Road rage?

[Okie21]

Driving home from work 2 nights ago, I was involved in a very bizarre incident. I'll try and describe it as best I can.
I was on the off ramp, getting off the highway and there was a vehicle in the right lane of the highway, slowing down, with their right turn signal on. Assuming they wanted to get off also, I slowed down to let them in front of me. They paced my truck, slightly in front of me, but did not move over.
Then at the last second, they hit their brakes and cut over almost side swiping me. I hit my brakes and moved over to the shoulder. I then got back into the lane and flashed my brights at them as I was cursing up a storm. We approached the red light ahead. As I got closer, they moved over to the left. As I got almost even with their vehicle, they did the same thing, they cut over into my lane, almost hitting me again. So now they were directly in front of me, with both of us stopped at a red light. I was FUMING.
But at that moment, I decided to...do nothing. We were both stopped. I had no idea what this person was trying to do to me. I was carrying, as always. If I did anything to escalate the situation, it could end badly. So I sat in my truck, completely ticked off. The light turned green, they went right, I went straight, and that was the end of it.
I so badly wanted to get out of my truck and scream at this person, but I didn't. I can't tell you how hard it was to just sit there and do nothing. I'm sure some people couldn't just let that go. But, what can you do? I had no idea if this was some nut case. Maybe they were armed, too. Who knows what would have happened. But I feel it was for the best to just turn the other cheek.

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[gonerydin]

Did you call in their plate number? They may have been OWI.


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[moosedog]

You did the right thing as hard as it may have been. Been there and done that.
It's just not worth the can of worms that it can become.

 

[Okie21]

Did you call in their plate number? They may have been OWI.


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You know, I was so darn angry, but I did get their plate # and told myself to right it down. But as soon as the light turned green and we both went our separate ways, I flat out forgot.

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[SAFireman]

Don't engage the crazies. Take a pic of their plate, call the PD and report it. Drive on keeping a close eye to make certain that they don't follow you to your destination. If they are following - don't go home! drive to the PD or some other safe place. You don't want that type of nut job coming to your place of work, or worse, your house.

Sounds like it ended as well as it could have - no property damage, no injuries, and no shots fired. Good job on keeping your cool.


ps...there are some folks out there that are causing accidents just to collect some insurance money. Get a dash cam if you can afford it. It isn't a magic talisman, but it will back up your story when/if something happens.

 

[Old cop]

You handled it correctly and my only suggestion, b/c I'm guilty of this, is not blasting the horn next time. There are no winners when both drivers get out to fight b/c it could go to guns. I have a friend/neighbor that I no longer go anywhere with. He even gets angry when I'm driving and another driver does something stupid. He's ready to fight at the drop of a hat, the guy is 74 and I don't need that.

 

[jmace57]

I have found that when I carry, I am much more likely to let things slide. I am more aware I guess of how things could escalate.

 

[Jaymo]

Road rage and road rash are two things best avoided.

 

[Mule Packer]

I had almost the exact same thing happen to me a couple of years ago. I was really ticked off. When I finally pulled up along side the other vehicle, I saw some very elderly guy driving the car, totally oblivious to all that was around him. It seemed pretty obvious that he wasn't even aware of cutting me off.

You have to remember, some of these folks may not be able to see very well; they probably can't hear very well; they probably can't control their bladder half the time; they're taking at least 8-10 various medications, and they have to think twice about where they're going, because they keep forgetting. But, they obviously think they're okay...after all, they're still allowed to drive a car.

We need to remember that some elderly people are driving a car right now...and they don't even realize it. I guess I shouldn't make fun of these folks. I'll probably be in the same boat in a few years.

 

[Kiwi cop]

I am amazed....

My experiences of driving in the US is that, unlike here, where we "merge like a zip", no-one let's someone else in. You have to be aggressive to move across lanes on the freeway. Good on you for being polite.

