why do people get mad and/or speed up when you pass them on the road?

[purbeast0]

ive seen this a lot recently but have ALWAYS noticed this, but why the hell do people tend to get offended and speed up when you go to pass them? i see this almost daily where someone in the left lane is going slower than i want to go, and after a while riding behind them, i go to pass them. 9/10 times, as soon as i start to speed past this person, they get all aggressive and then all of a sudden decide they want to speed up and not let you pass them. since my car has some speed to it, i usually end up passing them though, and once past them, i notice they are now going faster than they were before, and are usually right behind me now.

since i see this so often, i KNOW there has to be someone on these boards who does this and i just want to know why the hell you do it. or why do people think other people do this? i really don't have an idea other than they feel 'defeated' so they want to try and speed up to not feel that way. i also just chalk it up to them being idiot/bad drivers in general, since they are in the left lane with people riding right behind them when that means they should be moving over.

 

[lxskllr]

Because they're ass faces, and can't bear to have someone else "get something over" on them. They're flawed humans, with malfunctioning brains.

 

[rudeguy]

so you are passing on the right? That's not cool.


The last time I asked this question the answer was that some people don't like to drive behind other cars. I don't get it..but ok.

 

[purbeast0]

so you are passing on the right? That's not cool.


The last time I asked this question the answer was that some people don't like to drive behind other cars. I don't get it..but ok.

yes, if someone is going slow in the left lane, i'm not going to waste my time going slow behind them, i'm going to pass on the right when there is room to do so.

and i'm talking about 4 or 3 lane highways here for the most part since that is where 90% of my commute takes place.

 

[rudeguy]

yes, if someone is going slow in the left lane, i'm not going to waste my time going slow behind them, i'm going to pass on the right when there is room to do so.

and i'm talking about 4 or 3 lane highways here for the most part since that is where 90% of my commute takes place.

ooooh gotcha. Was thinking a regular 2 lane road.

Rule #2 in life: People are assholes.

 

[EPCrew]

subconsciously feel alpha.

another reason that they might catch up behind you is that people generally like to pace with others.

 

[z1ggy]

The ppl you pass must be douches then.

 

[purbeast0]

subconsciously feel alpha.

another reason that they might catch up behind you is that people generally like to pace with others.

well for the most part these people are going slower than the flow of traffic in the left lane, which is why i go to pass them.

 

[dethman]

ego.

 

[Zee]

it's human nature to compete. that's why you're useless at your job until they hire a younger better and maybe even prettier version of you

 

[JimKiler]

so you are passing on the right? That's not cool.


The last time I asked this question the answer was that some people don't like to drive behind other cars. I don't get it..but ok.

I do not like to drive behind others because they usually are going slower than I want to go but obviously i will not go faster than my preference of 10 over the limit so i will let people pass me.

To answer the OP up here in Minnesota most people do not notice how fast they go and then you passing them makes them realize they are going too slow.

I don't know how many times i see a car in the left lane match the speed of the right lane car even if the right lane car is doing the speed limit or slowing down to turn off the road. I experience this each week outside my work, i have to get in the left lane which is busy and i have a short distance to get in the left lane so I can turn left. I will get in the right lane and drive so so they pass and i can switch lanes. over 50% of the time people will slow down to my speed even though i am doing less than the speed limit of 30.

 

[Newbian]

They are getting into your slipstream to save gas.

That and people are assholes as has been said.

 

[PliotronX]

Love it. Two guys nearly matching speed going 48 in a 50 all the way to work. As soon as there was a safe enough gap, I sped up and got into the right lane and was doing 75 for a time but then all of a sudden the guy in the right lane I passed tailgated me all the way to work even slowing down with me to 55. What blows my mind is why he couldn't have sped up in the first place. God people have fragile egos. People tend to cut me off driving a white car more than I ever experienced on my motorcycle. They just let it happen when I'm on my bike because they know they cannot outrun me (although tiny penised guys in pickup trucks try to outdo me from a stop LOL).

 

[lxskllr]

I do not like to drive behind others because they usually are going slower than I want to go but obviously i will not go faster than my preference of 10 over the limit so i will let people pass me.

What's infuriating is people who can't maintain speed. I'll be behind someone going 70mph, and be cool with that. Then they slow down to 60, back to 70, 65, 60, 70... Enough of this shit, I'm passing, 80mph! #$@!

 

[AdamK47]

Being in the confines of a vehicle not only protects the occupants from natural elements, it also provides a nice cozy barrier from human empathy.

 

[PliotronX]

Being in the confines of a vehicle not only protects the occupants from natural elements, it also provides a nice cozy barrier from human empathy.

