Road Rage

[buckeye4rnr]

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.

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.

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 entire 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...

I don't and never have brake checked people, I like my car too much. I said tested my brakes when I had to use them to avoid hitting the guy.

I would've been on the phone and possibly recording but I had set it on the passenger seat and it slid onto the floor and out of reach when I hit the brakes. I usually keep it in a cup holder but had a cup that day.


So far, thanks for all the stories and tips. I obviously didn't and couldn't draw but I'm not sure that I would have unless he tried to come in the car. Either way, it's always good to hear what others have done in similar situations so if anyone has more stories I think learning from others experiences is always a good thing.