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Child Item

Road rage incident learner driver

TK Lemon

I'm a learner driver and very inexperienced. I was driving with Mr. Lemon in the passenger seat.

We came to a set of traffic lights at the exit of a supermarket. I cut out and missed the green. The man behind did Riverdance on the horn.

Mr. Lemon got out to politely point out that I'm a learner driver. He flew into a rage and roared at Mr Lemon. He said "I was warning her about the effing red light".

Mr. Lemon got back in and I conked out again at the green. He got out of his car and tried to open the door and banged on the window.

He said "I'll punch the fücking head off you if you get out of your car again".

The whole incident had me in tears and it's shaken me.

Why are L plates like a red rag to a bull. Mr. Lemon wants to call the Gardaí but I'm afraid it'll only backlash on us.

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Wanderer78

Ta ceist agam wrote: »

Or we will soon just be sitting in a car allowing computers and sensors to drive us!

probably gonna happen anyway

The chan chan man

When i was learning, 15 years ago, I cut out 4 times and missed the green a few times at the same set of lights. The driver behind me, a blue Audi A4, didn’t budge, didn’t beep and knew what was happening. I was so panicked but am now so grateful and try to pay that forward when an N or L driver cuts out in front of me.

Some people are just arseholes in all aspects of life. Don’t let it put you off. Forget him anyway, you’ll never see him again!

TK Lemon

Hi everyone, I appreciate all the replies so far.

I cut out approaching the lights as they turned green and started panicking when I was getting beeped. So I missed that green light. :embarrassed:

I plan on going out again and hopefully becoming more confident.

Wanderer78

TK Lemon wrote: »

Hi everyone, I appreciate all the replies so far.

I cut out approaching the lights as they turned green and started panicking when I was getting beeped. So I missed that green light. :embarrassed:

I plan on going out again and hopefully becoming more confident.

keep at it, you ll eventually get there, i still want tk lemon though, gonna have to acquire some today, best of luck

Treppen

Surprised nobody has advised a dash cam ! Reporting to cops without video is a waste of time (unless he committed another crime that day).

Just search for " iiwey front and rear dash cam " on Amazon OP. It might save you thousands in the long run too in case of an incident. I got into a 'disagreement' before and just pointed to the dash cam and everything changed.

£35+postage , but probably get an SD card with 64gb space if you want to record good quality picture and audio.

https://www.amazon.co.uk/Included-170%C2%B0Wide-Dashboard-Detection-G-Sensor-Black/dp/B07V1NPX9X/ref=mp_s_a_1_3?adgrpid=74670981741&dchild=1&gclid=CjwKCAjwjqT5BRAPEiwAJlBuBcnR4HbtEPme9eRN1kx3bBG-BygTdGLHB-g1OaRDh51o7hH8IBiR4hoC-oUQAvD_BwE&hvadid=381356735506&hvdev=m&hvlocphy=20489&hvnetw=g&hvqmt=b&hvrand=6878860582190537275&hvtargid=kwd-819310606942&hydadcr=8870_1819972&keywords=iiwey+dash+cam+front+and+rear&qid=1596536761&sr=8-3&tag=hydrukspg-21

Mr tk could fit it himself, just pop it behind the trim all the way to cigarette lighter/usb

YellowBucket

I was in Dublin City Center yesterday and a taxi politely beeped incessantly at me because I slowed on the end phase of an amber light and stopped. Apparently you’re supposed to drive through the reds. He drove up to my bumper to the point the car’s rear sensors started to trigger and kept flashing and beeping.

Unfortunately, some people are complete psychos and shouldn’t be in charge of a car.

Nothing to do with you - don’t take it personally. Just ignore them. You’re not going to be able to solve people’s anger management issues.

LollipopJimmy

My advice would to never ever get out of the car in that situation. Beeping a horn won't hurt or hinder you and little Mr.Nopenis in the car behind is having his rage and pushing himself to a heart attack.

Keep practising and don't worry about a thing.

Treppen

YellowBucket wrote: »

I was in Dublin City Center yesterday and a taxi politely beeped incessantly at me because I slowed on the end phase of an amber light and stopped. Apparently you’re supposed to drive through the reds. He drove up to my bumper to the point the car’s rear sensors started to trigger and kept flashing and beeping.

Unfortunately, some people are complete psychos and shouldn’t be in charge of a car.

When lights go green just wait a few seconds then arm out the window and wave him to overtake.:pac:

But seriously though you never know what's going on with other drivers, they could be in a rush to the hospital with a sick kids or something, or just been fired from a job.

Yester

Something similar happened to me when I was learning. I cut out at a green light and the car behind me kept blowing the horn. I decided I wasn't going any further until he stopped and just sat there blocking the road. He had to go around me for a finish. I know this is not the correct response to someone blowing the horn but feck him. I was a bit shook by the whole experience at the time to be honest. You'd be nervous enough anyway when you are learning. I guess it was a good learning experience as I always give learner drivers all the time they need. I know what it's like.

