TMF

Well then go back and read my last post and try to understand my rationale. It makes sense. Sometimes I've had to slam on my brakes to react to something on the road. I would not like to do that at 80 mph with someone on my ass, as it will most certainly result in a potentially fatal wreck. Slowing down is the only logical step to mitigate risk. I'm sorry you don't follow that logic, but it's there. That isn't road rage. That is reacting to a hazard. If that makes him mad, all the better. I enjoy a good laugh as much as the next guy. Road rage would be brake checking the other driver at 80 mph. I still don't understand how this got to be about the interstate anyhow, since I'm rarely on the interstate and if I am I'm usually out of the way of faster drivers before they have a chance to tailgate me. Most of my tailgaters are in and around the city.

  Well thank you for acknowledging your exaggeration.  I also acknowledge that questioning your ability to carry; it was a childish response to what I interpreted to be an insult.   With that said, you post still seems to suggest two things:   1. I am somehow accountable for the actions of others  2. It is illegal to slow down in response to a tailgater, yet not illegal to ride someones bumper at an unsafe distance.   Perhaps an LEO can clear up number 2 here.  I don't believe you are correct.    Unlike most drivers on the road, the majority of which suffer from rectal cranial inversion, I have SOPs for how I drive.  For example, I travel at approximately 6 miles an hours over the posted speed limit, as I see this as a nice median speed to efficiently move the flow of traffic without opening myself up to a ticket.  When passing on the interstate I will punch it up to about 80 when I'm passing in order to quicken the act.  Sometimes during that I will have someone get on my tail at an incredibly unsafe distance.  I do not believe that speeding up or continuing at 80 mph are acceptable options.  I don't know if you've ever seen someone rear ended at 80 mph, but it is catastrophic.  In all my years driving I've had to react to road hazards by slamming on my brakes on more occassions than I can count, for reasons such as the driver in front of me suddenly braking, or a dangerous obstruction in the road or someone swerving into my lane.  I do not think it is acceptable to take the risk at 80 mph that the person behind me is putting me at, so I slow down to mitigate the risk.  Whether or not I speed back up is dependant on the driver giving me enough space to drive safely.  Sometimes this makes the guy behind me incredibly mad.  I find it amusing and ironic, since if he simply wasn't being an ass he'd get exactly what he wants.  You have categorized this behavior of mine as "road rage".  I don't think you know what that term means.  The very name suggests some sort of rage.  If I'm not raging but the other guy is, I don't see how I'm being violent.  The other person is making the choice to lose his mind.    Also, the scenario you posed regarding a person trying to get to the hospital.  I've had two instances where I believe a person was on the way to an emergency since they were traveling at a high rate of speed and had their hazards on.  I moved over for these people.  I don't believe that the hundreds of tailgaters I have encountered over the years were on the way to an emergency.  I would say they were just being aholes.  That is usually confirmed by them punching their steering wheel and giving me the finger... once again, amusing and ironic since they can get exactly what they want if they weren't throwing a tantrum.  Funny how my three year old already knows better than most adults.    I don't see you changing my mind on this.  Unless you can show to me that slowing down in response to a tailgater is more illegal than the tailgater himself, I will do what I do.  If I get pulled over for doing it I am more than capable to explain the situation to the officer.  I'm sorry that seems to piss in your cheerios for some reason, but I can't help but feel there is a reason for it.

"righteous indignation"? You really don't understand the point some of us are making. I'm an incredibly courteous driver. When on the interstate I wait for faster vehicles to clear the passing lane before I get over to pass. When somebody driving faster gets behind me I move over the first chance I get. However, if I'm actively passing and someone gets right on my bumper at 80mph I am going to react to that by slowing down, not speeding up. I don't fancy being rear ended at 80 mph, so I will slow down to a more manageble speed. The side effect of that being pissing off the unsafe driver is a bonus. I don't see how carrying a firearm has anything to do with that. If, in your world, slowing down to counter the unsafe act of riding my bumper is an act of provokation worthy of a violent response, then perhaps you are the one who shouldn't be carrying a weapon. Once again, you keep bringing up the interstate here as if those are the only roads in Tennessee. I rarely go on the interstate. Most these tailgaters I deal with are white trash within my city on these two lane country roads, where there is no shoulder to pull over on nor ability to pass. Furthermore, I WILL NOT pull over in response to an aggressive driver since that could be interpreted as an invitation for a roadside fight. The last instance of an individual tailgating me was on a small country road near my house. The posted speed limit is 30mph and I was going between 35-40mph. Cops are known to stake out the bottom of the hill for speeders. This individual was probably doing 50mph when he came inches off my bumper. I slowed down to 20 mph in response. I don't see how speeding up and breaking the law would be an acceptable solution, nor did I feel comfortable continuing at 30-40 mph with a dangerous vehicle on my rear with my kids in the car. If that is somehow a problem for people like you I assume you fit into the category of impatient and dangerous drivers which is why you have the ass about folks like me.

