Road Rage

I'm wondering if anyone else has had a bad experience.

Yesterday I was in traffic on quite a narrow lane...cars were also parked intermittently so it was single file in some parts of it and you had to pull over to let oncoming traffic through....so I pulled over but there was another car in front and I couldn't pull right in and there wasn't enough room for a big white transit van until the car in front shifted a bit...anyway the man in the van wound down his window and started shouting at me...I didn't wind down my window but as the car in front shifted I just stuck my tongue out at him and drove off...next thing there he is behind me...how did that happen he was in a line of traffic going in the opposite direction?...

I was scared so I pulled into Booths supermarket car park and ran into the shop he just drove around the car park ...he saw me looking...laughed and then drove off.

I'm still thinking about it...very scary.

Why do some people get so mad? ...I like to think I'm fairly resilient but I'll admit he scared me a bit

Re: Road Rage

At least he laughed Summer. Thank goodness you were ok.

I usually do not make eye contact with anyone who is getting angry about something stupid in a road situation. I have had a couple of incidents with crazy cyclists. Once a crazy cycle woman jumped in front of my car and starting to wave her arms about because I'd accidentally driven the wrong way down a one-way street as the sign wasn't visible due to strong sunlight. She took offence and followed me after I turned (blocking the road with her cycle) ranting and screaming because I looked at her the wrong way (according to her) when she had jumped out in front of me. I had to calmly talk her back to sanity.

People project their own emotions onto others and make all sorts of assumptions about what the other driver is thinking. As I don't know what's going on in their heads or what sort of day they have had I find the best way to handle things these days is to put my hand up in a thank you and smile, or just smile or just stare straight ahead. Quite often they aren't thinking clearly. They don't know the very rude words I call them afterwards....

Re: Road Rage

Yes in future I will just keep looking straight forward....it was how he ended up behind me that worried me...he must have really worked at that...oh well I live and learn Annie

Re: Road Rage

That must have been fightening Summer!
I am sure we all think other drivers are doing something wrong, at times but, if they follow your car, you can't be sure what they will do.
Glad you are Ok and you had the sense to go to somewhere where other members of the public would be.

Re: Road Rage

Thanks Twinks...thing is he was only held up for seconds when the other car shifted so did I....maybe he was just havng a bad day...well I.hope it continued she said mischeiviously

Re: Road Rage

Let's hope he drove over some broken glass and ended up with flat tyres!

Re: Road Rage

Of late, a fair proportion of "White Van" drivers seem to be of none White British ethnicity, and, in general, of a calmer disposition.

Re: Road Rage

Good reason to fit a dashcam then, you will have his number plate and be able to inform the police . Imtimidation is an offence and lead to prosecution


Halfords will fit one for you if you don't know how.

I have mine connected to the fuse box piggybacked onto the car heated seat fuse, but Sue has hers plugged into the cigar lighter as i could not find a suitable fuse in the box

Re: Road Rage

I see a lot of this sort of behavior on my way to work at 5pm people come out of offices and take their frustrations out on other drivers. I just try to be as courteous as possible and hold back to let others go first. Adds minutes to my journey but worth it to get there safely. Glad you got out of it safely summer.

Re: Road Rage

Never, ever react to someone who is giving you abuse when in your car, you never know what that persons mindset is, summer, the fact that this driver followed you shows how these situations can quickly escalate, goodness knows what might have happened if the van driver had caught up with you, you might have been another statistic on the evening news, you did the right thing by driving to a public place though, but in future just smile and wave,or even say sorry, even if you are not in the wrong, and, as others suggest, get a dash cam,