Is There a Passive-Aggressive Driving Epidemic in Connecticut?
My concern about the way people drive in Connecticut has grown recently. It has shifted from "Oh, that is annoying" to "I think I should move to Neptune." Drivers seem to fall into two categories: those who drive aggressively with no regard for human life and those who act like Dwight Schrute. There certainly seem to be many "Volunteer Sheriff's Deputies" roaming Connecticut roadways, blocking the fast lane while going a leisurely 44 mph.
Some days, I wonder if I am crazy or imagining that it's really bad out there. Then I go on Reddit. Within minutes, I find a brand-new thread that confirms this is really happening. I came across one of these threads the other day on the Connecticut Reddit page from a user called "LobsterPhuckPunch" (RESPECT) who wrote:
Passive-Aggressive Drivers
"I know this sub enjoys discussing the typical reckless driver who endangers us all with their total disregard for public safety. I think it’s important to talk about the other kind of a-holes.
I’m referring to drivers who purposefully drive exactly 5 mph under the speed limit, brake-check other cars even when there are adequate car lengths between them, and deliberately block lanes.
I make it a point to drive as responsibly as possible, follow traffic laws, and move with the flow of traffic. I am not suggesting that passive-aggressive drivers are as dangerous as reckless drivers. However, there is certainly a level of danger involved with someone who drives as if to say, “You can try to rush as much as you like, but I’m going to stop you.” These are definitely the kinds of people who will be the first to record an aggressive driver's response to their instigation.
Am I the only one who sees this s--? Help me out here."
Well, Lobster Phuck Punch was not the only one who sees this s---; there were tons of responses, and these are some of my favorites:
PolkaDotMe: "Lots of people want to pick apart your words, but I’ve been saying this exact thing for a while. It’s like people can’t just drive normally."
thehopefulsquid: "If it's dark and I'm driving on a deer-infested backroad, you better believe I'm driving 5 mph under."
LobsterPhuckPunch: "Me too, safety first. I’m talking about the blatant drivers who are clearly trying to instigate or make a statement when driving during clear road conditions."
GoofyGooberSundae: "I call them 'righteous drivers' because it seems they want to teach others a lesson or something? Yeah, they drive me nuts too. It's annoying that it’s mostly this type of driver or a much more aggressive one, with very few neutral drivers in between."
wileyakin: "Always assume ignorance before malice. The s-- you’re describing, I think, would just fall under the broad umbrella of being a poor driver. The thing about aggressive drivers is that they might be reckless and put people in danger, but the vast majority of them are technically proficient motorists; they are skilled at handling their vehicle. It’s just their lack of concern for others' safety that makes them such a problem. Meanwhile, the people doing the s--- you described are mostly just uncomfortable, inexperienced, and frankly one of the main catalysts for aggressive drivers to act up the way they do. I mean, this is where I’m probably going to lose a lot of people in this sub, but think about it: if the left lane really was just the fast lane, the middle lane was the traveling lane, and the rightmost lane the extra slow one, and everybody fell into their respective positions, would there really be any need for aggressive drivers to weave in and out and do all that crazy s---? Sure, you’re always going to get some dumbass who feels the need to go north of 100 miles an hour, but what I’m saying is it’s the drivers with four cars bumper-to-bumper behind them, who don’t know what they are doing, that cause this frustration. I’ve learned to just sit in the middle lane and let it all pass by me, but I’d be lying if I said there weren't still times when someone in front of me has me banging my head on the wheel due to their poor driving—again, I don’t mean aggressively."
TOMATO_ON_URANUS: "It's always been about our left exits. We have something ridiculous like 5 to 10 times more per mile of interstate than any other state. The worse you are at driving, the sooner you get into the left lane so you don't miss your exit. Almost everything can be explained as a corollary to that, as you have elaborated so well in your comment. And most of the remainder is large trucks killing traffic momentum on our many sharp turns in and around Hartford, Waterbury, etc. It's honestly astounding how many bad decisions were made in the course of building our highways, especially I-84."
StateMerge: "I just run them out of the lane. Simple."
Mental_Grapefruit726: "This must be the guy who rode my ass for 5 miles because apparently I should just merge into a crowded travel lane at 80 mph, instead of continuing to drive at 80 mph until the travel lane has room to merge."
shoe-veneer: "Are you trying to defend hogging the passing lane when people wanted to pass you?"
Aggressive drivers are bad, but I think these passive-aggressive drivers 100% create aggressive drivers. If you're not comfortable going the speed limit, above it, or staying with the flow of traffic, move out of the left lane. It really is that simple. I disagree with "wileyakin" on this. Sure, there are ignorant people everywhere, but there is a lot of self-righteous, amateur road monitoring going on out there, and it’s not hard to identify.
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