Samuel T. Cogley

Good lesson. Never get out of the car. Sometimes it takes more willpower than giving up smoking.

iguana

Some people really just are complete twats and total idiots too. Beeping at a learner driver who has just stalled will most probably lead to further delays as the shock or stress will just make it harder for them to drive off.

When I was learning to drive there was a set of lights on a hill that caught me out a couple of times. Once when the lights went green, I stalled. Restarted the car, carefully came up on the clutch and the car behind beeped just as I was getting it and I jumped and stalled. Tried again and just as I was getting it, they beeped and I stalled. Lights went red. The car behind just started beeping like crazy and the driver was clearly very p'd off. I was in a state of complete flight or fight (totally flight) and was half fantasising about just getting out of the car and running away. My dad was with me and helped me calm down and prepare. As the lights were about to go green (I could tell from seeing the opposing lights going amber.) I came up on the clutch, was very gently pressing the accelerator and had my hand on the handbrake ready to release it. The lights went green and the two cars behind me started beeping their horns and I jumped and stalled. I was pretty close to just bursting into tears and the cars behind were beeping and beeping, the drivers and gesticulating out of the windows. My dad was at this point getting seriously pissed off with them because their behaviour was making things so much worse. The lights went red again. The drivers behind went crazy. My next attempt to go on the green light resulted in me rolling slightly backwards when the car behind me drove right up behind me to somehow force me to go. I was completely panicked, my dad roared out the window for them to back off. Then said to me that when the light went red again, we'd swap places. I somehow managed to go completely calm and drove off, just as the light went red behind me and the other two cars were held at it, which was very grimly satisfying.

YellowBucket

Funniest one I’ve ever seen though was in Cork a few years ago. Really agressive driver was doing similar driving up to a car that was very gently stopping at each traffic light and driving gently, but at a reasonable speed, yielding to pedestrians and bikes and so on. Nothing unusual at all but just polite driving.

Car kept driving up to its rear, revving loudly at it when it was at lights and then blasting and flashing.

Car stops. Door opens. Two Gardaí get out.

TheBoyConor

no point reporting to the gardai, or showing videos on the phone.
Gardai aren't going to give a crap. I mean, what do you expect the Gardai to do? Take him to court for blowing the horn and being a cantankerous dickhead?

Just get over it and ignore.

Ta ceist agam

There are some fools on the road.

I was driving in a one way car park and allowed time for a driver to reverse out, and as I could see he was going to turn towards me going the wrong direction I put my window down to warn him.

As I sat there waiting for him to manoeuvre out, I was looking at an arrow going my direction and cars behind me. This driver saw me with my window down , roared his car towards me seni blocking me and as he was in ear shot I said "it's one way" but he screamed at me beeping the horn "you're completely in the wrong you idiot" As he squeezed past other cars behind me all looking at him in bewilderment.

Point of the story is that empty vessels make the most noise, and this is no more apparent than on the roads!

Clare Kat

YellowBucket wrote: »

Funniest one I’ve ever seen though was in Cork a few years ago. Really agressive driver was doing similar driving up to a car that was very gently stopping at each traffic light and driving gently, but at a reasonable speed, yielding to pedestrians and bikes and so on. Nothing unusual at all but just polite driving.

Car kept driving up to its rear, revving loudly at it when it was at lights and then blasting and flashing.

Car stops. Door opens. Two Gardaí get out.

That’s brilliant. I especially love that it happened in Cork.

hoodie6029

Very sorry to hear what happened you. You have a decent enough case as there is two of you to give a statement and he was on his own. It won't look good for him.
TBH, it's not worth the hassle reporting him. Not worth your time, energy and worry.
These guys are all mouth and invariably meet the person who is no mouth and let's their fists do the talking.

My OH was learning to drive a few years ago around Dublin. I took the car out a few times and hadn't taken the L plates down and they way people treated me was despicable. Speeding up to block me. Blowing the horn if I didn't break a light. Driving up behind me really quickly. I don't know what comes over people when they see that plate.

Hopefully this doesn't put you off driving. And if you really hate using a manual gearbox just spring for an automatic. You'll never go back to those antiquated sticks again.

Samuel T. Cogley

TheBoyConor wrote: »

no point reporting to the gardai, or showing videos on the phone.
Gardai aren't going to give a crap. I mean, what do you expect the Gardai to do? Take him to court for blowing the horn and being a cantankerous dickhead?

Just get over it and ignore.

Sadly the way the guy worded it meant it stopped short of a Section 2 Assault. No point in reporting it.

TheBoyConor

Yep. Sure even if he made credible threats of violence against the driver, they Gardai wouldn't want to know. Sure it'll be all he said she said.

