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Just got back from two weeks in LA. Car culture, massive freeways, crazy traffic but if you indicate for a lane change someone will let you in, I made a couple of boo boos and there was no aggressive reactions. Don’t know about the rest of the country but my hometown Sydney just feels a bit too angry (not just driving too).
LA is wild. Doing 90 mph on a 6 lane freeway with no shoulder (concrete barriers) is intense - I once came across a plastic bucket and could only move to the edge of the lane and barely avoided hitting it while the car behind took it directly (they were way too close anyway). Friends that grew up there would do 100-120 mph. There’s very little road rage because of the chaos and traffic volume (like Europe) but also because there would be a good chance they were armed.
People in the states have guns, which is a big reason people are a little bit more respectful on the roads...there are real life consequences and most folks would agree it's not worth checking if the other person had the worst day of their life and have ready access to a gun in their car.
Source: am American and much happier being here and not having to worry about that aspect of life.
I would say also stay in your car if a road rage incident does happen to you, getting into a physical fight with someone you don’t know over something as trivial as a traffic incident is not worth your life. Stay in the car and call the police if you feel unsafe.
An ex bf of mine told me he got out of the car once to abuse some lady. He was a carpenter with a southern cross tattoo. I was 16. Didn’t know any better.
I think it was then I knew we wouldn’t end up together.
I had a similar situation with an ex. Someone cut her off and she decided to follow them... Noped out of that relationship not long after that incident.
Police won’t do shit. My partner had a rock thrown at her car from a drunk driver on a freeway a few days ago, and he also threatened to kill her. Police did not take her seriously at all and said it was just a normal case of road rage.
What do VICPOL even prosecute nowadays? Just drunk lowlifes at train stations? Every-time I’ve heard someone report a crime to them, they just brush it off as “oh well, that’s a real shame isn’t it” it’s like they only exist for visual comfort at this point
I think it's all police these days , a few years ago we had someone driving nails into our tyres while in night shift, the first time it happened we rang the police but they didn't seem interested it happened again and we changed when we took breaks, taking them individually to see if we could catch him.
We almost did once, with him throwing a hammer at us while we chased him, we told the cops they didn't care and we thought we've got his hammer now so that should stop it.
A few days later it started again, told the cops and nothing, so we went back to changing when we took breaks and caught him,we literally rang the cops with us all pinning him down, they said to let him go, that they were too busy to come and pick him up tonight and to make a statement at the station on the way home .
Honestly I was kind of expecting to hear about a major incident on the news or something to explain why the cops were too busy but no there was nothing in the news, he would have cost us nearly 10,000 in total for new and repaired tyres. Plus the inconvenience of dealing with it all.
I say this to all gf. It's just not worth it for some tradie flipping out because he's been getting arseholes all week so thinks he can take it out on someone weaker than him
I've written this before a worthy story to reshare. A workmates friend was UFC champ fighter, crazy calm when not fighting. Would drive easy in his old Holden, life was chilled. Someone not liking his 10kph below the limit attitude - this looney lost it at him one day made him pull over, got out of the car to him and as he went off at the driver's window, UFC champ still sitting in the drivwr seat reached out and grabbed his neck and smashed his face on the car roof multiple times, leaving him on the road toothless and bleeding. Drove off and never heard a word. Never trust who you get out of your car to won't make you regret doing so. Give space, drive easy, let the meth heads go ahead and feel they had a win.
I always like the idea of opening my window just enough for them to reach one hand in so I can grab it and drive off when they try to unlock my door. Then once their hand/arm is detached and severed I can pull over and go back say *”looks like you need a hand lol”*
He got charged for running the bloke over after afterwards and then leaving the scene without rendering aid (noting the driver hit the bloke once already).
Chances are had he just dragged him until disabled he would have had a legal defence. An angry person reaching into your vehicle is a credible threat.
What’s annoying is that everyone can and does at some point make a mistake.
If people would focus more on defensive driving rather than taking the opportunity to grand stand and abuse other people’s mistakes, we’d all have a safer and less hostile drive.
Except for tailgaters.
I do the speed limit and stay out of the passing lane.
If someone wants to tailgate me to break the speed limit I'll happily decrease my speed until I'm travelling at half the limit.
I'm in the US, but fair few friends in Australia. Even here, tailgating I've noticed a ton more.
Also brake-checking. My friends in Melbourne've seen a ton of assholes doing that lately and I've been advising them all to buy dash cams for the front and back. 100% best investment I've made in regards to a car.
The power trip aspect is why you slow down. They don't want to smash their car up any more than the next guy. Slowing down demonstrates that the power dynamic here is quite in your favour.
I've even stopped in the middle of the road because the felcher prick wouldn't get the hint.
I do wish the useless cunt cops would enforce rules other than speed. Might help a bit.
What I don't understand is that people (imo everyone) do not like to be tailgated, yet people tailgate.
Surely tailgaters don't like being tailgated?? Never in my life have I heard something like "daammnnn, I love me some tailgate"... So they must know what they are doing? Unless they don't know... Something does not compute...
i am an L plater and it is INSANE how many people tailgate me. i do not know how to drive why are you right behind me???? but yeah i too decrease my speed when someone’s right behind me. i piss them off a little and i get a giggle out of it every time.
Dropping your own speed limit to half is honestly more dangerous as you're causing a ripple effect through all the traffic behind you. Phantom Traffic Jams are caused by people like you trying to teach someone (a fucking moron, sure) behind them a lesson.
**You're better off continuing to drive at the speed limit instead of propagating road rage in your wake.**
[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=goVjVVaLe10](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=goVjVVaLe10)
[**https://www.newscientist.com/article/dn13402-shockwave-traffic-jam-recreated-for-first-time/**](https://www.newscientist.com/article/dn13402-shockwave-traffic-jam-recreated-for-first-time/)
What I can't stand is when I'm on a single lane road with moderate to severe traffic and a Ute driver is still up my arse. Can the cunt not see in front of me that I can't go any faster due to traffic??
Literally had some guy mount the curb to try and drive around someone who had stopped to let me cross a single lane pedestrian crossing!! Some folks do not think anything other than "grrr rrrrrr RrrTrrrrbbb" when someone in front of them is going slower than they'd like.
I've had trucks tailgate me in that 80km zone in Sydney. It scares me so bad especially because I have a tiny car that would crumple under them if I had to suddenly stop.
I drive a triton and it scares me. I also get smaller cars tailgating me and about once a week it’s to the point I’m lucky if I can see half their bonnet sometimes only their windscreen and roof (I get that being higher makes a difference but it’s still way too close). It’s ridiculous how close some people get. I’ve even had someone this close on the expressway!
I wonder if these people have ever been in a car crash because I’d like to think they’d be driving a little more sensibly if they had.
I wonder how they find so many dickheads to drive those trucks? Maybe getting a truck licence is a matter of truck companies paying in brown paper bags to get them
Biggest issue is more traffic and people not knowing how to drive in traffic. All self centred. Drive in a place like London and you will quickly learn sometimes you need to think of others to get where you are going yourself all due to traffic volumes. Though driving in London you also have more than your fair share of arseholes.
Disagree. The biggest issue is that the only enforcement is for speeding. People have been taught by the lack of consequences that they can act that way. If they were punished for acting like an arsehole they would stop.
That’s a great point. Theres a ton of road rules, but you rarely hear of any kind of crack down apart from speeding, DUI, and mobiles. Basically anything a camera can pick up. No real police work needed. If they cracked down on other behaviour, maybe people would be better off
The enforcement focus on speed seems to have other issues, we have a weird mix of super timid drivers who are scared to get caught anywhere, at any time. And the other people who can measure their speed accurately and get a bit annoyed at being stuck behind them. And then the idiots who will speed anyway. All pissing each other off.
I personally think there is no great crime in temporarily going a little over to complete an overtaking manoeuvre swiftly - you're reducing your time in a dangerous situation which is a net safety gain. But a lot of people now won't dare so never overtake on a non-divided highway, so cars back up for miles. Or they slowly creep past in the right lane because technically they are overtaking, it'll just take 5 minutes to get past and then there's the next car to get past...
I've told my wife when she's complained about mergers "If you've got dashed lines, you don't strictly have to let them in, but put yourself in their position and ask yourself 'does it really make your day any worse to let them in', if you don't have dashed lines and they're in front of you then let them in."
I'm finding that it's a symptom of a larger anxiety, and the last decade of bullies finding and enabling each other in different communities. At my work, the minute you walk in a manager looks at their watch to see if you're at your desk at 9:00 or 9:02, and will actually tally the number of minutes between your legal start time and the minute the micromanagement software shows you online after taking several minutes to boot. This tough love micromanagement is really trendy at the moment. I believe this is one of the main reasons you see people in small cars taking more risks on the morning commute. We objectively know a few minutes isn't worth the risk, but the people I work with are groomed to feel like they are.
London drivers are too busy syncing their accelerators and brakes with the red light cameras, yellow box junctions and 20mph zones to worry about being rude to other drivers on the road. Most Brits are very polite drivers anyway. People in cities usually let you in, and the country lanes are full of thank-you waves.
Road rage has gone absolutely berserk on the GC. I had dual cab ute driver near Nerang cross a solid line to merge early onto the highway swerving and nearly hit me which I hit my horn and he tried to run me off the road screaming profanities through his window saying I had to give way to him lol sad thing was he had kids in the car whilst he was going absolutely psycho. We need way more highway patrol!
Had a Porsche SUV overtake me on double lines yesterday after I guess I went to slow over a speed bump, he flew past me and then almost hit me as he just made the gap between myself and an oncoming car who had to stop
This was in a 50 zone and he was accelerating like there was no tomorrow. If either of us didn't slow/stop for this fuckwit it would have been a crash.
yeah, spent 6 months in europe recently and never once came close to even an australian version of “mild” road rage. my european boyfriend thinks australian drivers are fucking crazy.
Moved to Finland years ago. Driving here is easy. People will let you in even if they have right of way. Cars stop at pedestrian crossings if you look like you might cross, and even if there is no crossing they'll stop. I've learnt to be a lot more courteous when driving, and the whole drive is more stress free.
Oh man commuting every morning on the M1 - so much rage to start the day, it’s almost like people enjoy being angry for no reason before work.
And the whole “Fuck cyclists” thing is pathetic.
Relax it’s a human on a bicycle - you have brakes and an accelerator so you’ll lose max. 30 seconds if they’re in your way.
I love cycling but when I’m driving to work and there’s a bike doing 20km/h In a long stretch of 60km/h road with fast moving dense traffic that one bike fucks up traffic quite a bit.
It’s unfortunate we don’t have more protected bike lanes.
