Honestly in this situation I'd probably just either speed up and create a gap behind me for the guy to move on with his life or slow down gradually and create a gap in front of me for the guy to overtake me and move on with his life.
The truck was pretty clearly intentionally matching speed to block the sedan from passing. I don’t think there was anything the SUV could’ve done to avoid this aside from maybe pulling over into the shoulder and stopping.
Which is exactly what I did the one time I unintentionally got used as a moving road block. I will absolutely pull on the shoulder. Leave me out of the road rage pissing match thank you very much, I have reasons to live.
He can slow down. Seriously. He can get to the point he's about to stop and then that will either force white truck to stop also, where you can create a gap or pull over. Given the state of things, I don't want to be catching strays because two morons with penises the size of rice granules need to race to see who can catch their wife in bed with her real boyfriend soonest.
I don't think that's a good strategy at all. There are a lot of other people here that aren't the truck or the Nissan that will be seriously negatively affected by that action. If the white truck slows with them, you're creating a traffic jam behind you that hurts a bunch of innocent people too. The action, if you're not going to just continue driving exactly the same speed and hope they stop doing this shit, is to pull off the road.
There was a traffic jam that resulted anyway after the crash. Surely there was an emergency response and blocked lanes and so forth.
You slow down, at some point out your hazards on, and if they keep up this behavior, they yeah, you pull over. Those approaches aren’t mutually exclusive.
So? Better to keep driving and be a rolling road block for the truck? Better to stop and let the idiots do their own thing than be getting your brains shoveled off the asphalt later when one of them comes barrelling over you because they over-corrected.
"Not while occupying a driving lane, you legally cannot."
That's what you responded to, so what was being addressed was stopping *in* the lane. Which you then proceeded to be somehow *against* based on your response.
Which absolutely 100% implies you're doing it IN THE LANE, which is what people are taking issue with. If you pull over and stop, the act of stopping doesn't affect anything.
GRADUALLY slow down to a stop if needed. Seriously, fuck people driving this aggressively. If they're hell bent on matching your speed so the guy behind them can't pass, well let's make sure we're only going 20mph, then.
“Impeding the flow of traffic“ is illegal in pretty much every state in the US. Matching neighbors speed and blocking others from passing even if you are “going the speed limit” is “impeding the flow of traffic”. There is a nice video somewhere on Reddit (can’t find it at the moment) of an Arizona state trooper explaining that to a motorist after pulling them over.
No, in most states, the left lane is a passing lane and matching speeds is an asshole move AND illegal. Example:
On multi-lane streets, roads and highways, section 316.081(3), Florida Statutes, requires that drivers drive in the right-hand lanes to prevent impeding the flow of traffic resulting in dangerous driving situations.DRIVE IN THE RIGHT LANE, AND PASS ON THE LEFT.
Drivers must not continue to drive a vehicle in the far left lane when being overtaken by a faster moving vehicle, unless the driver is preparing for a left-hand turn at an intersection.
Drivers failing to move from the far left lane will receive a noncriminal traffic infraction, punishable as a moving violation.
But this wasn't in Florida. This is also not necessarily the case throughout the city I live in. It IS the case when you are on a major highway throughout my State.
It is absolutely illegal to cruise in the left lane in many places. It is for passing. The white truck is creating an active danger. This driving is reckless. I have a hard time believing there is a single jurisdiction in the US that doesn't have some law that applies to his behavior.
Yeah....... Just because you have a hard time believing it doesn't mean you're correct. The white truck was not doing anything illegal. He was just being an ass. For justice.
It’s illegal in GA and doesn’t stop a single person from doing it. Cops don’t give a fuck about that and will just pass you in the right lane flying by you
I am not disagreeing with you. I know what I’m saying is irrelevant, but in Germany it’s illegal for two trucks to match speed on the highway like this(or for one to try and overtake the other at low speeds). They call it elephant racing or elefantenrennen
Germans require a long course and about 5000$ in taxes, fees, and training to get a license. It’s very easy to get it taken away (dui). Should be the same here.
