Stranger approaches your car when stopped at a light...what's your plan?

[Timjoebillybob]

Seems in this instance you handled it just fine. In other cases proper application of foot to accelerator pedal may be warranted. Case in point that may or may not have happened to a "friend". Stopped at a red light in Gary after midnight on the way home from work. Guy leaning against light post starts to walk slowly in front of car, in review mirror "friend" notices a guy ducking down coming from behind the car to circle around. Foot hits pedal, guy in front hits bumper then hood then windshield and friend continues driving.

 

[churchmouse]

Seems in this instance you handled it just fine. In other cases proper application of foot to accelerator pedal may be warranted. Case in point that may or may not have happened to a "friend". Stopped at a red light in Gary after midnight on the way home from work. Guy leaning against light post starts to walk slowly in front of car, in review mirror "friend" notices a guy ducking down coming from behind the car to circle around. Foot hits pedal, guy in front hits bumper then hood then windshield and friend continues driving.

Sounds like a "Happy" ending to this story.....at least IMHO

 

[Thor]

I have to think about this type of scenario often. Though your story had more regular human beings in it than I was expecting. I travel with a legal sized bullet resistant clipboard that I keep in the drivers door pocket. Plan being to immediately put pull it up to the window as I use the vehicle as an escape battering ram. I am under no illusion that if caught in the wrong part of DC or some other hive of scum and villainy that the locals would leave me any better off than the guy who stopped his truck because he hit an unsupervised kid that jumped in front of him and was then beaten into a coma.

Actually, if you lose that kind of a 'fight' being left in a coma may be the best you can expect. The vehicle would have to be completely disabled before I chose to leave it, then it still may be the best place to limit access and fight from. Being surrounded in the open by a savage crowd is never a good option. Ask Custer.

 

[KittySlayer]

Being Ready

I don't recall anyone mentioning keeping doors locked in addition to the other points raised:

1. (all) Car doors are always locked when driving.
2. Leave enough space for an escape route (sometimes includes proper lane selection).
3. Handgun discretely available for presentation and use if needed.

 

[Gluemanz28]

I always carry a jar of Grey Poupon just in case it is ever needed.

Grey Poupon "Would You" 30 Sec Commercial - YouTube

 

[rhino]

This is a good reminder to always leave enough room to maneuver. You never know when you're going to have to do some unorthodox driving, and the more room you have, the more time and options you have.

This reminds of something foolish I did last year. I went through a drivethrough at a fast food in a place where I should not have been at a time when I should not have been there. It was the kind where you don't have many options in terms of driving away. When I was waiting between the order speaker and the window, a guy came from somewhere I didn't see into the lot and toward my truck from behind. Because of my choices arising from laziness, I limited the number of options I had in the event of trouble. Nothing bad happened, but that may have have been because I saw him early and made it clear I was watching him.

 

[ModernGunner]

I have to think about this type of scenario often. Though your story had more regular human beings in it than I was expecting. I travel with a legal sized bullet resistant clipboard that I keep in the drivers door pocket. Plan being to immediately put pull it up to the window as I use the vehicle as an escape battering ram. I am under no illusion that if caught in the wrong part of DC or some other hive of scum and villainy that the locals would leave me any better off than the guy who stopped his truck because he hit an unsupervised kid that jumped in front of him and was then beaten into a coma.

Actually, if you lose that kind of a 'fight' being left in a coma may be the best you can expect. The vehicle would have to be completely disabled before I chose to leave it, then it still may be the best place to limit access and fight from. Being surrounded in the open by a savage crowd is never a good option. Ask Custer.

Good suggestion re: the clipboard.

And very good point on the condition of the vehicle. Folks remember, as long as that vehicle you're in (basically) moves, depending on circumstances you may well be better off staying with it to escape.

