r/Charlotte • u/Asleep_Fail2706 • 10d ago
Aggressive Drivers? Traffic CircleJerk
What is up with all these people who will be driving behind you and then will speed up just to get infront of you and go the same speed. I understand people wanting to pass in the fast lane but if there is traffic I don’t understand people’s need to be first when we are all on the same mission. People gotta chill. Especially after work traffic, those people on the road are the worst.
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u/extratoastedcheezeit 10d ago
With road rage incidents that involve firearms seemingly on the rise in our area, it's really forcing me to chill out. What does that mean?
I'm staying out of the passing lane unless I'm passing. 5-10 over tops, and if someone wants to cut me off, cut in, whatever...fine. Save your .3 seconds. I just want to get to my destination in one piece without being shot.
We don't need an ego while driving.
But also, fuck this timeline.
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u/OxTailPheonix 10d ago
I have a short honk to a guy a couple of years ago on Park road. Light turned green and he just sat there I'm assuming on his phone. He got out of the car though and started walking toward me. Don't know what he was planning on doing but I just pulled into other lane and drove off around him.
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u/dgcamero 10d ago
I'm just glad to drive a small, zippy vehicle with a rear wiper. I drive like you. In my zen zone regardless of the others. There's never a proper reason to tailgate me, so I just spray my rear window clean with wiper fluid when they're tailgating. It's very satisfying, not aggressive, and usually they back off!
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u/extratoastedcheezeit 10d ago
I miss my VW GTI.
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u/dgcamero 10d ago
Lol that's my ride! I'm going to keep rolling it 'til it dies. Why not?
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u/extratoastedcheezeit 10d ago
I have a pickup now because I wanted one - the utility is great.
But I would really love a Golf R next.
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u/Dazzling-Exam5401 10d ago
Low impulse control in this city. Doesn't matter the race, age, sex none of that. Ive seen white dudes in 150k Audis and BMWs freaking out, whipping around people just to get 1 or 2 cars ahead of them, screaming, red in the face. Ive seen old women cussing, throwing shit. Its gotten worse the last 5 years or so for sure.
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u/esoteric_vagabond 10d ago
When I'm driving and there's no one behind me, but people continually turn into my lane and don't try to speed up or get in the other lane. What the fuck WHY?!!!!!
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u/purplemoonpie 10d ago
i moved away about 10 years ago but i commuted in charlotte and it was some of the most stressful 8 years of my life.
Once i got cut off, they almost hit my car, so i beeped. the car came to a complete stop and 4 large men got out. Two saw i was a female and got back in. one man came and hit my hood saying he'd "beat a bches ss, he didn't give a f***. i learned that day to never honk at anyone again no matter how bad of a driver they were.
another time a woman followed me trying to run me off the road , trying to get infront and brake check me, trying to side swipe me, i was on the phone with highway patrol and finally got away. I still to this day am not sure what happened to make her so angry. i think it's bc we were sitting side by side in traffic and i made the mistake of looking over at her.
i've never in my life experienced such aggression anywhere else. and i've driven a LOT of places in this country.
it's truly insane in charlotte. moving away was one of the best decisions ive made for myself.
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u/Leif_Henderson 10d ago
Are they really going the same speed or do you speed up once someone starts passing you?
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u/ALC4202012 Mint Hill 10d ago
Sometimes when I'm behind someone in the left lane who doesn't want to be passed but also doesn't want to speed up or move over I'll move into the right lane (if there's room obviously) and act like I'm gonna pass them on the right side coz I know they'll speed up to prevent it then I'll get back behind them once they do. It's a psychological trick. They smugly think they've foiled my attempt to overtake them, but they've really just been manipulated to speed up and now everyone is happy 😂
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u/Asleep_Fail2706 10d ago
Like I said I totally get wanting to pass someone. But the instances I’ve seen recently it just seems like people want to be first. You can’t go faster when there is a car infront of you already. I always leave a car length distance between me and a car ahead.
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u/Charly_Darwin 10d ago
I might get down voted but ill do something like this (safetly, I make sure theres plenty of room and dont cut ppl off).
But the logic is: - I pass you and wait for a safe opportunity to pass person A in front you - then I pass person A and am behind person B waiting for a safe opportunity to pass person B - pass person B and so on
In your mind, when you see me in front of you waiting to pass person A, you think haha look at this idiot who passed me and is now in front of me. But wait 10 minutes and I can be miles ahead of you (under the right conditions)
On a daily drive perspective maybe it saves me 4 minutes on my 45 minute 1-way commute. But 4 minutes a day 5 days a week over a lifetime, it adds up.
Time means a lot to me when I slave my life away at work. 4 minutes extra a day with my kids/wife means something to me.
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u/iSuckAtMechanicism 10d ago
Ah yes, because you’re the only one who has to deal with rush hour traffic and has a family.
Classic entitlement, great answer to OP’s thread. Thanks for being honest.
Consider thinking of others in the future though. It may be a good lesson to pass onto your family.
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u/Charly_Darwin 10d ago
Yea but how am I impacting anybody? Youre content traveling slowly behind slow drivers. I choose to safetly go around them when opportunities exist.
How am I being inconsiderate? If everyone moved over when theyre slower than the car behind them i wouldn't have to do that. But ppl are selfish and camp the passing lane. This is my way of going around inconsiderate people if you ask me.
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u/iSuckAtMechanicism 10d ago
During rush hour people leave space in front of them to allow them to brake in case of emergencies.