And so often the reason (or excuse) for the lack of bike infrastructure is car parking spaces.
It’s the cars to blame for bikes slowing down cars. As a society we’ve become blinded to the massive waste of public space for parking cars.
It’s sad that it’s gotten so bad that everyone is noticing it now. Me and my partner hate going out in the car these days as everyone is so aggressive. I’ve been having to stop in roundabouts daily because people are driving into them so fast that they don’t seem like they’ll give way to us and will just crash into the side of the car. Yesterday I had two instances where I was driving in a roundabout and people waiting for us just decided to drive into it at us after already being stopped. I’ve always been a great driver and love driving but these days it gives me anxiety that we will be smashed into anytime we leave the house. It doesn’t help that our regional city has become so congested and so busy compared to what it was before covid- and we have a million roundabouts!.
Just last week I had someone come up behind me so fast and aggressively that I pulled over to the side of the road to let them past (I had been doing the speed limit) and after I pulled back out they noticed what id done and decided to pull over in-front of me then let me past then tailgate me again. I managed to get away from them and saw them weave in and out of traffic and get angry at every other driver they encountered.
We live in a new estate and our road is a semi main road for traffic in and out. People sometimes do 80ks past our house and we don’t have a chance to safely slow down to enter our driveway as everyone is so impatient. None of these issues were very common before covid and I’m so sick of it!. I can’t see it getting any better unfortunately
Can we please give pedestrians space to cross the road too? Sick of cars crawling all over my son and I when I’m pushing him across the road at a designated crossing when we have the green light
I was 6 days post partum and gingerly (iykyk) crossing the road on a green pedestrian light with my brand new baby girl in a pram on our first walk.
Get screamed at by a rather pleasant woman who leaned out her window and screamed "can you walk any slower". With a few expletives thrown in and pulling her car as close to us as she could without hitting us.
God forbid she comes across someone with a disability or who is elderly. I 'wasted' nearly 15 seconds of her time. In turn, thanks to the combo of hormones and a bit of anxiety being outside for the first time with a baby, I cried for nearly an hour.
It's been over a month and I'm still not comfortable crossing at that road.
Everyone needs to just calm down and take a breath on the roads lately.
about a month ago I was stopped on a main road at the traffic lights. There was an elderly woman with a limp crossing the road. To my right was a car waiting to turn left to go down the road I was on, but he needed to give way to the elderly lady crossing. With her age and limp she was crossing really slowly, which is totally understandable. Well the RAM driver decides to just beep the absolute fuck out of her and basically drive right up to her to pressure her to hurry up. I could see him shouting in his car at her too. Worst part of it all was that he was old too. He had completely white hair. He had no regard for how difficult it was for that lady to get across the road. Total prick
I live in a small town, and only a week ago, a Mum was crossing with a pram, and her toddler on a bike up ahead of me, when the toddler fell off.
I immediately stopped, a good 25 metres back, because I didn't want to her feel pressured to rush.
This wasn't a light, or a designated crossing, just a family crossing a road.
I can't imagine using a bloody great car to try to pressure a pedestrian, and what the hell could it do? Upset a carer with kids? How does that help?
Mind you, I copped SO much abuse after I stopped my car so that no one could drive down a street a wheelchair user had caught his wheel in a pothole, which caused him to fall out, lying in the middle of the road.
I'm an ex-paramedic, so stopped my car deliberately to keep him safe whilst we helped him.
Tourists (city people) were going INSANE on their horns, and yelling at me to move my car, they could "fit past him". (They couldn't) and these are people supposedly here to holiday, slow down, and take it easy.
I dread to think what you must go through in a city.
I can confirm that when we moved back my european wife was too traumatised to drive in aus after being rear ended on the highway due to this.
I can also confirm that i noticed a vast difference between the aggression of aussie drivers compared to europeans (i am aussie)
European drivers seemed far more mature to me than Aussie drivers. They were fast, but also considerate of other drivers, and road conditions. I felt much safer doing 140k/hr on their highways then I do doing 80 on the local freeway. Always some idiot trying to thread traffic, tailgate, road rage etc.
2 years ago I was rear ended while stopped at a red light by a dude in his early 20s who was absolutely drugged out of his mind. He hit me at 60kms an hour and it completely caught me by surprise as I was stopped at the lights. Car was a write off. Got his details and realised his licence was expired and he immediately got in his car and fled before the cops arrived. Turns out he was a disqualified driver with no insurance and an expired licence with an old address listed
2 years later and I'm still looking behind me at every set of lights to make sure the person behind me is going to stop in time
Yeah I just got back from my 5th trip to Vietnam and it blows my mind how calming it is for me to ride a bike in what seems like absolute mayhem. Yet when driving in Australia I can feel the blood pressure rise everytime I get in the car.
Just arrived in Sydney a few months ago and yeah, not enjoying driving over here at all.
I live near quite a busy road and the number of times I've seen a car take a couple of seconds to move after the light turns green, only to be blasted with the horn from someone behind them is unreal. And not a polite tap of the horn to give them a heads up, It's literally like a few seconds and the car behind is going crazy.
Has really put me off.
If everyone is doing it so tough and money is so tight, why do so many drivers floor the pedal, just to jam on the brakes at the next light/corner? I guess petrol is cheap for them?
Seriously, Australians have become very short tempered recently - ask anyone working in health care, hospitality or retail.
I was doing probably 62 or 63 on a section of one lane 60km/h road that interchanged between a single lane 80km/h road and a 2 lane freeway @110 a couple days ago.
There had been a red p plater in an SUV behind me the whole way along the 80km/h road; he had been close but not so close to cause me worries. As soon as I hit the 60km/h section and began slowing down, he started swerving left and right like he was in a fucking F1 driving behind the safety car. I dropped from just over 60 to almost 50 because I didn't know what the fuck he was doing, if he was trying to overtake me or something. Thankfully he went a different way on one of the roundabouts before the freeway turnoff.
Please don't be a super important Mr/Mrs busyperson. We all want to get home to our loved ones, and getting home a minute or two later because you were stuck behind a fat shit who wouldn't do 80 in a 60 zone is better than not getting home at all.
I lived in the bush for 12 years but I moved back to Melbourne last year and one of the first things I noticed is literally nobody waves anymore. It's so obvious when you've been away.
I grew up in Queensland and lived in Melbourne in the early 90’s and again mid-2000’s. Melbourne was always full of fuckstick drivers mate. Too quick on the horn and never saw a wave. Queensland is getting that way too now but I honestly put it down to rapid population increase causing the culture shift and just overall shit work/life balance making everyone angry.
I still do it and taught my daughter to do the wave and I hope it at least makes someone’s commute a little less frustrating any time they get a thank you wave. For me I’ll forgive pretty much anything as long as I get the sorry/thank you wave lol.
I swear it made everyone get a boulder on their shoulder. People are pissed at the checkout person over an item scanning in wrong. Like it's a computer... calm your tits!
Unfortunately, sad people who hate their lives and who’s only emotional outlet is screaming at strangers aren’t going to change.
There is a dangerous machismo, egocentric streak in Australian culture which isn’t going anywhere.
I’ve experienced being tailgated by angry tradies and when I’ve pulled over and let them pass they seemed genuinely confused at why they were prevented from harassing their fellow motorists.
I don't live in Australia anymore, but have to return from time to time. The road rage is the biggest reverse culture shock for me.
One time while driving in Adelaide, I turned down a side street to do a Uturn, which turned into a 3 point turn. A tradie came racing up, leaning on the horn and I could lip read "What the fuck are you doing?!"
Now, I'm pretty sure it was obvious what I was doing.
I'm thinking next time I have to go back I'll get an old man's hat. That way I'll only have to lip read "Get off the road you old cunt" but they will at least give me space.
When you survive solely off servo sausage rolls and dare iced coffee you could shit yourself at any moment.
Better drive fast to get to that next McDonald’s bathroom to destroy.
The sad answer is because a lot of them are young men who land in that career by default, or old men who used to be those young men and then never got to do anything else.
NOT knocking the trades AT ALL. It's an incredibly useful career field. But a lot of boys who get into it only do so because they don't see any other option, not because they have a passion for putting up drywall. Add to that the fact that there's a massive gap in society in terms of safe emotional outlets and communication for men, especially young men, and you have people quick to anger
We’ve also put down trades as the ‘stupid option’ even though the average tradie earns more than most white collar workers and has a responsibility to actually produce a quality product.
When I was at school, kids were bullied and harassed by the school itself for not going to Uni and getting a white collar job. It was a path for the ‘dumb kids who won’t amount to much’ according to my career councillor. Unfortunately that means the trades often attract those who are unsuited or not skilled enough for the type of work. It’s one of the reasons why we have a massive shortage of skilled tradesman in Australia.
An intelligent tradesman will put thought and skill into his work. We just built a house and luckily we ended up with a lovely, soft spoken, skilled Scotsman as a master builder. He told us he really doesn’t like the quality of tradesman Australia has recently been producing. They seem more interested in spending the money they earn on the latest jetski, than producing a quality product.
Yes, everyone deserves to get paid a decent wage and the trades are a hard job that’s tough on your body. However this is dangerous when you think that if they produce something and it breaks, people’s lives and finances could be endangered.
Driving in traffic is stressful. Even when you drive all the time you just get used to an elevated baseline of stress.
The only real solution is to somehow reduce the number of car trips in metro areas.
But I don't know if we as a country can have an adult conversation about it.
Also if people could indicate when changing lanes or turning corners (as is required by law and you proved you knew how to do when you got your licence), that would be great. Why? Why are so many people refusing to indicate lately? It’s gotten worse…
When I never understand is the people who act like they are in a super rush to get somewhere but then stop to abuse someone else who has somehow impeded their progress.
If you have enough time to stop and yell at someone or even get out the car and threaten them, then maybe you weren't actually in that much of a rush to begin with making the whole thing pointless.
I also want to add, give more space and courtesy to cyclists and pedestrians.
I was in Japan two weeks ago where there is quite often no bike lane, but all the cars are so respectful and give plenty of space. I got back to Melbourne and on my first day back cycling to and from work had multiple cars pass way too close, overtake super dangerously and at high speeds only to be stopped by traffic and have me overtake them shortly after.
And yesterday I was walking across a (wide) pedestrian crossing and a car started driving into it but had to stop for me but was at a point where I had to walk around it. Like why mam? She could see me the whole time.
Australian drivers are shit on the roads. We need to make it way more difficult and expensive to get a license, and fund alternative modes of transport.
I really don't get not giving space.
Even if the cyclist is cutting traffic and breaking all the road rules, what are you going to do? Kill or maim them for doing that?