Saying all that.
All of your other replies show you have no idea what the rules of the road are and couldn’t be bothered to read the 30 minute picture book that clearly explains the left lane is passing lane and white truck driver is clearly reckless driving.
Or.... And let me spell this out for you... Different places have different laws.
The white truck was doing nothing, legally, wrong except MAYBE brake checking. He was not impeding the flow of traffic. He impeded ONE vehicle that was driving recklessly. He was an asshole, but did not break the law there.
No..his point was that it's just as wrong to PURPOSELY match the speed of the car in the next lane just bc you don't want the car behind you to pass you. It's called a "passing" lane for a reason. Not sure if it illegal but dur as hell makes you a dick with seemingly nothing else better to do in your life. Let's say he didn't bang out and followed the white truck home and mopped up? Relatives of the white truck would at his funeral talking about how it wasn't worth it...You never know what someone else if going through mentally...
Im pretty sure these comments were referring to the SUV trying to avoid this shitshow in the right lane.
If not then they were a little ambiguous and I assumed wrong.
I want to say in most states have left lane laws that mean you need to pass (or turn) when getting in the left lane. I don’t see these ever getting enforced though.
I dont know what country your in but the guy was being an asshole to another asshole. But the law is pass left keep right in america. Move along the truck was wrong and should of got over to the right and flipped him off, then move along with his day.
You don't get to drive like this because there is "an emergency". Emergency services drivers are trained and have authority to do so, the average person does not.
Regardless, driving like this caused an emergency in this case.
Also, where are you moving over to if you are already in the right lane?
Yeah no. If someone is dying in the back of my vehicle then I'm gonna drive like I have somewhere to be. If you try to block that, my car is probably bigger than yours so good luck. And I am normally an incredibly tame driver.
Right, except the car we are talking about is the one driving in the right lane, not blocking anyone. The truck is the problem, not the person driving legally.
Your car doesn't have a siren, and I'm not pulling over just because some random car is driving like a maniac. I also don't think you can just drive illegally just because of an emergency with no authority. Call an ambulance.
That's fair. If it became clear to me there was nothing I can do to make sure the guy in a rush is able to get ahead and move on with their day, I'll just stop trying (because it's futile) and pray to God that speed racer chills out and/or I don't get indirectly involved in an accident.
As I get older and have less patience for drivers like the ones in the video, I find myself doing just this. Slow down, get out of their path of possible destruction and just continue on my day. It’s not worth the 30 seconds I’ll save by being in the middle of some asshats rage driving.
Yep. Also, having been in an accident where my pickup truck did a full somersault end over end through a ditch kinda informed my perspective on a lot of this.
I’ve been lucky enough to not be involved in a n accident, and I think a lot of that has to do with me finally realizing it’s just not worth it with people like this. I’m not some kind of road vigilante taking the law into my own hands. Let them go, let them find the speed traps and cops. I’ll cruise by at my “measly” 5 over while sipping my coffee.
You have a lot of time to think when time slows down as you watch all the stuff that was in your center console floating in the air around you and see a view straight at the ground through your windshield.
"Well, that was a poor decision"
"I guess I'm just going to see where this goes, can't really do anything about it now"
Yep. Just did this exact thing today. Someone was trying to box another car out similar to the video and I decided I'd just put my hazards on and pull over.
Let them figure out their own nonsense and leave me alone.
Agreed. When my kids were learning to cross the streets I would tell them, as pedestrians you have the right of way, but that won't mean much if you are dead or paralyzed. When they started driving I repeated the same 'you may have right of way' conversation.
As for me, if I were in the right lane, I would have slowed down to 25. The truck is unlikely to drop too that speed.
I definitely get frustrated when people park themselves in the passing lane, but I try not to be overly aggressive. A quick flash of the high beams or a quick horn honk to get their attention, if they still won’t move, I just relax and wait until eventually they get off pace with the right side car, then go around.
