Got into road rage

[ATF Consumer]

I am a very defensive driver and have learned to let the crazies take the lead in aggressive driving. It was a very different story when I was 20 years old.

 

[singlestacksig]

sootking, i saw you post in the thread oops, about the guy in the bar.

that could be you if you don't learn the thought processes of finding a way out of the problem before it becomes a fight.
in your senerio you choose to stop and enter into the conflict..
that is the big error..
he did not force you to stop, or block you in at your destination..

 

[SootKing]

I am a very defensive driver and have learned to let the crazies take the lead in aggressive driving. It was a very different story when I was 20 years old.

well theres a problem there because i AM 20. lol..but i dont drive near like i did when i first got my license. i see people speed by me now and i just laugh and let them get the tickets

 

[LEaSH]

Yeah the guy in that thread didn't even fire a shot and he's in deep doodoo.

 

[jd4320t]

Yeah the guy in that thread didn't even fire a shot and he's in deep doodoo.

my point exactly

 

[SootKing]

sootking, i saw you post in the thread oops, about the guy in the bar.

that could be you if you don't learn the thought processes of finding a way out of the problem before it becomes a fight.
in your senerio you choose to stop and enter into the conflict..
that is the big error..
he did not force you to stop, or block you in at your destination..

yea fair point, i think now when i look back at it i should have just called the cops and kept driving or something...now the guy in the bar is a different story, hes got some explaining to do

 

[furbymac]

hell if the guy wants to follow you take him down some back country roads and get him lost then just pull into a random driveway lol thats what i do

 

[shibumiseeker]

well aware of that.. thats why i was asking WHAT YOU WOULD DO IF SOMEONE GOT OUT ON YOU...not looking for some bs answer of "i need a firearms class"..thats not what i asked.. firearms class isnt going to do you any good if youve never been in a real life situation

Actually he's been giving you extremely good advice. Carrying a weapon is a huge responsibility and it require a degree of maturity beyond "well, I pissed someone off intentionally and then they wanted to beat my *** so I pulled my gun out and shot them." Taking a life is not only a very serious matter, it's also something that is guaranteed to cause you to have to justify your actions to people who both have no sense of humor, and who have the power to lock you in jail for a long time. If you played ANY part in escalating the situation you will most likely face a court of law.

I've also found that I far less frequently have to deal with other people's road rage when I don't deliberately **** people off and when I am driving courteously *even when they aren't*. Seriously, what's it to you? Live your own life in peace and let the idiots out there blow their stacks at someone else. Because there's an endless supply of idiots, and even if you manage to "teach one a lesson" there'll be another idiot along shortly.

Classes do indeed help you learn how to react better to real life situations since you fall back on training when the adrenaline is pumping. They will also help you in de-escalating a situation so that you don't even have to draw a weapon in the first place, and they will allow you to better determine which situations justify shooting someone else and which don't.

 

[MinuteMan47]

well this happened a year ago...when i did not have a LTCH or a gun for that matter. I was heading to my dads vet clinic on 116th street in heavy traffic. I drive a cummins diesel pickup and it obviously sticks out in traffic with the stack. im cruising along in the slow lane and this guy is riding my butt.. BELOW MY TAILGATE...he pulls one of those im just gonna find the opening and fly around you to make a point. I wasnt thinking and just wanted to **** him off so i switched lanes right as he tried to pass (not smart on my part)

he got really angry and flippin me off in the window yelling ect. we come to the red light and he pulls up next to me. i roll down the window and he is calling me every name in the book and i play is off like you shouldnt ride my butt and calm down.

so im still in the fast lane and he gets behind me and rides my butt again all the way down 116th to olio. i pull into the kroger area there and he follows me...i stop at the end of the parking lot and just sit, window down. he gets out of his pt cruiser and starts running at my truck with a drink in his hand. im still in the truck wondering if i should just drive off and call the cops or what. he throws the drink at me and hits my truck...and me with coke everywhere. i was so angry and he keeps telling me to get out of my truck im gonna ^%$# you up and all this.

i mean at what point to you get out, confront him and if he throws a punch u shoot him with your open carry? i mean this whole business of people "getting out on people" in traffic has me nervous cuz people are crazy. people that say the stuff like "pull over ill beat your a$$!" what do you do ingo?

