Road Rage - have you ever got out of your car?

[Stick Legs]

popeyewhite said:

I have to be honest, there's some shockingly cowed people posting on here.

I don’t see how not engaging with pointless traffic bases cock swing violence is somehow being ‘cowed’?

I have spent a lifetime dodging violence and having a nice time. Unless you are a member of Viz magazine’s ‘fighting, scrapping & pagga council’ I can’t see what there is to gain.

[popeyewhite]

theplayingmantis said:

Yes but I suspect he got out with the intention of kicking off as per previous on here and general attitude!

"Kicking off" lol.

I already said there was something fishy about the driving.

If my attitude reflects the fact I sometimes don't let other motorists take the micky then I'm fine with that. To be honest simple loony driving by others doesn't irritate me as much as unnecessary bad manners.

Number of fistfights over the years? Too many to remember. No of fistfights at the roadside? 1, and that was handbags.

[MrGTI6]

I tend to avoid confrontation these days. I'm only 28 but feel like I'm too old for it now. I used to get into lots of scraps when I was younger but I couldn't fight my way out of a wet paper bag.

That said, on my commute there's a short two-lane section which often backs up, and there's usually someone who pulls out into lane two to prevent others from "jumping the queue" as they see it, despite the merge point being hundreds of yards away.

I often use this opportunity to take their place in lane one and then block them from getting back in. I know it's childish, but it keeps me entertained.

It helps that I drive a battered old Peugeot, so driving assertively in these situations isn't a concern!

No one's got out of their car yet. In fact, most won't even make eye contact when they're alongside. They just start beeping the horn and flashing the lights when they realise they won't get back in front!

[Kawasicki]

Never got out of my car for road rage. I’ve suffered very few road rage “attacks“, the rare ones I have had just made me laugh.

[999gsi]

Since my accident I have a real issue with being tailgated. Despite trying to refuse my diagnosis of PTSD its something I have been diagnosed with and I have to live with it..

Having someone sit on my arse sets me off. I had a chap follow me less than an inch from my bumper .A country lane, 30mph which becomes a 60mph after a mile or so despite slowing to allow him to pass (he didn't) he was so close I couldn't see his number plate ,the shakes kicked in and stopped my car. I got out and approached his door, I was ready to rip his head off. He didn't see the problem in his driving and was gobbing off, had my children not been in the car car I would of put him in a coma.....

Having threatened him i walked away, I got in my car and cried, I was ready to do the driver some serious harm but didn't want to...

His actions and mine may have had serious consequences which we both would have regretted. Road rage isn't worth it, I've had counselling I doubt he has....

Aggression i'snt worth it... just walk away

[theplayingmantis]

popeyewhite said:

theplayingmantis said:

Yes but I suspect he got out with the intention of kicking off as per previous on here and general attitude!

"Kicking off" lol.

I already said there was something fishy about the driving.

If my attitude reflects the fact I sometimes don't let other motorists take the micky then I'm fine with that. To be honest simple loony driving by others doesn't irritate me as much as unnecessary bad manners.

Number of fistfights over the years? Too many to remember. No of fistfights at the roadside? 1, and that was handbags.

so someone doing 20 in a 40 although incredibly irritating is worth of getting out you car in anger at? why not overtake them if it was for a mile? bet the elderly couple doing 20 seeing you coming, despite the fortuitous outcome, were delighted... you have a recognizable username on here that sticks out, and i think you are a good poster generally, not that you need any validation from me, but you perhaps should calm down a touch and realise certain things are really not worth getting so worked up about. Im the most impatient driver imaginable and despair at the lack of ability, consideration or skill on the roads, and get incredibly frustrated by others poor driving, yet it impairs my own if i let it get to me and benefits no one by getting wound up or taking it out on them, as theres simply too many examples out there.

however handy you are one day some drugged up scummer will knife you in the back and you will regret getting worked up to the extent of exposing your self in what is ultimately a zero sum game.

[TonyG2003]

Just one cycling incident. I was riding along a cycle lane filtering down the inside a long line of traffic and I came up to another group of cyclists in the cycle land except for one of who was riding in the road (ie. Not in the cycle lane) and slightly holding up a Landrover behind him. We were coming up to some stationary traffic soon. Anyway the cyclist and the driver started hand gestures and swearing at each other then the driver squeezes past the cyclist drives off, straight into the stationary traffic. The cyclist goes down the middle of the traffic lane and knocks back the Landrover drivers wing mirror. At this point I have to filter right to turn right.

