man, tell me about it
 

alright, i drive a 24' truck, a motorcycle and a couple of other vehicles around los angeles, down town, hollywood etc. where about 50% are insured. people are nuts it seems in the days of disposable cars and credit based wealth nobody thinks about it. spend a few hours on the weekend doing a carb rebuild or a tranny service or the dreaded brake job and you think twice about treating your car so bad. I am in the young adult crowd and i see it from everybody, young, old, all races, forigner, long time locals, women, men. i think diesel mercedes drivers are about the most sensible. but so are thier cars. :D

Taking up two parking spots may be cause and effect in a crowded parking lot. One person parks badly then everyone else has to compensate to where the last person is literaly in the middle of two. Of course the situation is different if you see them park that way intentionally. From your scenario, it is not a good idea to park next to someone that has been keyed. It is just easier to walk a little further. Most of us could use the exercise anyway.

I agree, Dallas traffic has become nearly brutal in the past few years. With next to no enforcement, some do not care who they endanger with their assanine driving habits. Like you, tailgaters tend to torque my jaws. This is regardless of what lane you are in since a lot of clowns pass on the right even if the left lane is clear.

Traffic here is probably not going to improve until there is more enforcement. A lot more wreckless driving citations should be written. :mad:

I won't park next to cars that look abused, or old, that have dents, or dirty, because I figure if they don't care about their car, why should they care about popping their door open and let it swing into my car!

Also, if there is not enough room between cars, I won't park there either!

Common sense, really! :rolleyes:

I think this problem can be applied to many current situations besides driving...cough cough, WAR! cough cough...

just .02
will

.........yeah..........no defense of my actions here..........but, I sure does make me feel good. :D

Wonder why that is?? :confused:

The best way is to pull the valves and put the caps back on, real quick.

Then, he gets to take the $hitbox home.

4 flats overnight. :eek:

Now, that's the best!! :D :D

Is this OK, Nate??

Well on the other end....Mr or Mrs Self important now have to pay someone to fix their car, and they get seriously inconvienienced.....I for one would get some serious satisfaction knowing that....

Point of note....its been a lot of years since I have actually done that. Not that I don't frequently think about it.

OH, and when its at some remote far end of the lot it doesn't bother me...only when its up close.

i blame it on drivers education teachers being football coaches. i learned NOTHING in drivers education. i learned it all from being wrecked into in every imaginable situation. this has also given me fairly good driving skills, believe it or not.

those skills came from me being a self-serving "heightened sense of entitlement" 16 year-old in a new car. i would *not* give right of way to the other self important drivers trying to make me go 100, butt in front of me, run around a lane of traffic and jump in a car length from the exit ec etc etc... i would just assert my right-of-way and let them hit me... drive a crappy rental for a week and my car was good as new.

it took me 7 years, but i cracked up my car doing it, about the age that most people sign on the dotted line and get another one. it really is a product of the disposable car and the "right" to drive.

any number of things can be pointed at for causing this type of behaviour, but i dont think finger pointing will get us anywhere, neither will asserting ones right-of-way! i bought a 240 because it was slow and safe, im 25 now and realized how badly i was driving. i forced myself to correct the situation through this purchase. most people just buy a newer car with more airbags and traction control to "be safer."

there should be laws that ones first car must be a 240d with an automatic transmission. it would teach people a lot, i think.

my sisters divorce lawyer is disabled. he was 10 minutes late to court(birmingham alabama) because our courthouse has *one* handicapped parking place. the judge apparently did not like seeing him be late and told him so. when mr bill mentioned a lack of most all equipment required by law(hand rails, parking) the judge let it slide. im not sure how that fits, but it makes sense in my head!

now that ive been writing for 15 minutes... i think its a bit "survival of the fittest." we are animals, ya know? animals dont have mannars or social constructs that allow for deviance based souly on the written words of others.

all these thoughts are fairly half-assed, but i think youall can get my points(maybe?) im sorry your car was vandalized, but at the end of the day...youre alright. i assume so because you posted on the internet later than the problem occured. be thankful of this!

Brabus: I hate that society is growing more and more selfish.
Cannonball: There's nothing wrong with selfishness.

It seems to me that the term "selfishness" is too general, with at least three possible meanings:

1. lack of genuine concern for others motivated by religion or philosophy
2. lack of respect for things, e.g. the law and common courtesy, which make for a better society.
3. the source of a person's motivations for his or her actions

I think Brabus and others are complaining about #1-2, while Cannonball is defending #3. So, there is no real point of disagreement.

Sorry, I had to work this out because I found myself agreeing with everyone; I guess the by-products of college philosophy classes.

To go further, I think a couple of the replies are commentaries on #2--that there are some forces built into society (e.g. the possibility that your tire valves will be removed) to deter people from disrupting it too visibly (e.g. taking two parking spaces).

Now, some smartass please followup and tell me that my argument is total BS.

we live in a microwave country. we want it NOW! and if we can't get it now all hell breaks lose. nothing is more important than life so don't challenge these fools in road rage or parking spot rage. personally when people see my "BIG BABY" (300sdl 86) coming through they show respect. not for me but for the car.

Of course why do you think you see so many soccor moms alone in their ford excursions to pick up a quart of milk a hundred yeards from their house....

I love driving extra slow when someone tailgates me. I love blocking the third lane that will be narrowed to two lanes so that others can't jump in front. Rules are made for a reason- and society tends to break down when some don't abide by them. One the other hand I don't get all upset at sh&t. Some lady got on my ass the other day when I helped a mother I never met before with too much stuff and two young kids board a plane- the lady said I was just trying to jump in line... I asked her... should stand and watch a struggling mother, or help? Five other passengers in line told her to shut up. When I was seated she purposely bumped her carry-one into my head. I laughed, and the flight attendant who saw the whole thing asked me if I wanted to move to first class- I said no I ought to help the mother carry her things off the plane and couldn't do that from first class. Play fair. Be nice. Things you ought to have learned in first grade will take you a long ways :)

<<i blame it on drivers education teachers being football coaches. i learned NOTHING in drivers education. i learned it all from being wrecked into in every imaginable situation. this has also given me fairly good driving skills, believe it or not.>>

I drive a school bus part time and we drivers(no we're not tiny) have to attend maybe 8 to 10 safety meetings during the year in order for us to renew our "white cards" i.e. permit to carry passengers. They tell us the biggest reason for most accidents is the drivers' failure to yield. We have to yield to everyone in every circumstance. I think as drivers and more importantly human beings, "yielding" is something not inherent in our psyches, probably the opposite. This is just something I have to keep in mind everyday on the road, for safety's sake.

Not to balk at this thread (it seems to be a decent discussion) but might someone transfer it over to open discussion for us?

Just not very diesel content :)

I second that motion.
 

Here is a story everyone should read... :( :( :(

http://www.freep.com/news/statewire/sw119274_20050802.htm