Even if one (or more) of the tires are flat, it's 'crunched', oil & antifreeze are smoking and pouring out of it, it can STILL (perhaps) an 'escape vehicle'. If it'll drive off at 35, 25, or even 15 mph, it'll outrun a human. All it needs to do is get you a mile or so down the road, to some place of relative safety, even if you have to abandon it at that point. It's replaceable, your 'hide' is not.

If it's that damaged, it's reasonable to presume it's because the circumstances dictated you took out the perpetrators' vehicle. And while modern vehicles don't really offer much protection from firearms, it's still better than being out in the open.

Limp it a mile away, 'coddle' it, talk nice to it, whatever. If it'll get ya out of harms way, you win, bad guy loses, and the cost (whether Pinto or Porsche) is relatively 'minor'.

Pretty sure everyone remembers Reginald Denny being pulled from his semi and being severely beaten during the 1992 L.A. riots. Take that as 'proof' that 'stopping and negotiating' may not be a good idea.

 

[WebSnyper]

Visible Weapon = Foot, accelerator, engage.

Generally, people really are just lost. Before GPS I asked for directions frequently.

Drive away.

I actually had a guy flip out a while back. He had been driving DANGEROUSLY slow (like 10MPH or less) and was starting to back up traffic. I had flashed by lights a couple of times, to see if he was just being inattentive. I guess that tweaked a nerve, as he stopped in the middle of the road, got out, started yelling, and came towards my truck. I just hit the gas, and left.

Luckily, the oncoming lane was clear. Alternative #1 was to jump the curb and pass no that side. Alternative #3 was to use reverse (sorry for the folks behind me). #4 was to forcefully move his little subcompact. Farther down the list was to actually engage him (with the bumper, or otherwise). First priority is to put some distance.

+1 to you for leaving room to maneuver. So many folks pull right up behind the vehicle in front of them, and are effectively boxed in by their own choice.

This ^

Nobody is going to stand in the way of a moving vehicle....... that game of chicken is already lost.

Definitely agree with these... my thought is there is no better weapon than the vehicle you are driving in this case. Stopping power of a vehicle vs a handgun bullet is not much of a contest. Am I carrying while driving, yes of course, but this is kind of like the fight your way to your rifle plan, except you don't generally need to fight your way to the accelerator.

 

[printcraft]

Definitely agree with these... my thought is there is no better weapon than the vehicle you are driving in this case. Stopping power of a vehicle vs a handgun bullet is not much of a contest. Am I carrying while driving, yes of course, but this is kind of like the fight your way to your rifle plan, except you don't generally need to fight your way to the accelerator.

Also, I would test out this guys crash helmet, see if it's up to par........

[video=youtube;3Ir9AhCRQVk]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3Ir9AhCRQVk[/video]

 

[churchmouse]

Also, I would test out this guys crash helmet, see if it's up to par........

[video=youtube;3Ir9AhCRQVk]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3Ir9AhCRQVk[/video]

That would have ended very badly for him. Very badly.

 

[HoughMade]

I always carry a jar of Grey Poupon just in case it is ever needed.

Grey Poupon "Would You" 30 Sec Commercial - YouTube

Back when I was just out of college and working at a car dealership, my boss had a '79 Rolls Royce Silver Shadow II. He loved it, but hated driving it. He used to have me take it for service. In about 12 miles...on average, 4 or 5 people would ask me if I had any Grey Poupon.....1st time- funny. 5th time- annoying.

 

[snowwalker]

Just curious Ingoers, I've read a lot about escape (which is always best), but don't any of you drive thru construction zones (just to name one place)? You and I all do with single lanes and concrete barriers on both sides. Car or truck stops in front of you (person with road rage) and a person gets out with a gun. You can't escape and most of you at this point have no plan on how to deal with the threat in front of you. Do I sound harsh? Get over it cupcake, the world is harsh and full of evil and crazy people. It's up to you to protect yourself, have a plan.

