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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

Worst road rage experience?

35 replies

Hearfreedomcalling · 08/06/2022 22:51

I once slowed down because the car in front was turning left, then allowed a car pulling out of that junction to merge onto the road.

Well the guy behind me in the van was insanely angry at this, started beeping, could see him screaming and shouting in my mirror and kept trying to intimidate me by driving too close. This went on for a good 20 minutes. He was in his work van too.

OP posts:
rogueone · 03/03/2023 06:56

I haven’t experienced it personally but have witnessed it. I saw a horrible incident where an older couple were sat in there car and the person behind got out , screaming at them and started hitting there car with a bin.

I have seen people screaming and then purposely drive up there ass.

Actually I did have one odd incident where I was in front of a large four wheel drive, I have no idea why the person who was an older female kept trying to squeeze me over to the left side and overtake. On a busy road in London, I opened my window and asked wtf she was doing and she put her head down and pretended not to see me. Some folks are odd and I am a good city driver too

BooksAndHooks · 03/03/2023 07:01

Where we live all roads are 20 mph apart from a few not controlled by the council.

This causes no end of angry impatient driving. There isn’t usually room to overtake so they tend to drive up your arse swerving from side to side and when they realise they can’t get by have been known to mount the pavement to overtake. Usually just to get stopped at the traffic lights.

SlightlySusan · 03/03/2023 07:13

God, where to start. Most recent was yesterday. Behind someone at a set of three roundabouts. They stopped for a good 20 seconds for each one despite no one coming from the right. If you can't work that one out, get off the road.

Worst one, someone pulled out on me and it was incredibly dangerous and close so I gave him a look and gesture. He opened his window and shouted at me so I opened mine and told him a few things as he was completely in the wrong and couldn't have been looking to miss me until I screeched to a stop and beeped. Little while later I stop to parallel park and he speeds up into the back of me and said there, deal with that you little bitch. Tried to say it was my fault but it was all in front of a police camera. Luckily.

torquewench · 03/03/2023 07:17

Bloke got out of his car at traffic lights to remonstrate with me because the council had inconveniently stuck a bollard right where he wanted to overtake (following a load of arrows clearly marking the carriageway was changing from 2 lanes to 1). Lights changed, I drove off, leaving him bent over in the road, looking confused, with his mouth open.

Herja · 03/03/2023 07:25

ExH was dreadful for this. He once stopped in the middle of a 4 lane light controlled roundabout to get out and try to fight someone he felt cut him up. It's actually just a notoriously complicated roundabout with at points 5 (possibly six. Road markings are unclear...) lanes feeding in to the four; people are confused by it every day and you have to be very careful.

Anyway, he stopped the whole lot, by getting out when the lights were red and trying to drag some poor bloke from his car. Happily he couldn't get at him. Settled for battering his car instead. Boody awful situation. That was the worst, but there were many like you discribe. (He genuinely thought he was a good driver too and couldn't understand why I hated driving with him.)

SnarkyBag · 03/03/2023 07:30

SlightlySusan · 03/03/2023 07:13

God, where to start. Most recent was yesterday. Behind someone at a set of three roundabouts. They stopped for a good 20 seconds for each one despite no one coming from the right. If you can't work that one out, get off the road.

Worst one, someone pulled out on me and it was incredibly dangerous and close so I gave him a look and gesture. He opened his window and shouted at me so I opened mine and told him a few things as he was completely in the wrong and couldn't have been looking to miss me until I screeched to a stop and beeped. Little while later I stop to parallel park and he speeds up into the back of me and said there, deal with that you little bitch. Tried to say it was my fault but it was all in front of a police camera. Luckily.

Sounds like you initiated both of those? Not necessarily with your driving but with your aggressive reactions.

loobylou10 · 03/03/2023 07:39

Well said @SnarkyBag Think that poster has misunderstood the question!

Arsepants · 03/03/2023 07:45

OP did you see the name on the side of the van? If so, report him

SlightlySusan · 03/03/2023 07:50

The first one was me with the rage. Thought I'd give both sides. We all feel road rage at some point and I drive a lot so see it more than most. I haven't misunderstood the simple question. I've added.

Nice victim blaming on the second one tho. I didn't make him drive in the back of me at speed which was a completely disproportionate response. Most people raise their arms and say something with the near miss we had. He again escalated that by winding down his window and having a go. Sorry you think I should take that and run away. I suppose you think I deserved him doing what he did too!

RoseyLentil · 03/03/2023 08:08

I used to drive a recycling lorry for a local council. We experienced Road rage and abusive behaviour from other road users all the time. Screaming, swearing, being driven at was pretty much a daily occurrence. Some did calm down once they realised the driver was a woman but some actually got more abusive.
We had 360 cameras on all the collection vehicles and the police were more than happy to investigate. Several people were prosecuted as a result.

FrenchandSaunders · 03/03/2023 08:12

I was in a traffic jam and I didn’t see what happened exactly but a young guy in front of me jumped out his car and started punching an old guy in the head through his open window. It was awful.

Thankfully a police car was passing and dragged him off.

MajorCarolDanvers · 03/03/2023 08:16

I had to phone the police about a man who mounted the pavement in his car to pull along side me to shout at me (for reversing out of my drive) and who then drive on to park across the junction to stop me getting out.

LovelaceBiggWither · 03/03/2023 08:18

The passenger in a ute opened the door, pulled down his trousers and mooned us thoroughly after DH committed the crime of driving to the speed limit on the freeway.

