I do a lot of driving on the interstate highways in rental cars. Your post reminds me of something I’ve seen a lot. I’ll be in a 70 mph zone on a four lane highway (two in each direction) and there will be a string of trucks, some spaced a hundred yards apart. Some guy will pass these trucks that are doing maybe 68, at 69 MPH. It takes miles. Then, when they get past them they don’t pull over. And as there is enough gap for me to pass on the right and get behind them, they bump their speed to 75 or more, trying to cut me off. Usually I’m driving something powerful enough to gun it to get by them. In fact to avoid the situation I generally gun it before I actually change into the right lane. On one occasion I saw the brown smoke pouring out of the guy’s tailpipe as he was basically racing me to the next truck.
I really hate it when others try to control me. It’s an “American” thing. I left the security of my paren’t home for a reason. Freedom.
Oh, there are always those who just want to be first, then lose their nerve when they’re actually the lead car and most exposed to police radar. On long trips, it can be like leapfrog for a hundred miles or more. Sometimes I slow down or pull off for a soda or something to get away from them, and sometimes I floor it as you say. Depends upon where I am, what I’m driving and how exposed to radar I would be myself for doing such a thing.
The onramp blockers aren’t wanting to do anything but force you to stop on an onramp, which in heavy traffic can be an extremely dangerous thing to do, not to mention making it nearly impossible to get onto the interstate without using the emergency lane for acceleration. A fast car defeats these types of people, whereas just letting them be first sometimes doesn’t ... they brake to keep blocking you, no matter what, for no reason at all. It’s not as if there is any reason for road rage, as if there’s ever really any reason, you’ve just come down the ramp and are trying to merge, whether than means in front of or behind them. Neither makes them happy, only stopping you does.
I was recently the only car at a double left turn lane (on the right side lane) and had a Trans-Am pull up behind me, then change to the inside lane since he apparently couldn’t stand to be behind anyone.
So I bet myself that he was destined to make a right turn at the next intersection and would plan on passing me. Yup, he was being an ass and was planning to gun it, then swerve into my lane. Which he did, but it was BEHIND me. Nice little drag race. I hate jerks.