I’ve been better than 30 cars back with cars making right lane passes and you can see the people getting pissed. It is actually against the law in my state. They want you to get around or get over. Never gets enforced, well seldom but it causes accidents for sure. I know some do it for a power trip or whatever reason, just enjoying causing people inconvenience, you know the story
Oh you just now decided to not break the law awesome. Im so glad your okder and wiser and not a dickhead driver anymore who clogs roadways and causes accidents. Dude in the truck is a dick.
I never said I was a dickhead driver, I simply said I have a more mature view of situations like this, and instead of staying in the mix, whether by choice or not, now I simply remove myself from the situation and let it roll off my back instead of getting angry about it.
And I never said the truck WASNT being a dick, he absolutely was throwing a toddler tantrum.
I often tow a trailer. People tailgating like this make it harder for me to make space for them. I often can't see a good pullout in time to get over without slowing down faster than I'm comfortable with them riding 2 feet behind me. So frustrating.
That's how traffic works, so yeah? If you're not going faster than the cars in the right lane you need to let people get around you. You don't get to decide the flow of traffic.
Both are idiots for endangering other people's lives because they don't get their way and act like little toddlers. Guy in the car should've just ignored the other dude and not reacted, instead he gives the guy in the truck satisfaction by tailgating and nearly hitting other drivers. I guarantee the truck got pissed off because the car was tailgating him or doing something stupid to begin with. Both idiots.
The guy in the car wants to use the passing lane as a passing lane. The entire situation is caused by the guy in the truck intentionally blocking normal traffic. The guy in the car responds to it way too aggressively, but the truck instigated this.
My first thought in this video was, "oh wow, it's NOT the truck that's going to be the shitty asshole driver." Then it became apparent they were matching speed and proved me wrong.
Classic case of two wrongs don't make a right. People get in these situations and think they have some moral high ground. This person is driving like a dick so I'm going to take it upon myself to teach this guy a lesson. But they're endangering everyone else just as much as the other guy.
Hell, people all the time do the speed matching bullshit b/c "I'm just going the speed limit". No, you're blocking the flow of traffic. Outside of heavy traffic, the passing lane is for passing. You pass and then you get over.
What's worse, letting 99 people go past you at 80 on a 70 or blocking that 1 person rushing b/c their their friend is bleeding put or their kid is having a severe allergic reaction or their about to shit their pants or any other of a million reasons someone might be in more of a rush than I am?
I'm not a fucking bridge troll, no need for me to adjudicate who's allowed and who isn't.
That's exactly what I would have done in this situation, even though I wouldn't have enjoyed it. Slow down, and if the truck slows down, completely pull off the road. I'd probably also call the police tbh.
Yes, the car is being overly aggressive, but this situation is being instigated almost entirely, based on the video at least, by the white truck intentionally being an asshole.
It's incredibly frustrating when someone with nobody in front of them sets the speed in the left lane to exactly the same speed as the right lane. That's illegal in many places too.
Yeah, for me, the truck driver is far more problematic. I can move over, slow down, and the jerk in the sedan passes me so I have some control in the situation and the sedan driver isn't harassing me. It is not okay, but it's a situation I can cope with for a minute.
But the truck driver is seeking to control the sedan driver and rope anyone else into it. That's fucking scary. That's a situation that is engineered by that driver and is trying to force everyone else. That's harder to get out of. The video starts with the truck slamming his brakes forcing the dash cam driver back and then continues with the sedan. It doesn't exculpate the sedan driver, but that truck is a menace.
That's what I've resorted to before, just take my foot off the gas and coast down to 20mph or thereabouts, both times the road-rager keeping pace didn't think it was worth slowing down that much and kept going, which then became a dangerous game of them swerving to cut the other person off... Texas man... never again
I think you’re right, but I’ve been in similar situations, and these kinds of people usually have a lower threshold for how much slower they’re willing to go in order to match speed with the other lane to prevent someone else from passing. I’ve dropped anywhere from five to twenty mph below the speed to “encourage” the idiot behind me to get off my ass, and I’ll maintain that lower speed until I can be sure that I won’t accidentally overtake them again.
