I was involved in a dangerous road rage situation last night

[Tyga11]

My wife, mother in law & I were heading back home from a family members' house for dinner.

We were merging onto the freeway @ 9pm (US 60 in Phoenix) when a car cut in front of me. I flashed my lights and cut him off aggressively.

He proceeded to get right behind me...I knew something was up right away because he was in a pos beater and I just had a bad feeling.

He proceeded to follow us on the on-ramp and once we were on the freeway, all hell broke loose.

I accelerated and got into the middle lane and he was right behind me. He passed me and brake checked me and half his body was out of the window trying to get me to stop. I could tell this was a drug user or someone down bad.

My wife called 911 and this exchange proceeded for like 5 minutes. I would try to get away and he would cut in front of me (hands out the window) trying to get me to stop.

He finally slowed down enough and I was able to accelerate and do over 120 mph and lost him. 911 said they would send a cop but honestly we didn't have enough time and I got off at an exit a few before ours to lose him.

Scariest experience I've ever been in. Some people have nothing to lose so be careful out there

[aa2033]

Sorry you went through this but you said you flashed your lights and then cut him off aggressively. Yeah he shouldn't have cut in front of you but it sounds like the whole thing could have been avoided if you didn't retaliate and cut him off.

Next time just breathe and let it go.

[baron95]

Originally Posted by Tyga11

I flashed my lights and cut him off aggressively.

It's just not worth it. And it is a losing proposition with someone driving a beater and you driving a nice car.

You care about your car, you have a lot to lose.

They don't care about their car and have little/nothing to lose.

You can't win. If someone cuts you off, they either a) are inattentive, b) can't drive, c) are a POS human.

The only winning move is to be as far away from them as soon as you can.

Sorry it happened to you though - glad you and your family are all OK. That is all that matters.

[nerdogray]

M cars seem to attract a lot of negative attention from shitboxes. However, I have to wonder if the guy would have just kept trying to start something regardless, forcing some kind of response for no other reason than the safety of their family. I can tolerate one or two "goadings," but then Hyde will make an appearance.

[garyfried]

When I had a house in Arizona and we travelled the roads my wife would say that a horn honk or a middle finger wave is no match for a gun. The road rage situation can be more serious than most people think especially when so many people carry weapons with them. The situation regarding guns in Canada is not as severe as in the States but even in Alberta the police have suggested not approaching anyone that you don't know in regards to a motoring concern. Be safe my friends.

[MassWholeBimmer]

Sometimes you need to keep the testosterone in check. Is it worth it to the other people in the car.?Really ??

[Alfisti]

Originally Posted by Tyga11

Scariest experience I've ever been in. Some people have nothing to lose so be careful out there

This. I tend to avoid confrontations these days, I could look after myself back in the day but these days, wife, kids, house, car ..... way more to lose than the other guy. Not to mention in USA with every second fucker packing a gun, you're nuts to get involved in anything frankly.

[baron95]

Doesn't matter how tough you are, if you are packing a gun or not. There are no winning moves in tangling with them.

If the guy in the beater sideswipes your car, what would you do?

Punch him = go to jail + law suit.

Shoot him = go to jail (maybe also get shot) + law suit.

Call 911 = accident record, loss of value of the car, + law suit, hassle to deal with.

The only winning move is to put as much distance as possible between you and the loser/crazy/POS-human as fast as possible.

Things need to get a lot worse, before we regain the right to defend our rights and property from the scum of society.



P.S. Same concept if you own a store and someone grabs merchandise and walks out. You need to train yourself and your employees to ....... LET IT GO. (don't risk the headline: rich, greedy store owner, chases poor minority teenager for a pair of Nikes, causing teenager to trip and break his head...). After it gets a lot worse, you may get again the right to do anything about it.

[NikMN]

Play stupid games win stupid prizes.

[tranquility]

Ya, glad there are lots of cool heads here. The most you should've done is flash them, but to do the cutting off, esp w folks in your car (ok, maybe you subconsciously wanted your MIL to meet some harm LOL j/k )

Glad you're safe, take it easy.

[Esteban]

Could've turned out bad for you and your family. Don't risk it. The road is filled with idiots. Don't be like them, instead be the better person and let it go. No need to lose it all for foolish machismo.

[..Rush..]

Not worth it my friend.
Let the idiots just move on.

[Nivarox]

Sorry to hear about that nasty incident , glad you got it away from it
Stay safe and careful driving

[bagekko]

Yeah best not to retaliate unless its free and clear to get away as fast as possible.

In CO in the the middle of nowhere passed a guy on the right who like many left lane campers won't move over. He then tries to keep up with me as I pass a few cars over the next few miles, I would let him catch up but then he would have to slow and his POS would be 1/4 mile away in a second later. Said screw this dropped the hammer hit 170 and did that for a few miles, never saw him again.

[Tyga11]

Thank you for all the well wishes.

I can safely say I've learned my lesson.

[Our03z4]

Sounds like you both had road rage.

[RickFLM4]

Glad it turned out ok for you.

But now, you wife and mother in law will remember it, embellish your role in it and not let you or anyone else forget about until the end of days. Good luck with that.

[///MPhatic]

Originally Posted by aa2033

Next time just breathe and let it go.

I need to learn to do this. I have put myself in more rage situations than I can count over the years, all because of taking pride in how I drive vs the rest of the population. Unfortunately, I'm part of the problem if I retaliate, and in doing so no one wins. It's like arguing with my wife because I know I'm right (few and far between), when I finally drive my point home and she knows it, she's just mad.

Breathe.

[Pauly Wauly]

Two wrongs don't make a right!

[///MPhatic]

Originally Posted by Wauly

Two wrongs don't make a right!

But in most people's eyes they make you even, which is easier to live with.

[Pauly Wauly]

Originally Posted by ///MPhatic

But in most people's eyes they make you even, which is easier to live with.

In OP case it doesn't.

What if the other driver had a gun?

You never know when someone is having a really bad day or week and in OP case it could've been the straw that broke the camel's back

[erickonphoenix]

Generally speaking if someone cuts you off they probably didn't see you. If they did and it's a dick move then they're probably not especially directing the act towards you but some issue they're having.

If a person is feeling powerless, inadequate or disrespected in other areas of their lives channeling that anxiety in traffic where they are somewhat anonymous is an outlet for them. Not personalizing the action is the first step in letting it go.