Road Rage - have you ever got out of your car?
Discussion
popeyewhite said:
Leins said:
You could be taking it easy on yourself. You should be making it easy on yourself!
A mantra I wish I could adopt more successfully 
I enjoy Cerys' radio show btw.
Incidentally, I once inadvertently did this while a passenger many years ago
I was travelling in a mate’s car as he was giving me a lift to an ATM. Someone pulled out in front of him in a bit of a dangerous fashion, then the usual beep followed by fingers and much gesticulating from both drivers. Other driver then stopped at the next traffic lights, and was still mouthing off in his car while my mate was laughing at him and winding him up more
However, this junction had a bank on the corner, which was a higher priority to me than any ongoing handbags between my friend and angry man in front. I got out, my mate asks me what I’m doing, so I point at the ATM on the other corner and tell him to pull up after the lights
At this point I should explain that while I’m a peace loving and fairly chilled-out guy, I’m 6’8 and at the time was about 18.5 stone. I’d never myself get out of a car with the view to having an altercation unless there was no other option, but Mr. Angry in front obviously thought differently and shot forwards, through the red light and off up the road!
The funny thing was my mate was quite a small guy, but used to be a bit of a nutter if he flipped and handy enough in a scuffle
Witnessed the other week
NSL B road, flatbed type vehicle pulled up near a blind bend. Driver jumped out to remonstrate with the driver behind (NL number plate, elderly guy in it).
No idea what happened in the buildup.
So a big tattood lump jumps out, shouting & pointing. The 60s guy gets out & gives as good as he gets!
The vest wearing tough guy got back in his van, 3 point turn, drives off still shouting.
His wife & kids on the bench seat, they must have been so proud of him!
NSL B road, flatbed type vehicle pulled up near a blind bend. Driver jumped out to remonstrate with the driver behind (NL number plate, elderly guy in it).
No idea what happened in the buildup.
So a big tattood lump jumps out, shouting & pointing. The 60s guy gets out & gives as good as he gets!
The vest wearing tough guy got back in his van, 3 point turn, drives off still shouting.
His wife & kids on the bench seat, they must have been so proud of him!
Not quite road rage, but "getting out of the car" was definitely involved...
Early 90s, family holiday to Norfolk and we were staying in Norwich. We were in my dad's shiny white Mercedes E class, 1 year old, and I was driving.
On a roundabout, in the left lane to go straight ahead (or turn left), I set off and a guy in the right lane (straight ahead or turn right) suddenly shot across and went left, taking the front o/s corner of our car with him.
We both stopped dead, then he shot off down the exit to the left and I turned to follow him. He then stopped, drove off again, stopped again - basically we thought he was going to do a runner. Then he stopped, opened his door and started to get out, so I did too.
Now, as will become clear in a second or too, it took me a moment to extract myself from our car and, as I was partly out, I looked through the window of the open door to see the other driver marching towards us quite angrily/aggressively, puffed up chest, arms out, fists clenched. OK.
Well, I pulled myself up to full height: 6 foot 3 and 19 stone, just as dad got out the passenger seat - 6 foot 2, 15 .5 stone and still very fit (ex cavalry officer).
The other driver slowed down a bit, but still looked very angry.
My brother finally extracted himself from the rear n/s passenger seat: 6 foot 8 and 3/4 (he was very defensive about his 3/4") and 25 stone, just as my gf/fiancee got out behind me - 6ft and 12 stone of county lacrosse playing looney! But very pretty...
By now, other driver had come to a complete stop, went very white and just stood at the front of our car, not speaking, nothing.
My mum finished getting out from the middle of the back seat - all 5 foot 6 and 10 stone of her, lit her cigarette, looked at the other guy and asked him if he was OK? He appeared to be in shock, all aggression gone....
In the end, we followed him to the local Mercedes garage and he paid in full for the front wing and bumper to be repaired etc. We left in a courtesy car and picked ours up 2 days later, like new!
