Road rage lunatic...

redeye_uk · 23 Mar 2010 at 11:23

I had a road rage incident. Some tool in his BMW cut in front of me and slammed on his brakes (he waited till last possible second to exit motorway), so I flashed him with my lights... he was less than pleased. So much so he pulled over and let me passed, then sped up and decied to follow me. Luckily I had a mate in the car - my 2x4 which i used to prop the bonnet open with

So I decided to lead him into an industrial estate where he followed for a few minutes and then probably got spooked, backed off, turned around, and ****** off

Demon · 23 Mar 2010 at 11:24

It's the OP's type of rage that winds me up and usually has me being equally stupid.

It's the same situation where you are driving along normally and someone does something really idiotic, you beep or whatever and they then somehow get the hump and go into 'rage' mode because of it, despite nearly totalling your car moments before.

I had some guy do this a few weeks back, he carved me up on a roundabout where I was going straight on in the left lane (As indicated), I'm just at the exit, he comes flying around the roundabout in the very clearly marked 'right only' right hand lane, but decides he is going straight on, just squeezing in between me and the bollard carving me up horrendously, I beeped in annoyance, no gesticulation (at that point

), his response was pretty much as the OP, he jammed on the brakes, and reveresed at speed in some rage..

I won't go into what then happened, but needless to say I then out-raged the rager (There was no physical violence, I just out 'postured' him... ), hopefully he doesn't try that again on anyone else. When I cooled down I realised that standing up to ragers is a pretty risky thing to do, you just don't know who they are or what they may do..

I get around · 23 Mar 2010 at 11:24

To be honest, I thought I was quite bad with road rage, I have followed people before, but thats guys a complete looney.

MikeHiow · 23 Mar 2010 at 11:29

Demon said:
I won't go into what then happened, but needless to say I then out-raged the rager (There was no physical violence, I just out 'postured' him... ), hopefully he doesn't try that again on anyone else. When I cooled down I realised that standing up to ragers is a pretty risky thing to do, you just don't know who they are or what they may do..

You usually find its a psychological thing, if even after their display of aggression and affirmation of their manhood, you get out, not afflicted by their
little display, they'll often think twice about continuing.

Morgoth · 23 Mar 2010 at 11:41

I tend to be able to laugh most of the stupid things that people do off, the only thing that gets my goat is when you let people in and they don't say thanks.

daz · 23 Mar 2010 at 11:57

Sounds like he actually wanted to cause an accident with you going in to the back of him. People do that and then claim off your insurance for all sorts of injuries. Nice little scam in many parts of the country.

Concrete · 23 Mar 2010 at 12:04

I've only had one, a few years ago now, on the slip road leading onto the M23 at Gatwick heading South bound. There was roadworks, so instead of the usual two lanes there was one, I merged in turn and as soon as the roadworks cleared I was undertaken by a car that then proceeded to pull up sideways blocking both lanes onto the motorway.

The guy was screaming at me out of the drivers side window of some ****ty estate (I wasnt sure what it was, was concentrating on him), middle aged, slightly overweight with his entire family in the car. He went to get out of his car and at this point the red mist decended for me (brand new car and I was worried he would damage it). Took off my sunglasses, chucked them on the passenger seat and un-did my seatbelt and opened the door to get out.

It must have been pretty clear that I intended to batter him if he came at me, because as soon as I was getting out the car, he stopped half way out, and put his feet back in the car in a panic and drove off immediately.

His whole family (I assume) wife and at least two kids in the back said nothing throughout this whole exchange, and it was over in seconds. Having said that, as I got back in my car to drive off I realised there were *at least* 50 vehicles backed up, and as it was on a slip road, they all had a clear view of what happened, so maybe it was that that put him off and not me

ScarySquirrel · 23 Mar 2010 at 12:29

Demon said:
It's the OP's type of rage that winds me up and usually has me being equally stupid.

It's the same situation where you are driving along normally and someone does something really idiotic, you beep or whatever and they then somehow get the hump and go into 'rage' mode because of it, despite nearly totalling your car moments before.

