Scary drive home. Would you report this? (long)

[shakenup]

Driving home as usual along the motorway. Got behind an estate car in the outside lane. It overtook the cars in the middle but didn't pull over. Bit further along more cars in centre. Overtook these but still didn't pull over. Suddenly slammed on brakes & dropped to about 65mph. Next minute shot off at about 100 mph. Thought nothing of it & carried on. Caught up with it further along & it did it again. By the 3rd time it was getting a bit annoying, esp as there was now nothing in centre lane (lane 1 nose to tail). Started thinking I might go round it if poss because it wouldn't budge.

Meanwhile people up behind me thinking I'm holding up traffic & someone weaved into inside & middle lanes to overtake us. Estate sees this & roars off. Finally get to clear bit & he pulls over. I overtake him, pull back into centre lane (lorries now in inside) & slow down a bit. He's dropped right back. Then he comes bombing up behind me & sits on my bumper with his lights on full beam. At this point I realise he is deliberately mucking about (I hadn't flashed or beeped him at all). I slow down, he slows down. I speed up, so does he. He then overtakes me & starts his stupid braking & speeding again so I slow right down & let him get away.

Catch up with him again pulling off Mway. Decide to get in different lane to keep away from him. He then changes lane as well & gets right up behind me again. Tried to put some cars between us but he sat right behind me on my bumper almost all the way home. I was on my own in the car. (Couldn't see driver at all so might have been a she).

DH says he gets similar reaction when he drives my car (MPV). I got the number plate & I'm very tempted to call the police because I was really scared. Trouble is we were both doing more than 70mph (as was all the other traffic) & I'm worried I might drop myself in it as well. BUT this is my daily route/time & my car is distinctive, so I'm concerned I might come across this idiot again. I've no idea what he thought he was doing- I hadn't retaliated in any way because it didn't occur to me that the braking/speeding off was for my benefit. 'Course he might make a habit of doing this, & reporting him might save some other woman from the same performance.

Would you report it?

First off .. that is incredibly A$$HOLE behaviour .. sorry you're shaken up

Is there any chance you were driving too close to his bumper .. I am NOT saying you were .. but it sounds to me like a reaction to someone driving too close (specifically the driving up behind you and flashing you .. to show you what its like)

If you were, you probably pissed him off and he's gone home and is probably on a site somewhere talking about some driver who was right on his ar$e all the way home

..

I would be tempted however you don't know wether he got your reg number and if the police did chase it up it could cause you more problems IYKWIM. I would'nt worry too much but obviously if it happens again you know what to do. Did you see the driver at all?

Sounds like a *ing idiot to me. I would definitely report him. Its intimidating and dangerous on his part - how horrible for you.

I'd report it - definately!!!

I would report him too.

definitely report it. I had an experience similar to this but not on a motorway about 15 years ago and I swear to this day it has wrecked my confidence as a driver. I did post about it on some other thread, i'll see if i can find it. V scary and I know just how you feel.

I had to report someone once - I was overtaking a lorry and the lorry started to swerve into my lane, and I had to brake to stop him from hitting me. There was a driver speeding up to my backside, and when I overtook the lorry and pulled into the next lane, the driver overtook me and pulled about three feet in front of me and slammed his brakes on. He did this three times. I followed him and got his number and reported him to the police.

Here it is

"Just to warn any of you retaliating to aggressive drivers, I was once driving home from afterwork drinks and i was aware of a couple of lads in a truck behind me driving really closely so i pulled in to the slow lane and let them past. a little further along they had slowed right down and i had to overtake them - then this seemed to become a pattern. I felt a little worried that they were messing with me so decided to turn off the main road before heading home (as I was always told if you think someone is following, dont lead them home). As I sat indicating right at the junction they did the same behind me so i just carried on ahead - so did they! they then pursued me relentlessly for about 15 mins even after I had made a quick left turn with them on my right they slammed their brakes on and followed me down a road. In the end I pulled up outside my then bf's house and just sat there as they flew past and turned left back on to the main road. I waited for about 10 mins until i felt they had completely gone and instead of knocking on bf's door i started to drive off. When i got to the main road junction they were waiting for me parked on the opposite pavement right at the end of bf's road. So just ended up slamming the car into reverse and drove manically back to bf's house. He and his dad then went off in my car (with a truncheon) to see if they could pick the lads up. However, this I feel has severely affected my driving confidence and would honestly advise not retaliating to any signs of aggression"

I had a similar thing happen to me before and I reported it at the time (pulled over and called on mobile) and the Police took it seriously and intercepted the driver as I told them what direction he was travelling in. They definitely got him as I drove past them further down the motorway.

