The Firing Line Forums

Go Back   The Firing Line Forums > Hogan's Alley > Tactics and Training

Reply
 
Thread Tools Search this Thread
Old March 12, 2018, 11:56 PM   #26
JohnKSa
Staff
 
Join Date: February 12, 2001
Location: DFW Area
Posts: 24,929
Quote:
45 mph speed limit on a city street is something I have never seen. On a "road" yes, "street," no.
It's common around here--even 50mph isn't that unusual.
Quote:
I'll keep being a courteous driver. One day, you might thank for me for it.
I am certainly not against people being courteous on the road and I do appreciate it when it happens.

On the other hand, when people circumvent the right of way it can lead to misunderstandings which can be dangerous. When a person chooses to do that, they should be extremely careful to insure that what they intend to be a good deed doesn't turn ugly. We're not talking about theoretical situations here--not only did I list a number real world examples of how that can happen, others on this thread have also mentioned seeing similar occurrences.

Be courteous AND safe out there.
__________________
Do you know about the TEXAS State Rifle Association?
JohnKSa is offline  
Old March 13, 2018, 12:02 AM   #27
4V50 Gary
Staff
 
Join Date: November 2, 1998
Location: Colorado
Posts: 21,824
The era of the polite society has been discarded with the on-demand gratitude, I'm someone special snowflake syndrome indicative of current times. I would back down/deescalate from confrontation because I don't want to wind up shooting someone.
__________________
Vigilantibus et non dormientibus jura subveniunt. Molon Labe!
4V50 Gary is offline  
Old March 13, 2018, 05:13 AM   #28
Brit
Senior Member
 
Join Date: January 29, 2005
Location: Orlando FL
Posts: 1,934
Quote:
Originally Posted by briandg View Post
The first time I encountered it, my friend and I were driving to saint Lois in his fiat convertible, about the size of an mg. Two lane road, curves, pitch black, we were hanging at about the speed limit. Guy in an eighteen wheeler pulled up onto our butt, rode us, at times less than ten feet away. Yes, this guy was crazy, aggressive, dangerous. We pulled off as soon as we found a chance and let the crazy sob go.

Come on, all we were doing was driving down the road in a little white sports car.

We learned something else that night, too. We got in around midnight, tank was nearly dry, and we were lost. Wrong side of town. Pulled into a gas station, lots of black fellas hanging around outside. We both got out and he asked about filling up. Well, we were a pair of twenty year old white guys driving a nice little convertible. The all stood up, and one walked towards us, and told us that there wasn't any gas there, so get lost.

Jesus, we thought, what in hell is wrong with people? I learned that night that the bullies in the schools were nothing, the worst that would happen is that you'd get a beating. The rest of the world was even more messed up.
Coming back from a Camping trip, 1970, my Wife, two little kids, towing a Tent Trailer.

Heading for the Canadian border, just going dark, came off the highway, low on gas! How did I get in this area! Not the best part of Buffalo. Gas was cheaper in the States.
Pulled up next to the pump... No one came up to me? The pump needed to be operated. The Wife and kids went in to go to the washroom. I walked up to a really big black guy "You on strike or what?" the big smile I was wearing didn't get his attention, the smack on the arm did!

He caught my accent in a flash. "You are in the wrong place for gas Scouse!"
Scouse, meaning someone from Liverpool UK. Turned out he used to be in the Merchant Navy, Liverpool was one of his ports of call.
One of the mechanics walked over, we talked for a couple of minutes, paid and left. A better idea of finding the Peace Bridge as well.
Where I was brought up, not too many black people, they were mostly West Indian, no problems with race relations in the North of England, at that time. I left in 1965.

My second Wife is from Guyana, South America, she looks Indian, pretty Lady as well. Married 25 years. We have lived in Florida since 2003. Never had a nasty comment, or a dirty look out together, none.

