Road Rage - what would you have done?

[Guest sargekw]

I was on I-24 heading back home from visiting with my folks for Thanksgiving and this is the first time I've had this happen.

 

I was on cruise control in the right lane and was getting close to a car and signaled to move into the left lane with plenty of time between me and the guy who seemed to be in a hurry.  When he got to where it got uncomfortable to me, within a car length, I let him have the 4 ways to let him know to back off some.  I wasn't going to speed up (already doing 75) just to pass the car and get out of his way.  When he decided to keep inching closer I tapped the brakes for him to back off.  When I got to where I was clear and it was safe to move over, I did so. When the guy got alongside he was just an idiot or something; he made the gesture of pointing a gun along with the muzzle rise, not just once, but a couple times.  I should have just let it go and kept on my way, but I let it get to me, especially when I saw on his license plates he was a Navy Senior Chief, I'm retired AF.  When I saw that I drove up alongside and kind of shook my head at him for being so stupid and he gave the gun gesture again.  Apparently he must have been mouthing off too because his wife seemed to be getting a bit upset.  

 

What would you have done - would you have called THP about someone making a gesture like that, or just let him drive on and continue being a jerk?

[thundersnow]

Karma is a cruel bitch...  Just sayin'

 

let it go and sleep soundly at night

Edited November 30, 2013 by thundersnow

[Superman]

I would have laughed and let him go. Or maybe pointed in front of him and screamed "Watch out!"

[Guest TankerHC]

I know what I would have done, first I would have pulled up alongside and wave for him to roll down his window, then I would have spoke loudly " I fart in your general direction. Your mother was a hamster and your father smelt of elderberries."

 

Then if he shot his finger at me again I would have consulted the book of armaments 

 

followed by loudly stating "Please! This is supposed to be a happy occasion. Let's not bicker and argue over who killed who."

[Woody]

.  I wasn't going to speed up (already doing 75) just to pass the car and get out of his way. 

 

 

I'm going to be the bad guy here, and say, that's exactly what you should have done. It doesn't matter if you are doing the speed limit, or 30 over, if you are riding in the left lane, and someone is behind you, get over. The left lane is for passing only.... (blast me if you want-won't bother me at all :devil:  )   

  I don't agree at all with what the other driver did though, although I probably just would have smiled and waved. 

[Superman]

Thats what he was doing, passing the slower car in front of him. Left lane isnt for doing 100mph, its for passing slower traffic.

[Oh Shoot]

A "brake check" is an all around bad idea under any circumstances. Without it and the flashers, guy probably would have just gone on past you without the histrionics.

 

He could have been a sociopath willing to use a real gun, ya know.

 

- OS

[McGarrett]

Be the better man and stay calm and ignore them. Best to not let them get you riled up. I would not waste THP's time with something like this, no real crime just your word against his as to what happened.

 

Since getting my hcp 11 years ago I have had a whole new attitude toward this type of situation. Better to stay away from it and keep your cool if you are carrying. Not sure if you were or not.

 

I know it is easier to say this when not involved but better to just ignore a drive-by cussing or gesture than to let it escalate further.Just my 2 cents. 

[Guest Razz]

I too think that break checking is dangerous. I always find that when someone is too close, it's a great time to clean my windshield. The spray hits their windshield, they get the message and you've done nothing unsafe or potentially illegal.

[Ted S.]

I would have showed him what my puny four cylinders and a CVT can do!

[Murgatroy]

Yeah, putting the four ways and brake checking him means that you started it.

 

If he was gonna ride your ass and speed, he was gonna ride your ass and speed, you aren't a hall monitor. You should have stayed the course, moved over at your earliest opportunity and been done with it.

 

 

 

I was reading an article about keep right laws, which Tennessee doesn't have, but Kentucky does (but doesn't enforce.) New Jersey or some other yankee state just passed them and some CLEO was on the tubes talking about them. He said something that rang so true, that not many catch, as evidenced by this thread. I am paraphrasing, but his gist was simple, keep right laws work in a twofold manner to prevent road rage, when adhered too of course. First, they keep Johnny Leadfoot there from getting pissed at Granny Sunday riding along in the hammer lane at five miles over. Second, they keep Granny Sunday from getting pissed at Johnny Leadfoot for riding her ass. Neither are innocent. Passive aggressive road rage is still road rage.

