I got F'd with by some jackass in a HUMMER while driving my wife's PRIUS!

[bacchant]

Last night on the 405 (LA) some foaming loser put his War Wagon inches off my bumper and blasted me with his high beams. Even though I was well over the speed limit, I decided to accommodate this fool and pulled over into the slow lane. He immediately followed me into the lane staying just inches off my ass with his brights blinding me. I switched lanes again, and guess what, he stayed right on me.
At this point I'm fighting mad, and though it wasn't the right thing to do - my kid was in the back seat - I extended my middle finger, and took my foot off the gas. The car began to decelerate and repuke stayed on me until I got to about 30 mph, at which point he must have decided he'd had enough fun and went speeding off weaving through traffic. I didn't even have my Kerry / Edwards stickers on yet. Fun times... fun times...

[Killarney]

1. It was probably Ahhhhhnold.

[cushla_machree]

41. ahaha

i just spit out my juice

[amber dog democrat]

2. He's going to do that one time too many.

or maybe this person is just off his/her meds

I'd pay to see that happen with an unmarked patrol car.

[laruemtt]

3. at night, the 405, a Hummer, the finger -

somehow these just don't mix without the possibility of somebody dying! please be careful. an idiot in a hummer is likely to do anything.

[Fridays Child]

4. That's when a mobile phone comes in handy...

...to call the cops and have the asshole arrested for road rage.

[bacchant]

6. I know, I know, my brother told me the same thing.

It was so blatant and I was so steamed, I didn't really think it through when I reacted.

[salin]

10. My thought as well

cell phone - cops.

[mermaid]

17. I Have Done That Before

Once, here in Austin, I was driving on Interstate 35. I was on the frontage, and accidentally got into the wrong lane, a right-turn only. So I naturally did what anyone would do...pulled as far left as I could staying in my own lane, slowed, and put on my left signal, at the light.
This enabled peole who WANTED to turn right to get around me, and was basically begging with someone in the lane I wanted to be in to let me get in.
As it so happened, I ended up right alongside an asshole in a Ryder Moving Truck.
He made a point of pulling up to within a millimeter of the guy infornt of him, making sure I knew HE wasn't gonna let me in. I sighed, and got in behind the Ryder truck when the light turned green.
He then proceeded to block me, and not move, until the light was yellow, trying to stick me at the light.
Obviiusly, he didn't know he was dealing with a transplanted New Yorker. I went thru the yellow, stretching the hell out of it.

The Ryder truck entered the highway, and so did I.

Every time I slowed down, so did he. Every time I tried to get around him, he moved to block me. This guy was playing roadway vigilante with me, punishing me for my move back on the Frontage. This went on for three miles. and I even TRIED to drop way back, to no good, the truck slowed down, making sure he stayed right in front of me, and continued to block me.

finally, I saw my opening. I zipped into the other lane, trying, once again, to pass the Ryder. No good, he came over as though to ram me. I swerved to avoid it, barely avoiding getting a semi up my ass from the left lane (at this point he had me doing 30 MPH on the goddam freeway!)

He managed to position himself in front of me again.

Then he rammed his brakes in front of me, causing me to have to ram mine, and I fishtailed all over, still, by some miracle, managing to avoid a collision. Seemignly satisfied now, the Ryder sped up, leaving me in what he was sure was an unavoidable accident situation.

This fucker was literally TRYING to force me into a lethal accident, for having the temerity to actually beg to get let over back on the frontage.

That was it. Cell phone, cops.
by this time, I'd gotten his truck number and license plate, having been behind him for about 4 miles.

I called the cops. I then followed (at a discreet distance) so I could tell the cops where he was...until the cops pulled him over right in front of me, whereupon I also pulled over, to give a statement to the police.

That done, I called Ryder, to report the actions of the truck's driver to Ryder.

He fucked with the wrong person. Cell phones are wonderful devices!!

Meanwhile, the driver of the Ryder was given two citations by the traffic cops, based on my statement...and probably got an earful from Ryder when he went to turn in his truck.

[salin]

20. Frightening story

glad you called the cops.

