Well, other than the occasional ricer (which is very rare these days)...I don't get bothered much. Most people either look in appreciation or not at all. However, yesterday was a different story;

Heading to the gym, my route the same as it is every day...turning left onto a main street the car in front of me comes to a screeching halt around a blind turn for a pedestrian. The cars behind me all stop in just enough time so to not hit each other. No biggy. We all take off again after the idiot gets across the street and naturally, I'm in 1st gear and between two buildings...so guess what, the car is very LOUD as the sound vibrates off of the enclosed area (Small street/small town). Well, the "lady" in front of me in the four door Honda civic who is SIX car lengths ahead of me does the "swerve". (I'm warming up my tires at a race track type of swerve) I'm like...WTF? I ignore her...cause I'm doing something unsafe...like text messaging a friend.

We get a good two miles up the road...40 mph zone...and I am a good 15 lengths behind her as the road opens up, she is going to turn (designated turn lane) into a shopping center and as I start to pass her. Unbelievable, she swerves into my lane, trying to run me off the road. Well, as some of you know, I don't hold back (I'm Irish!)...NO way am I going to let some idiot try to run me off the road and get away with it! So I dive in the next driveway and head her off.

I jump out of my car and ask her "what's up"...(with a few VERY unladylike expletives) and I get the .. "You drive around like your racing!" I’m yelling at her in the middle of the parking lot… I got her to admit that I was NOT on her *** (which I wasn't) and I was NOT hassling her on the road (which I wasn't) and that it just SOUNDED like it cause the car was loud (which she admitted). I even got her to apologize, but it was laced with, “what do you expect when you drive a sports car like that”! Of course, I didn't accept it...and I told her to think about what she was teaching her son (9 year old in the car).

I told her I drive around my town just like everyone else, I don't think I am better than anyone and I don't race. As she started to apologize again...I gave her the stop talking sign and said whatever and walked away.

AMAZING that someone was willing to run me off the road...injure me, and other people around me because they are stupid and jealous. I hope I scared the **** out of her...and humiliated her in front of her son. What's amazing, is the ***** lives around the corner from me. She's lucky I don't turn her *** in for reckless driving and endangering the life of her son. People like that just shouldn't pro-create!

Typically, I let stuff go, but not when it comes to my life. Screw that!

Rant off...I feel better now

 

Wow..in St. Louis, you get shot doing that Robyn.

Chad

 

I guess its a good thing she doesn't live in St. Louis then, eh?

 

Robyn, that sucks, but you can't engage these people it just escalates too much.
Case in point, the other day I stopped at the mobil station on the GCP(you tri-staters know the one),one lane in/out-westboud/eastbound. I'm filling up, a MBe55amg pulls up behind me puts in three dollars of gas, I'm inside paying, when I come out the guy is having a fit bc he had to wait for a doctor,'this isn't your waiting room, I'm an important lawyer blah, blah, blah'. This ahole is having a fit, trying to engage me bc he has a problem with something/someone and it's easier to take it out on a stranger than the actual individual in his life causing the problem.
My advice is to just walk/drive away, it's never worth it, and it's no loss of pride involved either.

 

Envy makes people do stupid things. I went on a drive with the local group a couple of month back, while we were going thru the canyons, there was a guy on the side of the road throwing rocks at all the Porsches as we were driving by.

Pete

 

You both are absolutely right, and typically I do not engage...however, when my life is put at risk...it's hard for me to let it just go. Giving her food for thought for the next time, just perhaps she will think about what she is doing before putting anyone else at risk for something like this. (It's difficult to pass up pointing out stupidity...although I do try to refrain.)

 

hey i remember that he gave the "finger" to me and a bunchof the guys at the run...

that dude was craaaazzzeee...

 

I could'nt see any other reason for what he did other then envy.

Peter

 

i'm scared....

 

A guy I know got into the typical parking spot fight in the city, the guy came back and slashed his tires then accosted him in a parking lot a week later, not worth it You may be stable, but a lot of these guys are not.

 

Of me??

 

Glad you weren't hurt, and I don't blame you for being ticked. But I can't help thinking of an incident down South somewhere a couple years ago. One woman got out of her car and went up to the window of another woman to confront her about some bonehead stunt she had pulled on the freeway before exiting. Woman picked up a gun and shot her dead. You just never know what kind of whack-job might be in the other car, and what s/he's packing.

 

That is too bad.....

I guess I could throw my own story out here since we're ranting and all.....

Had an idiot try and ride me because I passed him by "like nothing".... Not a big deal I'm just faster on the freeway.... He started with the flashing of headlights and then when I forgot about him he catches up "intraffic" and pulls along side and flips me off....????

So I laugh at him and proceed to exit where he continues to follow. He pulls up and with wife and kids in the car says $%@! & tells me to pull over and get out.... We then pull into a parking lot where"I did get out".... Don't know why he didn't..... Maybe no one every did...... He sat in his car and just looked out his window for a moment before driving off.....

What a looser...

-Eli

 

Good for you man, glad your safe. but watch it there are some crazy people out there

 

Very true. Robyn, I don't even know you, but PLEASE don't do that again. It's not worth risking your life over. People do stupid things, just laugh it off, or take a few deep breaths before you decide to confront somone like that. She was wrong. If you had someone in the car with you, they would've been endangered by your reaction, and your life is just as valuable so don't risk it next time, okay?

Side note: A few months ago, I was on the freeway driving a minvan ...hey, no teasin! ....and a guy in a pimped Honda was tailgaiting me in traffic. I slowed a little but didn't brake check him. I just wanted him to back off, so if traffic suddenly stopped, he wouldn't nail me (I had my wife and two infants in the van w/me). He cut across three lanes, came back across two cars up, got in front of me and slammed on his brakes. I went from zero to ready-to-kill in a split-second. If I'd had a rocket launcher on-board, the guy'd have been a memory. It's times like that when you immediately think about pulling the guy over and pounding him. But my second thought was that if he's that unbalanced to go after a family in a minivan, he might have a weapon and the whole thing would go badly. Not worth it to do anything. I let him go, and it was the safe thing to do. But I still would like to equip future vehicles with rocket launchers.

Basically, you don't get into a fight you can't win, and you have to know all the information to make that call. Also, only risk your life if you absolutely have to (to possibly save your own or someone else's). Lot's of enjoyable driving adventures lie ahead, don't give 'em up for anything!

P.S. You can make a difference in your neighborhood by letting the PD know about your neighbor's dangerous driving. Let them handle it so it may prevent future instances, and let them know you don't want your identity exposed. Also, then if they've got her on record, if she ever happens to vandalize your car or cause further trouble, they've got a history on her.

But hey, if all else fails, just use a rocket launcher. It'll settle the situation, and the sound is really cool.