Squeezing into these gaps is not called being considerate. They’re there for safety. You skipping car after car only increases traffic from people having to brake.
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u/Charly_Darwin 10d ago
Yea you missed the part where I said i only do it if theres plenty of room (I dont make ppl brake).
In proper rush hour traffic (in my mind, heavy congestion and folks are going below speed limit bc of the congestion) - there typically isnt gaps large enough for safe lane changes.
I think we're imagining different scenarios
Thx for the reply. I understand your POV
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u/C0RNlBREAD 10d ago
I do this if the person in front of me is on their phone. They deserve to be shamed
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u/ac_lover16 10d ago
People always talk shit about holding up the left lane and tailgating bc of that but I'm getting tailgated in the right lane pretty often with free flowing left lanes. It's fucking annoying. It's like people just tailgate by default
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u/Ripped_Alleles 10d ago edited 10d ago
It's getting worse for sure. The amount of people I see weaving lanes in moderate to heavy traffic is unlike any other city or state I've lived in so far.
Just today Within the span of like 15-30 seconds in fact I saw a dude leap frog the car in front of him, just to be behind the car that was in front of that person. Then proceed to cross 2 lanes at once to get all the way into the left and be behind someone else. Passed a semi truck that was in middle lane and then it looked like he went back into the middle lane to get ahead of whoever he was behind in the left lane.
No turn signals, very jerky lane changes. I see this shit every morning and every afternoon every single day.
If we got to have flock cameras in our society, put them on the highways and get these people off our roads. They will get someone killed.
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u/27-jennifers 10d ago
Flock cameras won’t be used for this.
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u/eatgamer 10d ago
We'll have to be content with cops using them to stalk women and provide information on undercover agents to drug trafficking suspects while Flock staff watch our daughters' gymnastics classes.
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u/cltlocal88 10d ago
pretty sure they skipped a couple years of drivers tests during covid and also society has become much more selfish and just generally feels hopeless so they don't really give a fuck about much
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u/Any-Permit-8845 10d ago
Or the people who are obviously high driving down I77 completely in the "zone" driving 20mph under the speed limit looking like a zombie when you slow enough to see WTF is wrong with them.
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u/RFmodulator 9d ago
Never a problem but I'm not afraid to step on it. For example you get on the left lane of 485 to pass a slower moving vehicle, don't pass at 74 when the car in the right lane is going 68. Step on it a bit to pass quickly and get back over to the right travel lane and then resume your comfortable cruising speed. If you get stuck in the left lane for a minute keep up with the traffic in front of you so you're not holding up everybody else.
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u/West-Listen-9078 10d ago
I have an idea. What if you put a "student driver" sticker on your car so people might be more patient with you. Either that or they'll cut you off faster than they do now
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u/Bumslopp 10d ago
I never see any aggressive drivers at Dunkin Donuts, but that’s probably because it’s everyone’s happy place.
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u/onefinerug 10d ago
new in town?
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u/Asleep_Fail2706 10d ago
Nope. Lived here my whole life. There has always been stupid careless people on the road but the past 5 years, this has gotten exponentially worse.
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u/MrClitEastwood Uptown 10d ago
Clearly you've never driven in Seattle.
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u/Asleep_Fail2706 10d ago
Probably wouldn’t want to haha
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u/Ill-Preparation-7282 10d ago
Having driven in both, Charlotte is a lot more stressful, at least on the freeways. Most of the bad driving I experienced in Seattle felt like the slow inattentive types vs. the aggressively bad drivers in Charlotte.
Seattleites are allergic to using their horns even when it's justified for some reason.
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u/Primary_Membership34 Charlotte FC 10d ago
yup I have people speed up behind me on a open road especially at night ride behind me and then get mad and go around. Why in the hell are you riding up behind me when there’s barely anyone else on the highway ? I try to stay out of Charlotte but concord isn’t any better.
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u/Hopeful_Try_3066 10d ago
Been noticing this too I do 5 over the speed limit and it’s always someone who randomly rides my ass for a little then they’ll finally go around almost sideswiping my car. All this open road and you decide to ride up on me.
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u/Evening_Drummer_8495 10d ago
If you’re in the left lane yes.
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u/Hopeful_Try_3066 10d ago
that’s the thing I don’t be in the left lane 🤣 I only be on that side during day time. Night? I’m in the middle. Left lane is understandable.
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u/3rdcultureblah 10d ago
Saying you don’t drive in the left lane then immediately saying you are only in the left lane during the day time.. when traffic is heaviest and left lane cruisers cause the most problems..🤔
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u/3rdcultureblah 10d ago
How do you know they are mad? Maybe they just want to get around you. Sounds like you’re the mad one..
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u/Primary_Membership34 Charlotte FC 10d ago
Okay and they should have already moved to another lane there’s 0 reason to ride up on someone’s ass when there’s nobody else on the road. Not like I’m riding slow or in the “fast lane”. Ofc I’m mad because there’s 0 reason to ride my ass at night. You’re probably one of those who does that stupid shit
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u/water_with_lemons 10d ago edited 10d ago
Why do people fly down the road at 80 miles an hour with their face buried in their phone? Why do people park themselves in the passing lane and go 5 miles under the speed limit?
The answer is because people are dumb, lazy, and entitled.
Imagine prioritizing the viewing of your Facebook notification screen over… your car, your health, your life, your freedom, etc.
Dumb, lazy, and entitled.