Road rage, how do you react?

captainarchive

I was walking back from work on Tuesday, it was raining so I had my raincoat hood up which restricted my visibility. I turned off a main residential road onto a side street, walked a few yards up from the corner, looked behind me, it was clear so I began to cross the road. I was about two feet from the opposite curb when I heard a car horn go off. Turned round and there was a Merc in the road behind me and the driver was rudely gesturing at me. So I stuck two fingers up at him and mounted the pavement. The Merc drew level with me, the driver wound his window down.
Him ' don't tell me to %$^&&* '
Me 'Well you started it'
Him 'What?!'
Me 'Using your horn and then giving me the finger'
Him' You were in THE ROAD'
Me ' I know, That's the only way I know how to get from that pavement to this one'
He looks at me, I don't say anything else. He shakes his head incredulously and drives away.

The other ian

mostly just blow a kiss ,my works vehicle has cameras in the cab,once gave a masturbating gesture as my boss explained to me at a disciplinary ,so i never done it again ,hes never had me up for blowing a kiss

rhino2k

Normally just shake my head and call them a w***er

Or if it’s really good I give them a clap, that usually has the desired effect

Had a close call today, one of those flowing roandabouts on a 30mph dual carriageway (hard to explain but you can take them at speed).

I didn’t know the area so was being careful, pulled out a bit and looked clear.
Very quiet area and no cars around, and bear in mind it’s a 30 limit.

Catch glimpse of a fiesta going at a ridiculous speed, stopped a third of the way on roundabout. No time to reverse.
Car was full, all young lads. He was going that fast he couldn’t stop and swerved in front of me and went over to the opposite carriageway.
He stopped about 15 meters in so I slowly drove round and then he started beeping.
I watched in my mirror shaking my head as he started driving down the wrong side of the dual carriageway (had barriers in the middle). Then after realising he was on the wrong side he reversed back out into the roundabout when he could have just turned the car around.

I carried on my way shaking my head, I have little interest engaging with idiot drivers now I am older

And just after that a lorry changed lane without checking his mirrors, glad I have a new transit custom! Had enough power to get out of the way!

ian-500

If I was to blame then without a doubt I'd hold my hand up and apologise. It really does diffuse the situation. What doesn't diffuse the situation are those the are at fault gesticulating back at the person that beeped at them for doing something wrong, that where things go wrong. People need to own up to their mistakes.

Trollslayer

Had a right one yesterday, going south from Melksham.
The road has two lanes, clearly marked as filtering and I was in the right lane to go South and this kid thought it would be clever to go in the left lane and undercut me (the exit is single lane).
A Peugeot 308 with BP diesel has quite a kick if you know the response time so I was well clear and had the horn going.
This wasn't anger, it was to teach him a lesson so hopefully an innocent person won't get killed by him. I drove nice and steady after that and he hung well back.
If I wasn't able to get clear I wouldn't have done it.

ashenfie

Have this problem a lot at one junction. Two lanes go into one lane and then up to some lights.  The 30mph speed limit is ignored by some who use the right hand lane, So i have 30mph on my speedo and they go sailing pass at say 50mph.

So if you cant beet them join them, but at 30mph and has has them baffled and means we don't have to stand on the brakes to avoid them!

reiteration

yep, I tend to give drivers a slow nod of the head, and a slow round of applause... and the old nescafe hand wave is need be..

had one the other day too - was on the A167 in Newcastle (heading towards cowgate - I'd just came off jesmond road and was building speed) and there is a right turn and this young woman came flying up on the inside lane and wanted to turn right - but instead of slowing down (which she needed to) and change lane behind me - she must have expected me to slam my brakes on, but she cut me up good and proper and was only a few feet in front of me when turned right... madness... I just had time to honk my horn and flash my light before she disappeared...

paulyoung666

Had a weird one yesterday , dual carriageway , very light traffic , there's a car in front of me in the right hand lane with nothing in the left , now there are gaps in the central reservation so you can cross over into another road , fine I thought , they must be doing that as we are approaching one , I proceed to undertake , at maybe a couple of mph more than they are doing and all hell brakes loose , first they match my speed alongside flipping me the bird etc then pull in behind flashing their headlights and gesturing to pull over , and then pull alongside again , I've had enough by now and accelerate away to leave them quite happily again pootling along in the right hand lane as if nothing has happened , well fudgeing weird ...

reiteration

I've noticed a hell of a lot more lampposts being knocked over and railings being caved in on my route to work (Gateshead etc) - I assume this is down to people on their phones all the time...

outoftheknow

Funny - I would put it down to the lampposts and railings being hit by something. I doubt if it is a person on the phone or not though - they’d have to be bloody huge!!