Road rage, a valuable lesson learned.

beeza

Silver
Nov 2, 2006
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Last night, on our way to the U2 concert in Cabarete, the traffic was gridlocked. It took half an hour to get from Banco Popular to Banco Progesso. Had I thought ahead, I would have parked up before Cabarete and taken a moto into town. However I didn't and joined the rest of the queue that was going that way.

Everyone was patiently waiting for the traffic to move, when some idiot decided to overtake the long queue and cause a further block with the traffic coming the other way. I had my window down so I put out my hand. tapped his mirror and shouted "Hey where do you think you're going?"

He slammed on his brakes. The child in the back seat went flying, he got out, slammed his door and came to my window with a very angry face on. In Spanish, he asked me what my problem was. In Spanish I asked him why he thought he was more important than everybody else waiting patiently? He replied in perfect English "Because it's my f***ing country!"

He slapped the side of my car then got into his jeep reached into his glovebox took out his gun and started waving it at me muttering something in Spanish. Drove off nearly knocking over pedestrians and motorcyclists and caused another roadblock up ahead.

The Politur were around trying (but failing) to sort out the traffic so I mentioned to him what had just happened. My girlfriend also repeated what she saw. He was not interested at all!

Well we finally got through the roadblock, to find out that it was caused by some idiot who had practically abandoned his car in the narrowest part of the street.

So I have learned a valuable lesson to keep my feelings to myself on these roads as I'm likely to get shot!

The U2 concert was excellent though and more than made up for it!:D
 

rio2003

Bronze
Aug 16, 2006
1,233
48
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Road Rage - DR style

Nasty experience beeza ...... and it goes to show how easily things can escalate to a very dangerous situation.....

About 4 years ago,while working in POP I was on my way to the airport on a coach with just the driver and two porters. The driver had pulled out from a side road by the old stadium on to the main road through to Sosua (carretera Luperon) and pulled up at the lights at Plaza Turisol. A car cut across us and a guy got out shouting and waving a pistol around in full view of everyone. I assume he thought the coach had cut him up?
We all sat very still and eventually he got back in his car and roared off but it was a terrifying experience and thank heavens we didn't have any tourists on board ......
 

cobraboy

Pro-Bono Demolition Hobbyist
Jul 24, 2004
40,964
936
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Rum, guns, traffic and short fuses don't mix.

Never poke a stick at a dog you don't know.
 

Rocky

Honorificabilitudinitatibus
Apr 4, 2002
13,993
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www.rockysbar.com
I have seen and experienced similar things, Beeza.
I'm glad you made it through, as it is a very very dangerous situation, and one wrong word or move at the wrong time, could cost you dearly, in such a situation.
I guess that developing the patience of Jobe, might be the only helpful solution.
 

bachata

Aprendiz de todo profesional de nada
Aug 18, 2007
5,341
1,246
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Last night, on our way to the U2 concert in Cabarete, the traffic was gridlocked. It took half an hour to get from Banco Popular to Banco Progesso. Had I thought ahead, I would have parked up before Cabarete and taken a moto into town. However I didn't and joined the rest of the queue that was going that way.

Everyone was patiently waiting for the traffic to move, when some idiot decided to overtake the long queue and cause a further block with the traffic coming the other way. I had my window down so I put out my hand. tapped his mirror and shouted "Hey where do you think you're going?"

He slammed on his brakes. The child in the back seat went flying, he got out, slammed his door and came to my window with a very angry face on. In Spanish, he asked me what my problem was. In Spanish I asked him why he thought he was more important than everybody else waiting patiently? He replied in perfect English "Because it's my f***ing country!"

He slapped the side of my car then got into his jeep reached into his glovebox took out his gun and started waving it at me muttering something in Spanish. Drove off nearly knocking over pedestrians and motorcyclists and caused another roadblock up ahead.

The Politur were around trying (but failing) to sort out the traffic so I mentioned to him what had just happened. My girlfriend also repeated what she saw. He was not interested at all!

Well we finally got through the roadblock, to find out that it was caused by some idiot who had practically abandoned his car in the narrowest part of the street.