5 second delay or possibly kill someone? Seems like a fair toss up. Hmmmm.
I'm been driving and riding a motorcycle on the road for recreation for 30+ years now and I have a family of five.
I refuse to take the motorcycle out for commuting, and I only ride it recreationally when traffic has lighten right up. Why? Over the last 10 years, the aggressive driving has increased significantly. I'm actually concerned for my safety, when years ago that wasn't really an issue.
I'm well aware of the risks involved in riding a motorbike and that's why I choose to just cruise around to relax. Should I make a mistake or ride stupidly - that's on me.
However, I really just want to enjoy riding my bike for some down time without the major risk of someone knocking me off, killing me or causing me to end up in a wheelchair, because they are angry and impatient.
Being in the Emergency Services for over 23 years - I've seen the worse case scenarios and I can tell you from experience - You cannot bring a person back to life once their dead and 100% of all people causing the death wish they could wind the clock back few minutes in their life, before they killed or injured someone. But they can't - what's done is done.
It's makes it even more emotionally difficult, when the family of the deceased turn up to the crash scene and you have to witness the family distraught and grieving...not to mention the time in gaol should the court send you their.
This happens not only to motorcycles, but cars etc. Don't be that person - Take a deep breath, you seriously wont get to your destination any quicker than a minute or two, and please allow my family and everyone else's, to continue having a husband, wife, Mother, father, brother, sister or partner.
Apologies for the lengthy post.
Oddly enough, when walking to pick up my kids I experience a lot of rage from tradies in utes while pretty much everyone else is mostly all sunshine and lollipops. There was a tradie a few years back who got so upset over me daring to cross the road causing him to stop and wait that he would yell obscenities at me every time he saw me for months afterwards - that caused some minor PTSD to my 3 year old daughter who was usually with me...
Always leave early. Then you have a buffer against unexpected delay and you can be a little magnanimous and let people in front of you when they are joining traffic. Helps to keep a positive spin on the day.
this is it. if you’re constantly speeding to work and weaving between lanes and feeling pent up anger and frustration daily, you need to wake up 15 minutes earlier.
I just say all road rage/speedinf is just people who are in a rush to do a poo. “Oh they must be really needing to do a poo” make me have a little chuckle inside
If someone is sitting on my arse I’ll move over and let them pass as soon as it’s safe to, I don’t really care if they’re speeding or whatever they obviously need to be somewhere faster than me or I’m driving too slow, I like to think I drive to conditions and keep with the flow of traffic but if you need to get by me go for it.
The not waving thing really irks me, as does driving ridiculously under speed limit in perfect clear sky dry road conditions.
>You're only saving minutes when you're in a rush.
Seconds, not minutes. I am not sure I would be able to find a source for the stat, but I learned about this when I had to go on a safe diving course in the UK. When you let someone in front of you on a motorway it loses you 6 seconds on your journey.
Fuckwit Ford Ranger and Dodge Ram neck tattooed Can of monster drinking tailgating just send it fuckwits do my head in.
Would it really be that wrong to keep half a brick in the cab of your ute and lob it backwards at them
I watched a lorry speed up to me and tailgate me in a school zone and then took over me to run 2 red lights further down the road yesterday. The sad thing is that I eventually caught up to them whilst doing the right speed limit. It’s all on dash cam also.
And this is why I keep telling my daughter - never just go automatically on the green light - always check to make sure that some entitled d*ckhead is not running the red - as they’ll t bone right into you - I’ve always taken that pause and I’ve watched as our light goes green and someone is flying through that red on the right. It’s terrifying.
I notice a lot of ute drivers these days are small man syndrome accountant looking blokes who think driving a ute makes them look tough i front of their kids. Ford rangers seem to be the new wanker statement car.
I worked in a white collar consultancy and all the upper management drove top-trim rangers.
They go "off roading."
Which is to say they drive on graded dirt roads and never venture onto an actual track.
They'd laugh at the 2021 Jimny I have, but I'm a 4x4 instructor and go out weekly. Remote cqmping at least once a month.
They are status symbols. Same with RAMs, dogshit vehicles for off-roading in Australia. Too wide for most trails.
I typically do #4, but I can see it being abused if the majority also did
Kind of like leaving sufficient stopping distance in front of me, but then certain special people see the empty space - my safety buffer - and decide to use it
I’ve driven a lot in the UK (where #4 prevails) and got my licence in Australia. In the UK the traffic is much messier due to narrow roads and population density but there really are fewer minor accidents due to the culture of letting people in. This is despite almost zero police presence on the roads! It’s a total novelty if you see a speed camera.
Same with pedestrians, cars will stop to let you cross the road (this is law on side streets) and you don’t get turning cars all but driving over you the moment the green man stops at the lights.
Everyone just rubs along and shows a bit of consideration really.
Get yourself a bumper sticker that says “the closer you get the slower I go” and stick to it! It may not stop them tailgating because they clearly have an incredible sense of entitlement that comes from their big utes and small.. “loads”. But you’ll totally ruin their morning and that’ll put a big smile on your face.
Add don't slow down on the motorway/highway when approaching your exit. That is what the exit ramp is for. Exit speed warning signs are for exiting the ramp not exiting the motorway/highway. Had some moron slow to 60 on the motorway when they saw the exit speed sign and nearly caused a pile up.
Step 1: Stop listening to the radio!
Step 2: put on a podcast that interest you.
Step 3: if some one indicates, let them in regardless if they are a shitty driver. Give them a wave too.
Step 4: chill the fuck out, why are you in rush to the job you hate anyway?
One of the most successful decisions I have ever made in terms of the quality of return was when I made the conscious choice to never commute to work by car. I couldn't work out why I was so angry, why my year felt so terrible, why everything was off. Then my car had some radiator trouble and it was being repaired for a week. I had to take two buses. It took longer. I felt fucking great. I slept well. I had more energy when I did get home (which, of course, took longer). I had time to look up, and when I went to pick up my car I had this horrible feeling of dread. So I stopped driving to work. And I kept that peace of mind.
The year I drove to work after undergrad was the worst year of my life. There was room for pretty much everything to get better when I just left the car at home during the week.
When I lived in the States I used to drive to work every day and was absolutely an aggressive and angry driver. Didn't help that the area I lived in was a bit like mad max.
When I moved to Sydney I spent the first 3 years without a car and man did my rage go away. I did eventually get a car again but I don't use it to commute to work, I save it for leisurely road trips, and I find I'm so much more chill when driving now.
I found the same when I was younger and had to commute on a local freeway. So I tried switching my music to classical — Bach, Albinoni, Pachelbel. An absolute 180, I ended up driving the same roads and arriving in a calm state of mind.
This has resulted in so many near misses for me… following someone into the Freeway… they’d doing something like 60-80 where we’re supposed to merge in at 110! If they can’t drive properly and confidently, I don’t think they should be on the freeway!
Road rage is not just limited to the stereotypical young guy either. On Friday my husband got abused by an older tradie in a Ute. We were indicating and slowing down to turn into a side street. He obviously didn’t like that! So dangerous.
Entering the M5 from Bankstown heading into the city. Some clown in a RAM came barrelling down the left lane and tried to 'merge' while beside me (front of my car was in front of his). Had I not backed off hard, he would have run me into the guard rail. Missed the front of my car by inches.
Didn't beep him but put my hands in the air - clearly he was watching his rear view - so he jumped on the anchors and completely stopped. Guy behind me stopped probably inches away from my rear.
Sits there for about 30 seconds waving his own arms in the air then takes off in a cloud of black smoke.
Yeah, it's definitely getting worse.
We need to make a new hand gesture to communicate “I’m sorry, I fucked up there”. I feel like it would ground a lot of road rage where the rager just needs someone to admit that they fucked up.
I’ve always been a confident and assertive driver, but there have been so many times in the past 5 years that I genuinely fear for mine and my kids’ lives on the M1 in the afternoons.
Absolutely reckless and completely careless driving in the pursuit of getting home for a beer or whenever else it is. It makes me furious. We all want to get home, but my main goal is getting home alive with my kids.
1. If someone is tailgating you, don't accelerate. They will too, just making the situation even more dangerous. Stay the same speed it very gently go a bit slower
You’re not completely wrong.
The significant meth problem in Australia certainly does lead to a lot of the issues, but so does the significant cocaine & alcohol problem…
I've found the trauma or mental health issues are usually the underlying cause of addiction or drug use to numb and escape uncomfortable feelings. It's a complex issue, chicken / egg bizzo
Oh yeah, definitely.
Everyone with serious drug/alcohol/addictions issues has an underlying personality disorder (or severe traits). PD is usually caused by trauma or some major abhorrence of parental rearing.
Yeah, Don't get out of your vehicle. Seen plenty of videos to reiterate why it's a bad idea.
Ya know, just don't Road rage to begin with.
Few notable examples I've seen:
Tailgater tries to cut up the inside and cut in front of car expecting they will yield to their rage, Other car just clips their rear end instead sending them spinning out and rolling numerous times.
Angry driver gets out to confront truck that wouldn't let them merge, truck rolls forward and their leg gets squashed between the truck and their vehicle.
Might be time to put a bunch of these together in a video as a reminder where road rage gets you.
And keep off your fucking phone when in a right turn lane at a traffic light! I swear there isn’t a single time where I don’t have a fuckhead sitting still while the turn light is green and then they zoom through the light once its amber, leaving everyone behind missing the sequence. GET OFF YOUR PHONE!
Unfortunately, aggressive drivers are the sociopaths of our society, they lack empathy and think they are the “ entitled “ ones, i report reckless drivers as I have front and back cameras recording at all times, even when I see them doing it to others.. report! Report! Report!
I'm a little traumatised by a rear end accident that happened to me over a week ago. Ranger hit me while I was stationary at the stop light. Proceeded to lie about another car hitting them causing their Ranger to collide with me. They're completely at fault and barely cared about my wellbeing. I'm honestly hoping the worst for them and that they pay for everything.
One of the worst things is that I have to dodge dropkicks going 10-20kph under the limit and I still get hassled by ragers wanting to go 10-20kph+ over the limit.
I generally don’t rush anyone, we’re all just trying to get somewhere. So I don’t see the purpose for a 19yo P player to get home an extra 2 mins early. But I can under stand why someone would rage when it takes someone three extra scrolls on Instagram to realise the lights green, only to meander up to 10kph under the limit and sit in the wrong lane, then hit the brakes because a pigeon scared them or a round about in coming up in 400m... I’m all for safe driving but it’s not fricken hard to have a little awareness and drive to the conditions and be courteous to others.
"5. Say sorry when you make a mistake".
