Active discussions

Meet the Other Phone. Protection built in.

Meet the Other Phone.
Protection built in.

Buy now

Please or to access all these features

Talk
AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

Extremely scary moment when driver blocked my car on a country lane.

449 replies

ginplease8383 · 14/08/2017 17:07

I was out driving on the Blackdown hills today with my 1 year old and 3 year old DD trying to find Wellington monument. I know its pretty easy to find being pretty large but I am a bit of an idiot with driving and thought i knew the way (being relatively local) and it turned out I didn't.

Anyway, I went into a country lane and did a U turn to correct myself as I didn't want to U turn on one of the larger roads and as I was coming out onto the more main road another car (a 4X4 with 2 men in it aged mid 50s) also was doing a u turn (or so i thought initially). The driver blocked my exit out of the junction (They could see me drive up to it) as I attempted to turn left and I assumed he was stopping to turn into my lane so I attempted to veer left and drive around him and he blocked me again. I did it again and he did it again.

I didn't want to stop and wind down my window it being the middle of the countryside and that I had 2 young children in the back but he trapped me. In the end i had to and he wound down his window and he said 'I was just going to ask you how to get to xx', I was upset and panicking by then and screamed at him 'How dare you block my path!! Get out of the way!'. My heart was racing and I called dh straight away and gave him a description of the car just in case and set off hime (I didn't go to Wellington monument in the end).

AIBU? I can kind of understand if there was an accident and they needed a first aider but surely i made it perfectly clear i didnt want to stop- I was shitting myself to be honest.

OP posts:
blankface · 14/08/2017 21:47

Unreserved apologies about the "u-turn" OP.

I live in a very rural area with miles of very narrow roads and have had lots of comments about driving in such a lonely area etc. from strangers and visitors. However, at this time of year, harvest is in full swing and there are holiday tourists, all these 'deserted' roads are at their busiest.

Unless the Burgundy 4x4 guys know the area well and know that particular junction is likely to be very quiet, it's a huge risk to take to do anything that looks out of the ordinary (like blocking you at the junction) without being spotted, either by people in the very much increased harvest/tourist traffic, or by people working in the fields.

Have you thought about getting a dashcam? One visibly mounted would have let them know you'd recorded their odd manoeuvres and at least their numberplate. That in itself should surely be a deterrent if they had bad intentions.

Don't ever totally reject reversing as an option to get out of an odd situation, drop the passenger side wing mirror down a bit so it's a lot easier to see the edge of the road and remember to keep one hand on your car horn, that will attract attention.

I do hope the Police track them down and have a word, whatever they are doing, it's unpleasant.

eyebrowsonfleek · 14/08/2017 21:49

I think that the other driver is vvvvu. It's like the jogger on Putney Bridge- he thinks that he can be aggressive with you because you're a woman. There's NO way that they would have done this with a man because it'd end up in an argument or physical fight.

Yanbu to not allow a man to ride roughshod over your feelings. Even if this happened in the Aussie Outback, these people need to be more considerate.

Original poster
ginplease8383 · 14/08/2017 21:51

Golfin- well, new to me, is 3 years old

OP posts:
WindyWednesday · 14/08/2017 21:51

It's not a road that would be used by harvest traffic. It's a bleak spot. It's all woodland.

abilockhart · 14/08/2017 22:01

Only a fool would believe that these men acted in this fashion because they needed directions.

It's highly unlikely these actions were innocent.

NormaStanleyFletcher · 14/08/2017 22:04

You did really well. They sound frightening

HotNatured · 14/08/2017 22:17

Only in the asylum that is MN could some daft people come on and say you were being hysterical, OP. The men acted in a threatening manner, wankers, you had every right to scream at them, I would have done the same, and I am in no way 'hysterical' Hmm

DamnDeDoubtanceIsSpartacus · 14/08/2017 22:22

Only in the asylum that is MN could some daft people come on and say you were being hysterical, OP.

Looking at their posts it appears these people have an agenda.

golfin · 14/08/2017 22:26

Amazing how all the YABU folk get in first. Are they watching and waiting?

gillybeanz · 14/08/2017 22:35

it wouldn't have bothered me tbh, and I do find you hysterical OP, but each to their own.
As for teaching my daughter to scream hysterically every time a man comes near her, it's not going to happen.
We are equal not some kind of shrinking violets who deserve different treatment.
Would a man have screamed and been scared, I don't think so.

