the WORST incidence of Road Rage - creepy igorant people!

Discussion in 'Fred's House of Pancakes' started by macreative, Dec 14, 2004.

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  1. macreative

    macreative New Member

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    How I drive;
    I always drive in the slow lane at 64 miles per hour in my Prius. I rarely change lanes unless someone in front of my is going slower. Im never in a hurry and I do obey the laws as best I can. Im no angel, but I haven't had a ticket {knock on wood, or metal, or whatever} - in a nutshell, I don't piss off other drivers and I am not vengeful.

    Here's what happened;
    I was on my way home from San Clemente to Los Angeles last night. In the far right lane of course, on the 405 freeway. This a-hole behind me flashes his lights at me, then begins to tailgate me to the point of being less than 1 foot from the Prius' bumper. So Im thinking, OMG, what's this bs all about. I didn't do ANYTHING to affend anyone and I have no bumper stickers or vanity plate that one could find offensive. Here's where it gets interesting. The same guy, in Green Ford Focus hatchback ZIPS around me and then SLAMS on the brakes, so that I would rear end him. So I slammed on the brakes to avoid from hitting the idiot. I thought he would just go on but NO, he slams on the brakes again. I have 911 on speeddial in the Prius so I pressed it, as it was connecting the line, he slams on his brakes AGAIN, so I swerved around him and the guy behind me rear ended him. I would have hit him becuase he hit the brakes like a panic stop and went from 64 to who knows what very quickly. There was noone in the second lane so I was lucky to get around without hitting anyone. I feel bad for the poor person who rear ended him because they were totally innocent, but I DIDN'T do anything either.

    So when the 911 operator finally came on the phone after holding for what seemed like an eternity but was probably only 2 mintues - I told her the whole story. I told her that he caused the accident and I thought he was trying to commit insurance fraud and I explained how he was tormenting me by flashing his lights. I told her that I would be a witness if the victim needed any assistance. It looked like he nailed that bastard focus pretty good. I was very sure to tell the 911 operator that the guy behind me did NOT cause the accident and she told me that those things happen all the time but they don't get reported. So while I had a traumatic evening, my Prius got home unharmed, I got home unharmed, and I felt I did a good deed by telling all to 911. I hope that guy gets the chair. Nothing like this has ever happened to me. Sad that people like that exist on our roads. That focus driver was a sue happy leech, no doubt, that was going to claim he was rear-ended on purpose or something. Maybe he had a vendetta against the Prius. Who knows.

    Thanks for letting me vent,
    Take care everyone - beware of all the weirdos

    -Rob
     
    #1 macreative, Dec 14, 2004
  2. Brenna

    Brenna Junior Member

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    Re: the WORST incidence of Road Rage - creepy igorant people

    If you really want to be proactive, you should call the local CHP office (local being closest to where the accident happened) and ask to speak to the officer investigating the accident. Give him your account of what happened. That way the truth will definitely get into the report and maybe - if there is any goodness in this world -- that creep will get whats coming to him.

    Hats off to you for putting safety in front of life's timeline. So many out there (myself included) should drive slower and be more courteous.

    Brenna
     
    #2 Brenna, Dec 14, 2004
  3. V8Cobrakid

    V8Cobrakid Green Handyman

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    good post. I'm glad that nothing this bad has happened to me. Just the normal bad drivers in traffic who run up the next car and slam on their brakes making traffic worse.. i always feel good in the prius because i cruise.. and help traffic because i never really stop.. try to use my breaks as minimal as possible. So yeah.. good to hear the situation turned out where you and your prius was ok. too bad someone became a victom of his road rage though.
     
    #3 V8Cobrakid, Dec 14, 2004
  4. Canuck

    Canuck Member

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    Re: the WORST incidence of Road Rage - creepy igorant people

    While its easy to give advice in that type of situation I suggest that you conducted yourself correctly. Since you have no idea as to the physical condition of that driver ....booze,drugs,mental, mad at his partner.... any aggressive response on your part could trigger a demolition derby or, worse still, gunfire. Difficult as it is under those conditions I think maintaining control, driving to minimize danger to yourself and others and trying to record/remember vehicle identification/tag # ( maybe also that of a nearby vehicle who may have witnessed the scene) are the best courses of action. My $0.02 worth.
    Glad you are safe! :p
     
    #4 Canuck, Dec 14, 2004
  5. pepa

    pepa New Member

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    I drive Prius for just two weeks now, and I did notice increase in hostility. Hazardous passing, etc... And I'm not driving so anyone would have reason to feel held back at all. Seems like they just want to "show me".

    I admit, once or twice I let them have it - this Prius, when asked to, is able to accelerate in most unexpected manner :)

    Anyway, glad to hear that you're safe mac. These lunatics do pay for their stupidity sooner or later - one way or another.

