Road rage incident

LegacyUser

I've just been the victim of a disturbing road rage incident. I was driving behind this car and I was bit vexed (over something that happened earlier). I was in a hurry to get to where I was going so I was maybe driving a bit close to him. I was also running my fingers through my hair (just a habit I have).
However at no stage did I hoot or flash him. Anyway he started waving his fist at me and at one stage turning right around to look out at me. This went on for a while until I got to a roundabout on the outskirts of a major town. He pulled over and hooted and let me overtake as I went onto the roundabout.There are two lanes at the entrance to the roundabout and I was in the lane on right. He pulled in to the lane next to me and shouted at me to pull in (in not very polite terms I might add). He looked a right nasty piece of work, twenty-something, with who I presume was his girlfriend in the passenger seat.
I drove on and he drove onto a dual carriageway, which is where I was going but I doubled back and went into the town. He pulled in but couldn't turn back and follow me (thankfully).
I know the town well so I was able to get back on the main road again but I made sure I didn't go near where he was. I was quite shaken as he could have been anyone but now I am really worried that he will make a complaint against me to the guards and I may have to make a statement or even go to court. The guy seemed a right low-life; what if he finds out my name and address (I don't think he would have been able to get my license number, I was behind him most of the time).
Who knows what lengths he might be prepared to go to to "get even"? Maybe I am being paranoid, these type of things happen everyday; I come across loads of idiotic behaviour on the road (I've done some idiotic things myself too) but I am still worried.
Most people would laugh it off but it is weighing on my mind a lot

1. You didn't do anything wrong, so even if he did go to the guards you'd have nothing to be worried about.
2. He's not going to go to the guards because of a perceived personal cause for offence (I'm assuming the issue was he thought your arm movement was a gesture).
3. Don't let it worry you. The last thing you want is for it to affect your driving ability when you go out.

LegacyUser

So you were tailgating a car. He waved his fist at you and allowed you to overtake him?

Kidchameleon

OP I think your being over paranoid about this. In future though, keep well back from the car in front of you. I totally hate when people drive right behind me.

LegacyUser

If you were driving up his arse you did do something wrong. You are supposed to leave a decent space between yourself and the car in front. You need to be able to see tyres and tarmac.

It sounds like you were driving too close and fast and you appeared aggressive as you admit you were 'vexed' and running your fingers through your hair. As far as he was concerned you were trying to bully him out of your way.

Everybody feels frustrated driving behind slow drivers but you can't drive up their arse to try to intimidate them. You should be more careful in future as you rightly said you don't know who you are dealing with.

I hope you've learned your lesson.

dellas1979

Yeah - it might have been an over reaction on his part, but having someone driving up your bottom, so as if to force you off the road, isnt very nice.
So take this as your warning to stay back.
TBH I would have (Ive done it before) put my hand up to you to let you know to stay back - you mightnt have been aware how imtimidating you looked to him.

acwxx

What an awful thing to happen to you. If the driver in front was going too slow and you obviously needed to get past, he should have pulled in to the hard shoulder to let you overtake. A taxi driver once pulled in and started to wave his fist and shout at me after I called him crazy (he was chatting to someone and pulled out away from the kerb without looking) I remember the awful feeling that he was going to follow me. Heart racing etc. Yes, you were too close and that would have caused an accident if he had had to stop suddenly, but you did not deserve this. I'm sure he won't be able to track you down. He probably doesn't have the intelligence.

I have often 'beeped' and flashed lights at drivers who are either going really slow or who keep putting foot on break for no reason. Is this considered road rage? I hope not as I am only trying to draw their attention to their incompetent driving in the hope that they will let me pass...

Kevin Duffy

kenny77 wrote: »

I've just been the victim of a disturbing road rage incident. I was driving behind this car and I was bit vexed (over something that happened earlier). I was in a hurry to get to where I was going so I was maybe driving a bit close to him. I was also running my fingers through my hair (just a habit I have).
However at no stage did I hoot or flash him. Anyway he started waving his fist at me and at one stage turning right around to look out at me. This went on for a while

If you can't keep your emotions from affecting your driving, if you think your hurry to be somewhere outweighs the need for safe driving and if you couldn't alter your driving when it was obviously affecting the driver in front, then you need to worry about your own driving and pay more attention to it.

