Road rage is out of control (1 Viewer)

[PlayaHata]

'We're sounding the alarm': Indiana State Police issues plea to stop road rage

State police are asking for help, as they try to solve a potential road rage shooting from Wednesday.

www.wishtv.com

This happened 1/2 mile from my house the other day. So sad and yet it seems so dang common today. I'll be the first to admit I am an inpatient driver and I've certainly flipped people off in the past, etc. but these days it can be dangerous to even honk at someone. In the case above, the driver that was killed was deaf and it appears the shooter honked at him, which of course the victim didn't hear, and next thing you know shots are fired.

According to the sergeant, in 2023, interstate highways in the Indianapolis area saw 230 incidents where guns were displayed in connection to road rage. This year, he says, 90 have already been reported.

That is almost 1 road rage shooting on Indiana interstates EVERY SINGLE DAY in 2024.

I looked up some statistics and found this too - https://indianapolisrecorder.com/indiana-ranks-third-worst-in-road-rage/

Between 2017 and 2021, 7.34% of all fatal crashes in Indiana involved drivers experiencing road rage. This translates to a staggering 486 instances where anger and aggression behind the wheel tragically ended lives. In 2021 alone, there were 126 such incidents, double the 51 recorded in 2017.

WTF is wrong with people these days???

 

[Todem]

Nothing shocks me anymore in this rage induced society we live in today.

 

[Hastur]

Starting in 7th grade: De-escalating anger, negotiation tactics, argument fairness, critical thinking, reasoning, etc.

 

[Mitchie]

no comment

 

[Sullie]

His name was Ryan Hawkins, he was 35 years old and he was deaf. Absolutely pointless and senseless and this absolutely breaks my heart for his family. I live here in Indy on the south side and I heard all of this when it was going on. All of my family, friends and co-workers drive up and down 65 and around 465 almost every day. It's really out of control here. It's not just the road rage, that's just a very small part of it. It's the street takeovers, the red light runners, the constant racing up and down the highways at all hours of the day and night. . . and the gang violence here is a whole other thing.

We do not have enough law enforcement officers patrolling the roads, streets and highways in this state. Heck, there is absolutely no way the homicide detectives get any sleep in this city, there were 219 murders here last year, I think we're on track for just as many this year if not more, it's completely out of control. We badly need to need to hire more officers and if we're not going to hire more officers than we should at least install more cameras to catch the road ragers, speeders, drunks, red light runners, etc.

 

[Ilov80s]

Starting in 7th grade: De-escalating anger, negotiation tactics, argument fairness, critical thinking, reasoning, etc.

Yeah there’s a lot of basic stuff like this that absolutely needs to be a core part of education system-general understanding of our nervous system, how to regulate, etc is way more important than long division and memorizing types of clouds or learning how to write a line in standard form.

 

[titusbramble]

Today I learned you can drive if you're deaf. I would have thought being able to hear your surroundings was ultra critical to safety, I guess not...

 

[johnnycakes]

Today I learned you can drive if you're deaf. I would have thought being able to hear your surroundings was ultra critical to safety, I guess not...

How about driving when blind? https://youtu.be/Itr0jcR0S4s?si=_8rqLyMHLufdM1Y-

 

[Snoopy]

Today I learned you can drive if you're deaf. I would have thought being able to hear your surroundings was ultra critical to safety, I guess not...

My mother was almost deaf and was not allowed to drive.

 

[3C's]

I get "angry" driving sometimes (lot of stupid people on the road) but I can't even imagine getting so riled up that someone would resort to violence. Such disregard for life.

 

[ghostguy123]

Today I learned you can drive if you're deaf. I would have thought being able to hear your surroundings was ultra critical to safety, I guess not...

Not really any different than people blasting music while driving

 

[culdeus]

Today I learned you can drive if you're deaf. I would have thought being able to hear your surroundings was ultra critical to safety, I guess not...

I see people with air pods in and driving a lot. I guess nobody cares.

 

[belljr]

Today I learned you can drive if you're deaf. I would have thought being able to hear your surroundings was ultra critical to safety, I guess not...

My mother was almost deaf and was not allowed to drive.

Wonder if this varies by state. Friends of mine parents both deaf. Both drove

 

[Jayrod]

Starting in 7th grade: De-escalating anger, negotiation tactics, argument fairness, critical thinking, reasoning, etc.

