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Related: Editorials & Other Articles, Issue Forums, Alliance Forums, Region ForumsRoad rage
I just got handed some extreme road rage. I pulled out of a parking lot turning right and someone behind me started honking and screaming. She was at least ten feet behind me, but kept honking and screaming for about 1/4 mile. I checked my rear view mirror and she was gesturing with both arms. Thinking something was wrong with my car, I pulled over to the shoulder. I got out to check the trunk to make sure it was closed. She followed, stopped behind me and yelled 'F you, m-fer!' and 'Get out of my town!' I said I thought she was yelling because there was something wrong with my car. She kept screaming things like 'I'm a native of this town, I am f-ing sick of foreign drivers!' I said 'have a nice day' got back in and drove off. That was weird!
What are some interesting experiences with road rage you all have had?
doc03
(35,148 posts)like that the other driver may have felt threatened and shot you. Yes it happened to me
a couple weeks ago, I am pulling up to a red light and put on my brakes to stop before making a right hand turn. As soon as I hit my brakes the guy behind me just laid on his horn. Since I was in Florida at the time and nearly every intersection has a camera I made sure I came to a complete stop all the while the guy behind me was going crazy. Like I said if you don't keep your cool and actually confront someone like that he could feel threatened and shoot you and get off on SYG. That is one fucked up law and they say it has zero percent chance of being repealed.
Mariana
(14,849 posts)some of the real crazies are deliberately trying to provoke people so as to create situations that will give them an excuse to shoot someone legally.
doc03
(35,148 posts)that would do the same if there was SYG.
Sarah Ibarruri
(21,043 posts)Erich Bloodaxe BSN
(14,733 posts)a couple of years ago. I pulled out of a light, and suddenly realized I had to switch lanes to avoid a city truck that had pulled around the corner as the light changed and just parked in the street. Checked my mirror quickly, thought I was far enough ahead of everyone else that if I accelerated as I switched, I'd be fine. Did so, got around the truck, back in my original lane and continued at speed, since I was already running late.
Suddenly this little silver car zoomed by me, and I thought, 'Man is he in a hurry!' Except he then jumped into my lane ahead of me and slammed on his brakes. I barely managed to avoid slamming into the back end of his car, and started to switch lanes, assuming I must have cut him off without realizing it, and that he was giving me a bit of payback. Except he kept swerving all over the road in front of me, blocking me and slamming his brakes randomly. At this point, I was beginning to think he was some psycho and I was going to be carjacked, so I hit my blinker to go down a side road, and when he went around the corner first, I kept going straight.
Briefly thought that would be the end of it, but damned if he didn't show up again behind me, and stay glued to my tail for the next 4 miles or so until I got stopped at a light. At which point he popped out of his car, stomped up to me, and started pounding on my window and screaming at me, saying that I'd 'run him off the road'. I was surprised, and kept saying, 'I'm sorry, I didn't know, I didn't even see you til you pulled in front of me and started acting like a maniac', to which he kept screaming 'bullshit', and saying I'd obviously done it on purpose, then sped off.
The light changed again, so I took off, and damned if he didn't get in his car and start following me again. I was almost to the interstate at this point, and there was no way I was going to play tag with him at 65 miles an hour, so I pulled over to the side before the onramp, where I hoped there were enough witnesses to keep him from getting violent. He kept going, although I don't know if traffic behind him is why, but I then pulled into a pharmacy on the other side of the interstate and called the cops, who said they couldn't do squat because I hadn't thought to get a license plate number.
My heart was trying to hammer its way out of my chest for several hours, I felt lousy the rest of the day, and had a hard time getting to sleep. Woke up in the middle of the night with chest discomfort, and a bloated tingling feeling. Decided not to take any chances, and went out to the ER, where they started me on all sorts of 'is it a heart attack' tests.
It wasn't, but I was dehydrated, and had coincidentally managed to catch some sort of bug that was going around that same day, and found out I had high blood pressure to boot. I was lucky as hell that I was still in school at that point, and thus had pretty decent health insurance, because without it, those 3 days would have had me having to sell my house to pay my hospital bill.
Oh, and I was paranoid for months that I'd run into that psycho again. I'm just glad he didn't have a gun with him, or I'd probably have been dead.
doc03
(35,148 posts)when this semi tried to pin me between him and a concrete median. I don't know what I did to piss him off if anything. I got his license number and pulled off at the Ohio Highway Patrol office and gave them his number, I was told there was nothing they could do unless they witnessed the incident. Just your word against his and I had my mother with me as a witness.
VScott
(774 posts)and the one above, makes me think more of buying a dash cam.
Semi decent ones are well under $100.00
doc03
(35,148 posts)VScott
(774 posts)But the primary reason for having one installed is insurance fraud...
https://www.youtube.com/results?search_query=russian%20dash%20cam%20fraud&sm=12
tblue37
(64,982 posts)by a car after taking a dive in the crosswalk. I bet that one actually died from it.
VScott
(774 posts)But then he sat up like Wile E. Coyote after having a boulder dropped on him.
NaturalHigh
(12,778 posts)lovemydog
(11,833 posts)What a lousy incident. Glad you recovered!