By the time I get to the Landrover the guy is out ,swearing at the cyclist (who has ridden off) and more angry than anyone I’ve seen for years. Complete psycho who had lost the plot. just shouting “he touched my car I’m going to ‘kin kill him” over and over again. The guy is overweight probably in his 50’s (so am I although just the 50’s bit). I think he’s going to have a heart attack! He’s gone beetroot. He starts shouting a me “do you know him, I’m going on do you”. His family are in the car, kids crying, wife, father looking scared. I eventually calm him down. “No you aren’t going to kill him since you will go to jail and not see your kids”. Literally more than 5 mins standing in a live lane with other cars honking at us.

Anyway cycling is a small world and it turns out the “mirror hitter” is a friend of a friend, has form for this and has been banned from several cycling clubs. I found out who he was and we had a very frank chat about the situation he was putting others in.

The world is full of nutters. Stay in your cars!

[Tommo87]

The cyclist sounds like a right moron, who is deliberately going out of their way to create an incident.

As he likely owns a car, I wholly expect him to be exactly the type of self important driver that straddles the middle lane of mergers etc just to promote another argument.
What a dhead.

[TameRacingDriver]

TonyG2003 said:

Just one cycling incident. I was riding along a cycle lane filtering down the inside a long line of traffic and I came up to another group of cyclists in the cycle land except for one of who was riding in the road (ie. Not in the cycle lane) and slightly holding up a Landrover behind him. We were coming up to some stationary traffic soon. Anyway the cyclist and the driver started hand gestures and swearing at each other then the driver squeezes past the cyclist drives off, straight into the stationary traffic. The cyclist goes down the middle of the traffic lane and knocks back the Landrover drivers wing mirror. At this point I have to filter right to turn right.

By the time I get to the Landrover the guy is out ,swearing at the cyclist (who has ridden off) and more angry than anyone I’ve seen for years. Complete psycho who had lost the plot. just shouting “he touched my car I’m going to ‘kin kill him” over and over again. The guy is overweight probably in his 50’s (so am I although just the 50’s bit). I think he’s going to have a heart attack! He’s gone beetroot. He starts shouting a me “do you know him, I’m going on do you”. His family are in the car, kids crying, wife, father looking scared. I eventually calm him down. “No you aren’t going to kill him since you will go to jail and not see your kids”. Literally more than 5 mins standing in a live lane with other cars honking at us.

Anyway cycling is a small world and it turns out the “mirror hitter” is a friend of a friend, has form for this and has been banned from several cycling clubs. I found out who he was and we had a very frank chat about the situation he was putting others in.

The world is full of nutters. Stay in your cars!

Wasn't this guy was it?

[Tommo87]

theplayingmantis said:

however handy you are one day some drugged up scummer will knife you in the back and you will regret getting worked up to the extent of exposing your self in what is ultimately a zero sum game.

I don’t tend to take much notice of peoples advice about Skiing resorts or restaurants if they haven’t actually ever been there.

Edited by Tommo87 on Thursday 2nd November 10:28

[Pebbles167]

I'm not particularly road rage prone, but i got angry once when I was in my early 20's. After a bad day, and going through a divorce, a young woman about my age did a fairly dodgy overtake on me, in hindsight i can see she just misread the road, thinking we were entering a dual carriageway when it was actually a turning lane. I was so angry, I gave chase, overtook her and then anchored on the brakes. Her car lightly hit the back of mine and we both stopped in the middle of the road, after which I got out and screamed at her. At the time the irony of my own actions didn't occur to me.

Mid way through my rant I realised her face was full of fear and i could see tears. It didn't make me feel big, or righteous or anything positive at all. I grumbled "sorry" and walked back to my car feeling like st, and on reflection I'm totally ashamed of both my dangerous driving, and generally being a dick.

Still, it made me consider my driving style more, and I am much calmer on the road. I'll only ever get out the car to help someone.

Edited by Pebbles167 on Thursday 2nd November 09:37

[Castrol for a knave]

Stick Legs said:

popeyewhite said:

I have to be honest, there's some shockingly cowed people posting on here.

I don’t see how not engaging with pointless traffic bases cock swing violence is somehow being ‘cowed’?

I have spent a lifetime dodging violence and having a nice time. Unless you are a member of Viz magazine’s ‘fighting, scrapping & pagga council’ I can’t see what there is to gain.

Exactly.

I grew up swinging my fists, and won as many as I lost. as I got older, I began to calm down. I now take the Ogmios approach to driving and let them get on with it.

All very well being the hardman, and I'm not afraid of genuinely protecting myself and loved ones, but getting out of your car to confront a stranger, that has all the potential to go horribly wrong. Getting pissy over a lane change could be life altering - getting stabbed or that one punch you hand out killing the bloke.

