I wasn't there so am in no position to judge either party, but getting out of your car at a stop light looking to start something is asking to get shot. Someone tries that with me and they will be seeing my .45 as well. Not saying the OP made a mistake my merging into traffic but even if he did was that mistake worthy of the assault at the light? NO. Was he right to defend himself when he is at the disadvantage of being in his car YES.
It often makes me wonder what the view is like from some of the high horses around here.

perhaps we can write this off to cultural differences, nynor.

I doubt if the police will want to talk to you but if they do; don't forget to mention he seemed to be concealing something in his jacket pocket as he approached your car. And going by his aggressive manner you assumed it was a gun.

Don't you miss the days when all you needed for self defense was a good tight fist?

The only thing I would suggest is the same as Rick. I would have called the cops immediately from the car with my cellular after the confrontation.

I would have absolutely produced a weapon in this situation. You were absolutely in the right.

I inadvertently changed lanes into the slow lane once and a guy in my right rear blind spot lays on the horn. He was passing me in the slow right lane on the freeway. I moved back over and waved "Sorry", but that wasn't good enough for him, he pulls in front of me, slams on the brakes to try and get me to rear end him. I back off, he gets behind me and is flashing lights, laying on the effing horn. I know where I am and I pulled off and drove about a block to a California Highway Patrol substation and parked and got out. He sees where I am and flips me off and drives away.

Like I want to intentionally change lanes into someone? I'm mostly glad that dumbass CA drivers can't legally carry.

Probably wasn't a good idea to throw a box of popcorn out of your car while getting into his lane.

Somebody getting out of their car after a rude driving incident isn't doing so to talk. Getting out of your car virtually guarantees a confrontation. I would have done the same thing.

I was in the 993 one day and had just pulled out of a parking lot onto a service or frontage road to turn onto the hwy. At the red light by the hwy. onramp, I heard some guy yelling and there was nowhere for pedestrians to be nearby. I couldn't have been his target, as there were no cars around between where I pulled out of the lot and up to the red light. But I watched a nut running up from his car to yell at the guy next to me. The guy had a real death wish, but it didn't go beyond that and the victim pulled away as soon as the light turned.

In a fatal road rage incident a few yrs ago the good guy was boxed in at a red light when his attacker got out and walked up to his door with gun in hand. Good guy was a soldier just back from the sandbox and shot the bad guy multiple times, even knocked some teeth out with his rounds. Bad guy turned out to be a retired sheriff's deputy, who knew very well he was starting a gunfight. And plenty of folks who knew him said they weren't surprised to learn how he died.

culture of victimhood vs. culture of self sufficiency?

frankly, stuart, your posts in this thread seem to indicate the same culture in which i live. salt lake city is in the top ten most dangerous places to drive, IIRC, and your attitude seems to mirror those with whom i commute with on a daily basis.

About a year ago, I had an incident at a local McDonald's. A dude who was higher than a kite walks in screaming about a dog. I knew right about then it was the stray rat terrier that I adopted. That dog is sketchy. I go outside, put the dog in the car, and go get my order. I go back outside, eat, and get ready to leave. Same hoodlum comes outside screaming about how he's going to "eff up" my dog. I tell him that he should leave. He starts to, then starts walking toward my car. I tell him that he should not come any closer. He continues to walk toward my car window, with me at the driver's seat trying to back up. I won't say what happens next, but let's just say that he agreed with me and ran away. By the time I drove out onto the street he was two blocks away already.

T77911S, good for you. Would have done the same.

rusnak, and good for you as well. A few things you don't mess with...kids, cars, pets and the occasional spouse.... Good for you!

Road rage is never a good thing. You did the right thing by "communicating" to this clown that you had the ability to defend yourself...

Anybody that gets out of their vehicle to abuse someone is just asking for trouble.
Who knows what he would have done had you not been carrying.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Personal I lower my expectations of other drivers and simply ignore their stupid behavior but that doesn't always work.

Recently I witnessed a really big rough looking guy get out of his car and abuse an elderly lady in her old Mercedes. They were both stopped at a traffic light.
She just looked straight ahead and tried to ignored him but this was a big scary guy that just stood there yelling abuse. She looked really scared.

Whatever she did (I didn't see it), she did not deserve to be abused like that.

I was gob smacked... At first I just sat there doing nothing but I put my hand on the door release and just waited to see what would happen.
If he had he tried to enter her car I would have intervened for sure but just before the lights turned green he returned to his car and drove off.

I didn't take down his number or anything. :confused:

This incident prompted me to buy an "event video camera" (Navman MiVue 338)

I once cut off a guy in the San Fernando valley by a simple driving mistake. It happens. He had to break hard to avoid me but no other harm done. Waved at him with a "sorry" when he put aside me on the interstate. He didn't take that for an answer, yelling and screaming in his car and started to follow me for many miles until I finally shook him off taking random turns at red lights. I was 5 minutes away from work and prepared to call 911. Scary stuff.

I have lived in the South, where everyone was packing. Road rage was non-existent. I blame it partly on the laid back attitude but also partly on the fact that you know you'll get shot if you confront someone in their car. I liked driving better there. You didn't even have to pack, since everyone assumed you did. It was nice to be able to pack when you went into areas that were unsafe. Didn't even need a license.

G

I can't comment on this specific driving incident...but sure hate it when someone pulls in front of me going significantly slower than I am. They certainly could wait a second until I pass by and pull in behind me. The same when people pull out onto a 55 mi per hour road just ahead of my car going 55mph and go 30mph. Just wait 5 more seconds and pull out behind me so I don't have to follow you for the next 10 miles at 30 mph. Please. If your car is that slow...you should already know it and drive accordingly.

That said, people make mistakes and doofuses misjudge speed and distance all the time. You just have to let it go. It pays to be armed in a world where someone would jump out of their car and pick a fight over something so small.

Do you really think getting out of your car to apologize to the other driver would be the right thing to do?
So had he done that they would have most likely met face to face on the road and who knows what would happen after that.

Remember this other driver made a rude gesture to the OP. That's how things get out of hand really quickly.

From OP... "mean while giving me the finger"

Are you serious?

Er, what attitude?

Don't drive with your head up your arse?