Driving Alone At Night - Harassment - Anyone Else?

[LessMissAbs]

Tonight, while driving through roadworks on a motorway with a speed limit of 50mph, I was tailgated by a car with its full beam on. Really close tailgating. Smaller, less powerful car than mine so when I accelerated back up to national speed limit, it got left behind. It then caught up and tailgated again. Went on for miles. Eventually I slowed down to about 40mph, they were forced to overtake, and I continued to drive slowly so they didn't follow me home or find out where I lived. I'm pretty sure I was targeted because even in the dark, they noticed I was a lone woman driver (there were 3 young males in the car).

This has happened to me a few times. Has anyone else experienced it? I once had a much worse incident but want to see if other people have had similar experiences before going into that.

[AnyFucker]

My dc is just setting off on her life of driving

She is a bit hesitant, but safe

I dread her coming across an aggressive driver because she is likely to panic and do something stupid

In my early years of driving something similar happened. I was on the motorway and got intimidated by a truck driver trying to force me out of the fast lane, even though my speed matched the rest of the traffic

the weather was poor, I was in a very light Vauxhall Viva

I nearly lost control of my car and went into the central reservation

that trucker would have been devastated had I been killed

for what ?

[LyingWitchInTheWardrobe2726]

Maybe go and show off at Santa Pod? Lots of 'look at meeee' 'drivers' there, nessum. You can rev your engine and be as aggressive as you like. Nobody will be looking at you in admiration though because they're all like you... utterly pointless, donors-in-waiting, but at least you'll all be sequestered off the roads where everybody else is driving.

[AnyFucker]

I am annoyed at myself now for getting fucked off by some prick on t'internet

[nessus]

I find meditating great for dealing with stress Anyfucker

It also allows you to see beyond the illusion of duality so you can get to the place of seeing yourself as not separate from any dick out there. And best of all you do not get annoyed by the comments of faceless randoms because you know everyone has an off moment and that we are all capable of being dicks.

[AnyFucker]

My conscience is clear, ness

Can you say the same ?

[AnyFucker]

and you sound like a dick in more ways than one

[WelshMoth]

AF, this thread has me thinking about my eldest DD too.
She's just had her list of call-out locations for when she's on night shift (SHO) and I'm trawling through internet forums looking for the quickest responding breakdown service.

I'm also sorely tempted to buy her some illegal pepper spray things that could be used in self-defense should anyone ever approach her car with negative intent.

Still, good to know that not all posters on this thread will need to be cautious. Y'know, the brilliant drivers, and all that.

Gotto laugh.

[grumpyoldbat]

Tailgating and acting aggressively towards other road users aren't signs of good driving.

The time of my worst incident I thought I was going to die. I was on the Cumbrian section of the M6. It was dark and quiet. There were 3 lanes, I was in the left hand lane driving at 70mph. A car sped up behind me from a distance I was expecting him to overtake when I saw him in my rear view mirror. He didn't he slammed on his breaks right on my tail flashed his lights a lot blinding with his high beams. He then swerved suddenly into the next lane I thought he was finally going to pass. He didn't he sat along side laughing, making throat cutting gestures and intermittently swerving in towards me. I thought I was going to go off the road, I tried slowing down to let him in in front but he kept pace.

When he started his bullying I was approximately 22miles from the nearest services. It felt like a lifetime getting there, I thought it was all I had left of my life. I drove into the services but he swerved again to follow me but luckily he sped off when I pulled into a space next to a mini bus full of soldiers. Guess he wasn't so brave when he was outnumbered. I was scared to drive away from that services in case he was waiting for me further down the motorway. Before I left I put 999 into my phone so that all I'd have to press was press dial.

So tell me ness why was this my fault? Why does this indicate I'm the bad driver? In what way is he being defensive? In what way was I impeding him, I was driving at the speed limit and there were 2 empty lanes which he could have overtaken if he wanted to break the speed limit?

[nessus]

Are you flirting with me Anyfucker

[LyingWitchInTheWardrobe2726]

So irritated was I that I looked at nessus's previous posts just to see if he/she was perhaps hairy handed and new. Alas no, not a new poster but a woman who has a child/children. I honestly don't know of any women who would boast about driving like this, you know, having given birth and all.

[Backinthering]

Ness you are a dangerous arsehole and a shit driver.

[WelshMoth]

Seems like it isn't only on the roads that some drivers play silly games.
Go away Nessus, you are indeed sounding a bit of a plank, both behind the wheel and behind your keyboard.

[nessus]

And your point is?

[Proseccoisnotrah]

Oh God I hope this never happens to me. I drive a high performance car and often drive alone at night but am a very nervous driver so something like this would floor me.

[AnyFucker]

I am sorry that happened to you, grumpy

[FreyaFridays]

How does giving birth give anyone an automatic moral highground?

[AnyFucker]

Prosecco, I drive a high spec Audi. For some reason this gives some blokes with tiny dicks the hump.

Their problem, not mine.

it's my problem if their aggressive driving kills me or other road users though

[Anniegetyourgun]

Actually, I think people may be wondering what your point is, Nessus

[AnyFucker]

I think ness has been on the

best ignored, really

[Proseccoisnotrah]

AF me too!

I've no idea how I would react if someone was trying to ram me off the road. I haven't been driving long and have had the usual dickery at traffic lights and a bit of dangerous overtaking but some of this stuff is really frightening.

[LyingWitchInTheWardrobe2726]

Freya It doesn't, of course. For many women though, the thought of their own children or loved ones being killed due to thoughtless and erratic driving is just too much in an almost visceral way. But, being a parent, male or female, having given birth or not, having a loved-one - and thinking of them wiped out in seconds because of self-aggrandising idiots... that's what I should have said.

[AnyFucker]

prosecco, this behaviour is in the minority, sweetie, honestly

my advice to you is at the first instance of it, pull off the road and have a cuppa

let the dickheads play with someone else

[Anniegetyourgun]

Sorry, you're right, didn't mean to FTT.

I drive a smallish family-type car which doesn't do accelerating uphill perhaps because my mighty weight drags it down . I do tend to suffer from the go-faster tailgaters as a result, but have taken to ignoring them, which I think they find even more annoying than the brake-accelerate-brake method. I agree that kind of pushiness is not particularly gender-specific.

Don't remember ever having the sexual harassment kind of experience perhaps that's due to my mighty weight too . Hope I never do. (Damn, probably jinxed m'self now.)

[WhatWouldFreddieDo]

I've been thinking of getting a dash cam cos of a few incidents - but even one of these might help?

[Livingthedaydream]

You should have brake tested them.