Rant: More than annoying and dangerous - behavior of others in traffic

Beware Rant ... It upsets me! How often do I sit in the car and think, "How I would like to have the license to get rid of the driving license of other road users!" Incidentally, I would be absolutely fair and would only do so in hard cases and in detail.

Sure, admittedly, everyone accidentally mistakes when driving. But what meets a now on the streets of deliberate aggressiveness and deliberate recklessness, fits on no cowhide. What do people think? Or - do you even think while driving? Sometimes I feel as soon as someone sits down in the driver's seat and starts the engine, the person like Rambo feels at the wheel with the intelligence quotient of a Neanderthal man.

What's the difference in driving behavior?

There are certainly many studies available. I do not feel like researching them all now. Let me guess:

• Our cars give us the feeling of security. By some misinterpreted as "immortality". Just like a Highlander, they drive.
• There is more and more traffic on the road. The density and the fact that you are stuck in a traffic jam promotes aggression. In the minds of some people, the idea "Oops, now I come - spread!" Seems to turn off all rational thinking.
• The aggressive driving style and/or lack of attention causes more accidents and we all stand even more often in a traffic jam.
• The phrase "My car is my castle" promotes the strong will to defend and dominate other road users. The "caring and caring" department in the brain has a break or is permanently closed.

After all, it's not that I get upset with others' driving because I have to give up my right of way so that no accident happens. It's just a fire hazard what people do. This "I drive fast because my car has more horsepower" is simply not to be tolerated at the roundabout. Because I have to go hard in the brakes, so I avoid the rear-end collision. In which I have no guilt, but possibly (lack of witness in the car) even absurdly get a partial debt. Not to mention possible losses to my health due to accident-related injuries.

If I were to count how many accidents I prevented in my motoring career, I'm sure I'll have a medal. ;-)
My mantra is: It's not that hard, that you drive ahead and thought along with and respects each other with respect and politeness. Even if you have a metal armor around you.

By the way, you should never rely on the flashing of cars! Especially if you are at an intersection to the main road and the Döspaddel has just forgotten to turn the turn signal to the right - but continues straight ahead. I am waiting - not only since this experience - for the fact that the road is really free when I am in such a situation. That has certainly saved me a lot. By the way: I do not care if the following vehicles are annoyed. It's all about avoiding accidents and there's no need for hurry and hectic rush!

My previous accidents, which I was guiltless of - three in number - were all rear-end collisions. Others drove from behind on my car. And that is certainly not because I drive snoring slowly ... on the contrary. If there is room, if I am in control of the situation, one could say that I drive very fast. In doing so, I still follow the traffic rules.That was no trivial damage! Get yourself an appraiser for damage assessment (my tip).

Rear-end accident yellow traffic light

Just recently - the third rear-end collision - is once again typical. I drive on a freeway, which should slow down the motorists before the city entrance sign even by speed limit. The last sign shows a 70 km/h restriction. Far away behind me a transporter (Trafic) who wants to catch up quickly.

The entrance sign signifies 50 km/h - just for clarification. I keep that up - with the usual small tolerance, so according to speedometer around 52 or so. Because - and now it will be interesting - in front of me is dense city traffic and a traffic light! When the first green traffic light turns yellow, I come to a normal stop. A normal strong braking, because I - in the strange city - do not know if not a traffic lights are installed somewhere. But even without a flash system, I no longer drive at Dark Yellow. Is too expensive and too risky for me to catch the red light in the first second.

A yellow light means:
Wait for the next sign. At the beginning of the yellow phase (of green), the approaching driver has to stop his car. The yellow light offense can be punished with a caution fee of ten euros. A yellow traffic light should therefore not be understood as an invitation to accelerate.

When I am standing at the traffic light, which is now changing from yellow to red, the trafic behind me does not come to a standstill in time! He even pushes me a bit further towards the intersection. All because people no longer respect a green-and-yellow traffic light as a stopping point. This misjudgment has become very expensive for this driver. I hope he learned from it. You can not do anything yourself to prevent the accident. That's the worst thing when you meet selfish idiots on the road.

