Have you ever been a victim of road rage while driving?

[robemcdonald]

I had an incident yesterday returning home from Stevenage.

A guy in a Vectra pulled out on me on a roundabout.
I did not react in any way.
After the exit there is a short length of dual (or is it spelt duel these days?) carriageway before the junction with the A1 (another roundabout) I overtook the guy on this road.
I turned left to go south on the A1 from the middle lane of three (the middle lane is marked as left or straight on on the road).
The A1 south slip road is two lanes and I was in the right hand one.
Vectra man was now behind me weaving between booths lanes, gesticulating (his wife / girlfriend looking highly embarrassed.
I put my foot down to get a bit of distance / a few cars between us.
He eventually me caught up still weaving around, almost crashing into cars to try and get in front of me.
Realising this was getting a touch dangerous. I decided to slow down. If the guy was going to collide with me I’d rather do it at 50 than 70.
Next Vectra man pulled in front and did a couple of violent brake tests. I was covering the brake in anticipation of this anyway so no problem.
At this point I had resigned myself to the idea this was only going to end with us pulling over. So I signalled and took the approaching exit and prepared myself for an unwanted confrontation.
As soon as I signalled the Vectra went to the outside lane and booted it off.
Thinking about it afterwards the only explanation I could come up with was the guy wanted to be in front of me....
I considered downloading the dash cam footage, but thought that would make me as bigger prick as he (dash cam is in case of accident only in my book)

Edited by robemcdonald on Sunday 2nd September 12:20

[Polite M135 driver]

SlackBladder said:

gforceg said:

travel is dangerous said:

whilst cycling, all the bloody time.

On Thursday a woman attempted to undertake me by using the pavement. There was a queue of traffic about 50 metres ahead in the bus lane,waiting at some lights, I just stopped pedalling and was slowly rolling up to the queue (so that I didn't have to stop before the lights changed) and the car that had followed me up the hill in the bus lane (undertaking everyone who was queueing not in the bus lane) pulled level with me whilst straddling the pavement. The driver had to stop when she approached a sign post on the pavement ahead of her. After this she sat at the lights behind me constantly beeping.

Excellent. Sounds like you met The Mental.

Only just read this, but have either of you thought that if someone is driving this irrationally that maybe there;s a good reason for it?

Maybe trying to get to a hospital?

you mean by having an accident and being taken there in an ambulance?

[parabolica]

robemcdonald said:

I had an incident yesterday returning home from Stevenage.

A guy in a Vectra pulled out on me on a roundabout.
I did not react in any way.
After the exit there is a short length of dual (or is it spelt duel these days?) carriageway before the junction with the A1 (another roundabout) I overtook the guy on this road.
I turned left to go south on the A1 from the middle lane of three (the middle lane is marked as left or straight on on the road).
The A1 south slip road is two lanes and I was in the right hand one.
Vectra man was now behind me weaving between booths lanes, gesticulating (his wife / girlfriend looking highly embarrassed.
I put my foot down to get a bit of distance / a few cars between us.
He eventually me caught up still weaving around, almost crashing into cars to try and get in front of me.
Realising this was getting a touch dangerous. I decided to slow down. If the guy was going to collide with me I’d rather do it at 50 than 70.
Next Vectra man pulled in front and did a couple of violent brake tests. I was covering the brake in anticipation of this anyway so no problem.
At this point I had resigned myself to the idea this was only going to end with us pulling over. So I signalled and took the approaching exit and prepared myself for an unwanted confrontation.
As soon as I signalled the Vectra went to the outside lane and booted it off.
Thinking about it afterwards the only explanation I could come up with was the guy wanted to be in front of me....
I considered downloading the dash cam footage, but thought that would make me as bigger prick as he (dash cam is in case of accident only in my book)

Edited by robemcdonald on Sunday 2nd September 12:20

Wow, very similar experience to my yesterday! Guy in a Vectra full of kids tried to cut into my lane on the approach to a roundabout by moving out of his slow moving lane into my empty one without looking. No agro from me, there was plenty of space in my lane and I simply moved slightly to the right, continued past him and onto the large roundabout (Chiswick, for those who know it) to start negotiating it. Halfway round, at the first set of red lights, I notice him behind me, flashing his lights, honking - he's about an inch of my back bumper and he's mega agitated. As we move around a little more (heavy traffic) he proceeds to mount the pavement, and then blocks a yellow box - this is when I figure he wants to have words.

