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Your argument falls into "Misleading Vividness" (http://www.nizkor.org/features/fallacies/misleading-vividness.html http://www.nizkor.org/features/fallacies/mis

Your argument falls into "Misleading Vividness" (http://www.nizkor.org/features/fallacies/misleading-vividness.html http://www.nizkor.org/features/fallacies/misleading-vividnes...) The more common case is a driver being angered by the slight inconvenience of slowing down. Which usually is because they are in fact the one driving over the speed limit and therefore driving dangerously according the law.

dpcan 15y ago
Who flips someone off because they had to slow down? This was my point. This article was written by a fleet manager protecting the reputation of his drivers, but I am trying to say that there must be more to the story and usually people get the bird because they have done something dangerous.
- jasonlotito 15y ago
  > Who flips someone off because they had to slow down? Uh... I can't tell if this is a serious question. Do you drive much? I see it happen all the time, and I live in Canada!
  - InclinedPlane 15y ago
    I find the Canada comment odd. I've driven in many states as well as BC and I would rank BC drivers as among the least courteous and most aggressive, even compared to SoCal drivers.
    - jasonlotito 15y ago
      I live in Quebec, and find the drivers bad. However, I don't find them discourteous to the point of slamming on the brakes in front of you, getting out, and starting to talk shit because they cut you off (New York drive in PA). Granted, I'm from Jersey originally, and I pride myself on the fact that by comparison, even Quebec drivers are safe. =) Anyways, my point was, Canadians are generally seen as more mellow, and I still see them getting angry on the road. Granted, this is all just from my experience.
    - Swisher 15y ago
      From my experiences Alberta has the most aggressive Canadian drivers.
    - btilly 15y ago
      You can blame Hong Kong immigration for that. In the summer of 1992 I encountered an amusing statistic. Insurance rates doubled in one year in BC almost entirely because of one kind of accident. Two cars are side by side, with the one on the left driven by a Canadian. A Chinese immigrant from Hong Kong is behind the two. The immigrant sees the opportunity, cuts over, and zooms past leaving the Canadian less than 6 inches of room. The Canadian freaks out, turns the wheel right to avoid what feels like a certain collision, and hits the car next to him. All drivers in question drove in complete accord with the rules of the road and common driving practices where they grew up. It was all just a (very expensive) cultural misunderstanding. Anyways Vancouver with something like a million people absorbed something like 80,000 immigrants from Hong Kong in the 1990s who didn't want to be there for the Chinese handover, and they brought a very aggressive driving style with them. Go to places that were less affected by that wave of immigration, and you should still see something more like the relaxed driving style that was present when I was growing up.
      - nate_meurer 15y ago
        You're saying that the immigrant driver passed on the shoulder?
        btilly 15y ago
        No, in Canada, like the USA, they drive on the right and the steering wheel is on the left. So the immigrant cut into oncoming traffic to pass on the left. The immigrant had to zoom to make it in the gap between oncoming cars, and left far less room for all parts of the maneuver than a Canadian would have been comfortable with. The Canadian driver freaked, veered right to get away from the crash, and hit the car beside him.
        nate_meurer 15y ago
        Got it. Yikes. Funny thing, my heart rate rose just a bit when I finally comprehended this. Just the thought of a car approaching head-on.
- cbs 15y ago
  Who flips someone off because they had to slow down? Everyone but you.
  - camiller 15y ago
    And me. Generally I only flip someone off if I had to slow down so fast the Anti-lock Breaking System activated. That usually only happens when someone enters my lane without looking and nearly hits me. I've eased up on screaming and cursing though, usually have one or both of my kids in the car.
  - masterzora 15y ago
    Can anyone tell me what they think they're accomplishing with that? I've always been curious but no one's had a good answer for me.
    - cbs 15y ago
      It feels good. It doesn't necessarily accomplish anything, but it can force the other driver to reevaluate the appropriateness of their actions.

dpcan 15y ago

Who flips someone off because they had to slow down? This was my point. This article was written by a fleet manager protecting the reputation of his drivers, but I am trying to say that there must be more to the story and usually people get the bird because they have done something dangerous.

jasonlotito 15y ago
> Who flips someone off because they had to slow down? Uh... I can't tell if this is a serious question. Do you drive much? I see it happen all the time, and I live in Canada!
- InclinedPlane 15y ago
  I find the Canada comment odd. I've driven in many states as well as BC and I would rank BC drivers as among the least courteous and most aggressive, even compared to SoCal drivers.
  - jasonlotito 15y ago
    I live in Quebec, and find the drivers bad. However, I don't find them discourteous to the point of slamming on the brakes in front of you, getting out, and starting to talk shit because they cut you off (New York drive in PA). Granted, I'm from Jersey originally, and I pride myself on the fact that by comparison, even Quebec drivers are safe. =) Anyways, my point was, Canadians are generally seen as more mellow, and I still see them getting angry on the road. Granted, this is all just from my experience.
  - Swisher 15y ago
    From my experiences Alberta has the most aggressive Canadian drivers.
  - btilly 15y ago
    You can blame Hong Kong immigration for that. In the summer of 1992 I encountered an amusing statistic. Insurance rates doubled in one year in BC almost entirely because of one kind of accident. Two cars are side by side, with the one on the left driven by a Canadian. A Chinese immigrant from Hong Kong is behind the two. The immigrant sees the opportunity, cuts over, and zooms past leaving the Canadian less than 6 inches of room. The Canadian freaks out, turns the wheel right to avoid what feels like a certain collision, and hits the car next to him. All drivers in question drove in complete accord with the rules of the road and common driving practices where they grew up. It was all just a (very expensive) cultural misunderstanding. Anyways Vancouver with something like a million people absorbed something like 80,000 immigrants from Hong Kong in the 1990s who didn't want to be there for the Chinese handover, and they brought a very aggressive driving style with them. Go to places that were less affected by that wave of immigration, and you should still see something more like the relaxed driving style that was present when I was growing up.
    - nate_meurer 15y ago
      You're saying that the immigrant driver passed on the shoulder?
      - btilly 15y ago
        No, in Canada, like the USA, they drive on the right and the steering wheel is on the left. So the immigrant cut into oncoming traffic to pass on the left. The immigrant had to zoom to make it in the gap between oncoming cars, and left far less room for all parts of the maneuver than a Canadian would have been comfortable with. The Canadian driver freaked, veered right to get away from the crash, and hit the car beside him.
        nate_meurer 15y ago
        Got it. Yikes. Funny thing, my heart rate rose just a bit when I finally comprehended this. Just the thought of a car approaching head-on.
cbs 15y ago
Who flips someone off because they had to slow down? Everyone but you.
- camiller 15y ago
  And me. Generally I only flip someone off if I had to slow down so fast the Anti-lock Breaking System activated. That usually only happens when someone enters my lane without looking and nearly hits me. I've eased up on screaming and cursing though, usually have one or both of my kids in the car.
- masterzora 15y ago
  Can anyone tell me what they think they're accomplishing with that? I've always been curious but no one's had a good answer for me.
  - cbs 15y ago
    It feels good. It doesn't necessarily accomplish anything, but it can force the other driver to reevaluate the appropriateness of their actions.