That I'm not alone in the world with my assessment (that other road users have their heads and eyes elsewhere than on the road) , calms me down colossally - despite all the excitement. Heike vented her anger on Facebook. So I asked her right away, "May I add your experience to my annoyance here?"

Clear the stage for Heike's rant

Thinking is a matter of luck

Where are the motorists actually with their thoughts? Recently I was stuck in a traffic jam on a three-lane highway in front of a construction site. Every few meters a large, well-visible sign, how and where an emergency lane should be formed in traffic jams. And what was? Nothing. People just do not do it. Is something with your eyes? Or rather with the mind? It can be about human lives, but if it's not your own, it probably does not matter. Empathy? No indication.

Rescue alley - it works! That's right. Just give it a try and join in.

Prohibitions are just friendly recommendations

• Truck overhaul bans? Pah, do not rely on it. Many Brummi drivers do not follow this gentle hint.
• Speed ​​limits? These are for many only well-meant recommendations. You do not have to stick to it. And others who might do that are idiots! Keep everyone on!
• 50 km/h in closed towns? Bah, boring! Children, the elderly, dogs, cats? They should see that they come from the road. But woe, someone drives past 80 km/h at their own family home. But then there is something going on!
• Construction sites are chicane: I drive at around one o'clock the other day in nice, dry weather in a highway construction site.Nevertheless, several cars pull quite fast past me. Well, let them drive, they need to know for themselves.

Ride halfway in accordance with regulations and you're fair game

Shortly thereafter, a truck comes on and drives permanently behind me, with about two to three meters "safety distance". This looks quite threatening from a "small" Porsche Boxster and that's how I feel. Threatened. Because the truck driver comes every now and then a little closer, so I do not forget that he would like to go faster, please. Being alone makes it impossible to film the truck now to display it. So I have to endure that. At the end of the construction site, I can finally accelerate and flee from the "professional driver" in the truck, which he acknowledges with wildly pressing the flashlight.

This aggressive necessity, by the way not only of trucks, is now common regardless of which of my vehicles I'm traveling with. As a motorcyclist, I like to jump on a meter. What do these idiots think they are doing? Do they really think they could still react, if only something happens? I am dead when there is something and it is unlikely that much will happen to them. In the next Stammtisch round these fast-moving motorcyclists are to blame themselves, if they crash.

Which brings me back to the beginning: to this thinking thing, which includes a minimum of empathy. Seems many who have permission to participate in traffic, not to be given. Please hand in the driver's license, you are not qualified!

Heike Scholz

Heike from Hamburg is Speaker, Author, Mobilista and Geekette. She became known with "mobile zeitgeist", the leading online magazine for mobile business in German-speaking countries, which she founded in 2006. We are Facebook friends since 2012; Years ago (2007?) we linked ourselves via Twitter to the topic of smartphones, apps and mobile platforms.

All Rant exciter topics in traffic summarized by keywords

(if something is missing, please complete as a comment!)

• Do not make a rescue lane
• Right overtaking
• Risky overtaking maneuvers in front of bends/crests
• Motorway left-hand driver (although middle and right lanes are free)
• Not flashing
• turn on the lights and drive straight on
• in the roundabout disregard the right of way and drive fast (though there is no space)
• jostle
• aggressive honking (out of impatience)
• Driving too close to the rear
• Cutting the lane when changing lanes
• Too tight shearing after overtaking
• Much too tight cutting in rain (!) after overtaking
• To overtake, switch to the left lane and use one brakes
• Use the other's safety distance to stand in front of you.
• Unfathomable sneaking (at free route and good weather)
• Way too fast drive in construction sites
• Yellow light of the traffic light as a gas impulse
• Disregard red light
• insist on your own right of way, even though it makes no sense
• ...