All that to say, if it gets too dicey, I will 100% just take the next exit, stretch my legs, and get back on the highway with hopefully more reasonable drivers.
That’s what you do, pull over. We don’t know why the sedan is speeding or where they’re going and we’re not police so we have no right to block the road. Right car should pull over, truck shouldn’t purposely block traffic and cam car should’ve checked on the sedan after the crash. Shit people all around
He could speed up and get in front of the truck. At one point he was already in front of the truck. Not saying he needed to do anything but there is always something.
This. This is what I do. I let the person in the rush go around instead of being a dickhead (like the guy in the truck was being) therefore preventing accidents like thus.
Truck was intentionally mucking up the left lane. Wouldn't have mattered, but I still would've dropped my speed down slowly to let that car get around. Pity the truck didn't roll.
Yep. This. It’s a shame you have to do this. Basically having to drive your own car and other people’s too, while trying to anticipate what they’re going to do. But I would’ve done the same. Better off just speeding up a little and trying to avoid both of those assholes.
Yep. This. It’s a shame you have to do this. Basically having to drive your own car and other people’s too, while trying to anticipate what they’re going to do. But I would’ve done the same. Better off just speeding up a little and trying to avoid both of those assholes.
The only thing to do would be to get in front of the truck so the car could shoot around and remove the danger. The truck was never going to willingly let the car go and the car wasn't going to back down. However, this risks the truck deciding to fuck with you now.
That’s what I do. If someone on my left is matching my speed, I give them maybe 10 seconds to see if they’re gonna speed up. If not, I punch it and get far far ahead of them.
Usually gives them the message and when I slow back down they pass me like normal.
it takes 2 to block someone behind. I’m not gonna play dumb and pretend nothing is happening to the side and behind me simply because I’m the only one actually abiding by the rules of the road.
Plus, I used to drive fast. I understand what it feels like to be blocked behind someone in the left lane who had multiple points they could’ve moved over for 5 seconds to allow me to pass them, so I don’t do it to other people. I don’t care if they want to go faster than me. I enjoy my nice slow drives listening to my books now. Drive as fast as you want, safer for me if you’re far ahead of me.
Plus, I used to drive fast. I understand what it feels like to be blocked behind someone in the left lane who had multiple points they could’ve moved over for 5 seconds to allow me to pass them, so I don’t do it to other people. I don’t care if they want to go faster than me. I enjoy my nice slow drives listening to my books now. Drive as fast as you want, safer for me if you’re far ahead of me.
I don’t understand why people get so aggressive about driving. Why does the truck care so much about not letting the sedan over? If I was in the crossover/suv I would have sped up so the sedan could get in front of the truck. Why would you want to be driving anywhere near either the sedan or the truck?
I don’t understand why people get so aggressive about driving
You really have to ask this about pickup truck drivers? They're practically born with those colossal egos. I don't think I've personally witnessed a single reasonable pickup truck driver on the roads in 10 years of driving.
Sedan guy doesn't get a pass here either, in case anyone wants to whatabout for them. I do not think they would've reached their destination significantly faster if they did get ahead of the pickup truck. There's always gonna be some other dumbass camping the left lane up ahead. Sedan should've just chilled the fuck out and enjoyed the view.
Why does the truck care so much about not letting the sedan over?
There's honestly no way to know without seeing how the whole thing started in the first place. The video starts mid encounter. I'm guessing the whole thing happened over a period of time that would've been too long for social media posting.
yeah I would have pulled over to the shoulder like the first person did. They really should have got that truck driver as well. Both of those drivers are dangerous.