Love Florida, the weather, the people. Carrying a Gen 4 Glock 19 every day is kind of nice, as well!
Brit is offline  
Old March 13, 2018, 08:00 AM   #29
zincwarrior
Senior Member
 
Join Date: July 1, 2011
Location: Texas, land of Tex-Mex
Posts: 2,259
Quote:
Originally Posted by RSKENT View Post
Road rage is real.
On the way home from work Friday I had a guy buzz me. Not sure why. When we got to the next light, all I could think was, please don’t get out of your truck. I really really don’t want to have to shoot you.

As far as the honking.
In this day and age, everyone pulls out their phone as they are coming up to a light. If you aren’t willing to honk your horn, you could sit there all day. If the light turns green and you don’t go, I’m hitting the wake-up button. If it ticks you off, sorry.
This is tactically imprudent. Honking increase s risk. In regional areas (outside of the North) honking at someone can get you killed.
zincwarrior is offline  
Old March 13, 2018, 08:09 AM   #30
zincwarrior
Senior Member
 
Join Date: July 1, 2011
Location: Texas, land of Tex-Mex
Posts: 2,259
Quote:
Originally Posted by FITASC View Post
ESPECIALLY on the Interstate. The left lane is for passing, not sitting there doing 65 mph backing up traffic for a mile behind you............
Unless the speed limit is 65 or there is traffic of course.
zincwarrior is offline  
Old March 13, 2018, 09:59 AM   #31
johnwilliamson062
Junior member
 
Join Date: May 16, 2008
Posts: 9,995
I've found the most submissive and quiet people out of a car are often the worst in a car. Something like the small dog barking at a big dog from inside their cage scenario. The feeling of anonymity and privacy many derive from being in a motor vehicle with non-tinted windows and a state issued ID number publicly visible is amazing. Road rage or picking their nose at a stoplight.
johnwilliamson062 is offline  
Old March 13, 2018, 02:35 PM   #32
briandg
Senior Member
 
Join Date: May 4, 2010
Posts: 5,468
People driving vans used to be the worst drivers. They have been replaced by the people who drive big trucks, who frequently demonstrate"GET OUT OF MY WAY, PUNK!" behaviors.
__________________
None.
briandg is offline  
Old March 13, 2018, 04:31 PM   #33
lunger
Senior Member
 
Join Date: May 17, 2007
Posts: 442
This discussion remind me of George Carlin's routine . https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XWPCE2tTLZQ
lunger is offline  
Old March 13, 2018, 05:14 PM   #34
GarandTd
Senior Member
 
Join Date: June 15, 2016
Location: Rural PA
Posts: 1,639
Quote:
People driving vans used to be the worst drivers
I used to drive a garbage truck on residential trash routes and the "soccer mom's" in minivans were the ones I had to watch out for. They wouldn't slow down for a pedestrian/worker on the road. I also agree about the big 4x4's. It's ironic that they want the middle of the road even though they are capable of some shoulder maneuvers.

I experienced road rage Friday night. I crested a hill at about 35mph only to find a car sideways across the road on the bottom of the hill. I tried the brakes, but there was black ice. They were sideways in the right lane(on a 2 lane road) so I moved to the leftt lane to avoid hitting them broadside, driver's side. Well, they decided to move forward and block the left lane. I moved to the shoulder which was actually a ditch and embankment. I rode the embankment all the way down the hill. In the meantime, the car blocking the road righted itself and continued in the same direction as me and I ended up behind them. At the next intersection, the driver of the car I avoided accosted me for driving too fast and not stopping. I couldn't stop due to the slippery roads, but my ability to maintain control, after they could not, probably saved his life. I, at the very least, avoided a collision and any injury for both parties. I didn't expect a thank you, but I wasn't prepared for the fu¢€ you I got either.
__________________
22lr, 20 gauge, 8mm Mauser, 35 Remington, 30-06, 5.56x45/223, 9mm, 380acp

Last edited by GarandTd; March 14, 2018 at 09:04 AM.
GarandTd is offline  
Old March 14, 2018, 08:09 AM   #35
briandg
Senior Member
 
Join Date: May 4, 2010
Posts: 5,468
My signature tag on another forum is ' The world has enough jackasses already. GROW UP!'
__________________
None.
briandg is offline  
Old March 14, 2018, 09:28 AM   #36
zukiphile
Senior Member
 
Join Date: December 13, 2005
Posts: 4,439
Quote:
Originally Posted by In the Ten Ring
The timid Charlotte driver the post was about was turning right, not left (not crossing traffic) so his hesitation made no sense. Speed of traffic flow was about 5 mph. I'm not going to stop traffic unless traffic is at a crawl to begin with. I'd think that's how it normally goes, I haven't seen it otherwise.