Niceguy1
(2,467 posts)Had a lady in a prius behind me go ballistic when I stopped at a crosswalk for a pedestrian on a freeway on ramp. It continues on the freeway with honking, flashing headlights, tailgating and swerving in the lane behind me.
there was a lot of traffic and she almost crashed into someone in the other lane to get past me. Driving a safe steady speed in one lane I was able to get past her when pissed her off we even more lol.
lovemydog
(11,833 posts)It's one reason I don't live there any more. I especially hate it when someone wants you to hurry - not knowing that there's a pedestrian or bicycle in front of you!
notadmblnd
(23,720 posts)That it will take a car driving 60mph approximately 100 yards to stop? That's 300 feet. A car going 20 mph will take 44 feet to stop when the brake is applied. I don't know how fast the car coming at you was going but pulling out on the road when there is a car coming at you and is only 10 feet away, is suicidal.
All I'm going to say, is shame on you.
doc03
(35,148 posts)car ten feet away. It says she was being followed at ten feet by the person after she pulled out.
notadmblnd
(23,720 posts)did I misread it, or did you?
doc03
(35,148 posts)for at least a 1/4 mile after the incident. Not that they pulled out when the other car was 10 feet away.
notadmblnd
(23,720 posts)I took it to mean the opposite.
doc03
(35,148 posts)kind of pissed off too but I didn't read the post that way myself.
doc03
(35,148 posts)and due to the ashes on the road from all the snow we had I lost traction and almost got
T-boned from a car coming arouind the turn. I imagine the person that almost hit me was pissed too but there was nothing I could have done.
notadmblnd
(23,720 posts)guy in a pickup carrying a fridge or freezer on the back barreled through a red light while I was in the middle of a 3 way intersection. He slammed into me, pushed me aside up on to the lawn of the local Krogers and kept going through the parking lot til his front wheel fell off. They never caught hm that day, he abandoned his truck and ran on foot (probably to avoid being arrested for a DUI). I got a letter the other day from the insurance co. telling me that they were closing my claim as they were unable to recover anything from the guy.
But what struck me most about the incident is how this human being could have cared less who life it was he could have taken that day.
lovemydog
(11,833 posts)I hope you're doing okay. It does sound like that jerk was drunk. Awful.
notadmblnd
(23,720 posts)and landed in the street, but not a scratch on me. It was a huge crash, people ran out of buildings and everything to see if I was alright. I jumped out of my car and was running down the side walk trying to see if I could get the guys plate number. The people thought I was injured and disoriented.
lovemydog
(11,833 posts)Have a good weekend!
notadmblnd
(23,720 posts)kcr
(15,300 posts)that the OP means they were being followed 10 feet behind since they're talking about a road rage incident. It wouldn't be a mystery if they pulled out ten feet in front of someone.
lovemydog
(11,833 posts)It was a slow area where the speed limit is 25. She wasn't anywhere near me when I pulled out. I clearly had the right of way.
doc03
(35,148 posts)that you wouldn't have been surprised they were pissed off. I posted the incident above that happened to me in Florida a few days ago and I had people taking the road rage persons side because I had the audacity to actually obey the law and stop at a red light before making a right hand turn. Maybe they are the type that lay on the horn if you get in their way.
B Calm
(28,762 posts)I'm a very careful driver.
icymist
(15,888 posts)But posting rage seems to happen a lot here.
notadmblnd
(23,720 posts)I think that there are a few people who have dedicated their lives to being angry about whatever they can find to be angry about. They just spend their days looking for something to rage on.
Personally, I don't like feeling like my head is about to explode.
lovemydog
(11,833 posts)ecstatic
(32,567 posts)I was on a narrow two lane street and an approaching car stopped and put his brights on, blinding me. Without thinking, I automatically returned the favor. Maybe the person thought I already had mine on, but I didn't. Needless to say, I was checking my rearview mirror all the way home.
lovemydog
(11,833 posts)That always hurts my eyes!
Riftaxe
(2,693 posts)was 4 am on the lower deck in Boston, 18 wheeler thought it would be fun to high beam me...Mr state trooper who i assume he did not see in time was not amused...
B Calm
(28,762 posts)You stare at them on and off all night long and your eyes get very tired, to the point it makes you a hazard to other drivers. Thought about taking my high intensity green dot laser with me to get their fucking attention, but that's probably a bad idea.
Skittles
(152,967 posts)that's not road rage, that is racist rage
lovemydog
(11,833 posts)Very astute observation.
Skittles
(152,967 posts)lots of nutcases out there
lovemydog
(11,833 posts)I've been thinking the same. Have a good weekend.
undeterred
(34,658 posts)flvegan
(64,389 posts)If all said is true, "What you are, is a fucking idiot with anger issues. Please seek help. And don't breed." My response.
Riftaxe
(2,693 posts)NutmegYankee
(16,178 posts)It's almost as twisted as God bless America.
sufrommich
(22,871 posts)would drive directly to the police department. I had to do this many moons ago when a man started following me late at night and I was alone. I could not shake him until I got to my hometown and drove to the police department.