    The sad thing is that they often take innocent people with them.
     
    #5 pepa, Dec 14, 2004
  6. macreative

    macreative New Member

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    Thank you for your input - I was shaking all the way home to Los Angeles! That was the single most freaky episode of crazy people I have ever witnessed! I did call 911 to give them my account of what happened and I explained to the operator that I didn't want ot stop because, I was unsure of what I could expect and I wanted to let the autorities take care of it. I still quite thankful that nothing happend to the Prius or to me. It was very aweful. The 911 operator took all of my information so it's quite possible that I may need to be a witness for the guy that ran into the focus that caused the accident. Watch out guys, there are nutty folks out there! This guy was definetly trying to pull an insurance scam but Id be damed if he was going to harm me or my Prius in the act. I would have ripped his head off FOR SURE had he caused harm to the Prius. But all is good and I feel that I took the appropriate actions. It was hard to calm down. Have you ever had anyone pull in front of you and slam on the brakes to a complete stop? It's very very scary.
     
    #6 macreative, Dec 14, 2004
  7. Tideland Prius

    Tideland Prius Moderator of the North
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    ouch. Glad you're okay. I would've never thought of caling 911 and would've just tried to stay out of his way. Maybe I'll take your advice and put 911 on speed dial... never know when that'll come in handy. It seems you taken that incident pretty calmly. Hats off to you
     
    #7 Tideland Prius, Dec 14, 2004
  8. V8Cobrakid

    V8Cobrakid Green Handyman

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    If you have verizon wireless.. you sould be able to just hold down 9 and it dials 911.. if you use bluetooth.. i think you can go into Emergency mode.. it will tell you where you are currently.. and there is a button for police.. not sure if it dials though. might tell you the nearest location and a phone number though :)
     
    #8 V8Cobrakid, Dec 14, 2004
  9. pafoss

    pafoss Plug-in Member

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    Re: the WORST incidence of Road Rage - creepy igorant people

    I used to be a speeder and owned previously an Acura Integra GSR, Audi TT, and now my Super White 2004 Pruis. I find that now I am more interested in seeing how high I can get the mpg (while not pissing off other drivers at the same time...kind of a fun balancing act) than speeding from light to light. But one this one night, I was waiting to turn left onto a busy street and had no light, just a stop sign. So I was waiting and waiting for an opening and the guy behind me, after not too long a wait really and NO openings, honks at me. Pissed off, I give him the bird. Okay, so I was feeling testy. But who honks at you and tries to pressure you into going across traffic against your better judgement? I can only guess he was irritated about the wait and maybe ticked off that he was "stuck behind a hybrid". What a world... So I finally get an opening an pull out and he tailgates me within 5 or 6 feet and puts his high beams on. So I just put the car in cruise control (one of the best mpg increasers imho) at exactly the speed limit and go on my merry way. He continued after me at way to close a distance with high beams on until he turned off the road.

    That was my 1 incidence with road rage so far and I guess I'm not a role model since I shouldn't have flipped him off, but please...pressuring someone into going into traffic when it's not safe is pure crap. I enjoyed reading your post.

    Cheers,
    Powers.
     
    #9 pafoss, Dec 15, 2004
  10. Tideland Prius

    Tideland Prius Moderator of the North
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    Yes. I love it when ppl honk when you're trying to turn left. Why? Every time someone does that, I think to myself, why don't you overtake me and turn left yourself. I actually saw someone do that and as a result got T-boned by someone running the yellow light. Serves him right. The person that ahead of the impatient driver then turned left and continued on her way.
     
    #10 Tideland Prius, Dec 15, 2004
  11. DaveG

    DaveG Member

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    Well, as far as I'm concerned, the original poster made EXACTLY the right decision about not stopping and getting out of the car.

    I've heard horror stories about people getting into trouble that way, with insurance fraud, carjacking, or worse. If in doubt, use the phone, call 911 and sit tight in your car with the doors locked until some sort of emergency services show up.

    NEVER GET OUT OF THE CAR OR UNLOCK THE DOORS!

    And I always keep a disposable instant camera in the glovebox, so I can take pictures of cars, drivers, etc if necessary. Too many wierdos out there...

    Dave.
     
    #11 DaveG, Dec 15, 2004
  12. daniel

    daniel Cat Lovers Against the Bomb

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    Rob: I think you did exactly the right thing, though I agree with Brenna, that if you want to make double-sure the jerk gets his due, it would be a good idea to call the cops also, tell them the whole story, and offer to testify. I don't know if 911 automatically communicates this kind of info to the cops, other than reporting that there was an accident.