As a post-script, it turned out that the Merc had been fitted with self-levelling rear suspension (we had bought it as an ex demo) and no-one knew - until it broke shortly after (and probably as a result of) carrying our lardy asses from North Yorkshire to Norfolk and back, plus luggage.
New, standard springs and shocks were fitted by Mercedes under warranty! Phew...
Early 90s, family holiday to Norfolk and we were staying in Norwich. We were in my dad's shiny white Mercedes E class, 1 year old, and I was driving.
On a roundabout, in the left lane to go straight ahead (or turn left), I set off and a guy in the right lane (straight ahead or turn right) suddenly shot across and went left, taking the front o/s corner of our car with him.
We both stopped dead, then he shot off down the exit to the left and I turned to follow him. He then stopped, drove off again, stopped again - basically we thought he was going to do a runner. Then he stopped, opened his door and started to get out, so I did too.
Now, as will become clear in a second or too, it took me a moment to extract myself from our car and, as I was partly out, I looked through the window of the open door to see the other driver marching towards us quite angrily/aggressively, puffed up chest, arms out, fists clenched. OK.
Well, I pulled myself up to full height: 6 foot 3 and 19 stone, just as dad got out the passenger seat - 6 foot 2, 15 .5 stone and still very fit (ex cavalry officer).
The other driver slowed down a bit, but still looked very angry.
My brother finally extracted himself from the rear n/s passenger seat: 6 foot 8 and 3/4 (he was very defensive about his 3/4") and 25 stone, just as my gf/fiancee got out behind me - 6ft and 12 stone of county lacrosse playing looney! But very pretty...
By now, other driver had come to a complete stop, went very white and just stood at the front of our car, not speaking, nothing.
My mum finished getting out from the middle of the back seat - all 5 foot 6 and 10 stone of her, lit her cigarette, looked at the other guy and asked him if he was OK? He appeared to be in shock, all aggression gone....
In the end, we followed him to the local Mercedes garage and he paid in full for the front wing and bumper to be repaired etc. We left in a courtesy car and picked ours up 2 days later, like new!
As a post-script, it turned out that the Merc had been fitted with self-levelling rear suspension (we had bought it as an ex demo) and no-one knew - until it broke shortly after (and probably as a result of) carrying our lardy asses from North Yorkshire to Norfolk and back, plus luggage.
New, standard springs and shocks were fitted by Mercedes under warranty! Phew...
Years ago I had a Nissan Sunny that switched on the main beam when you went over a bump. The problem was the only way to turn it off seemed to be a few pulls on the lever. One evening after it inadvertently switched on and I had flashed the poor guy in front about 6 times to turn it off the car in front stopped and the guy got out. I jumped out to try and explain but he was really angry and I suspect putting a show on for his girlfriend. Now I’m 6.3 and in shape so I couldn’t understand what he thought would be a successful outcome. In the end I gave up and got back in my car. He set off and yes of course the first bump I went over on the came the main beam. I couldn’t be bothered trying to turn it off anymore.
bentley01 said:
Years ago I had a Nissan Sunny that switched on the main beam when you went over a bump. The problem was the only way to turn it off seemed to be a few pulls on the lever. One evening after it inadvertently switched on and I had flashed the poor guy in front about 6 times to turn it off the car in front stopped and the guy got out. I jumped out to try and explain but he was really angry and I suspect putting a show on for his girlfriend. Now I’m 6.3 and in shape so I couldn’t understand what he thought would be a successful outcome. In the end I gave up and got back in my car. He set off and yes of course the first bump I went over on the came the main beam. I couldn’t be bothered trying to turn it off anymore.
How long were you driving around like that in a broken car?Tommo87 said:
bentley01 said:
Years ago I had a Nissan Sunny that switched on the main beam when you went over a bump. The problem was the only way to turn it off seemed to be a few pulls on the lever. One evening after it inadvertently switched on and I had flashed the poor guy in front about 6 times to turn it off the car in front stopped and the guy got out. I jumped out to try and explain but he was really angry and I suspect putting a show on for his girlfriend. Now I’m 6.3 and in shape so I couldn’t understand what he thought would be a successful outcome. In the end I gave up and got back in my car. He set off and yes of course the first bump I went over on the came the main beam. I couldn’t be bothered trying to turn it off anymore.
