AIBU to be completely shaken up after this happened while I was driving with my 6yo?

[hoopladelicious]

I’m posting because I’m still really shaken by this and would appreciate some advice and support.

Yesterday evening I was driving home with my six-year-old daughter after taking her to a sports session 20 minutes away. I live in a small town and the sports location is rural. The session finished at around 7pm and it was dark outside.

On the country road home, I became aware of a vehicle following very closely behind me. Suddenly the vehicle then overtook me, stopped abruptly in the middle of the road and a large male got out on the dark road.

He approached my car shouting and swearing at me. He could clearly see that I had my six-year-old daughter in the car.

I was frightened and tried to get away from the situation.

I tried to overtake, and another vehicle behind the first one then overtook me and positioned itself in the right-hand lane, facing oncoming traffic.

At first I thought I might be able to follow this vehicle and get away from the first driver, but I then realised the second vehicle appeared to be involved too.
The first vehicle was blocking the left-hand side of the road and the second vehicle, a huge Hilux, was positioned on the right-hand side, facing the direction of oncoming traffic.

It was a narrow, dark, bendy country road. I couldn't get past them, and I didn't feel I could safely reverse my small car either. The larger vehicles could manoeuvre much more easily than I could.

At that point I was trapped with my little girl in a dark isolated country road with an angry man with an accomplice. There was no connection on my phone and i was shaking like a leaf.

The second driver wasn't the person who had been shouting at me, but the positioning of his Hilux meant I couldn't get past, and I had no idea what was happening or what their intentions were.

I put my hazard lights on, started sounding my horn and was screaming because I was so frightened.

The driver of the Hilux could see that I was distressed and that I had my child in the car.

I honestly thought I was being carjacked.

I was terrified that one of them might force me out of the car, that the situation could escalate, or that either me or my daughter could be harmed. I was also very worried about the Hilux being positioned facing oncoming traffic on a narrow bend at night and the potential for a collision.

Eventually, because other traffic was coming through, the vehicles moved and I was able to get away and continue towards home.

Afterwards, the Hilux continued to weave through traffic in a way that interfered with my journey and made me feel intimidated. I don't know what happened to the first vehicle at that point.

I got the car registration and reported it to the police. I'm not sure what they did was even a crime? I don't know what is going through peoples minds to do this to someone on a dark country road. Working in tandem? I can only imagine they are awful people.

AIBU to think this was extremely frightening and potentially very serious, or am I catastrophising what happened?

Has anyone experienced anything similar?

And is there anything else you think I should be doing now that I've reported it to the police?

It doesn't sound safe at all and these people could well know where you live and target you again. I certainly wouldn't recommend going out driving alone with your daughter again, you are very vulnerable as a lone woman with a small child.

Don't be ridiculous. Are you saying mums shouldn't go out in the car with a child on their own? She was taking her child to a sports session, not going for a recreational meander round country roads. Sometimes I collect DS from after school care at 4.30pm and it's dark then - should I be making DH stop work and do it? The OP asked what she could do other than report it and I don't think "don't drive" is helpful at all.

That’s not helpful!

That sounds awful!
I know something of how you’re feeling, OP. I had a similar experience (but not as bad as you) about ten years ago in the SW.
I was leaving a small town between Bristol and Bath, it was late evening and dark, when I saw somebody lying in the road. I slowed down as I approached and some older teenagers appeared to go to the person’s aid. I stopped the car, quickly engaged central locking as they all moved and headed towards me. There were six of them as I recall - they surrounded my little sporty type car and a couple clambered onto the boot area. They tried both doors and kept banging on the roof while walking around the car. I was absolutely terrified. Once they’d left a gap in front, I put my foot down - it sounded like someone fell from the back of the car. I had about a 30 minute drive through countryside to get home and called 999 en route - I told the police what had happened and that I was scared and was speeding to get away. The officer told me not to worry - “drive as fast as you feel safe doing to get home”. I didn’t hear any more about it but it did put me off going through that town again and driving at night.

I hope you feel calmer soon, OP. You’re both safe now and there was nothing more that you could have done. 💐

We need a more visible police presence on our streets than we have atm. It might deter some people from carrying out such intimidating behaviour.

@EmeraldRoulette That was me. "Staged" meaning the perpetrators come up with a fake scenario or road hazard to trick, manipulate or force someone into stopping the car. Initially they don't make it look like an obvious abduction.

Some possible scenarios:

1. The coordinated cut-off (OP's situation)
2. The fake minor accident (purposely bumping the victim's rear)
3. The fake breakdown (pretend accident or broken down car)
4. The fake vehicle fault (aggressively pointing out a non-existing issue with the victim's car)

I totally understand why you were absolutely terrified. please keep talking to people. Also IRL

Hopefully the police can find those guys

Can you put a notice on local facebooks and the sports centre you were using asking if people had anything on their cams on that road at around that time?