Yeah there’s a lot of basic stuff like this that absolutely needs to be a core part of education system-general understanding of our nervous system, how to regulate, etc is way more important than long division and memorizing types of clouds or learning how to write a line in standard form.

This should be the parents' job, but sadly they aren't doing it.

Boys in particular are not taught how to harness their energy and natural tendancies of aggression very well. Throw in our societies' aversion to all things masculine and you have a lot of young men with very short fuses.

American society is failing men at an alarming rate.

 

[northern exposure]

Starting in 7th grade: De-escalating anger, negotiation tactics, argument fairness, critical thinking, reasoning, etc.

The problem is it won't work at that age. Our oldest son has been diagnosed with ADHD and I remember meeting with this wonderful Doctor who explained to my wife and I how the adolescent brain develops and what capabilities they have at certain ages.
He said the biggest mistake parents can make is assuming their children are little or young adults. When parents are befuddled by their child's behavior it is often because the child doesn't have the same thought process (i.e. doesn't have the ability to consider consequences of their actions) as the parent does.

 

[Ilov80s]

Starting in 7th grade: De-escalating anger, negotiation tactics, argument fairness, critical thinking, reasoning, etc.

Yeah there’s a lot of basic stuff like this that absolutely needs to be a core part of education system-general understanding of our nervous system, how to regulate, etc is way more important than long division and memorizing types of clouds or learning how to write a line in standard form.

This should be the parents' job, but sadly they aren't doing it.

Boys in particular are not taught how to harness their energy and natural tendancies of aggression very well. Throw in our societies' aversion to all things masculine and you have a lot of young men with very short fuses.

American society is failing men at an alarming rate.

American parents are failing them. Our turnout for HS sports is dwindling at the school I work at. A few years ago we had varsity, jv and freshman boys soccer with lots of kids being cut and not making any team. This year we only have varsity and jv, no cuts. This is at a large division 1 high school. Kids would just rather sit at home in their rooms. Parents should not be allowing this.

 

[Chemical X]

road rage absolutely shukes me. i drive now anticipating that people are morons, they are all texting and/or distracted and armed. so, i drive like i would ride the subway. no reaction, look at no one, zero eye contact.

to think people are stupid enough to shoot someone and go to prison for their entire lives for someone not using a blinker, being deaf, looking at someone the wrong way……

 

[IvanKaramazov]

Starting in 7th grade: De-escalating anger, negotiation tactics, argument fairness, critical thinking, reasoning, etc.

The problem is it won't work at that age. Our oldest son has been diagnosed with ADHD and I remember meeting with this wonderful Doctor who explained to my wife and I how the adolescent brain develops and what capabilities they have at certain ages.
He said the biggest mistake parents can make is assuming their children are little or young adults. When parents are befuddled by their child's behavior it is often because the child doesn't have the same thought process (i.e. doesn't have the ability to consider consequences of their actions) as the parent does.

And yet this was a solved problem two generations ago. Brains developed the same way back then. What changed? It wasn't our biology.

 

[IvanKaramazov]

GB living in the rural Midwest. Our biggest traffic problem is that nobody wants to be the guy who goes first at a four way stop.

 

[beer 30]

WTF is wrong with people these days???

Nothing shocks me anymore in this rage induced society we live in today.

Honestly I think the rage was always there, just subdued. COVID ripped the lid off of it keeping folks bottled up for a year or more and when we all came back together, well, here we are. Driving is noticeably worse. Not so much road rage around here but the amount of folks who don't bother to stop at red lights or try to squeeze in to make a light or turn into traffic is ridiculously increased. Almost every time I drive I witness a near accident that was/is completely unavoidable.

 

[The Duff Man]

About 15 years ago I was on my way to a job interview and almost late due to traffic. A guy cut me off turning left in front of me (going the other way) so I flipped him off.

In the rear view I see him due an abrupt U turn, come up and tailgate me and then pull up beside me at the next light. He gets out of his car and calls me out to get out and fight . I just ignored him.

Not sure what would have happened if he had a gun. Ever since I use this as a reminder that you never know what kind of unhinged people you are dealing with on the road.