How long were you driving around like that in a broken car?
TX.
Hugo Stiglitz said:
Pica-Pica said:
Hugo Stiglitz said:
TonyG2003 said:
Never got out of a car buy as a cyclist it’s surprising the number of complete nutters who get annoyed by us cycling too fast / too slow / riding side by side / not riding side by side / flltering / not using cycle paths / using cycle paths (lorry driver who objected to me being on a cycle path FFS). Without exception they are all complete knobs but as cyclist you can’t drive off / shut your doors so situations have to be handled pretty diplomatically. Cars are straight forward compared to bicycles when it comes to road rage. That’s why I MTB quite a bit….
I'm extremely placcid and a raging nut job. There is only one thing that flips the switch when I'm on the road - being on two wheels.
So I always give anyone on 2 wheels a wide pass and avoid.
Maybe it's the knowledge that my life is firmly at the hands of someone else?
donkmeister said:
jeremyh1 said:
This fruit cake then started shouting Armed police ,Armed police I stopped assuming he was a policeman I was worried and awaiting arrest
He then turns the car around and drives off
At 53 now I don't want any hassle!
Ha, that's a novel take on "I'm an off-duty policeman"... 90% of the time they are not an off-duty policeman but rather sHe then turns the car around and drives off
At 53 now I don't want any hassle!
tting themselves and thinking that it's some sort of shield spell.I haven't but I had some loonie get out of his van and try to wrench my door open a while back.
He'd done a sliproad-L2 swoop and would have side swiped me (in L2) had I not braked hard. I didn't gesticulate, flash or toot. When we'd cleared the traffic he stayed in L2 of L2, and slowed to 60mph with clear road ahead. So I flashed him, and he immediately brake-tested me. Knowing I was leaving in a couple of junctions I should have just slowed to 50 and let him get on with being a nutter elsewhere, but instead I undertook him and he tried to side swipe me, which put me onto the hard shoulder. He followed me down to my exit, which of course had stationary traffic at the end. I stopped, he stopped behind. I then had what looked like a long haired version of Nik Blackhurst (of Project Binky fame) try to wrench open my door, then stood next to my door ranting and raving about me flashing him and offering me a fight, occasionally wrenching at my door. Lights went green, I drove on. Next red light, same again. Very odd situation. Just as I was starting to think "he might get out with a weapon next time... Do I try to smack him with the car if he does?" he got bored/had a coronary and did a U-turn.
I'm not a fighty sort but by my estimation I had an advantage of a foot in height, 6 stone in weight and 20 years in age... Although he looked like he'd probably had more stella-infused punch-ups in the car park of the Dog and Hammer than I've had hot dinners.
king nuts!) - you simply do not have a clue as to who you'd be facing up to - and it might be more than 'fisticuffs'. Anyway, there's enough distractions on today's roads, not to mention the vast increase in piss-poor drivers. Many 'pilled-up' to the eyeballs (and I don't mean 'illegal' drugs - I've stopped accepting lifts from a few friends, one of who really, really should not be behind the wheel... 'Doc says it's fine for me to drive' he tells me. 9 prescription pills a day inc an anti-depressant. His reaction times are so slow to be dangerous. The last time I was with him, as my car was in for an MOT, he pulled up at the traffic lights as they changed to green. Drivers behind beeped. He just remarked 'People, all in too much of a hurry today Dan.' I said 'But you should have moved as the lights changed Brian.' 'Better safe than sorry.' he says. I still drive a 'quick' car, even at my age - why? I've never been so alert on the roads in my life, you need to be, and a 'quick' car has plenty of times got me out of a predicament caused usually by the daily incidents of someone not concentrating on his/her 'driving'.
Has there ever been a time on UK roads when so many pay so little attention to what they are supposed to be doing?
