I keep thinking that one of these days people who take it upon themselves to yell and try to correct other drivers on the road are going to one day wind up in the hospital, or beat up like the guy on Crowchild last year. Calgary is just about the only city I've seen that has this phenomena......every other city I regularly travel to (mainly in the US and Australia) doesn't have people acting like road police.

If people have problems with the driving of others, wouldn't it just be easier to call the cops instead of picking a fight?

Funny you should say that. I've noticed the exact opposite lately. I've witnessed plenty of transgressions on the roads in the past few months, and haven't seen anybody having aneurysms. Back in summer it seemed like there were forehead veins popping left right and center. Just the other day I saw a guy pull that a-hole move on Crowchild NB where he goes alllllll the way up the exit lane for Bow Trail, then cuts back in to the NB lane. He did it to the car behind me, and from what I could see, the guy that got cut off just sucked it up and kept on daydreaming.

[Tron_fdc]

I guess it could be the time of year. I had a pedestrian kick my car at an intersection last week, while she was on her way to Money Mart or one of those payday loan things.

Had another driver yell at me last night in the Market Mall parking lot.

Considering the location and the time of year it makes a little more sense. Just another reason for me to stay away from malls and 17th ave.

[4X4]

Last week I was traversing downtown during lunch hour. One of the lights had a stupid amount of traffic, so even though I had a green, I didn't enter the intersection because I coldn't get all the way through, and didn't want to be that dickhead that ends up stranded in the intersection and blocks the perpendicular traffic. Alas, I still ended up being a dickhead because I was blocking the crosswalk. I basically had pedestrians walking in front and behind my truck (yeah, it was pretty bad), and not one of them even glared at me. I had my apologetic-palms-up-cringe all ready to go and didn't have to use it.

[Tron_fdc]

Originally Posted by 4X4

Last week I was traversing downtown during lunch hour. One of the lights had a stupid amount of traffic, so even though I had a green, I didn't enter the intersection because I coldn't get all the way through, and didn't want to be that dickhead that ends up stranded in the intersection and blocks the perpendicular traffic. Alas, I still ended up being a dickhead because I was blocking the crosswalk. I basically had pedestrians walking in front and behind my truck (yeah, it was pretty bad), and not one of them even glared at me. I had my apologetic-palms-up-cringe all ready to go and didn't have to use it.

That's exactly what happened to me. I wasn't blocking traffic, but my front wheels were in the crosswalk. Some broad walked behind me, and decided to kick my car because I inconvenienced her by 3 feet.

I just don't understand why people get so upset. Sorry for blocking the intersection, and yes it's my fault, but life is far too short to get that bent out of shape at some random stranger. I would assume it's safer as well, because you never know who or what is in the other car.

[Knut]

^ I remember driving in Waterloo and som asshat pedestrian decided he would walk across the street when I had a green light. I honked and he threw his 1/4 eaten sandwich at my windshield. I have never in my life been mad enough to throw a good sandwich at someone, let alone when i am in the wrong.

[sclitheroe]

Originally Posted by Hesla

^ I remember driving in Waterloo and som asshat pedestrian decided he would walk across the street when I had a green light. I honked and he threw his 1/4 eaten sandwich at my windshield. I have never in my life been mad enough to throw a good sandwich at someone, let alone when i am in the wrong.

What kind of sandwich was it?

[Knut]

Originally Posted by sclitheroe

What kind of sandwich was it?

Ham. I had to pick ham, Mayo and Mustard off of my windsheild wipers.

[Boblobla]

Originally Posted by Hesla

Ham. I had to pick ham, Mayo and Mustard off of my windsheild wipers.

Huh, if that happened to me, I would have had to pick sandwich thrower out of my wipers...

[Knut]

^ I was laughing too hard to really be mad about it. It was just so random. Who throws their sandwich at someone ??

[4X4]

Originally Posted by Hesla

^ I remember driving in Waterloo and som asshat pedestrian decided he would walk across the street when I had a green light. I honked and he threw his 1/4 eaten sandwich at my windshield. I have never in my life been mad enough to throw a good sandwich at someone, let alone when i am in the wrong.

That is hilarious.

I once threw a mcdonalds cup of coke at a guy's windshield, but I firmly believe I was justified in doing so.

[valo403]

Originally Posted by 4X4

That is hilarious.

I once threw a mcdonalds cup of coke at a guy's windshield, but I firmly believe I was justified in doing so.

I threw a half full water bottle at a car that made me do the leap back while walking down the sidewalk across a parking lot exit (and one with a gate they had to stop at too). Judging by the teenage girls shrieking following the thud of the bottle on the car I'd say I achieved my desired result.

[Mazrim]

If anyone catches themselves caught in the 5th Street/Glenmore Trail intersection (which happens a TON for some reason), they should not expect to get off easily from anyone. So many people block the left turn onto EB Glenmore from the mall (sometimes even the macleod trail left turn too) and they get all pissy when someone honks at them for wasting their green light. It blows my mind that it happens so much and yet people expect no one to give them heck for it.

[Tron_fdc]

See here's the thing. I'm perfectly fine with people tossing things at cars, but you better be prepared to back it up. If I chuck something at a car, I know perfectly well that I might just have to fight my way out of it. It seems like a lot of people knee jerk, and one of these days a pack of 21 year old thugs is going to jump out of the car.

This is why I don't get that mad at people when they drive/Pass/pedest poorly. My stress levels are lower, and I don't run the risk of getting hit over the head with a bat.

[Flames0910]

I almost got hit by a right turning City of Calgary dump truck walking through the crosswalk last week when the Chinook rolled in.

I jumped back and he stopped.

[Dion]

Was driving the #2 south home from Calgary. There were 2 asswipes doing 80kms in the left and center lanes of the highway. People were honking and flashing their high beams but they refused to get out of the way. One joker does a California lane change from the left lane all the way over to the right and then back all the way over to the left. He decided to teach the asswipe in the left lane a lesson. He hit his brakes and slowed down to about 50kms. As the asswipe changed into the center lane the joker sped up, changed lanes and did the same thing again. It was priceless watching this go down!

[GreenTeaFrapp]

Originally Posted by Tron_fdc

See here's the thing. I'm perfectly fine with people tossing things at cars, but you better be prepared to back it up. If I chuck something at a car, I know perfectly well that I might just have to fight my way out of it. It seems like a lot of people knee jerk, and one of these days a pack of 21 year old thugs is going to jump out of the car.

That's why I keep a crowbar in my vehicle.

[Phanuthier]

Originally Posted by Dion

Was driving the #2 south home from Calgary. There were 2 asswipes doing 80kms in the left and center lanes of the highway. People were honking and flashing their high beams but they refused to get out of the way. One joker does a California lane change from the left lane all the way over to the right and then back all the way over to the left. He decided to teach the asswipe in the left lane a lesson. He hit his brakes and slowed down to about 50kms. As the asswipe changed into the center lane the joker sped up, changed lanes and did the same thing again. It was priceless watching this go down!

While I'm sure its funny, thats definitely not California. California drivers don't have this vigilante type personality. In San Francisco, there is no fast lane / slow lane, they'll just get to where they need to go and who cares about the slow driver doing 10 under in the left lane. In LA, they will probably tailgate the #### out of you, but after they pass, they don't give a crap.

While annoying, this type of "look at me I showed them" is what makes Calgary a bitch to drive in. (No I'm not a slow left lane driver, I'm the standard 10 above the speed limit... in whatever lane gets me to where I need to go.)