I was a road rage victim...kinda long

jester911 · jester911's Garage

I have to tell you guys this story that happened to me Mon.
I was driving my company pickup on a local road here in Atl.
The road had 2 lanes on each side. I was in the left lane and the right lane was coming to an end up ahead.

I was behind 1 car and there were several behind me all knowing the right lane ended. In my mirror I saw a silver Toyota suv coming very fast on my right. The woman tried to get past the car in front of me but saw she would not make it. She then tried to cut in front of me and I was was less than a car length behind the leading car.

She then tried to buffalo her way in bringing her vehicle within inches of mine but I would not move over or concede.
She finally braked and swerved in behind me.

Of course now she is flashing lights, fingers etc. You get the picture. We went for a mile or so and had to stop for a light.
To my total amazement the woman got out of her car and came rushing to my window. It was kind of surreal. I really could not believe she was doing this.

She started rapping on my window very hard with a ring she was wearing. She yelled roll down your window you f---ing p---sy. Yep she said it. I really did not feel threatened. She had no weapon and I am 6' 195 lbs so I really wasn't concerned. I started to laugh at her. Well this
just angered her more. She then gave me f--ing redneck,learn to drive and so on. She also said she had her baby in the car and I was endangering their lives.

She even spit at me. I never got out of the truck and she finally went back to hers.
She then ended up following me up the freeway for several miles. I made a few moves and thought I had lost her. I was a couple of exits from my office and figured I would get off 1 exit early to see if she was still back there.

Sure enough she had stayed with me. I then did a quick U-turn and got back on the freeway and finally lost her.

I am convinced if this woman had a gun she would have shot me.
Anyway I just had to share this. People are a trip, are they not

Noah930 · Noah930's Garage

Wow, sounds like she'd fit in pretty well with the rest of the drivers here in Boston. Glad you were mature about the whole thing.

legion · 05-24-2006, 04:34 PM

I love how it is your fault when she comes barreling down and tries to get ahead of everyone and merge.

jhc · 05-24-2006, 04:34 PM

I had this happen to me in my Touareg. A Cayenne was to my right on an exit only lane and he basically gunned past me on the shoulder daring me to bump him as he shoved his way in. I don't know if it was a Touareg/Cayenne thing or just plain bad manners.

on-ramp · 05-24-2006, 04:47 PM

guys in 911 Carrera are pretty harmless. that's probably why she felt comfortable going ballistic without the fear of you killing her or something.

turbo6bar · 05-24-2006, 04:47 PM

Good time for an M1A1 main battle tank.

It's good that you kept your cool. Idiots and morons are flustered when you don't respond.

jester911 · jester911's Garage

No I was driving my company pickup. It is a Chevy Colorado.
I guess that is what made me a f--ing redneck. I was missing the rebel flag, gun rack and spittoon on the dash but hey.
We are in the South.

BlkBird · 05-24-2006, 04:52 PM

Quote:

She also said she had her baby in the car and I was endangering their lives.

That's the part that always amazes me. You're endangering their lives by her driving like an idiot. That logic just doesn't work to me.

jester911 · jester911's Garage

Quote:

Originally posted by BlkBird
That's the part that always amazes me. You're endangering their lives by her driving like an idiot. That logic just doesn't work to me.

Exactly. At one point she acted as though she was using her cell phone and taking my tag #.
Please call the cops!! Explain to them who's lane ended. Who got out of the vehicle to confront someone. Who left the baby alone in a vehicle in traffic. Hello!

Jim Richards · 05-24-2006, 05:09 PM

you needed a cell phone to call the cops. they would be very happy to take another nut case of the streets.

DG624 · 05-24-2006, 05:15 PM

It is very easy to get into a racing thing...I have. You see a car coming up fast and trying to make a move around you so you block them. I have done this but it is not smart. Give way to everyone even if you feel you are losing the race. Losing control on the freeway is murder. I was driven off the road when I was driving a '69 Beetle about 20 years ago merging into an inner city freeway at about 55 (speed limit). A crazy man drove up behind me and turned on his brights... I stayed in my lane and he passed me on the right and knocked me into the median. I left the road and turned over in the median...ended up upside down on the opposite side of the freeway. Only had a few cuts but it could have been bad. The cops refused to do anything. They had the accident report wrong and described the incident as minor damage. A few weeks later a maniac was arrested for driving cars off the road. You have to stay alert!

yellowline · 05-24-2006, 05:22 PM

Take an illogical creature, put it on the road, and you get a woman driver. Hate riding with them.