I smile and wave.

That seems to make them even more angry...

And, if it makes them mad enough to follow me all the way home then I feel sorry for them...

 

[Pami]

Actually he's been giving you extremely good advice.
<snip>
Classes do indeed help you learn how to react better to real life situations since you fall back on training when the adrenaline is pumping. They will also help you in de-escalating a situation so that you don't even have to draw a weapon in the first place, and they will allow you to better determine which situations justify shooting someone else and which don't.

I agree that ATF Consumer is giving you great advice by suggesting that you take some training as soon as you can. Not only do they teach you safety and accuracy, most of the trainings I've taken have spent a good deal of time on determining when it's necessary to even display your firearm much less use it, and then they also spend time on what to do after you make the decision to shoot. I would encourage you to put some serious consideration into a force-on-force training or three.

 

[groovatron]

well aware of that.. thats why i was asking WHAT YOU WOULD DO IF SOMEONE GOT OUT ON YOU...not looking for some bs answer of "i need a firearms class"..thats not what i asked.. firearms class isnt going to do you any good if youve never been in a real life situation

Hmmmm....how about I tell you what i wouldn't do. I wouldn't pull out in front of someone just to **** them off. That is called instigation.....and instigating conflict when in possesion of a firearm can carry SERIOUS consequences.

Let's say I didn't do anything to instigate (unlike yourself) and the guy still pulled up next to me with his window down yelling swear words. I would calmly smile at him while looking for a way through traffic to avoid him.

Last thing I wouldn't do is just sit in the car when I have a clear path out. I would have called 911 the minute I noticed that he was intentionally following me. I would not have parked or pulled over unless it was in a favorable location.....ie. police station. If I got stuck in traffic or was forced to stop, then I would keep an eye on him. If the guy got out of his car, I would have to react in the moment. This might mean making an illegal traffic move (obviously without endangering others) to get away...ie. running a red light. Worst case scenario I feel trapped and my life is threatened (let's say he has a gun) , I attempt to escape the vehicle with firearm in hand, looking for cover.

ATF is right. For you to even ask these questions is a clear indication that you are not yet ready to handle the resonsibility of carrying a firearm. It is, however, a good thing that you brought this up. Hopefully you will learn from it before it's too late and you spend the rest of your life in jail. No one is trying to belittle you.....just teach you.....for the well-being of yourself and your community. Good luck.

 

[Griffeycom]

I wasnt thinking and just wanted to **** him offi switched lanes right as he tried to pass so (not smart on my part)

All of the above you should have changed. You helped make him as angry as he got. Who cares if he was following you so close, call the police and report it if you feel he's that close, stay the speed limit and you won't be in any trouble.

But instead you were apart of the problem. Bad move!

 

[singlestacksig]

theres some good advise. have you ever been put into a situation like that? or anyone else for that? i know im not the only one

I have been in situations that have been "close", except I did not try to cut someone off intentionally..
one time many years ago I did something to tick off some guy who decided to follow me and try to get me to stop..
he followed me quite some distanced and was to stupid to realize that when I did stop it was in the IPD lot at 42nd & collage..

the other was a road rage situation that was much different.. at 2 AM a guy came up behind me very fast while I was exiting an interstate, but the ramp was only 1 lane.. he flashed his lights and honked.. It was winter so there was ice & snow on the shoulders so I could not move over.. nor did I want to speed up..
When the road widened to two lanes I guess he was really pissed, he passed on the left and then cut over making contact with my car and forcing me onto the shoulder.. he then stopped in the middle of two lanes blocking the US highway..
my wife dialed the police, and handed me the phone.. I quickly told the operator what had happened, informed her I was armed and bunkering in my car..
the other guy realized I was not getting out so he drove off.. only to be stopped by state, county & local police..
He & his passenger went to jail.. my wife & I went home..

this situation was much different because he had actually hit our car forcing us off the road.. it was clear that I had very limited options to get away..

if I had tried to reverse and drive up the ramp onto the interstate I could have been hit by another car..
He was blocking forward ..

 

[indybrad]

You should have just let the guy go around you. It pisses me off too when people are riding my ***, but it's not worth getting in a fight over.