Firetrap

I think you're being overly paranoid. I doubt this guy is going to go after you again. On the other hand, you should learn from the experience and don't drive in such a manner again when you're annoyed. It won't do you any good or indeed, get you to your destination any quicker. As a driver, I hate having someone behind me, practically stuck to my back bumper. I consider it to be aggressive driving and the height of bad manners.

LegacyUser

I'm surprised to see so many replies taking the side of the guy in front of me (I know you say you shouldn't judge people by accent or appearance but I am pretty sure he was a complete scumbag).
I do admit that I have a habit of driving closely behind cars, in fact I do it all the time and I have p****d a few drivers off before with it. My mother constantly berates me about it but I only do it 'cause if an opportunity comes to overtake I want to be as close as possible to the car to take the opportunity. I don't flash cars or hoot them but I am not the most patient of people at the best of times.
Today could have turned into a potentially nasty incident if I'd chosen to confront this guy but thankfully I didn't.
Maybe I am an intimidating, aggressive, bullying driver, if so I will try to change. I still say the guy today was a lowlife though. Hopefully I won't hear any more about it.

LegacyUser

acwxx wrote: »

I have often 'beeped' and flashed lights at drivers who are either going really slow or who keep putting foot on break for no reason. Is this considered road rage? I hope not as I am only trying to draw their attention to their incompetent driving in the hope that they will let me pass...

Yes, that is considered road-rage. You are not the Guards. You have no business policing other peoples 'incompetant' driving.

Kevin Duffy

kenny77 wrote: »

I'm surprised to see so many replies taking the side of the guy in front of me (I know you say you shouldn't judge people by accent or appearance but I am pretty sure he was a complete scumbag).
.

I can't speak for anyone else, but I wasn't taking sides, I was recognising that you initiated the problem, didn't hold back when you could have and have judged his angry reaction as evidence he's a "complete scumbag". His reaction may have been OTT, your actions were dangerous. Take responsibility, drive more carefully in future.

invinciblePRSTV

kenny77 wrote: »

I'm surprised to see so many replies taking the side of the guy in front of me (I know you say you shouldn't judge people by accent or appearance but I am pretty sure he was a complete scumbag).

You shouldn't be surprised. You are the one guilty of careless, dangerous driving and whilst the guy certainly was over agressive in his response, it's your reckless driving behaviour which is causing other motorists to feel aggrieved with you.

kenny77 wrote: »

I do admit that I have a habit of driving closely behind cars, in fact I do it all the time and I have p****d a few drivers off before with it. My mother constantly berates me about it but I only do it 'cause if an opportunity comes to overtake I want to be as close as possible to the car to take the opportunity. I don't flash cars or hoot them but I am not the most patient of people at the best of times.
Today could have turned into a potentially nasty incident if I'd chosen to confront this guy but thankfully I didn't.

Lose your bad habit of tailgating people ASAP, you're an accident waiting to happen.

kenny77 wrote: »

Maybe I am an intimidating, aggressive, bullying driver, if so I will try to change. I still say the guy today was a lowlife though. Hopefully I won't hear any more about it.

He may be a lowlife but he wasn't the one doing the bad driving, you were. Grow up, lose the road rage and impatience and accept your reckless driving manner is going to continue pissing people off until you lose your bad driving habits.

Edit - I'd strongly recommend you take some driving lessons from a qualified instructor. You need to learn what distance is appropriate to leave between cars and how to safely overtake. Don't take it personally but you are a bad driver!.

LegacyUser

kenny77 wrote: »

I do admit that I have a habit of driving closely behind cars, in fact I do it all the time and I have p****d a few drivers off before with it.

Read the rules of the road. You are NOT entitled to tailgate anyone. You can be done for dangerous driving if and when you get caught. Also plenty of drivers will be so annoyed at being tailgated they will deliberately jam on the brakes to give you a shock and if they get annoyed enough they would jam on and let you rear end them, you'd be at fault. You pay for their car and your car.

kenny77 wrote: »

My mother constantly berates me about it but I only do it 'cause if an opportunity comes to overtake I want to be as close as possible to the car to take the opportunity.

It doesn't matter why you do it. Stop doing it. It caused this incident that happenned earlier, if you meet another 'scumbag' as you put it, you might not be so lucky the next time.

kenny77 wrote: »

Today could have turned into a potentially nasty incident if I'd chosen to confront this guy but thankfully I didn't.
Maybe I am an intimidating, aggressive, bullying driver, if so I will try to change. I still say the guy today was a lowlife though. Hopefully I won't hear any more about it.

