Active discussions

Meet the Other Phone. Child-safe in minutes.

Meet the Other Phone.
Child-safe in minutes.

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:
ShoesHaveSouls · 14/08/2017 17:44

I would have been scared too, OP. Blocking a car to get directions is v unreasonable, and yes, 2 men doing that to a lone woman is very intimidating. I'd have had all sorts running through my mind.

Polter · 14/08/2017 17:45

It does sound scary gin and it can feel quite isolated up in the Blackdowns, it was crap weather for a hike to the Monument today though (I also always miss the turning!).

Rapunzel15 · 14/08/2017 17:47

A little but its the world we live in and reinforced by women screaming hysterically when being asked for directions (albiet in a dicky way)

DamnDeDoubtanceIsSpartacus · 14/08/2017 17:48

God this thread is depressing.

Hope your okay ginplease, sounds terrifying. I am glad you kept your head and got home safe.

We appear to be in a country where women are blamed for aggressive men. If men block them, if men push them under a bus, somehow it's always the woman's fault.

Shame on every poster who has suggested that op has over reacted. She reacted to aggressive males, that's all.

TinklyLittleLaugh · 14/08/2017 17:48

I don't think you overreacted at all. If someone blocked me in on a lonely road I would be terrified, to the extent that I might even drive at them if they got out of the car.

katiej12 · 14/08/2017 17:50

Assuming you meant compensation ( and that the law surrounding it did in fact work like that), sure.

BootsWithDresses · 14/08/2017 17:50

I'm slightly confused why you posted op. You don't think you were unreasonable. Fair enough. But why ask?

Batteriesallgone · 14/08/2017 17:52

They broke the rules of the road. They acted aggressively. Who gives a shit about the story they told when they got home? Why should the OP care about their opinions and feelings - they clearly didn't care about hers!

WHY do people insist men must be deferred to? It's fucking weird.

Instead of blocking her they could have waved apologetically, mouthed sorry through the window and held up a map pointing pathetically to it. In fact there's a whole range of things they could have done to make their 'lost' status apparent that didn't involve being so threatening.

Original poster
ginplease8383 · 14/08/2017 17:53

Rapunzel- A little? Thats ALOT sexist? I disagree that this is 'the world we live in'. You'll get hysterical people of both genders and people who don't think about other people of all genders and you'll get genuinely lovely people of both genders. Perhaps the men who blocked me were being 'typical men' by not considering how someone else might feel or respond to their actions? No, plenty of women do that too.

OP posts:
BitOfANameChange · 14/08/2017 17:53

But he told you what he was trying to do.

Not until right at the end. After blocking the OP 3 times. And there's no guarantee that asking for directions was harmless, it could have been for distracting the OP. These blokes were being intimidating, whether they intended that or not. OP did not over-react.

Fruitcocktail6 · 14/08/2017 17:53

YANBU at all. They were being aggressive and intimidating, I would've been furious if someone did that to me.

BusterTheBulldog · 14/08/2017 17:54

You do sound a bit silly not to have just wound down your window and asked what they were doing, would have got things sorted much quicker. Both parties sound a bit mad tbh.

GaryBarlowsTaxReturn · 14/08/2017 17:54

Sounds frightening op. I can't believe some of the ridiculous posturing on this thread. Hope you aren't too shaken up.

DamnDeDoubtanceIsSpartacus · 14/08/2017 17:55

They would not have blocked a bloke in three times, to be honest it's bloody sinister.

Original poster
ginplease8383 · 14/08/2017 17:55

Bootswitdresses- I was questioning myself 'was that really that scary?' 'why did i react like that?' 'why did they do that?' on the way home and wanted other peoples opinions. I'm reassured now though, thank you.

OP posts:
BusterTheBulldog · 14/08/2017 17:55

You don't have to defer to men, just tell them to get out of your way.

Aeroflotgirl · 14/08/2017 17:55

I agree op, you never know, they cod have been out to hurt you. Have to be very careful who you wind down your window too. As you said, you had two young children in the back, in the countryside, that would have unnerved me.

AnneElliott · 14/08/2017 17:56

I don't think you over reacted. Two men tried to flag me down when I was on my own with DS. Lonely county road, they stood in the middle and tried to get me to slow down/stop. I eyeballed one of them and drove straight at him - totally prepared to knock him down. Luckily for him, he jumped into a ditch.

They could possibly have just wanted directions Hmm or perhaps they wanted to nick my car. Either way I wasn't stopping. Guess I'm hysterical too.

Original poster
ginplease8383 · 14/08/2017 17:56

Busterthebulldog- I did, which was when they said directions and when i told them to get out of the way, i was so annoyed that they made me feel like that and had the audacity to block me/stop me over bloody directions.

OP posts:
Aeroflotgirl · 14/08/2017 17:57

There ate people who pretend to be police, or somebody asking directions you stop and they hurt you. Who knows it could have been one of them.

MadgeMak · 14/08/2017 17:58

You absolutely did not overreact. They gave you no indication that they were friendly, blocking your car was an aggressive move which you very sensibly reacted to by ensuring you got away from them. Asking for directions my arse.

Aeroflotgirl · 14/08/2017 17:59

As somebody said, they would not do that to.a man. I am sorry we livecin a day and age where you have to be very careful. And people are not who they seem.

Original poster
ginplease8383 · 14/08/2017 18:02

Anneelliott- I would have had no escape, I would have to have reversed to get away from them, down a windy country lane.

OP posts:
Pallisers · 14/08/2017 18:03

A little but its the world we live in and reinforced by women screaming hysterically when being asked for directions (albiet in a dicky way)

That's what you think reinforces bad behaviour in the world - women reacting badly to "dicky" behaviour by men?? That is so sexist or stupid. or both.

By the way do you ever read the news to get an idea of the actual world we live in???

BlondeB83 · 14/08/2017 18:05

I would have shit myself to be honest.

Swipe left for the next trending thread