Ever been chased by a crazed road rage driver?

Ever been chased by a crazed road rage driver?

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danyeates

Original Poster:

7,248 posts

222 months

Friday 25th June 2010
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Hello,

Reading the R8 post reminded me of an incident that left me shaking and genuinely scared.

I had been visiting my mum who, at the time, lived just off a dual carriageway. I was fairly young, probably about 22 (about 3 years ago) and was driving an 03 plate Vauxhall VX220. It was a hot day and had the roof off, wasn't intended on driving quickly, it was busy, rush hour and I was just enjoying the sunshine.

I pulled out onto the dual carriageway (extremely busy, usually stop start or crawling speed during rush hour), it was a 40mph limit. I proceeded up to the roundabout and doubled back on myself. I was in the right hand (overtaking) lane approaching the roundabout, went round the roundabout in the same lane and re-entered the dual carriageway going back in the opposite direction still in the right hand lane, indicating and checking my mirrors correctly.

Someone in a pikey hatchback (think it was a battered old Golf or Polo) entered the roundabout on my third exit (4 exit roundabout so I was leaving on my forth exit). He looked like a very rough late 20 something pikey chav style of person! He entered the roundabout and took his first exit and entered onto the dual carriageway in the left hand lane. Nothing wrong there, it was still very slow traffic and we were crawling into the roundabout. There was a little gap ahead of my car and his car, we were pretty much neck and neck as we entered the dual carriageway. (I'm going into a lot of detail here aren't it?!?!?!) I planted my foot just a little to catch up with the traffic ahead and he nailed it to try and undertake me for some reason. He then decided he was really annoyed that I wouldn't let him undertake him so he sounded his horn several times and started waving his hands out the window at me!! I made a kind of "What?" gesture with both hands, above my head which seemed to have pissed him off.

The road speed had picked up a bit here from crawling up to 30-40mph or so I would have thought. He got into my lane and proceeded to travel almost touching my bumper, flashing his lights, sounding his horn and yelling out the window for me to pull over. I tried to ignore him but it was hard with him so close to my bumper (on the fibreglass VX220 clam shell!) He kept trying to over take and force me to pull over by swerving into the side of my car, cutting in front and slamming his brakes on. I was pretty shaken by this time (I was 22, quite tall but not exactly well built, I only weigh about 10 stone and not that good at confrontations!) We entered another roundabout, he was behind me at this point, I indicated left, in the left lane but drove straight on, couldn't shake him off, he just followed sticking to my bumper. In the end I got to another roundabout, an exit straight ahead and an exit to the right, both dual carriageways. He had overtaken again at this point, I indicated to the left to indicated I was going straight over, he exited and I carried onto the right. This was a bloody scary manoeuvre as it was busy so difficult to quickly change from the exit lane on the roundabout and carry on round.

I then saw him in the mirror stop his car and TURN IT AROUND on a busy dual carriage, proceed the wrong way down the dual carriageway, enter the roundabout and continue to follow me. At this point I was on a much less congested dual carriageway and decided to try and loose him through speed. Travelling at a very high speed I tried my best to cover ground and loose him, but I was aware I was in a very recognisable car and I was travelling up a steep hill so we could easily see me from quite a distance. Then I approached a roundabout, controlled by traffic lights!! I still can't believe how lucky I was, as I approached the roundabout the lights turned green and the traffic flowed freely round the roundabout. As I went through the lights turned red and I turned back into my parents road and parked the car right at the back of the housing estate and had a drink at my mums house to calm down!!

What drives people to endanger themselves, myself and other road users to such an extent for such a stupid reason?! I wasn't endangering him, I wasn't trying to race him, I was only half aware he was there and wanted to undertake, I was simply enjoying a little acceleration pull off the roundabout! I really could not believe how someone would want to, have the time to, or have the balls to do something like this. I could have had a big bat or a knife or anything in my car if he did end up boxing me in and pulling me over. Likewise, I sure as hell wasn't going to pull over and find out what he wanted! Scary stuff and it still makes me shakey thinking about it. I'm an incredibly placid person.

Any experiences like this you'd like to share?

Dan

danyeates

Original Poster:

7,248 posts

222 months

Friday 25th June 2010
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ETA: It's the only time I actually wanted to be pulled over for speeding or driving recklessly! Never a policeman when you want one!

TuxRacer

13,812 posts

191 months

Friday 25th June 2010
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I was followed by a Prius driver this evening who started off crazed, frantically so after I gave him the coffee beans and eventually seemed just embarrassed as he dropped further and further back.