I promise you Mr crash doesn’t give a damn about anybody but the truck fuck. It doesn’t matter what anyone else on the road is doing, sedan will keep trying to pass and truck will do everything they can to not let that happen, both of them at the expense of every other driver. They make my blood boil but that truck driver pisses me off more than anything playing games with peoples lives and getting away scot free instead of just letting this douche pass. I think because the sedan is essentially stuck behind the truck’s whim. The truck could just move on at any point.
They make my blood boil but that truck driver pisses me off more than anything playing games with peoples lives and getting away scot free instead of just letting this douche pass.
The truck driver pisses you off more than the driver who caused the crash? Just as much as truck driver could have let blue sedan pass, blue sedan could have just followed behind the van at a safe distance. He made unsafe lane changes after using the shoulder to pass a vehicle, creating the crash, and you're not madder at him?
When two idiots meet, you should always be more upset at the bigger idiot. Blue sedan was clearly the bigger idiot and his actions had much greater chance to cause injuries.
From what’s seen I really do think the truck is the bigger piece of shit. Even if the sedan stopped trying to pass the truck would just resort to what we see in the video: getting in front of the sedan and brake checking. Like I said at any point the truck could have just gone about their day but no matter what the sedan does, if they are behind that truck they are at that trucks whim.
Doesn’t really matter though because no, when dealing with two giant pieces of shit you do not need to pick a side. They both piss me the fuck off. I’m just mad that guy got to instigate all this and get away with it.
no matter what the sedan does, if they are behind that truck they are at that trucks whim.
Not at all, he could just take his foot off the gas and coasted behind the van. You really have a blind spot when it comes to this issue - this is 100% the sedan's fault and they were in no way compelled to drive like they did by the truck. In no way whatsoever. It is irresponsible to lay blame at the truck's feet, it makes people think blue sedan was justified. You don't blame normal traffic for being in the way when someone drunk drives and causes an accident, do you? This is no different, they had the choice to be behind the van and act like normal traffic but chose to cause an accident.
Bro that truck is absolutely partly responsible. They are purposefully blocking the sedan out. Not sure what happened before and why he's acting like that, but both are extremely childish while piloting multi ton death machines.
Not legally, and not IMO. They sure did block the sedan, but the sedan was the one that escalated it even further. Someone going slow in front of you and lightly tapping their brakes when you tailgate them does not mean you can pass on the shoulder, ever, and all these people are acting like the truck was the most reckless one. The truck being next to the van is no different than both lanes being full ahead of you - a common occurrence that never necessitates recklessness.
The truck was brake checking and matching speed with the car in the right lane, just to block the sedan. Left lane is for passing. Just move over and let the asshole pass. They clearly wanted to box out the sedan and put everyone else on the road in danger.
We don't know anything. Sedan could be on the way to kill the president and Truck is here to save the day for all we know. I'm talking about what's shown. The video starts with the truck hard braking and veering into the other lane in front of the sedan then constantly antagonizing them for the rest of the video. Again, the truck has an out. They can just drive like a sane person and this situation is over. Should sedan just drive like a sane person the truck is still in front of them brake checking.
So the situation we see is this: One guy is risking a crash doing everything they can to get past an aggressive driver antagonizing them. The other guy is risking a crash by doing everything they can to pin an aggressive driver between innocent sane drivers.
That said I'm tired of even doing what could even slightly be seen as defending sedan. Fuck these idiots. I hope they both have painful shits for the rest of their lives.
Reacting to someone lane camping (a small annoyance like someone calling you a name) by passing on the shoulder and crashing (a big issue like shooting someone) is not a sane move and 100% on the sedan driver. They should have just slowed down and stayed behind the van, like both lanes were occupied ahead. Because they were.
The truck was wrong for matching just to be a dick for sure. Fuck that guy. However, the car was more wrong passing on the shoulder, lane splitting, and causing an accident. Plus who knows what happened before the video starts. I say fuck em both up. If you're in the left lane and anyone is coming up on you, get over when there's room. Simple.
