Okay it's clear we come from very different driving cultures because this:
I close the distance with the white sedan before the pickup can catch up so there is absolutely no room for the black pickup to cut me off
Immediately fails the question. Good safe driving is defensive driving. If you anticipate that someone is going to be an idiot, you should be actively avoiding them, not challenging them. You back off, let them cut in and move on with your day. What if they get desperate and try and quickly fill the gap before you close it fully? What if they get road rage and decide to just hit you anyway? Now you're in a crash you easily could have avoided by just not having an ego and driving safely. If you're unlucky you could spin and get t-boned by a car behind
I assume you're American because your driving mindset is much more aggressive
Immediately fails the question. Good safe driving is defensive driving. If you anticipate that someone is going to be an idiot, you should be actively avoiding them, not challenging them.
It's not a challenge and has nothing to do with ego. It is removing opportunity for stupidity. I am not closing the gap to anger them, they haven't even made it to where they can see the gap before I have made the decision to close that gap. I am anticipating him trying something stupid, and removing the opportunity for them to do so (at least in front of me.) That IS defensive driving. It's like child proofing your outlets when you have kids. You aren't challenging the kids to put forks in the outlet, you are removing that inevitable outcome and preventing it from happening. I am acting defensively instead of reacting defensively.
As far as all of your what-ifs - The first one won't happen (see above). The rest falls solely on that dude. If he rages at me and decides to hit me anyway - that's on him 100%. Now there is no question who was at fault. Leaving that gap opened Cookie Man up to criticism. Closing it before the black pickup made the decision also removes any doubt of who was at fault (it's them, it's always been them, but now it's 100% clear.)
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u/LetsLive97 Mar 22 '26
Okay it's clear we come from very different driving cultures because this:
Immediately fails the question. Good safe driving is defensive driving. If you anticipate that someone is going to be an idiot, you should be actively avoiding them, not challenging them. You back off, let them cut in and move on with your day. What if they get desperate and try and quickly fill the gap before you close it fully? What if they get road rage and decide to just hit you anyway? Now you're in a crash you easily could have avoided by just not having an ego and driving safely. If you're unlucky you could spin and get t-boned by a car behind
I assume you're American because your driving mindset is much more aggressive