[Moodyman1]

A while back, whilst moonlighting as a food delivery driver to a new address and one eye on Google maps, I was driving a little slow and pulled in without indicating. My bad.

The guy behind, mid-20s, starting beeping his horn and hand gesturing as he drove past. I should have apologised with a raised hand, but I gave him the 1 finger salute.

This must have pressed his red button. He stopped his car a few metres ahead. Got out and started walking towards me asking me to get out for a fight.

So, I gets out. Opens the rear door and takes out the food bag for delivery. Completely ignoring him and staying quiet to allow him time to calm down. The guys stops shouting and starts to walk back to his car.

I then explained why I was driving slow, and that it wasn’t a reason for him to beep his horn and remonstrate. I said he shouldn’t get out of his car as you never know who you’ll meet.

He spat on the floor, like young men do, and drove off.

I’m mid 40s, 6’2” and have been working out for many years.

[toon10]

A couple of times when I was younger, but I stay well clear of that sort of thing now. I remember driving through Gosforth and came to a mini roundabout. A Polo driver positioned himself to the left of the roundabout and didn't indicate. I assumed he was going straight on. Turns out he went right, and we nearly collided. He went mental, swearing and giving me the coffee beans. I'm not proud to admit it but I lost it with him and got out and tried to open his car door for a discussion. Thankfully, his demeanor changed, and he locked the door and drove off with me looking like a bell end shouting at him in the road with a load of confused pedestrians looking on. Like I say I felt like a bit of an idiot so didn't want to repeat the behavior.

My brother once pulled a lad over who cut him up. The bloke got out and was really tall. He punched my brother to the ground, and they had a full-on tear up. Some old bloke had to pull my brother off him in the end. Claret everywhere. Looking back, the old bloke could have been knocked to the ground or had a heart attack. It's silly thoughts like that after the fact that you don't consider when you're in the red mist.

[52classic]

I have just one recollection of the 'red mist' coming down......... Timeline is 1979ish, I was driving a BMW E21 and the location is Castle Street Cardiff,
One of those demolition sites doubling up as a car park sort of places.

I'm in an orderly queue waiting to enter - one out - one in etc.

Just when it was my turn, a space had become available, a lad in some sort of Ford ignored the queue and we both headed for the same space.

Arriving at the same time, the cars stopped in a position that enabled neither of us to drive in. The lad waved acknowledgement of the queue but his girlfriend went 'off on one' hanging out of the window and shouting obscenities including a vague mention that the lad would be castrated if he gave up the space........... This was my chance, enough was enough. I got out of the Beemer and 'started' ............ The poor lad was now very apologetic and calmed the girl down on one smooth action.........

I turned to my car opened the door and got in, feeling the victor of the encounter. But wait...... No controls? I have forgotten that my E21 was an LHD German import and I was now sat in the passenger seat!!!

[Al Gorithum]

Only once.

Twenty years ago I was in my XJR and was followed by a very young moron in a hot-hatch driving like a lunatic. I kept well out of his way until we both ended up side by side at the front of a red traffic light queue, him in lane 1, me in lane 2. At the other side of the lights was a parked car so there's only room for one of us. On the green light we both accelerated but he had to brake hard to avoid the parked car, which seemed to enrage him enough to give the w@anker sign.

Bearing in mind that I'm in front of him, there are now cars behind him and a queue on the other side of the road so he has nowhere to go, so I stop my car, put the hand brake on and calmly walk up to him. With his window open he's sitting there looking like he's about to soil his pants.

Me: Do you have something you want to say to me?
Him: No Sir. I'm sorry.
Me: Firstly you're driving like an idiot. Secondly you don't who's going to get out of their car and confront you, so wind your neck in.

Got back into me Jag and went home.

My misses is a nightmare for road-rage though!

[Hol]

I cannot help but notice that you have a higher percentage of dheads drivers in cars and vans nowadays than you did before phones got cameras.

Back then people had much less protection against being dragged from a car and given a slap for deliberately trying to run another car off the road because they beeped you, as there would be no visual record.


In the modern world that same gimpey little wker will cut people up on purpose every day at the same junction, because he knows that he is safe from retaliation whilst he remains in his metal box.
He probably also has a wk with a pair of tweezers when he gets home over the fact that nobody ever challenges him, because he is such a driving god.

But he definitely isnt the knife wielding drugged up steroid Frankenstein that some people are insisting. He is instead an impotent little coward with a big gob who gets scared if his own safety is compromised.

[biggbn]

Castrol for a knave said:

Stick Legs said:

popeyewhite said:

I have to be honest, there's some shockingly cowed people posting on here.

