road rage/folllowing - losers on the road

anyone else get stuck in these stupid games?

this guy in a big black truck was going SO SLOW on a major expressway. I didnt know if he was stopping or what, so I brighted him once. he slowed down and kept going at that speed (Im very street wise city girl, lol and knew he wanted me to speed up in front of him so he could bright me back, but I was fine staying behind him, there were actually 2 cars between us, so I actually thought he didnt even know where I was or that anything was still going on..

he exits WAY before me, just so happened to be my exit but I thought nothing of it, since he was far ahead of me... but I did memorize his plates at this point. Im OCD about memorzing plates as soon as I get an iffy feeling. and remember plate #s pretty well, of course my luck, Id probably forget them if I needed.
he's still ahead of me a good 4-5 ar lengths.

he goes in the left turning lane. I say PHEW and I keep driving.
whatdya know, he gets out of his turning lane (we're on the streets now, not the xprsway), and he's behind me, brights me once, so I think
I really didnt think he was on to any games, with a minivan

so I continue to go slow, he does too.
I changed lanes back and then forth, and he followed

I grabbed my cell phone and was ready to dial 911, as I also decided to pull into a fast food drive through and he then drove off..

would 911 have accomplished anything?
if you feel you are being followed are you entitled to call 911 ? I really NEVER EVER called 911, Ive always been very conscious of it being for emergencies only. but I dont know the #s of my local stations. do you carry your local station #s with you ?

Its not like I honked and taunted this guy. I brighted him once, to see what was going on since he was holding up traffic and he continued these silly games.

thoughts ?

thanks

Message edited 8/21/2007 10:46:15 PM.

Re: road rage/folllowing - losers on the road

i hate when people play games on the road,
but i also hate when people bright me for some reason i just find it obnoxious (i don't drive slow, so its usually someone tailgating me, going even faster then me) i usually ignore them, next time just try to go around the person and you did the right thing by not getting sucked into their silly game

Re: road rage/folllowing - losers on the road

Hmm, if I'm alone in the car, I'll play back! NO, not really, but honestly, I don't do anything, including flashing the brights for people to move out of the way (unless I am warning drivers on the opposite side there's a cop up ahead!). You just never know. And especially if I have kids in the car. Just not worth it.

Re: road rage/folllowing - losers on the road

I wouldn't have flicked my brights at him to begin with. I'd either go around or....I guess went around is the only other option besides laying on the horn. The only thing I am guilty of on the road is when someone is up my a**, I will drive slower. But I recently had an experience with someone that really stuck with me. I was on Sunrise Hwy and IMO not driving all that slow, it's not like I snail along. I just had the baby in the car with me. Next thing you know, there is someone on my butt. Totally totally uncalled for, I mean he could have easily switched lanes and gone around. I'm not sure who got his panties in a bunch that day but in retrospect he was looking to take it out on someone, which I think a lot of people do on the road. So I slow down a bit and he goes around me all ****** and I figured whatever, he's gone. Further ahead I was getting into the right turning lane and I guess he saw me coming (he was in the next lane over) and either thought I was looking for a fight or just wanted to wail on me bc I barely even got next to him at the red light (doesnt it always work like that) and he was ready for me. He was cursing me out so horrifically, calling me terrible mean names. I swear to you, I thought he was going to get out of his car with a weapon. Just the look on his face was scary, and he could have been your normal everyday person for all I know. I was just glad it didn't go further. I didn't give him a fight but it stuck with me how evil he looked. Over me apparently annoying him with my driving on Sunrise Hwy - and I'm seriously not an annoying driver. I guess the slowing down pushed him over the edge.

People are so angry on the road, if you give them a tap of the horn (not even anything harder than a tap - forget that) they are ready to fight. Im not even talking about a tap to move them along, I mean for whatever other reason you might give it - if they are almost backing into you is one reason. They look for a fight, it's like you are dissing them or something.

So Im glad you are safe, I dont know what 911 could have done except if the person saw you on your phone, maybe it would scare them off?

Re: road rage/folllowing - losers on the road

regardless of what you did or what went on- what he did by following you was WRONG. i don't care if i cut someone off, yell at them, whatever- as long as there is no real HARM they have no right to harrass me, follow me and threaten action towards me.

as far as calling 911- yes, i have called them before and they most certainly DO take it seriously and will do something about it. in the past, when i called, they took the plate number and dispatched a car to go check the car out and possibly pull the car over to question them.

definitely a good idea just incase something happens-- then, at least, they are there or on their way.

Re: road rage/folllowing - losers on the road

I just went around a car once to make a turn at a light, and the guy stopped at the next light , got out of his car cursing and screaming. I was 8 mo preggo with a child at the time. Not good. I leave people alone and generally they leave me alone. But some people are nuts!

Re: road rage/folllowing - losers on the road

Because of things like that happening is exactly why I don't antagonize people on the road.

I wonder if maybe calling the local police precint and reporting it would be something on the record for the car. I don't know how beneficial it would be since there's no way to know who was driving the car.

