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"!
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