Sadly as I read your account I recalled an incident that happened when I lived in the SF Bay area... a similar traffic move on the windy highway between San Jose and Santa Cruz... - leads to an ongoing game of highway cat and mouse that lead to a pull off altercation and a shooting/murder. The folks involved were professionals - and folks who knew the shooter expressed complete, utter shock at the behavior. Road rage can lead to some very uncharacteristic and frightening behavior.

Very glad your story had a satisfactory ending.

[mermaid]

21. I, Too, Recalled A Similar Occurance

on the Garden State Parkway, and that was WHY I called the cops. I thought this guy might be looking for the same thing. A pull-off altercation leading to my getting SHOT!!

[Cronus Protagonist]

32. The moral of the story: Don't break the code

When in right turn only lane, turn right.

[VolcanoJen]

18. Next time, just call 800-GRABDUI

Tell the cops there's a drunken road-rager on your tail...

[Name removed]

27. Deleted message

Message removed by moderator. Click here to review the message board rules.

[bacchant]

35. Easy there "Spy"

At this point the Hummer IS political, It's a rolling statement. Matter of fact, my friend said he saw one recently that had a "WAR IS NOT THE ANSWER" bumper sticker, with "NOT" cut out.

[Kanary]

8. I wish I lived in a country where the cops care

I said years ago, when the road shootings started, I'd one day be shot for going the speed limit.

We're such a kind and gentle people.

Kanary

[wildeyed]

5. Crazy bs

Too bad you had to be harassed like that, especially with your kid in the car. Would getting a tag # and calling it into the police do anything? Maybe the asshole was drunk in addition to being obnoxious.

[ClassWarrior]

7. Next time - if you have a cell phone...

...call the authorities IMMEDIATELY and let them know that the moron is endangering the life of your child.

[gauguin57]

9. One must be the bigger man/woman

when it comes to this kind of Hummer hostility. Don't let yourself get roadraged into inadvertently challenging a big honking monster truck into a duel on the road. Just keep yourself safe, even if it means having to swallow your anger and pull over onto the berm and let him keep flying down the road.

I get pissed off, too. Believe me! I use the Cheney-word all the time when people do this kind of stuff to me. But it's not worth bringing trouble or an accident down upon my head. I'll keep my own karma solid, and I'll stay alive and well while such a maniac is rolling his Hummer over seven times into a ditch.

These people, with their unsafe driving (even in these fortified tanks) will "get theirs" one of these days. You just protect yourself and your family.

Never get into a pissing contest with a skunk.

[Kanary]

23. Unfortunately, pulling over onto the "berm"

can bring on a physical confrontation by some of these idiots.

Ya never know which one of 'em has a gun handy.

Especially if you're female and they're male.

Kanary

[Bake]

65. Yeah, but they don't know which ones of US have a gun either ...

Bottom line, I just avoid road rage type drivers when I can, and flip 'em the bird right before I exit without them.

Bake

[bloom]

45. I think slowing down was the reasonable thing to do...n/t

[Gothic Sponge]

11. I hate Hummers!

Next to my Subaru dealer is a Hummer dealer. For the hell of it i walked over to look at the sales sticker on a Hummer. You know they don't even list the gas milage per city and hwy.

[proud patriot]

12. You should of given him the pinky wave

That's what I do every time I see a Hummer .
I mean why advertise your inadequacies by
driving a hummer . My kid has taken up the
pinky wave at hummers too .

[VolcanoJen]

19. Oh, that is hilarious!

What a great idea!!! Thanks, 'cause I'm stealin' it!!

[proud patriot]

38. I didn't invent it but read it somewhere on DU

I love it too .

[shanti]

33. ummm

color me stupid, but what's a pinky wave?

[proud patriot]

37. It's "Hang Loose" without the thumb sticking out

[timtom]

39. I believe it's

putting your thumb against the first joint of your pinky finger and then wiggling the pinky finger. The implicit message would be "Hi, Mr. Hummer Driver with the incredibly little weenie. If you're a good boy, it may grow, someday."