Monkey news

1,071 posts

181 months

Friday 25th June 2010
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A few weeks ago this transit van was tailing me off this round about, of which I was aware of. We both came off this roundabout into a dual caridgeway of which I accelerated up to the speed limit (70mph). Up until this point I had done nothing wrong. I had indicated and checked all my mirrors prior entering into the roundabout, so I hadn't annoyed the transit driver. Well, this transit pulled into the other lane and tried to overtake. At this point I was still gently accelerating. The transit driver was absolutely livid, as he wanted to go in front of me but couldn't do. So I backed off and let him in front (I was doing 55mph roughly at this point). Well he wasn't happy and jammed his brakes on in front of me.. This made me jump out of my seat as I didn't expect it to happen. The driver who looked like a complete and utter pikey flung his door open, came over to my car and me not wanting to lower myself to his standards planted it and tried to get away from this small minded idiot as fast as possible.

P.s I did have an Italian flag on my car, well 4 laugh so maybe it had something to do with that

danyeates

Original Poster:

7,248 posts

222 months

Friday 25th June 2010
quotequote all
Monkey news said:
P.s I did have an Italian flag on my car, well 4 laugh so maybe it had something to do with that
smilelaugh

Seems a completely alien mindset to me. If he's annoyed that these drivers think we may have held up their acceleration somewhat, why are they so persistent on chasing us or stopping their cars in the road and having a go/stabbing/being generally pikey at us?! Just get on with your life and enjoy yourself. Strange people.....

Monkey news

1,071 posts

181 months

Friday 25th June 2010
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danyeates said:
Monkey news said:
P.s I did have an Italian flag on my car, well 4 laugh so maybe it had something to do with that
smilelaugh

Seems a completely alien mindset to me. If he's annoyed that these drivers think we may have held up their acceleration somewhat, why are they so persistent on chasing us or stopping their cars in the road and having a go/stabbing/being generally pikey at us?! Just get on with your life and enjoy yourself. Strange people.....
I really do not understand it. If they are trying to make progress, then how does doing what these two idiots do help them in any way?? Previously to me being patriotic, I haven't had this kind of reaction before. I think I will buy another Italian flag to make sure though laugh

The Riddler

6,565 posts

197 months

Friday 25th June 2010
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Cant be arsed retyping it all so here:

http://www.pistonheads.com/xforums/topic.asp?h=0&a...

Also had a Cavalier chase me when I had my Seicento. Once he got round me I did a slick J turn and fked off, his pathetic attempt at an hand brake turn had him mounting the kerb. smile

Adam_W

1,073 posts

200 months

Friday 25th June 2010
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Only time its happened to me id somehow managed to upset a van with 3 blokes in it, they were tailgating and giving me all sorts abuse in mu rear view mirror, i locked the car at this point, stopped at a light controlled roundabout and one of the guys jumped out and tried to open my door, when he realised it was locked he knocked on my window, lights had changed at this point so i 'burned off' in my diesel astra, they followed but i took a few turns and with some driving i wasnt exactly happy with did lose them

Somnophore

1,364 posts

176 months

Friday 25th June 2010
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I tend to find a lot of knobs try and do stupid things when you're in a two lanes to one situation. I was approaching lights as they turned green (so moving quicker than the stationary traffic that had been waiting) I was in the outside lane a s passed the traffic to the left aiming to move over and continue on when the road merged into one. Some idiot in a diesel Audi took offence to this so proceeded to match my speed so that I couldn't move back in in front. Also couldn't drop back as the traffic had caught up behind him at this point, so he was basically hanging me out on the other side of the road trying to kill me, luckily there wasn't anything coming and I dropped two gears and went past 5 cars in front to get away from him, had there been traffic oncoming I'd have had to try and push him out the way, small knob syndrome trying to kill me for no reason

danyeates

Original Poster:

7,248 posts

222 months

Friday 25th June 2010
quotequote all
Adam_W said:
Only time its happened to me id somehow managed to upset a van with 3 blokes in it, they were tailgating and giving me all sorts abuse in mu rear view mirror, i locked the car at this point, stopped at a light controlled roundabout and one of the guys jumped out and tried to open my door, when he realised it was locked he knocked on my window, lights had changed at this point so i 'burned off' in my diesel astra, they followed but i took a few turns and with some driving i wasnt exactly happy with did lose them
Yeah, you don't half feel exposed and vulnerable in a little fibreglass convertible car with the roof off! I sure as hell wasn't stopping at the roundabout if the lights had of been red!

Animal

5,249 posts

268 months

Friday 25th June 2010
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Turning right at a roundabout some gibbon pulled out on me. I leaned on the brakes and horn (in that order) only for him to screech to a halt (he had been shouting and gesticulating at me whilst pulling out on me). I pulled past and drove off and he followed in hot (well, knackered yellow Renault Megane) pursuit. He followed me towards my road, at which point I thought it best to not go directly home and made a quick right turn. fker threw a bottle at the back of my car and drove off!

