The Law can be a right a*se at times??

[hogen-deifar]

I was a victim of road rage last Sunday morning when I took Mini-Dazs to Sunderland.

It started on the A34 which is dual carriageway. I was in the outside lane, in cruise control, overtaking slower moving traffic. I spotted a guy in a 4X4 and he was some way behind a lorry. He was traveling faster than the lorry, but slower than me. I carried on thinking he needed to move over now or he’d have to slow down for the lorry whilst I went past. He didn’t pull over or indicate so I continued at my fixed speed. I got along side his rear door; he indicated and pulled over into my lane. I had to slam the breaks on and honked my horn at him to let him know I was there. He honked back and gesticulated at me and I could see he was real angry, clearly blaming me for being in his way when HE wanted to overtake.

He chased me off the A34, down the slip road on to the M4, and he was up my bumper so much I couldn't read him number plate (great at 65-70). Then on the M40 he nearly rear ended me, pulling past at the last minute. I flipped him the bird, not looking at him and just shook my head. He cut in front of me nearly knocking the front of my car and then sped off.

A few miles later there was a traffic cop, so everyone was behaving doing the obligatory 70-75 whilst going past. We both went past the copper and then when we were on a clear stretch (this was 7.15 on Sunday morning) he slowed down. We were both on the inside lane. I was in cruise control, so I signaled, made sure the middle lane was clear and went to overtake. As my front nearside wing was level with his offside rear wing, he pulled over hard into the middle lane where I was, forcing me onto the outside lane. I knew the road was clear because I’d been aware of what traffic was about – none. He then continued traveling – bearing in mind we were side by side and he was in the outside lane, pretty much and I was on part of the central reservation. I slowed right down, and started to pull back into the middle lane to get away from him. He wasn’t having any of this. He followed me, staying along side me now on my right, forcing me to drive on to the hard shoulder.

At this point I put my headset on and got Jaye to dial 999 for me. She was crying and very upset and scared, as was I.

I'm not sure of the chain of events after that, because I was too busy focusing on where he was and what was happening and I was talking to the 999 operator. I think we came to some light traffic and he ended up being behind me. I remember being in the middle lane again and there was hardly any traffic about and he was in the middle lane coming up rapidly behind me. I was reading his number plate and my daughter had my phone open on view so he could see we were on the phone. I was able to give his reg number from my rear view mirror and she asked what make and model. As he overtook me, I was in the middle lane and he was in the outside lane I read the model and gave the colour. He then tried to slam into me and again forced me to have to break suddenly to avoid being hit. I screamed, my daughter was crying and the operator told me to slow right down and let him get away. I did this and off he sped after 4 times literally trying to force me off the road.

This was all beyond normal road rage. It was scary and could’ve ended very badly.

I spoke with a very kind copper from here (you know who you are and thanks a lot for the advice) and he gave me a few suggestions as to what to do next. I got the URN number for the incident and yesterday I popped to the local police station. A sergeant came out to talk to me. He gave me three options. To press formal charges, but the chances are the CPS would do nothing because it’s his word against mine and there were no formal witnesses. I could nothing and just forget about it or they could call the guy up and talk to him about it. The chances are he’d deny it and say it was all me etc etc.

I went for the last option, thinking that it may, just may, make him stop and think from doing it again. Because the next time the victim may not be so lucky.

But it grates. What this guy did was dangerous and beyond normal road rage. I know I’ll get comments like it was my fault, I should’ve just let him in, even though I had to do an emergency stop at 70+mph. With regard to what happened on the M40 I did nothing to antagonize him. He just took offense to me tooting my horn at him.

I just wish there was a way round this? Even though I was on the phone to 999 at the time, if he’d clipped me, I’d have rolled and Jaye and I may have become history, because there were no witnesses does that mean he’d have got away with killing us????

This guy tried to force us off the road at speed and he’s got away with it.

Rant over, time to move on, etc etc etc. Just be careful out there because there’s some pretty nasty people in the world.

Oh, and the most unbelievable thing about the whole episode? He was in his fifties AND his wife was in the car with him, looking straight ahead with her nose in the air. He drove like that at his age, knowing there was a child in my car AND with his wife in the car.

I hope it wasn't one of you or your parents???

[Timbobaggins]

You really should have pressed charges. Even if the CPS don't run with a charge, he would still have been arrested and interviewed, and because he was arrested we could have taken

a) His DNA
b) Fingerprints
c) photo.

Also there would be a clear record of it. Then if he did it again or caused a serious accident in the future, we can trace him more easily in the future.

Quite often the CPS will drop something, however he would have still had the inconvenience of being nicked and a short while in a police cell.

Oh and you could have got the youngster (depending on age) to video it on the mobile.

All the best
Tim B

[Timbobaggins]

Also you could have driven by Traffic Cop flashing your lights and honking horn and with hazards on.

He/she should come after you and then stop you, then you can explain what had happened and he/she should then go after Mr Shclaaaag!!!!