Datun · 14/08/2017 22:36

Would a man have screamed and been scared, I don't think so.

You might want to ask yourself why?

gillybeanz · 14/08/2017 22:38

Maybe because he wouldn't automatically assume the men had some evil motive for their behaviour.
Maybe they aren't prone to hysterics.

JigglyTuff · 14/08/2017 22:39

It wouldn't have bothered you to have had your exit onto a T junction blocked three times gilly? I call bullshit.

And your continued use of hysterical is horribly misogynistic.

Batteriesallgone · 14/08/2017 22:40

It's a small point but...

People saying this would never happen to a man - I do know a man something similar happened to. Not same part of the country but similar type of countryside IYSWIM, a bleak road from a beautiful spot, road barely used, narrow with a ditch one side and a bank the other. Blocked in by two guys in a big car.

He went to move round them, they blocked him. He quickly realised it was a dangerous situation. Not even driving a nice car so presumably they were after him not the vehicle Confused

Luckily for him he was local, a farmers son, and raced drag cars, so he had the confidence and knowledge to drive up the bank, off road for a bit then rejoin further down.

Main differences that stand out to me is he didn't feel the need to question himself and no one questioned his assessment of the situation as clearly dodgy. It's usually only women whose instincts are downplayed in such a fashion. Tendency to hysteria and all that Hmm

So glad you're ok and reported it OP.

ShoesHaveSouls · 14/08/2017 22:41

We are equal

We'll be equal when men stop killing and raping us. This violence is gendered - men can generally overpower women. Teach your kids what you like, but I will teaching mine to trust their judgement, and to shout out at people when they are not comfortable.

Datun · 14/08/2017 22:43

Today 22:38 gillybeanz

Maybe because he wouldn't automatically assume the men had some evil motive for their behaviour.
Maybe they aren't prone to hysterics.*

I'm not sure where you read the OP automatically assumed something. She made a rational decision based on aggressive and intimidating behaviour.

Do you think women are generally prone to what you call hysterics?

ShoesHaveSouls · 14/08/2017 22:45

Why is it hysterics just when women shout and scream? I hear men shouting and screaming frequently - it's not really called 'screaming' or hysterics - because it's men doing it, though.

"Women - don't be hysterical" Hmm

Hunkle · 14/08/2017 22:46

YANBU

Slimthistime · 14/08/2017 22:50

Gilly, a car tries to block you in three times.
What would go through your mind? Genuine question.

Aeroflotgirl · 14/08/2017 22:51

Right Gilly your one of those posters who live in a parallel universe where there is no bad people. You failed to read the op properly, others bad experiences of similar situations. Fear is good for a reason, fight and flight. Op got out if a potentially dangerous situation, and alerted the police, who said that they had similar reports.

kittybiscuits · 14/08/2017 22:52

Sorry OP - way too many hairy, goady pot-stirrers on MN these days. YWNBU.

Datun · 14/08/2017 22:54

Frankly, if anyone's behaviour was hysterical, it was those of the two men. Complete overreaction to a situation.

Unless their overreaction was entirely rational, given their agenda.

Buttercunt · 14/08/2017 23:00

Right Gilly your one of those posters who live in a parallel universe where there is no bad people

I think she, and the other posters coming out with bollocks like this are either stupid or saying it for the reaction, which is basically the same thing.

In just a couple of days we've had posts with hundreds of posters on saying that a woman is unkind (and shaming them) to not open the door at 2am to a stranger, should assume someone smacking her hard while working has dementia and it's unkind of her to report it and that a woman pushed in front if a bus (with CCTV evidence and police back up!) must have asked for it.

It sickens me.

Aeroflotgirl · 14/08/2017 23:03

I know. A strange knock in the night might be a decoy. Criminals use them to lure their victims, women and children can be used. Unfortunately we live in a world where not everyone has good intentions.

mintich · 14/08/2017 23:05

I read your post on Facebook too, how scary! If someone else also reported it then I doubt you are both BU

Swipe left for the next trending thread