I had a bloke who I'd beeped at when he overtook me on a single lane road and narrowly missed both the front of my car and an oncoming car by a few centimetres loose his shit with me. When we both stopped at the next roundabout he got out of his car absolutely RAGING and started walking towards me, I had just about enough composure to lock the car immediately but was still bracing myself. DD (about 10 at the time) was in the front seat and - I assume - when he realised she was a child, seemed to calm down and returned to his car. Still not going to call him a decent bloke as god knows what I was in for from him if DD wasn't in the car, but at least he didn't pursue his road rage with a kid present.

Your experience sounds utterly terrifying OP and I'm not surprised you're still shaking. I don't care if they didn't succeed in whatever their aim was, the police should absolutely take action to identify men targeting women and children on dark roads (can't believe I even have to say that).

@LivelyAquaPoster I see, thanks. I tend to associate the word “staged” with people posting shit online these days so that’s why I was puzzled.

That's terrible but something similar happened to me just last week. I was driving home and overtaking, but apparently not quickly enough for the BMW that zoomed up behind me flashing his headlights. I continued to overtake at roughly the speed limit then moved over to let him pass. He did but then pulled in in front of me and slowed right down, way below the speed limit keeping slowing until he was dangerously close. They we came to a roundabout and he blocked the lane in front of me. I just waited him out. It was dark so I couldn't see the driver or drivers. Then he zoomed off, but then slowed and tried to do the whole thing again. I turned off the road to lose him. Very unnerving as all I did was drive at a safe speed. There are some crazy men on the roads. Judging by his car he was one of those idiot blokes who zoom around in what used to be nice BMW's 10 years ago but are now just cars for wankers.

Some road rage incident then it sounds like (although why that would involve 2 cars I don't know)

The OP with the son who thinks it’s funny to stop people and pretend to be the police needs to read this thread.

That sounds terrifying - two people working together mean it's highly unlikely that you did anything to 'provoke' it and even if you did do something unknowingly The response was completely disproportionate.
If you have a local facebook page I would post about this anonymously. You don't want somebody to know who you are and potentially where you live. I would be surprised if it hasn't happened before. If somebody else has experienced this they may be prepared to speak to the police if they haven't already or may not have had the registration you managed to get.

My first thought was badger baiters.

@MyMilchick No, it's not road rage, there have been some comments about the likely motifs behind this. The two cars help block the victim.

The roads are full of nutters and country roads are like the Wild West.

I’ve had similar on several occasions. There was a horrible, horrible man and his equally horrible wife who used to come into the place where I worked and were so rude. The type who’d asked if you were stupid. Not long after I passed my driving test I was pootling along and pulled out to overtake some parked cars (the other lane completely being clear). I was halfway down when another car suddenly appeared, saw me and deliberately sped up. I had no where to go and went into complete panic as it hurtled towards me.

Turned out to be this horrible man. I was able to dive into a drive way to avoid a collision but he blocked me in and started demanding to know why I was on his side of the road. Evil, woman hating old git. I was terrified and shook for days. I still hate him.

God, I wish I’d taken his address with me when I left and made sure the rest of his days were spent wading through junk mail on erectile dysfunction.

Sadly, she would be probably questened over her Facebook posts rather than an actual incident. I have similar experience, I managed to film it (he even threatened me on video). Call 999, they refused to send someone. Got reference number and appointment with officer around 3 weeks later. They told me to avoid him, that's all.

Honestly I think men have gotten more and more aggressive and impatient behind the wheel. I see more and more incidents daily of this. I was beeped and had swear words screamed at by a man behind me at traffic lights who wanted me to move up so he could turn- i was also with my primary school aged child who was sitting in the front so was obviously visible. I could not move up as there was a car in front of me.

112 is the alternative (Europe wide) emergency number. It has the advantage that if you dial it from a smart phone, the call handler can see your location automatically which they can't with 999. Otherwise it takes you to exactly the same place as 999.

101 is the non emergency number

This was happening around my area for a while and almost happened to me, again when I had a small child in the car. The car in front slammed on and I almost crashed into the back of it (40mph downhill bendy road), the road was empty due to the time. 2 men got out shouting at me that I had almost killed them, I was a shit driver etc etc, then they tried to get me to get out of the car. Thankfully I managed to get the car around them both and their car and leave quickly. Staged abductions and car jackings were going on at that time.

Was it mistaken identity or does your partner have a “ side business ““?

did you buy the car off gangster's

Absolutely horrifying situation. I'd be the same. My legs would turn to jelly / shaking etc and probably wouldn't instantly think of calling the police either....as too busy dealing with the present moment. I'm so glad to hear you got out of this but please get everything you need in place to protect yourself if this ever happens again. You'd be very unlucky if it did surely xx

Brilliant. Thanks for sharing to this info 👏🏻👏🏻

That’s a really good thing that they can see your location automatically.

I thought 999 could see your location automatically

Pretty sure, I remember this from when I had to ring it for mum