Nutters (long post)

[GeoffC320]

Hi all,

Only just discovered this part of the site and thought I would share a couple of unfortunate (and bizarre) experiences I had a year or so ago...

1) I was coming home from a mate's house early one evening and as I pulled out of his road a Y reg Micra shot past. I pulled out behind him and as it turned out he was going my way. A mile or so down the road he got stuck behind another car, as this was uphill and the way ahead was clear I used 'the power of turbo' to take both of them .

Then in my mirror I see the Micra repeat my move. He turns off to the left, I go up a few more turnings and do the same. Come out onto the road parallel to the one we were on (this is my normal route) and lo, I see him bringing up the rear once more. Nice bit of road, I put my foot down and leave him well behind.

Then I get stuck behind another car. Can't overtake due to some bad blind bends. Micra up my @rse. Overtake as soon as possible, hotly followed by Micra. Start to get bad feeling about this...Drop the Micra again, then another mile or so along get stuck behind another car. Really not good for ovetaking here so follow the car at a safe distance.

Then see the Micra come past both of us (across the hatchings) sit back and think 'off you go then'. Suddenly car in front stops...WTF? Car in front pulls round to show me Micra has slammed to a halt and is giving me w@nker signs. I say 'what's the problem?' then he slams it into reverse & starts coming for me! Not a lot I can do except reverse back myself...luckily nobody coming up behind. He then burns off giving me more abuse. I follow at a distance and turn off in the opposite direction as soon as possible....

2) A few months after this I was leaving another friend’s house and came up behind a grotty looking Nova at a junction. The guy didn’t seem to be making any move to turn out (looked like he was lighting a fag) so I pulled around him and turned right. At about 10 mph. Next thing I know I’ve got this clown (with his front bumper hanging off!) about 2 ft off my tail. OK, put my foot down a bit, but soon recall this is a very bad area for speeding (housing estate with loads of junctions/drives/parked cars).

He’s clearly after me but I don’t want to stop because I’ve got the roof off and feel pretty exposed. But after about a mile I get fed up, indicate left and pull over to let him pass. He pulls up behind, giving me a load of grief, so I pull out and turn towards the main road, driving at a more sensible speed. When I get to the main road, I’m looking to nip out into the flow of traffic and leave him stranded, but it’s just too risky. As I start to move forwards, he just drives into the back of me! He gets out of his car, I drive off. Quickly. Do a few twists and turns and stop to find no damage done.

What is the matter with these people? The only, and I mean the only, cause for complaint these people could have had is that I overtook them in a red sports car and drove off quite quickly. I didn’t tailgate them, cut them up, hoot my horn or gesture at them. And I sure as hell wasn’t trying to ‘race’ them!! The strange thing is these were no immature kids. These were both pretty big chaps in their late ‘30s or early‘40s.

It seems to be that the worse the car, the more likely they are to give you some trouble. People with decent motors have a bit more respect – both for their own property and for what you’re driving.

Anyone else had experiences like these?

[The Morris]

Yep

My worst one ending up with me having to break this guys leg with a sand wedge to stop him killimg me. Never got a visit from the police though. And his leg bent my favourite golf club

[nikaso]

Thats scary!! Never had anything like that happen to me! Maybe its the car, people just get jealous???

You did the right thing though mate driving off.

[Mark Edwards]

It's stupid that there is people like this out there. Not my style to drive off though, i'm quite confrontational in situations like that. I'd of got out and battered him.

[craig]

It's stupid that there is people like this out there. Not my style to drive off though, i'm quite confrontational in situations like that. I'd of got out and battered him.

and hurled a sh1tload of tent pegs at him

[craig]

That is scary stuff mate! Dunno what peoples problems are. If that guy had of driven into me......I would have levelled him!

[craig]

LMFAO @ the pic

[ENSMR2]

It's stupid that there is people like this out there. Not my style to drive off though, i'm quite confrontational in situations like that. I'd of got out and battered him.

