Well...I tried

TL

tlmgcamp1

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Jul 16, 2016
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Doing weekend chores put me on the interstate for a short bit. While on the accel lane a TT went by and I noticed that one of the rear manual stabilizer jack was partially deployed and 6 to 8 inches closer to the ground than it should have been. Realizing that maneuvering a slope change could damage the low hanging jack, I got in front, put my 4-way flashers on and stuck my hand out the window pointing him to the shoulder. No reaction. I moved to the slow lane and let him pass. The passenger looked at me as I pointed to the trailer. Again, no reaction.

They say ignorance is bliss so I guess those are some very blissful folks.
 
Many people today are just in their own little bubbles. No care for anything or anyone around them.

A while back, I had someone looking at me in a threatening manner because I was pointing to a low air, almost flat tire in a utility trailer they were pulling. I think they thought I was making rude gestures at them, as if a case of road rage or something 🙄
 
uchu said:
Many people today are just in their own little bubbles. No care for anything or anyone around them.
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There is nothing new about that. I have had similar experiences several times over the years. The earliest that I recall was on I80, west of Laramie, WY. I passed a truck towing a fifth wheel that had a bike rack on the rear and one bike was loose to the point that it had a wheel dragging on the highway. (I was driving my company vehicle.) I pulled alongside of them in the left lane and matched my speed to try and let them know. My efforts were rewarded by a middle finger, so I just accelerated and went on down the road. That must have been in the late 1970's or early 1980's.
 
July 4, 2025 we were on US 20 in Iowa heading East. A couple cars passed me, both waving at me. MY FIRST REACTION was road rage. I couldn't figure out what I'd done to piss them off. So, I slowed down a bit and let them pass, hoping they'd not start waving a Lugar out the window at me!

Then the 3rd one came up, got beside me and gave me the motion to roll down my window. By now, I was driving considerably slower because of the first to "threats" that attempted to flag me down. I rolled down the window and the passenger yelled at me .... FLAT TIRE! and pointed at the trailer.

THEN I didn't hesitate, I hit the brakes ... FAST!

Why did they ignore you? It's because we are all so conditioned to the REAL threat of Road Rage that folks, even if they are in danger, are going to ignore you because the last thing they want is a gun waving at them!

However, after the 3rd flag-down, I realized what they were attempting to do to actually help me out. But ... how do you tell the difference between RAGE and HELP these days? .... especially at 65 mph?
 
DutchmenSport said:
July 4, 2025 we were on US 20 in Iowa heading East. A couple cars passed me, both waving at me. MY FIRST REACTION was road rage. I couldn't figure out what I'd done to piss them off. So, I slowed down a bit and let them pass, hoping they'd not start waving a Lugar out the window at me!

Then the 3rd one came up, got beside me and gave me the motion to roll down my window. By now, I was driving considerably slower because of the first to "threats" that attempted to flag me down. I rolled down the window and the passenger yelled at me .... FLAT TIRE! and pointed at the trailer.

THEN I didn't hesitate, I hit the brakes ... FAST!

Why did they ignore you? It's because we are all so conditioned to the REAL threat of Road Rage that folks, even if they are in danger, are going to ignore you because the last thing they want is a gun waving at them!

However, after the 3rd flag-down, I realized what they were attempting to do to actually help me out. But ... how do you tell the difference between RAGE and HELP these days? .... especially at 65 mph?
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So you were double lucky:

1. No damage from the tire self-destructing.
2. You found 3 considerate people in one day. I am in NJ and lucky to find one every few months.
 
Seems inevitable now you'd read a post like the following on another forum:

Minding our own business driving to the lake with our camper when some NUTJOB driving like a maniac comes zooming up on us waving his arms, pointing like a madman and flashing his lights. Probably on drugs, just thankful the dumbarse didn't hit us or anyone else.

When we got to the campground we discovered our leveling jack was broken. Some moron probably hit it at the gas station. What's this world coming to?

-TT Camper
 
I've been on both sides of this scenario. The Good Samaritan knows exactly what he is trying to signal, but to the blissfully unaware driver at the other end it's just some nutty stranger making weird gestures. Realistically, what sign language is going to convey that a tire is going flat or a bike rack failing? At best, the recipient might conclude from the frantic pointing gestures that there must be something unusual or out-of-whack and decide to stop to take a look. Not necessarily immediately, but when convenient.

I've often thought there should be some standardized signal to say "Warning - Check Your Vehicle", but never came up with a suggestion for one. It wouldn't be a panacea, but a standard signal would make it possible to advertise it, put in driver training materials, etc. Enough so that it might be recognized as a warning attempt and not some whacko.
 
tlmgcamp1 said:
So you were double lucky:

1. No damage from the tire self-destructing.
2. You found 3 considerate people in one day. I am in NJ and lucky to find one every few months.
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Hold on now.. We hail from NJ and have found our share of reasonable helpful drivers.
The problem is the population density and frustration of the crowded roads, puts people on edge. We do most of our camping along the east coast, from VA to ME. Fortunately we have only been flagged down a couple of times, by courteous drivers, alerting us to a problem.
Over the years we've been in a position to alert other drivers of a problem only a couple of times. Never had a negative reaction.

We also flash our headlights to signal the lane is clear ahead of us when being passed, by TT's trucks and RV's.

A little courtesy goes a long way...:shake hands:

Safe travels and all the best.
 
Rene T said:
That’s Joysie, right?
Click to expand...
Only if your from Noath Joysie. (New York accent) Central and South Jersey accents are more Philadelphian... ;)
Here in Central Jersey we call a car a car, New Yorkers and most New Englanders call it a Kaah.. :giggle:
And we still manage to understand each other!!! ROFLMAO

Safe travels and all the best.
 
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