Eventually we're off the roundabout and on a 2-lane section which is still queuing down towards Kew bridge; he manages to muscle his way along side, and then the shouting, derogatory comments and questioning the validity of my birth mother starts (nb the guy seemed to have a strange obsession with the male genitalia, the way he was going on about it so much). All of this whilst he has 3 or 4 kids in his car. I don't react, and just give him a faint 'wtf' look. That was like a red rag to him, and I see him reach for a Mcdonald's drink cup and throws it. Had it hit and splashed the car I would have been pissed, but in fact the base of the cup hits my window square on and it just falls to the ground - I think it must have been empty. By now he's encouraging the kids to throw stuff too but I guess they didn't have much; french fries, paper napkins, whatever. He's still shouting; I give him the coffee beans and finally he takes off, pulling an unsighted u-turn into on-coming traffic.

What a dick.

[nonsequitur]

parabolica said:

robemcdonald said:

I had an incident yesterday returning home from Stevenage.

A guy in a Vectra pulled out on me on a roundabout.
I did not react in any way.
After the exit there is a short length of dual (or is it spelt duel these days?) carriageway before the junction with the A1 (another roundabout) I overtook the guy on this road.
I turned left to go south on the A1 from the middle lane of three (the middle lane is marked as left or straight on on the road).
The A1 south slip road is two lanes and I was in the right hand one.
Vectra man was now behind me weaving between booths lanes, gesticulating (his wife / girlfriend looking highly embarrassed.
I put my foot down to get a bit of distance / a few cars between us.
He eventually me caught up still weaving around, almost crashing into cars to try and get in front of me.
Realising this was getting a touch dangerous. I decided to slow down. If the guy was going to collide with me I’d rather do it at 50 than 70.
Next Vectra man pulled in front and did a couple of violent brake tests. I was covering the brake in anticipation of this anyway so no problem.
At this point I had resigned myself to the idea this was only going to end with us pulling over. So I signalled and took the approaching exit and prepared myself for an unwanted confrontation.
As soon as I signalled the Vectra went to the outside lane and booted it off.
Thinking about it afterwards the only explanation I could come up with was the guy wanted to be in front of me....
I considered downloading the dash cam footage, but thought that would make me as bigger prick as he (dash cam is in case of accident only in my book)

Edited by robemcdonald on Sunday 2nd September 12:20

Wow, very similar experience to my yesterday! Guy in a Vectra full of kids tried to cut into my lane on the approach to a roundabout by moving out of his slow moving lane into my empty one without looking. No agro from me, there was plenty of space in my lane and I simply moved slightly to the right, continued past him and onto the large roundabout (Chiswick, for those who know it) to start negotiating it. Halfway round, at the first set of red lights, I notice him behind me, flashing his lights, honking - he's about an inch of my back bumper and he's mega agitated. As we move around a little more (heavy traffic) he proceeds to mount the pavement, and then blocks a yellow box - this is when I figure he wants to have words.

Eventually we're off the roundabout and on a 2-lane section which is still queuing down towards Kew bridge; he manages to muscle his way along side, and then the shouting, derogatory comments and questioning the validity of my birth mother starts (nb the guy seemed to have a strange obsession with the male genitalia, the way he was going on about it so much). All of this whilst he has 3 or 4 kids in his car. I don't react, and just give him a faint 'wtf' look. That was like a red rag to him, and I see him reach for a Mcdonald's drink cup and throws it. Had it hit and splashed the car I would have been pissed, but in fact the base of the cup hits my window square on and it just falls to the ground - I think it must have been empty. By now he's encouraging the kids to throw stuff too but I guess they didn't have much; french fries, paper napkins, whatever. He's still shouting; I give him the coffee beans and finally he takes off, pulling an unsighted u-turn into on-coming traffic.

