Please reassure me I AM bloody right?! (Rules of the road)

[JaneS]

Hmm, as if that title isn't asking for a flaming!

I live in a little network of streets - parking bays often on both sides of the road so often there is only room for one car. Obviously, you get very used to quickly reversing out of someone's way, and it's usually your neighbours trying to park who're in the other car, so it is all good-natured.

I was coming along between two sets of parked cars, wanting to turn right into another small road. Someone else was just coming out of that road (he had a give-way line across him), and he was turning left towards me. Without thinking much, I got into reverse as I know it's actually an easier bit of road for me to reverse on. He revved towards me - quite aggressively - and he was on the phone so made no eye-contact, didn't smile or mouth 'thanks' or anything, which is what most people would do.

I parked up about 10 metres down the road and got out to see him getting out of his own car. I do admit I probably gave him a foul look as I was pissed off and don't like people revving towards me when I'm reversing!

He turned to me, muttered 'fucking bitch driver' and turned away. I said 'excuse me' and he turned back, ostentatiously put his hand over the phone and said 'I'm on the PHONE'. But it was clear he was talking to me or about me.

Please tell me he is a tosser and a twat and an ignorant wanker who will shortly get his car bashed by someone less patient than me who doesn't get out of his way?

(Er ... or the calm version, which I'm not feeling: I was right that if there's a giveway, he should be reversing to let me through, even if he is turning left and I am turning right?)

YANBU. I used to live somewhere a bit like this and its all give and take. Where I live now is a through road but because all of us have to park outside on the road it is effectively a single lane for stretches and people have to wait at the passing places. There are frequently nose to nose confrontations outside my house between drivers where they haven't seen in time that they need to pull in and wait. Invariably, if one is a woman, the man will be 10x more abusive and aggressive assuming that the woman is at fault and that it will somehow make them less of a man if they reverse. If its two men they are less quick to get out of their cars and the exchange is not as personally abusive. Regardless of what they are like in other areas of life, when it comes to driving / car situations men still are often caveman like in their attitude. I got screamed at in the parking lot of a service station once because I had pulled in to what was quite a narrow space (because the car to my left was parked on the line) and the driver of THAT car yelled at me in case I might have touched his car opening my door. Again, am 99% certain he would not have said anything if I hadn't been a lone female.

If it helps OP I understood what you were saying from the original post.

He's behaviour was unnecessarily aggressive and rude and I would have been shaken by it as well

trixie - that's awful.

penguin - thanks!

I think it is very clear if you're familiar with UK roads but probably quite confusing otherwise - I should have said! Thanks for your support and for saying you'd have been shaken too - I felt like a right idiot so it's good to know others would have felt the same!

I have similar near my road - I have had a couple of men rev there engines for me to get out the way. I find all my driving skills have to go in slow motion and I reveres so much slower down the road and it seems they get more aggressive as I get slower and the more agreesive they get the slower I get and the more I hold them up for being so kind as to reverse.....I never let it bother me though.

i doubt if the other driver was on the phone I would have reversed at all I would have waited until his call was over

YANBU - I'm surprised nobody has suggested cracking an egg on his windscreen or similar.

that would just escalate the situation and egg damage wouldn't be seen kindly by the police

I did have one very bad experience a few years ago, so I do get where you're coming from LRD....

Very long line of cars (about 15).
White van coming the other way.
I knew there was a side-road on his side about half-way.
So I zipped up to this road.
Whilst, I'm doing this he accelerates to about 40mph.
Then screeches to a halt inches from me, eyes bulging and starts revvving and shouting at me to "fucking reverse".

I am at this point repeatedly pointing to the 2.5 car space formed by the small side road he is now right beside.

Does he back down/apologise/calm down ?
Oh no! He eventually, squints a look sideways, pauses for about a second [clearly having completelely missed spotting the passing space], then just starts screaming even louder and foaming at the mouth and threatens to ram me off the road!

Basically just had to reverse 6 cars or be killed by drugged crazed (presumably) psychopath.

God knows what he would have done if I was actually in the wrong!