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

[BudAshes]

This is very annoying. Though I do get even more annoyed by the people who get in the right lane to pass you because you leave a safe distance between yourself and the car in front of you. If they do that I speed up just enough so they can't get in and give them the finger.

 

[Schfifty Five]

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.

I think sometimes when this happens, it's not b/c the driver was angry that you passed him, but that he/she now notices how slow they were going. Sometimes those drivers are just cruising along and don't realize that they are going slower but then they see in their mirror a car moving and then hearing/seeing that car drive past them sort of wakes them up and see that they were going to slow.

 

[gorb]

happens all the time here in DFW. people are stupid.

 

[Exterous]

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.

Same here. Every day I pass people on the left during my commute because they won't get over. I used to wait for them to get over but 80% of them never will. I've seen too many cars sitting in the right lane of a 3 lane highway for absolutely no reason to think that it will change. Now I just pass them on the right and they speed up still remain in the fast lane for no reason

Any cops want to sit on my commute route and ticket people for sitting in the fast lane? I'll buy you doughnuts for a year!

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! #$@!

Especially when they do it when they are almost done passing the car they have been passing for the last 2 miles.

'Just a little farther...almost...almost...I can almost get through and too that tantalizingly and gloriously open stretch of highway you assholes have created. So...close....almost..... Wait - what are you doing? Why are you slowing down. No no no no NOOOO! AAAAHHHHHHHH!!!!!! I Hate you you (censored) (censored) (censored)!!! You're a (censored) (censored) and you should (censored) till you (censored). (censored) (censored) (censored)!!!!'

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!

I do it in two situations:
1. The line of cars I am in is passing an upcoming line of cars in the other lane and I am not riding the bumper of the car in front of me. Someone starts passing (usually on the left) so they can squeeze in the small space between the car in front of me and my car. I will speed up to keep someone from doing that.

2. Someone wants to play road games with me

 

[Anubis]

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.

if someone is going slower than I am in the left lane and can move over i give them 10 seconds to do so before passing them on the right

 

[Sonikku]

I remember being on the highway where the speed was 65 and this car ahead of me was going like 45. Rather than ride his bumper, I passed. But soon after that he sped up like crazy to get ahead of me again. I passed two more times and he got ahead of me two times. It's like... dude. If you want to drive 20 mph below the speed limit, fine. But don't force ME to. I would be perfectly fine with him being in front of me if he just went the speed limit, but he wasn't. It drives me crazy.

 

[soulcougher73]

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 pass in any Lane open to me. Fuck stupid rules. If jackass won't move I have no time to wait for them to get a brain.

 

[BikeJunkie]

There is a host of reasons for not passing on the right, none of which I'd classify as "stupid." I'm not saying I don't ever do it, but I do it with extreme caution and only when absolutely necessary (which is rare). Impatience doesn't count 😉

 

[poofyhairguy]

There is a host of reasons for not passing on the right, none of which I'd classify as "stupid."

In Texas passing on the right is a way of life.

 

[vshah]

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!

real life trolling

 

[Schfifty Five]

There is nothing wrong with passing on the right if you are in the left most lane. I mean how else are you supposed to pass someone in front of you that is going slow if the only lane open is on your right?

 

[acheron]

If a bunch of people are passing someone on the right, then the guy being passed is probably an asshole. If one guy passes someone on the right, then the passer is the asshole.

 

[ElFenix]

If a bunch of people are passing someone on the right, then the guy being passed is probably an asshole. If one guy passes someone on the right, then the passer is the asshole.

in addition, if there is an open lane to the left, moving right to pass on the right is a ginormous dick move.

 

[rudeguy]

ok let me add my road rage things:

1. People who don't stop at the end of driveways. Are you playing chicken?
2. Serial lane changers. This isn't NASCAR.
3. Tailgaters. You *will* find out what shape your brakes are in.

 

[rh71]

People who get pissed on the road don't realize that the majority of the time - the second someone passes you, the problem no longer exists. Just let them be. Damn egos.

Also who cares why people pass on the right?

 

[slightlyhuman]

had this happen to me driving home from dallas this weekend.

this idiot ass bmw was in left lane by himself. no other cars around within a few hundred yards. i slowly creep up behind him going 75mph posted limit. he doesn't move over. i stay behind him for 10-15 secs waiting for him to change lanes. he doesn't so i pass him in the right lane then switch back to the left over passing him. he starts flashing his lights at me.

fucking idiot.

 

[Puppies04]

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.

This X a million.

 

[nageov3t]

mostly assholes.

I'll admit to doing it on occasion, but usually for only 2 reasons:

-you reminded me that I let my speed drop, so I'll hit the gas to resume proper speed

-I'm leaving open road space between me and the next car on purpose, not so you can wedge your car into a space most people wouldn't parallel park between just to go 1 mph faster (meanwhile, I'll have to slam on my brakes because someone just cut me off and further backup traffic behind me)

 

[RPD]

I notice this as well, but another question I have is on a 2 lane highway (1 lane each way, not divided, 55mph speed limit typically) when a passing lane opens up, people and long haul truckers especially speed UP in the right lane. So if they were doing the speed limit, they'll step on the gas and get up to 70ish in the passing lane, but in the right lane. I don't get it, people can still pass, but now fewer can and when the passing lane closes they slow back down to 55.

 

[RagingBITCH]

mostly assholes.

I'll admit to doing it on occasion, but usually for only 2 reasons:

-you reminded me that I let my speed drop, so I'll hit the gas to resume proper speed

-I'm leaving open road space between me and the next car on purpose, not so you can wedge your car into a space most people wouldn't parallel park between just to go 1 mph faster (meanwhile, I'll have to slam on my brakes because someone just cut me off and further backup traffic behind me)

^^ this. I did this on the way to lunch today, because I hadn't realized I was going 35 in a 45.

 

[xanis]

mostly assholes.

I'll admit to doing it on occasion, but usually for only 2 reasons:

-you reminded me that I let my speed drop, so I'll hit the gas to resume proper speed

-I'm leaving open road space between me and the next car on purpose, not so you can wedge your car into a space most people wouldn't parallel park between just to go 1 mph faster (meanwhile, I'll have to slam on my brakes because someone just cut me off and further backup traffic behind me)

This pretty much sums it up for me as well. #2 is one of my biggest annoyances, though, and I'm convinced that it's fully half the cause of average traffic jams.

 

[xanis]

To add the road rage list: People that don't use their headlights properly. I swear, since DST a few weeks ago, people have completely forgotten how headlights work. Every single day on my way home I see numerous drivers that either don't have headlights on at all, or they're blasting their highbeams. They're completely oblivious to it too, because I've been in front of more than one driver (for 30+ minutes in some cases) that doesn't seem to realize that their headlights are off and that it's night time.

 

[Scarpozzi]

Interstate driving:
So if I'm doing 10-15 over the speed limit and actively passing cars.....I've actually had people weave from behind me to the right lane to try to pass me before I pass the next car.

If I were going 5-15 under the speed limit.

I'm all about making good time, but I certainly don't take my responsiblity as a driver lightly. I want to make it to my destination in one piece...I'm not so sure those drivers think that far ahead. Typically when I see a few of these crazy drivers, I slow down my driving and get over in the right lane (after they've passed). It's not uncommon to see more idiots follow their lead these days.

 

[blankslate]

eh, maybe they think that if the cop stops someone they'll stop you since you're the leading car. who knows?

 

[BlitzPuppet]

Could be because they didn't realize they were going so slow and noticed that since you are going fast they should speed up too.

Or that they are simply assholes.