I'll keep being a courteous driver. One day, you might thank for me for it.
This has been identified as a problem in Canada, and I notice it where I live as well. Drivers are courteous to the point of being disorderly. If you are the driver to the right in a four way stop, and you wave the driver to your left through, your act is courteous, selfless, considerate, kind and disorderly. Get two of you at a four way stop and you may have a Heckle and Jeckle (No, please, YOU first!) impass. That's only very funny when people are trying to get onto an elevator.

The fundamental value underlying safe and efficient flow of traffic is order. When you practice non-standard rules in an effort to be kind, you may be undermining that order.

Last edited by zukiphile; March 14, 2018 at 09:39 AM.
zukiphile is offline  
Old March 14, 2018, 10:37 AM   #37
Brit
Senior Member
 
Join Date: January 29, 2005
Location: Orlando FL
Posts: 1,934
Driving is an adventure where I live. Coming home yesterday, 4 pm, me on a two-lane road, coming to a red light, where there was a turn left lane.

Fire station we had just passed, sirens blaring, a ladder truck coming up behind us me in left lane squeezing as far to the kerb lane as I could get, like most of the other vehicles did.
The big Mercedes, on my left, tried to pull into the left turn lane, blocking the fire truck!
An old guy driving it, head whipping from left to right, panic mode (Not as old as me!) firetruck squeezed through regardless. Can firetruck guys drive!
Brit is offline  
Old March 14, 2018, 10:54 AM   #38
Ricklin
Senior Member
 
Join Date: February 22, 2008
Location: SW Washington state
Posts: 1,996
Try a Prius in the PNW

The testosterone fueled 20 somethings here in the PNW just love their lifted 4X4 diesel pickups.

I have been smoked a number of times. It seems their pastime is a switch flipped in the cab that grossly overfuels the engine, resulting in thick black smoke out the exhaust.

Jackasses........
__________________
ricklin
Freedom is not free
Ricklin is offline  
Old March 14, 2018, 12:04 PM   #39
OhioGuy
Senior Member
 
Join Date: August 11, 2016
Posts: 1,089
Oh yeah it's real. A few years ago some guy in a huge pickup truck rolled up next to me and started cussing me out about something. I never could understand what he was ranting about, and I didn't roll down my window to find out. His face was red and he opened his door and started getting out just as my light was turning green, so I sped off and thankfully never saw him again. I suppose I could have cut him off somewhere? I never had a clue what that was all about, but people are freaking crazy

Makes me wonder, if that happened again, and I had no clear escape by car, and he came towards me with a hand in his pocket...what the heck do you do? Waiting for that hand to come out before you see whether it's holding something dangerous could be the last thing you do on earth. But preemptively letting him know he'd better back off could land you in prison. Or escalate things. There's no way to know.
OhioGuy is offline  
Old March 14, 2018, 12:15 PM   #40
zukiphile
Senior Member
 
Join Date: December 13, 2005
Posts: 4,439
Quote:
Originally Posted by OhioGuy
Makes me wonder, if that happened again, and I had no clear escape by car, and he came towards me with a hand in his pocket...what the heck do you do?
If you are sitting in a 3000 lb to 5000 lb motorized metal cage, you have several excellent options that don't involve a firearm.
zukiphile is offline  
Old March 14, 2018, 01:12 PM   #41
OhioGuy
Senior Member
 
Join Date: August 11, 2016
Posts: 1,089
Quote:
Originally Posted by zukiphile View Post
If you are sitting in a 3000 lb to 5000 lb motorized metal cage, you have several excellent options that don't involve a firearm.
That's ridiculous! How am I supposed to throw a 3000 lb. vehicle at him?

