Someone gets out of their car holding a hammer, well... I'm fairly certain it doesn't just happen to be in their hand because they were interupted putting up some shelves on the dashboard.

Not AT ALL unreasonable to assume they will attempt to do damage with it and I would (I think...) react on that basis entirely.

Indeed.

You are woken one night by noises outside your bedroom door. When you go out you see a man at the top of the stairs holding a knife. If you had the chance would you push him down the stairs? You don't know that he intends to use the knife and there is a huge difference between holding a knife and stabbing someone.

The question is; Do you feel in immediate and serious danger? Do you feel that you can safely escape the situation? If the answer is Yes and No then I think you are well within your rights to defend yourself.

Getting out of a car ready for a punchup is one thing. Getting out of a car holding a hammer is a much more serious proposition.

this is getting a bit daft trying to pin down the exact situation that you would drive over someone.

honestly I don't think 99% of the driving population would unless they knew they were going to be attacked, and that would have to be a totally different situation.
If driving over people with hammers is your thing, then welcome to prison

whatever, hindsight is a great thing; but just because you have the knowledge of the outcome, does not mean that a different set of actions are justified at the time.

Hopefully the new measures will (fines on the spot for tailgaiting and middle lane hogging) discourage the s out there to stop driving so aggressively. Lets fking hope so anyway!

The stories I've read in this thread makes me cringe.

I've had my fair share of road rage incidents and been on the receiving end a few times. But I've never experienced a situation like that! By the sounds of it we've got a fair amount of unstable people driving potential death machines.

Get well soon OP, and I hope the person responsible is caught and faces the consequences.

All well and good but there are never any police around to instigate these fines. I firmly believe that now policing is all done by cameras there is a lot more idiotic, dangerous and lunatic driving.

Back when I were a lad driving and riding motorcycles we were constantly stopped for all sorts of things. The police were everywhere but now it's all eye in the sky people seemed to have stopped driving nicely or bothering with things like tax and insurance.

My 2pence worth

Location : Area of London West

Individual cuts me up at roundabout, i simply turn to look at him and continue.
Notice he is coming after me on the wrong side of road, lock doors and windows up.
Overtakes and blocks the road, gets out with knife in hand.
Engage gear and i drove straight at him.

Result escape and report to police

OP - can you provide a description as a mates garage is just up the road and he may have heard something

To clarify I meant merging during stop start conditions. The cars are meant to merge one at a time using both lanes - which is how it's signposted as working and also noted in that book everyone reads before passing their test.


But I agree
Pushing in at he last second at the end of a motorway filter etc, is also anal.

Hi all,

Bit more of a positive post from me this time, been in and out of hospital for the last few weeks with all sorts of tests and procedures happening.

All my stitches are now out, have an awsome pair if scars under the eye and down the side of my nose. It does seem that chicks do dig scars, plus i would make quite a good bad guy for the next bond film now.

I have also had some laser surgery on my right eye to fix some tears and prevent the risk of a detached retina. This was really odd, never had any kind of eye issues or even glasses before. The first panic was when the doctor advised he was going to numb my eye, visions of a huge needle immedietly sprung to mind! But fortunatley it was just some gell he squerted under my eyelids (still not pleasent).

Then they basically pop you in one of the eye test machines (where you pop your chin on a tray and rest your head on a band) and then they get a contact lense that seems to be stuck on top of an icing nozzle and stick that in your eye which is a bit odd feeling.

He then did all the aiming via the machine and lasered me, was expecting a red laser for some reason but it was green and in pulses of about 5 or 6, had about 10 of those, didnt really feel anything though it started to get a little uncomfatable towards the end but i suspect that was just the stress of not moving and having my brain burnt out

Eye wise after that its just a case of monitoring it and seeing how it goes, little bit of high pressure in the eye still but i can see and have done and eye test and met the levels for driving (may have had a zoom around a car park or two already to get my "eye" in

I have some Maxillofacial surgery booked for a few weeks time to sort out my cheek bone and eye socket, apparently this is a fairly "standard" procedure though it sonds a bit gruesome and i'll probabley have a couple of meshes or plates in my face afterwards.

I think mentally i have dealt with the majority of what has happened, myself and a friend went for a drive where it happened and i will admit i was absolutly terrified but i cant tell you of what. For me one thing it has definatley changed is my opinion of friendships, i am a terrible friend as in i am rubbish at keeping in touch and always seem to be busy at the wrong times, not any more. the people that have moved the earth to help me over the last few weeks and amazing and my family and girlfiend and also something that i could not have been without.

The comments that i have recieved here as well have also really helped, its just knowing that there are people out there that would help or care when these things happen and i hope that life is good to you all.

I think Karma is smiling on me a bit too as i have an interview for a nice new job on Friday, hopefully my face wont put them off to much

EDIT: The police have had no luck as yet tracking the chap down, but they have been very good always keeping me up to date so fingers crossed. They got finger prints off the car but have nothing on the national database.

Good to hear you're on the mend and can now joke about it a bit.