 

[STEADYMOBBIN 22]

I almost got hit twice yesterday. Both times a car ran the red light and both times it was because they were looking at their phones.

 

[Jobber]

Starting in 7th grade: De-escalating anger, negotiation tactics, argument fairness, critical thinking, reasoning, etc.

Yeah there’s a lot of basic stuff like this that absolutely needs to be a core part of education system-general understanding of our nervous system, how to regulate, etc is way more important than long division and memorizing types of clouds or learning how to write a line in standard form.

This should be the parents' job, but sadly they aren't doing it.

Boys in particular are not taught how to harness their energy and natural tendancies of aggression very well. Throw in our societies' aversion to all things masculine and you have a lot of young men with very short fuses.

American society is failing men at an alarming rate.

I think the opposite is true regarding your masculinity comment. The guy who does this is the “You start it, I’m gonna finish it” attitude that comes with overly aggressive “masculine” men.

 

[Nugget]

About 15 years ago I was on my way to a job interview and almost late due to traffic. A guy cut me off turning left in front of me (going the other way) so I flipped him off.

In the rear view I see him due an abrupt U turn, come up and tailgate me and then pull up beside me at the next light. He gets out of his car and calls me out to get out and fight . I just ignored him.

Not sure what would have happened if he had a gun. Ever since I use this as a reminder that you never know what kind of unhinged people you are dealing with on the road.

Couple years ago there was a shootout in a grocery store parking lot about a mile from my house based on a road rage incident - think the cause was noise of exhaust. No charges were filed because both shooters died.

 

[Ilov80s]

Starting in 7th grade: De-escalating anger, negotiation tactics, argument fairness, critical thinking, reasoning, etc.

Yeah there’s a lot of basic stuff like this that absolutely needs to be a core part of education system-general understanding of our nervous system, how to regulate, etc is way more important than long division and memorizing types of clouds or learning how to write a line in standard form.

This should be the parents' job, but sadly they aren't doing it.

Boys in particular are not taught how to harness their energy and natural tendancies of aggression very well. Throw in our societies' aversion to all things masculine and you have a lot of young men with very short fuses.

American society is failing men at an alarming rate.

I think the opposite is true regarding your masculinity comment. The guy who does this is the “You start it, I’m gonna finish it” attitude that comes with overly aggressive “masculine” men.

I’m not sure about society having an aversion to all things masculine. I took his comment as we aren’t doing a good job promoting healthy ways to deal with aggression, anger, rage, etc. so those are often coming out in very horrible ways. Which is kind of where my sports comment came in. Getting boys and young men in sports is a great way to harness those qualities in a controlled manner, use them for good while building sportsmanship, self control, discipline, grit, teamwork, communication, etc.

 

[urbanhack]

I just witnessed some of this last week. I had to fly back to Indiana for a family situation and I drove down to Indy and spent a few days between downtown and the northside. I was driving us east on 465 and I was in the middle lane doing about 5 to 10 mph above the speed limit. This guy in a work truck was doing some severe tailgating and I don't why...I was in the middle lane and he could have passed me on the left or right. I tapped the brakes to try to push him back....but then he started flipping me off, he then passed me on the right and then got off on the next exit. That whole exchange made no sense...why was on my *** and pissed off if was getting ready to exit??? Please are way too angry in this world.

 

[Brunell4MVP]

More people more problems. Malthusian economics can be applied to society in general. Exponential population growth while resources grow linearly equals a problem. Same can be said of infrastructure, Some of the interstates (81, 64, 95 in places) and transit roads in Virginia are the same size as they were 40 years ago. Cars on the road has grown exponentially. More density = more angry people.

 

[Capella]

I almost got hit twice yesterday. Both times a car ran the red light and both times it was because they were looking at their phones.

My wife and 6 year old got crushed a few months ago going straight through a school green light. 15 mph zone. Some lady turning left and likely texting ran right through them at over 35 mph. Our car totaled. Both nary had a scratch thank god. People are INSANE out there now.

 

[IvanKaramazov]

More people more problems. Malthusian economics can be applied to society in general. Exponential population growth while resources grow linearly equals a problem. Same can be said of infrastructure, Some of the interstates (81, 64, 95 in places) and transit roads in Virginia are the same size as they were 40 years ago. Cars on the road has grown exponentially. More density = more angry people.

