Road Rage

[Ronin13]

If you can leave the scene safely... do so.

Be safe.

THIS! Avoidance of a potentially bad situation is the first and most important rule. But if you are trapped, or in immediate danger to where leaving is impossible without it, well, I would hope all of our aim is good and I know a good flower shop. Sadly I think Chad is 100% right- you are more likely to have a road rage incident turn really bad than anything else. I've seen road rage go wrong a few times, once when a group of Meheecans jumped out of their hoopty with a bat, knife, and chain... My buddy just grabbed a shotgun from under the seat and defused the situation pretty quick. But what if they had a gun? I always try to be courteous on the roads- I'm already in a 3,000lb machine capable of killing dozens of children, no need to exacerbate things.

[Sawin]

If someone at a dead stop cut you off while traveling 40mph and nearly caused a pile up, most of you would honk correct?

If after that honk the guy get out of your way and proceeds to follow you while throwing stuff at your car, would you draw on him if he was in the process of getting out of his car to come fight you at a red light?

Just asking to see what an appropriate response would be since I didn't have a gun in my car(only a knife) and my cell phone slid onto the floor when I had to test my brakes(they work really well btw)


Since I couldn't get to the phone I eventually just ran the red light to get away from the nutbag once there was an opening in traffic or I'm sure I would've had to deal with him until I made it to the police station to pick up my ccw permit.

No, I would not draw on him if he simply got out of his car, threw stuff at my car, or came to fight me. Not unless he was successful in bashing in the windows and was actually able to gain entry, would I shoot. I would instead honk my horn at him as he walked toward the car, drawing attention to myself and him so other drivers will be better witnesses. If stopped, I'd unbuckle if needed and reach in to the floorboard to get my phone and call 911, on speaker phone. What happens after that is entirely situational.

In your case with only a knife, just wait until he puts his arms/fist through the broken window trying to open or unlock the door and slash his hand or arm a few times...

Snapping pictures or recording video of the perp and his car is always wise too...

All the while, you should be on the phone with 911...

[HoneyBadger]

As sawin said: nowadays most phones have a camera. I wouldn't ever recommend trying to take pictures while driving (unless you feared for your life too much to stop) but if you are forced to stop, get the video camera up and recording. That sort of evidence is much better than some witness who "thinks" they saw what happened. 911 recordings can be awfully helpful too.

Phone in one hand, gun in the other. If you cannot escape the situation and you fear for your life, aim well.

[davsel]

I no longer brake-check tailgaters. I figure they are mad enough already, no need for me to escalate the situation.

As far as drawing on someone who gets out of their car - Absolutely.
If I was standing on the sidewalk, and someone was coming at me in a rage, I would most certainly draw on them; no different if I'm in my car.

They can yell and scream all they want from inside their vehicle, but as soon as they approach, all bets are off, and I am prepared to defend myself and end the confrontation as quickly as possible.

[generalmeow]

I had a wiener jump off his crotch rocket at a stop sign, leave his girlfriend sitting on the bike, and come back and yell at me to "calm the fuck down mutha fucka!" and put his hands up in the air like those wannabe gangsters do when they want to fight. I had no idea who he was or what in the world he was talking about. I think he thought I thought it was taking him to long to leave the stop sign, but I didn't do anything to give him that impression. I was just minding my own business, pulled up behind him and waited for 5 seconds, and then he jumped off the bike wanting to fight. It was a busy street, and he hadn't even had an opportunity to pull out yet.

That guy deserved to get his ass beat just for being him, and I'm sure he has gotten what was coming to him by now, but it was so comical I just laughed and he walked away.

Calm down? I'm sitting here with a blank look on my face, and you're jumping off your motorcycle wanting to fight a stranger who's twice your size for no apparent reason. I think it's clear who's calm and who's not.

[HoneyBadger]

As far as drawing on someone who gets out of their car - Absolutely.
If I was standing on the sidewalk, and someone was coming at me in a rage, I would most certainly draw on them; no different if I'm in my car.

They can yell and scream all they want from inside their vehicle, but as soon as they approach, all bets are off, and I am prepared to defend myself and end the confrontation as quickly as possible.

I mostly agree with this, but with one caveat: It is ALWAYS situational. Only you know where your boundaries are and how aggressive the person appears to be acting. They are already yelling at you... For what reason would they approach you? You can obviously hear them from where they are. Them coming closer only increases your risk of physical harm. As cstone always says: Be safe.

[Bailey Guns]

If someone at a dead stop cut you off while traveling 40mph and nearly caused a pile up, most of you would honk correct?

If after that honk the guy get out of your way and proceeds to follow you while throwing stuff at your car, would you draw on him if he was in the process of getting out of his car to come fight you at a red light?

Just asking to see what an appropriate response would be since I didn't have a gun in my car(only a knife) and my cell phone slid onto the floor when I had to test my brakes(they work really well btw)


Since I couldn't get to the phone I eventually just ran the red light to get away from the nutbag once there was an opening in traffic or I'm sure I would've had to deal with him until I made it to the police station to pick up my ccw permit.

I think you need to work on your story. How does someone:

• That's at a "dead stop" cut you off? Did he pull in front of you from a stop?
• "nearly cause a pile up"? Not saying what he did was right but...a "pile up".
• He's throwing stuff at your car while following you? Guy must have a good arm.
• How do you know he was coming to fight you? He could've been trying to get your attention to apologize.
• "test" their brakes during a potential road-rage incident?

I'm just sayin'. You really need to consider how to handle situations like this before they happen. I'm thinking it's a good thing you didn't have a gun, personally. And keep in mind had this incident escalated these are all questions you'd be having to answer. They're all questions I'd be asking you if I was the investigating officer. Apparently nothing came of this incident...but posting on an internet forum usually isn't the best course of action when you're talking about road rage and guns and such.

[cofi]

Meheecans jumped out of their hoopty with a bat, knife, and chain....

what were they in....west side story??

[buckeye4rnr]

I think you need to work on your story. How does someone:

• That's at a "dead stop" cut you off? Did he pull in front of you from a stop?
• "nearly cause a pile up"? Not saying what he did was right but...a "pile up".
• He's throwing stuff at your car while following you? Guy must have a good arm.
• How do you know he was coming to fight you? He could've been trying to get your attention to apologize.
• "test" their brakes during a potential road-rage incident?

I'm just sayin'. You really need to consider how to handle situations like this before they happen. I'm thinking it's a good thing you didn't have a gun, personally. And keep in mind had this incident escalated these are all questions you'd be having to answer. They're all questions I'd be asking you if I was the investigating officer. Apparently nothing came of this incident...but posting on an internet forum usually isn't the best course of action when you're talking about road rage and guns and such.

His lane was at a complete stop, my lane was just starting to speed up and he took the short distance between my bumper and the bumper in front of me as his room to get in and cut me off. There was a bunch of traffic and I nearly got rearended.
He was following me and every chance he got he pulled up and threw crap at the doors of my car.
Why would he try to apologize after following me for 3-4 miles yelling his head off and throwing shit at my car?
I "tested" my brakes when I had to use them to avoid hitting him.

Any other questions?

Edit: Spelling

[Bailey Guns]

I'm just saying you probably need to be careful about what you say and how you say it. Or not. I don't really care. But your story as told in the OP raises a lot of questions for me.

It'll be an entirely different feeling answering these kinds of questions in front of a jury in a potential criminal or civil trial.