So I have learned a valuable lesson to keep my feelings to myself on these roads as I'm likely to get shot!

The U2 concert was excellent though and more than made up for it!:D

you are lucky to be alive today............Congratulation.

Next time follow him.
We say this phase in the DR..... " Al pais que fueres haz lo vieres ".

JJ.
 

Chip

Platinum
Jul 25, 2007
16,772
429
0
Santiago
I see these impatient drivers here in Santiago too (just passing traffic jams in the oncoming lane, no guns). At first I had a hard time understanding it but after a while I just figured, when in Rome do as the Romans.

I do remember one particular traffic jam by the monument where some bright eyed individual decided to pass like about 300 meters of traffic only to have to try to merge when the oncoming traffic came. Of course he couldn't merge back in because all of the cars were stopped in his lane and we couldn't pass because of a curb and sidewalk on the right so we all sat there for about 10 min. completely blocking Las Carerras. When traffic finally advanced enough for him to megre in and us to pass, I rolled down my window and yelled "Get out of the street, why don't you" (in Spanish of course) and the guy shoots back with a big smile, "just drive up on the sidewalk"!
 

elton

My thread snapped!
Jul 1, 2008
93
2
0
I still like to follow traffic rules like stopping at lights ,wearing seat belts and indicating, even if noone else does - call me old fashioned (theres some shocking expat driving here as well as Dominican driving )- my father was a driving instructor
 

Celt202

Gold
May 22, 2004
9,099
944
113
I got caught in a traffic jam during the final rally for Miguel Vargas' campaign for the presidency. I was going eastbound on the Malec?n in Santo Domingo and there was obviously going to be a problem at Lincoln so I took a left at Inmigraci?n and went north to Independencia. As I approached Lincoln I realized it was the Vargas rally so I took a left at the Chinese restaurant just before Lincoln and decided to get cute and take the back roads to Jos? Contreras. :hurt:

I took a right and got swallowed up in the gridlock because a sea of humanity was flooding down Lincoln. Over an hour I was able to make a right onto Lincoln, go south a block, make a u-turn and go back up a block to the lane that feeds into Jos? Contreras to the east of Lincoln. Traffic was stuck there, even though I was beyond the Vargas crowd. The westbound traffic on Contreras was stuck because of the crowd and we who were the eastbound traffic wannabes were stuck because the all the lanes on Contreras were completely jammed by people who wanted to go west.

There was no road rage. It was a great opportunity to observe Dominicans in a situation that defies North American logic. The people stuck in the jam were not happy but endured. I got a good laugh when a helicopter flew over and dropped PLD fliers.

After about an hour and a half or two hours traffic started to sort out. An extraordinary thing happened. As the desfile descending Lincoln started to peter out the westbound traffic started to move in fits and starts. All the lanes were still jammed by people trying to go west and several men started directing traffic on their own account. Vehicle by vehicle they would would direct a westbound car into the right lane and and direct an eastbound vehicle to advance one car length. These were not AMET, they were the kind of guys who offer to watch your car or wash it if you park in the Colonial Zone.

The whole process took about a half hour and they advanced the eastbound lane step by step and did not ask anybody for tips. It was an incredible spontaneous phenomenon. One guy had a big stick. If you were walking down the street and saw this guy coming you'd consider crossing the street.

When you live in Santo Domingo you can see some really ugly things. You also see things like these guys sorting out traffic that make you shake your head and think, "How do I explain something like this to my brother in Arlington, Texas." What an amazing country.
 

