- Location
- New Jersey
Yeah, I know, quite an inflammatory title but please read on. I know more than a few on my fellow 
own full sized pickups, a lot of us need them for towing our Jeeps around. I just hope that my fellow XJ owners who also own pickups don't fall into this group.
Today about 4pm I was nearly ran off the road by a late model Chevy Silverado. I was driving my grandmother's Cadillac at the time. If it wasn't for my quick thinking, I could have been in far worse accident. I wound up only hitting 2 reflective posts on the side of the road. I was pulling away from a traffic light in the right lane of a 2 lane road when the Chevy came up the left lane and cut in front of me at the last minute to make the entrance to the Garden State Parkway on the right side of the road. The Chevy did not signal, nor seem to act in any safe way on the road. I continued to follow the truck on the Parkway in order to get the Chevy's license plate number. I then watched as the Chevy weaved in and out of traffic again not using signals. The truck was going between 70 and 80 mph. I don't know whether or not the driver knew I was following them. The truck also had tinted front windows preventing me from seeing the driver. Tinted front windows are illegal. What is more disturbing is that the driver did not stop after running me off the road.
This is the incident that was prompted me to make this post. I do a lot of driving, I've had jobs that kept me on the road quite a bit. I also have quite a good memory and am very observant. Full sized pickup truck drivers seem to be the least respectful, least courteous, and most abrasive drivers on the roads near me. They speed, they do not signal, and they weave in and out of traffic. They seem to think they are in a race car and that this is some sort of game. I watched one particular Dodge Ram drive in congested traffic 2 days ago cut of about a dozen drivers on 287 over the course of about 15 miles. He also tail-gated me off and on for the better part of those 15 miles.
Most of these pickups are commercial vehicles, but that doesn't matter. Just because its not your personal vehicle doesn't mean you go out a drive like an ass-hat on public roads. How does then explain the behavior of those whose personal vehicles are full sized pickups? Do they think traffic and safety laws do not apply to them? Do they think because they have a bigger vehicle them everyone else they can bully them? This type of behavior is reprehensible.
I really don't have an answer to this. It's not a very easy issue to address. It really is a case of how do you fix stupid. We as wheelers pride ourselves on how we can drive in adverse conditions offroad and how we are very respectful of our fellow wheeler's safety so I hope never much that none of you fit into this category. If you do, shame on you. Imagine it was me you ran off the road today.
Maybe that's how we start, all those people we know that are disrespectful drivers, ask them how they would feel if they caused you to be in an accident.
Rant over, but this is not something to be taken lightly.
--Matt
own full sized pickups, a lot of us need them for towing our Jeeps around. I just hope that my fellow XJ owners who also own pickups don't fall into this group.Today about 4pm I was nearly ran off the road by a late model Chevy Silverado. I was driving my grandmother's Cadillac at the time. If it wasn't for my quick thinking, I could have been in far worse accident. I wound up only hitting 2 reflective posts on the side of the road. I was pulling away from a traffic light in the right lane of a 2 lane road when the Chevy came up the left lane and cut in front of me at the last minute to make the entrance to the Garden State Parkway on the right side of the road. The Chevy did not signal, nor seem to act in any safe way on the road. I continued to follow the truck on the Parkway in order to get the Chevy's license plate number. I then watched as the Chevy weaved in and out of traffic again not using signals. The truck was going between 70 and 80 mph. I don't know whether or not the driver knew I was following them. The truck also had tinted front windows preventing me from seeing the driver. Tinted front windows are illegal. What is more disturbing is that the driver did not stop after running me off the road.
This is the incident that was prompted me to make this post. I do a lot of driving, I've had jobs that kept me on the road quite a bit. I also have quite a good memory and am very observant. Full sized pickup truck drivers seem to be the least respectful, least courteous, and most abrasive drivers on the roads near me. They speed, they do not signal, and they weave in and out of traffic. They seem to think they are in a race car and that this is some sort of game. I watched one particular Dodge Ram drive in congested traffic 2 days ago cut of about a dozen drivers on 287 over the course of about 15 miles. He also tail-gated me off and on for the better part of those 15 miles.
Most of these pickups are commercial vehicles, but that doesn't matter. Just because its not your personal vehicle doesn't mean you go out a drive like an ass-hat on public roads. How does then explain the behavior of those whose personal vehicles are full sized pickups? Do they think traffic and safety laws do not apply to them? Do they think because they have a bigger vehicle them everyone else they can bully them? This type of behavior is reprehensible.
I really don't have an answer to this. It's not a very easy issue to address. It really is a case of how do you fix stupid. We as wheelers pride ourselves on how we can drive in adverse conditions offroad and how we are very respectful of our fellow wheeler's safety so I hope never much that none of you fit into this category. If you do, shame on you. Imagine it was me you ran off the road today.
Maybe that's how we start, all those people we know that are disrespectful drivers, ask them how they would feel if they caused you to be in an accident.
Rant over, but this is not something to be taken lightly.
--Matt