OhioGuy is offline  
Old March 14, 2018, 02:13 PM   #42
zincwarrior
Senior Member
 
Join Date: July 1, 2011
Location: Texas, land of Tex-Mex
Posts: 2,259
Quote:
Originally Posted by OhioGuy View Post
That's ridiculous! How am I supposed to throw a 3000 lb. vehicle at him?

Get bitten by a radioactive spider?

Also it depends on the state
zincwarrior is offline  
Old March 14, 2018, 05:10 PM   #43
briandg
Senior Member
 
Join Date: May 4, 2010
Posts: 5,468
Quote:
I have been smoked a number of times. It seems their pastime is a switch flipped in the cab that grossly overfuels the engine, resulting in thick black smoke out the exhaust.
some punk did that to me once. right into my front vents. he did it every time he passed a car until he passed oi\ut of sight.

then there are the clowns on crotch rockets that blow out their engines right next to a driver.
__________________
None.
briandg is offline  
Old March 15, 2018, 12:35 AM   #44
In The Ten Ring
Senior Member
 
Join Date: January 26, 2018
Posts: 380
One thing I've noticed about discussion forums, guys are super detailed, accounting for every possible instance no matter what that is, to support their position. Nothing wrong with it, I like discussion.

Absolutely nothing wrong with letting people out into traffic, in fact, it helps everyone by freeing up traffic flow. Of course you have to exercise common sense....that goes without typing (or so I thought). My letting others out is the reason I usually get out without much wait, no matter where I go. Some people call this "karma" but I call it "God makes note of who helps others and returns the favor."

OMGosh when I was younger and someone would flip me off, I'd blow them a kiss or gesture with a french kiss tongue motion. It really ticked people off! Once on the interstate, a guy out in a sports car with bombshell blonde, so lost his temper when he flipped me off and I blew him a kiss in return, ran off the road and nearly crashed! He was hanging out the window, shaking his fist, when off the road he went at 70 mph and he almost rolled his car. Was that funny to watch? Yes! Was it a smart move on my part? Not at all!

I have been smoked a number of times. It seems their pastime is a switch flipped in the cab that grossly overfuels the engine, resulting in thick black smoke out the exhaust.

That is called "rolling coal." Whenever I see a truck with huge tailpipes (some vertical in bed) or the "rolling coal" sticker, I close the vents and back way off from that guy!

Last edited by In The Ten Ring; March 15, 2018 at 12:45 AM.
In The Ten Ring is offline  
Old March 15, 2018, 09:32 AM   #45
briandg
Senior Member
 
Join Date: May 4, 2010
Posts: 5,468
I've got so many stories of stupidity. In ks I was passed on a dark foggy night on a curving road by a guy with a stock trailer, a few miles later, I started seeing blood and giblets on the road, a few hundred yards we found the guy with a deer head wedged in his trailer axle. He had dragged it and it was shredded all the way down the road. There was nothing left but a head and some of the cape.

My wife almost vomited because we had to stop to get around him safely. I suppose that he kept the rack.

I kind of appreciated having a cow catcher clearing the road for me.
__________________
None.
briandg is offline  
Old March 15, 2018, 03:16 PM   #46
RSKENT
Member
 
Join Date: November 25, 2004
Location: Land of Blue Sky and Sunshine
Posts: 38
Quote:
If you are sitting in a 3000 lb to 5000 lb motorized metal cage, you have several excellent options that don't involve a firearm.
Ok, I’m setting in my truck. There is a ticked off guy in front of me. A car behind me. A curb that I can’t jump to the left. Traffic to the right. I’m sorry, but the only option I see is sitting there and letting him do what ever he wants. I’m locked in my truck with the windows up. As long as he doesn’t break my glass and try to get in my truck, he is safe to do what he wants.
RSKENT is offline  
Old March 15, 2018, 04:37 PM   #47
briandg
Senior Member
 
Join Date: May 4, 2010
Posts: 5,468
there is no 'im completely screwed' scenario that you can win.
__________________
None.
briandg is offline  
Old March 15, 2018, 06:32 PM   #48
In The Ten Ring
Senior Member
 
Join Date: January 26, 2018
Posts: 380
I cracked up reading the story about the "deer dragged to bits under the axle & my wife vomited." Actually I am still laughing at that.