[mermaid]

42. It's A

shaka, without using the thumb.

A shaka is surfer lingo for "what's up?" "good ride"...any number of things, all friendly.

A Shaka is made by holding out the pinky and thumb, and waggling your hand.

[shanti]

60. thank ya, everyone!

i think i got the picture

[BJ]

13. Must of been one of those "adult" Repiglicans we hear about.

Of course, he's letting you know had Al Gore been elected President we'd all be driving Priuses by now. So thankfully for him and his ilk Dubya "won" the "election" (wink-wink) and reactionaries get to drive their SUVs to their heart's content (not to mention the fatter profit margins of the oil companies.)

[NightOwwl]

14. I'm glad you are OK.

I know I'm repeating what others have said, but please, if this ever happens to you again call 911 immediately!

[0007]

61. Nice Siamese

[Pepperbelly]

15. HIJACK WARNING!

I heard Jerry Falwell on tv a few years ago and heard him say, "When I can afford it, I'm going to get a hummer."

A buddy of mine and I were watching and damned near choked on our herbal remedies.

[salin]

22. bwahahaha

looks like Jerry was channelling Swaggart...

[SemperEadem]

46. "When I can afford it, I'm going to get a hummer."

and camels will begin flying through the eyes of needles.

[maggrwaggr]

16. I have bad experiences like that on the 405 all the time

that seems to be where the insane/suicidal people drive.

I hate that freeway

I've had experiences like that (that had nothing to do with what kind of cars anybody was driving) where I have in fact called the highway patrol on my cell phone and reported them.

[SemperEadem]

47. that freeway is also known as the "effin' 405"

[ForrestGump]

62. It's called the 405 becasue it takes four or five hours to get anywhere

on it.

[Piperay]

52. I was hit and run on the 405

freeway by some gang banger who was fleeing after shooting someone. The guy hit me from behind with such force that he was stuck on my bumper for a few seconds, once he got lose he took off like a bat out of hell. If I hadn't been in my van I probably would have been killed, he was just a fraction of an inch of hitting my gas tank. I was lucky that I was unable to give the cops his exact license number else I might have had to risk my life as a witness against a gang member.

[GoneOffShore]

24. SUV, isn't that an abbreviation

for extremely small penis?

[bacchant]

25. Y'all are right I didn't handle it very well, but what interests me is

WHY he did it. I don't know if he was under the influence or not, so I'm not sure if that was a factor. Maybe it's paranoia, but I think it was a reaction to the car I was driving. I'm starting to think the people who want to divide this country have done TOO good a job. It's becoming a war out there. Read some of the posts advocating violence on democrats over at Free Republic and you start to get a glimpse of the depth of the divide. It's sad, the hatchet job the right has done on this country. I wonder if it can ever heal.

[wildeyed]

26. I saw a Prius with

a Bush/Cheney 2004 sticker on it the other day. Oh the irony.

[bacchant]

29. Practical morons, what's next?

Hey, you know how they have a penchant for usurping ideas they were originally against, and claiming them as their own (dept. of homeland security)? Maybe they'll inadvertently do the world a favor and steal hybrid support.

[wildeyed]

30. Does that mean I have to drive a hummer?

noooooooooo!!!!!

[Kanary]

50. awake, I'm not sure there *IS* a good way to handle it.

Don't be hard on yourself over this..... you were already victimized by a bully, and that's bad enough without telling yourself you didn't "handle it very well".

For every solution that can be brought up, I can think of ways that would not help, and even make it worse.

The only way this is going to get better is for US ALL to come together and say BASTA!, and storm our insurance companies en masse, and our politicians, and say this is a THREAT TO HOMELAND SECURITY, and must end.

Our problem is that we don't know HOW to come together very well. These individual solutions just aren't cutting it.

Just be good to yourself.... you did the best you could at the time.



Kanary

[bacchant]

51. Ha cool, thanks eom

[Deja Q]

28. Those animals have no respect for anybody. Be careful!!

If I hadn't a family, I would have found a reason to brake. The hummer owner would be at fault.

Did you get his license #? File a complaint, he was driving recklessly and that IS illegal.