    However, I think your assertion that the jerk intended insurance fraud is a pretty big leap. The fact that he was tailgating you and flashing his lights looks like he just wanted you to get out of his way or drive faster. It looks to me like road rage, not a premeditated plan.
     
    #12 daniel, Dec 15, 2004
  13. HTMLSpinnr

    HTMLSpinnr Super Moderator
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    Now guys keep in mind this is the 405 freeway which at any one point is never less than 4 or 5 lanes wide. Why the guy couldn't go around if the OP was in the slow lane is beyond me.

    If a judge were to get involved, I'd hope for some court ordered anger management classes for this misguided person - the world is not his punching bag.
     
    #13 HTMLSpinnr, Dec 15, 2004
  14. techogurl

    techogurl New Member

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    Glad to hear that you and your Prius are safe. There are alot of crazy people out there. I once had someone follow me for over 30 minutes on the highway just to slam their brakes in front of me and flip me off because they attempted to change lanes right into me forcing me off the road so I could avoid getting hit...odd how they thought that was my fault. Shrug.

    I've surprised many of my passengers when I call the police or the company of the vehicle for their driver's poor driving. I usually will call immediately and report the license plate. Sadly some companies and police think you are wasting their time. :( I feel that I am potentially keeping someone else from getting hurt.

    I was just curious... but how do you know that the other guy is even ok? At 65 mph when you don't expect it...that's quite a head on collision.
     
    #14 techogurl, Dec 15, 2004
  15. Batavier

    Batavier Member

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    Darn, sounds pretty scary. It seems those freaks are everywhere. The speedlimit in cities is 50 km/h over here, I drive 55 on the speedo and still people are tailgating me. Same goes for other roads: outside the city the speedlimit is 80 km/h, I usually drive 86 on the speedo and still get passed a lot or tail gated.

    With 123 km/h on the speedo on the highway (speedlimit 120 km/h) it's like I'm giving people a free ticket to drive 50 cms behind me. Very odd.

    I hate impatient people. Especially on the road. Best way is to ignore them and hope they'll not become really aggressive. :roll: :|
     
    #15 Batavier, Dec 15, 2004
  16. justwatchme

    justwatchme New Member

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    Re: the WORST incidence of Road Rage - creepy igorant people

    i don't want to sound like a stick in the mud but if you were holding up traffic i could see how the other driver could get mad. I'm not saying its ok to be a donkey and tailgate or flash your high beams or anything but going 64 on the freeway is a bit slow. One of my favorite tricks for people tailing me is to just spray wiper fluid its pretty funny seeing them behind you turning on their wipers and changing lanes :mrgreen:
     
    #16 justwatchme, Dec 15, 2004
  17. priusenvy

    priusenvy Senior Member

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    Re: the WORST incidence of Road Rage - creepy igorant people

    You don't sound like a stick in the mud, you sound like a teenager who's only had his license a couple years.

    He was doing 64mph in the slow (far right) lane. Slower traffic to the right, faster and passing traffic to the left keeps traffic flowing smoothly and keeps tempers down. Just wish more people realized this, and that since two objects cannot occupy the same space, it does no good to tailgate me if I'm in turn following the car in front of me at the minimum safe distance.

    The best drivers I've encountered in California (insert smart comment here) are those in the weekend wintersports traffic from the Bay Area to the Lake Tahoe area and back. People drive in the correct lane for their chosen speed, and most of the time traffic flows smoothly despite the volume and speed differentials. This all falls apart on the holiday weekends though.
     
    #17 priusenvy, Dec 15, 2004
  18. V8Cobrakid

    V8Cobrakid Green Handyman

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    i've done that :)
     
    #18 V8Cobrakid, Dec 15, 2004
  19. Canuck

    Canuck Member

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    Re: the WORST incidence of Road Rage - creepy igorant people

    Justwatchme, I respect your opinion and I am certain when I was your age I held the same thoughts about all those old f*arts driving while suffering from advanced birthdays, or just jerks who were incapable of handling a vehicle above 50 mph. Yes, I understand that if everyone drove 10 mph below the posted speed limit some of you might not get home before you have to set out for work the next day. But then, at least you might get home. Please try to accommodate some of us who are a little slower to react at higher speeds. Perhaps you might support a law that forbids anyone over the age of 65 from driving on the interstates or maybe from driving at all. You sound just like my son and I love him in spite of it. 8)
     
    #19 Canuck, Dec 15, 2004
  20. IsrAmeriPrius

    IsrAmeriPrius Progressive Member

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    Re: the WORST incidence of Road Rage - creepy igorant people

    64 MPH in the slow lane of a five lanes (per direction) freeway is not slow nor is it holding up traffic. Yes, you are a stick in the mud.
     
    #20 IsrAmeriPrius, Dec 15, 2004
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