h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

I live in my own little world, haven't you noticed? It's great, facts aren't necessary and I get jelly & ice cream every night

"I think you paint a completely inaccurate picture of the US."

I believe my assertion was -- and remains -- that it may not be conducive to one's health to go around casually making obscene gestures to random strangers in many parts of the US these days. If you choose to do so, be my guest, just not while I'm a passenger in your car, please!

I've never understood the obscene gesture thing ... just how does that help? Likewise here with so many Spaniards seeming to 'help out' during a traffic jam by leaning on their horns. Huh?

You need to drive in city traffic? That's your problem. Meanwhile, you should learn patience and courtesy and also learn to live with being late for appointments.

If you are purposely rude to other people you cannot then blame them for *reacting* to you in whatever way they consider rude.

az

It's not conducive to one's health to do almost anything. One should weigh the risks. You present something that is statistically insignificant (being shot on the road) as something that is likely to happen.

So, I could say "it may not be conducive to one's health ot go around casually eating spinach in many parts of the US these days. If you choose to do so, be my guest, just don't serve me spinach when you invite me over for dinner, please!"

C'mon. Not even the spinach from my own organic garden?

Not even my special garlicky spinach with toasted pine nuts???

az

<>

Oh, az I have to agree with you there. Much the same in neighbouring Portugal. I recently found out that the Portuguese are legally obliged to obey a set of driving rules largely based upon the UK highway code. That is:

"92: The horn. Use only while your vehicle is moving and you need to warn other road users of your presence. Never sound your horn aggressively. You MUST NOT use your horn

a)while stationary on the road
b)when driving in a built up area between the hours of 11.30 pm and 7.00 am"

But that seems irrelevant. It's so tolerated, that they have now started to put up signs around hospitals, convalescent homes, churches and the like to indicate that they would prefer you not to lay on the horn for any reason that takes your fancy.

I've argued for years that the horn is almost an entirely unnecessary device on any vehicle. I can only think of a couple of legitimate reasons where it can be usefully and correctly used and I think I may have done that 2 or 3 times in 18 years of driving.

The annoyance factor is immense, however. I've suggested in a number of debates that they should be removed from all passenger cars, but I've been accused of compromising safety. A little like the indicators, I wonder how many deaths have been avoided by their use. Not many, if any, I'd wager.

Actually, it helps Nog who is mostly deaf in one ear. A friendly toot on the horn often helps him from getting run over.

But this leaning on the horn biz when you are stuck in an obvious traffic jam ... like, how does that serve any purpose at all?

Then there is the tapping out of football songs on one's horn whilst driving around after a BIG WIN ... ALL NIGHT LONG.

az

I'm constantly encouraged by Mrs SWL to use the horn whenever I lapse into a torrent of foul abuse at some moron on the road. I rarely do however. If the offending nitwit has done something so bad as to merit the horn, I would rather focus my attention on taking avoiding action by keeping both hands on the wheel.

There are two technological innovations I would love to have though. The first is one of those led displays in the rear windscreen which can display a message, , the second would be a device similar to that used by US police to broadcast over another driver's stereo. I would love to interrupt their Val Doonican with "You ****** moron, you nearly caused a ******* accident because you're too ******* stupid to be on the ********** road! ***** !!! ****!!

"It's not conducive to one's health to do almost anything. One should weigh the risks. You present something that is statistically insignificant (being shot on the road) as something that is likely to happen."

You must live in an idyllic corner of our beloved country. Where I live, in a major urban area, there have been numerous instances of "road rage" leading to some form of calamity. Recently, two local motorists who had been engaging in a mutual urinating contest finally both pulled off onto the shoulder, apparently intent on a mano a mano confrontation. As soon as one driver jumped out of his car, the other driver ran over him and killed him. Statistically, if you're talking about the total number of cars on the road, yes, insignificant. But as a percentage of those who intentionally go out of their way to insult other drivers, perhaps not quite so insignificant. Why tempt fate to satisfy a childish impulse?

<>

Dear Deep Doo Doo: You must not live in a rural area. Horns are not unnecessary. Sometimes your horn is the only thing that will get the vulture, raven, cow, crow or deer to move out of the road in front of you.

Do you consider Boston and DC "idyllic corner[s] of our beloved country"?

As a percentage of those who "intentinally go out of their way to insult drivers"...

So you're saying that since there aren't that many people deliberately insulting people on the roads, it's dangerous. Sorry, I disagree. There are tons of people deliberately insulting each other on the roads every day...what idyllic corner of our great country do you live in that this doesn't happen?

Okay, Arnie, whatever you say. If making obscene gestures to other people on the road is your idea of a good idea, then I guess that's exactly what you should do. Whatever flips your biscuits. Enjoy!

