Driving is getting frustrating

[Happinow]

I know. Another thread on bad drivers but here goes anyways. As I was coming from Morse turning into Sanibel, I was the first car arriving at the residence gait. I noticed the gait was already in the up position. I figured it was broken and nobody had put the "stop" sign out for cars to stop before going through the gait. So, being cautious, I stopped when approaching the gait so as not to continue thus risking hitting any carts that may have wanted to cross. The minute I stopped, the lady behind me laid on her horn. There were probably 3 cars waiting to enter. I rolled down my window and yelled back to her that I was stopping so as not to hit any carts. She continued blowing her horn. Had this woman been the first on through the gait, she would have put lives at risk for not stopping prior to going through the gait. Why was she in such a hurry? Was it worth possibly killing someone to get through that gait without making a stop? Common sense says that if the gait is open when you get there you should stop prior to entering.

[njbchbum]

Sorry you were so accosted. A friend of me taught me that when an individual behaves such as the one you encountered - it is okay to get out of your car with the keys and walk back to the honker's window - and when open, toss the keys inside and tell them, "You drive it!"

[perrjojo]

I really don't get all of the horn honkers here. I have never experienced that anywhere we have ever lived before.

[Billyworld]

That's that New York way of life. You can take the Yankee out of New York but you cant take New York out of the Yankee. I believe that "splains" it.

[keithwand]

You did the right thing.

[kansasr]

I must remember that one!

[buggyone]

Sorry you were so accosted. A friend of me taught me that when an individual behaves such as the one you encountered - it is okay to get out of your car with the keys and walk back to the honker's window - and when open, toss the keys inside and tell them, "You drive it!"

So the angry driver would have your car keys and you would not? What would stop him from driving off with your keys and leaving you standing there? I do not understand that at all.

As for never experiencing horn honkers, I guess you have never lived in the Washington DC area. Within ONE second of a light turning green, the car in back would be honking for you to move. I have not noticed hardly anyone in The Villages honking. Also, most folks North of 466 have been in The Villages longer than most South of 466A, we have adjusted to the Southern pace of living.

[Cajulian]

That's that New York way of life. You can take the Yankee out of New York but you cant take New York out of the Yankee. I believe that "splains" it.

I am a New Yorker. You obviously don't know what you are talking about. I have only heard a couple of times a year someone honking at another driver because they were sleeping at a light change to green.

Now, maybe you are actually talking about NY City. That's another world, it is not considered NY by other members of the state!!!

[kittygilchrist]

Try driving in Israel's cities without a horn. Well that isn't the topic. Usually when a gate is broken and no guard there IS a stop sign. If there is a guard, I assume that the golf carts will be watching as usual to wait for the right of way and that for whatever reason the guard has left the gate up intending that cars proceed without stopping.

[Edjkoz]

Sorry to hear you had to deal with such an idiot. Usually when that happens to me, I'll just sit there a little longer and make them beep more. Probably not right, but I do get a little satisfaction :)

[Erijo]

Dear Cajulian, I was born and raised in NYC, Manhattan, upper east side! In fact, my mother and 3 of my four sisters live in NYC! I take offense to your comment. That is an ignorant thing to say about NY'ers who live in NYC. How would you feels NYC dwellers said anyone who lives outside the 5 boroughs are considered hillbillies?

[Jaggy]

Dear Cajulian, I was born and raised in NYC, Manhattan, upper east side! In fact, my mother and 3 of my four sisters live in NYC! I take offense to your comment. That is an ignorant thing to say about NY'ers who live in NYC. How would you feels NYC dwellers said anyone who lives outside the 5 boroughs are considered hillbillies?

Yeah.. but the hillbillies got the good moonshine !!

[philnpat]

I am a New Yorker. You obviously don't know what you are talking about. I have only heard a couple of times a year someone honking at another driver because they were sleeping at a light change to green.

Now, maybe you are actually talking about NY City. That's another world, it is not considered NY by other members of the state!!!



I'm an upstate New Yorker as well and I totally agree with you. In fact we never hear horns blowing. On thing upstate New Yorkers do use is directional signals. Must be that Floridians don't have them installed on their cars...Sheriff's cars included!

[sunnsnow]

Dear Cajulian, I was born and raised in NYC, Manhattan, upper east side! In fact, my mother and 3 of my four sisters live in NYC! I take offense to your comment. That is an ignorant thing to say about NY'ers who live in NYC. How would you feels NYC dwellers said anyone who lives outside the 5 boroughs are considered hillbillies?
I am NOT from NYC, but, from what I have read, the taxes generated from NYC businesses and workers are the only thing keeping the rest of that state from following the lead of Detroit; bankruptcy. I think it's pretty stupid for one NYer to insult a fellow citizen.