MikeFisher

The Fisherman/Weather Mod
Feb 28, 2006
13,766
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Punta Cana/DR
www.mikefisher.fun
you had a lucky day Beeza,
some 'frias', whiskey 'nrock'n roll on the 15th/30th, wifey at home in a bad mood or the driving big 'chulo' with a new girl(anyways not his, just a 'bola') on his side in his jeepeta or Civicito can cost you a lot just for some words or signs, even you've been absolutely right of course, but that wouldn't matter after he 'not just shows the gun'. i can usually not keep my mouth shut and by instinct show the neded finger fast, traffic jams with the right away occuring above described behavior we have here every morning at the crossing of Veron when all the higuey-SH's bring their not-payed jeepetas down to bavaro to work, like all the road been built just for them, those situations are sorrily not rare, and they can end bad.
the best is to stay or at least play the innocent and don't mess with them.
late afternoons ahead and over the weekends specially those guys are the hot ones for several reasons, they don't think first before they do something which could not be changed back later.
Mike
 

zoomzx11

Gold
Jan 21, 2006
8,367
842
113
dangerous

I would think that if you wave a pistol an another person who is ,unknown to you also armed, you could be legally shot in self defense. I know, I know ,this aint Kansas and these people are not thinking clearly. In Miami this happens alot as everyone is armed and you often read about the road rage gunfights. Hard to do and easy to say but its best to just let those whirling dirvishes whirl. When I drive here which is a lot I try and tell myself that I will not react to any kind of behavior no matter how extreme. I have found that if you have some sort of plan you will avoid doing some dumb spur of the moment thing. Driving is an insane fashion is the norm and there's lots of guns combined with alcohol.
 

Rocky

Honorificabilitudinitatibus
Apr 4, 2002
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I would think that if you wave a pistol an another person who is ,unknown to you also armed, you could be legally shot in self defense.
It wouldn't matter a lick.
You're involved in a gunfight and if the law doesn't kick your butt, the family and friends of the person you shoot, sure as heck will "take care of you".
 

ExtremeR

Silver
Mar 22, 2006
3,078
328
0
They stop if you are armed too, that's why people need to be armed in this day (a nasty reality but a reality), once they see you aren't naked they will just try to turn off the flames.
 

Celt202

Gold
May 22, 2004
9,099
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Celt, I too got caught in that mess, only I was in the heart of it, on Roberto Patoriza and Lope de Vega(where Lincoln and Lope de Vega join together)

Thank goodness the tiger market is RIGHT THERE in the intersection, and their freezers work great!!

When someone gives you lemons, make lemonade!

I passed that intersection by the Tiger Market several times in the week before and saw the preparations in the little park. It didn't register what it was for and I didn't check online about the route of the rally.

'Gone troppo' can sometimes cost you. :surprised

Australian slang dictionary
 

ExtremeR

Silver
Mar 22, 2006
3,078
328
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I was caught in that parade too, Malecon going westbound, and people seeing my mad face yelling "comesolo te vamos a quitar el 16" to me, that gave me something to smile. Spent 1 hour and a half and 2 gallons of gas stuck in there.

There were rumors that they blocked several streets and avenues with trucks so it will be more packed for the pictures taken by the helicopters.
 

beeza

Silver
Nov 2, 2006
3,479
731
113
I too have a gun, but I think it would only have made things worse if I had it and got it out. I use mine purely for self defence and certainly not for threatening people. I only usually have it in the car when going over the mountains to Santiago as I have heard stories of car jacking and fake roadblocks by people pretending to be police.

What gets me is the absolute disinterest by the Politur. There is an armed idiot driving towards the oncoming traffic, overtaking a queue of crawling vehicles, causing havoc, and they do nothing! It wasn't just me who reported it, the taxi driver behind me also mentioned it.

What exactly is Politur's job?
 

ExtremeR

Silver
Mar 22, 2006
3,078
328
0
I understand you completely, but I bet to you that if that animal knew that you were armed before, he wouldn't come out of his car as a lion and start yelling and threatening you, he just assumed that you were a harmless and unarmed gringo and took the opportunity para privar en hombre.

Politur job lately is to collect checks and spend gas on their jeeps, eso nunca ha servido para nada.
 

rio2003

Bronze
Aug 16, 2006
1,233
48
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What exactly is Politur's job?

Rocky - quote.....They don't have an actual job description, but they are taught that it matters not what they do, as long as they look good doing it.


Folowing on from that - if anything should happen to me, an independent "tourist" i.e.without the services of a holiday representative, and I need police assistance on one of my visits ....
....... do I go to Politur or the "normal" police?
:ermm:

Rio