+1 to this. I lived in central IN for quite a while, and I know what 465 was like 25 years ago. It was a zoo then, and I don't doubt that it's worse now. When I moved to my current low population density area, you could feel it instantly when you're in your car. People are a lot more chill when there's no need to jockey for position. Don't underestimate the role that truck traffic plays too. No semis = more chill.

 

[Chemical X]

About 15 years ago I was on my way to a job interview and almost late due to traffic. A guy cut me off turning left in front of me (going the other way) so I flipped him off.

In the rear view I see him due an abrupt U turn, come up and tailgate me and then pull up beside me at the next light. He gets out of his car and calls me out to get out and fight . I just ignored him.

Not sure what would have happened if he had a gun. Ever since I use this as a reminder that you never know what kind of unhinged people you are dealing with on the road.

Couple years ago there was a shootout in a grocery store parking lot about a mile from my house based on a road rage incident - think the cause was noise of exhaust. No charges were filed because both shooters died.

darwinism

 

[Gally]

Our turnout for HS sports is dwindling at the school I work at. A few years ago we had varsity, jv and freshman boys soccer with lots of kids being cut and not making any team. This year we only have varsity and jv, no cuts.

I think it's a problem stemming from selfishness and lack of work ethic. By this I mean, I have seen more kids start playing on a high school team but since they don't get the play time they want they quit mid season. Basically with that attitude that if I am not playing then it's not worth my time and I would rather do something else. I have seen kids quit mid season in one sport and then go play another sport that same season. Then when they don't play enough there they quit again. Eventually they stop playing at all.

I also hear the parents talking about if little Johnny isn't going to play then I might as well not come to the games. That right there is another contributing factor as to why kids quit when they don't play. It is really a huge detriment in many ways. Parents need to explain to their kids that being on the team and pushing the starters and trying to get better to earn more play time is important. That being on the team as a sub or backup is just as important as being a starter. They can do that by supporting the team and showing up for the games even if their kids aren't starters. Also, by pushing their kids to improve to earn more time. If you don't like being a sub then do something about it. Get better, work harder, practice on your own, etc.

In addition to kids just giving up and not working hard to get something they want it ends up hurting the kids that are playing because they have no competition for playing time so they don't push themselves because what they are doing is good enough so why try and get better. Either way I am going to play all the time. It's very frustrating.

The entire concept of "team" is really getting lost. It's all about the individual. Which (to bring it back to the OP) is why all this road rage is happening. Selfishness and not caring about others. If I can't get what I want (go as fast as I want, leave when I want, turn when I want, etc) then I am going to blame you and do something about it. It's really all related and starts with selfishness and wanting everything just given to you.

 

[Goldminer1]

Living in the Orlando area, and close to WDW, I encounter a ton of drivers that simply do not know where they are going. No turn signals, abrupt slamming of brakes etc.

I'd say in the last 6-12 months, I have simply decided to 1) Slow Down and 2) Leave 5 minutes earlier for stuff than I used to.

If you're going 300 miles, and you're averaging 60 mph, you will get you to your destination in 5 hours. Driving 55mph will get you there a total of 27 minutes slower. So, to potentially avoid a dangerous situation, is 30 minutes of your time, across a 300 mile trip worth it? In most cases, yes.

If you're taking a quick trip to the corner store, say it's 5 miles away. If you go 40mph, it will take you 7.5 minutes to get there. If you go 35mph, it will take you 8.5 minutes to get there.

Obviously speed isn't always the issue, but I've found that simply slowing down, and letting the aggressive / erratic drivers go around me, is the best course of action. People are crazy.

 

[Jobber]

Starting in 7th grade: De-escalating anger, negotiation tactics, argument fairness, critical thinking, reasoning, etc.

Yeah there’s a lot of basic stuff like this that absolutely needs to be a core part of education system-general understanding of our nervous system, how to regulate, etc is way more important than long division and memorizing types of clouds or learning how to write a line in standard form.

This should be the parents' job, but sadly they aren't doing it.

Boys in particular are not taught how to harness their energy and natural tendancies of aggression very well. Throw in our societies' aversion to all things masculine and you have a lot of young men with very short fuses.

American society is failing men at an alarming rate.