I had a similar thing happen to me before and I reported it at the time (pulled over and called on mobile) and the Police took it seriously and intercepted the driver as I told them what direction he was travelling in. They definitely got him as I drove past them further down the motorway.

Yes, I'd report it. Even if you'd unwittingly done something to antagonise (NOT saying you did at all), this kind of reaction is extremely dangerous. If a word from the police helps this person realise that this behaviour isn't appropriate, then good.

Yes, i'd report it if you had the number plate. Better safe than sorry. I wouldn't want to be the next one he picks on.

oh, how scary. deffinetly report it to the police.
and cranberryjampot, how awful!
I'm just thinking aloud here: if any of you is in a similar situation in the future and can drive to a police station by any chance, it may be a good detterent. obviously not possible on a motorway but if you are being followed.

I think I probably wouldn't report it, because I'd put it down to the usual crap car driving behaviour of young men, (yes I know you couldn't see, and it might be a 60 year old man or a 20 year old woman, but 80% of the time it's a man under 30) but if people did report it more often, then perhaps it would become more of a police priority and therefore less acceptable.

Bloody hell - report the knob-end!

I bet it was a bloke just trying to intimidate you for kicks. Sad b**tard.

I live on a main road and one time, I indicated to turn left, like I always do, slowed down to turn into my driveway but not really slow as I'm so used to the turn, and the white van directly behind me (groan!) beeped me, so I beeped back. BIG MISTAKE. Next thing I know, they are at the end of the drive blocking my exit - I was 8 months pregnant and had ds1 (3) and ds2 (22 months) in the back and I was terrified. They sat there for a while - perhaps no more than 2 or 3 minutes but it felt like eternity and I couldn't get out of the car because I was scared they'd get out and how would I get the boys into the house?

I just shuffled in my bag like I hadn't noticed and got my phone out and rang dh and they eventually drove off.

I find it really hard not to retaliate to arsehole drivers but it really isn't worth it is it?

Anyway, back to the point - report it.

I can't believe that you're hesitating about reporting this. It is unbelievably intimidating and aggressive behaviour and extremely dangerous. Report it. How will they know what speed you were doing?

Who knows what triggered this reaction in the driver? Probably something very trivial and thus he/she is likely to be provoked again at some point - and the outcome might be much worse.

Bugger what speed you were doing - you were frightened and intimidated so I'm sure they won't hold it against you. Might just 'slap your wrist' so to speak.

Absolutely you should report it if you have the car number.
A similar thing happened to us a few years ago; dh pulled out to overtake a car a bit too close in front of a (speeding) motorbike. It was an error of judgement, which anyone can make from time to time. The bike was nowhere near hitting us, but I suppose it had to slow down a bit when we pulled out and this obviously p**d the driver off. After we'd pulled over again he overtook and pulled right in front of us and slammed his brakes on hard then slowed right down so we had to overtake, then did it again. It was as if he seemed to think he was showing us what it felt like to be him, but we already knew of course. A mistake had been made. We are all vulnerable to making mistakes. What is inexcusable is doing this sort of thing deliberately; it's dangerous and childish.
We reported him. The police sent a squad car round to his house. I suppose he was probably cautioned rather than charged, but I hope it made him think how dangerous his little temper tantrum had been.

Yes report it. Don't worry that you were doing over 70mph - if the police officer asks you re your speed, admit that you may have gone over 70 but that you certainly didn't exceed 80 mph (IME the police tend not to consider anything up to 80 mph as speeding).

Yes the police do take this sort of thing seriously. My dh was forced off the road onto the hard shoulder by a van driver a couple of years ago. Reported it to the police on his mobile and gratifyingly saw that the culprit had been pulled over by the police further along the motorway.

Yep I'd report it and not worry too much about your speed. I once reported a tw@t on a push bike who had a go at my car. A long story but basically he cut a car up and that car papped him he thought I'd papped him and had a go at the car. Scared me to death as I was on my own after dropping dh off at work at 5:30 am. After that I was too sacred to go home and would go up to my mum and dads after dropping dh off. The bloke had a go at me 2 days on the trot. A week later I had a misscarrage

Thanks for all your support. I was really worried tonight that I'd see him again but fortunately not.

twiglett I may have been too close to start with. What usually happens on the Mway is that if someone in the outside lane isn't going as fast as me (which he wasn't), they tend to pull over once they've finished overtaking & obviously I was expecting him to do the same. He didn't & just sat there. I certainly didn't have my lights up or anything. I got the impression he was one of those "I'm going fast enough. No-one needs to get past me" types, esp when he got upset at the other car cutting past on our inside because he wouldn't move over.

If it was on the motorway its probably on film so the Police can see exactly what happened. Don't know how long they keep film.

Report him. The police take this sort of thing surprisingly seriously. I doubt your speeding would be an issue.
Woodpops -