Yesterday i was pulling out of the local wally world and there are two turn lanes to turn left. I was in the wide one, and this guy in a camaro was in the narrow turn. I always get in the wide one bc i have to take the next exit off. But i'm pulling around and all of a sudden i hear a horn blow. I turn and look and throw my hands out the window like what did i do wrong? I pull up to the next stop light(not to my turn yet, its the road afterwards, but traffic is horrible)and the guy pulls up on my passenger side(he swapped around behind me) and gets out of his car. I would post what all he said and called me, but it would soon be edited out. The main point he was making was that I hugged the corner too tight. There is a line going around that corner pointing to which lane goes where. When his horn blowed and i looked back, he was trying to get into my lane. Well, the guy decides that he is starting to get in front of my truck. by this point i'm reaching in the back of my truck to grab the little piece of pipe i have back there. The light turns green and he is still in front of me. I rev my engine, he cusses some more, calling me names i'm not going to repeat, threatening to beat my ---. I start rolling forward at this point, A. I feel threatened, B. I'm ready to get back to the dorm. He sees me pulling forward and is yelling at me to stop, he moves out of my way and i punch it. He then hops in his car and flys by me flipping me off, and gets off where i was going, so i drove down a little further and turned around and came back. My question here is what would ya'll have done, did i handle this properly in not saying anything back and just trying to avoid confrontation, should i have called the cops(and seen if they would have done anything)(I felt my life was at risk, knowing what has occured in this city, not exactly the safest around here), was there anything else i could have done?

 

Gee, all he did was just yell at ya was all? Just part of the "new America". Sunday before last I got flat out run off a two lane highway by a pickup load of drunk rednecks in a beat up old chevy 4x4. I guess they liked the fact I had a temporary registration in my back window and thought it would be fun to sideswipe me. Of course this was in the middle of nowhere and cell phones don't work where I was at. What did I do to cause this? I have no clue. I was going 53 in a 50 MPH minding my own buz taking a joy ride; they were screwing around with every car in front of them, and I guess my number just came up. Good thing I wasn't packing that day or there just might have been one less chevy driver on the road. Running me off the road is, in my book, an immediate threat on my life and needs to be addressed accordingly.

What could you have done differently? I'd say ya did the right thing. I supposed you could also have called the cops, but odds are with everyone carrying a cell phone a handfull of people did that for you. Just getting distance between yourself and the psycho is the big thing, and do it ASAP. In an ultra extreme case (far, far, far worse than yours) such as a wild chase and with no cops around for miles and miles, slamming on your brakes, causing a rear ender, deploying their airbag and popping their radiator is an option (disable their car). Ditto for putting it in reverse and punching it to do the same thing. Again, and I must emphasize, these are desperate and last ditch measures for the most severe of all road rage where you think you're not gonna make it home in one piece. Just be able to justify your actions when the time comes.

 

The wrong thing. I would probably have gotten out to discuss the problem. Not the smartest thing to do these days. Getting smarter in my older age but still have a slight anger control problem myself. I will not start an argument or fight but still have a hard time backing down.

 

trunkmonkey. (see video #1)

 

I'd say you did the right thing. NEVER, under ANY CIRCUMSTANCES, get out of the car. If worst came to worst and the guy had pulled a gun on you, you could have at least run him over. On foot you'd be dead faster than you can say BOOM.

 

Road rage is taken quite seriously here in Texas being that a lot of people carry guns. Unfortunately so do a lot of wacko's and people with anger problems. It's pretty common to hear on the news about someone getting shot in a road rage situation. Best bet these days is to take the jerks plate number and report it to the cops and tell them that he threatened you with bodily harm and you had to take off, and hope they do something about it. It don't make you less of a man, it just keeps you alive longer.

 

Call the cops. And I keep my old digital camera in the car too.

 

Many years ago I had a friend experience something like this. His mistake was, according to the cops, getting out first. The first person out of a vehicle is the one that the cops look at as having threatened first. The moral: Stay in your vehicle and let them get out first. Then either drive away or beat the tar out of them. Your call. I'd drive away first, because life's too short to be messing around with some hotheaded losers(s)

 

You did the right thing. In a court of law, the use of profanity and hand gestures is not considered substancial cause for inflicting harm on the person doing those actions. The FIRST person getting out of the vehicle and approaching the other, regardless of who said what, is considered the aggressor and loses in court. As already said by the others here , a lot of times the first person out of the car, doesnt live long enough to go to court.

 

I keep a digital camera in my truck too. You never know what your going to need it for. Did this happen in Charlotte or Pittsboro?

 

You did the right thing. Probably didn't feel good at the time (we always think it would have felt better to 'FINISH IT' than run), but look at it this way:
1. It's over.
2. You don't need to pay a lawyer
3. You're not spending time in jail
4. You don't have to waste time going to court.
5. There is no (criminal) record of this with your name on it.

 

Good point there 76Supercab2

 

all yall carry cameras? so they'll have picutres of you gettin' beat or shot? shoot this is Texas carry a shotgun! and if he comes to your window shove it down his throat.

 

The other day I was driving back to work from the dental office ( had to get a temp crown ). There was a man walking across the street in the cross walk so I stop cause they do have the right of way. Well these two cars behind me cut to the right and fly by just missing the guy. Buddy looked at me shook his head and walk on across. I dropped in first shot down to the light where one of the cars was stopped. Got out and let that @#$%!@ know how a person in a cross walk has the right away just like if it was his @#$ crossing I would have stopped too. I know I should not have done that but hey Paxil CR helps only so much.

TailGater_73F100
Savannah, GA

 

Food for thought, Several years ago i re-call an incident i saw on the local news, i don't remember all the facts on it so i'll give ya the Readders Digest version (the short one) two guys road raging on a local Hiway got into a fender bender they both pull over still road raging get out of their cars one man feeling threated pops his truck out comes a cross-bow shoots the other man dead.
two lives ruined over a foolish road rage incident.
the man the did the shooting of course went to jail, and he was a Minister or some other type of clergy.
It just aint worth it! now is it!??