Gardai won't want to hear you unless there is actually irrefutable assault.

Gardai have bigger fish to fry than not even handbags at the traffic lights.

Ta ceist agam

galwaytt

For reasons such as this, I think all learners should have front & rear dashcams fitted as a matter of course.

freddieot

Keep going out and practicing OP. Unfortunately there are lots of drivers like this guy but don't let it affect your enjoyment of your car and the freedom it gives you.

The best policy is to to totally ignore anyone that starts acting like that. That's also the best revenge. That guy might be driving longer than you but still cannot drive properly as at least a modicum of patience is always required for other drivers, especially learners. At least you are in the process of learning and are probably a more considerate and therefore better driver than him already.

As others have said, getting out of the car is always a bad move. It can also sometimes end up in either Hospital or Prison for at least one, if not both of the participants.

I'm driving over 40 years but still make the odd small mistake (especially easy in cities with roundabouts \ lanes ending suddenly etc.). Anyone who says they don't is a liar. Don't dwell on this incident but hopefully it will reinforce your own tolerance for others when you start to get a fair bit more experience and confidence.

antix80

TK Lemon wrote: »

Mr. Lemon got out to politely point out that I'm a learner driver.

Rule #1. Don't beep unless you're prepared to fight.

Rule #2. Don't get out of your car unless you're prepared to fight.

Yep the guy behind you probably shouldn't be on the road but your husband should have told you to concentrate on your driving. He could have discreetly noted the angry driver's number plate and made a call to the local gardai. Not saying they would have done anything but that's what he should have done.

Muscles Schultz

Del2005 wrote: »

While beeping the horn is illegal, in most circumstances, getting out to record someone beeping their horn is a complete over reaction. The accompanying driver should have been reassuring the learner so that they can pull away not getting out of the car confronting the other driver.

There was a discussion on this a while back

https://touch.boards.ie/thread/2057252759/1/#post91354352

ExoPolitic

antix80 wrote: »

Rule #1. Don't beep unless you're prepared to fight.

Rule #2. Don't get out of your car unless you're prepared to fight.

Yep the guy behind you probably shouldn't be on the road but your husband should have told you to concentrate on your driving. He could have discreetly noted the angry driver's number plate and made a call to the local gardai. Not saying they would have done anything but that's what he should have done.

Bad advice on rule 1. If a car is about to hit you and they haven't noticed you, you use the horn. That's what it is there for.

lawrencesummers

Has anyone on this thread suggested to the OP that they should just get better at driving?

Sure people should be patient and take their time with other motorists, but the incident started because of an inability to drive correctly, it was exasperated by people’s reactions but the starting point (pun intended) was the OP not being able to take off correctly on the green light and clearly (And understandably) they need to improve as a driver.

storker

lawrencesummers wrote: »

Has anyone on this thread suggested to the OP that they should just get better at driving?

Sure people should be patient and take their time with other motorists, but the incident started because of an inability to drive correctly, it was exasperated by people’s reactions but the starting point (pun intended) was the OP not being able to take off correctly on the green light and clearly (And understandably) they need to improve as a driver.

The best way to do that is to...er...drive.

begbysback

Every learner driver should face the wrath of the horn, toughens them up and prepares for real life on the road, if not on your game then you’re getting a beep, it’s a jungle out there people.

antix80

antix80 wrote: »

Rule #1. Don't beep unless you're prepared to fight.

Rule #2. Don't get out of your car unless you're prepared to fight.

ExoPolitic wrote: »

Bad advice on rule 1. If a car is about to hit you and they haven't noticed you, you use the horn. That's what it is there for.

Well in case you hadn't noticed, it's bad advice for #2 as well unless you plan on living in your car.

I meant don't use the horn to intimidate someone .. like leaning on the horn to punish someone for making a mistake.

begbysback

Although I do believe the horn is necessary on certain occasions, I do now remember when I had L plates up, not actually a learner, just hadn’t bothered with the test. Was sitting at traffic lights one morning, now we’ve all been slow when the lights turn green from time to time, and a little bip is called for, an actual beep is not necessary, but on this occasion I’m on me game and alert, lights go green and pretty much on synch I let’s the handbrake down and about to accelerate when someone behind me gives it large on the horn. I looks in my mirror and it’s a lady in her fifties with glasses dangling sideways across her nose, I have to admit it took every bit of strength I had to stay in the car. After this experience I decided to take the L plates down for public safety reasons. Thought it better to appear in court for having no L plate, than for dislocating somebody’s jaw.

Hotblack Desiato

storker wrote: »

The best way to do that is to...er...drive.

Someone who is that inexperienced should really be in a driving school car with a professional instructor, for their own sake. No excuses though for the other driver's behaviour.

Days of any randomer with a full licence teaching people how to drive are gone. That's what the minimum number of lessons is for.