Now as to your actions, you did everything right. I am often off duty on the highways and see some abismal driving. While I have with me my ID, and often feel I should get out when they stop and confront them, I do not as we are now taught that unless there is danger to life, when off duty we are better being a witness instead of a participant. This is mostly due to safety concerns even though we now have department issued iPhones that can query vehicles/persons. We also have some new "conflict of interest" rules.

Still it is tempting. I just avoid the temptation.

 

[vytoland]

we see crazies and nascar wannabees every day on the road.....the population of "special" people increases daily.....

 

[Smoke]

I had almost the exact same thing happen to me a couple of years ago. I was really ticked off. When I finally pulled up along side the other vehicle, I saw some very elderly guy driving the car, totally oblivious to all that was around him. It seemed pretty obvious that he wasn't even aware of cutting me off.

You have to remember, some of these folks may not be able to see very well; they probably can't hear very well; they probably can't control their bladder half the time; and they have to think twice about where they're going, because they keep forgetting. But, they obviously think they're okay...after all, they're still allowed to drive a car.

We need to remember that some elderly people are driving a car right now...and they don't even realize it. I guess I shouldn't make fun of these folks. I'll probably be in the same boat in a few years.

I used to ride my bicycle to work, one morning just out of sheer boredom I started counting the little airliner whiskey bottles that I saw on the side of the road.

In 4 miles I counted 19 I started doing it every day when I rode my bike to work and that number stayed fairly consistent on that road.

It gave me a pretty good indication of how many people are actually driving around Colorado Springs half in the bag in any given time.

 

[spdguns]

I have found that when I carry, I am much more likely to let things slide. I am more aware I guess of how things could escalate.

"An armed society is a polite society".

Been there done that, you did the right thing. And it's DAMN TOUGH to do so.

 

[SMSgt]

I used to ride my bicycle to work, one morning just out of sheer boredom I started counting the little airliner whiskey bottles that I saw on the side of the road.

In 4 miles I counted 19 I started doing it every day when I rode my bike to work and that number stayed fairly consistent on that road.

It gave me a pretty good indication of how many people are actually driving around Colorado Springs half in the bag in any given time.

Shoot. In Florida you count more fifths than that.

 

[hotshot357]

Hey Smoke, that sounds like a "case" for LT. Joe Kenda!!!! L.O.L.

 

[Jack Flash]

OP, you did the right thing. Try to not fume when this kind of thing happens. Sometimes it's hard to do the smart thing.

 

[bummer]

Just had a similar incident , see my post in the lounge. Glad it worked out ok for you

 

[Ivan the Butcher]

It all evens out in the end!

I was driving home in the summer several years ago, two women were in a car ahead of me going real slow, when I went to pass, they floored it. Pretty soon there was a car in coming at me and I didn't have the horsepower to pass so I slipped back behind the women. At the next stop sign they were making a number of gestures at me. So I didn't do anything. Eventually they drove off and I went home a different road!

Two weeks after that, I saw traffic was backed up on the street beside my apartment complex. At the intersection, there was a transit bus with a car stuck in the drivers side. The car had attempted to pass as the bus, as it turned left at the intersection! Guess Who was driving the car? That's right the strange lady that was trying to pick a fight. I'm pretty sure her car was totaled, and I would like to hope she got to ride the bus for a few months! It all works out in the long run, so work at being the good guy!

Ivan

 

[RGVshooter]

I'm assuming you were in the far right lane exiting and the other vehicle had their right turn signal on but they were in the middle lane. You slowed down thinking you were being gentlemanly like. However as a former over the road truck driver I'm willing to bank that the other driver got PO'd that you slowed down as they were probably anticipating on you speeding up so they could time their exit behind you. When you slowed down, it probably thru off his timing on getting behind you and he probably thought that you were being a weeny and over reacted or whatever their problem was. I say this because I've seen this exact scenario played out many times before in my 22 years of OTR.

 

[78bagger]

It's weird, when I realized that I feel more calm when I'm carrying, I made it a point to always carry. Probably some psychobabbel juju in there, but it works for me.