Mother and two kids crushed in LA road rage incident

[dar512]

The drivers of a black Nissan Maxima and a red Chevrolet Camaro got into a dispute shortly after 3 p.m. Tuesday in the Van Nuys area and began racing and weaving along city streets at 50 mph to 90 mph, police said.

The AP story.

[glatt]

When I'm driving or walking I sometimes get a little stressed out, so I can understand a certain amount of road rage and where it comes from, but you have to be a fucking moron to drive 90 MPH on a busy surface street. How does that thought process work? "Dude got in front of me, so I'm just gonna speed up here until I pass him. Teach him a lesson."

[Sundae]

I get very annoyed when I'm walking, but reign it in because I've seen sparks fly before between pedestrians. Luckily I have no aggression whatsoever as a driver, and happily pull over to let people past if I can see they are getting wound up by my adherence to the speed limit.

The lives of a family destroyed effectively over who gets to their destination first. Sad.

[BrianR]

I see and deal with this every day. Think how you feel when you get stuck behind a slow-moving semi. Multiply by external stress, frustration and an inbred desire to pass a big truck no matter what and you wind up with a child functioning in an adult body.

I have been passed by cars on the shoulder, berm, median, even once an attempt to pass me on the right on an ONRAMP! That particular incident did not go well for the car and the trees he drove into to avoid certain death under my wheels. I sometimes wish I could have stopped just to see what the final tally was...

I also have the fun experience of "being taught a lesson" by some yokel in a tiny pickup. He was forced to slow down when I slowed for a light, trapping him behind a 78,000 lb truck going uphill. The driver of that pickup was so incensed that *I* would dare impede his progress that he nearly blew a gasket trying to show me how to drive, then he made the serious mistake of swerving in front of my (39 ton) rig and hammering the brakes.

39 tons do not stop readily, my friends. He noticed this fact as I locked all 18 and there was NO WAY he wasn't going under. I saw that toothless grin vanish as my grill came within inches of his bed and he floored the gas into a shopping mall and rammed into an SUV trying to exit. Luckily a police officer saw the whole incident and waved me on and proceeded to arrest that driver.

I see things like this all the time. All I can do is shake my head and try to avoid killing anyone.

[dar512]

semis are large heavy lethal objects. I give them plenty of room.

[LabRat]

I HATE driving side by side with semis, especially when I have no choice, such as in a traffic jam. I'm always paranoid they are going to get a blowout right when I am next to them.

[theotherguy]

I just don't get these freaks who get that ticked about someone getting in front of them or driving like a jerk. Now, some innocent family is in pain. I hope they throw the book at the drivers.

I get a lot more annoyed in the chair than I did driving. I never had road-rage, but chair annoyance, yes.
People need to just chill, nothing is personal.

[smurfalicious]

Life seems so fast-paced. Everything we do, we do quicker. Always in such a hurry. Our adrenalin is up, we're more easily frustrated, quicker to get angry. And too often we've been cultivated to not be held responsible for our actions.

Everyone knows the dangerous instrumentality that is a vehicle and the responsibilities that come with the operation of a vehicle. These men were patently aware of this and chose to take the risk of injuring themselves and/or others. I hope they spend the rest of their lives being punished for this crime.