To be a bit shook up about this?

[AriesTheRam]

Walked ds to school (keyworker) and decided to walk up to the local supermarket about 1.5 miles away.Im wanting to lose a bit of Xmas weight and I really enjoy walking.Noticed a black SUV passing which then reversed to come onto the road I was on, Man asked if I was going to supermarket or new build estate and did I want a lift? I said no,he then asked again.He drove off but now I feel a bit nervous out and about.Things like that aren't common where I live and I don't know any man who would offer a stranger a lift.Would you be suspicious or just think he was a chancer trying to chat up a woman?

I didnt her reg but saw it was an private plate beginning with R

Completely reasonable to be a bit shook up, OP. I remember having a bloke in a car pull up next to me and crawl along after I said I didn't want a lift to where I was going earlier this year, freaked me out for a couple of days after.

There is a chance it was nothing sinister, just an inappropriate move. Unfortunately there isn't much can be done, police won't be able to do anything unless it happens again and they'll just log it. Don't let it deter you from going about your usual business.

I feel much safer now I have a whistle attached to my keys and a small penknife in my handbag, some think it's OTT but I'd rather be safe than sorry!

That sounds really unsettling. I too would log it with 101 just in case they have further reports or someone goes missing in the area.

Chances are that he thought he knew you or recognised you from somewhere so I wouldn't worry unduly.

Glad to hear that OP. Trying to pick up women off the street by offering them lifts in his car? No normal man does that. There's a lot of bored men about with lockdown just now.

It isn’t being nice at all. It is being creepy.

Did you notice him at the supermarket when you got there? If not then it was very likely a chancer and you were right to ignore. I would not get into a car with someone I didn’t know or wasn’t expecting (e.g. taxi driver being one of the exceptions to that obviously).

Honestly, I would mention it to 101.

It may be that he is a predator and he's being doing this to a few women today - the more reports they have, the more they are able to do something about it.

It could be something, it could be nothing.

YANBU to be shook up about it!

Oh, and did the car have tinted rear windows?

Glad you've reported this, it is pretty creepy.

@littlepeas

Yeah, I wouldn’t get in a car with a random man - not worth the risk.

When I was in my early 20’s a man pulled over and asked me directions - I glanced down and he had nothing on his bottom half!

Did you punch him in the face? How DID you react? He was breaking the law but thinking quickly and noting a registration number is often not done when it should be.

Even if you didn't get the registration number you do know the make, model and number. Write a description if the driver whilst it's fresh in your mind. I would log it just because it's very odd behaviour. The reversing back in order to speak to you is creepy.

I don't believe any sane man that's ever actually spoken to a woman about personal safety would offer a random stranger a lift unless they had a questionable motive apart from in truly exceptional circumstances.

Are you in the Bristol area. I follow a couple of people on Instagram who have both put a warning of a strange man approaching women in the Bristol area.

I find it odd especially because it would be against the law because of covid. Perhaps I’d post a warning in your local Facebook group (if you have one) or notify the police.

A bit weird under normal circumstances. Could be trying to be helpful, could be a perv. But during a lockdown it’s positively bizarre and illegal.

@littlepeas

Yeah, I wouldn’t get in a car with a random man - not worth the risk.

When I was in my early 20’s a man pulled over and asked me directions - I glanced down and he had nothing on his bottom half!

Omg- almost exactly the same thing happened to me. He had on bottoms, but he was playing with himself

Someone you don’t know offering you a lift is probably very creepy. In the present circumstances, it’s obviously creepy - because we’re not supposed to be sharing cars.

I’d guess it’s someone who’s noticed lots of women going for walks/exercise and thought it was a good ‘opportunity’.

When I think about my female teenage years I the 80s, living in a rural area, when I used to hitchhike everywhere, I would get into any car that picked me up! All my friends used to do the same.
A lot of the drivers, both male & female said that they used to hitchhike & returned the favour.
When I started driving, I also used to pick up hitchhikers.
It was just a way of getting from a to b when you had parents that refused to give me lifts anywhere, no local buses or a 5 mile walk to the nearest town.
Nowadays I wouldn't dream of it & have been followed slowly & approached by men in cars - something that never happened 30 years ago. Different times.

No normal man would approach a strange woman in a car and offer a lift. I’m glad you reported it as you never know - I’ve watched too many true crime programmes where dangerous men are caught through sightings of their vehicles.

No I'm in doncaster

@GreenlandTheMovie possibly

I remember being approached by a perv in a car, would have been 32 years ago. Also remember a guy on the train wanking into a tissue. Also in the 1980s, a man attacked me down a local path, took his dick out, had me on the ground, only ran off when I screamed.. Someone I knew was approached at the same time by a stranger, who went on to break into her house. She was out, so he attacked her mum and sister. There were plenty of pervs around back then. We just weren't all quite as vigilant.

When I was in my early 20’s a man pulled over and asked me directions - I glanced down and he had nothing on his bottom half!

Dirty bastard! God this makes my blood boil.
Yes of course it's weird behaviour. Obviously not being able to meet women in lockdown is going to bring out the rapey kind. Grim.

@littlepeas

Yeah, I wouldn’t get in a car with a random man - not worth the risk.

When I was in my early 20’s a man pulled over and asked me directions - I glanced down and he had nothing on his bottom half!

This happened to me when I was about 4 - a parked car, open window - man asks me to pick a coin up from the floor that he'd dropped, 4 year old me did as I was told 😕

Glad you've reported it OP

Creep. I haven't encountered one in a long time, too.

@Jocasta2018

When I think about my female teenage years I the 80s, living in a rural area, when I used to hitchhike everywhere, I would get into any car that picked me up! All my friends used to do the same. A lot of the drivers, both male & female said that they used to hitchhike & returned the favour. When I started driving, I also used to pick up hitchhikers. It was just a way of getting from a to b when you had parents that refused to give me lifts anywhere, no local buses or a 5 mile walk to the nearest town. Nowadays I wouldn't dream of it & have been followed slowly & approached by men in cars - something that never happened 30 years ago. Different times.

If someone is actively hitchhiking then it isnt so creepy to offer them a lift (although it might well attract creepy sorts, non-creeps might also offer). If you are just walking along not indicating in any way you need a lift then the only strangers offering lifts are creepy ones. Especially persisting after she said no.

That's creepy. Agree with the advice to log it with police.