I think the opposite is true regarding your masculinity comment. The guy who does this is the “You start it, I’m gonna finish it” attitude that comes with overly aggressive “masculine” men.

I’m not sure about society having an aversion to all things masculine. I took his comment as we aren’t doing a good job promoting healthy ways to deal with aggression, anger, rage, etc. so those are often coming out in very horrible ways. Which is kind of where my sports comment came in. Getting boys and young men in sports is a great way to harness those qualities in a controlled manner, use them for good while building sportsmanship, self control, discipline, grit, teamwork, communication, etc.

Very good points by you and Jayrod.

 

[Goldminer1]

The lack of consequences in all aspects of society is a legitimate problem. There are consequences for everything in life - good and bad. If you go to the gym? A consquence of that is getting in better shape. If you go 15mph over the speed limit, all the time? A potential consquence of that, is getting a speeding ticket.

But, we have gotten to a place where people are 1) Figuring out that actually "getting" that consquence for bad behavior is extremely unlikely or impossible. 2) People are hurting so much financially that they don't really care about the potential consquences of their actions.

People from all walks of life, on both sides of the aisle are hurting - financially. Does that cause some people to not work, because, - why still be broke, but have to go take orders at Taco Bell for 40 hours a week? Yes.

People feel like there is no hope, and feel that no matter what they do, breaking out of poverty is impossible. But, we end up screaming at poor people for "not wanting to work anymore" instead of the rich guys, for creating this system that has put people in that position in the first place. Which is exactly what the elites want us to do.

There are 9,630 people in the USA worth $100 million or more. 78% of Americans live paycheck-to-paycheck. We idolize the 9,630 and demonize the 78%.

Yes, people are angrier when they're driving. They're driving to a job they hate, that doesn't pay them a living wage, to go home to a house they can't afford to buy, to look a kid in the face that they can't afford to send to college. And when they get on social media, they read that they're lazy, or that "nobody wants to work anymore" or that "these damn Millennials have ruined society."

As a bald-headed cajun once said - "It's the economy stupid."

 

[Gally]

There are consequences for everything in life - good and bad.

People feel like there is no hope, and feel that no matter what they do, breaking out of poverty is impossible. But, we end up screaming at poor people for "not wanting to work anymore" instead of the rich guys, for creating this system that has put people in that position in the first place. Which is exactly what the elites want us to do..

These are somewhat contradictory statements. There are consequences for everything you do. If you lose hope and stop trying you will never get to a place you want to be. If you blame others for your troubles you will never get to where you want to be.

Some people are in tough situations. Some people (rich guys) should help the less fortunate. Again, choices that people can make. Selfishness is the root cause of much of this. Blaming people and not helping them because you "got no help" to get to where you are is selfish. Blaming people and losing hope thinking others should bail you out is selfish. People need to help others and people need to help themselves. It takes everyone to be better people to fix what is happening in this world.

 

[northern exposure]

Starting in 7th grade: De-escalating anger, negotiation tactics, argument fairness, critical thinking, reasoning, etc.

The problem is it won't work at that age. Our oldest son has been diagnosed with ADHD and I remember meeting with this wonderful Doctor who explained to my wife and I how the adolescent brain develops and what capabilities they have at certain ages.
He said the biggest mistake parents can make is assuming their children are little or young adults. When parents are befuddled by their child's behavior it is often because the child doesn't have the same thought process (i.e. doesn't have the ability to consider consequences of their actions) as the parent does.

And yet this was a solved problem two generations ago. Brains developed the same way back then. What changed? It wasn't our biology.

I'm not sure what you are saying was a solved problem two generations ago? How much has changed in our world vs two generations ago?
Hastur was saying we should start teaching these things in 7th grade. Are you saying these things were being taught in schools two generations ago?

 

[Goldminer1]

There are consequences for everything in life - good and bad.

People feel like there is no hope, and feel that no matter what they do, breaking out of poverty is impossible. But, we end up screaming at poor people for "not wanting to work anymore" instead of the rich guys, for creating this system that has put people in that position in the first place. Which is exactly what the elites want us to do..

These are somewhat contradictory statements. There are consequences for everything you do. If you lose hope and stop trying you will never get to a place you want to be. If you blame others for your troubles you will never get to where you want to be.

