Road Rage Confrontation

[JohnKSa]

It's also for waking up someone (or interrupting his current nondriving activity) when he fails to drive after the light turns green.

Unfortunately, this (and any other use of the horn besides warning of an impending accident) CAN fall under the other use for horn I mentioned (trying to make someone mad enough to confront you).

Don't believe it?

Here are a couple of bumper stickers that make the point in a humorous fashion.

"Keep honking, I'm reloading."
"Honk if you've never seen an Uzi fired out of a car window."

Seriously, I have sometimes used the horn for the purpose you describe, but it's always with the understanding that I may be stirring up a hornet's nest. So far I've been lucky, but I've heard of serious incidents resulting from far less. You just never know what's going to push a person over the edge...

I actually had a person follow me for several miles after I pulled to the side of the road at night and flashed my high-beams at a piece of debris on the shoulder in an effort to determine what it was (a detached bumper). Evidently they were waiting to pull out onto the highway some distance ahead of me and interpreted my stop and the light flash as some sort of insult or affront. I didn't even notice them at the time--later after they followed me for some distance, I thought back over the incident and remembered that there had been a car waiting to turn onto the highway. The person followed me until I made my stop. He (with his family in the car) waited until I stopped the car and then pointed his car at mine and flashed his high-beams. Tit-for-tat, I suppose. I guess it just took him wrong...

 

[Tinker]

Tharg said:

"Women aren't nearly as often cited in road rage incidents....

but i can bet cha huge amounts of cash they are every bit as mad!!!!"

Going home last Fri, as I was coming on to a yellow light, this Caddy (piloted by a 50 year old, big haired Blonde) comes riding in on my bumper. She was so pissed that I had actually obeyed the law and stopped at the (now red) light that she sat there screaming and pointing fingers. Hands and mouth doing 100mph. I couldn't hear, but if my lip reading is up to snuff, I was getting the whole guantlet of 4 letter words. It is a long light, so I got a good 4 minutes of rear-view mirror entertainment. Of course I was cautious that psycho lady might be packing heat, so I watched carefully as I grinned. Greenn light. Well, just so happens that she , like me, was going on the interstate. When she saw my blinker, and the prospect of having to follow me up the long ramp, she went Ape---t again all the way, tailgaining, up the ramp. She gunned it at the first chance, passed flipping me the bird and cussing as she blew by. She still had that hand flopping around till she got out of sight.

God, I hope nobody has to live with that thing.

 

[Don Gwinn]

It all happened so fast it was so hard to make good choices and decisions with all this stuff going through my head.

People never want to believe that really happens. . . . you know better. Use that knowledge.



The only thing that makes yuppies more angry than stopping while the light is still yellow (I do that a lot simply because I'm very bad at estimating distances and speeds--probably the same reason I'm a lousy shot) is when you stop in the right turn lane at a red light and don't IMMEDIATELY turn right.

A couple of years ago, I stopped at a red light in Springfield, IL and didn't take off right away. I forget why, but there was a reason--somebody had gone out of turn and was in the intersection or something. The guy in the Cadillac behind me honked once, then started screaming. I stopped what I was doing and turned to watch what he was doing. He got so mad he actually pulled himself out his window and sat on the window sill with his legs inside the car, screaming and waving his arms. I'd never seen that before. I watched for a few moments, then looked forward just as the light turned green. I made my turn and took off. I didn't check, but I suspect it took him a few seconds to get back into his car and ready to go. In fact, he may have missed the green light. In any case, I never saw him again, and I was paying attention for the next few miles. I was headed out of Springfield for my 30-mile drive home into the hick sticks, so maybe he was back there and just decided it wasn't worth the boredom of following this kid. Or maybe he got a glimpse and realized that I was a LOT bigger than him.

I didn't honk at him, I didn't yell at him, and I didn't make any gestures. Looking back now, it would have probably been even better to hold out the palms and apologize, but I think not responding made a difference.

 

[SteveS]

The only thing that makes yuppies more angry than stopping while the light is still yellow (I do that a lot simply because I'm very bad at estimating distances and speeds--probably the same reason I'm a lousy shot) is when you stop in the right turn lane at a red light and don't IMMEDIATELY turn right.

The same thing happened to me last week. Some jerk-off in a POS rusty truck started laying on the horn when I didn't turn. He was probably a surgeon, on the way to the hostpital to save someone's life. I didn't want to pull out in front of someone and, besides, you don't have to turn until the light turns green. It irritated me enough that I waited until the light was green, even though I had several opportunities to go. I agree that this was very passive/aggressive and I shouldn't have done it, but I am working on it.

 

[R.H. Lee]

There are always more than ample opportunities to play road rage with a psychopath. Just this morning on the way to work some dilhop in front of me in the #1 lane did the windshield spray/wiper routine several times in a row throwing crap back at me all over the hood and windshield of my truck forcing me to use the wipers. (Why not get off the freeway and clean your windshield, doofus?). After several miles, they got off the freeway, but flipped me off and screamed as I passed) ***? If you can't see, get off the freaking road, please. Or at least move over and let traffic pass.

My SOP is not to engage road ragers at all. If they tailgate, honk, flashlights, etc., I'll pull over and let them pass. If they should stop behind me on any road, I'll continue on at a safe speed to a police station. I won't get out of the car. If they approach my vehicle, I'll drive away. If they manage to corner me and/or break a window and I can't escape, too bad for them.