AFS1 · 03/03/2023 08:19

A few years ago a man felt I’d parked too close to his truck (I hadn’t). He waited until I got back in my car and then followed me for about 20-30 minutes. A couple of times he overtook and stopped in front of me, got out of his car and came up to my window. I had been driving home but didn’t want to park up, so I ended up doubling back the way I came. My partner works on a square. I drove round it twice, while on the phone to the police with him still following me. He finally pulled up on the other side of the square and I parked up outside my partner’s office and ran in (he was waiting for me outside). The police arrived shortly afterwards and spoke to him. Never spoke to me, though, so I’m assuming all he got was a warning.

SpyouttheLand · 03/03/2023 08:24

I was once involved in a stand off over who should reverse in a narrow spot.

It was a street of terraced houses, no drives, cars parked both sides, only room to drive one car down.

I'd driven the length of a fairly long road looking for a parking space, so I knew there was nowhere to pull in behind me.

Man in a BMW had stopped to let others through at the end of the road, but decided he'd waited long enough and I needed to back. Where to I'm not sure.

Anyway he got out of the car calling me names I've honestly never been called before, never heard a woman called, banging on my car and windows. I went I to ultra calm mode and just kept repeating that the passing space was just behind him and we'd soon both be on our way.

This went on for several minutes until two men in a white transit pulled up behind me. He decided he was fine with backing for them. Coward.

TheaBrandt · 03/03/2023 08:26

Tiny awkward car park. I was struggling to park in it. Twat waiting shouting swearing. I gave up and let him in. He couldn’t park either. Oh how laughed as he roared off!

SpyouttheLand · 03/03/2023 08:27

SlightlySusan · 03/03/2023 07:13

God, where to start. Most recent was yesterday. Behind someone at a set of three roundabouts. They stopped for a good 20 seconds for each one despite no one coming from the right. If you can't work that one out, get off the road.

Worst one, someone pulled out on me and it was incredibly dangerous and close so I gave him a look and gesture. He opened his window and shouted at me so I opened mine and told him a few things as he was completely in the wrong and couldn't have been looking to miss me until I screeched to a stop and beeped. Little while later I stop to parallel park and he speeds up into the back of me and said there, deal with that you little bitch. Tried to say it was my fault but it was all in front of a police camera. Luckily.

You're the problem there. Road ragers always believe they're right. They never are, even if the other driver made a mistake. It's not OK.

OnaBegonia · 03/03/2023 08:35

Quite a few of these are understandable why other drivers were pissed off, always drive off your drive not reverse, stop trying to be nice by stopping on main roads and waving cars out from side roads, you're holding up the traffic flow & potentially could cause an accident.

SlightlySusan · 03/03/2023 08:35

@SpyouttheLand so the guy that drove into the back of me, while accelerating is not the one with road rage? Luckily the police and insurance company who saw the video of it all decided he was completely at fault. Not jury by Mumsnet.

Think a few posters are completely missing the point of my story. All I did was gesticulate and mouth what the fuck are you doing after he made a giant error. I think most people would do that. What would you have done? Apologised for being in his way? He then wound his window down and called me all names under the sun. Followed me and then when I stopped, with plenty of space, accelerated into the back of me at an estimated speed of 30mph but yes, that's my fault.

The first one I have literally said was me with road rage. I only beeped tho. Nothing more.

SpyouttheLand · 03/03/2023 08:37

SlightlySusan · 03/03/2023 08:35

@SpyouttheLand so the guy that drove into the back of me, while accelerating is not the one with road rage? Luckily the police and insurance company who saw the video of it all decided he was completely at fault. Not jury by Mumsnet.

Think a few posters are completely missing the point of my story. All I did was gesticulate and mouth what the fuck are you doing after he made a giant error. I think most people would do that. What would you have done? Apologised for being in his way? He then wound his window down and called me all names under the sun. Followed me and then when I stopped, with plenty of space, accelerated into the back of me at an estimated speed of 30mph but yes, that's my fault.

The first one I have literally said was me with road rage. I only beeped tho. Nothing more.

The fault for the accident might have been his but the rage is all you and if you're always in such a heightened state, no wonder you come across this often. "Where to start..."

Ludo19 · 03/03/2023 08:43

At a roundabout nothing on my right so I have right of way, guy in a white transit on my left took offence (obviously no clue about highway code) tried to ram into the side of my car. Proceeded to tailgate me so I stopped, he jumped out his van with a metal bar calling me every name under the sun. Two men in a car going the other way stopped and jumped out. One put the guy back in his van, the other one came over to see if I was OK.

Teentrauma · 03/03/2023 08:48

*I once slowed down because the car in front was turning left, then allowed a car pulling out of that junction to merge onto the road.

Well the guy behind me in the van was insanely angry at this, started beeping, could see him screaming and shouting in my mirror and kept trying to intimidate me by driving too close. This went on for a good 20 minutes. He was in his work van too.*

Traffic round here is awful and getting progressively worse, along with the road rage! A minor delay, such as the above, will cause anger in some drivers. Ironically those same drivers got nuts if you don't let THEM out into the traffic!

SlightlySusan · 03/03/2023 08:56

@SpyouttheLand the rage is all him. I did what most people do at a near miss. Nothing extreme or over the top. He escalated it.

I drive 3-4K most months. Yes, I come across this a lot. I'm mostly not involved and just see it but there are odd occasions where I'm involved.

SpyouttheLand · 03/03/2023 09:03

SlightlySusan · 03/03/2023 08:56

@SpyouttheLand the rage is all him. I did what most people do at a near miss. Nothing extreme or over the top. He escalated it.

I drive 3-4K most months. Yes, I come across this a lot. I'm mostly not involved and just see it but there are odd occasions where I'm involved.

It's really not what most people do. If you respond aggressively, that's what you're going to get back.

FixitJesus · 03/03/2023 09:09

If you respond aggressively, that's what you're going to get back

But then call yourself the victim