What a dick.

Too much fast food has rotted his brain. You feel for the children seeing all that.

[lyonspride]

Quirrel said:

I was working in Thailand, young, daft and immortal.

I was cut up by a pickup twice going through road works, in the second time I wound my window down and stuck my finger up at him and carried on driving.

Shortly after he pulled up alongside me and held a gun up for me to see, not pointed at me, just side on to show me, he then blasted his horn and drove off.

Life is cheap there.

IIRC more westerners are killed in Thailand than in any other country, THE most dangerous tourist destination, the locals don't want us there, the Police are against us and will for example throw you into prison if you report a theft (because they suspect you of insurance fraud) and the roads are a death trap.

I really don't understand why all the student types insist on going there, but maybe the place would be better if their cultural ignorance and western arrogance wasn't being forced upon the locals, "oh hello, we're vegans, we're on our gap yah, is this street food organic? did I mention we're vegans?", it's no wonder the locals carry guns.

[ToothbrushMan]

had a strange one earlier today where a guy thought I was about to go around him in traffic and jump in front.

we had 2 lanes up to a set of lights with a 100 yard filter lane for what was an empty right turns only up ahead but the queues were back to far to let me get up to it as thats where i needed to be and to keep off the chevron areas. weve got a couple of cars holding up oncoming traffic too where they are waiting to merge from the right..

the guy in front in a new Mini had left roughly a good 2 car gap in front of him and it was just enough to allow me to get closer to that filter lane but Mini man took umbridge - he soon woke up to the fact that I was moving around him so whats he start doing? He starts moving up and blipping the throttle getting up to the car that was in front of him. He was too far back to let those 2 cars in from the right. I looked over and got a glimpse but there was no eye contact but I could hear him blathering away with his missus.

funny how some people are happy with a huge gap one minute but want to kill the next if they think somebody wants to get into it but for this guy it was bit of cop out and like yesterdays Land Rover driver they just expend an awful lot of energy and bluster and winding themselves up only to look a right bellend when they then find out you wasnt even wanting to go in their direction. Didnt stop me from feeling slightly smug about it. another twunt. to cap it off he then sped off up to the lights only for them to change to red whereas my filter lane changed to green and I sauntered past him and away.

[Hol]

Wills2 said:

Kuji said:

Wills2 said:

You can get as annoyed and mad as you like and still avoid road rage, you cross the line when you want to tell the other person how annoyed and mad you are.

Take a shopping trip to a local supermarket, masses of people in the main being very annoying with people getting in each others way, however the response is, I'm sorry after you...No please after you, no I insist you go first, (inside you may well be thinking you daft old bat but you keep it to yourself) but when those same people get in the car it turns into fk you! No fk you! I insist go fk yourself!

Drive your car like you're walking down the street or out shopping and 99% of the nonsense will stop.

You must either live in a ghetto where people push you off the path on a regular basis, or you don’t like people criticising your poor driving.

Either way, you come across as someone who needs therapy.

I'd brush up on your reading comprehension if I were you, it'll help you stop looking foolish.

Actually, I just read it and, you do come across like a bit of a dick.

[Buggyjam]

Just stick your tongue out

[oceanview]

JohnoVR6 said:

I had exactly the same thing this morning, with a duet of tts in JLR products. Some gammon faced in his F-Pace (95% sure it had an ebay Brexit-spec leaper added to it too for full ishness) and, I'm presuming his fat-arsed wife in the six-year old Range Rover Evoque behind who, jointly, took umbridge at anyone using a merge-in-turn correctly. They thought they'd self-police the road and block both lanes with a rolling road block, sitting on the white line, before attempting a side swipe as I used the sizeable gap that still existed. This is then followed by the chode in the F-Pace putting his foot down to try and close the gap he'd created in attempting to back people up.

If they had any common sense in executing their plan, then they'd have driven side by side to properly block the road, but there we go...