[missypie]

Happinow,

Let them honk all day long. If I am taking too long well tough s--t! I won't move any faster. Get over it toots!

[homeball]

I am NOT from NYC, but, from what I have read, the taxes generated from NYC businesses and workers are the only thing keeping the rest of that state from following the lead of Detroit; bankruptcy. I think it's pretty stupid for one NYer to insult a fellow citizen.

:BigApplause: I most definitly agree.

[dbussone]

That's that New York way of life. You can take the Yankee out of New York but you cant take New York out of the Yankee. I believe that "splains" it.


True Yankees are not from NY. We are from New England and many of our relatives fought for freedom in the Revolutionary War. I have 5 relatives who did so.

[dbussone]

True Yankees are not from NY. We are from New England and many of our relatives fought for freedom in the Revolutionary War. I have 5 relatives who did so.


PS. According to many, those of us from north of the Mason Dixon are Yankees. Not so!

[Patty55]

One of the interesting things I learned on this board was the difference between Rednecks and Hillbillies. A while back someone posted that rednecks are proud to be rednecks and that you never see hillbillies because they are up in the woods.

I'm from LI, hardly an expert on such things, but found it intersting.

[CFrance]

I'm an upstate New Yorker as well and I totally agree with you. In fact we never hear horns blowing. On thing upstate New Yorkers do use is directional signals. Must be that Floridians don't have them installed on their cars...Sheriff's cars included!

That's because they're all from Michigan! (I can say that, having lived there for 25 years...):D

[perrjojo]

So no one thinks folks from their state is honking. I have lived in a Texas, Georgia, Oklahoma and Florida. I have never experienced the horns honking that I hear in TV...and NO, they are not always honking at me. So who and why is all this horn honking going on in a retirement community?

[Pointer]

once when I was working i had a really cranky customer and after all my usual charming wit didn't work I cheerfully told him he should buy a cookie and that would help him feel much better. He looked surprised and he said you know I think my blood sugar is low and that's what it is. He was newly diagnosed as a diabetic and hadn't quite figured it out. The moral of the story it's not you who's cranky and sometimes we just don't know whats really at play. Keep setting a good example and playing it safe.

[DouglasMo]

once when I was working i had a really cranky customer and after all my usual charming wit didn't work I cheerfully told him he should buy a cookie and that would help him feel much better. He looked surprised and he said you know I think my blood sugar is low and that's what it is. He was newly diagnosed as a diabetic and hadn't quite figured it out. The moral of the story it's not you who's cranky and sometimes we just don't know whats really at play. Keep setting a good example and playing it safe.

I think your reply is the only one that makes sense and is not snarky! Thank you.

[skyguy79]

PS. According to many, those of us from north of the Mason Dixon are Yankees. Not so!That's true. I'm from NYS, don't wear pin stripes, so I'm not a Yankee!

[Cajulian]

Dear Cajulian, I was born and raised in NYC, Manhattan, upper east side! In fact, my mother and 3 of my four sisters live in NYC! I take offense to your comment. That is an ignorant thing to say about NY'ers who live in NYC. How would you feels NYC dwellers said anyone who lives outside the 5 boroughs are considered hillbillies?

How come you didn't get upset about the original comment slamming New Yorkers from the other guy?

Mine was a joke, I am sure just like what his was!

We actually love visiting the city. Like most large cities in the U.S., driving can be complicated at times.

You should try visiting the "HillBilly" sections of New York. And do try our Moonshine!

Sorry I stirred you up. Didn't mean to.

[renielarson]

I know. Another thread on bad drivers but here goes anyways. As I was coming from Morse turning into Sanibel, I was the first car arriving at the residence gait. I noticed the gait was already in the up position. I figured it was broken and nobody had put the "stop" sign out for cars to stop before going through the gait. So, being cautious, I stopped when approaching the gait so as not to continue thus risking hitting any carts that may have wanted to cross. The minute I stopped, the lady behind me laid on her horn. There were probably 3 cars waiting to enter. I rolled down my window and yelled back to her that I was stopping so as not to hit any carts. She continued blowing her horn. Had this woman been the first on through the gait, she would have put lives at risk for not stopping prior to going through the gait. Why was she in such a hurry? Was it worth possibly killing someone to get through that gait without making a stop? Common sense says that if the gait is open when you get there you should stop prior to entering.

I probably would have invoked road rage because I would have stayed put. I might be dead today! :swear:

[Janette1]

I sometimes honk to let the driver of the other car realize what an idiot they are. I think sometimes people don't realize how dangerous they are driving. My honks says it all.

[graciegirl]

I have honked my horn ONCE in six years here in TV.


I haven't been honked at much but have heard a lot of just impatient honking.


