Men laughing when driving past

[Sweetpie97]

When I’m driving I keep seeing men laughing as they pass me in their cars. It’s making me really paranoid. Sometimes I just look over at the oncoming cars and it’s men mainly on their own laughing. How can I get over this as it’s effecting mt confidence. My driving is fine and it’s not my car that would make someone laugh.

😆 😆

You need to see a GP op. I doubt they have even noticed you…

Is this an Alan Partridge thing where you’ve got shit piss cock graffitied on your car?

If you're driving a sporty car, it will be their insecurities. You say its not your car, that's the issue though 🤷

Shouldn't your eyes be on the road?

You sound anxious and perhaps a little paranoid as well. Have you a history of anxiety at all?

You’re being extremely paranoid. Men are not laughing at you.

Do you have any other experiences that others might perceive as unusual, @OP? Hearing or seeing voices or objects that others dont think are there? Distrust in people you used to trust?

It might be that you need to speak to your GP about these thoughts to see if there is anything that can be done to support you.

I tend to keep my eyes on the road rather than nosing into other people's cars to get a temperature check on their mood.

Most people are so absorbed in their own lives, they likely don't even notice you in the car. Their looking in your direction because they're watching the road (as they should) and cars around them. The laughing has nothing to do with you. People laugh, sing, stare, all sorts, while driving. Speak to your doctor about getting booked in for therapy. It might help.

I mean this genuinely - are you okay in other ways or might you be unwell? It's a very strange thing to be noticing and extremely unlikely to be really happening so sounds more like a symptom of something. Also don't drive until you're feeling better because it sounds dangerously distracting. I don't even see other drivers enough to notice if they're male or female or whatever they're up to as I'm concentrating on my driving.

This. If you are looking at them long enough through two, often reflective, windscreens, to see whether they are laughing at you or not you are a danger to yourself and other drivers.

Spotlight effect.

I'd say that it actually is easy to see the expressions on other driver's faces, especially if you're someone who checks blind spots as someone overtakes. It only takes a glance.

Yeah I can see expressions too. once when I was learning to drive manual I’m sure someone laughed at me once as I was hopeless 😂

more often I see people smile or nod/wave to let me in or to thank me for giving them way too.

They're not laughing at you.

My husband usually listens to Cabin Pressure or similar in the car so is often laughing.

We all tend to have a sixth sense, we sense when someone is looking at us and look back.

This sounds like a classic example of confirmation bias: you're interpreting others behaviour to validate what you believe to be true.

I realise that PPs have given examples of how they have experienced (fucking awful) repeated behaviour towards them, but honestly when you're driving how is anyone seeing you for long enough to process what you look like or how you're behaving, make a judgement, and convey that judgement in their behaviour? And if you're looking at them long enough for that process to happen, then are they maybe just responding to what they perceive to you being the problem in that you're staring at them?

Stop looking. Don't have them on your radar. At all. Ever.

Who gives a fcuk what a random bloke thinks? He's probably scratching his bollocks and picking his nose anyway. Basic. Too basic for you to stress about.

Sorry but this - if they are laughing, you have no idea what they might be laughing about. And if you are driving your eyes should be on the road and not on passing drivers! If this is impacting on you so severely, then perhaps counselling / therapy might help?

When I'm cycling I always check over my shoulder as the car passes. As my position on a bike is much higher I don't so much see their expressions, but what they have on their laps. Usually a mobile phone with an open txt conversation, or a half eaten sandwich. Especially during morning rush hour!