Commuting

Driving skill does not seem a high priority amongst those I see on the road each day. The roads seem lawless. Drivers seem to be very pissed off people, pissed off that they are driving, and they take incredible risks, and yet when I see those same people in the office or about town, they seem like entirely happy and sane.

Questions for General Chat:

What happens to people when they are in cars? Is the person they become their true self, or is the person outside of the car the real one? Do we become something else when we are driving, a collective mind, caught up in the last bastion of "competition" available to working stiffs?

My current theory is that most people nowadays have very little power or control over their own lives. The government can do whatever they want to them with little recourse. Their jobs can be eliminated without regard to their performance. They can't do anything about the 'punk kids blasting their stereos' without worrying about waking up to slashed tires. Basically, they are the low man on the totem pole in so many areas.

But, once they get in their car (where they are somewhat anonymous and protected), they have their chance to screw over someone else. Now they can feel just a little bit better about their own position, since they know there is someone out there who had to take their abuse.

I don't think people become a "true" self or vent their repressions when they drive. If a stranger cuts you off or bumps into you on the sidewalk, it probably won't piss you off.

Cars are very expensive, powerful, and dangerous. The stakes are very high when you're on the highway; if you get in a wreck, you could lose your mode of transportation, your finances, your job, or your life, so here's a lot of pressure involved. I'm guessing that most people don't give this a conscious thought when the're driving. They're primarily concerned with getting from point A to point B as quickly as possible. With the risks not in view, the crazy behavior probably just gets magnified.

That said, I doubt that asshole selfish drivers are suddenly selfless and pleasant as soon as they get out of the car.

Plus the suburban sprawl has created unmitigated havoc on most Metro highways. The traffic I've witnessed around the country is out of control, and this leads to a lot of angry commuters.

I haven't noticed a problem. Here is a picture I took from my car of two of my fellow commuters this morning. As you can see, both are smiling.

Road rage is common in this country. Added to this is the fact that many people are very poor drivers to begin with. They often are "zoned out" while commuting and are reactive rather than proactive.

Some people become very aggressive when driving, others become impediments to efficient flow of traffic. When a nit wit blocks traffic while sitting in the left lane oblivious to the world around them, often, others will get impatient and become aggressive and do something stupid and unsafe.

Human nature. No one said it would be real nice, only real. Put too many rats into a confined place and bad things start to happen.

I hate driving and I hate traffic. The #1 criteria that I have for chosing where I'll live is an easy commute.

Thanks, folks. I thought it was just my town.

Safe travels.

Originally Posted by JBZ

Click to expand...

I haven't noticed a problem. Here is a picture I took from my car of two of my fellow commuters this morning. As you can see, both are smiling.

I believe that fellow riding b**** is technically known as a catamite.

I certainly see many things that make me scratch my head in wonderment. For instance, someone runs a stop sign or cuts you off so hard you have to hit the brakes to avoid an accident. You honk the horn. They give you the finger like somehow, you are the one in the wrong for noticing they almost killed you. This is what leads to me getting upset, as when a 17 year old peroxide Paris-wannabe in the little Scion her daddy bought her runs a stop sign, while on the cell phone, and gives me the finger, it takes some will power not to run her off the road and yank that finger out by the roots....no, I cannot see where road rage comes from....

But seriously, yes, people seem to get hyper-aggressive and suddenly fail to understand actions create consequences, possibly lethal ones. I was just up in Toronto and forgot how much I like that system, with the Go-Train, the trolley, and the subway. Of course, stupid fiscal management over the last decade has run that sytem into the ground infra-structure and equipment wise, but it's a great system IMO. I would happily use the Kiss and Go if I lived there.

Originally Posted by johnapril

Click to expand...

Driving skill does not seem a high priority amongst those I see on the road each day. The roads seem lawless. Drivers seem to be very pissed off people, pissed off that they are driving, and they take incredible risks, and yet when I see those same people in the office or about town, they seem like entirely happy and sane.

Questions for General Chat:

What happens to people when they are in cars? Is the person they become their true self, or is the person outside of the car the real one? Do we become something else when we are driving, a collective mind, caught up in the last bastion of "competition" available to working stiffs?

I have felt my life in danger at times while driving on southern california freeways.

Driving a car is one of the most stressful activities a person engages in. Road rage is a real physiological phenomenon. Blood pressure goes up, heart rate goes up. A person responds to the stress of driving with the same fight-or-flight response as when his life is in danger. This kind of chronic stress is very harmful over the long term, one reason I try to minimize my commute time and hope maybe one day not have to commute at all.

But, some people are just assholes, and that compounds the problem.

Originally Posted by GQgeek

Click to expand...

I hate driving and I hate traffic.

I think this is exactly why people drive the way they do. Who doesn't get pissed when they're sitting in traffic after being at a job for 8-9 hours they dont really like? When they get in the car to go home, all they want to do is GET THE HELL HOME! Who cares if they cut off one or two people to do it. Everyone is in a rush these days and the only place where it effects everyone else is when they are driving on the road with other people who are also in a rush. my $.02

The level of self-absorption exhibited by most drivers on the road today is alarming. It truly seems they believe they are the only motorists using the highway. Hogging lanes, running red lights, somehow failing to notice the light has turned green... it all tires me. I work hard to try to maintain a level of decorum. But these bastards make it very hard sometimes.

Originally Posted by LanAltec

Click to expand...

I think this is exactly why people drive the way they do. Who doesn't get pissed when they're sitting in traffic after being at a job for 8-9 hours they dont really like? When they get in the car to go home, all they want to do is GET THE HELL HOME! Who cares if they cut off one or two people to do it. Everyone is in a rush these days and the only place where it effects everyone else is when they are driving on the road with other people who are also in a rush. my $.02

You're exactly right imo. Of course, I take the subway. Sometimes it's annoying, but more often than not it's a lot less irritating than driving would be.

I miss driving back and forth from work. It was an automatic 10-15 minute unwind period, especially when I would hit the last downshift just right with just a hint of drift coming off the curved exit ramp from the freeway.