There must be something about these F-pace lumps , with they're fake noise exhausts as I had a weird encounter with one recently!

Away from the lights on a town dual carriageway, I am following this F-type ( they're big, much bigger than my Z4 Coupe) he's dawdling, then floors it like I am supposed to disappear and be enthralled or whatever- I stay with him but he backs off at the approaching roundabout and I just go around him like, is that it, what was all that about? At least do something worth seeing!!

Edited by oceanview on Sunday 2nd September 20:30

[oceanview]

JohnoVR6 said:

I had exactly the same thing this morning, with a duet of tts in JLR products. Some gammon faced in his F-Pace (95% sure it had an ebay Brexit-spec leaper added to it too for full ishness) and, I'm presuming his fat-arsed wife in the six-year old Range Rover Evoque behind who, jointly, took umbridge at anyone using a merge-in-turn correctly. They thought they'd self-police the road and block both lanes with a rolling road block, sitting on the white line, before attempting a side swipe as I used the sizeable gap that still existed. This is then followed by the chode in the F-Pace putting his foot down to try and close the gap he'd created in attempting to back people up.

If they had any common sense in executing their plan, then they'd have driven side by side to properly block the road, but there we go...

There must be something about these F-pace lumps , with they're fake noise exhausts as I had a weird encounter with one recently!

Away from the lights on a town dual carriageway, I am following this F-type ( they're big, much bigger than my Z4 Coupe) he's dawdling, then floors it like I am supposed to disappear and be enthralled or whatever- I stay with him but he backs off at the approaching roundabout and I just go around him like, is that it, what was all that about? At least do something worth seeing!!

Edited by oceanview on Sunday 2nd September 20:40

[jfire]

Cool as a cucumber yesterday when about 5 seconds after coming to a halt waiting for an opportunity to turn on to New Cross Road someone behind was beeping me. Traffic travelling in the direction I was turning (right) was solid as held up by a bus and traffic lights ahead, and obviously not obligated to leave a space as on the other side of the road from the turning I was coming out of. Traffic across me in the other direction largely consisted of bicycles which had gotten ahead of the cars, presumably invisible to the idiot behind. I was quite early for my yoga class so decided to wait for the largest possible gap in traffic coming from the right, but still had to pull in to the gap created in the narrow outside lane where the bus had pulled in to the stop just ahead of me. The aggressive driver behind followed me out at the next break in traffic but still wasn't able to join the traffic safely, so he instead decided to stop beside me in, in the lane of the oncoming traffic and shout something inaudible with windows up for a few seconds. I responded with the sign language for driving at which point he drove in to the oncoming traffic out of my sight and presumably forced his way in to the lane ahead of me.

[Wills2]

robemcdonald said:

I had an incident yesterday returning home from Stevenage.

A guy in a Vectra pulled out on me on a roundabout.
I did not react in any way.
After the exit there is a short length of dual (or is it spelt duel these days?) carriageway before the junction with the A1 (another roundabout) I overtook the guy on this road.
I turned left to go south on the A1 from the middle lane of three (the middle lane is marked as left or straight on on the road).
The A1 south slip road is two lanes and I was in the right hand one.
Vectra man was now behind me weaving between booths lanes, gesticulating (his wife / girlfriend looking highly embarrassed.
I put my foot down to get a bit of distance / a few cars between us.
He eventually me caught up still weaving around, almost crashing into cars to try and get in front of me.
Realising this was getting a touch dangerous. I decided to slow down. If the guy was going to collide with me I’d rather do it at 50 than 70.
Next Vectra man pulled in front and did a couple of violent brake tests. I was covering the brake in anticipation of this anyway so no problem.
At this point I had resigned myself to the idea this was only going to end with us pulling over. So I signalled and took the approaching exit and prepared myself for an unwanted confrontation.
As soon as I signalled the Vectra went to the outside lane and booted it off.
Thinking about it afterwards the only explanation I could come up with was the guy wanted to be in front of me....
I considered downloading the dash cam footage, but thought that would make me as bigger prick as he (dash cam is in case of accident only in my book)

Edited by robemcdonald on Sunday 2nd September 12:20

Stevenage + Vectra = standard behaviour.