It's also curious (or maybe not) that people wouldn't make rude gestures or scream obscenities at fellow pedestrians. Clearly being in the 'safety of one's vehicle' gives these people a false sense of security that allows them to behave in ways they would never dare to when face-to-face with another person.

I can understand the desire to let of steam in this manner as I often feel it when I'm walking in the street, trying to get somewhere, and my way is blocked by meandering pedestrians not looking where they are going or walking *very slowly* four abreast or who stop in a small group to hold a conversation in the middle of the sidewalk. Grrr. Manys the time I've wanted to scream at them to 'get the **** out of the way!' and sometimes have even felt moved to rudely shove them aside. But of course I don't.

And I don't think that people who routinely behave this way in their vehicles would do so without that false feeling of security. So it ends up being not only rude behaviour but also rather cowardly (imho). Again, as with leaning on one's horn when stuck in an obvious traffic jam, how does being rude or nasty actually *help* the situation?

az

<> (JCNSmith)

I'm trying to find where Arnie made such a suggestion and cannot.

az

Herewith is quoted Arnie's post 83:

"I gave the finger to the person the other day who leaned over to yell at me as he drove past, and he responded in kind. So then I repeated, he repeated. This went on for awhile, I found it quite amusing."

Perhaps this does not exactly say that he thinks it's a "good idea" per se, but initiating such behavior and finding it "amusing" certainly verges on that, imho.

In fairness, however, I believe he said he was on a bicycle at the time he did this, so he was not protected by a huge steel cage. He's obviously a far bolder, braver man than I, and I can only wish him well.

Thanks, JCNSmith, I must have missed that post of Arnie's. Though as you say, he was on a bicycle at the time so he might be forgiven an overreaction to something that possibly threatened his life.

I never use my bike as a means of transportation in Seville - to do so would be almost suicidal in my opinion. But even when I used to take my bike down to the supposed 'bicycle path' along the river for daily exercise, just getting there (a five minute ride) was often fraught with danger from drivers who failed to acknowledge my existence. Once I was actually knocked off my bike by some idiot tourist who stepped in front of me without looking and I fell in front of an oncoming taxi - thank goodness the driver knew how to brake suddenly.

Then on the bike path I often had to deal with meandering pedestrians walking four abreast or - worse! - those who let their dogs off the leash to run all over the place. I installed one of those 'cling-cling' bells on my bike to forewarn people I was coming up behind them so they could move over. But it didn't help with the dog problem.

Once I almost ran over a small dog who ran directly in front of me as I was whizzing along - almost flew over the handlebars trying to stop in time - and I got hurled a lot of verbal abuse from the dog owner telling me I was going too fast, etc. Duh? Could they not read all the sign postings saying that dogs needed to be kept on a lead? The mind reels.

az

I sympathize with what you describe. It's the same thing here. Just too many people jammed into a finite area. Given this fact, it becomes ever more important for everybody to practice patience and understanding, insofar as humanly possible. The golden rule can take us a long way toward a more civil world, if we could only remember to apply it consistently. Our society here tends more and more to take what I call a "me first" attitude. "Everybody get the hell out of my way! My needs are more important than your needs!" If everybody behaved that way, the outcome is not difficult to imagine and not pretty.

Hi

I guess I found it amusing that after yelling at me and honking (presumably b/c I was slowing him down?) this driver took the time to return my obscene gesture - as opposed to driving off. To compound it, what was really amusing was that by repeating my obscene gesture, I was able to slow him down even further, b/c he felt the need to keep responding.

Az, your bike accident is exactly how people have died in Boston - instead of taxi, the bicicylist fell down in front of a bus though...
When I'm riding next to parked cars, I spend more time checking those cars than anything else, looking for someone opening their door suddenly or walking out from behind a track/van.

Lastly, I use a spatula to flip my biscuits.

<> (Arnie)

I was once walking to work in Toronto and saw this happen. A cyclist was riding on the inside next to the curb and a parked car opened its doors - the woman went flying over her bike and broke her jaw. Me and a couple other passers-by brought her into a restaurant and called for an ambulance. Okay, I've since been told that cyclists shouldn't ride between parked cars and the curb, but there is often no better place for them in a very busy city such as Toronto. And I've also seen drivers open their doors on the driver's side without checking for oncoming whatever.

Once I was cycling in Winnipeg and the car in front of me failed to indicate it was turning right and I ended up getting dragged along when they abruptly turned right in front of me ... it's just sheer luck I didn't sustain any serious injury. I have to say that the driver of the car in this instance stopped immediately and was very apologetic and gave me his name, etc, in case there might be any claim I would charge him for. But luckily I was just very shaken up.

az