 

[LtScott14]

Reverse is impossible. Go forward, try to avoid them, open door-take cover, limited options. Final solution..... fire to stop attack. Call 911. Good luck and hope he doesn't produce an AK/AR vs your handgun.(you could have an AK/AR, legal to carry-locked and loaded without a LTCH) very bad scenario. Someone will have a bad day.

 

[Excalibur]

If you have room and he's hostile with a gun, run his ass over. If not, say a blunt object, then try to drive away. Other than that, the moment you see him with a weapon, draw and warn. See a gun and you can't escape, draw and shoot, don't hesitate.

 

[BluePig]

This whole discussion reminds me of a situation that happened to me many years ago.
Coming home from one of my nite classes in college, about 10:00 PM on a hot fall evening.
I get stopped at a RR crossing in Goshen with a slow moving train in front of me, moving just enough to annoy you.
I have all the windows down on my small Toyota truck and just sitting there trying to keep cool.
Other thing was I had turned the engine off to save some gas.
A couple of cars are now sitting behind me and I can't move.
After a while, I am looking in the rear view mirror and I see this dude walking, not on the side walk, but right up the side of the cars.
And he is checking everyone out and trying their car doors.
I reach under the seat and pull out my 941 Jericho and prepare for the worse.
I watch him from both rear view mirrors and he tried to get into my blind spot and walk up to the door.
Just as he gets up to the cab, I pull the hammer back into single action.
He heard it, jumped back & made a beeline back to the sidewalk and proceeds to run off down the street.
Learned some important stuff that nite.

 

[Excalibur]

This whole discussion reminds me of a situation that happened to me many years ago.
Coming home from one of my nite classes in college, about 10:00 PM on a hot fall evening.
I get stopped at a RR crossing in Goshen with a slow moving train in front of me, moving just enough to annoy you.
I have all the windows down on my small Toyota truck and just sitting there trying to keep cool.
Other thing was I had turned the engine off to save some gas.
A couple of cars are now sitting behind me and I can't move.
After a while, I am looking in the rear view mirror and I see this dude walking, not on the side walk, but right up the side of the cars.
And he is checking everyone out and trying their car doors.
I reach under the seat and pull out my 941 Jericho and prepare for the worse.
I watch him from both rear view mirrors and he tried to get into my blind spot and walk up to the door.
Just as he gets up to the cab, I pull the hammer back into single action.
He heard it, jumped back & made a beeline back to the sidewalk and proceeds to run off down the street.
Learned some important stuff that nite.

First, don't turn off your vehicle. You won't be saving enough gas for it to be meaningful and if the train is moving at a snail's pace and you want to save gas, just turn around and leave. Also I would have at the same time, tried to get my phone out to call the cops, at least to get a description of the guy so he might be arrested later on. I would have also called after the guy took off and called the cops anyway and asked the other drivers to share in what they've seen or at least tell them to start backing up and get out of here in case the dude comes back or at least stayed outside this time until the train passed and kept watch. Being stuck inside a vehicle is immobilizing oneself from being able to properly defend and fight back.

I'm also surprised the cocking of the hammer was loud enough for the guy to hear with a train passing by.

 

[BluePig]

This happened in 1990.
Only rich people had cell phones at that time and they were like huge bricks or built into the cars.
Nearest phone was a pay phone a couple of blocks away.
No power windows or door locks in the 1983 Toyota PU.
I have learned alot since then.
Was a different time then.

 

[KS588]

I think you did quite well. I would as well look for an obvious sign of a weapon and of course watch his body language. If no threat determined kindness will be given. I hope to never find myself in a situation that would warrant me to draw but if the situation forces me, I will. By the way if you get to the point that you draw it better be to shoot. Never try to intimidate by drawing or fire a warning shot. Both ideas, while usually done with good intentions, are extremely unsafe for you.

 

[sprmario123]

scream german and pull down my pants.

 

[t-squared]

scream german and pull down my pants.

Best post I've read today...