It's not your business to judge the man, you tailgated him aggressively and calling him a 'lowlife' is no justification. Cop on to yourself.

fghijkl

I do admit that I have a habit of driving closely behind cars, in fact I do it all the time and I have p****d a few drivers off before with it. My mother constantly berates me about it but I only do it 'cause if an opportunity comes to overtake I want to be as close as possible to the car to take the opportunity.

The bit in bold is so messed up it's scary, you really should not be driving on the roads if this is your attitude, you are a danger to other drivers, and it's people like you that are the cause of so many pointless accidents in this country.
You should only overtake someone when you have to, it's not some stupid game ffs, there are REAL people in these cars with REAL lives and you have the potential to kill them with your terrible driving.
Please cop the f**k on.

I really hope to god you are still a learner drive, i would hate to think somebody with your attitude and complete lack of driving skills/knowledge actually passed a test.
You really need to read a rules of the road handbook and take lessons from a proper qualified driving instructor.

There are numerous reasons you're not supposed to be on the a**e of the car in front of you. What happens if they stop suddenly? What happens if it's raining and it takes you longer to stop? Not to mention it's intimidating and distracting to the driver in front of you, having the extra worry of watching the gobs**e behind you to make sure they don't run into the back of you as well as whats going on in front and around you.

Today could have turned into a potentially nasty incident if I'd chosen to confront this guy but thankfully I didn't

Today could have turned into a nasty accident if the car in front had stopped suddenly and you ran into the back of him tbh.

I still say the guy today was a lowlife though.

ironically i would call someone who risks other peoples lives by driving like this:

I was driving behind this car and I was bit vexed. I was in a hurry to get to where I was going so I was maybe driving a bit close to him. I have a habit of driving closely behind cars, in fact I do it all the time and I have p****d a few drivers off before with it. if an opportunity comes to overtake I want to be as close as possible to the car to take the opportunity.I am not the most patient of people at the best of times.......

as a lowlife, not only a lowlife but someone who is a danger to everyone around them and should absolutely not be allowed on the road.

I've just been the victim of a disturbing road rage incident

No you weren't. The only victim in this was the poor guy who you tailgated. He may have (in your opinion) been a lowlife, but at least he had a grasp of the basic concept of driving safely.

Imhof Tank

kenny77 wrote: »

Today could have turned into a potentially nasty incident if I'd chosen to confront this guy but thankfully I didn't.
.

"Thankfully", sure, that was a close one alright OP:rolleyes::rolleyes:

Face facts - you shat yourself and ran like a girl, probably because you knew you were in the wrong.

I hope yer man did get your reg and reports you

dellas1979

kenny77 wrote: »

Maybe I am an intimidating, aggressive, bullying driver, if so I will try to change. I still say the guy today was a lowlife though.

Aire go on out of that now. At least you gave me a chuckle at 10pm on a Sun night.

Are you reading what you are writing? Or do you write like you drive? i.e. messy and aimlessly? You have some weird notion about yourself....causing him to get flustered on the road, yet calling him a scobe? Does it matter? What if he was driving a 2011 Mercedes? Is the road prejudice to people like you?

Liam Byrne

kenny77 wrote: »

I'm surprised to see so many replies taking the side of the guy in front of me (I know you say you shouldn't judge people by accent or appearance but I am pretty sure he was a complete scumbag).
I do admit that I have a habit of driving closely behind cars, in fact I do it all the time and I have p****d a few drivers off before with it. My mother constantly berates me about it but I only do it 'cause if an opportunity comes to overtake I want to be as close as possible to the car to take the opportunity. I don't flash cars or hoot them but I am not the most patient of people at the best of times.
Today could have turned into a potentially nasty incident if I'd chosen to confront this guy but thankfully I didn't.
Maybe I am an intimidating, aggressive, bullying driver, if so I will try to change. I still say the guy today was a lowlife though. Hopefully I won't hear any more about it.

Absolutely astonishing!

YOU tailgated
YOU have been told this by your mother
YOU still do this regularly and YOU refuse to correct your ways
YOU put YOUR need for being impatient and pass ahead of road safety

And when someone rightly objects, you scream victim and claim to be "astonished" that people would even question your stance.

My advice stay off the road until you can drive safely without being - as you admit yourself - "an intimidating, aggressive, bullying driver".

Oh - and stop looking for other people to blame.

Ickle Magoo

Since the constructive advice has given way to reprimands and the OP can't fail but hear the message loud and clear, I'm locking this thread.