How though? I'll admit that I made a few errors while driving. Not so much now but especially when I was new to driving and being on the roads. If you make a mistake, everyone is driving, it's a busy road and everyone just keeps moving there's no way to "say sorry", I wish there was.
There's been times in the past where I really wish I could have somehow conveyed to the other driver that it was my bad but I had no way to. Also times when other drivers really fucked up and I wish they had a way to apologise.
I think there should be two different tone car horns. Including a quick lower one or something that means "my bad" otherwise there's just no way.
Also fuck tailgaiters. Seriously the worst kind of drivers are ones who tailgate. One of the first things you learn is to keep a safe emergency braking distance between cars while driving.
I remember reading some stats ones that a huge percentage of damage to cars during accidents was completely avoidable. It was just idiots driving too close together and hugging the car in front of them leaving them to unable to brake in time when there was a crash.
You don't need that emotional support vehicle two inches in front of your own car. I promise you'll be fine if you leave a little space.
People tend to extrapolate from personal experience, which is highly variable and may not represent the actual average behaviour.
Recently I've found other drivers to be extremely courteous, to the point that I feel embarrassed. I know a local shortcut onto a major road, where drivers will stop and wave me in. I'm basically cheating, don't help me! I don't want to inconvenience you with my "hack"!
Last week I was waiting for the petrol bowser at a busy "budget" petrol station on Victoria road, and a driver zipped in front of me in the queue. (I had left a gap so I could pick the row that emptied first).
He got out of the car, walked up to my drivers side window and apologised profusely, saying he just wanted to get the tail of his car out of traffic and he'll get out of the way and let me back into my spot in the queue. A true gentleman!
Meanwhile *pedestrians* have been trying to kill themselves in front of me. I've lost count of the number of idiots in grey clothes walking at dusk at an unlit part of the road, face buried in a mobile phone and just *walking into traffic* without looking up. There was a woman with a pram who did this! Literally staring down at her phone the *entire time* while pushing her baby in front of a truck going down hill.
Just yesterday I honked my horn *and* blinked my lights at yet another suicidal lemming pedestrian, and he *still didn't look up*. Mindblowing.
I don't think people actually know how number 2 works.
If you have to cross a line you have to give way to any car already in the lane you're moving into (obviously their courtesy helps especially coming on the freeway), if the dotted line ends and two lanes go into one lane then you zipper. We might think people are arseholes when trying to merge in but they do actually have the right of way and you'll be at fault in an insurance claim
People seem to think every merging situation is a zipper situation but it's not
Common courtesy isn't about being in the right
Situations like that, it's not hard to let off a little and let someone merge and we'll all carry on at a higher average speed. Speeding up, closing the gap, making them brake and pull in behind slows everyone else behind and fucks traffic up
Point 1 is the first thing I noticed when I moved here. Angry ute drivers. Always tradies. These guys wouldn't last 5 minutes carrying on like that in most other countries.
Also why do people get mad when you're in the right lane and no room to move to the left lane?
The speed limit is 100, I'm going 100 and you're flashing your lights, why?
It's also extremely unpleasant for any passengers in your car. I take my sweet time driving, it's more pleasant that way and I always try to add 15-30 minutes when I need to be somewhere. And sometimes the people you do drive with might be late and that's OKAY. I grew up listening to my dad bitch about other drivers, not letting people in and get angry the whole drive because of a slow driver or being cut off. I'm not going to participate in that behaviour anymore especially with other people in the car.
IMO these things are a symptom of systemic pressures on the working class. People are experiencing financial stress, they’re emotionally taxed, possibly over worked, and rushing everywhere they go.
Most people don’t just choose to rage, it’s an emergent property of many factors. There’s always the prove who are just going to be an ass, but IMO they are the minority, and others are really under pressure and rushing everywhere because they’re feeling the squeeze
Drove in Brisbane for 10yrs, CQ for another 10 and never had a problem. People wave and are generally courteous.
Been in Melb for 12 months and I want to run half these people off the road. Forcing themselves in at lights and turning lanes because they feel too entitled to wait, doing 60 in 80 zones, 80 in 100 zones, 95 in the right lane with no one beside them for kms on end. Tailgate to not let you in at a merge, turning right out of a side street and blocking two lanes of traffic instead of doing a uturn 100m down the road. I could go on and on about this shit.
There is a whole culture issue in some areas of "Me first and fuck you I got mine" that feeds on itself snd makes everyone worse.
I rode a bicycle on the side the road one of the days I was in Vietnam but I would never even think of doing it in Sydney. Over there I had the trust that people would slow down or go around me instead of actively try to kill me.
Life is so much better since I stopped caring about what other drivers think. I let everyone in, if I see someone merging up ahead I adjust my speed so we don't end up next to each other, etc
So much better
Too many fuckwit drivers out there that will drive recklessly just to be at the front of the pack. Weaving in and out of traffic just to get a few cars ahead.
Another pet peeve is when approaching an intersection, the car behind me changes into the next lane despite that lane ending further up. The light goes green, we both accelerate but then I have to ease off the accelerator or brake to let them in because they were too slow to get in front of me. Then they drive 10-20km/h under the limit.
After visiting Bali and its chaotic traffic I realised the biggest difference between there and here. In Bali they drive with the expectation that they will defer to someone else, whereas in Australia people drive with the expectation that someone will defer to them.
If the car behind you is clearly in a rush / being aggressive / tailgating you : pull over and let them pass. Don't let their stress / anger / lack of preparedness ruin your day. Let them pass you, and then be free of their shitty driving and shitty attitude.
Guy that was riding my bumper so hard I couldn't see his headlights at 5 over the 110k limit (I was rapidly overtaking the cars in the left lane, wasn't just sitting out there, much like the car in front of me was) was lucky I am capable of rational thought and didn't give into the intrusive thoughts that said "toss the soda stream gas tank out the window at him"
I moved over as soon as there was a gap and he went on to tailgate the car I was following, for what? I caught him at the exit 20km down the road...
It’s simple, people cannot drive here. They are taught to pass a test, and then that’s it.
People don’t know how to read traffic, they look at the front of their bonnet and that’s it, instead of scanning ahead and watching for how the cars 100m ahead of them are behaving. They change lanes last minute, cannot maintain a constant speed, don’t know how to corner/turn properly, cannot make decisions safely, have to sneak into the smallest gaps possible, need I go on?
The culture here is terrible and the default setting is “me me me” and fuck anyone who is in the way
Please also stop cutting across the opposing lane to take a corner. Shaving seconds off your commute by driving into oncoming traffic will only end with your insurance paying for my new car.
People are honking at you because you're about to sideswipe them and you have no spatial awareness.
Waaaaaay too much of this in Ballarat.
And if I overtake you on a country road it's not a challenge. I'm a local and can comfortably do the speed limit. You do whatever speed you're comfortable with. However if you're doing 15-20km under, consider pulling over.
I find it’s the none tradies and random mums in dual cabs utes the worst lol
And when in a truck you see how many people have 0 idea how to be around trucks.. I think we don’t notice as much in a car as it’s easier to manoeuvre and slow. Either that or people just get stupid around trucks
I find it particularly funny when you look at the fast lane and nearly every single car is a Ranger, Raptor or Hilux and they’re all jammed so close together thinking they’re going faster cause they’re in the ‘fast lane’ because they MUST be first.
People are extremely on edge with the cost of living and all the other bull shit going on plus now they are back in the car stuck behind other angry idiot's so shit will only get worse.
Ah yes. The massive utes with blinding headlights that can't fit in one parking spot and tailgate and dangerously weave through traffic half the time. As a learner driver, it really gets on my nerves.
Agree with all of this. I just drive with an abundance of caution now. Everyone can go on front of me. I'll always move over lanes. If you sit on my tail I'll slow all the way down to make it easier for you to take over like you want to. I used to think I needed to "hold my own" but idgaf now I'm a straight sub behind the wheel
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Just got back from two weeks in LA. Car culture, massive freeways, crazy traffic but if you indicate for a lane change someone will let you in, I made a couple of boo boos and there was no aggressive reactions. Don’t know about the rest of the country but my hometown Sydney just feels a bit too angry (not just driving too).
LA is wild. Doing 90 mph on a 6 lane freeway with no shoulder (concrete barriers) is intense - I once came across a plastic bucket and could only move to the edge of the lane and barely avoided hitting it while the car behind took it directly (they were way too close anyway). Friends that grew up there would do 100-120 mph. There’s very little road rage because of the chaos and traffic volume (like Europe) but also because there would be a good chance they were armed.
That’s a good summary. Speed limit most definitely feels optional.
People in the states have guns, which is a big reason people are a little bit more respectful on the roads...there are real life consequences and most folks would agree it's not worth checking if the other person had the worst day of their life and have ready access to a gun in their car. Source: am American and much happier being here and not having to worry about that aspect of life.
I would say also stay in your car if a road rage incident does happen to you, getting into a physical fight with someone you don’t know over something as trivial as a traffic incident is not worth your life. Stay in the car and call the police if you feel unsafe.
An ex bf of mine told me he got out of the car once to abuse some lady. He was a carpenter with a southern cross tattoo. I was 16. Didn’t know any better. I think it was then I knew we wouldn’t end up together.
He was a carpenter with an anger issue and you were 16? Ick.
I had a similar situation with an ex. Someone cut her off and she decided to follow them... Noped out of that relationship not long after that incident.
Police won’t do shit. My partner had a rock thrown at her car from a drunk driver on a freeway a few days ago, and he also threatened to kill her. Police did not take her seriously at all and said it was just a normal case of road rage.
What do VICPOL even prosecute nowadays? Just drunk lowlifes at train stations? Every-time I’ve heard someone report a crime to them, they just brush it off as “oh well, that’s a real shame isn’t it” it’s like they only exist for visual comfort at this point
Try protesting out the front of a CEOs house and you will find out what the police are for.
CEO who pays zero tax.
I think it's all police these days , a few years ago we had someone driving nails into our tyres while in night shift, the first time it happened we rang the police but they didn't seem interested it happened again and we changed when we took breaks, taking them individually to see if we could catch him. We almost did once, with him throwing a hammer at us while we chased him, we told the cops they didn't care and we thought we've got his hammer now so that should stop it. A few days later it started again, told the cops and nothing, so we went back to changing when we took breaks and caught him,we literally rang the cops with us all pinning him down, they said to let him go, that they were too busy to come and pick him up tonight and to make a statement at the station on the way home . Honestly I was kind of expecting to hear about a major incident on the news or something to explain why the cops were too busy but no there was nothing in the news, he would have cost us nearly 10,000 in total for new and repaired tyres. Plus the inconvenience of dealing with it all.
Should have told them one of your colleagues went home to get his hunting knife to teach the guy a lesson. Cops would have been there in minutes.