Folks in Ohio have better anger management. It's all in how you're raised.;) It's probably the same folks who save seats.

[rubicon]

Every time I come across this topic whether it be someone complaining in person on a blog or in the newspaper the first word that crosses my mind is HYPOCRITE. If you have/are driving a car you have too committed all of these acts. You have honked your horn, failed to signal your intent to turn, run a stop sign or red light, have purposely gone slow because you are trying to find a street number, business, etc. Or you purposely slow up to upset a driver behind you whom you feel is too close for comfort. You have intentionally stayed in the left lane at a speed below the limit because you feel entitled and seem to get upset at the nerve of other drivers passing you on the right and then pulling back into the left lane.

And as a person who was reared in upstate New York let me share with you that I had run across some people from NYC that believed anyone who lived outside the 5 boroughs was a country yokel and many NYC people very inpatient , rude brassy, etc but then I found that in every city big or small where I lived. and I also found some of the most endearing people you could ever meet that lived in NYC caring people honest about their relationships very forgiving.

I lived in one city where I found the people to be polite but less than honest.

So let's be honest and stop throwing stones at one another because we have all committed the same social sins and to feign indignation at others faux pas is well dishonest

[senior citizen]

I do believe that people who are stressed out (whether living in the countryside or in the city, or just in a huge largely populated area such as The Villages) might act out their frustration while in their vehicles..........

However, having been retired for two years now, I would say, "What's the rush?" Who is in a hurry to go anywhere, if they have planned ahead, and allowed time for living in a "city" of 100,000 souls.

Either one is a patient sort....or an easily aggravated sort, no matter where they live.

However, I must say that while raising our family, in a town of 16,000 population, people were still polite, stopped at crosswalks to let children and the elders (who move more slowly) get across .......without going into a hissy fit.

Lower populated areas seem to produce more "laid back" residents and that goes for our friends across the "border" in upper New York State. None of us can DARE to drive like maniacs on our roads, that's for sure. Everyone does use their directional signals.

Now in a large master planned community of 100,000 people, beautiful as it truly is, that is a DENSE population of drivers............

Seniors in cars, or whether walking or driving, might just have slower reflexes.......so that should be taken into consideration by the horn blowers.

If the horn blowers are the elderly, perhaps they are just ornery and frustrated by various loss of control in their own lives.........or in their "second childhood" , again with a low tolerance for frustration........and lacking patience to just wait their turn.

I'm wondering is it just frustration or true road rage?

""""Road rage is a senseless reaction to traffic that is common in congested traffic areas. If someone is not driving as fast as the person behind him thinks he should, or someone cuts in front of someone else it can lead to an incident that is dangerous to the offender and those around him on the road. Road rage often manifests itself as shouting matches on the road, intentional tailgating, retaliatory traffic maneuvers and mostly a lack of attention being paid to the traffic around the people involved. It is basically a temper tantrum by frustrated drivers in traffic."""""

"""It’s obvious that frustration and stress are both the beginning factors of road rage, but road rage happens when drivers feel they have been insulted by others on the road. Other common causes of road rage are:
Slow drivers
Tailgating
Sitting in the middle lane
Getting cut off
Lack of politeness
Pedestrians and cyclists
Driving in traffic, long commutes and aggressive drivers can be frustrating on the road, but it becomes road rage when stress and frustration turn into violent anger.

Road rage can include rude gestures, verbal insults, driving unsafely on purpose, making threats and even harming someone else in a confrontation. Know the signs from you and other drivers to prevent dangerous driving, accidents and unwanted confrontations.

To avoid road rage while on the road, take some precautions and prepare for unexpected scenarios on the road.
Stay calm and avoid anger on the road
Don’t tell or make obscene gestures
Always signal when changing lanes and use your horn sparingly
Don’t drive too closely to other drivers
Don’t compete on the road
Don’t take other drivers’ actions personally
Plan ahead for your trips so you have plenty of time to reach your destination
To avoid other drivers’ aggression on the road, follow these steps:
Don’t react to another driver’s aggression and avoid eye contact
Don’t be tempted to fight, stay calm
Lock your doors
If confronted, go to the nearest police station if you feel threatened
In congested areas, leave enough room to pull out behind cars you are following"

In ending, life is too short to get all excited on the roads; patience is a virtue.

If one wants to make their life even shorter.......challenge the horn blower.

This winter we were amazed at the amount of HUGE MASSIVE PILEUPS on our interstates........in many states of our country..........everyone is going TOO FAST.

They think their air bags and all wheel drive will protect them in snow storms.

Not so. Common sense and slowing down........still rules.

PS : My dad was born and raised in New York City and he drove like a "turtle" in his Studebaker. Ditto for my Uncle Tony in his Cadillac.