V8 Disco

474 posts

207 months

Friday 25th June 2010
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Had my car door kicked in (was a new-ish 3 series.....grumpy) by a nutter once - two lanes merging to one before roadworks, me in L2, him in L1 - inconsiderate sod refuses to 'merge in turn' and despite my gracefully letting him have his precious spot in the queue, having forced his way in front of me came to full stop. The then got out of the car and started pounding my window demanding I open up! I refused, so having determined that he could not smash my window by hitting it, he put the boot in on my door, caving the door skin in fairly badly. He then returned to his car, swearing and yelling and drove off.

I stopped at my local nick on the way home and reported the matter - eventually he went to court and was prosecuted for criminal damage. He was also ordered to pay my repair costs, which I duly received.



freecar

4,249 posts

187 months

Friday 25th June 2010
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Why don't you call the police?

It's pretty simple and they would have a car there pretty quickly, especially if you mention that you fear for your safety and would it be OK to Vmax your motor to escape!!!!

va1o

16,032 posts

207 months

Friday 25th June 2010
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Reminds me of this story from last year - http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/uknews/4240827/For...

danyeates

Original Poster:

7,248 posts

222 months

Friday 25th June 2010
quotequote all
freecar said:
Why don't you call the police?

It's pretty simple and they would have a car there pretty quickly, especially if you mention that you fear for your safety and would it be OK to Vmax your motor to escape!!!!
What whilst driving?

Plus it takes a good few hours to find your phone after a "spirited" drive in a VX220, or an Elise for that matter. It's a well known fact that the phone WILL slide off the passenger seat, either whilst braking or cornering then end up banging around on the ally floor under the seat. Seeing as the passenger seat isn't adjustable it takes forever to cut down an allen key and remove the seat to find your phone and all the change rattling around under there! laugh

Seriously though, I didn't even get a chance to get his registration, I only had one thought, get out of his sight. As previously mentioned, I felt very vulnerable with the roof off. Should have reported him but I wasn't even sure of the model of car so it would have been pointless.

belleair302

6,843 posts

207 months

Friday 25th June 2010
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A friend was driving back into Manchester (Hyde) where he was studying medicine and undertook a somewhat sad looking E36. Words were swapped at the lights...my friend is English but his family is from Lahore Pakistan and before that Persia. At the next set of lights the driver of the E36 makes gestures and decides to insult my friends family and background. At the next set of lights my friend pulls up, climbs out of the car 6'7...22 stone and knocks out the driver of the BMW! removes the keys and drops them down the main drain.

Game over!

danyeates

Original Poster:

7,248 posts

222 months

Friday 25th June 2010
quotequote all
I read this:

[Quote] He died after meeting his fiancé Josephine Gibb and telling her he would be giving her an engagement ring the next day. She was driving along the same route he had taken when she encountered a police diversion around the accident and was informed of his death a few hours later. [/Quote]

and thought how sad, then read the rest of it and don't quite know what to make of it now. What a strange chap and a horrible outcome for the person he crashed into. It doesn't say what happened to the driver of the car he crashed his Suzuki into, strangely.

Edited by danyeates on Friday 25th June 23:34


Edited by danyeates on Friday 25th June 23:35


Edited by danyeates on Friday 25th June 23:35

Motorrad

6,811 posts

187 months

Friday 25th June 2010
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Has happened to me, what I learnt from the situation was that

a> there are some real losers with pathetic lives out there


b>ignore this type of provocation and get on with whatever you're going to do, don't interact or acknowledge these s in any way at all.


RobM77

35,349 posts

234 months

Saturday 26th June 2010
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Yes; I've had a tyre slashed by a lorry driver once, who took offence at the fact he pulled out in front of me causing mevto screech the tyres braking.

I've also been threatened at a petrol station by some nutter who wanted to turn right from the left lane of a roundabout but found me in the way.

I've also been chased, as per the thread title, by a Range Rover. I can't remember why, but it didn't last very long hehe He was keeping with me in traffic, but hecwas starting to scare me soI turned off down a twisty B road and left him behind.

Dick_Phallus

1,155 posts

184 months

Saturday 26th June 2010
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belleair302 said:
A friend was driving back into Manchester (Hyde) where he was studying medicine and undertook a somewhat sad looking E36. Words were swapped at the lights...my friend is English but his family is from Lahore Pakistan and before that Persia. At the next set of lights the driver of the E36 makes gestures and decides to insult my friends family and background. At the next set of lights my friend pulls up, climbs out of the car 6'7...22 stone and knocks out the driver of the BMW! removes the keys and drops them down the main drain.

Game over!
Never happened.