devRant - A fun community for developers to connect over code, tech & life as a programmer

I have a 30 minute drive each way to work. This is an opportunity to relax and listen to my wife. Sometimes she isn't available and I just drive quiet. No radio. This helps me be more aware I think.

These drives have allowed me to notice how drivers seems to be getting worse. My biggest peeve being the tailgaters. It just makes zero sense to do this. My theory is there is a lack of knowledge about physical consequences to mechanical interactions. They don't have the frame of reference to understand the danger they put themselves or others into. Or they don't care. I dunno which. Probably some kind of combination.

Why am I thinking about this today? Because I have identified a new class of dumb driver today. Motorcyclists that tailgate. I had this guy get behind me and was getting a little too close. Then the guy decides to get closer. Plenty of room to pass me for miles. I think he is taking the next exit. I am going about 2 or 3 over speed limit on cruise. So he gets between 1 to 3 motorcycle lengths behind my car.

Normally I would be peeved and lower my cruise speed with the decel button. But one of my biggest fears is hitting a bike. So I have no desire to change my speed at all. The guy already seems a bit daft. I also am a bit comforted that it is a bike tailgating me and not a car or truck. Why? Because at worst this bike would leave a "conversation dent" on the back of my car. Some story to tell people. Not a big threat to my safety.

We go past the exit and he is still behind me. Backs off a bit and isn't tailing so close. But he keeps getting close off and on. I get to my exit and he goes past continuing on his way. Thank you for not going the same way I was going today, stupid dumb fuck.

Motorcyclists like to complain we don't see them. We do, and a lot of them drive like shit. Doing unexpected things like this. We see you bro.

Then I see this video today:
https://reddit.com/r/WTF/...

You can judge the driver all you want. I can see both sides of this altercation claiming to be in the right. However, the motorcyclist did one thing that is stupid. He chose to pick a fight he couldn't win. This is survival 101. If you are outclassed don't be an aggressor. What is interesting about this is the driver of the van may have thought the cyclist was reaching for a weapon and acted accordingly. It was already a bad situation. Even if the cyclist was completely in the right he chose to make the situation worse, much worse.

The driver of the van was arrested. It will be interesting to see what happens in this case. The comments in the thread are really interesting. The bikers in the group saying the cyclist was being stupid. Bringing a bike to a van fight. My initial reaction was against the van. Having watched the video a few times I see how the van driver could see the biker as a threat.

The bottom line: neither of these drivers were in their right mind while driving. They should have chosen to deescalate the situation and not make it worse.

This kind of stuff reminds me I need to not get all pissed off when driving. I don't want random people thrust into my life. People are nuts and they just gotta be right. They will go to their grave insisting they had the right of way.