That's pretty abstract. I've said and will say again, I can not, nor will I attempt to control the irrational and illegal behavior of others. The same could be said about all kinds of things. Crazy people get laid off all the time, then end up going on a shooting spree in their former work place. Should that really be on the conscience of the person who canned them? I don't believe so. Another example is my batsh** crazy neighbor who I pressed charges against. He then blamed me for losing his job and costing him so much money in lawyer fees that he could no longer support his kids' college education and would have a hard time providing for his family. Is it my fault his family starves? No. He shouldn't have acted like a lunatic and committed a violent, unprovoked act. This man and his family still blames me. I don't care. If they end up on the street it is not my fault and I won't give one sh**. On the road if someone wants to drive like an ass I will respond by slowing down. If that is the thing that drives them over the edge it is pretty abstract for me to assume any blame for that. People are accountable and responsible for their own actions. There is no justification for doing something illegal and dangerous just because someone pissed you off. I will not live my life concerned about pissing off crazy and irrational people. I'm am in no way accountable for their behavior.

Your new avatar is the best thing to happen to me this morning.

I can empathize completely. I hit tracer burnout on my tolerance which is why I'm sporting a civi tab. Sometimes I try to remember what it's like, but then I get worked up. I've forgotten more dumb chit from my time and repressed even more. When I hear an AD guy go on a tirade it takes me back to a time where my blood pressure was uncontrollable.

Plus the title of the thread.... it was the final slide centerpiece of nearly every PowerPoint presentation I've done for real world and training missions when I was in the army, in honor GWB.

Haha, *enter rant.

I am envious sir.

The only thing you've pointed out is that people can break the law if they want. I bet I can go out and buy coke, meth, prescription pills and weed and be back in less than an hour to show how easy it is. Last I checked those items are illegal. MHow is that different than conducting an illegal firearm transfer? Please, explain in detail your point. I must be too daft to comprehend based on what you've said so far.

If you read my post you'll see I specifically wrote that I don't hang out in the passing lane. I don't see how I could make myself more clear. When I am in the passing lane it is because I'm passing someone. I will do so at a safe speed. When some ahole in a 4x4 dodge wants that to happen at 90mph and therefore rides my ass, I will slow down and make the process that much longer. I don't speed up in the passing lane simply because the guy behind me wants to do 90mph. I also don't cut off people in the right lane to hasten my passing.

I guess I simply don't care if it irritates someone who is not only breaking the law, but driving in an unsafe manner putting others at risk. The DMV can suggest whatever they want, but the fact remains it is unlawful to tailgate yet it is not illegal to adjust speed to unsafe road conditions such as a person driving aggressively and illegally. If that makes them mad, tough titties. I don't see how that is upping the ante. God forbid I offend someone who is breaking the law.

You're making the assumption here that we're talking about multi lane roads. I don't go on the interstate and block traffic by hanging out in the passing lane. If someone gets on my ass I'm reducing speed until they pass of back off. If you're the type of person that is bothered by that, too effing bad. If you feel like that is escalating the situation too effing bad. I don't have to be subjected to unsafe driving tactics if I don't want. Being rear ended at 20 mph by a tailgater is better than being hit at higher speeds. I don't see how reducing speed somehow creates an unsafe situation unless the individual decides to so something violent, but I can't control the actions of others and whether or not they decide to break the law; that is for them to decide and me to react to.

Hell yeah it is.

Right or wrong, they gotta be first.

I'm done with unsafe drivers tailgating me. I used to brake check them, but now that I have kids I slow down to about 10mph below the posted speed limit. Near my home there are several winding roads where it is impossible to pass or pull over. If folks want to drive in an unsafe manner then I'm going to adjust my speed to reduce risk. The last guy I did this to about had an aneurism as I watched in the rear view. To me I just don't understand it. Riding my ass will not cause me to break the law and go faster. It will only piss me off and look for ways to undermine your ability to get to where you're going.

I'm gonna go with choice "A" if we're making bets.

For some reason it wasn't working but I was able to work around it. Unbelievable that so many people just resorted to that because they knew they could get away with it.

Link didnt work for me.

Different strokes and tolerance I guess. I went through a week long shooting school a few years back with instructors from all types of tactical backgrounds. All except for one was professional. One was like Yeager, only if you can imagine a douche like Yeager only with no combat experience. This dude happens to be one of the best shooters out there (on paper) but has such a crappy personality and is so abrasive it was a training distractor for me. I did not tolerate his attitude one bit. Other guys I know who went through the training with him didn't seem to mind it at all. They said, "that's just his personality." Well, be that as it may, I don't tolerate aholes being aholes to me. I don't see the benefit to it. I don't care who you are, what you know or what you can do; I will not tolerate it. Kudos to those that can.

Oh yes he does... universal registration.

I have to say, I'm on the edge of my seat to see who is responsible. Surprised that nothing solid has leaked yet.

I promise not to stereotype you though. If ever my spidey senses went off due to some scruffy looking dude, if I saw him openly carrying a pistol I'm going to assume he is amongst the law abiding population. Your self description sounds like most of the men in my family and the majority of my coworkers. I am one of the few people I know without tats.

I agree, but I don't think it does our side any good when we mistake overbearing, knee jerk policies for a vast sinister plot. I don't disagree that good intentions can develop into something sinister, but we lose credibility when we argue that this is a result of folks wringing their hands in dark, smoke filled dens of conspiracy. Lets attack these civil rights violations as is.

Popped collars are a gateway fashion to a life of douchebaggery. Must be banned... for the children.