I had some guy do this a few weeks back, he carved me up on a roundabout where I was going straight on in the left lane (As indicated), I'm just at the exit, he comes flying around the roundabout in the very clearly marked 'right only' right hand lane, but decides he is going straight on, just squeezing in between me and the bollard carving me up horrendously, I beeped in annoyance, no gesticulation (at that point ), his response was pretty much as the OP, he jammed on the brakes, and reveresed at speed in some rage..

I won't go into what then happened, but needless to say I then out-raged the rager (There was no physical violence, I just out 'postured' him... ), hopefully he doesn't try that again on anyone else. When I cooled down I realised that standing up to ragers is a pretty risky thing to do, you just don't know who they are or what they may do..

Did you even read the OP? He wasn't the one doing the cutting up, and reversing.

Demon · 23 Mar 2010 at 13:14

ScarySquirrel said:
Did you even read the OP? He wasn't the one doing the cutting up, and reversing.

I know.. I was recounting a similar experience where someone cut me up and then reversed into me in rage when I beeped at him, albeit he was on a straight road, I was on the exit of a roundabout..

Sounds almost identical to the OP's story.. However the difference was I ashamedly got out and raged back at the idiot..

You should have gone to specsavers

jamief · 23 Mar 2010 at 13:27

Mr^B said:
No he didn't, if he didn't know he was there why did he pull out and overtake? Surely if he didn't see the other car he'd have just driven straight through him.

It helps if you read the narrative so you know what happened - *before* making any comments.

indeed.

The other driver may have misjudged his re-entry into the lane due to misreading the length of the OPs vehicle, meaning the OP was, in fact, making him aware of his presence.

If someone pulls in directly in front of you, they have either

a) Done it because they are mental
b) Misjudged how long your vehicle is / misjudged your speed

Both cases warrant use of the horn to let them know that you are there.

Gaijin · 23 Mar 2010 at 13:30

Bloody Subaru drivers.

Fr0dders · 23 Mar 2010 at 13:36

Nazbit said:
Not an experience I want to have again! Anyone had similar?

yes

had a bmw 3 series driver driving like a total lunatic the other day. Swerving in and out of lanes, pulling ridiculous overtakes into oncomming traffic, racing people and cutting them up.

Got him nowhere as i then got sat behind me at the next set of lights. He turned into an industrial estate about 2 minutes later. Presumably all that just because he was late for work !!

Nazbit · 23 Mar 2010 at 13:51

Some good replies, and its interesting to hear similar stories.

When he did the emergency stop I fully expected him to jump out and try and start a fight in the way that some of you have described, so when the reversing lights came on it was a bit of a suprise!

I suppose on reflection the moral of the story is not to beep at people on the basis that they might be an utter looney tune, even though I was within my right to do so, wasn't offensive and didnt show any agression.

I've thought about it all morning, the guy just had a screw loose!

As someone has said, who gets themselves this wound up while driving, without being provoked, if he was in a rush he should have just carried on to his destination, stopping to mess about in the way that he did....he must be unstable!

Swissy · 23 Mar 2010 at 14:07

Best one i had was a few years ago now, i had just picked the kids up from school , driving down the road passing a T junction this car pulled straight out i had pull hard across the other side to miss him i thought you ***** i ain't having that with the kids in the car, i pulled over all angry and wanting to share my thoughts with the driver.

On approaching the car i could see it was an elderly couple 70/80 so i calmed down and thought i would say that was close or something like that the guy drops his window and says sorry m8 i never saw you , i was going to say that's ok but it was close but i never got the chance , his wife let me have a full barrel of choice words and a lot of V signs and then told me to ef off :eek:

I went back to my car and had to admire my verbal beating at the hads of a true expert.

Moeks · 23 Mar 2010 at 14:09

ScarySquirrel said:
Good work

Any more road rage stories people? I find them quite amusing to read.

...well there was this one time where I was forced to use my super-powers to defend the peace ...but I can't talk about that. Suffice to say, I keep a keyboard in my boot at all times now.

Gaijin said:
Bloody Subaru drivers.

Yea, bunch of chavs! ...I nearly bought a black Forester Turbo once, then I came to my sense

bobert50 · 23 Mar 2010 at 14:12

Interesting read

I had an incident myself about 6 months ago which has really made me re-think how much i use the horn, to the point now where i only use it if absolutely neccessary.

