Help me understand the concept of "cutting off" someone on the road

Possibly. That assumes whatever it is is worth literally dying for. I’m yet to be convinced of that. When I hear of people willing to get into altercations over it I assume it’s much more serious than anything I’ve ever observed and to that I say I haven’t seen it.

 

I taught my young one in a manual. ..... first job was traffic control. My child was ONLY one who could drive tge ute!! Got more shifts than the others .....

 

And this is why there should be a special edition Mazda 2 (Spirited Green would be good) with a set of Desert Duellers and a Bullbar.

 

The complaining comes from those who are self entitled and me me me ... how "dare" someone merge into MY lane. Sadly it's a reflection of today's society.

Personally, I'm pretty chilled nowadays ... but in my 20s ... sheesh!

 

I am not sure what gaslighting is. Does that mean i do it?

 

Agreed. Fundamentally I'm just trying to understand what it is that people are willing to fight and kill over. I'm seriously not seeing it and I want to understand. What is it in my 20 years of driving that I've missed? All I see so far is utter stupidity.

 

It's really simple.

Unfortunately, a lot of people in society are just ****ed up. So their decisions and subsequent behaviour is also ****ed up.

 

Exactly I couldn’t understand either. So far this year I used horn once- which is bad because none last year

 

Not saying OP is doing it, but in the few times I've ridden up to people after being cut off they have been unware.

Some drivers just don't account for a buffer space. Like some tailgaters, they think it is normal to follow a few metres behind. Then you have other tailgaters that know it isn't safe but do it on purpose for intimidation.

 

Agree with above a lot of people are unaware they are doing it and have little spacial awareness

 

It's also amusing watching the alternative ... a small car driver giving themselves enough space to fit a Mack truck thru

A light tap on the brakes isn't "being cut off", and I've used the horn twice this last year ... both times to stop someone backing onto me

 

That's why we have a ute - they can tailgate & flash their high beam as much as they like but the high back stops the annoying lights

Keep it up, and I will travel slower (with my foggies on too).

 

Most times being cut off just means you need to brake and maybe swerve, this video shows what can happen with not enough time/space to avoid an accident

 

If you drive ( for example ) in Sydney and you relocate to ( say ) Adelaide i think it is easy to get the road 'norms' wrong.

Sydney style driving would cause angst as the quick lane changes would draw the ire of Adelaide's ambling drivers, who seem to regard 61 as terminal velocity. 3 lanes means 3 lanes of slow traffic especially on Anzac Hwy.

In Brisbane when it rains the local rules are that everyone immediately loses their ability to drive and either 1. Stop under a bridge or 2. Ram the car in front or 3. cause a crash in any way u can.

Cutting off is primary cause of angst in both cities.

Can we blame Sydney driving?

 

I notice it as you approach where the other side of the Federal Hwy, they start getting back into 'Sydney mode' and turn of the 'courtesy mode' in the bush.

 

"cutting off"
I thought it was common sense and self explanatory.
making a left hand turn from the right hand lane at the last minute is one example
otherwise cutting across in front of forward moving traffic causing them to take sudden evasive action. eg brake suddenly, swerve into other lane etc.
consequences can be catastrophic. @Corbin shows one example.

but it is staggering at the increasing lack of driving skill and spatial awareness some of the drivers have these days. i'm talking Sydney here, not sure what is happening in other states.
i wonder how some people actually get a driving license. do we not have driving tests anymore. i have witnessed drivers that are clearly not confident behind the wheel or have any idea of what they are doing.

i have raced motorcycles, I've been hit twice on the road by inept drivers. i would rather be on a race track doing 200+klm than drive through some suburbs of Sydney

 

Some objective measures I can think off the top of my head:

Accidents: Never. 20+ years without a single accident...not even a minor fender bender.

Horns (at me): very rarely. I consider myself a good drive and can confidently navigate around and through traffic without ******* people off.

Not sure what else to look for.

 

And what I'm saying is I don't think it is. I don't think a month goes by that I don't hear a workmate, friend or family grumbling about being cut off. In my 20 years of driving I have very, very rarely had to panic swerve or slam my breaks, or have caused others to do the same. Maybe I'm just a safe driver? But that's kind of irrelevant because I should at least observe others doing this, regardless of how I drive.

That being said I only drive to and from work, so I'm not clocking up the k's a truckdriver would or someone in a profession that requires a lot of driving.

It all comes back to this: given the volume of complains I hear, and the way I've seen / heard of it escalated before (fights, murder), I'm having a very hard time reconciling this with what I see out there. If I'm going to listen to a colleague ramble on about it for 10 mins or hear about someone killing someone over it, I expect something much more egregious.

This madness of people just throwing their cars in front of you out of nowhere...seriously where is this happening? It's so stunningly rare for me. I'm in Sydney and live in a very congested part (inner west). So yeah I really struggle to understand what this whole phenomenon is.

 

I noticed that on Saturday night going to the Anzac Bridge. Following 2 Harleys through the changed lane markings under Victoria Rd - lanes now split left & right under a pylon (and clearly marked but different to previous road conditions).

Driver in the left lane thinks that the left lane goes to Hades or some other unworldly portal and cuts infront of the two bikes at the last second causing them to hit the anchors and swerve. The guy was totally unaware of the bikes to the right behind him in the adjoining lane.

I stayed to the left, to avoid the possible consequences.

 

I too am (nowadays) a very relaxed, chilled and safe driver - leaving plenty of space, not getting cranky if someone pulls into that left space (merely ease back further), don't speed and generally don't get upset about anything

I suspect those who grumble and complain are more aggressive drivers who don't leave space, get upset if someone pulls into that space, weaves and dodges and speeds.

That being said - I detest Sydney driving