Why are people so so impatient

[Seenandheard]

I just got beeped for letting two cars out in a slow moving queue instead of one. The cars in front of me hadn't let anyone out so I figured why not be generous. The feeder road was also v v busy. But I hardly sat and let 10 cars out. And the person behind me beeping as car no. 2 went out...it makes me see red. How can you go through life being such an absolute tosser?! Because really, I delayed their journey by 3 seconds. maybe 5. They need to really ask themselves what they have lost in those precious few seconds.

Similar happened in a queue to the science museum in London recently. The family in front stopped at the entrance to take a photo. We waited for them. I'd say 5-7 seconds. The woman behind us starts huffing "can we move please". I mean, did she need that extra 7 seconds in the building? She could have made up that time by walking a bit faster once we all got in.

I just think people are in the mindset of DO NOT DELAY ME FOR A NANOSECOND and don't even stop to think how delayed they have been. Totally irrational. And yes, I too am in a mad impatient stressed rush sometimes ....but at I maintain perspective.

I just hate this behaviour. It makes me SO cross. And I had to rant.

Holy fuck, the hand wringing and pearl clutching on this thread 😂

Good for you OP. You deserve that rant. Society is a cesspit of "it's not fair" screaming, adult-sized toddlers.
Don't look them in the eye, lest they devour your soul for breakfast.

YANBU. I cant stand being in a car with an impatient driver who's apoplectic because someone in front deigns to let a car or, shock horror, 2..! out of a side road. An ex of mine used to feel proud at not letting ANYONE out at all. Ever. & he'd bore me shitless by talking about it. & he's by far not the only person I know like that. I just see impatient drivers as dense and dangerous.

I let People in all the time. As a pp said, it creates v little impact to let one in and I previously argued it encourages traffic flow- sort of like the zipper mentioned up thread.

But letting 2 cars is different. And discourages traffic.

Hour ex is just a plonker.

If satnav instructions displayed “the thoughts of other car drivers”…

“I’m late for work – YOU in that blue ford escort DO NOT be courteous to anyone joining from the slip road”

“YOU – in that black audi – JUST RUN THE FUCKING CYCLIST OVER – I’ve got places to go and people to see”

“SERIOUSLY – you, in that red hyundai, you don’t own the road – just GET OUT OF MY WAY, this is MY lane”

“I’m having a bad day – YOU in that red merc DO NOT even think about slo…. FUCK YOU YOU FUCKING FUCKER why did you just FUCKING DO THAT?
NOW I’M GOING TO BE 3 FUCKING SECONDS LATE FOR MY YONI MASSAGE WITH BRIAN FROM HULL”

She had a meeting to get to. Which part of that is difficult to understand.

It was 90 seconds....

No wonder so many people have high blood pressure & high stress levels in this country! 😆

On the way to my wedding last year I got stuck in very bad traffic and the car in front kept letting every single car go in front of it (way more than 2 though). We almost missed the ceremony slot.

On that (very rare) occasion we were the angry car🙈

Hahaha don't worry, the reaction on this thread just illiterates the majority of the impatient and self centered drivers out on the road! In your situation, after being beeped at I would have made a point of letting a third car out 😂 you can bet every single person who is irritated to be kept waiting, would also be thanking the kind driver who let them out if the situation were reversed 🤷‍♀️

Illustrates *

You sound very self righteous, OP. You thought you were doing a nice thing but when everyone tells you that you've messed up the traffic flow, you are getting defensive.

I get you OP, you're trying to show consideration to other road users, it would be just as kind to show consideration to the road users behind you though wouldn't it?

🙄

You’re misunderstanding what I said. OP letting in two cars rather than one is similarly irritating to the other scenario. I wasn’t suggesting that no cars be let in, which would of course be ridiculous.

Just let one in

I would get irritated being behind you tbh especially when I'm trying to get to work

To answer your thread title question OP, It's because we've all just got way too much on. Well not all of us. I'm retired now and as patient as they come wrt traffic, tesco checkout queues, etc.. But I will never forget the years of being so utterly stressed to the eyeballs about trying to fit too much in to just not enough time. I was the person behind you freaking out because I was already late to pick my kid up because there had been a delay at the supermarket click and collect, and I was already pressed for time because of something that happened at work in the afternoon that I didn't feel I could walk out on because I'd already started late because of my other child having an appointment that morning, etc, etc.
It wasn't that I was naturally impatient, I was just deeply, deeply stressed and couldn't see a way to cancel any of the stressors in my life, so was always operating in a rush. So someone in front of me choosing to lengthen my drive by another 30 seconds was just like another kick while I was down iyswim.

So it isn't your fault at all that as a society, most of us have too much on our plates to be able to calmly accommodate a series of additional time stressors. That definitely isn't your fault. But it's an explanation for why other people find it hard to be relaxed about it.

Don't you understand that perhaps other people need to get to where they're going for a certain time? If everyone let 2 cars out it'd take forever for anyone to get anywhere.

If have let another out..

But OP was righting the wrong of the people in front who didn’t let ANY cars through.

People like OP keep the world turning.

I love this

I've also had drivers trying to let me cross a road when the lights are on green for them. No, you are not being kind, you are being annoying. I'll go when it's green for me.

It's good manners to let one person out. Not more. And you don't let extra because the car in front didn't. That's on them.

Sorry your post took too long to read. Cba. TL:Dr

But to answer your question OP, "everyone" is impatient because we are an overcrowded island and it's impossible to pop out and do things quickly because of the crowds and the ditherers (see petrol station pump thread).

Maybe they're rushing to pick up something important like medication or an inhaler ? Make a flight? An urgent doctor appointment ? See a sick relative or child? Take their sick cat to the vet's?...

Next time let one car in. I would be annoyed to if someone in front of me would let in 2 cars. Give others a chance to be good 😜

It's a slow moving queue!! No one is going anywhere in a hurry, my observation is most people waiting on a side road don't get let out.
My general rule of thumb is if a car is waiting before I arrive and I won't hugely inconvenience those behind me (ie I'll give a flash in plenty of time, and slightly slow down to creat a gap) then I let out as often as I can. Usually I wouldn't do 2 cars but in the scenario op describes it hardly makes a difference to those behind.

Blocking an entrance to take a photo - not acceptable.
Letting out 2 cars - I'd let you off.