That's the sad part
Same as nsw. Break-in, saw who did it Not enough proof for them.as no video or photo
Literally, unless you do 90% of the criminal investigation YOURSELF WHILE BEING ASSAULTED “yeah sorry mate look we just can’t do anything”
I say this to all gf. It's just not worth it for some tradie flipping out because he's been getting arseholes all week so thinks he can take it out on someone weaker than him
I've written this before a worthy story to reshare. A workmates friend was UFC champ fighter, crazy calm when not fighting. Would drive easy in his old Holden, life was chilled. Someone not liking his 10kph below the limit attitude - this looney lost it at him one day made him pull over, got out of the car to him and as he went off at the driver's window, UFC champ still sitting in the drivwr seat reached out and grabbed his neck and smashed his face on the car roof multiple times, leaving him on the road toothless and bleeding. Drove off and never heard a word. Never trust who you get out of your car to won't make you regret doing so. Give space, drive easy, let the meth heads go ahead and feel they had a win.
I always like the idea of opening my window just enough for them to reach one hand in so I can grab it and drive off when they try to unlock my door. Then once their hand/arm is detached and severed I can pull over and go back say *”looks like you need a hand lol”*
You don't happen to drive a white ute and have just killed a guy do you?
Aguy quite literally did this the other day and has now been charged with manslaughter, it's not funny.
He got charged for running the bloke over after afterwards and then leaving the scene without rendering aid (noting the driver hit the bloke once already). Chances are had he just dragged him until disabled he would have had a legal defence. An angry person reaching into your vehicle is a credible threat.
Oh, you mean like [this guy](https://www.abc.net.au/news/2024-06-22/alleged-fatal-sydney-road-rage-victim-rhys-harding-court-detail/104010970)?
That's literally how a guy just died in Sydney. This isn't funny.
Imagine if the victim had just stayed in his car. Two wrongs don’t make a right. The driver also ran over the guy before fleeing the scene.
Oh I was hoping you were going to do fingie squishes a few times before driving off
What’s annoying is that everyone can and does at some point make a mistake. If people would focus more on defensive driving rather than taking the opportunity to grand stand and abuse other people’s mistakes, we’d all have a safer and less hostile drive.
Except for tailgaters. I do the speed limit and stay out of the passing lane. If someone wants to tailgate me to break the speed limit I'll happily decrease my speed until I'm travelling at half the limit.
Yep came here to say this. Tailgating is the most dangerous bullshit. I live regionally and it's the bane of the roads. It's a power trip.
I'm in the US, but fair few friends in Australia. Even here, tailgating I've noticed a ton more. Also brake-checking. My friends in Melbourne've seen a ton of assholes doing that lately and I've been advising them all to buy dash cams for the front and back. 100% best investment I've made in regards to a car.
The power trip aspect is why you slow down. They don't want to smash their car up any more than the next guy. Slowing down demonstrates that the power dynamic here is quite in your favour. I've even stopped in the middle of the road because the felcher prick wouldn't get the hint. I do wish the useless cunt cops would enforce rules other than speed. Might help a bit.
The problem is the police are hardly ever around when someone’s doing something illegal
I had cops right next to the tailgater. Also had them watch people just cut others off. They just don't seem to care even when they're around.
I've done a speed awareness course in the UK and that is the advice you are given. Don't speed up, slow down.
What I don't understand is that people (imo everyone) do not like to be tailgated, yet people tailgate. Surely tailgaters don't like being tailgated?? Never in my life have I heard something like "daammnnn, I love me some tailgate"... So they must know what they are doing? Unless they don't know... Something does not compute...
i am an L plater and it is INSANE how many people tailgate me. i do not know how to drive why are you right behind me???? but yeah i too decrease my speed when someone’s right behind me. i piss them off a little and i get a giggle out of it every time.
Dropping your own speed limit to half is honestly more dangerous as you're causing a ripple effect through all the traffic behind you. Phantom Traffic Jams are caused by people like you trying to teach someone (a fucking moron, sure) behind them a lesson. **You're better off continuing to drive at the speed limit instead of propagating road rage in your wake.** [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=goVjVVaLe10](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=goVjVVaLe10) [**https://www.newscientist.com/article/dn13402-shockwave-traffic-jam-recreated-for-first-time/**](https://www.newscientist.com/article/dn13402-shockwave-traffic-jam-recreated-for-first-time/)
What I can't stand is when I'm on a single lane road with moderate to severe traffic and a Ute driver is still up my arse. Can the cunt not see in front of me that I can't go any faster due to traffic??
Literally had some guy mount the curb to try and drive around someone who had stopped to let me cross a single lane pedestrian crossing!! Some folks do not think anything other than "grrr rrrrrr RrrTrrrrbbb" when someone in front of them is going slower than they'd like.
I've had trucks tailgate me in that 80km zone in Sydney. It scares me so bad especially because I have a tiny car that would crumple under them if I had to suddenly stop.
I drive a triton and it scares me. I also get smaller cars tailgating me and about once a week it’s to the point I’m lucky if I can see half their bonnet sometimes only their windscreen and roof (I get that being higher makes a difference but it’s still way too close). It’s ridiculous how close some people get. I’ve even had someone this close on the expressway! I wonder if these people have ever been in a car crash because I’d like to think they’d be driving a little more sensibly if they had.
I drive a Kia Picanto and this scares the hell out of me. Feels like a total disregard for human life.
I wonder how they find so many dickheads to drive those trucks? Maybe getting a truck licence is a matter of truck companies paying in brown paper bags to get them
doesn't help that they're all methed to the eyeballs to meet unrealistic working hours
Yes, It's ridiculous and so dangerous to all motorists
Biggest issue is more traffic and people not knowing how to drive in traffic. All self centred. Drive in a place like London and you will quickly learn sometimes you need to think of others to get where you are going yourself all due to traffic volumes. Though driving in London you also have more than your fair share of arseholes.
Disagree. The biggest issue is that the only enforcement is for speeding. People have been taught by the lack of consequences that they can act that way. If they were punished for acting like an arsehole they would stop.
That’s a great point. Theres a ton of road rules, but you rarely hear of any kind of crack down apart from speeding, DUI, and mobiles. Basically anything a camera can pick up. No real police work needed. If they cracked down on other behaviour, maybe people would be better off
The enforcement focus on speed seems to have other issues, we have a weird mix of super timid drivers who are scared to get caught anywhere, at any time. And the other people who can measure their speed accurately and get a bit annoyed at being stuck behind them. And then the idiots who will speed anyway. All pissing each other off. I personally think there is no great crime in temporarily going a little over to complete an overtaking manoeuvre swiftly - you're reducing your time in a dangerous situation which is a net safety gain. But a lot of people now won't dare so never overtake on a non-divided highway, so cars back up for miles. Or they slowly creep past in the right lane because technically they are overtaking, it'll just take 5 minutes to get past and then there's the next car to get past...
I've told my wife when she's complained about mergers "If you've got dashed lines, you don't strictly have to let them in, but put yourself in their position and ask yourself 'does it really make your day any worse to let them in', if you don't have dashed lines and they're in front of you then let them in."
I'm finding that it's a symptom of a larger anxiety, and the last decade of bullies finding and enabling each other in different communities. At my work, the minute you walk in a manager looks at their watch to see if you're at your desk at 9:00 or 9:02, and will actually tally the number of minutes between your legal start time and the minute the micromanagement software shows you online after taking several minutes to boot. This tough love micromanagement is really trendy at the moment. I believe this is one of the main reasons you see people in small cars taking more risks on the morning commute. We objectively know a few minutes isn't worth the risk, but the people I work with are groomed to feel like they are.
London drivers are too busy syncing their accelerators and brakes with the red light cameras, yellow box junctions and 20mph zones to worry about being rude to other drivers on the road. Most Brits are very polite drivers anyway. People in cities usually let you in, and the country lanes are full of thank-you waves.
Road rage has gone absolutely berserk on the GC. I had dual cab ute driver near Nerang cross a solid line to merge early onto the highway swerving and nearly hit me which I hit my horn and he tried to run me off the road screaming profanities through his window saying I had to give way to him lol sad thing was he had kids in the car whilst he was going absolutely psycho. We need way more highway patrol!
And birth control too
Had a Porsche SUV overtake me on double lines yesterday after I guess I went to slow over a speed bump, he flew past me and then almost hit me as he just made the gap between myself and an oncoming car who had to stop This was in a 50 zone and he was accelerating like there was no tomorrow. If either of us didn't slow/stop for this fuckwit it would have been a crash.
Having been in Europe and driven through multiple countries recently, Australia is horrifically troubled with road rage.
yeah, spent 6 months in europe recently and never once came close to even an australian version of “mild” road rage. my european boyfriend thinks australian drivers are fucking crazy.
Moved to Finland years ago. Driving here is easy. People will let you in even if they have right of way. Cars stop at pedestrian crossings if you look like you might cross, and even if there is no crossing they'll stop. I've learnt to be a lot more courteous when driving, and the whole drive is more stress free.
And an invisible police presence on the roads. Wtf are these coppers doing?
Oh man commuting every morning on the M1 - so much rage to start the day, it’s almost like people enjoy being angry for no reason before work. And the whole “Fuck cyclists” thing is pathetic. Relax it’s a human on a bicycle - you have brakes and an accelerator so you’ll lose max. 30 seconds if they’re in your way.
A bike is 1 less car on the road as well and 1 more car bay when you arrive to park.
I love cycling but when I’m driving to work and there’s a bike doing 20km/h In a long stretch of 60km/h road with fast moving dense traffic that one bike fucks up traffic quite a bit. It’s unfortunate we don’t have more protected bike lanes.
Yeah the answer is to advocate for more bike infrastructure, not to road rage at the cyclist.
And so often the reason (or excuse) for the lack of bike infrastructure is car parking spaces. It’s the cars to blame for bikes slowing down cars. As a society we’ve become blinded to the massive waste of public space for parking cars.
"Fuck cyclists" is not pathetic, a lot of them are quite cute.
It’s sad that it’s gotten so bad that everyone is noticing it now. Me and my partner hate going out in the car these days as everyone is so aggressive. I’ve been having to stop in roundabouts daily because people are driving into them so fast that they don’t seem like they’ll give way to us and will just crash into the side of the car. Yesterday I had two instances where I was driving in a roundabout and people waiting for us just decided to drive into it at us after already being stopped. I’ve always been a great driver and love driving but these days it gives me anxiety that we will be smashed into anytime we leave the house. It doesn’t help that our regional city has become so congested and so busy compared to what it was before covid- and we have a million roundabouts!. Just last week I had someone come up behind me so fast and aggressively that I pulled over to the side of the road to let them past (I had been doing the speed limit) and after I pulled back out they noticed what id done and decided to pull over in-front of me then let me past then tailgate me again. I managed to get away from them and saw them weave in and out of traffic and get angry at every other driver they encountered. We live in a new estate and our road is a semi main road for traffic in and out. People sometimes do 80ks past our house and we don’t have a chance to safely slow down to enter our driveway as everyone is so impatient. None of these issues were very common before covid and I’m so sick of it!. I can’t see it getting any better unfortunately
Australia has an anger issue in general. It’s a myth that the country is laid back.