[Wills2]

Hol said:

Wills2 said:

Kuji said:

Wills2 said:

You can get as annoyed and mad as you like and still avoid road rage, you cross the line when you want to tell the other person how annoyed and mad you are.

Take a shopping trip to a local supermarket, masses of people in the main being very annoying with people getting in each others way, however the response is, I'm sorry after you...No please after you, no I insist you go first, (inside you may well be thinking you daft old bat but you keep it to yourself) but when those same people get in the car it turns into fk you! No fk you! I insist go fk yourself!

Drive your car like you're walking down the street or out shopping and 99% of the nonsense will stop.

You must either live in a ghetto where people push you off the path on a regular basis, or you don’t like people criticising your poor driving.

Either way, you come across as someone who needs therapy.

I'd brush up on your reading comprehension if I were you, it'll help you stop looking foolish.

Actually, I just read it and, you do come across like a bit of a dick.

By suggesting people try a bit of give and take whilst driving on the roads like they do when they are out of their cars? OK.

[80sMatchbox]

Wills2 said:

By suggesting people try a bit of give and take whilst driving on the roads like they do when they are out of their cars? OK.

I get your sentiment in the original post of yours if that between 2 cars but it's quite different when someone is a dick in a car and the victim is on a motorbike, bicycle etc. When a driver does what he/she thinks is a little mistake, to a vulnerable road user this can be life threatening. I'm yet to have this happen in Waitrose or Lidl.

Edited by 80sMatchbox on Saturday 10th November 00:17

[200Plus Club]

Years ago a much older guy once got his range rover right in front of me as I was stuck trying to 3 point turn a 530d on a very icy sloping road off a private driveway Id turned into by mistake. Our car was struggling to get going on ice and he flashed/tooted and got very impatient and angry. I got out to ask him to back up so I could try and get rolling again and he told me to "fk off this is a private road".

I said if you don't back up I'll be sat here all night as I can't get moving without room as the back end was sliding, without further ado he put full lock on and drove into me knocking me sideways at low speed and pushed me into a hedge.

In anger I knocked his wing mirror flat back and shouted wtf or similar, and the silly old goat punched me through the open window while leaning out. Unfortunately he missed my nose and got me on the temple, and so i punched him hard enough to knock his glasses clean off his head and leave him dazed.

I went to the car to get my phone to ring the police as I thought he was going to ram us but he stuck his car in reverse and shot off.
I've later found out from someone who lives in the area he owns a large house and the lane itself and is regularly aggressive in his range rover to other drivers in the area.

Nothing ever came of it and it's the only time I think I've had to get involved in anything, I was really taken aback by someone being so aggressive as a pensioner probably! Long before dash cams unfortunately but if we ever drive in the area in always got the memory lol.

[MB140]

Am I the only one who sits and smiles at these people but inside am imagining getting out with a claw hammer smashing the window in, dragging the potty mouthed ignorant idiot out the car giving them a good couple of smacks (not with the hammer) and then using said hammer to smash every panel, window and light in then just driving off leaving them a snivelling sorry mess on the floor.

Of course I never would, my sane side tells me I would go to prison, lose my job, house, car, probably my wife as she wouldn’t be with someone that behaves like that. But I do in my head have some strange thoughts of teaching them a lesson.

Wouldnt hit a woman but her car headlights might get a smashing if she was exceptionally rude.

Or is it just me and I need to go and talk to someone



And no I am not a powerfully built director.

[nonsequitur]

Wills2 said:

Hol said:

Wills2 said:

Kuji said:

Wills2 said:

You can get as annoyed and mad as you like and still avoid road rage, you cross the line when you want to tell the other person how annoyed and mad you are.

Take a shopping trip to a local supermarket, masses of people in the main being very annoying with people getting in each others way, however the response is, I'm sorry after you...No please after you, no I insist you go first, (inside you may well be thinking you daft old bat but you keep it to yourself) but when those same people get in the car it turns into fk you! No fk you! I insist go fk yourself!

