Road rage

[pollynova]

Have you ever been in a road rage incident? I was not too long ago. It's really shaken me up too. I didn't even know what I did wrong either. I was driving along and there wasn't much traffic. All of the sudden, there was someone behind me and he was following really close. I wasn't too worried because I know some people just do that. I turned into the store I was going to and he followed. He pulled up right behind me and I saw him jump out and I could hear him yelling and banging on the hood of my car. I locked the door and he came up to my window and was screaming his head off. He kept saying I cut him off and kept hitting my window and told me to get out of the car. Luckily, someone from the store came out and he got in his car and left.

I honestly did not see him until he pulled up right behind me. I never changed lanes or turned so I don't know when I would have cut him off. And if I had cut him off somewhere, I'm sure there are better ways to let me know than that.

Has anything like this ever happened to you? How did you deal with it?

 

[oggbashan]

I have had many incidents of irritated drivers, partly because I stick to the twenty mile per hour limit in our local town centre. I have to. I was on the committee that asked for it (I didn't, but the majority did).

Many years ago, when a fairly new driver, I annoyed someone who was behind me while my ancient, overloaded car crawled up a steep hill. The driver behind beeped his horn, flashed his headlights and almost rammed me.

At the top of the hill I had to stop at traffic lights. The driver and passenger of the car behind leapt out and ran towards my car screaming obscenities. My passengers got out and faced them. The annoyed driver and his passenger ran back to their car, did a U-turn and drove away.

Why? I was carrying eight senior heavyweight members of a local Karate team the short distance from their competition venue back to their waiting transport, and they were still in their karate suits.

If I had been carrying four Karate competitors, perhaps my car would have got up the hill faster, but even four would have been enough to deter road rage.

I enjoyed that. But now? If approached when stationary by someone irritated by my driving, I just hold up a camera, taking a video, and point to the front and rear dashcams. I have evidence of their driving.

 

[Noor]

Be very careful. If anyone follows you closely, lose them or drive to a police station.
It might have been road rage or he may have just wanted you out of the car. Assume nothing.

 

[JAMESBJOHNSON]

I ALWAYS CARRY TRUNK MONKEY

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W568dGp751Q

 

[pollynova]

I have had many incidents of irritated drivers, partly because I stick to the twenty mile per hour limit in our local town centre. I have to. I was on the committee that asked for it (I didn't, but the majority did).

Many years ago, when a fairly new driver, I annoyed someone who was behind me while my ancient, overloaded car crawled up a steep hill. The driver behind beeped his horn, flashed his headlights and almost rammed me.

At the top of the hill I had to stop at traffic lights. The driver and passenger of the car behind leapt out and ran towards my car screaming obscenities. My passengers got out and faced them. The annoyed driver and his passenger ran back to their car, did a U-turn and drove away.

Why? I was carrying eight senior heavyweight members of a local Karate team the short distance from their competition venue back to their waiting transport, and they were still in their karate suits.

If I had been carrying four Karate competitors, perhaps my car would have got up the hill faster, but even four would have been enough to deter road rage.

I enjoyed that. But now? If approached when stationary by someone irritated by my driving, I just hold up a camera, taking a video, and point to the front and rear dashcams. I have evidence of their driving.

Can I borrow those karate guys in case I see him again?

When he started banging on my car, I didn't even think to pull out my cellphone. Dashcams are a great idea but they are a little out of my price range right now.

 

[Noor]

start the car and if he gets in the way keep going.

 

[pollynova]

Be very careful. If anyone follows you closely, lose them or drive to a police station.
It might have been road rage or he may have just wanted you out of the car. Assume nothing.

I was going to a grocery store and he turned in with me. At first I just thought he was following a little close but when he pulled up behind me and blocked me, that's when I got scared.

 

[pollynova]

I ALWAYS CARRY TRUNK MONKEY

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W568dGp751Q

I want a trunk monkey!

 

[Noor]

I was going to a grocery store and he turned in with me. At first I just thought he was following a little close but when he pulled up behind me and blocked me, that's when I got scared.