 

 

Now, with that said, I wish I could sit here and take the high road and tell you that I have never been involved in a similar situation, but I am human. And I have a car that will do 60-100 in about two shakes of a rabbit's ass. The shame is that she is governed at 112MPH. That means that when prompted to get myself away from a bad situation, she can. Unfortunately that also means that I am rather unabashed at letting that go pedal stick to the floor a little too often. The good news is that more often than not, I am that smiling jackass riding along in the right lane, using indicators and tooling along at five miles an hour under the limit. But that is because I am a frugal bastard, and my car gets 32MPG at 65MPH.

 

 

She gets 12MPG at 100MPH.

[scoutfsu]

I'm not sure he was the only jerk on the road.  You were more than complicit with your actions.

[runco]

I would have purposely laughed to let him see me laughing, and showed him my cell phone, and pretend to call the police and take a picture of his license plate.  That's just me, it works, and it has worked on me before in the reverse.   

[jgradyc]

A "brake check" is an all around bad idea under any circumstances. Without it and the flashers, guy probably would have just gone on past you without the histrionics.

 

He could have been a sociopath willing to use a real gun, ya know.

 

- OS

 

^This. A guy brake checked me in Texas 30 years ago and I had to run off the road to avoid hitting him. I wasn't hurt, but my two dogs were banged up a little. In the future, if the guy is driving dangerously, just call THP and report him. Don't escalate the conflict.

[Spook]

Something similar happened to me recently.... I just blew him a kiss and drove on.

[Woody]

Thats what he was doing, passing the slower car in front of him. Left lane isnt for doing 100mph, its for passing slower traffic.

 

Agreed, but he obviously didn't pass & get over fast enough, or we wouldn't be talking about it, would we ?    :taunt:

[gregintenn]

Something similar happened to me recently.... I just blew him a kiss and drove on.

That's how I usually handle it.

[Guest Riciticky]

I hate tail gaiters and driving while texting. Can't decide which one is worse.

[Guest CCPT]

Unfortunately, there would be nothing a LEO could do unless they witnessed that person tailgating you or driving carelessly. The gun gesture isn't a crime. Obviously displaying an actual gun is a different story. There are two certainties on the roadways (especially in middle TN):

1) Everyone on the road thinks they are the best driver who ever got behind the wheel, and
2) All those mentioned in #1 suck at driving.

Like others posted already, the flashers and brake check didn't help the situation, although we've probably all done it at some point. I normally go on about my business, glance over to make sure a gun is not pointed at me, then wave and smile while they yell and give me the finger. I think it makes them more upset that you don't appear to care anything about their anger.

[peejman]

A "brake check" is an all around bad idea under any circumstances. Without it and the flashers, guy probably would have just gone on past you without the histrionics.

He could have been a sociopath willing to use a real gun, ya know.

- OS

This.

Assuming the road ahead was clear, I would've sped up a little and let the guy go. If you move into the left lane, you should match the speed of the existing traffic or get out of the way.

[Greg_Mid_TN]

You pass at your safest speed.

 

That being said, if someone is plowing up the left lane, be the patient one and wait for that person to go on by.

[Volzfan]

Smile and wave and let him go on his merry way to harass the next person who dares to get in his way. 

[TripleDigitRide]

I drive for a living, and if I decided to interact with every dumbass who can't drive with a lick of sense, I'd never get any work done. I have long learned to ignore it. If I see something obscenely crazy, I have been known to dial *THP. 

 

Under no circumstances should you "brake check" someone who's following too close. You're just asking for trouble, especially if the driver behind you cannot react fast enough to prevent an accident at 75 MPH. 

 

I'm not sure what you expected to accomplish by pulling along side the other driver. If anything, you created a more dangerous situation for not only yourself, but everyone else on the Interstate. It's simply not worth it. 

[bersaguy]

I have had my share of road rage in the past few years but only because I have slowed down some due to how many cars are on the road these days. I try and drive in right hand lane 95% of the time and will driver 5 to 10 miles below posted speed but it says slower traffic keep right so I do. If I have to pass someone in the right lane or come up on a busy entry ramp I check my mirror for left lane traffic turn on signal and when I move into left lane I do speed up as much as 5 miles over posted limit until it is safe to move back right and slow down. The Brake Checking will actually earn you a ticket if a police officer observes you doing it because someone is tailgating you. I saw that done a few times over the years when someone would do it to a unmarked Squad car or be observed by one. They will write you a reckless driving ticket for it and that makes your insurance go up at renewal time. Not worth it. I have found that the whole world is in a hurry to get somewhere except for me I guess.....................jmho

[Guest Riciticky]

On 2 lane roads I gradually slow down to a snails pace and they will have to follow at a slow pace or pass.