I almost did that when some nob in a merc decided to pull out in front of the missus almost hitting us. He was parked on our side of the road but wanted to go the other way. Blocked the road for a few minutes whilst we hurled abuse at each other. Then he threatened to get out of his car so I offered the same and he bottled.

[Rowland]

I had an experience like that a few years ago.
I was merely driving home on a Sunday afternoon minding my own business just coming into my nearby housing estate.
As I turned into a pretty sharp right hand bend a Vauxhall Astra comes round the corner towards me at an insanely dangerous breakneck speed!
Natural response is to do what..?

Ensure your can isn't going to be hit by moving over?
Gesture impolitely?
Wind the window down and call him obscenities?

This is what happened, I moved over as he was in the middle of the road.
I then turned my head as he went by and mouthed the words "Jesus Christ!" as I got my breath back from this act of stupidity.
An immediate screech of brakes and a mashing of the gearbox is heard as he stops and reverses the car to come and get me...oh sh!t
'I can't go home now he'll follow me' I thought, he'll know where I live and that's not good.
Sure enough he's driving like something possessed through a quiet housing estate and I'm not happy, in fact I'm a bit scared now he must be on drugs or something?
I decided to drive to the nearby police station it seemed the best option, at the time I was fearful of my life.
I managed to put some distance between us in the two mile drive and I screeched into the car park and nipped inside quick smart. Sure enough he followed me in seconds later.
To cut an already long story short the guy was as high as a kite and had been out of prison just 4 days for two repeat offences of ABH and GBH!
He has bigger than me, older than me and according to the police bright red and shaking with pure anger being insanely furious about me 'mouthing off' to him!

If he'd of got hold of me who knows what might have happened.
The moral of my story is, be incredibly cautious before gesturing at someone no matter how insignificant it seems at the time...you never know what it could lead to.

[Sidewinder]

Now this sort of subject is what the 'Driving Experiences' section should be like!

I've had two situations like those described so far, both from different sides.

1. About five years ago, my mate was driving me home, and out of pure coincidence, happened to follow every manoeuvre of the guy in front - when he turned right so did we, etc, etc. Like I said, just pure coincidence. After about ten minutes, the guy in front just stopped his car in the middle of the road (thus blocking it as it was a narrow road) and got out clutching some sort of club. As he walked towards our car, he was shouting and waving this thing about, asking why we were following him! It took a few seconds for my mate to react, and he just threw the car into reverse as the lunatic took a swing at the driver's side window! To this day, I've never seen anyone drive so fast in reverse in a straight line! Frightened the life out of me...

On the other side...

2. I was driving my wife home from work one night when a bunch of idiots in a Nova following us started seeing how close they could drive to our car. I lost my temper when they nudged our rear bumper, but couldn't get away from them as our car was a fairly old Mini at the time! When they undertook us (on a fairly busy main road) and smashed the plastic wheel arch on the nearside, the red mist came over me and I stopped my car with the intent on hammering the living crap out of all of them! VERY out of character for me. As I got out of the car holding one of those crappy Krooklock things they must've seen I was serious and sped off. Just as well, really.
What sparked me was the fact that the wheel arch incident not only damaged my car but also was putting my wife in danger. As I say, very out of character for me to 'lose it' as I'm about as placid as you can get!

[ENSMR2]

On the other side...

2. I was driving my wife home from work one night when a bunch of idiots in a Nova following us started seeing how close they could drive to our car. I lost my temper when they nudged our rear bumper, but couldn't get away from them as our car was a fairly old Mini at the time! When they undertook us (on a fairly busy main road) and smashed the plastic wheel arch on the nearside, the red mist came over me and I stopped my car with the intent on hammering the living crap out of all of them! VERY out of character for me. As I got out of the car holding one of those crappy Krooklock things they must've seen I was serious and sped off. Just as well, really.
What sparked me was the fact that the wheel arch incident not only damaged my car but also was putting my wife in danger. As I say, very out of character for me to 'lose it' as I'm about as placid as you can get!

PHEW!

For a moment there I thought we needed to have an IMOC: how to stand up for yourself seminar.