[Kahuna32162]

Like many of us, I have a smart phone and it has a camera. I would turn in my seat and take a picture of the "idiot" driver and make sure they know what you're doing. You probably won't do anything with the picture, but they don't know that.

[CFrance]

I would be very careful what you do to someone who has already demonstrated a temper. Remember the story of the driver in TV who pulled a gun on a woman's husband who asked him to get out of the opposite (wrong) lane he was driving in so his wife could drive down the street? That was just recently.

I would ignore it and let it go. As 2BNTV would say, don't let that person rent space in your head.

[graciegirl]

I would be very careful what you do to someone who has already demonstrated a temper. Remember the story of the driver in TV who pulled a gun on a woman's husband who asked him to get out of the opposite (wrong) lane he was driving in so his wife could drive down the street? That was just recently.

I would ignore it and let it go. As 2BNTV would say, don't let that person rent space in your head.



I remember this instance just last year that someone who had just moved here a few weeks before smacked an older woman passenger near Colony and hit her son the driver with a baton..
https://www.talkofthevillages.com/forums/villages-florida-general-discussion-73/crazy-road-rage-incident-villages-92588/

[CFrance]

I remember this instance just last year that someone who had just moved here a few weeks before smacked an older woman passenger near Colony and hit her son the driver with a baton..
https://www.talkofthevillages.com/forums/villages-florida-general-discussion-73/crazy-road-rage-incident-villages-92588/
You can't trust us newbies down south of 466!

[Jaggy]

You can't trust us newbies down south of 466!

Are the newbies South of 466A considered Hillbillies?? If so, do they have moonshine??

[cquick]

I would have just carried on with my trip ignoring the person who honked the horn. It really has nothing to do with your driving, which was fine. It all has to do with her own behavior.

[buggyone]

I would be very careful what you do to someone who has already demonstrated a temper. Remember the story of the driver in TV who pulled a gun on a woman's husband who asked him to get out of the opposite (wrong) lane he was driving in so his wife could drive down the street? That was just recently.

I would ignore it and let it go. As 2BNTV would say, don't let that person rent space in your head.

I remember that posting. I wonder in what tone of voice and in what words did the husband " ask" the driver to move. I also doubt the truth of the poster as she was asked several times for where it happened but did not post anything further.

But, yes, do not antagonize people. Throwing your keys into their car is umday.

[Penguin]

I know. Another thread on bad drivers but here goes anyways. As I was coming from Morse turning into Sanibel, I was the first car arriving at the residence gait. I noticed the gait was already in the up position. I figured it was broken and nobody had put the "stop" sign out for cars to stop before going through the gait. So, being cautious, I stopped when approaching the gait so as not to continue thus risking hitting any carts that may have wanted to cross. The minute I stopped, the lady behind me laid on her horn. There were probably 3 cars waiting to enter. I rolled down my window and yelled back to her that I was stopping so as not to hit any carts. She continued blowing her horn. Had this woman been the first on through the gait, she would have put lives at risk for not stopping prior to going through the gait. Why was she in such a hurry? Was it worth possibly killing someone to get through that gait without making a stop? Common sense says that if the gait is open when you get there you should stop prior to entering.

Just get out of your car and put the hood up. Now the honker will look like a jerk honking at a disables car. I used to do that on my motorcycle at toll booths. People would get impatient waiting for me to get money out of my pocket. So I would get off the bike and pretend it quit running. They would be sooooooooooo mad but really had no recourse.

[buggyone]

Just get out of your car and put the hood up. Now the honker will look like a jerk honking at a disables car. I used to do that on my motorcycle at toll booths. People would get impatient waiting for me to get money out of my pocket. So I would get off the bike and pretend it quit running. They would be sooooooooooo mad but really had no recourse.

Ah yes, rewarding someone's bad behavior with your own bad behavior. Very much in line with what we all taught our children.

Someone honks their horn at you. It is annoying but did no harm. Let it slide.

[Bruiser1]

PS. According to many, those of us from north of the Mason Dixon are Yankees. Not so!


In USAF Basic Training I was told that" anyone North of Shreveport LA, was a damn Yankee!":posting:

[Barefoot]

.... If you have/are driving a car you have too committed all of these acts. You have honked your horn, failed to signal your intent to turn, run a stop sign or red light, have purposely gone slow because you are trying to find a street number, business, etc. Or you purposely slow up to upset a driver behind you whom you feel is too close for comfort.

There is some truth to the above.
We've probably all annoyed someone else with our driving.
But I haven't driven our SUV on any golf cart paths.

[rubicon]

There is some truth to the above.
We've probably all annoyed someone else with our driving.
But I haven't driven our SUV on any golf cart paths.

Barefoot; yea that's the ultimate mortal sin along with driving into a building.:D