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

You are talking about two different things.

One is 'cutting people off'. Which can and does happen regularly by people who don't care, or are oblivious to the fact, that they will nearly cause an accident by jumping in front of someone else unexpectedly.

And the other is road rage. Or even just anger issues in general (remember that sydney guy who was killed by a neighbour because he was watering his garden during water restrictions?). People get pee'd off without getting 'road rage'. And when people act like morons and endanger others by doing stupid things like 'cutting others off', its fair enough to feel ticked off about it. But other then maybe honking a horn, and having a whinge, they don't do anything else.
People who actually get road rage, and who want to get violent, really need very little or no excuse to provoke their extreme behaviour. Those people are often the same people who will do the same things they are raging about deliberately. They are often the people who will cut people off, because they don't give a damn how their actions impact others. They are just angry and agressive in general, and the closest target will often catch their ire.
It has very little to do with other people, and everything to do with themselves and their own inability to regulate their emotions in a reasonable manner.

Annoyance, frustration and even anger are normal emotions to certain circumstances and actions. Normal emotionally stable people don't just attack and commit violence when they feel these emotions.
Road rage is an extreme lack of emotional control. People like this can snap over anything, without any real provcation.

 

This is probably what it is. I always leave lots of space between me and the driver in front, and if someone over takes me I never, ever, ever complain.

This idea of slamming your breaks or swerving out of the way...if I did something like that, it would be such a huge deal to me that I would remember it for a lonnnnng time. It's really like a once in a 10 year thing for me, which again is why I was left scratching my head about friends and family that seem to experience this every other day.

Also to add to this, I think a lot of people who get annoyed at being overtaken simply incorrectly describe this as being "cut off". I often see people grumble when being overtaken when I'm in the passenger seat. Seriously...why? If you're both moving forwards, it adds literal seconds to your trip, if that. If 10 cars overtake me that still adds NOTHING to my trip. It's the most ridiculous thing to be annoyed by.

 

hence why i don't ride a motorcycle on the road anymore.

i do recall a fight (road rage incident) in Glebe a few years ago where a young guy punched an old bloke who then fell over, hit his head and later died. probably didn't intend to kill him - but his ridiculous actions caused it, apparently instigated only over a driving incident.

i have noticed an increase of aggression on our roads, but i don't know the absolute reasons. maybe - lack of courtesy - respect and consideration of others - drugs & alcohol - mental illness.

at my recent first aid certificate course. The instructor was an ex Paramedic. he gave it away because of the increased violence he was confronted with. he had a few stories about drug fuelled rages he had witnessed.

 

which is the proper and sensible thing most people do. but there is always going to be the nervous driver, the aggressive driver, the drug induced driver, the blind, deaf and dumb driver,

your goal is to identify and avoid. (if possible)

as a motorcycle rider you are taught to scan a long way in front. this gives you a lot more time to avoid situations. sometimes you can spot an accident waiting to happen.

 

Deaf drivers are usually good. BTW.

Yes the issues for motorcycle riders are long, and being cut off is one on them. Avoidance is the key.

 

I've only ever had it happen to me in Sydney - when people refuse to merge when coming to the end of a merging lane. Means I've been shoved into the breakdown lane because of someone pushing to get in front when they were initially behind me.

Still not worth more than a *&^^#$ mutter mutter idiot

 

Do you think it is a 'blind spot' for you (pardon the pun).

Or are you thinking it doesn't happen and the ppl who have angst about it are nuts?

 

No based on everything that's been discussed it's real no doubt.

What I am challenging is how often it actually happens. Slamming breaks or swerving out of the way...I mean to swerve out of the way is potentially putting you at death's door. It's a serious, serious thing. I call BS that stuff like this happens regularly for people who are only driving to and from work. It doesn't even pass the sniff test to think people could be regularly facing near-death or near-accident type of encounters. As I said before:

I think a lot of people who get annoyed at being overtaken simply incorrectly describe this as being "cut off". I often see people grumble when being overtaken when I'm in the passenger seat. Seriously...why? If you're both moving forwards, it adds literal seconds to your trip, if that. If 10 cars overtake me that still adds NOTHING to my trip. It's the most ridiculous thing to be annoyed by.

Lizzie also rightly points out that maybe it's only something aggressive drivers experience. So maybe it is super common if you're ducking and weaving everywhere. And for those drivers I find it hard to sympathise with.

There is obviously the other class of driver who is on the road 8-12 hours a day, so probability wise it's a different matter altogether. But they're hardly the norm.

 

Interesting. I was going to comment the opposite - that in Sydney they drive fast and close, but if you indicate and merge at speed, they let you in. Whereas in Newcastle, people speed up so you cant merge.

 

I 100% agree with this. Whenever I've heard the term being thrown around, it seems like people are annoyed because someone happened to change lanes in front of them?

I never understood it either.

 

Yes I think this strikes at the heart of what prompted me to ask this question to begin with.

There's simply no way people are that regularly getting into near-accidents and swerving and slamming their brakes like their lives depended on it. I think 99% of the time when I hear people moaning about it, it's exactly this.

 

People like to moan about trivia ... drama queens ... makes them feel more important than they actually are

 

Small minds often focus on small things.

 

Yup. I think it's case closed.

As I said I've been driving 20+ years without anything even close to a minor fender bender, yet I'm hearing people around me tell stories every second day about how they've been in some Mad Max level encounter. I couldn't make sense of it...what are they seeing that I'm not? Complete BS.

 

So you've never driven in Canberra then...

 

I've already addressed this:

There is obviously the other class of driver who is on the road 8-12 hours a day, so probability wise it's a different matter altogether. But they're hardly the norm.

Most people don't drive such far distances on a regular basis. The average person drives maybe 20-30mins each way to work, then to the shops a few times a week.

 

I let people in, more than most people do, I would think.
But if someone tries to be smart and push in, when everyone else is waiting, there's no way I'm going to let them in. I drive a beaten up 2002 Honda Jazz, so I'm not going to be overly worried about it being damaged.

The other day I was in a big queue and this big 4WD goes past the merging signs onto the traffic island lines (not sure how to explain it, the lines that are there after the lane ends) and then tries to push in.
There was no way I was going to let them in. Got very close to a crash with lots of honking on their side.

 

I find roundabouts more disturbing than merging. At least people still wave to me. They just use less fingers than they used to.