"There are things too strange to be believed, but there is nothing too strange to have happened."

Do you guys ever watch the dash cam vids on youtube? Crazy stuff on there.
In The Ten Ring is offline  
Old March 15, 2018, 09:52 PM   #49
briandg
Senior Member
 
Join Date: May 4, 2010
Posts: 5,468
I wish that I could tell you that it was all made up, but seriously, it happened just as I said. Just imagine it. Passed on the LONELY highway. A while later, blood on the road. More blood. Chunk, smear, blood, lights in the distance. bigger chunks and longer smears, "WHAT THE HELL WAS THAT? A LEG? ANOTHER ONE?" coming up on the stock trailer and truck, gore all over the road, slow down to drive past, deer head sticking out of the front of the trailer, that's right, pretty much nothing but the head.

we have never done too much driving, I cover about 3,000 miles annually. I can't begin to understand why that little bit of travel can be so eventful. It's like we are always saying, 'THIS STUFF NEVER HAPPENED TO OUR PARENTS!'
__________________
None.
briandg is offline  
Old March 15, 2018, 11:06 PM   #50
JohnKSa
Staff
 
Join Date: February 12, 2001
Location: DFW Area
Posts: 24,929
Quote:
Absolutely nothing wrong with letting people out into traffic, in fact, it helps everyone by freeing up traffic flow.
Well, as the many examples provided show, there certainly CAN be something wrong with it. Those examples make it plain that it can cause (and has caused) wrecks and even fatalities. Pretty hard to argue that "nothing is wrong" when someone ends up dead.
Quote:
Of course you have to exercise common sense...
Common sense is always a very good place to start, but it is only a start. Good situational awareness of what is going on with all the other drivers on the road at the time is also critical, in addition to being able to predict what they will do with reasonable accuracy. Furthermore, understanding what the other drivers can (and can't see) is also important as that plays a big part in how things play out.

I'm not saying people should never do it (although there are official sources recommending against it) just pointing out that it has been proven that it is potentially a very dangerous, even deadly, practice.

For whatever it's worth to others who read this thread (and yes, I realized quite awhile back that there's no chance of changing your mind on this topic), here's what one source had to say about it:
Do Not Wave Across
The easy way to prevent this is to not "wave across" anyone who wants to pull out and cross lanes of traffic to go the other direction. The drivers wanting to pull out may not be happy with you, but they will be more upset if you wave them into an accident. Only allow cars to pull out if they want to pull into the lane you are in and go the direction you are going.
And here's what another source said:
Every time we wave someone through or across a lane when the law grants no right-of-way to the recipient of the “favor” the possibility of a collision greatly increases. While it is somewhat ironic that being nice can be dangerous and illegal, the best practice is to save those favors for when someone is trying to merge into the lane in front of you.
__________________
Do you know about the TEXAS State Rifle Association?
JohnKSa is offline  
Reply

Thread Tools Search this Thread
Search this Thread:

Advanced Search

Posting Rules
You may not post new threads
You may not post replies
You may not post attachments
You may not edit your posts

BB code is On
Smilies are On
[IMG] code is On
HTML code is Off

Forum Jump


All times are GMT -5. The time now is 01:29 PM.


Powered by vBulletin® Version 3.8.7
Copyright ©2000 - 2024, vBulletin Solutions, Inc.
This site and contents, including all posts, Copyright © 1998-2021 S.W.A.T. Magazine
Copyright Complaints: Please direct DMCA Takedown Notices to the registered agent: thefiringline.com
Page generated in 0.07054 seconds with 8 queries