It does beg the question though- why were you following at <1 car length?

umgang · 05-24-2006, 05:24 PM

Here in the Hinterland, this behavior abounds-especially if you ain't divin one of the Big Three. I try to mind my own business, but sometimes the hackles get up. Recently, I had a van in front of me, going way below the speed limit and weaving. I stayed back until an opprtunity to pass, then pulled out to do it quickly and efficiently. As I started to pass, the driver swerved toward me, throwing cans, trash, etc in my windshield while hanging out the window yelling motherf__ker etc...Once I got past I started driving very fast and he tried to stay with me in his hooptie van, waving his arms out the window, cussing etc while writing his death certificate. Being in a 911 I was long gone. Funny, the next day as I drove through this hilly two lane, there was a white van upside down in a culvert. Hmmmm.

Nick

jester911 · jester911's Garage

I had 2 cell phones with me. I don't think we could have sat in the road long enough for cops to show up. As far as the racing thing, I was not racing. The lady tried to cut me off plain and simple. She was the one racing. In this city it is a constant occurance.

I think this woman had a lot more problems than her lane ending.

Oh Haha · 05-24-2006, 05:37 PM

Hindsight being 20/20, if you could have at least written downher plate you could have reported her to the cops later. You never know, she may have done the same thing later that day to some other clown-a$$, redneck, bastard that was in "her" way. Man, I hate people!!!
I spend a lot of time on the road and see these idiots all of the time. I try to just let them go but sometimes better judgement goes by the wayside.

In the 911 anymore, I just back off and give them space. Who do you think the cops will believe if something were to happen?

Ooooo, find out where she lives and call her husband and let him know what a dumba$$ he married!!!!!!

FrayAdjacent911 · 05:42 PM

Get a CCW. I would have pulled out my pistol, not pointing it at her, just make it visible, then calmly tell her that if she continues to harass you, she is endangering her own life!

nostatic · nostatic's Garage

feh...she wanted you. You should have bent her over the fender and had your way with her. Think Clint Eastwood in High Plains Drifter. She would have thanked you for it.

note: no warranty on the above advice is expressed or implied. Use at your own risk. Your mileage may vary.

TerryH · TerryH's Garage

We all get peeved when someone cuts in when they could have merged in front of someone else..... preferrably behind us. But is it worth causing a wreck or pissing off some lunatic. We assume the person is somewhat rational and unarmed.

A couple of local guys, twin brothers, were both stabbed and one died as a result of road rage. The surviving brother worked at a shop I subcontract for.

It's much less stressful to yield to the morons and move on. Life is too short to let these guys get to us.

artplumber · 05-24-2006, 06:44 PM

This is all to common. Too bad you don't live in FL.

There's a new law states that if you feel threatened (eg/she gets out of her car and comes toward you) you can use deadly force. When this situation happened to me last year, I did call the cops, and they said they could do very little, but were waiting for the first crazed driver to get capped due to this (relatively new) law.

stuartj · 05-24-2006, 06:45 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by jester911
The road had 2 lanes on each side. I was in the left lane and the right lane was coming to an end up ahead.

I was behind 1 car and there were several behind me all knowing the right lane ended. In my mirror I saw a silver Toyota suv coming very fast on my right. The woman tried to get past the car in front of me but saw she would not make it. She then tried to cut in front of me and I was was less than a car length behind the leading car.

She then tried to buffalo her way in bringing her vehicle within inches of mine but I would not move over or concede.
She finally braked and swerved in behind me.

Given that her lane was ending and she had no where to go, I am curious as to why you didnt just make room for her and let her merge. Seems the couteous thing.

But ofcourse, that pulling a pistol idea is a good idea too.