[Sidewinder]

For a moment there I thought we needed to have an IMOC: how to stand up for yourself seminar.

LOL Hardly! I think it was a distinct lack of stiles that actually scared him off.

[GeoffC320]

Well...it's tricky. Speaking personally it takes a lot to wind me up enough to have a pop at someone, but once I'm committed I'm quite unlikely to stop...just not worth it in my opinion.

On the other side of the coin, some guy got pistol-whipped a mile or so from where both of my incidents happened ...you just never know what you're getting into once you escalate into confrontation out of the car I'm afraid.

[ENSMR2]

I see what you're saying but I'd def draw the line at some one actually driving into my car. Someone screeching to a halt after me mouthing something at them wouldnt bother me. If he got out I'd tell him he was driving like an idiot. Then it'd go from there. If some guy wants to start then I will defend myself and my car. Sometimes these guys need to be bought down a peg or 2.

[Sidewinder]

Very difficult to comment on how you would feel in these situations until you're actually involved in one. Sitting here in the comfort of a warm house, I would like to think that if anyone tried a similar manoeuvre on me (or my MR2) now, I would beat the living crap out of them. However...this would also mean a possible assault charge (or worse)...and then all the other hassles therein.

I don't have a particularly clean past with The Law anyway, so wouldn't want to drag anything up.

[blue2]

Me and a mate had a similar expereince whilst driving back from a nightclub (sober). We got followed by an idiot in a rover. He tailgated us for about a mile then started to sound his horn and flash his lights. Unbelievably he then tried to overtake us actually mounting his car on to the kerb (central res) and we were going around 40-50. We let him get past and as soon as he was in front he handbraked his car blocking the whole road. Needless to say the brown trousers were in the process of being fetched! I grabbed the nearest thing I could find (a tire iron) and told my mate to floor it on to the kerb and get past this idiot.
Again this dum@ss started up again right up our chuffer. Luckily we spotted the boys in blue and pulled over right by them.
Police chased after the idiot, we waited with another officer. They caught idiot along with his idiot mate who was hiding on the back seat. They also found a large knife and replica handgun in the car. So I think we got a lucky escape.
Just goes to show you that there are a number of @ssholes/psychos who don't require a reason to do who knows what to you/your car.

[nikaso]

This is what you need for those road rage incidents!

[splashnatz]

you can easily top these (profanity edited by admin) even LOOKING at you -

pay £1000 get an old 1970's SIII Landrover. Use this very heavy lump of metal to prove to these little xxxx their nova/astra/whatever ain't nowt.

(maybe it helps if you weigh like 17 stone, have a skinhead and are a tad over 6 feet tall - but these are things i can't quickly change !)

only experience like that in the 2 was with a transit that thought he was clever, cut in to a queue at traffic lights from the left (a cycle path - not a transit path). i was the one that gestured, an yes, when he stopped, i was the one that that decked him - ahh the look on their faces ... somehow they think ppl in mr2s are going to be small an helpless.

[ENSMR2]

Very difficult to comment on how you would feel in these situations until you're actually involved in one. Sitting here in the comfort of a warm house, I would like to think that if anyone tried a similar manoeuvre on me (or my MR2) now, I would beat the living crap out of them. However...this would also mean a possible assault charge (or worse)...and then all the other hassles therein.

I don't have a particularly clean past with The Law anyway, so wouldn't want to drag anything up.

You're right. I've encountered nobs like that and I've always stood up to them. There have been a couple of times when it's got pretty dangerous. Unfortunatly I dont carry anything in the cabin to use to defend myself. I'll just take take their weapon One time I had my bullmastiff going crazy in the car. So when the guys mates got out I just casually walked over to the car and opened the door." Lunch Abbey" Although that was the occasion I regret not driving away the most. She tore up the seats in my other halfs car.

Ain't Tottenham lovely

[The Morris]

The last time i got out of the car, the guy kicked the xxxx out of me. good job it was a busy road and loads of people stopped. i had to get out as he kept running into the back of me, trouble was when he got out he was a bit bigger than me.