That sounds Churchillian (and yeah, I was here when he was PM for the second time).
Back to the 1980s.
I was driving home on what was then considered a road with a death-trap. Single lane carriageway with a shortish stretch where it merged into 3 lanes, yeah, 3 lanes part of stretch which was around a blind bend! The central lane for overtaking!! Now long, long gone after a few head-ons and fatalities.
I was driving along at 60'ish when this Pug (think it was a Peugeot) overtook in this central lane (oncoming traffic only was supposed to use it) and cut me up as he had to get back in quick. I flashed him a few times. Next thing I see is what I thought was smoke coming from the rear of his car?
Nah, burning rubber - he'd handbraked bloody hard and I was upon him in seconds as his car veered left and right. Luckily, my brakes were good (I know, because I built the thing - kit car that looked like a mini Rangie). He drove off and then did it again. Other road users jaws were dropping at his antics. Today, they'd have all been on their mobiles calling the cops.
I (stupidly) antagonised him more... main beam! Oh s
t, we come up towards a roundabout and single lane system. He jumps out, and hurries backs towards me, gesticulating for me to get out. I'm not that f mad mate! Doors locked. I get real close-up of his mouthing gob at my door window. I just sat there reassured he couldn't do much more. He realised that too, and walked back to his car... as he reached the end of the bonnet of my car his left arm rose skywards as high as it could go, then his fist came thundering down to strike my bonnet (I suspect he hoped he'd leave a fking great dent). He didn't. His arm flew back up and his right hand grabbed his left wrist - the startled look on his face told me how much it had hurt. He didn't look back at me, walked to his car, and drove off.
He hadn't hit a wafer thin metal panel, he'd hit very thick GRP (glassfibre) right on the angled-edge.
'Path' rage!Never felt the need to get out the car and despite plenty of run ins with other drivers no one has felt the need to get out their vehicle to confront me, thankfully.
No one wins when it escalates that far, especially with how prominent dash cams and recordings are currently. Even if you were to get in a fight and win, it still doesn’t look good.
No one wins when it escalates that far, especially with how prominent dash cams and recordings are currently. Even if you were to get in a fight and win, it still doesn’t look good.
Honourable Dead Snark said:
Never felt the need to get out the car and despite plenty of run ins with other drivers no one has felt the need to get out their vehicle to confront me, thankfully.
No one wins when it escalates that far, especially with how prominent dash cams and recordings are currently. Even if you were to get in a fight and win, it still doesn’t look good.
The saying is "Don't start a fight you aren't prepared to finish". I suspect I'd last literally seconds in a physical confrontation!No one wins when it escalates that far, especially with how prominent dash cams and recordings are currently. Even if you were to get in a fight and win, it still doesn’t look good.
I've even stopped blowing the horn and gesticulating... I've noticed drivers are far quicker to get lairy if Im on a bicycle so I've learned to turn the other cheek, breathe deeply and move on.
I had a young lad in a Fiesta behind on a dark winters night with no lights (not even DRLs). I tried flashing my fog lights to warn him (I can't switch my rear lights off). We got to a red light and I get out, he looks terrified, and tell him he might want to put some lights on, he does and says a terrified sounding thank you, followed by his mates erupting in laughter. I wonder if he's lived it down.
I've also got out to ask people behind to turn their full beams off when flashing my fog lights hasn't worked.
I've only got out my car in road rage once, possibly told on this thread when it first did the rounds. It was not long after my Dad died and I was doing all sorts of stressful probate stuff. I hit a congested roundabout and a coach driver decided to use the left only lane(no bus lane or merge in turn, just blatant queue jumping) to jump the queue, when I didn't let him in (I normally let them get on with it, but I wasn't in my normal headspace) he held his horn down at me, so I got out and told him I thought he was a fking prick and needed to be less of a prick he called me a , so I called him a back and went back to my car he had a coach full of college students and I think it made their day. Not proud of this, and was very much out of the ordinary for me.
I've also got out to ask people behind to turn their full beams off when flashing my fog lights hasn't worked.