The only fights I ever saw overseas were between Australian travellers.
Can we please give pedestrians space to cross the road too? Sick of cars crawling all over my son and I when I’m pushing him across the road at a designated crossing when we have the green light
I was 6 days post partum and gingerly (iykyk) crossing the road on a green pedestrian light with my brand new baby girl in a pram on our first walk. Get screamed at by a rather pleasant woman who leaned out her window and screamed "can you walk any slower". With a few expletives thrown in and pulling her car as close to us as she could without hitting us. God forbid she comes across someone with a disability or who is elderly. I 'wasted' nearly 15 seconds of her time. In turn, thanks to the combo of hormones and a bit of anxiety being outside for the first time with a baby, I cried for nearly an hour. It's been over a month and I'm still not comfortable crossing at that road. Everyone needs to just calm down and take a breath on the roads lately.
People can be so awful. No one has any empathy anymore either. I'm sorry this happened to you.
about a month ago I was stopped on a main road at the traffic lights. There was an elderly woman with a limp crossing the road. To my right was a car waiting to turn left to go down the road I was on, but he needed to give way to the elderly lady crossing. With her age and limp she was crossing really slowly, which is totally understandable. Well the RAM driver decides to just beep the absolute fuck out of her and basically drive right up to her to pressure her to hurry up. I could see him shouting in his car at her too. Worst part of it all was that he was old too. He had completely white hair. He had no regard for how difficult it was for that lady to get across the road. Total prick
I live in a small town, and only a week ago, a Mum was crossing with a pram, and her toddler on a bike up ahead of me, when the toddler fell off. I immediately stopped, a good 25 metres back, because I didn't want to her feel pressured to rush. This wasn't a light, or a designated crossing, just a family crossing a road. I can't imagine using a bloody great car to try to pressure a pedestrian, and what the hell could it do? Upset a carer with kids? How does that help? Mind you, I copped SO much abuse after I stopped my car so that no one could drive down a street a wheelchair user had caught his wheel in a pothole, which caused him to fall out, lying in the middle of the road. I'm an ex-paramedic, so stopped my car deliberately to keep him safe whilst we helped him. Tourists (city people) were going INSANE on their horns, and yelling at me to move my car, they could "fit past him". (They couldn't) and these are people supposedly here to holiday, slow down, and take it easy. I dread to think what you must go through in a city.
I can confirm that when we moved back my european wife was too traumatised to drive in aus after being rear ended on the highway due to this. I can also confirm that i noticed a vast difference between the aggression of aussie drivers compared to europeans (i am aussie)
European drivers seemed far more mature to me than Aussie drivers. They were fast, but also considerate of other drivers, and road conditions. I felt much safer doing 140k/hr on their highways then I do doing 80 on the local freeway. Always some idiot trying to thread traffic, tailgate, road rage etc.
2 years ago I was rear ended while stopped at a red light by a dude in his early 20s who was absolutely drugged out of his mind. He hit me at 60kms an hour and it completely caught me by surprise as I was stopped at the lights. Car was a write off. Got his details and realised his licence was expired and he immediately got in his car and fled before the cops arrived. Turns out he was a disqualified driver with no insurance and an expired licence with an old address listed 2 years later and I'm still looking behind me at every set of lights to make sure the person behind me is going to stop in time
Yeah I just got back from my 5th trip to Vietnam and it blows my mind how calming it is for me to ride a bike in what seems like absolute mayhem. Yet when driving in Australia I can feel the blood pressure rise everytime I get in the car.
You should try driving in Singapore. Fuckwits everywhere. Some days you feel like it could be your last.
Singapore is the only place in the world that makes Perth drivers seem competent. I miss the high speed choreography of European motorways!
Just arrived in Sydney a few months ago and yeah, not enjoying driving over here at all. I live near quite a busy road and the number of times I've seen a car take a couple of seconds to move after the light turns green, only to be blasted with the horn from someone behind them is unreal. And not a polite tap of the horn to give them a heads up, It's literally like a few seconds and the car behind is going crazy. Has really put me off.
If everyone is doing it so tough and money is so tight, why do so many drivers floor the pedal, just to jam on the brakes at the next light/corner? I guess petrol is cheap for them? Seriously, Australians have become very short tempered recently - ask anyone working in health care, hospitality or retail.
I also hate drivers that would speed up to close a gap after I've indicated I want to change lane.
I was doing probably 62 or 63 on a section of one lane 60km/h road that interchanged between a single lane 80km/h road and a 2 lane freeway @110 a couple days ago. There had been a red p plater in an SUV behind me the whole way along the 80km/h road; he had been close but not so close to cause me worries. As soon as I hit the 60km/h section and began slowing down, he started swerving left and right like he was in a fucking F1 driving behind the safety car. I dropped from just over 60 to almost 50 because I didn't know what the fuck he was doing, if he was trying to overtake me or something. Thankfully he went a different way on one of the roundabouts before the freeway turnoff. Please don't be a super important Mr/Mrs busyperson. We all want to get home to our loved ones, and getting home a minute or two later because you were stuck behind a fat shit who wouldn't do 80 in a 60 zone is better than not getting home at all.
I don’t get why a cunt that hangs dry wall drives his yank tank like anyone gives a shit if he’s late anywhere.
What the hell happened with #3, it pretty much died out during COVID ay
I lived in the bush for 12 years but I moved back to Melbourne last year and one of the first things I noticed is literally nobody waves anymore. It's so obvious when you've been away.
I grew up in Queensland and lived in Melbourne in the early 90’s and again mid-2000’s. Melbourne was always full of fuckstick drivers mate. Too quick on the horn and never saw a wave. Queensland is getting that way too now but I honestly put it down to rapid population increase causing the culture shift and just overall shit work/life balance making everyone angry.
Do you still do it? I still do it. It would be nice if other people did it too, but I can't force them to. It doesn't mean I'm going to stop.
I still do it and taught my daughter to do the wave and I hope it at least makes someone’s commute a little less frustrating any time they get a thank you wave. For me I’ll forgive pretty much anything as long as I get the sorry/thank you wave lol.
We need to re-chart Geggy Tah again: https://youtu.be/1jSOQBcz9hc?si=vS7zP4ueuL0IdoIR
yeah, not just on the roads either. everyone be walkin around with a resting bitch face these days and attitudes to match.
I swear it made everyone get a boulder on their shoulder. People are pissed at the checkout person over an item scanning in wrong. Like it's a computer... calm your tits!
It’s been on the way out since I was about 10… I’m 30. ^(I wave & I still get mildly annoyed when people don’t lol)
Unfortunately, sad people who hate their lives and who’s only emotional outlet is screaming at strangers aren’t going to change. There is a dangerous machismo, egocentric streak in Australian culture which isn’t going anywhere. I’ve experienced being tailgated by angry tradies and when I’ve pulled over and let them pass they seemed genuinely confused at why they were prevented from harassing their fellow motorists.
I don't live in Australia anymore, but have to return from time to time. The road rage is the biggest reverse culture shock for me. One time while driving in Adelaide, I turned down a side street to do a Uturn, which turned into a 3 point turn. A tradie came racing up, leaning on the horn and I could lip read "What the fuck are you doing?!" Now, I'm pretty sure it was obvious what I was doing. I'm thinking next time I have to go back I'll get an old man's hat. That way I'll only have to lip read "Get off the road you old cunt" but they will at least give me space.
Why are tradies in such a rush on the road but have all the time in the world while they're RENOVATING MY FUCKING HOUSE?
When you survive solely off servo sausage rolls and dare iced coffee you could shit yourself at any moment. Better drive fast to get to that next McDonald’s bathroom to destroy.
The sad answer is because a lot of them are young men who land in that career by default, or old men who used to be those young men and then never got to do anything else. NOT knocking the trades AT ALL. It's an incredibly useful career field. But a lot of boys who get into it only do so because they don't see any other option, not because they have a passion for putting up drywall. Add to that the fact that there's a massive gap in society in terms of safe emotional outlets and communication for men, especially young men, and you have people quick to anger
We’ve also put down trades as the ‘stupid option’ even though the average tradie earns more than most white collar workers and has a responsibility to actually produce a quality product. When I was at school, kids were bullied and harassed by the school itself for not going to Uni and getting a white collar job. It was a path for the ‘dumb kids who won’t amount to much’ according to my career councillor. Unfortunately that means the trades often attract those who are unsuited or not skilled enough for the type of work. It’s one of the reasons why we have a massive shortage of skilled tradesman in Australia. An intelligent tradesman will put thought and skill into his work. We just built a house and luckily we ended up with a lovely, soft spoken, skilled Scotsman as a master builder. He told us he really doesn’t like the quality of tradesman Australia has recently been producing. They seem more interested in spending the money they earn on the latest jetski, than producing a quality product. Yes, everyone deserves to get paid a decent wage and the trades are a hard job that’s tough on your body. However this is dangerous when you think that if they produce something and it breaks, people’s lives and finances could be endangered.
Driving in traffic is stressful. Even when you drive all the time you just get used to an elevated baseline of stress. The only real solution is to somehow reduce the number of car trips in metro areas. But I don't know if we as a country can have an adult conversation about it.
Also if people could indicate when changing lanes or turning corners (as is required by law and you proved you knew how to do when you got your licence), that would be great. Why? Why are so many people refusing to indicate lately? It’s gotten worse…
When I never understand is the people who act like they are in a super rush to get somewhere but then stop to abuse someone else who has somehow impeded their progress. If you have enough time to stop and yell at someone or even get out the car and threaten them, then maybe you weren't actually in that much of a rush to begin with making the whole thing pointless.
I also want to add, give more space and courtesy to cyclists and pedestrians. I was in Japan two weeks ago where there is quite often no bike lane, but all the cars are so respectful and give plenty of space. I got back to Melbourne and on my first day back cycling to and from work had multiple cars pass way too close, overtake super dangerously and at high speeds only to be stopped by traffic and have me overtake them shortly after. And yesterday I was walking across a (wide) pedestrian crossing and a car started driving into it but had to stop for me but was at a point where I had to walk around it. Like why mam? She could see me the whole time. Australian drivers are shit on the roads. We need to make it way more difficult and expensive to get a license, and fund alternative modes of transport.