Some people are in tough situations. Some people (rich guys) should help the less fortunate. Again, choices that people can make. Selfishness is the root cause of much of this. Blaming people and not helping them because you "got no help" to get to where you are is selfish. Blaming people and losing hope thinking others should bail you out is selfish. People need to help others and people need to help themselves. It takes everyone to be better people to fix what is happening in this world.

That was a bit contradictory, I could have worded it better.

I agree with your idea that people make choices. And I agree that not helping others is selfish, as is just expecting things to be handed to you.

But, I see & feel that poor people are being thrown under the bus, like they're simply choosing to be poor, because its so wonderful and Joe Government is showing up at their door with a $5,000 check and a truckload worth of food every week. And that simply isn't the case. Should we go back to the pre-New Deal era, without a social safety net? That didn't turn out very well.

I think the blanket phrasing and/or sentiment of "nobody wants to work anymore" - isn't helping anyone. I agree that people need to be able to work harder and get themselves through difficult times. Or put another way, we need to be able to "pull ourselves up by the bootstraps" but the problem is - many people don't even have the boots, yet.

Another thing that absolutely baffles me, is in this argument, how often the people on the "nobody works hard anymore" bandwagon are -themselves - living paycheck-to-paycheck, with massive amounts of credit card debt, driving around a beat-up used car. Like, what American dream - are YOU living - that you think someone on food stamps is robbing you of? It is wild.

So yeah, people are mad when they're driving. Because they're mad 24/7.

 

[IvanKaramazov]

Starting in 7th grade: De-escalating anger, negotiation tactics, argument fairness, critical thinking, reasoning, etc.

The problem is it won't work at that age. Our oldest son has been diagnosed with ADHD and I remember meeting with this wonderful Doctor who explained to my wife and I how the adolescent brain develops and what capabilities they have at certain ages.
He said the biggest mistake parents can make is assuming their children are little or young adults. When parents are befuddled by their child's behavior it is often because the child doesn't have the same thought process (i.e. doesn't have the ability to consider consequences of their actions) as the parent does.

And yet this was a solved problem two generations ago. Brains developed the same way back then. What changed? It wasn't our biology.

I'm not sure what you are saying was a solved problem two generations ago? How much has changed in our world vs two generations ago?
Hastur was saying we should start teaching these things in 7th grade. Are you saying these things were being taught in schools two generations ago?

We didn't need schools for this sort of thing when we (or any previous generation) was growing up. The fact that we're even discussing the need to work it into the curriculum is a sign that things have gone sideways.

 

[Goldminer1]

Starting in 7th grade: De-escalating anger, negotiation tactics, argument fairness, critical thinking, reasoning, etc.

The problem is it won't work at that age. Our oldest son has been diagnosed with ADHD and I remember meeting with this wonderful Doctor who explained to my wife and I how the adolescent brain develops and what capabilities they have at certain ages.
He said the biggest mistake parents can make is assuming their children are little or young adults. When parents are befuddled by their child's behavior it is often because the child doesn't have the same thought process (i.e. doesn't have the ability to consider consequences of their actions) as the parent does.

And yet this was a solved problem two generations ago. Brains developed the same way back then. What changed? It wasn't our biology.

I'm not sure what you are saying was a solved problem two generations ago? How much has changed in our world vs two generations ago?
Hastur was saying we should start teaching these things in 7th grade. Are you saying these things were being taught in schools two generations ago?

We didn't need schools for this sort of thing when we (or any previous generation) was growing up. The fact that we're even discussing the need to work it into the curriculum is a sign that things have gone sideways.

Part of the issue is that we protect kids from the world -far - too much. The world, despite what you read on the news, is actually a MUCH safer place than it used to be.

All those memes you see on Facebook like "In my day, this is how we knew where everyone was" and it's a picture of bikes on a lawn. Stuff like that doesn't happen anymore - in large part because the parents (the same one posting those memes) are afraid of the world. So, they force their kids to sit in their bedrooms and play video games online, until they're 12 years old. At that point, the parents decide that the kid can now go safely out into the world. But the problem is, that the kid doesn't know how to be outside or doesn't want to go out there, because they've never had to do it before. They stay in their comfort zone. And instead of saying, "Maybe Mom could have taken away the video games for 3 hours a day" we blame the kids for being addicted to the one activity that their parent felt was safe for them to do.