Don't let anyone follow you closely. slow down in open space, if you are blocked in keep the doors locked and learn on the horn.

 

[lovetoread]

You cannot drive anywhere in Jersey without running into a road rage incident.

I think they teach it in school.

 

[pollynova]

You cannot drive anywhere in Jersey without running into a road rage incident.

I think they teach it in school.

How do you get used to it? I've been honked at and flipped off before, but this is the first time I've been actually threatened. I'm almost afraid to drive now.

 

[Noor]

just keep in mind that cars make great weapons

 

[lovetoread]

I drive a vehicle bigger than theirs.

 

[pollynova]

just keep in mind that cars make great weapons

I drive a vehicle bigger than theirs.

I have a Civic.

 

[oggbashan]

I have a Civic.

I have an ancient battered Volvo estate. If they were to block me in, my tow bar would smash into their radiator and push their car out of the way.

My dashcams would prove their aggression and my (ahem!) proportionate response...

Again, many years ago but a decade after the Karate incident, I was going down a suburban hill in my then heavy pre-war limousine. It had been much modified by a previous owner, including servo-assisted disc brakes. I was being followed too closely by a male teenager driver who was swerving violently and trying to overtake despite my speed being at the 30 mph limit.

Someone pulled out in front of me from a side road without looking. I hit the brakes hard to stop over two tons of limousine. I stopped.

The teenager behind was too close even to react. His car hit the rear bumper so hard that his engine and gear box ended up on the road. His rear axle and wheels were beyond the rear of his car. He was shaken but unhurt because everything went past underneath him.

There were many witnesses to prove he was at fault. His car was a write-off. I had another small scratch on my rear bumper.

He was prosecuted and fined for careless driving. The fine was notional, a small amount, because the magistrates took into account that he had lost his car, insured third party only, and that had been a large financial loss.

 

[pollynova]

I have an ancient battered Volvo estate.

I guess that's how you fit 9 people in your car.

 

[oggbashan]

I guess that's how you fit 9 people in your car.

Then, many decades ago, it was an Austin 16, with occasional seats on the partition between the driver and passengers. It was rated for seven passengers but there was space for another two, even if the worn engine wasn't really powerful enough.

Something like this but longer:

http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/c/ce/Austin_16HP_1945.jpg

 

[dolf]

sort of like a taxi?

 

[pollynova]

Then, many decades ago, it was an Austin 16, with occasional seats on the partition between the driver and passengers. It was rated for seven passengers but there was space for another two, even if the worn engine wasn't really powerful enough.

Something like this but longer:

http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/c/ce/Austin_16HP_1945.jpg

I love it!

 

[oggbashan]

sort of like a taxi?

Same manufacturer, Austin, but considerably larger than a contemporary London Taxi. This is the Taxi:

http://www.lvta.co.uk/pictures/sgo916.jpg

 

[dolf]

please note that i made no jokes about expecting it to be a model t

 

[oggbashan]

please note that i made no jokes about expecting it to be a model t

One of my neighbours still has his family's Model T, together with some older cars.

 

[Pookie]

I've had a few situations. One time a driver in front of me got out of his car when we were stopped at a traffic light. I was pinned in by other cars. He was screaming like crazy. I don't even know what his problem was or what I did to piss him off. The guy in the car behind me got out and told the screamer to get back in his car and move on. The guy was about twice the size of the screamer which is probably why he did as told. It was the longest red light in history.

People can really lose their shit over nothing while driving. Don't do anything to escalate things if you can.

And like Noor said, cars make great weapons. Fenders and bumpers can be fixed. The math works in your favor too - One car goes over one idiot with nothing left over.

 

[Pookie]

I ALWAYS CARRY TRUNK MONKEY

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W568dGp751Q

Right turn, Clyde.

https://youtu.be/i98QrSSHxo4

 

[Hypoxia]

Not exactly road rage, just a crew at a roadblock threatening to kill us if we didn't make a 'donation'. We got away cheap. I think there was fighting after we paid and left.