I had a guy riding my *** once and I brake checked him. At the stop light he and his buddy got out of thier vehicle and I had no way to defend myself. I also had my 4 year old in the car. What scared me is if they would have had guns or bats I would have had no where to go, I was blocked in. The way I look at it is that I was partly to blame for brake checking 2 or 3 times pissing him off even more. I did call the police, but they couldn't find him. Just let people like that go. It's not worth it.
t

 

[Bill of Rights]

well aware of that.. thats why i was asking WHAT YOU WOULD DO IF SOMEONE GOT OUT ON YOU...not looking for some bs answer of "i need a firearms class"..thats not what i asked.. firearms class isnt going to do you any good if youve never been in a real life situation

When you accept the enormous (let's use that word again, it's pretty important here) ENORMOUS responsibility of carrying a firearm, your thinking, your demeanor, your behavior and most especially, your actions need to be above reproach. Not just OK, not just exemplery, but squeaky clean. Someone bumps into you, you are the first to apologize. Someone cuts you off in traffic, you just wave (with ALL of your fingers) as they drive off. When you are armed, you can no longer afford to get into piddly p***ing contests over idiocy like who's got the biggest truck or the biggest penis.

Why? On the off chance that you take a swing and he's better than you are, he's just knocked you out cold, leaving your pistol unprotected; You are now dead, if he wants you that way, and there is nothing you can do to prevent it.

You asked for advice, well, here it is. No sarcasm, no funny, witty comments, just cold, hard fact.
When do you get out of the car if someone gets out on you? When you are far, far away, (think in terms of miles. Lots of them.) When can you draw? Here's a better question: "How can I get out of this without having to let anyone know I'm armed?" You're in that big truck... OK, know that long skinny pedal under your right foot? Use it. Drive. Drive far, drive fast, but you only reach for that pistol when you are out of options and the only resolution is that someone is going to die.

Now... Go back and read that over again. If it still doesn't make sense to you... Please, please, take the pistol out of your holster. Put it in your bedside table if you must, but for God's sake, realize that at this point, you are a danger to yourself and to everyone here, far more than to any numbnuts punk who wants to get out of the car and pick a fight.

Would *I* disarm you? Not a chance. I do, however, if you cannot understand the whats, whys, and wherefors of this post, implore you to disarm yourself.

I think this is only the second, maybe third time I have ever suggested that to someone.

That, in itself, should speak volumes.

Blessings,
Bill

 

[bigiron]

as for your question, what would i do? i would have cut him off too, my wife says i have a road rage problem. i do stupid stuff like that out of anger sometimes too, that time has to be right where i feel no accident could happen or harm could be done. childish, yeah! but as for what i would do if he followed me and exited his vehicle, i'm outta there baby! never had anyone follow me that i know of but i'd find a really good place to stop like a PD or crowded parking lot and if he jumped out on foot i'd be gone. next time, don't just sit there because you are at a very large disadvantage and if your worried about all the crazy people, don't **** off the people. i've heard prison sucks!

 

[HandK]

Owning a gun does not give you justification to stand up to confrontations and shoot people...

^^^^^^^^ What he said!!! +1

 

[HandK]

What ever happened to saying hey I am sorry I did not see you there, again I am sorry are you OK? Does it make you any less a man, no it makes you more of one!!
If you lose your life or have to take a life just because you could not say you are sorry, then you indeed live a sad existence.

In allot of states the law states you must try and deescalate the situation.
If you take another's life even if it is a righteous shoot it will change your life from that day on, if it is a bad shoot it will change your life behind bars.

 

[MACHINEGUN]

I don't do anything besides laugh and drive on.. prison to me doesn't sound like much fun. You shoot someone in self defense.. bottom line.. not because of something you or he instigated. And just because someone runs up on you and throws a punch or a drink at you.. doesn't mean you have the right to shoot them... this I know for a fact.

People like you shouldn't be allowed to carry.. seriously.

 

[dieselman]

Dont worry about that idiot, if everyone pulled guns on people that pissed them off while driving in the fishers/carmel area, there would be a lot of people in jail. Trust me man, I drive my own large diesel truck down 116th between olio and 69 at least once a week.. i know what its like to have people getting road rage because of your large slow vehicle... if you come to the point where you feel you have to do something, dont try to lure them into a fight where you can just shoot them, just turn your chip up to max setting and roll some smoke out on them. works every time.