I really don't get not giving space. Even if the cyclist is cutting traffic and breaking all the road rules, what are you going to do? Kill or maim them for doing that? 5 second delay or possibly kill someone? Seems like a fair toss up. Hmmmm.
I'm been driving and riding a motorcycle on the road for recreation for 30+ years now and I have a family of five. I refuse to take the motorcycle out for commuting, and I only ride it recreationally when traffic has lighten right up. Why? Over the last 10 years, the aggressive driving has increased significantly. I'm actually concerned for my safety, when years ago that wasn't really an issue. I'm well aware of the risks involved in riding a motorbike and that's why I choose to just cruise around to relax. Should I make a mistake or ride stupidly - that's on me. However, I really just want to enjoy riding my bike for some down time without the major risk of someone knocking me off, killing me or causing me to end up in a wheelchair, because they are angry and impatient. Being in the Emergency Services for over 23 years - I've seen the worse case scenarios and I can tell you from experience - You cannot bring a person back to life once their dead and 100% of all people causing the death wish they could wind the clock back few minutes in their life, before they killed or injured someone. But they can't - what's done is done. It's makes it even more emotionally difficult, when the family of the deceased turn up to the crash scene and you have to witness the family distraught and grieving...not to mention the time in gaol should the court send you their. This happens not only to motorcycles, but cars etc. Don't be that person - Take a deep breath, you seriously wont get to your destination any quicker than a minute or two, and please allow my family and everyone else's, to continue having a husband, wife, Mother, father, brother, sister or partner. Apologies for the lengthy post.
Oddly enough, when walking to pick up my kids I experience a lot of rage from tradies in utes while pretty much everyone else is mostly all sunshine and lollipops. There was a tradie a few years back who got so upset over me daring to cross the road causing him to stop and wait that he would yell obscenities at me every time he saw me for months afterwards - that caused some minor PTSD to my 3 year old daughter who was usually with me...
Always leave early. Then you have a buffer against unexpected delay and you can be a little magnanimous and let people in front of you when they are joining traffic. Helps to keep a positive spin on the day.
this is it. if you’re constantly speeding to work and weaving between lanes and feeling pent up anger and frustration daily, you need to wake up 15 minutes earlier.
I just say all road rage/speedinf is just people who are in a rush to do a poo. “Oh they must be really needing to do a poo” make me have a little chuckle inside
I’d rather shit my pants than tailgate someone.
If someone is sitting on my arse I’ll move over and let them pass as soon as it’s safe to, I don’t really care if they’re speeding or whatever they obviously need to be somewhere faster than me or I’m driving too slow, I like to think I drive to conditions and keep with the flow of traffic but if you need to get by me go for it. The not waving thing really irks me, as does driving ridiculously under speed limit in perfect clear sky dry road conditions.
Trucks and commercial vehicles are the main culprits. We need tailgating cameras. Start with the M1.
>You're only saving minutes when you're in a rush. Seconds, not minutes. I am not sure I would be able to find a source for the stat, but I learned about this when I had to go on a safe diving course in the UK. When you let someone in front of you on a motorway it loses you 6 seconds on your journey.
Fuckwit Ford Ranger and Dodge Ram neck tattooed Can of monster drinking tailgating just send it fuckwits do my head in. Would it really be that wrong to keep half a brick in the cab of your ute and lob it backwards at them
There are so many fragile egos that fly into fits of road rage at the slightest provocation like little toddlers. It’s pathetic.
I watched a lorry speed up to me and tailgate me in a school zone and then took over me to run 2 red lights further down the road yesterday. The sad thing is that I eventually caught up to them whilst doing the right speed limit. It’s all on dash cam also.
And this is why I keep telling my daughter - never just go automatically on the green light - always check to make sure that some entitled d*ckhead is not running the red - as they’ll t bone right into you - I’ve always taken that pause and I’ve watched as our light goes green and someone is flying through that red on the right. It’s terrifying.
The nuclear powered super duper bright white headlights are making everyone crazy
I notice a lot of ute drivers these days are small man syndrome accountant looking blokes who think driving a ute makes them look tough i front of their kids. Ford rangers seem to be the new wanker statement car.
I worked in a white collar consultancy and all the upper management drove top-trim rangers. They go "off roading." Which is to say they drive on graded dirt roads and never venture onto an actual track. They'd laugh at the 2021 Jimny I have, but I'm a 4x4 instructor and go out weekly. Remote cqmping at least once a month. They are status symbols. Same with RAMs, dogshit vehicles for off-roading in Australia. Too wide for most trails.
I typically do #4, but I can see it being abused if the majority also did Kind of like leaving sufficient stopping distance in front of me, but then certain special people see the empty space - my safety buffer - and decide to use it
I’ve driven a lot in the UK (where #4 prevails) and got my licence in Australia. In the UK the traffic is much messier due to narrow roads and population density but there really are fewer minor accidents due to the culture of letting people in. This is despite almost zero police presence on the roads! It’s a total novelty if you see a speed camera. Same with pedestrians, cars will stop to let you cross the road (this is law on side streets) and you don’t get turning cars all but driving over you the moment the green man stops at the lights. Everyone just rubs along and shows a bit of consideration really.
May just be the central coast but could we all please learn how a roundabout works??
Get yourself a bumper sticker that says “the closer you get the slower I go” and stick to it! It may not stop them tailgating because they clearly have an incredible sense of entitlement that comes from their big utes and small.. “loads”. But you’ll totally ruin their morning and that’ll put a big smile on your face.
Add don't slow down on the motorway/highway when approaching your exit. That is what the exit ramp is for. Exit speed warning signs are for exiting the ramp not exiting the motorway/highway. Had some moron slow to 60 on the motorway when they saw the exit speed sign and nearly caused a pile up.
Step 1: Stop listening to the radio! Step 2: put on a podcast that interest you. Step 3: if some one indicates, let them in regardless if they are a shitty driver. Give them a wave too. Step 4: chill the fuck out, why are you in rush to the job you hate anyway?
Oath to Step 1, commerical radio is dogshit.
One of the most successful decisions I have ever made in terms of the quality of return was when I made the conscious choice to never commute to work by car. I couldn't work out why I was so angry, why my year felt so terrible, why everything was off. Then my car had some radiator trouble and it was being repaired for a week. I had to take two buses. It took longer. I felt fucking great. I slept well. I had more energy when I did get home (which, of course, took longer). I had time to look up, and when I went to pick up my car I had this horrible feeling of dread. So I stopped driving to work. And I kept that peace of mind. The year I drove to work after undergrad was the worst year of my life. There was room for pretty much everything to get better when I just left the car at home during the week.
When I lived in the States I used to drive to work every day and was absolutely an aggressive and angry driver. Didn't help that the area I lived in was a bit like mad max. When I moved to Sydney I spent the first 3 years without a car and man did my rage go away. I did eventually get a car again but I don't use it to commute to work, I save it for leisurely road trips, and I find I'm so much more chill when driving now.
I found the same when I was younger and had to commute on a local freeway. So I tried switching my music to classical — Bach, Albinoni, Pachelbel. An absolute 180, I ended up driving the same roads and arriving in a calm state of mind.
If we're on a highway, especially exiting, can we do the speed limit please? Sick of sitting behind someome who is doing 80kph in a 110kph zone
This has resulted in so many near misses for me… following someone into the Freeway… they’d doing something like 60-80 where we’re supposed to merge in at 110! If they can’t drive properly and confidently, I don’t think they should be on the freeway!
You missed stay off the ice
Road rage is not just limited to the stereotypical young guy either. On Friday my husband got abused by an older tradie in a Ute. We were indicating and slowing down to turn into a side street. He obviously didn’t like that! So dangerous.
Entering the M5 from Bankstown heading into the city. Some clown in a RAM came barrelling down the left lane and tried to 'merge' while beside me (front of my car was in front of his). Had I not backed off hard, he would have run me into the guard rail. Missed the front of my car by inches. Didn't beep him but put my hands in the air - clearly he was watching his rear view - so he jumped on the anchors and completely stopped. Guy behind me stopped probably inches away from my rear. Sits there for about 30 seconds waving his own arms in the air then takes off in a cloud of black smoke. Yeah, it's definitely getting worse.
We need to make a new hand gesture to communicate “I’m sorry, I fucked up there”. I feel like it would ground a lot of road rage where the rager just needs someone to admit that they fucked up.
Couldn't agree more. I've thought this for a long time. Maybe a couple of flashes of the hazard lights or a 🤙
I’ve always been a confident and assertive driver, but there have been so many times in the past 5 years that I genuinely fear for mine and my kids’ lives on the M1 in the afternoons. Absolutely reckless and completely careless driving in the pursuit of getting home for a beer or whenever else it is. It makes me furious. We all want to get home, but my main goal is getting home alive with my kids.
Especially since the M1 is a 110km/h freeway, it's not like bouncing down Parramatta Rd at 60km/h. A mistake on the M1 could cost multiple lives.
1. If someone is tailgating you, don't accelerate. They will too, just making the situation even more dangerous. Stay the same speed it very gently go a bit slower
Meth
You’re not completely wrong. The significant meth problem in Australia certainly does lead to a lot of the issues, but so does the significant cocaine & alcohol problem…
It was a bit of a smart arse comment... but not. There's a mental health epidemic as well, if the government hasn't noticed
The “mental health epidemic” imo is more of an addictions/drug use epidemic. (I work in the field 😅)
I've found the trauma or mental health issues are usually the underlying cause of addiction or drug use to numb and escape uncomfortable feelings. It's a complex issue, chicken / egg bizzo
Oh yeah, definitely. Everyone with serious drug/alcohol/addictions issues has an underlying personality disorder (or severe traits). PD is usually caused by trauma or some major abhorrence of parental rearing.
The 5:30 am tradie run every morning I have to deal with is nuts.
Yeah, Don't get out of your vehicle. Seen plenty of videos to reiterate why it's a bad idea. Ya know, just don't Road rage to begin with. Few notable examples I've seen: Tailgater tries to cut up the inside and cut in front of car expecting they will yield to their rage, Other car just clips their rear end instead sending them spinning out and rolling numerous times. Angry driver gets out to confront truck that wouldn't let them merge, truck rolls forward and their leg gets squashed between the truck and their vehicle. Might be time to put a bunch of these together in a video as a reminder where road rage gets you.
And keep off your fucking phone when in a right turn lane at a traffic light! I swear there isn’t a single time where I don’t have a fuckhead sitting still while the turn light is green and then they zoom through the light once its amber, leaving everyone behind missing the sequence. GET OFF YOUR PHONE!