[dry suit diver]

Originally Posted by Timbobaggins

You really should have pressed charges. Even if the CPS don't run with a charge, he would still have been arrested and interviewed, and because he was arrested we could have taken

a) His DNA
b) Fingerprints
c) photo.

Also there would be a clear record of it. Then if he did it again or caused a serious accident in the future, we can trace him more easily in the future.

Quite often the CPS will drop something, however he would have still had the inconvenience of being nicked and a short while in a police cell.

Oh and you could have got the youngster (depending on age) to video it on the mobile.

All the best
Tim B

and by taking the DNA etc you might have got a scrote nicked for something he thought he had got away with a long time ago.

[Kalahari Diver]

One thing that does worry me, and in many ways it seems unfair to be critical, but you shouldn't ever inflame a situation by flipping some maniac the bird. People like that aren't rational and there aren't an winners in a RTA particularly one at motorway speeds.

Safe journeys,

David

[ray]

Hi.
A few years back I bought erindoors a brand new Daiatsu Fourtrack jeep, a couple of days later and as part of running it in we went down to Hayling Island to erindoors brothers wedding.
On the way back the next day we were minding our own business with erindoors driving back North up the M1. We were in the middle lane overtaking cars and Lorry's in the nearside lane, when the car in the near side lane drifted out into the middle lane just as we were along side, and run into the side of us.
I looked inside the car and the guy had his hand down the girls trousers and she was fiddling about with him, Hmm explains the lack of concentration.
I gesticulated to pull onto the hard shoulder, and he nodded his head.
We moved to the hard shoulder ahead of them and stopped, he drew along side stuck two fingers up and sped off.
I swapped placers with erindoors and drove after him as neither of us had managed to get his registration. He had a crappy old car and we eventually managed to catch up to him and got the Registration, he did a wild left up a ramp off the motor way, and I managed to exit as well, when he got to the roundabout at the top he was halted by traffic waiting to enter the roundabout, I jumped out to have a word with him, (I'm a 6ft hairy arsed builder), he was crapping himself inside his tin box.
He managed to speed off again and he lost us in an estate, so we went to the nearest police station and reported him, to cut a long story short, all I got was sort it out with your insurance company.
Would really like to meet the ginger person and explain a few things to him .

[purple vonny]

There are some right bum holes on the road!

I'd go ahead and formally report him. I once took the registration of a speeding police car (no lights or bells) and the police took it very seriously and called him in for a bollocking. They said: "your word against his", but he confessed!!!!!! I don't know what happened in the end but I felt better being able to do something about it.

It was a speed trap police Volvo that I ususally saw parked on a long straight stretch of road in the mornings.

Go ahead and report the bugger. It'll make you feel better.

[hogen-deifar]

Originally Posted by Kalahari Diver

One thing that does worry me, and in many ways it seems unfair to be critical, but you shouldn't ever inflame a situation by flipping some maniac the bird. People like that aren't rational and there aren't an winners in a RTA particularly one at motorway speeds.

Safe journeys,

David

Oh, I agree with you. But flipping the bird is no where near as aggressive as what he did to me and to be honest, even if I didn't do it he'd have been exactly the same. It started the minute he tried to overtake and nearly hit me. All the way to the M4 he was on my tail and NOT trying to overtake me but trying to scare me. The bird made no difference. And I only did it the once as he was passing me after the initial incident.

TBH why shouldn't someone do it? Sticks and stones may break my bones, and all that. He nearly hit me, then gesticulated at me, he was in the wrong the whole way waving his fist at me and snarling and honking his horn when HE didn't see me and nearly hit me. I think if I was prone to road rage I'd have done a little more than flip him the bird. But that was my sum total of aggression. Think I prefer my type to his!!!

As for the rest, perhaps I still will?? The sergeant in the station said I have 14 days so I've another week to ponder. Depends on the outcome of the telephone call they try and do, I guess!

[Scubee]

I have been in a similar situation on the M4 (maybe the same person??) I took the next exit (which wasn't the one i wanted) he didn't, and the time it took me to get back on to the motorway (only a couple of minutes) put him far enough ahead so as not to be a bother. If someone is being a bit of a tw@t on the road, gesticulating does tend to make it worse, aspecially if it is a woman (doing the gesticulating, not the agressive driving).

[frosty the snowman]

Hmmm... I wonder if he was the same gentleman about whom I posted following our meeting on the A380. Yes it certainly can upset ones day but take comfort from the fact that

1. He undoubtedly has already had a bad day, probably as a result of his inflatable love companion suffering a terminal puncture that morning or his failure to complete the Daily Sport junior crossword.

2. His temporary contract as a trainee lavatory attendant at poundstretcher will soon expire and thus far he has failed to pass his grade 1 skid mark removers assessment.

3. Since his wife left him for Stephen Hawking on the grounds that 'Steve' was better in the sack, he has suffered from feelings of inadequacy of sufficient magnitude for him to feel no shame in procuring the intimate companionship of a number of different gerbils.

4. Actually that should be mice since his meager endowment would be like chucking a sausage up a back alley to a gerbil.

That's how I've started to regard such people anyway and it makes me feel better!