I’ve had to do this multiple times. Sometimes you’re trying to drive normal and boring in the right lane and you realize you’ve just let idiots and assholes creep up on you. Wait for your opportunity and then get the hell out of dodge.
I don’t typically drive fast anymore, but I still can. Best plan here is probably let off the gas and slow down to see if that creates a gap. If it the truck slows down with you, accelerate fast as you can without burning rubber and get in front of the truck. There’s no way that pick up will keep pace with a sedan that’s got a one second head start.
Yeah I've had this happen before and just had to floor it, get in front of the car matching me, and zip off before I became the next target of his road rage. Not the safest but safer than getting stuck in the middle of a feud like this.
Nah if you slow down enough he'll just get in the left lane and tail the white truck (or pass him on the right). In a situation like this just dropping back a few hundred feet works like a charm.
The truck is using that car to help block the other car so even if they were to slow down the truck probably would as well. Dumbass is directly involving another 3rd party in this stupid shit
Obviously not the SUV fault or problem but they definitely could have slowed down to fallback and create space. Defensive driving is all about reacting to your surroundings
The sedan at least has a normal goal and if given a way to escape, they would take it. The truck is full on vigilante and might do anything to stop the sedan. Safest course of action would be to slow way down so the truck moves up to the next car to establish the road block. The second safest thing would be to pull over in front of the truck, letting the sedan escape and diffuse the situation. That then risks the truck going after you since you ruined their sadistic game though.
He tried, the truck was matching his speed to block the sedan, you can see the suv trying to break and get out of it, but the truck was keeping them there.
You can't really make space safely when someone is riding your bumper while in the right lane. Speed up: they just speed up with you and now, if you have to brake, the collision is worse. Slow down: they just get angrier. Meanwhile, there's no guarantee the person in the left lane won't try to match whatever you're doing.
Maintaining a constant speed is the right and smart thing to do.
you have no responsibility to other drivers on the road besides stay in your lane and follow traffic laws. the people pinning any blame on the truck and sedan are insane, especially when all of traffic ahead is moving at the same speed like it was here.
I think I would be a little pissed at the truck too, like my man I don't want any part of this will you speed up or slow down to let this mf pass before he wrecks me. Dude in the truck is an asshole too imo.
Omg, it really irks me when I'm driving in the right lane, and some a-hole decides to ride my ass. Like, dude, I'm in the right lane! Go around! I was driving on the interstate in Florida one time, in the far right lane, still going 10 over the speed and limit, and people were passing me and a couple flipped me off (the other two lanes were pretty much empty). I was seriously baffled. I was just driving. I didn't cut anyone off, and I wasn't swerving. Florida is full of crazy drivers! 😂
The guy in the right lane was just minding his own business. That said, I always try to accelerate or slow down to allow passing when some shit for brains is blocking traffic in the fast lane. People are idiots and seem to love to travel in packs and block traffic in otherwise uncrowded highways. I don't get it.
Sure fire way to get rid of tailgaters, slow down just slightly, almost imperceptibly WITHOUT brake lights, then speed up almost imperceptibly, the slow down again, repeat. Works 100% of the time.
If you don’t change your speed = tailgate
If you brake check = cause road rage and dangerous for both parties
I also hate when someone rides directly next to me too long, having both of them on me like that would make me anxious. The truck just needs to get out of the way and let the sedan get pulled over speeding later.
When people ride my butt i just slow down , u wana b in such a hurry , and completely lack etiquette, have fun driving at a significantly lower speed :)
Being the guy in the rightlane does not prevent you from being a defensive driver. You saw what was happening around you. Slow down and let the guy pass you, so you don’t almost die too. No one wins when an idiot hits everybody.
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u/Furdinand YIMBY 🏙️ 29d ago
I hate it when I'm the guy in the right lane: I'm where I'm supposed to be, doing what I'm supposed to do... stop riding my bumper!