[Columbia]

31. That's why you need one of those James Bond gadgets

You know the one that releases tire-blowing tacks behind your car? I suppose an out of control Hummer wouldn't be that safe, but it works in the movies!

[SemperEadem]

48. no, you just need a bright metal reflective plate in your rear window

we'll see how long they flash the brights before blinding themselves.

[ForrestGump]

63. Out of control Hummer? Is there any other kind?

[SarahB]

64. Well

Not if it's done right.

Bad innuendo there.
Locking in....

5
4
3
2
1

p.s. Get some sleep!

[Walt Starr]

34. He wanted to get you to flip him off.

You did the right thing on everything except flipping him off.

Even if you have to go so slow that you must pull off the highway onto the shoulder, you simply slow down for unsafe tailgaters.

[RoadRunner]

40. That's good advice, Walt.

I took a defensive driving course recently, and that's exactly how they teach it: ease off gas (don't hit brakes, though), slow down until they pass.

[Still_Loves_John]

36. My Dem friend drives a Hummer

With a Kerry/Edwards bumper sticker on it. I think it's hilarious, and I told him to get like a "no war for oil" sticker or something, just to add to the irony.

[Downtown Hound]

43. Ever see the movie Duel?

About some guy in a little car who ends up in a life or death duel on the road with a monster 18 wheeler? Seriously man, I know what you were feeling because I've fucked with a few assholes like that too, but it's not worth it. Any schmuck stupid enough to drive one of those horrid things in the first place is going to be one aggressive asshole that thinks they're the king of the world, and you don't know what they're capable of. I have a pen and paper in my car for just such situations, and if anyone ever does that to me again, I'm going to get their license number and report them. It's much better than the tragedy that could happen otherwise. He could have ran your Prius off the road like it wasn't even there. I know that may sound extreme, but it has happened. As someone has mentioned, Road Rage can turn ordinary people into flaming canon balls. And anyone who drives a Hummer has already got issues.

Cell phones are great too if you've got one.

[bacchant]

44. Dig. n/t

[playahata1]

53. Did that movie come out in the early 1970s?

Dennis Weaver, pre "McCloud," was the star. I saw that movie last year. Gave me the creeps.

[Downtown Hound]

54. Yeah, 1974 I think

It was Steven Spielberg's second or third film, and it was made for TV. It was such a success though that it's become a cult classic, and it allowed him to make Jaws next, which of course, made him a star.

[PROGRESSIVE1]

49. I believe that if you get in an accident with a Hummer....

even if you caused it, the driver of the Hummer should ALWAYS be held responsible.

[Endangered Specie]

58. Accident with a Humme?r, you'll be lucky to walk away.

let alone be able to sue.

[indigobusiness]

55. sorry, I goofed with your thread

couldn't resist.

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.ph...

[aint_no_life_nowhere]

56. I have a feeling that if you put a video camera in your car

and followed for awhile any random Hummer driver you find (at a safe distance of course) you would frequently have some interesting stuff to mail to the cops concerning their fitness to drive.

[Endangered Specie]

57. Someone needs to make a prius,

with "countermeasers" under the hood and in the rear.

-Im thinking, tire spikes, electromagnetic car computer killers, the works.

[lazarus]

59. my similar story

This happened on a lonely country road in Alabama. I was on my way to work, and really in a hurry. The drive of the pickup truck in front of me was being a real dick. He'd slow way down when there wasn't a passing lane, then speed up when there was.

I finally took the chance to pass him at the very end of a passing lane. I looked in the rear view mirror, and could see him and his buddy both flipping me off (for passing them? Sheesh!)

So I slowed down. The expression on their faces was priceless! They slowed down, got a good 30 yards back of me. I sped up, they sped up. I slowed down, they slowed down.

At this point, I decided I could risk being a few minutes late to work, since I was the boss. I kept slowing down, they kept slowing down. In a part of the highway that was 4 lane, they still maintained their distance. I finally stopped completely.

They still maintained their distance. I got out of the truck and waved, got in, and sped off.

Twits.