Blasted Out by a Lexus

The following comment was sent to me for posting...

Is it too much to ask of drivers to turn down their back speakers? I
have been both a driver and a rider, and as a driver I would NEVER blast anyone out with my radio. I have never had anyone resent being in my car, because I try to show them a little courtesy. It's a mutual situation, we're helping each other, and all the rider asks is a peaceful ride to work or home.
As a rider, I would gladly sit without a word if I could have the same courtesy. Instead, I am routinely assaulted by people's radio noise--wailing music, hyper announcers, yelling commercials, whatever--at the top decibel. Usually I just put up with it, but twice recently I have gotten into a car and up went the radio to an uncomfortably high level. Each time the driver was a woman, and when I asked gently if they had the ability to turn down the back
speakers, which I know they did, they each became hostile and turned
the noise UP, rather than down. One gave me a lecture on how important she was and how nobody messes with her. Is that necessary? I was asking no more of them than I would ask of myself. I wasn't making a negative comment about their taste in radio. I just happen to have very acute hearing (maybe because I have not blasted myself out all these years), and it is literally painful to endure that volume level, regardless of the programming. Even with earplugs it was almost unbearable. I'm not asking them to turn it off, just down. I don't understand why that is taken as an insult by these drivers. Why don't they stay in the slow lane if they have to have high-volume surround sound on the way to work. On the bright side, the other
night, BEFORE I got in a car I tried asking the gentleman at the wheel if he had the ability to mute his back speakers. He laughed and said no but he wouldn't mind turning down the radio if I didn't mind no a/c. Fine by me. I really appreciated his understanding, and I suppose I had some negotiating room since I had not yet entered the car. It's too bad that common courtesy has to be negotiated. I think the following should be added to the rules of etiquette: "Drivers, turn off your back speakers." Otherwise, the "Slugs
don't talk" rule is entirely unfair.

quote:

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Why don't they stay in the slow lane if they have to have high-volume surround sound on the way to work.

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That was funny! I feel for this guy. I'm a bit worried myself if I play my music loud. But if I lower it too much then I can't hear it. I would really appreciate it if my slugs tell me to turn down the volume because I do care for their comfort.

This topic is one of my worst fears as a driver.

I had one slug one time go one step further and ask me to mute the bass (lower) frequencies of the radio!! At first I complied slightly. I DO have a factory installed sub woofer in the back of my car, so I turned it down halfway, thinking he might have had a headache or something. He pretty much asked me to turn it down the whole way and I'm thinkin', you've gotta be kidding me!! Have you ever listened to the radio with only high and mid frequencies coming out of the speakers? If you have, you probably called it AM radio. I wasn't about to be annoyed by that noise the whole way home, esp. in my own car!! I just looked at him in the rearview mirror for a while and switched off the radio. I tried to meet him halfway, but there really is no pleasing some people.

I usually try and make my car as comfortable as possible. I always fade the the sound a few notches out of the rear speakers (so it's still coming out of the rear speakers a little). But to have them just in the front, I have to turn it up louder to hear it, then it would annoy the front passenger. But I did have one woman within seconds of getting in the car as me if I could turn it down. It wasn't even that loud (I could just barely hear it, which is where I try to keep it). The same woman a few days later got in my car and said it was stuffy and asked me to turn down the heat. I did but with an annoyed "Fine!". Both times I complied, but after that decided that I would not comply to HER if she got in my car again. But she would always walk past my car after that.

It's a give and take with both parties. As drivers, we do have a responsability to make sure the slugs are somewhat comfortable, but not at the sake of making ourselves uncomfortable (they are guests in our cars after all). When I want to listen to a CD, I make for sure it's not too loud. And I NEVER listen to something that they might find offensive (or think is offensive because they can't understand the words). But I've gotten in cars where the driver has played really obscene gansta rap (he had his significant other with him as the other passenger). Temperature should be taken into consideration by the slugs. If it's chilly outside, don't think that the driver will have the heat blasting just because you did in your car. I tend to keep cool air coming through pretty much until the outside temp drops below 50 (60s outside can still make inside the car stuffy with 3 people).

But I find that those who are pushy are few and far between. Just because I hear the occasional sigh from the back seat, rarely means their upset with me about something. I always get a cheery, "Thanks so much, have a great day!" when they get out.

"My therapist says you're always making withdrawls from my Self-Esteem account to fill your Ego Balloon!" Gabe - Penny-Arcade.com