I've only got out my car in road rage once, possibly told on this thread when it first did the rounds. It was not long after my Dad died and I was doing all sorts of stressful probate stuff. I hit a congested roundabout and a coach driver decided to use the left only lane(no bus lane or merge in turn, just blatant queue jumping) to jump the queue, when I didn't let him in (I normally let them get on with it, but I wasn't in my normal headspace) he held his horn down at me, so I got out and told him I thought he was a f
king prick and needed to be less of a prick he called me a , so I called him a back and went back to my car he had a coach full of college students and I think it made their day. Not proud of this, and was very much out of the ordinary for me.Good few years ago, I was driving somewhere near Lincoln where a DC merged into a single lane. In slow traffic some throbber came flying down the outside lane and tried to merge in. Merging is fine, but not when attempted at 60 mph and with his front bumper in line with my rear passenger door. I couldn't let him in even if I wanted to .
Anyway, we continue along and he is right on my back bumper, giving it the full coffee beans, throat slitting actions, swings out right as if to over take me. This carried on for about 10 minutes until we cam to a set of lights on red, and the road opened once again into a DC. He pulled alongside, very very close. I could see him shouting and raging and thought any minute now this lad is going to get out and do something silly.
It was at this point Sooty appeared.
He popped up in my driver's window, and began waving at Mr Angry and his girlfriend, who was now pissing herself and waving back. Sooty waved and did a little dance.
Mr Angry was now Mr Confused. He just sat there, opened mouthed, all the while his girlfriend was dancing in time with Sooty.
The lights changed, Sooty waved Bye bye, bye bye. His girlfriend waved bye bye and we all drove off happily ever after.
Anyway, we continue along and he is right on my back bumper, giving it the full coffee beans, throat slitting actions, swings out right as if to over take me. This carried on for about 10 minutes until we cam to a set of lights on red, and the road opened once again into a DC. He pulled alongside, very very close. I could see him shouting and raging and thought any minute now this lad is going to get out and do something silly.
It was at this point Sooty appeared.
He popped up in my driver's window, and began waving at Mr Angry and his girlfriend, who was now pissing herself and waving back. Sooty waved and did a little dance.
Mr Angry was now Mr Confused. He just sat there, opened mouthed, all the while his girlfriend was dancing in time with Sooty.
The lights changed, Sooty waved Bye bye, bye bye. His girlfriend waved bye bye and we all drove off happily ever after.
I don’t get angry at other drivers, but I’m also someone who doesn’t believe that you should sit in a mile long queue when a dual carriageway narrows to a single lane and should merge in turn. Consequently this leads to situations where people who perceive me as pushing into the queue will shout, beep or drive aggressively to try and block me. I could avoid this by joining the queue early but the autism in me won’t allow me to do this when a rule exists to the contrary.
The only time I’ve actually got out of my car in this situation was when a car straddled two lanes and refused to let me or anyone else pass. Eventually the queue reached a gap in the central reservation for right turns, I used this extra width to pass at no more than 30 mph. The guy doing the blocking, now behind me at this point looked ready to explode, he was apoplectic with rage and his face the colour of a ripe tomato. My attention was focused on him wondering what he might do next, when suddenly a 1 series pulled from lane 1 across lane 2 at almost 90 degrees, not only blocking my path but everything in lane 1 too. This guy then started shouting from his car, at this point I was boxed in by nutters on a stationary carriageway.
I figured the best solution was to get out and find out what the man in front was trying to accomplish. So calmly got out, walked towards him, the shouting stopped and the window started to close. At this point I had said nothing, nor made any gestures. I tapped on the window abs before I could ask what was wrong was met with a barrage of abuse and was told I’d been caught on dashcam and that he was calling the police. I then asked which law I’d broken and if he wasn’t going to report his own blocking of a dual carriageway. He reversed and set off again before I’d had time to get back into my own car, red faced nutter was by this point filming on his phone so I gave him a smile and a wave.
