Paranoid, or could I be in trouble?

LegacyUser

Hey people.

Basically, I am a relatively inexperienced driver. I have a full license, which I acquired recently, but prior to that I didn't drive a whole lot on my own. Since I got my full license, I haven't accumulated much experience because I don't have my own car (I drive the family car) and tonight I had my first brush with a pissed off driver.

It was my fault; I was coming down a road with a 100km speed limit and a car in front of me was going pretty slow. I know the road well and I knew I was within my rights to overtake. There was no sign of oncoming traffic, so I proceeded. Then, in the distance, I saw headlights so I tried to speed up my progression back into the proper lane. Now, I came nowhere near any oncoming traffic; however, in my haste to get back in my own lane I don't think I left too much distance between me and the car I overtook. The guy was really pissed, turned on his full lights and started flashing them like mad.

I tend to be anxious enough in most walks of life, so I haven't gotten this out of my head since I got home. What would happen if I was reported to the gardai? Would they issue points if they believed his story, or would they investigate it themselves? We all see things on the road where we just dismiss it as a jerk of a driver, but I keep thinking to myself that not everyone is that dismissive. Thankfully there was no accident and I feel completely foolish, but I hope that's the end of it.

Any thoughts? Am I being crazy?

farva

Jesus man, relax!!! You safely overtook someone who was going below the speed limit and they flashed you, its nothing to worry about! I've been driving 4 years and thats happened to me plenty of times! You need to get used to that because you'll be flashed by other drivers plenty of more times!!! If he tried to run you off the road or something dangerous like that then you'd have something to report to the gaurds.

ImDave

Don't worry about it!

Pj!

Yeah seriously relax. Everyone gets flashed.
I'd say the lad who flashed has forgot about it long ago.

There will be days when you're the flasher and days when you're the flashee.

Clare Bear

Yeah relax, you're grand

Profiler

Forky wrote: »

There will be days when you're the flasher and days when you're the flashee.

+ 1 never a truer word spoken

Oh and there will even be days when this flasher/flashee involves a car

The Sweeper

OP:

You won't get into any trouble with the Gardai for this. However, just be careful when you're overtaking that you DO have enough room - if you caused the guy behind you to brake when you pulled back in front of him, then you didn't leave enough room. Let's put it this way - you did that on your driving test and you'd fail. (Making other drivers brake to have to avoid you.)

Hey though, you won't do it again will you.

eringobragh

If the garda come a knockin...Deny,Deny, Deny ...

I wouldn't worry about it all the same.

cjmcork

OP, I wouldn't worry too much about it but be careful in future - never discount the fact that the lang-ball driving in front of you below the limit may be a garda...........I used to get stuck behind our local garda all the time, but cos I knew his car, I'd hold tough - people who drive slowly though are as dangerous as those who drive quickly imho - cos you're more likely to take a chance to overtake them - so to all you slow drivers out there, the pedal on the right makes the car move!

dudara

You need to become more confident and relaxed as a driver. You have nothing to worry about here, just consider it a lesson learned.

tbh

listen, there's no way you're automatically get points, and you'd know that yourself if you thought about it logically - it's just your anxiety preventing you from thinking about it logically. If you WERE to get automatic points, the system would be open to abuse - I'd just have to make up something about someone I don't like, and they'd get points. Crazy, right? So don't worry.

LegacyUser

Thanks everyone. I knew I was being crazy, just needed to hear it from other people. As I said, it's a tendency of mine to get a bit panicky.


Thanks again!

Faith

No, don't worry about it but look at it as a lesson. Don't overtake unless you're completely confident that you'll have enough space and time to pull back in, and don't pull back in until you can clearly see the car you're overtaking in your rearview mirror. You're as much of a hazard pulling in too early as waiting too long. The guy behind you probably had to brake and got a fright.

Calm down in future. Trust your instincts. We all panic at times!

Loomis

If the driver was doddery enough to be driving too slow I doubt he had the mental fortitude to note your license plate number. And if he did he most certainly did it by taking his hands from the wheel and eyes from the road to write it down. In which case you have a counter claim