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GundleFly t1_j97a73m wrote

Reply to comment by ho1doncaulfield in The turning lane is not for driving (Fremont and Republic intersection) by ho1doncaulfield

I wasn’t letting that happen because you’re supposed to yield to oncoming traffic, not ride the turning lane and expect to squeeze in front of me.

… and then when I wouldn’t let them cut in…

That’s exactly what happened, based on your post. If you weren’t trying to prove a point, then what were you doing?

I’m not saying the other people were right (they’re not, you’re supposed to pull across and directly into the travel lanes), but intentionally not letting someone in and speed-matching is only escalating the situation. That doesn’t make people learn to be better drivers, and it only increases the likelihood of a confrontation.

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ho1doncaulfield OP t1_j97ausc wrote

Dude there was a line of cars sitting at the Fremont/Republic light. Basically backed up near the exit of the HH parking lot that they pulled out of (close to Georgia Mac’s).

Are you really trying to tell me that I’m supposed to inconvenience myself to let them in front of me? When they could have just fucking stopped and waited for me to pass?

Did you even read that I said no one was behind me?

I really only posted this here because it kind of ruined my day getting flipped off for no reason. Didn’t expect to come here and hear people take up for the other person 😂

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GundleFly t1_j97c1bp wrote

I’m not taking up for the idiot drivers, I’m just saying that in this situation you were both wrong to varying degrees. Would it really have inconvenienced you to let them over? No. Especially considering you needed to get in the left turn lane. They probably ended up getting over behind you after the fact anyway.

I guess what it boils down to is it never hurts to be a defensive driver.

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ho1doncaulfield OP t1_j97dwt5 wrote

Yes it would have. There was no space for them to cut in between the cars lined up, stopped at the light, and me. All I was doing was driving. All they had to do was not drive in the turning lane.

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GundleFly t1_j97fpk6 wrote

Or… hear me out… you could have stepped on your brakes and let them merge, waved, and gone about your day. And as a bonus, you could have even got over into what was the left turn lane at Fremont and Republic instead of driving to National.

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ho1doncaulfield OP t1_j97fx7p wrote

This is beyond the pale omg

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GundleFly t1_j97g4qh wrote

Agree to disagree, but this situation could have been avoided if you didn’t think of yourself as the Road Emperor of Springfield, Missouri.

I think the most frustrating thing about your responses to this thread is that you fail to see that if you drive defensively and got over the fact that other people will drive like idiots this entire thing could have been avoided. The lack of introspection and the perception of “I can do no wrong” you’re giving off is making people have no sympathy for your situation.

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Live-Associate-2911 t1_j992iwx wrote

I hear you and I think you must not be familiar with this area. I drive it daily and OP is 100% right. Why should OP accommodate a poor drivers skills? They are not at fault..at all. Stepping on brakes and letting them in creates a situation where the other driver continues to think they are in the right. They are not and what they are doing is unsafe. Taking the next light down didn't make a difference in OP day. You must be a middle lane merger.

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GundleFly t1_j9938i4 wrote

Playing Mad Max Fury Road and speed matching someone that is in the turn lane and intentionally not letting them merge is dumb. That is matching dumb energy, and no one wins. It only increases the likelihood that a wreck will occur. John Q. Public is not going to make that person change their driving habits by sticking it to ‘em. OP even said that they were flipped off… nothing like pissing off a stupid person who demonstrates they aren’t capable of making a rational decision.

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Live-Associate-2911 t1_j99fk0b wrote

You gotta chill with the analogies. Mad max here. Emperor of whatever in another. Has anyone ever called you dramatic before? We are talking a 400-600ft stretch of road. Neither person had road rage. It was ignorance vs rational. I would have done the same thing...because if I needed to be in the turn lane I would expect the other driver, who shouldn't even be driving/attempting to merge, to yield to me. There is a time and place to act the way you are preaching and this wasn't the situation. Why do you think YOU are in the right here? You have fabricated your own version of events based on adjectives. OP was steamed, wanted to vent. They followed laws and took the next exit. Catching the bird isn't a huge deal. You act like this person was waving a gun and OP is driving some apocalyptic rig with a dude playing a flaming guitar tied to a bendy pole on their car.

Fun fact: my almost 18 year old niece has a permanent disability and her face will never be the same because of an accident caused by a situation VERY similar to this. Not this city and a much more dangerous stretch of road but an eerily similar scenario. The other driver was so adamant that it was my niece's fault because "everyone always lets me in and she is a young driver who doesn't know the rules." Guess who was 100% at fault? Not my niece. Guess who gets to live with the actual lifelong consequences? It's not the driver of the other car. No, they get to live life unscathed. My niece had a private driving instructor, she followed the law. She took driving a car seriously and drove defensively. This asshole has changed the trajectory of her life bc everyone just bent to their ignorance. Enabled them. But please..defend them and try to make OP the bad guy.

Not every situation is crazy road rage. You can use trigger words to create a narrative all you want but at the end of the day you are telling OP they should have slowed down in the main driving lane..which is HELLA unsafe. Why don't you write up an essay for my niece on how she was in the wrong? What kind of dramatic title would you give her?

Agree to disagree but I think you are wrong to attack OP. I also think you have a flair for making things into more than they actually are.

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GundleFly t1_j9awdpp wrote

Hey, I sincerely appreciate your reply.

While I can admit I definitely got carried away, the overall message is this: don’t intentionally escalate a situation with bad drivers. While you might think you are proving a point to them, the message is going to be lost because they don’t fundamentally understand that what they are doing is wrong, and then they get mad. It’s also not going to change their driving habits, as much as we’d like to believe that it does.

Also, sorry about your niece.

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Live-Associate-2911 t1_j9b71w8 wrote

First off, thanks for being cool. I am also being sincere. For the record I 100% agree with you in regards to how to react to bad drivers and also drive this way if I am able to safely. I just know the exact area OP is talking about and it's a huge problem over there. More importantly, I was taking feelings I have on a very personal issue out on you and that's not cool. So yes, it got a little dramatic but it also made me laugh because I spent way too much time imagining this scenario in a Mad Max type world. I'm still baffled with Fury Road - the warriors on bendy poles and the entire driving/fighting scene while some guy is strapped down ripping on an electric guitar...just boggles my mind.

All in all we agree to agree on the big issue. If we met in the real world we would most likely get along. I hope you have a good day!

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[deleted] t1_j9a04bz wrote

[deleted]

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Live-Associate-2911 t1_j9b9hzq wrote

I absolutely read that. It means that the person in the turning lane could have just gotten behind them instead of trying to force their way in. Hell, they could have just waited 10 seconds and pulled in safely behind them. What is your point? That OP should have stepped on the breaks to let that person in front of them? Why?

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the_honeyman t1_j97ha0n wrote

Sounds like they wouldn't even have had to step on the brakes, considering they accelerated in order to keep the other asshole out.

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the_honeyman t1_j97fwuu wrote

It would have literally cost you a few seconds to just let them in, instead you chose to escalate the situation and make it dangerous for the rest of the people on the road.

Real case of "you're not wrong, Walter" here.

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TrxpThxm t1_j9amf90 wrote

Not really. You’re not supposed to drive down the turning lane. Plain and simple.

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the_honeyman t1_j9b3nu4 wrote

I realize that.

You're also not supposed to take it on yourself to be the driving police.

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TrxpThxm t1_j9b5jzv wrote

How is one being the driving police if you're abiding by the traffic laws? It's not OP's responsibility to let someone merge lol.

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