The above probably lasted no more than two minutes, but two fully grown men were so angry about someone having a slightly better understanding of the Highway Code than they did seemingly felt powerful enough to use their cars as weapons and their mouths to shout obscenities but weren’t even capable of having a grown up conversation with the person they were upset at to tell him what they believed he’d don’t wrong. It’s actually this kind of attitude that leads to some of those mouthy dheads being hurt and I feel not one ounce of sympathy for anyone who loses their temper over nothing and provokes a response from someone who doesn’t care about what the consequences of their actions are.
The only time I’ve actually got out of my car in this situation was when a car straddled two lanes and refused to let me or anyone else pass. Eventually the queue reached a gap in the central reservation for right turns, I used this extra width to pass at no more than 30 mph. The guy doing the blocking, now behind me at this point looked ready to explode, he was apoplectic with rage and his face the colour of a ripe tomato. My attention was focused on him wondering what he might do next, when suddenly a 1 series pulled from lane 1 across lane 2 at almost 90 degrees, not only blocking my path but everything in lane 1 too. This guy then started shouting from his car, at this point I was boxed in by nutters on a stationary carriageway.
I figured the best solution was to get out and find out what the man in front was trying to accomplish. So calmly got out, walked towards him, the shouting stopped and the window started to close. At this point I had said nothing, nor made any gestures. I tapped on the window abs before I could ask what was wrong was met with a barrage of abuse and was told I’d been caught on dashcam and that he was calling the police. I then asked which law I’d broken and if he wasn’t going to report his own blocking of a dual carriageway. He reversed and set off again before I’d had time to get back into my own car, red faced nutter was by this point filming on his phone so I gave him a smile and a wave.
The above probably lasted no more than two minutes, but two fully grown men were so angry about someone having a slightly better understanding of the Highway Code than they did seemingly felt powerful enough to use their cars as weapons and their mouths to shout obscenities but weren’t even capable of having a grown up conversation with the person they were upset at to tell him what they believed he’d don’t wrong. It’s actually this kind of attitude that leads to some of those mouthy d
heads being hurt and I feel not one ounce of sympathy for anyone who loses their temper over nothing and provokes a response from someone who doesn’t care about what the consequences of their actions are. Yes... But the rage was from the other guy.
Was following a mitsubishi off-roader that had an almost flat tyre. I started flashing him to warn him. He obviously thought I was annoyed that he was driving slowly so sped up.
I kept flashing and gesticulating for him to pull over. Eventually he did, opened the door and came storming up to my car as I was getting out.
He was absolutely raging - veins popped and bright red.
It was like popping a balloon when I told him he had a slow puncture and that I'd seen he had kids in the car so wanted to warn him ASAP.
Was following a mitsubishi off-roader that had an almost flat tyre. I started flashing him to warn him. He obviously thought I was annoyed that he was driving slowly so sped up.
I kept flashing and gesticulating for him to pull over. Eventually he did, opened the door and came storming up to my car as I was getting out.
He was absolutely raging - veins popped and bright red.
It was like popping a balloon when I told him he had a slow puncture and that I'd seen he had kids in the car so wanted to warn him ASAP.
I learned quickly about main beam as a new driver.
Another car was a fair distance ahead of me going through our village and my dumb 17yo brain seemed to think he was far enough away for me to still be using main beam.
As I rounded a bend there he was at the side of the road, out of his car and gesticulating at me.
I'm 5'6" so fight avoidance has always been my mantra. I waved an apology and carried on past him before turning down our road. I spent those last few minutes of my journey keeping a panicked eye on the rearview mirror but, thankfully, he didn't follow.
Another car was a fair distance ahead of me going through our village and my dumb 17yo brain seemed to think he was far enough away for me to still be using main beam.
As I rounded a bend there he was at the side of the road, out of his car and gesticulating at me.
I'm 5'6" so fight avoidance has always been my mantra. I waved an apology and carried on past him before turning down our road. I spent those last few minutes of my journey keeping a panicked eye on the rearview mirror but, thankfully, he didn't follow.
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