I was near a set of traffic lights and a car just stopped for 5 seconds, hogging the right lane to pull into a petrol station which was 10-15 meters before the traffic lights. I knew it'd make me miss the lights and it appeared like he could just go, so i beeped once, then just as i beeped i saw the car pass on the other side of the road that was stopping him turning and put my hand up to say sorry right away. Then i realised he was taking his seat belt off and getting out of his car (on a pretty busy road!).

Its hard to put into words but you could tell by the speed he got out and the look on his face that it could turn nasty quickly, so I quickly looked behind me and realised i couldn't back up at all and i genuinely turned my wheel towards him out of panic thinking i was going to have to mow him down @ 5mph or so :eek:

but i think he saw my wheels turn and the car rev, suffiently enough to keep him near his own car, he shouted out a load of swear words and then got in again.

It was a really weird incident!! the only one in 7 years of motoring so far and hopefully the last. Maybe i should keep a keyboard in my car just incase? the big decision is...Logitech or Microsoft?

Fett · 23 Mar 2010 at 14:27

This will restrict my future posts about flakey loons who I casually disregard with a smile and a wave because I just so damn carefree, but from the other side...

Some pudgy-faced pie junkie cut me up on a roundabout a couple of months ago, he just decided I should brake heavily and suspend roundabout etiquette on his behalf. I sounded the horn and got a casual finger waved out the front window in reply. I still don't know why, perhaps the indifferent manner, but that was it... just lost it. Followed him to the next set of lights, ranting and gesticulating to pull over...a total rabid red mist. He leans out with his phone and I assume takes a picture, I'm half in, half out the car and ready to pull off my shirt and get bloody (I know, hot) and the lights change, he whips across traffic to turn left. I'm left holding people up and confined to my lane, a red-faced moron.

Took a good half hour to calm down and felt like micro patsy for some time. Wasn't particulary stressed, day was going ok and never happened before, so I'm at a total loss to explain it. If the lights hadn't changed I imagine it would have ended up with me lying in the road with a tyre iron sticking out of my face, or long nights in a cell with Big Daz and his salad, or more than likely, the guy just adding more hilarious pictures to his collection of a spitting nutcase outside his window, threatening to rape his dog and eat his fat kids . Totally and utterly shameful. No excuses, it just happened.

I'd appreciate it if you could make me feel worse. Ta.

Shikkaka · 23 Mar 2010 at 15:17

I experienced a spot of road rage a couple of months ago.

On a dual carriageway, one guy in the left lane, me behind him but in the right lane. I'm going ever so slightly faster than him so begin to overtake him. Some car in his lane decides to stop and reverse on the dual carriageway into a layby (small space). I don't see this car in his lane so he sticks the indicators on to move into my lane, I'm beside him at this point so carry on my way, he breaks and goes behind me in my lane to go round the prat reversing.

Next thing he pulls up besides me and starts f-ing and blinding in his car. I stick my arm out towards him in a 'wtf is your problem' kinda way, he see's this as a 'let's go' kinda way. Next thing we hit some traffic on a roundabout, he puts his car in such a position that I'm stuck behind the traffic and he is to my left blocking me in. He opens the door and steps out and I wind my window down to see what the problem is. He is clearly in a very bad mood as his first comment was I'm a f word, p word. He then kindly repeats this several times. I explain I didn't see the stupid ass car reversing on a dual carriageway but he cannot hear me from calling me the above. I raise my voice to put my point across but still I'm a f word p word. He said nothing else, just that.

In the end I just said 'yea ok', wound my window back up and carried on the way. I really thought he was gonna kick off, I've never seen someone so angry over something so small. All because I didn't let him go by in his big old truck and he got overtaken in my poxy fiesta. If anything he should have been swearing at the idiot reversing.

matt_fsr · 23 Mar 2010 at 15:23

Fett said:
snip

You're Welsh. Nothing more needs saying.

MikeHiow · 23 Mar 2010 at 15:25

Never wind your window down to someone in that situation, either get out or stay in your car - you are unbelievably vulnerable sat in your car with your seatbelt, and pretty much helpless to react.

Unless of course you don't mind putting a nice big dent in your door