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Post by onlyMark on Apr 22, 2024 17:25:28 GMT
I was involved in a road rage incident in the UK when I was there for the canal trip. It's just come back to mind. In the UK and it's not country specific I think, but if there are two lanes entering a roundabout and two lanes exiting it, you can, if say going straight on, enter in the left lane or the right lane and exit the roundabout in the same lane (or if you are in the right lane, exit in the left lane if there is no traffic to consider on your inside). I was in the left lane and kept to the left lane and exited straight on. But within 50 metres or so the right lane ended and had arrows pointing to the left to move over to the left lane.
As I exited a young bloke in a Range Rover drove quickly around me in the right lane and started to overtake me but ran out of room when the lane ended. He then swerved in front of me. I had to brake sharply otherwise he would have hit me side on. I naturally expressed my displeasure by sounding my horn. He stopped suddenly and was by now in neither lane, just angled across both. I came to a stop and he jumped out his car as angry as an angry thing. He expressed his displeasure at me apparently for not letting him in as I should have done. Besides the fact I had no time to do so he also shouted and was swearing at me saying he had a pregnant woman in the car.
I told him a) he should look in the Highway Code and b) maybe he shouldn't be driving like a twat then if she was there. He was adamant he had the priority to move from the right lane to the left and I had to give way to him. Every other word was fuck though. I told him again to look in the Highway Code and you'll find out you are wrong. (There are words to the effect of, "The car in the lane that is ending must yield to the car in the lane that continues forward".) No, he said, he was right. I must give way to him. It devolved into tit for tat as to who was right and I suggested maybe we should call the Police then. He was quite willing until I pointed out I would show them the dash cam footage, directed his attention to it on the windscreen, and we'll see what they say.
After a round of fucks I got the impression he wasn't willing to do so any more, so I reversed a back a little and drove around and past him leaving him there. I wouldn't be surprised if his wife/girlfriend gave him an earful. I would like to know though if he ever looked at the Highway Code to try and verify his belief but I also suspect he would have told his mates all about it and one of them said, "Just wait a second...." I'd like to think so.
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Post by fumobici on Apr 22, 2024 17:35:02 GMT
US passed - finally - a bill of nearly 100 billions in ‘package aid’. About 60 for Ukraine so that these can be used as ammo to kill Russians. Some for Taiwan to prepare to kill Chinese should they invade them. The rest for Israel so that they can bomb Iran. Tbh I am glad we arm Ukrainian troops to repulse Russia but I wonder what we could do in a world not dominated by egocentric assholes with all that money. Build hospitals, schools, invest in research build non polluting energy plants explore our oceans maybe clean them. Nah. Weapons. We are finally a race that likes to destroy. Not build. Killing Russians is always money well spent.
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Post by htmb on Apr 22, 2024 18:33:30 GMT
I was involved in a road rage incident in the UK when I was there for the canal trip. It's just come back to mind. In the UK and it's not country specific I think, but if there are two lanes entering a roundabout and two lanes exiting it, you can, if say going straight on, enter in the left lane or the right lane and exit the roundabout in the same lane (or if you are in the right lane, exit in the left lane if there is no traffic to consider on your inside). I was in the left lane and kept to the left lane and exited straight on. But within 50 metres or so the right lane ended and had arrows pointing to the left to move over to the left lane. As I exited a young bloke in a Range Rover drove quickly around me in the right lane and started to overtake me but ran out of room when the lane ended. He then swerved in front of me. I had to brake sharply otherwise he would have hit me side on. I naturally expressed my displeasure by sounding my horn. He stopped suddenly and was by now in neither lane, just angled across both. I came to a stop and he jumped out his car as angry as an angry thing. He expressed his displeasure at me apparently for not letting him in as I should have done. Besides the fact I had no time to do so he also shouted and was swearing at me saying he had a pregnant woman in the car. I told him a) he should look in the Highway Code and b) maybe he shouldn't be driving like a twat then if she was there. He was adamant he had the priority to move from the right lane to the left and I had to give way to him. Every other word was fuck though. I told him again to look in the Highway Code and you'll find out you are wrong. (There are words to the effect of, "The car in the lane that is ending must yield to the car in the lane that continues forward".) No, he said, he was right. I must give way to him. It devolved into tit for tat as to who was right and I suggested maybe we should call the Police then. He was quite willing until I pointed out I would show them the dash cam footage, directed his attention to it on the windscreen, and we'll see what they say. After a round of fucks I got the impression he wasn't willing to do so any more, so I reversed a back a little and drove around and past him leaving him there. I wouldn't be surprised if his wife/girlfriend gave him an earful. I would like to know though if he ever looked at the Highway Code to try and verify his belief but I also suspect he would have told his mates all about it and one of them said, "Just wait a second...." I'd like to think so. Some people carry around so much anger and pent up frustration; they become assholes at the drop of a hat. Hope it didn’t put too much of a damper on your day.
