re. road rage. AIBU to call him a rude little man...

[KittyFane]

Ok, so, country lane, narrow but enough room for two passing cars. no street lights, other side of road to me still blocked by snow drift.

I'm on a straight stretch approaching a corner. I'm already on this stretch of road when a car on the other side comes round the corner approaching me. He would have seen my headlights.

I stop and he stops in front of me on my side of the road, gets out of his car and says "will you PLEASE reverse so that I can get past?" in an arsey "get out of my way woman" kind of way.

Red rag to a bull so I just sit there as he stomps back to his car. I don't move. He gets out again and repeats his 'instruction'.

I tell him that I don't like the way he's talking to me and point to the tyre marks in the snow on his side of the road where other cars in his situation have passed by.
He says he's not doing that and arsily repeats his instruction for the 3rd time.

I shout at him " You are a rude little man, don't you DARE talk to me using that tone. Who the hell do you think you are?"

A woman behind me then gets out of her car and helps me reverse back.

Pfft. Vent over. Stupid arse.

Why did you reverse for him? I'd have started filing my nails, reading the paper, etc.

But yanbu. Rude man is quite mild really.

Why on earth did you need help reversing ?

Yes, that too.

YABU to call him little - thats heightist!

topnob country lane, no lights, dark, ice... She was being helpful!

Ywbu, you reversed

I am more than happy to reverse and be a considerate driver, even if I feel the other one should, but someone talks to me like that and I ain't moving.

:o trois!

well, you were on a straight stretch of road, he would have had to reverse round a corner... which is more dangerous to be honest..

But he could have driven on the snow, he had no need to reverse. Did he say why he wouldn't do this when other cars had done so. Therefore it doesn't sound like an unreasonable thing for him to do.

So the obstruction was on his side of the road? And all he needed to do was navigate it slowly and carefully?

YANBU. No way would I have reversed for him though.

Actually, I lie, if he was being an aggressive arse and I thought he might turn violent I probably would have reversed.

But he would still have been in the wrong.

ifeelloved I feel the same, I am always getting out of people's way, reversing, giving way etc. We have to where I live but his attitude

I HATE being instructed, told in an impatient way what I should do.

If he had got out and said- " I really can't reverse back or go on the snow on my side, would you mind reversing?"
I would have no problem with him at all.

squeaky yes, I agree, reversing back would have been dangerous for him. He chose to come round the corner on my side, despite the probability that he saw my headlights approaching him. Refused to follow tyre tracks on snow drift on his side, instructed me to move.
I actually hate him at the moment!
:o

But... (just playing devils advocaaaaaat here)... you too would have seen his headlights, known that there was a vehicle approaching, and known that it would be on your side of the road.. so you would have slowed or stopped to allow for that..

Pity him instead. He's probably such a crap driver that he was scared of the snow and I bet he has a small nob.

I live in an part of London which seems to be full of rude and aggressive young men who won't give way to anyone, and who swear and shout if you won't give way to them. Mostly I just give way. Reverse. Curse them. But if I see one of them having a stand-off with some more arsey motorist who's refusing to move I watch and laugh ostentatiously. Especially if we're on foot and I've got the kids with me. I line the kids up at the edge of the road and point out in loud voice that it's quite interesting watching an adult having a toddler tantrum.

OP - well done for chastising the other motorist. But also for reversing when you shouldn't have had to.

Excellent, well done! apparently according to men who've I have talked to about this calling someone a 'little man' is just about the worst insult you can give a bloke so I applaud your choice of words! I've often thought that calling them a massive prick could be taken as a compliment

YWNBU, when all these nasty little men go to hell, they will be forced to spend all eternity driving down narrow, mud-splattered tracks between hedges with thorns a foot long, hearing the squeeeeee of their precious paintwork being scratched.

Never mind, maybe his car spontaneously combusted 5 minutes after passing you.

Friend of mine, in similar situation, got the book she keeps in her glove compartment out and starts reading it. It worked

He was probably scared and stressed.

cbem I'm more than bossy, got a bit of a temper me!
squeaky I know what you're saying but I was half way along the 'difficult stretch of road' when coming the other way, I would stop at the corner.
There are a few explanations/ possibilities: he didn't want to wait, just thought he'd try and push on through or possibly didn't know about the conditions on his side around the corner.
Shall I be nice and assume he didn't know his side was blocked? (very local traffic lane though) Still, I hate people being arsey, it brings out the stubborn, nasty side of me! :o

I tend to put my feet up on the dashboard and catch up with my texting....

We have country lanes around us, full of snow etc..I still see no reason why she would need help reversing. I am wondering if that is the issue here? She didn't want to reverse seeing him approaching so carried on hoping he would?

original possibly. If he didn't know the road (I do) and didn't know what was there on his side, then yes.
Sometimes scared = aggressive I agree.