It's really odd how they assume we're in bumper cars or something. They totally cowtow to me when I'm on my Suzuki but they're like a different kind of idiot when I'm driving a car.

 

[JimKiler]

What's infuriating is people who can't maintain speed. I'll be behind someone going 70mph, and be cool with that. Then they slow down to 60, back to 70, 65, 60, 70... Enough of this shit, I'm passing, 80mph! #$@!

I concur. Also people who are in the slow lane because they are slow but becuase it is rush hour feel they have the right to get in the left lane and then leave a big enough gap that a bunch of cars can get in the left lane and slow down everyone else in the left lane.

 

[PliotronX]

I concur. Also people who are in the slow lane because they are slow but becuase it is rush hour feel they have the right to get in the left lane and then leave a big enough gap that a bunch of cars can get in the left lane and slow down everyone else in the left lane.

This is how we get those two mile backups of cars. All it takes is one nitwit.

 

[BikeJunkie]

Because people turn into hypersensitive animals when they get behind the wheel. I couldn't possibly tell you why.

This past weekend I was in a CVS parking lot and headed in a straight line toward the driveway exit onto a main road. Some 300# fatass comes from my left (a separate route in the same parking lot) and turns to his left toward the same drive way. So we basically look like this:

/|

He's the dash, I'm the bar. We both hit the brakes, but this SOB leans on the horn, waves his hands all about, and starts screaming. 10 years ago I would have reacted, but I was in a pretty relaxed "whatevs" kind of mood. I clearly had the right of way and just continued to the exit of the parking lot. He pulled in behind me. There was a load of traffic coming from our left and there was a small window to pull out into the street. I figured "great, I'll turn right and not leave Fatty McFuckface any chance to get in behind me."

Nope, the idiot floored it into traffic even though I had already cut it pretty close myself. He rides my ass for the next mile. My reaction to that is just to let off the gas until my car comes to a stop. I don't take to being intimidated very well no matter what kind of mood I'm in, but at the same time I don't want to do anything that could get me into trouble legally. So I coast for about a quarter mile until we both stop out in the middle of the road. Then I put my hazards on, making it clear I'm not going anywhere.

While I debated what my next move was, he backed up (!), pulled around me and took off down the road.

Some people are just fucking animals whose egos are shattered by even the slightest misgivings, perceived or otherwise. Here was a case where he was clearly, unequivocally WRONG, and still made it his mission to put things right in his own head.

Unbelievable.

 

[BikeJunkie]

Being in the confines of a vehicle not only protects the occupants from natural elements, it also provides a nice cozy barrier from human empathy.

It's the "football" mentality. As equipment gets better at protection, players are more willing to throw themselves around the field and take dumber risks.

Well, put people in a 2500# cage and you get the same thing. On top of that, so many people are living their lives in a repressed rage fueled by depression and bottled-up childhood angst. The road becomes their tipping point thanks to perceived opportunity + protection.

I firmly believe there is a direct linear correlation between someone's propensity to rage out on the road and how pathetic/worthless/meaningless their life is.

 

[nickbits]

They didn't realize they slowed down and are resuming their normal speed.

 

[mmntech]

There's a road in the county that I take to work everyday. The speed limit is not well posted but there are signs up. It's 80km/h both ways. Even if there were no signs at all, country roads are by law 80 unless otherwise posted. Says so right in the driver's handbook.

A lot of folks moving out here are from the city, and never had to drive on these back roads. Compounded with the fact that they're on their phone or tending to their devil spawn in the back seat. Almost every frigging day I get stuck behind one of these assholes doing 50 or 60km/h up this road. You go to pass them they speed up, honk at you, flip you the bird. Even though they're the ones doing something wrong. It's also usually an SUV.

It would be something if it was the same one or two people doing this. Then you could just report it to them cops for distracted driving and call it a day. But it's not. I've never encountered the same car twice driving like this. Which tells me a lot of drivers out there are in a daze and not paying attention to the signs. That's scary.

 

[ElFenix]

most people are jackasses in the anonymity created by cars. just like most people are jackasses on the internets.

 

[onza]

I concur. Also people who are in the slow lane because they are slow but becuase it is rush hour feel they have the right to get in the left lane and then leave a big enough gap that a bunch of cars can get in the left lane and slow down everyone else in the left lane.

I'm from MN as well. I feel your pain brotha!

Some of the worst drivers... and it's usually demographic specific.

 

[purbeast0]

i find it hard to believe that as many people as i see doing this, and as many people as are active on these forums, that we don't have someone here who does this regularly.

come on ... speak up! i wanna hear your reasoning!