Is it all on the parents? Of course not. But, the idea that kids are lazy or addicted to video games or their phones - is at least partially a result of parenting. Take the phone. Take the video game. Tell them to go outside, they will be safe, and they will figure it out.

 

[3C's]

More people more problems. Malthusian economics can be applied to society in general. Exponential population growth while resources grow linearly equals a problem. Same can be said of infrastructure, Some of the interstates (81, 64, 95 in places) and transit roads in Virginia are the same size as they were 40 years ago. Cars on the road has grown exponentially. More density = more angry people.

All the interstates I drive on almost daily. 64 in SE VA and 95 in NO VA are crazy. If you're doing 10 over you're going too slow. 81 is a walk in the park but a lot more 18 wheelers there.

 

[Fat Nick]

I used to be a really aggressive driver and had my share of road rage. I'm not sure if it was COVID's impact on my windshield time, or just me getting older, but people are nuts these days. I only go into the office 2-3x a week now, but almost once a week I see some level of insanity above and beyond what I saw when I used to go in every day.

I drive fast - usually 80+ in a 65 when traffic permits, but I don't tailgate and I move over when cars are behind me. Even with that, I routinely have cars on my bumper as I pass another car, see cars swerving all over the place, and one of the ones I've seen more and more - cars just driving up the shoulder to pass traffic. I'm not sure if it's specific to my area or not, but I have seen cars pass full-on highway speed traffic on the right shoulder simply because they didn't want to wait for traffic to move by and let them out. I've also seen the same thing on slower single-lane roads. Cars who just drive up the shoulder at redlights, then just cut in.

I don't know why it's happening, but I'll echo that it's gotten noticeably worse, and I pocket my anger now when I didn't used to because I just feel like there are a lot more unhinged people out there.

 

[culdeus]

I used to be a really aggressive driver and had my share of road rage. I'm not sure if it was COVID's impact on my windshield time, or just me getting older, but people are nuts these days. I only go into the office 2-3x a week now, but almost once a week I see some level of insanity above and beyond what I saw when I used to go in every day.

I drive fast - usually 80+ in a 65 when traffic permits, but I don't tailgate and I move over when cars are behind me. Even with that, I routinely have cars on my bumper as I pass another car, see cars swerving all over the place, and one of the ones I've seen more and more - cars just driving up the shoulder to pass traffic. I'm not sure if it's specific to my area or not, but I have seen cars pass full-on highway speed traffic on the right shoulder simply because they didn't want to wait for traffic to move by and let them out. I've also seen the same thing on slower single-lane roads. Cars who just drive up the shoulder at redlights, then just cut in.

I don't know why it's happening, but I'll echo that it's gotten noticeably worse, and I pocket my anger now when I didn't used to because I just feel like there are a lot more unhinged people out there.

The lack of speeding enforcement matters a bit. People get twisted because "ZOMG YOUR ARE IN THE LEFT LANE" but going 85 in a 70 and passing people on the right. There is no obligation to do anything but be passing in the left lane, but people that want to do 100 don't see it that way. Since they can get away with going 100 (for lax enforcement) they see it as you holding them up.

 

[northern exposure]

Starting in 7th grade: De-escalating anger, negotiation tactics, argument fairness, critical thinking, reasoning, etc.

The problem is it won't work at that age. Our oldest son has been diagnosed with ADHD and I remember meeting with this wonderful Doctor who explained to my wife and I how the adolescent brain develops and what capabilities they have at certain ages.
He said the biggest mistake parents can make is assuming their children are little or young adults. When parents are befuddled by their child's behavior it is often because the child doesn't have the same thought process (i.e. doesn't have the ability to consider consequences of their actions) as the parent does.

And yet this was a solved problem two generations ago. Brains developed the same way back then. What changed? It wasn't our biology.

I'm not sure what you are saying was a solved problem two generations ago? How much has changed in our world vs two generations ago?
Hastur was saying we should start teaching these things in 7th grade. Are you saying these things were being taught in schools two generations ago?

We didn't need schools for this sort of thing when we (or any previous generation) was growing up. The fact that we're even discussing the need to work it into the curriculum is a sign that things have gone sideways.

I'm not sure why you are replying to my posts?
Your responses don't really have anything to do with my posts and speak to broader issues.