Drive your car like you're walking down the street or out shopping and 99% of the nonsense will stop.

You must either live in a ghetto where people push you off the path on a regular basis, or you don’t like people criticising your poor driving.

Either way, you come across as someone who needs therapy.

I'd brush up on your reading comprehension if I were you, it'll help you stop looking foolish.

Actually, I just read it and, you do come across like a bit of a dick.

By suggesting people try a bit of give and take whilst driving on the roads like they do when they are out of their cars? OK.

Yes. The reply posts are worrying. Being 'nice' on the road, pointing at those to whom it applies, is not going to happen, but it is a positive thought. No requirement for any abuse.

[anonymous-user]

People seem to be much more aggressive on the road nowadays. I drive a lot for work and so often see people having arguments or whatever. It’s rare that I get into anything and if I make a mistake I just smile and wave apologetically.

One that did st me up a bit was in Switzerland when I took my bike with me on a work trip. I know all the rules there as I lived there for 8 years so it wasn’t my fault at all, the guy was just a dhead looking for a fight.

I was riding IN the cycle lane which took up just under half the carriageway meaning that if a car comes behind you and something is coming the other way, the car has to wait and give way to oncoming traffic and cyclist. Anyway, sure enough there was a car coming the other way and the road was too narrow to overtake. He sat literally on my back wheel and beeped his horn, overtook me and then slammed on his brakes in front of me. I literally had done nothing up to that point.

When he got out of his car I had already stowed the bike on the side of the road. He started walking towards me, shouting in Swiss German that I was an arschloch. Told him I wasn’t and was in the cycle lane so didn’t see the issue.

I hate fights and I was absolutely stting bricks, but by the time someone has stopped their car in front of someone they don’t know, you have to go all in. He was right in my face by now.

I looked him in the eye and asked him again if he really wanted to go because if he did then let’s fking do it. The fking loser huffed and got back in his car and drove off. Pussy (thank fk). I was so relieved but legitimately couldn’t understand what the issue was other than he was a tt who has had a bad day.

I drive cars, I ride bikes. I have never, ever, been in such a hurry that someone riding a bike doesn’t deserve space when you’re passing them. Or, that you can’t just wait until it is safe to pass them.

[200Plus Club]

MB140 said:

Am I the only one who sits and smiles at these people but inside am imagining getting out with a claw hammer smashing the window in, dragging the potty mouthed ignorant idiot out the car giving them a good couple of smacks (not with the hammer) and then using said hammer to smash every panel, window and light in then just driving off leaving them a snivelling sorry mess on the floor.

Of course I never would, my sane side tells me I would go to prison, lose my job, house, car, probably my wife as she wouldn’t be with someone that behaves like that. But I do in my head have some strange thoughts of teaching them a lesson.

Wouldnt hit a woman but her car headlights might get a smashing if she was exceptionally rude.

Or is it just me and I need to go and talk to someone



And no I am not a powerfully built director.

I have a friend who is an ex boxer and a bit "small man syndrome" who would do exactly that to people who try it on with him or get out and act hard. He once chased a guy round bradford for almost 40 mins with that intention until the guy drove through red lights and across a junction on the wrong side to escape him. Unfortunately some people do lose the plot and cannot act rationally when deliberately wound up. It's a good job we don't have concealed carry in the UK!

[Fckitdriveon]

I m ashamed to say I did chase someone many years ago......how he didn’t smash into me when changing lanes I ll never know.....not an ounce of acknowledgement and I wanted to murder him .....I saw red and chased him for a mile or so , luckily (for us both ) he disappeared and I took some time to calm down.
I often think back to that and hang my head.

Now I have an acceptance that we are all trying to get somewhere and none of us want it to take longer than we think it should....when I find myself muttering about someone’s stupid actions , I pause and examine how I m feeling that day, because most likely it comes from a place where I m unhappy about something - usually completely unrelated.

Live and let live.