Why are people so aggressive?

[stickynote]

DH and I took all three kids to a large out of town shop this morning. Coming out, we had to cross four lanes to get to the car park, using a zebra crossing. DH and ds (aged 5) were walking holding hands ahead of me and the dd's and had crossed two lanes already when a car came zooming along in the third lane and nearly hit dh and ds (it literally had to screetch to a halt). DH said "careful mate, we're on a zebra crossing", to which the driver replied "Do you want a punch in the mouth?" DH said nothing and the car zoomed off.

I've replayed this incident again and again in my head and am just so upset by the hostility and aggression shown by people nowadays over the most basic things. I've not been back in the UK for long after 5.5 years abroad in Sleepyville and incidents like this really make me feel we've lost our basic courtesies towards each other .

Or am I talking rubbish?

BTW, driver of car was a bloke in his 50's with wife/partner next to him, driving a Saab.

you're right but I don't think there's much we can do about it. A colleague of mine was in slow traffic and passed a woman who was changing her baby on the boot of her car and she dropped the nappy - minus nappy sack - into the gutter - so he popped his head out of the window and said 'don't you think you should take that home with you?' she told him to FO - what can you do?

This is getting more an dmore common, sticky, I was driving around a roundabout I didn't know where I was going and got in the wrong lane. when I tried to change, signals and everything, loads of time. the older guy in the car behind me sounded his horn flipped me off and generally shouted abuse at me. I had to stop the car as soon as possible becuase h upset me that meuch.

Ps I've been driving for 19 years

Couldn't agree more. People never admit to being wrong these days and as for an apology..

I was crossing a one way road last week with my 3 children when a car came towards us going the wrong way. As it was near the junction the car stopped and I shouted at the young male driver. After he had removed his headphones he opened the door and gave me a mouthful (shocking my 2 eldest). Then we heard "please step out of the car sir" - a community policeman had seen it all! I shudder to think what could have happened had a car been turning in to the road at the same time. Needless to say, we now cross further along.

You are definitely not talking rubbish and I'm glad that none of you were hurt.

Yoyo - good I hope he got what was comming to him

want to hear my rude woman story - still upsets me to this day and it happened months ago. I pulled into the supermarket car park. I opened the door for dd1 (age 4) to get out. The space was tight and the door touched the car next to me, I was conscious of this and made sure it was very gentle, didn't bang the car or anything; went round the other side to get dd2 (age 2) out, walked all of about 5 metres to get a trolley, put both girls in it (their safety being my priority, it being a car park.) Next thing I heard dd2's car door slam shut, a bit shocked I turned round to see a 50 year old woman leap out of the car that was next to me, opening her door with such force that it dented mine and then run away! I was stunned, shouted "excuse me you just dented my car" but off she ran. I confronted her in the supermarket and for the first time ever in my life had a row in a supermarket - it was AWFUL. She said I'd trapped her in her car for 10 minutes. I said that I was very sorry but I hadn't realised she was in the car, and asked her why she hadn't just wound her window down and said excuse me (if she had, I would have been very embarrassed and apologetic about my car door and shut it immediately). She then said she hadn't got time for this and told me I needed to see a psychiatrist. I cried for ages afterwards. I'm shaking now at the telling of it. Having siad all that I have to tell you about the lovely girl at the insurance company. When I said that most people would have just said excuse me she said - no, if it was me, and I could see you had two kids, I would have just waited...so there are some nice people out there!

Glad it's not just me IYKWIM but very sorry to hear your stories. These kind of encounters really get me down - Hatter, I'm not surprised you're still upset about yours.

my mum was giving ds and myself a lift one day when he was just a little baby and as she just reached a crossing (bearing in mind she never drives fast or in a dangerous manner) two girls and a baby had just reached it at the same time. without waiting for anyone to stop they just jumped off the pavement...it was too late for my mum to stop and as they had only just stepped off the pavement she went round them. she wasnt anywhere near them and they were not in any danger but she didnt slam the brakes on for fear of hurting my son. she then got a mouth full of abuse and was called a stupid bitch by the one girl! now why couldnt they have waited for her to go past and the next car would have stopped?

she also got reversed into one day when she was stationary and then the other driver got out and threatened to punch our heads in with three of his friends...nice.