to have verbally abused an old man i the street today?!

[smeeinit]

ok,im sure i am BUT in was bloody annoyed
so im driving along (on a road obviously) at around 20mph through town and from nowhere out pops an elderly gent in the middle of the road,i say elderly but he was proberly under 70!
i have to slam on the brakes to avoid hitting him and he shakes his head at me?!
huh? im on a road in a car driving 10mph UNDER the speed limit, hes swaggering across said road rather than walking 50ft to pelican crossing and i get a head shake?!

now verbally abusing people isnt a usual thing for me to do but i was rather angry so put the window down and said....

"dont go shaking ya head at me darlin,this is a road not a f**kin path love,go use the crosing"

so the proper thing would have been to smile politly and drive on wouldnt it?! so AIBU to have been abusive to an old guy?

Pedestrians do have the right of way on the road.

Smeeinit he should be grateful you didn't knock him down. YANBU! He would of got a lot worse from me.
Old or not use the bloody crossings.

the head shaking would of done it for me
I would of had to vent in some sort of way

"Pedestrians do have the right of way on the road." huh?

I would have beeped but verbal abuse is OTT

actually I would have just slowed down TBH

Pedestrians only have the right of way if they are using a cross. Or if you live in Ashford Kent were they have now took out the traffic lights and people are encouraged to step out in front of cars as the cars will stop

look at www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/driving/article5158281.ece"

that was crossing

i would have just smiled at him but then i am on prozac and i would advise you get some.

MsPontipine -are you telling me that pedestrians have the right to step in front of moving traffic to cross a road? Even if it means that cars have to slam on their brakes to avoid them?

I'm not talking about pedestrians who have not seen the oncoming cars (although there are indeed some who don't even bother looking before crossing) I'm talking about those who chose to ignore that there are cars coming and to wait for a suitable break in the traffic.

PS-I am both a car driver and pedestrian, but as a pedestrian don't expect cars to come to a sudden halt just because I choose to cross a road regardless of the traffic situation

morningpaper....i slammed on the brakes,how much slower than that is there???!

YABU but having said that, we say things as a reaction and in the stress of the moment and tbf, he should use the crossing.

That should read:

I'm talking about those who chose to ignore that there are cars coming or to wait for a suitable break in the traffic.

well, part of driving is anticipating crazy people innit

see, he probably didn't come "from nowhere" but very possibly stepped off the edge of a pavement, where you probably should have spotted him

unless he was darting into the road after a football or something

But don't worry, only a few more hours until wine o'clock

mutt- i am rough as badgers!
although i wasnt yelling,i never said i was yelling!

of course YABU

he is someone's dad. would you like your elderley parents or relatives to be shouted at like that

'unless he was darting into the road after a football or something' [chuckle]

"well, part of driving is anticipating crazy people innit"

i'd agree with you there.and the op slamming on the brakes shows she reacted in time to avoid an accident.

but i'd go one further and say that part of doing crazy things which can endanger yours and others lives is expecting the people you nearly involved in the accident is being shouted at to not do it again.

morningpaper- firstly as said below,he came from a row of parked cars and secondly i dont drink!

lulumama I would rather someone shouted at an elderly member of my family and scare them into using crossings than them just crossing the road and nearly getting run over.

i don;t think that shouting/swearing at elderly people is going to make them use the crossings.

i just feel that there is enough crappiness in the world that adding to it by swearing at an OAP is just a step too far

lulumama,I didnt shout at anyone,why are people assuming i shouted?
and yes i certainly would want and expect my parents,when they get elderly,to be shouted at if they were stupid enough to cross the road in the path of a moving vehicle! it may teach them not to do it again and maybe save them from getting killed!

i'm loving the thought you 'channelled a white van man'.

part of me thinks to say good on you. better out than in etc.

but part of me feels bad for the old guy. he's probably at home feeling too old to be out in public and will decide to stay at home more, will become more and more immobile. then one night he'll need to pee, but his legs will be too weak from lack of exercise so he'll fall. after laying on the floor all night he may eventually die of hypothermia. but he'll be glad because he couldn't face life if he'd lost his independance and couldn't walk to the shop without being shouted at by sweary ladies.
(ok a big part of me then)

ah, these things happen, don't worry yourself about it

yanbu