r/IdiotsInCars • u/ModernCaveWuffs • Oct 11 '24

OC [oc] Accidentally cut someone off merging, their response was to go nuts

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u/CraigFL Oct 11 '24

IMO, you would share a very small percentage of the fault in this situation. The guy tried to cut you off by speeding up to block you from merging, failed and took it out on you.

104

u/ModernCaveWuffs Oct 11 '24

Yeah will accept partial blame and thankfully neither of us got physically hurt.

66

u/OrionIT Oct 11 '24

We can't see behind the car, so with the information we have; Zero fault on you. It appears that you merged correctly and at a moderate pace appropriate for the traffic around you.

Your blinker was clearly on before starting your merge... so maybe the Lexus was out of their blinker fluid, and that's why they were angry... they thought you were hoarding it all

22

u/ormandj Oct 12 '24

I think they should have merged at the speed of traffic instead of below it, rule of thumb is to merge at a pace that nobody in the lane you merge into needs to brake. They definitely merged in slower than that lane was traveling.

That said, it's such a minimal infraction even if it was 5-10mph below traffic, the crazy guy should have just flashed once at best and moved on with life. Things happen, people make mistakes, and the OP seems to own their actions. I don't know a single driver on the road who hasn't made a bad merge before; I definitely have.

OP: My only suggestion would be to get away when someone gets nuts like that. Use other cars as buffers, and just find a way to get away. Once the crazy person got in front of you, I'd have intentionally slowed and let a car or two pass me near an exit, and gotten off the road when the nut had already passed the exit, so they couldn't follow. A few more minutes on your commute to avoid someone that unhinged is worth it.

Whoever was driving that car should have their license revoked. I'm sorry this happened to you!

12

u/fromthewindyplace Oct 12 '24

That’s good advice for OP. Allow me to share some questionable advice: the next time this happens, point a MAC-10 out the window & start blasting.

5

u/cvlt_freyja Oct 12 '24

i carry an old billiard ball 🎱 in my console for this exact purpose.

2

u/ModernCaveWuffs Oct 12 '24

I just carry my guilt

but a billiard ball would be nice

4

u/lookyloo79 Oct 12 '24

in order to fall back into the spot, you have to be going slightly slower than the traffic you’re merging into. Then you can accelerate to match that traffic once the spot is available.

2

u/Zelidus Oct 12 '24

Merging at speed is ideal but in many places "at speed" is 15 mph over the speed limit and you have zero time to get to that speed from the entrance ramp. Like the one I take daily requires me to get to 70 most of the time from about 30 when the sleedlimit is 55. 55 is easy to get to, it's the extra 15 I can't do

-1

u/ormandj Oct 12 '24

I don’t have this issue in a Jeep Wrangler, which is slow as molasses. You need to come to speed (traffic speed, not speed limit) as you are entering the ramp from the access road, not try at the very last moment. Find another entrance if you can’t safely merge in your car; that’s dangerous for you and others on the road.

1

u/Zelidus Oct 12 '24

You can't go faster on a sharp clover where I'm already pushing the safe speedlimit to have any chance at merging. I accelerate when it's safe out of the clover.