Re: road rage/folllowing - losers on the road

Re: road rage/folllowing - losers on the road

sorry, double post

Message edited 8/22/2007 10:11:18 AM.

Re: road rage/folllowing - losers on the road

Posted by leighdvm

Posted by DMT

Posted by Christine

Because of things like that happening is exactly why I don't antagonize people on the road.

I agree 100%. I use to be all about challenging stupid idiots when I was younger, but now 99% of the people out there are nuts and you never know who is crazy and will follow you or who has a gun, etc.

I just let it go and wish them death under my breath

Message edited 8/22/2007 9:12:12 AM.

Re: road rage/folllowing - losers on the road

i dont know about ny, but in nj you can dial #77 on your cell to report aggressive drivers.

Re: road rage/folllowing - losers on the road

You can call 911 if you are being followed or feel unsafe. After DH's uncle (the banker that was killed by an impersonator police officer) the police have taken any call that they get like that serious because of that.

Re: road rage/folllowing - losers on the road

If I was being followed for a long period of time, I would have called 911 or drove to the police station.

My family had a situation where a baby stopped breathing & was brought to the hospital. The grandmother was unable to follow because she had 2 other infants at home. The dad was rushing to the hospital to get there. He told me he was flashing his lights from Queens to Stony Brook, passing people. After that he never ever slowed down or got angry at people speeding or tailgaiting. He just let them go.

I was the baby.

If someone is being aggressive, tailgaiting, etc, I let them go around me. I don't drive slower to antagonize them because in the end, I never know why someone is in a rush.

Re: road rage/folllowing - losers on the road

Re: road rage/folllowing - losers on the road

If he would have pulled in after you, then you, definitely, should have called 911. At that point, he becomes dangerous. Even before that, if you felt threatened at any time, you should have called. You had his license plate number and he decided to follow you further, instead of just getting on with what he wanted to do.

I admit, I have a terrible temper on the road and am not afraid of any one. That being said, I know when to speak and when to back off. Some years ago, I was on the LIE around 11:00 a.m. I was in the left lane doing about 70 and there was very little traffic. My youngest daughter was in the back seat. All of a sudden, a green minivan comes barrelling down on me and the driver flashes her lights at me to move over. Yeah, right, like that was going to happen, especially, when she could have easily changed lanes herself. When I wouldn't move, she changed lanes and then changed back into my lane, cut me off AND slammed on her brakes. At this point there was a car next to me and no shoulder to my left. If I hadn't slowed and hit my brakes as hard as I could, I would have ended up in her back seat right next to her kids. She just speeds up and takes off. This person had no regard for my safety, my child's or even her own. These are the people you need to look out for.

I've, also, had encounters with men who think they can intimidate me just because I am a woman. Don't think so!
What I find most amusing is when I am driving my husband's big a** truck and someone tailgates me. That always give me a big laugh. You have to be careful out there. The world is chock full of nuts and loonies.

Re: road rage/folllowing - losers on the road

I would have called the police too if I felt threatened.

I have awful road rage but I have never followed anyone. I do use way more profanity than anyone could ever imagine when driving. I am also guilty of slowing down when being tailgated and I often sit at a green light even when horns are blowing. Too many people run red lights so I never take off as soon as it's green. NYer's HATE that and start blowing their horns when the opposite light turns yellow (not even red)

Message edited 8/22/2007 10:11:19 AM.

Re: road rage/folllowing - losers on the road

I get annoyed sometimes and just will curse them out to myself. I have been followed once myself, and I agree, it is scary. Call 911 or drive to a police station or heavily populated area.

I honestly do not understand people sometimes. Are people's lives so stressful that they can not even handle a horn honk or slower driver? I mean come on already!!! It's not worth the high blood pressure. I'm not saying I don't speed, cause I do, but if I am doing 70 and someone comes up on my butt doing 80, are they realizing if they hit me they are flinging their delicate body at an object at 80mph? Why play the games? Insecurity? A car is a weapon and it's not worth using a deadly weapon in game to satisfy an ego!

Sorry for the rant - this is just one thing I am NOT looking forward to about coming back to NY

Re: road rage/folllowing - losers on the road

My hubby also told me to drive right to a police station, see if he would have followed me there.

I doubt he saw my cell phone since it was dark out. HE probably just decided his job was done.

I definitely did not bright him in an annoying way. Im cautious of this myself, so I just flickered it/tapped it.

Usually Im also VERY understanding of why people are going slow. I say to myself it may be a mom with a crying baby, someone lost, someone not feeling well, etc. but lately I see this extra slow drivers are just with one arm on the window sill and just driving lalalaa as they chat on the phone.

With the road rage out there, and with my children in the car, im definitely not as aggressive as some, Im the one that "lets people in" and that waits forever to change lanes instead of barging in, which makes me nuts. I never slow down when someone tailgates, I stay at my comfortable speed, they dont like it, they can go around.