 

[Zackmeister]

I feel for you. About a month ago, some nut decided I was going too slow(I was 5mph over the limit) and zoomed in front of me. He then proceeded to brake repeatedly in front of me while pointing to get over. My pop thinks he was trying to get me to hit him so he could get insurance. I came up on him a few miles later and he had run over somebody's dog. What a jerk.


I don't understand the whole "road rage" phenomenon. I guess some people are borderline psycho and it manifests itself on the road.

 

[PATH]

Road Rage is a rather ineresting phenomena. Readers Digest has a story on it a couple of years ago. People who are very decent can become raving loons behind the wheel. Some have ended up in jail after their behavior resulted in the death of others. In my state, deadly physical force may only be used when deadly physical force is being used, or is imminently about to be used against you and there is no means of retreat.

The anonymous nature of driving coupled with a feeling of power behind the wheel can precipitate horrendous incidents.

Never engage such people as they are not thinking rationally. Use your cell phone to report an incident you are in or one that you have observed. Drive to a police station or flash or honk at a passing police car. Toll takers can also be informed.

I repeat the phrase "isn't that interesting", when someone does something incredibly stupid on the road. Losing ones temper will not make the situation better. Maybe the person screaming at you just lost a loved one, a job, or something else which he held dear.

I drive as if I am on a bumper car ride and everyone is trying to hit me. I drive the limit and I get the hell out of peoples way. I leave early for events and never rush. If you carry a gun take even greater pains to avoid problems. Retreat is the best option. Words can truly never harm you!

To all my fellow THR members, happy motoring and be safe out there!

 

[jnojr]

A few weeks ago, I had an incident when I was on my way to my firearms class. When I turned left to go into the range, this guy in a big BMW driving waaay too fast nearly creamed me. From where I was turning, it wasn't a blind turn, but he popped up out of nowhere. Anyway, I drive in and park, and this yo-yo does a 180 and comes in to scream at me. I was soooo[i/] tempted to say "Uhhh... why don't you take a look at where you are, my friend?" At the pickup right next to me were two people unloading and putting away their guns, and they're giving homeboy some hard looks. And there were a few police cars in the lot... this class is at the San Diego PD range! Anyway, I just said "Sorry", and turned away from him. My .45 was locked in the trunk, but my trusty Maglite is within reach. He groused some more and took off, and I doubt he ever realized where he was and what he was doing. Talk about your morons...

 

[one45auto]

I know how you feel, my friend. I was involved in a similar confrontation when I was nineteen. A man intent on merging onto an exit ramp cut me off (narrowly missing my car, I might add) and so I followed the usual custom and flipped him the bird. The result was a four mile chase the likes of which you only see in movies. Unfortunately my four cylinder Honda wasn't built for speed and I was running low on gas, so I decided my best course of action was to make a stand and I screeched to a halt on a quiet side street. He pulled up a few yards behind me and as he climbed out of his car I retrieved my aluminum bat from the back seat and stood my ground - silently praying that he wouldn't press the confrontation any further. He was nearly twice my size and still angry, but thankfully not in the mood to wager his continued well-being on the odds that I could get in a few solid body blows before he beat the crap out of me. Just the same he had a few words to say and I let him say them. When he finished, he got back into his car and took off, giving me the finger as he did so. I was so pumped full of adrenaline and shaking that I couldn't drive, so my sister (who had gone to the store with me) had to take us home.

 

[OF]

The anonymous nature of driving coupled with a feeling of power behind the wheel can precipitate horrendous incidents.

Bingo. People who frequent internet newsgroups should be well acquainted with the mindset that precipitates road rage. The a-holes get muscles. It's their big chance to get even for all the cowering they have to do in real life.

- Gabe

 

[KaceCoyote]

Because I'm a car guy first, and a gun guy second I've studied the road range thing as much as most CCW folks practice with their weapon. Here are the 4 steps I've found to fixing the problem.

1.Drive to an area your familar with if at all possible. You'll know where the police stations, fire stations ect ect ect are.

2.Proceed to the nearest police station, if your in an unfamilar area and all you see is a fire station stop there.

3.Do not exit your vehicle, for any reason. Dont talk to them, dont roll down the windows. Your vehicle is your shield, your weapon, your escape pod and your emergency siren.

4. You have a horn, use it to get the attention of authorities. If you can find a police station or whatever, stop the vehicle in a position that allows you to keep driving. IE pull along side a parking spot, dont pull into it. You may need to move your vehicle to protect yourself. Dont put the car in park, ever. Use the phone only once you've come to a stop.


Think your up for outrunning the situation? Heres the breakdown from a LEO friend of mine, 4 reasons NOT to run.

1. You may be cited for participating in a contest of speed unless the guy appears irate. My friend tells me alot've street racers use this story.

2.Would you rather have somone bump you at 30mph, or 75mph?

3. Less likelyhood of hitting somone completely innocent.

4.Sorry guys but driving normally for 35 years doesnt count here. Unless you have actual, real deal competition experience your just gonna get yourself into more trouble. IF you have competition experience, you still got 3 other reasons not too.

I've been thinking about writing a basic primer for high performance driving in practical situations. How to avoid a road rager without breaking the speed limit and such.

 

[NHBB]

can never know what to expect in those sorts situations...

I remember being like 16, with stats close to yours.... I had some prick in the road in front of me start flicking me off and ushering me over to settle it outside the car. being a scared little teenage bastard I bolted as soon as I got the chance. not something I would do today, but everyone has been put in that kind of awkward situation at one time or another.