Comrade Mike
Member
- Joined
- Apr 16, 2013
- Messages
- 997
I was put in a rather interesting situation yesterday night. Turned out to be nothing dangerous but it got me thinking as to what to do had the situation been more hostile.
What had happened was I was driving home with my girlfriend around midnight. On the way I got stuck behind a sedan doing about 10 miles under the speed limit. As it happened he was going the same way I was so naturally I was behind him for a while.
Fast forward about 5 blocks, and we had just crosse some train tracks and approached an intersection that I can only describe as A shaped, with one of the A struts being a Do Not Enter. It's a confusing intersection if you do not live in the area. The car's left turn signal went on and then the car stopped between the two struts of the A intersection. I found this odd and thought perhaps the driver was lost.
So I sit there for about a minute and he's still not moving so I honk. The driver, an older gentleman then opens his door and begins to approach my girlfriends car (I was driving) in what I took to be kind of an aggressive posture. As soon as the car door was opened I put the car in reverse, Just incase, and rolled the window down. Thinking he was lost I asked if I could help him.
He asked rather angrily why I had been following him so closely and what I was doing in the neighborhood. I had been following no more closely than I follow anyone else in traffic. So I told him I lived in the area and was going home. He threw a couple more angry words my way and then went about his way.
In the end nothing really to get excited about. But it did get me thinking, say someone had gotten out of the car with a bat or a firearm. How do you approach a situation where you may be in a vehicle like I was? As a soon to be Concealed carry permit holder I like to discuss things like this to determine the best ways to defuse and avoid potentially life threatening situations.
So lets start from the top. A car stops in front of you late at night, just you two on the road in the area, you're seat belted in, with another person and someone gets out of the car and beings to approach you with a weapon with hostile body language. What now?
Before we discuss this I want to make perfectly clear that I am NOT AT ALL SAYING, introducing a firearm into my situation would be a correct course of action. This is a what if circumstances had been different,not what should I have done.
If it were someone approaching my car with a blunt object and I had a clear escape path. I'd just throw it in reverse and drive off. No risk for personal injury, don't need to engage the other party in any way. Everyone goes home uninjured. I'd also have the other person get a picture or scribble down the license plate just to have some information to pass onto the police.
Now if the situation involved a firearm, I'm confused on what should be done. Cars as we know are bullet magnets, but I still believe attempting to drive off, even under fire, would be the best approach. My fear is, if you were forced out of the car, getting caught by a seat belt or a locked door. Also if you had parked the car before the person got out, you'd have stationary cover to use. If you put it in reverse anticipating a need to escape, suddenly your cover is idling away from you when you leave the car.
Being seated in a car really presents its share of difficulties.
What had happened was I was driving home with my girlfriend around midnight. On the way I got stuck behind a sedan doing about 10 miles under the speed limit. As it happened he was going the same way I was so naturally I was behind him for a while.
Fast forward about 5 blocks, and we had just crosse some train tracks and approached an intersection that I can only describe as A shaped, with one of the A struts being a Do Not Enter. It's a confusing intersection if you do not live in the area. The car's left turn signal went on and then the car stopped between the two struts of the A intersection. I found this odd and thought perhaps the driver was lost.
So I sit there for about a minute and he's still not moving so I honk. The driver, an older gentleman then opens his door and begins to approach my girlfriends car (I was driving) in what I took to be kind of an aggressive posture. As soon as the car door was opened I put the car in reverse, Just incase, and rolled the window down. Thinking he was lost I asked if I could help him.
He asked rather angrily why I had been following him so closely and what I was doing in the neighborhood. I had been following no more closely than I follow anyone else in traffic. So I told him I lived in the area and was going home. He threw a couple more angry words my way and then went about his way.
In the end nothing really to get excited about. But it did get me thinking, say someone had gotten out of the car with a bat or a firearm. How do you approach a situation where you may be in a vehicle like I was? As a soon to be Concealed carry permit holder I like to discuss things like this to determine the best ways to defuse and avoid potentially life threatening situations.
So lets start from the top. A car stops in front of you late at night, just you two on the road in the area, you're seat belted in, with another person and someone gets out of the car and beings to approach you with a weapon with hostile body language. What now?
Before we discuss this I want to make perfectly clear that I am NOT AT ALL SAYING, introducing a firearm into my situation would be a correct course of action. This is a what if circumstances had been different,not what should I have done.
If it were someone approaching my car with a blunt object and I had a clear escape path. I'd just throw it in reverse and drive off. No risk for personal injury, don't need to engage the other party in any way. Everyone goes home uninjured. I'd also have the other person get a picture or scribble down the license plate just to have some information to pass onto the police.
Now if the situation involved a firearm, I'm confused on what should be done. Cars as we know are bullet magnets, but I still believe attempting to drive off, even under fire, would be the best approach. My fear is, if you were forced out of the car, getting caught by a seat belt or a locked door. Also if you had parked the car before the person got out, you'd have stationary cover to use. If you put it in reverse anticipating a need to escape, suddenly your cover is idling away from you when you leave the car.
Being seated in a car really presents its share of difficulties.