I don’t see how not engaging with pointless traffic bases cock swing violence is somehow being ‘cowed’?

I have spent a lifetime dodging violence and having a nice time. Unless you are a member of Viz magazine’s ‘fighting, scrapping & pagga council’ I can’t see what there is to gain.

Exactly.

I grew up swinging my fists, and won as many as I lost. as I got older, I began to calm down. I now take the Ogmios approach to driving and let them get on with it.

All very well being the hardman, and I'm not afraid of genuinely protecting myself and loved ones, but getting out of your car to confront a stranger, that has all the potential to go horribly wrong. Getting pissy over a lane change could be life altering - getting stabbed or that one punch you hand out killing the bloke.

Bang on....

[theplayingmantis]

Tommo87 said:

theplayingmantis said:

however handy you are one day some drugged up scummer will knife you in the back and you will regret getting worked up to the extent of exposing your self in what is ultimately a zero sum game.

I don’t tend to take much notice of peoples advice about Skiing resorts or restaurants if they haven’t actually ever been there.

My expectation is that your ‘proof’ is the Noye story from many years ago, or maybe one of the other road rage stories that were so unusual that they made the national press.

If YOU dont wish to do something/anything, them fine - say your peace and then be a grown up and move on. Don’t do the opposite.

At the moment there is very little to separate your online behaviour from some road rager subsequently brake testing and cutting up their victim, other than the fact this is the internet and not the road.

Woah you have lost me, how is my online behaviour similar to some road rager?!

Keen to hear that one?

Actually I do have some exeperince not that I ever actually intended to say it would happen to popeye rather it could...I do t se the point in losing it over something so ultimately insignificant unless it was truly dangerous and putting life at risk.

Mybratger boring anecdote , i was driving through town, nephew in the back just back from football in london one evening and mcds to pick up happy meal.

Some banged up car veered into my lane on a roundabout having been right up my boot the previous half mile or so, causing me to slam on the brakes. I hooted the car, didn't lean on the horn , just a touch beep, under the assumption they hadn't noticed me.

Next roundabout cars few car ahead, red lights some young
raggedy bloke gets out no more than 20 from distant memory, effing and blinding and walking back lights change he gets back in before my car but I hadn't realised I was his target...the road becomes a 40 DC as we approach town centre. He slows right down and I and the other cars go to overtake. When I do he winds his window down waving what appears to be a screw driver out and swerving his car at me, shouting about being cut up, going to cut me, steal my car from my house and other rants so i politely ask him wtf hes in about. He tries to block me at entry onto next roundabout but I simply drive around him and he squeals off in a terrible engine whine round the roundabout then veers in and out of the traffic ahead as I turn off...with a young kid in the back getting upset as to why we are being shouted and sworn at.

I posted this on here I think years ago.

Assumedly the Lane encroaching was to teach me a lesson for the apparent cut up which I was oblivious, and my hoot tipped him over.

I'm not stupid enough to escalate generally but especially not with a little kid in the back, so was polite and all I did 'wromg'was the audacity to pip the horn once. Perhaps he tool my politeness as sarcasm.

So that's my only experience if you want. But said town is a sthole full of scum.

But I still dont follow you comparing my posts to a road rager...

[spookly]

I did once, but only after he had got out of his car and opened my door.

I was driving towards a pinch point in the road clearly signposted that I had right of way. As I was driving through, already in the narrow section, he tried to come through from the other side. I beeped my horn at him. After waiting about a minute he reverses back out, and I carry on.
Numbnuts then proceeds to follow me 100 yards up the road in reverse with his engine screaming on his ancient Ford Fiesta.

I stopped for the junction in a short queue. He jumps out of his car and opens my door. Then he swung at me.
I took my seatbelt off and got out. He was some old skinny guy in his 50's and a good 6 inches shorter than me, seemed to be dressed in a suit from Oxfam.
He took another swing and hit my chin. I think it might be the weakest punch I've ever had thrown at me. I told him to knock it off and get back in his car. He tried to swing again and I just shoved him in his chest and knocked him on the floor. Had a crowd outside the local shop watching by then and they were laughing at him.
Told him to stay on the floor till I was gone, and he did. Just got back in my car and drove off.

Don't know what comes over people. He wasn't a powerfully built director type, and would have had trouble fighting almost any size of man, yet he got in such a rage despite being in the wrong that he thought it a good idea to get out of his car and try and hit me. I am a big bloke. 6ft and 115Kg. Used to do weights, martial arts and boxing. Felt no need to fight him despite him being a cock. I've actually managed to never start a fight in my life, and only had to end a couple. Most people seem sensible enough to leave me alone.