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Post by kerouac2 on Apr 22, 2024 18:53:50 GMT
I have never had to face road rage directly although of course there have been cars expressing displesure at what I did or did not do every now and then. Sometimes they were right. I am not a perfect driver. I think we would all be terrified by this in the United States (and probably some other countries) where the person might pull out a gun to settle the dispute.
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Post by questaredux on Apr 23, 2024 3:25:44 GMT
My former brother-in-law is/was a night shift taxi driver. He prefers not to trouble the constabulary if some ignorant driver has caused him grief by not knowing and obeying the Road Rules. Like most drivers he carries a hefty tyre lever in case he gets a puncture. Even the presenting of this innocent implement from under the driver's seat has the effect of settling any disputes more or less amicably and definitely more speedily.
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Post by onlyMark on Apr 23, 2024 6:11:22 GMT
htmb, the incident ran exactly to the script you see from time to time of a brake check road rage incident on the internet. Aggressive car, aggressive driver, blocking your car, driver storming out and accusing you of something that is wrong etc etc - so for half an hour or so after I was running through my head as to if I was actually in the wrong and/or I should have said something different and so on. I did stop soon after to check the Highway Code on my phone to be sure but I shouldn't have doubted myself and went off with a better mood. I'd certainly be more concerned in the USA and a lot of other countries.
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Post by cheerypeabrain on Apr 23, 2024 17:01:26 GMT
What a tosser....well done you Mark. My OH is a polite driver but is not averse to winding down the car window and suggesting that the offender reread the highway code if the occasion calls for it.
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Post by whatagain on Apr 26, 2024 19:20:13 GMT
A super bright french worker discovered ammunition from WW2 during repair works. He decided to cut it with an electrical tool. Nobody knows why he did that. We have to wait until he wakes up at hospital. Maybe he is a friend of the frenxh singer Kenji Girac who shot himself with a pistol by accident. Says he but the police say it can't have happened by accident.
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Post by bjd on May 2, 2024 6:52:45 GMT
With so much news coverage about the student protests about the Gaza war on US campuses, I don't understand why these peaceful protests are being evacuated by police and students are being expelled from university. What about free speech in the States? When the protests are peaceful, which most of them appear to be, why are extra police being brought in?
It made me think about the anti-Vietnam war protests in the late 1960s-early 1970s. Were the students expelled then too?
It seems like a huge step given the high US tuitions in all these universities and the fact that graduation is really close. Will they lose any chance of getting a degree? I watched a debate about this on France 24 and the head of the philosophy department at Emory University (a white woman) was arrested when she went out to see what was going on. She was freed since she took part in the debate a few days later, but it still appears to be an over-reaction.
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Post by cheerypeabrain on May 3, 2024 20:56:16 GMT
Our Granddaughter gave birth in the early hours today...we have a Great-Grandson. He is absolutely beautiful (of course) and his name is Torben (GD tells me that it's Norse for 'Thunder Bear'). We are getting used to the name and think that it goes really well with his sister's name (Lorelei). Torben will share a birthday with his Grandma (DiL Lisa) and his other Great Granny (Lisa's Mummy).
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Post by kerouac2 on May 3, 2024 21:02:18 GMT
Congratulations, Great Granny. I like Torben.
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Post by htmb on May 3, 2024 21:40:11 GMT
Many congratulations sent your way, Cheery!
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Post by bixaorellana on May 3, 2024 22:24:28 GMT
Awwwwww ~~ happy happy congratulations, dearest Cheery! Love that name, too.
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Post by mickthecactus on May 4, 2024 6:30:39 GMT
Congratulations Cheery! x
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Post by whatagain on May 4, 2024 9:52:55 GMT
Torben en Lorelei.both beautiful names.
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Post by whatagain on May 4, 2024 14:35:00 GMT
I solved a first world problem. The heat pump for my swimming pool was not working well but I found a solution. It is simply the flow of water : if too much or not enough the pump stops. So by playing with the admission valves I can set it correctly.
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Post by kerouac2 on May 4, 2024 16:11:00 GMT
The children of Gaza will be so relieved!
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Post by bixaorellana on May 4, 2024 16:21:37 GMT
Don't throw cold water on his achievement, Kerouac!
Not fixing a first world problem doesn't help anyone, just like cleaning your plate doesn't feed the starving elsewhere.
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Post by cheerypeabrain on May 5, 2024 17:15:03 GMT
Thank you for your congrats..I'm still floating.
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