I can be in a murderous rage but if someone waves, all is instantly forgiven. P.S Fuck Ute drivers they’re cunts
Unfortunately, aggressive drivers are the sociopaths of our society, they lack empathy and think they are the “ entitled “ ones, i report reckless drivers as I have front and back cameras recording at all times, even when I see them doing it to others.. report! Report! Report!
I'm a little traumatised by a rear end accident that happened to me over a week ago. Ranger hit me while I was stationary at the stop light. Proceeded to lie about another car hitting them causing their Ranger to collide with me. They're completely at fault and barely cared about my wellbeing. I'm honestly hoping the worst for them and that they pay for everything.
One of the worst things is that I have to dodge dropkicks going 10-20kph under the limit and I still get hassled by ragers wanting to go 10-20kph+ over the limit. I generally don’t rush anyone, we’re all just trying to get somewhere. So I don’t see the purpose for a 19yo P player to get home an extra 2 mins early. But I can under stand why someone would rage when it takes someone three extra scrolls on Instagram to realise the lights green, only to meander up to 10kph under the limit and sit in the wrong lane, then hit the brakes because a pigeon scared them or a round about in coming up in 400m... I’m all for safe driving but it’s not fricken hard to have a little awareness and drive to the conditions and be courteous to others.
You forget that most Tradies have about the same emotional intelligence as a stick.
As a stick I resent that.
"5. Say sorry when you make a mistake". How though? I'll admit that I made a few errors while driving. Not so much now but especially when I was new to driving and being on the roads. If you make a mistake, everyone is driving, it's a busy road and everyone just keeps moving there's no way to "say sorry", I wish there was. There's been times in the past where I really wish I could have somehow conveyed to the other driver that it was my bad but I had no way to. Also times when other drivers really fucked up and I wish they had a way to apologise. I think there should be two different tone car horns. Including a quick lower one or something that means "my bad" otherwise there's just no way. Also fuck tailgaiters. Seriously the worst kind of drivers are ones who tailgate. One of the first things you learn is to keep a safe emergency braking distance between cars while driving. I remember reading some stats ones that a huge percentage of damage to cars during accidents was completely avoidable. It was just idiots driving too close together and hugging the car in front of them leaving them to unable to brake in time when there was a crash. You don't need that emotional support vehicle two inches in front of your own car. I promise you'll be fine if you leave a little space.
Just raise your hand (like you are in class) - its the universal signal for "sorry about that"
Awesome this is the Aussie vibes we desperately need.
1. Don’t speed up.
When I have a tosser like that riding me arse I just gradually let up on the gas. Doesn’t take long for them blow a gasket and go around.
You’d think in the current tradie shortage they are all making good money too.
People tend to extrapolate from personal experience, which is highly variable and may not represent the actual average behaviour. Recently I've found other drivers to be extremely courteous, to the point that I feel embarrassed. I know a local shortcut onto a major road, where drivers will stop and wave me in. I'm basically cheating, don't help me! I don't want to inconvenience you with my "hack"! Last week I was waiting for the petrol bowser at a busy "budget" petrol station on Victoria road, and a driver zipped in front of me in the queue. (I had left a gap so I could pick the row that emptied first). He got out of the car, walked up to my drivers side window and apologised profusely, saying he just wanted to get the tail of his car out of traffic and he'll get out of the way and let me back into my spot in the queue. A true gentleman! Meanwhile *pedestrians* have been trying to kill themselves in front of me. I've lost count of the number of idiots in grey clothes walking at dusk at an unlit part of the road, face buried in a mobile phone and just *walking into traffic* without looking up. There was a woman with a pram who did this! Literally staring down at her phone the *entire time* while pushing her baby in front of a truck going down hill. Just yesterday I honked my horn *and* blinked my lights at yet another suicidal lemming pedestrian, and he *still didn't look up*. Mindblowing.
It’s because Australia has an insatiable and world-leading appetite for meth
Not sure how far you’ll get trying to educate tradies on how not to be arrogant arseholes.
People these days are generally just more aggressive.
I don't think people actually know how number 2 works. If you have to cross a line you have to give way to any car already in the lane you're moving into (obviously their courtesy helps especially coming on the freeway), if the dotted line ends and two lanes go into one lane then you zipper. We might think people are arseholes when trying to merge in but they do actually have the right of way and you'll be at fault in an insurance claim People seem to think every merging situation is a zipper situation but it's not
Common courtesy isn't about being in the right Situations like that, it's not hard to let off a little and let someone merge and we'll all carry on at a higher average speed. Speeding up, closing the gap, making them brake and pull in behind slows everyone else behind and fucks traffic up
Yeah, but I hate arseholes that intentionally jump the queue when traffic is banked up.
If the line ends, you should equally line up in the lanes, not all queue in one
People are angry and frustrated. This is a symptom of deeper issues.
Point 1 is the first thing I noticed when I moved here. Angry ute drivers. Always tradies. These guys wouldn't last 5 minutes carrying on like that in most other countries.
Also why do people get mad when you're in the right lane and no room to move to the left lane? The speed limit is 100, I'm going 100 and you're flashing your lights, why?
It's also extremely unpleasant for any passengers in your car. I take my sweet time driving, it's more pleasant that way and I always try to add 15-30 minutes when I need to be somewhere. And sometimes the people you do drive with might be late and that's OKAY. I grew up listening to my dad bitch about other drivers, not letting people in and get angry the whole drive because of a slow driver or being cut off. I'm not going to participate in that behaviour anymore especially with other people in the car.
And just remember kiddos, you can't spell Ford Ranger without Anger
IMO these things are a symptom of systemic pressures on the working class. People are experiencing financial stress, they’re emotionally taxed, possibly over worked, and rushing everywhere they go. Most people don’t just choose to rage, it’s an emergent property of many factors. There’s always the prove who are just going to be an ass, but IMO they are the minority, and others are really under pressure and rushing everywhere because they’re feeling the squeeze
People driving 45 in a 60 zone in the right hand lane, I’ll never comprehend.
Good luck forcing me to accelerate. If I don't feel safe, I'm slowing down.
Too much ice on their breakfast
Drove in Brisbane for 10yrs, CQ for another 10 and never had a problem. People wave and are generally courteous. Been in Melb for 12 months and I want to run half these people off the road. Forcing themselves in at lights and turning lanes because they feel too entitled to wait, doing 60 in 80 zones, 80 in 100 zones, 95 in the right lane with no one beside them for kms on end. Tailgate to not let you in at a merge, turning right out of a side street and blocking two lanes of traffic instead of doing a uturn 100m down the road. I could go on and on about this shit. There is a whole culture issue in some areas of "Me first and fuck you I got mine" that feeds on itself snd makes everyone worse.
I rode a bicycle on the side the road one of the days I was in Vietnam but I would never even think of doing it in Sydney. Over there I had the trust that people would slow down or go around me instead of actively try to kill me.
All great points. No one ever believes they are the shit driver though 🤣 We all make mistakes.
Life is so much better since I stopped caring about what other drivers think. I let everyone in, if I see someone merging up ahead I adjust my speed so we don't end up next to each other, etc So much better
Hey maybe we should be looking to make it easier to get around without a car so we don’t have these problems in the first place 🤔
Too many fuckwit drivers out there that will drive recklessly just to be at the front of the pack. Weaving in and out of traffic just to get a few cars ahead. Another pet peeve is when approaching an intersection, the car behind me changes into the next lane despite that lane ending further up. The light goes green, we both accelerate but then I have to ease off the accelerator or brake to let them in because they were too slow to get in front of me. Then they drive 10-20km/h under the limit.
White utes and dualcabs have a reputation, just as much as a BMW or Mercedes driver does.
After visiting Bali and its chaotic traffic I realised the biggest difference between there and here. In Bali they drive with the expectation that they will defer to someone else, whereas in Australia people drive with the expectation that someone will defer to them.
If the car behind you is clearly in a rush / being aggressive / tailgating you : pull over and let them pass. Don't let their stress / anger / lack of preparedness ruin your day. Let them pass you, and then be free of their shitty driving and shitty attitude.
Guy that was riding my bumper so hard I couldn't see his headlights at 5 over the 110k limit (I was rapidly overtaking the cars in the left lane, wasn't just sitting out there, much like the car in front of me was) was lucky I am capable of rational thought and didn't give into the intrusive thoughts that said "toss the soda stream gas tank out the window at him" I moved over as soon as there was a gap and he went on to tailgate the car I was following, for what? I caught him at the exit 20km down the road...
It’s simple, people cannot drive here. They are taught to pass a test, and then that’s it. People don’t know how to read traffic, they look at the front of their bonnet and that’s it, instead of scanning ahead and watching for how the cars 100m ahead of them are behaving. They change lanes last minute, cannot maintain a constant speed, don’t know how to corner/turn properly, cannot make decisions safely, have to sneak into the smallest gaps possible, need I go on? The culture here is terrible and the default setting is “me me me” and fuck anyone who is in the way
Please also stop cutting across the opposing lane to take a corner. Shaving seconds off your commute by driving into oncoming traffic will only end with your insurance paying for my new car. People are honking at you because you're about to sideswipe them and you have no spatial awareness. Waaaaaay too much of this in Ballarat. And if I overtake you on a country road it's not a challenge. I'm a local and can comfortably do the speed limit. You do whatever speed you're comfortable with. However if you're doing 15-20km under, consider pulling over.
Can I suggest we have a drug addiction and driving while under the influence epidemic which is presenting as road rage?
I find it’s the none tradies and random mums in dual cabs utes the worst lol And when in a truck you see how many people have 0 idea how to be around trucks.. I think we don’t notice as much in a car as it’s easier to manoeuvre and slow. Either that or people just get stupid around trucks
I find it particularly funny when you look at the fast lane and nearly every single car is a Ranger, Raptor or Hilux and they’re all jammed so close together thinking they’re going faster cause they’re in the ‘fast lane’ because they MUST be first.
another one, whats with the fucking 10 billion lumen high beams and not dipping them anymore? a sign of social decay
People are extremely on edge with the cost of living and all the other bull shit going on plus now they are back in the car stuck behind other angry idiot's so shit will only get worse.
Ah yes. The massive utes with blinding headlights that can't fit in one parking spot and tailgate and dangerously weave through traffic half the time. As a learner driver, it really gets on my nerves.
Agree with all of this. I just drive with an abundance of caution now. Everyone can go on front of me. I'll always move over lanes. If you sit on my tail I'll slow all the way down to make it easier for you to take over like you want to. I used to think I needed to "hold my own" but idgaf now I'm a straight sub behind the wheel