 

[higgins]

As a PSA I would suggest watching the movie ‘Unhinged’. not a “good” movie but it’s a wake-up call on this subject….

 

[STEADYMOBBIN 22]

There are consequences for everything in life - good and bad.

People feel like there is no hope, and feel that no matter what they do, breaking out of poverty is impossible. But, we end up screaming at poor people for "not wanting to work anymore" instead of the rich guys, for creating this system that has put people in that position in the first place. Which is exactly what the elites want us to do..

These are somewhat contradictory statements. There are consequences for everything you do. If you lose hope and stop trying you will never get to a place you want to be. If you blame others for your troubles you will never get to where you want to be.

Some people are in tough situations. Some people (rich guys) should help the less fortunate. Again, choices that people can make. Selfishness is the root cause of much of this. Blaming people and not helping them because you "got no help" to get to where you are is selfish. Blaming people and losing hope thinking others should bail you out is selfish. People need to help others and people need to help themselves. It takes everyone to be better people to fix what is happening in this world.

That was a bit contradictory, I could have worded it better.

I agree with your idea that people make choices. And I agree that not helping others is selfish, as is just expecting things to be handed to you.

But, I see & feel that poor people are being thrown under the bus, like they're simply choosing to be poor, because its so wonderful and Joe Government is showing up at their door with a $5,000 check and a truckload worth of food every week. And that simply isn't the case. Should we go back to the pre-New Deal era, without a social safety net? That didn't turn out very well.

I think the blanket phrasing and/or sentiment of "nobody wants to work anymore" - isn't helping anyone. I agree that people need to be able to work harder and get themselves through difficult times. Or put another way, we need to be able to "pull ourselves up by the bootstraps" but the problem is - many people don't even have the boots, yet.

Another thing that absolutely baffles me, is in this argument, how often the people on the "nobody works hard anymore" bandwagon are -themselves - living paycheck-to-paycheck, with massive amounts of credit card debt, driving around a beat-up used car. Like, what American dream - are YOU living - that you think someone on food stamps is robbing you of? It is wild.

So yeah, people are mad when they're driving. Because they're mad 24/7.

You’re not wrong but there are literally MILLIONS of people who are purposefully taking advantage of well meaning social programs.

I can understand how that gets under peoples skin when things get tight financially.

 

[The Z Machine]

f you're taking a quick trip to the corner store, say it's 5 miles away. If you go 40mph, it will take you 7.5 minutes to get there. If you go 35mph, it will take you 8.5 minutes to get there.

But I'm already 5 mins late, so I have to go even faster! Gotta make up that time!!

 

[CletiusMaximus]

What happens if a self-driving car cuts off another self-driving car? Can the passengers still shoot each other?

 

[Gally]

What happens if a self-driving car cuts off another self-driving car? Can the passengers still shoot each other?

I think that is an option you can order on the car.......but it is the car shooting the other car.

 

[nirad3]

I just witnessed some of this last week. I had to fly back to Indiana for a family situation and I drove down to Indy and spent a few days between downtown and the northside. I was driving us east on 465 and I was in the middle lane doing about 5 to 10 mph above the speed limit. This guy in a work truck was doing some severe tailgating and I don't why...I was in the middle lane and he could have passed me on the left or right. I tapped the brakes to try to push him back....but then he started flipping me off, he then passed me on the right and then got off on the next exit. That whole exchange made no sense...why was on my *** and pissed off if was getting ready to exit??? Please are way too angry in this world.

In another thread, I posted something about a recent experience I had with some unhinged lady I witnessed driving my kids home. This chick was going about 30 MPH in a 40 MPH zone and I was behind her, ended up flipping my signal on and passed her (2 lanes going each way, she was in the right lane, so I wasn't doing anything overly aggressive). As I passed her I happened to look in my rear view mirror and saw that she was screaming and gesturing at me (or I assumed). Sure enough, as we went a half mile or so down the road and stopped at a light, she came up next to us and was screaming at me for some strange reason. I wasn't tailgating her, didn't honk, didn't do anything aggressive but pass her on the left at or below the speed limit. People are just crazy and are looking for something to scream about. I pretended to ignore her and thankfully my kids didn't notice anything.

 

[Snoopy]

Don't let her drive your kids home.