Road Rage! Aaargh!!

Feckless Rogue

Ok, before you read ahead it's worth mentioning that this is a rant & there's pretty much no point to this thread except for me to vent my anger . Also it's a little long & slightly anticlimactic (just being honest).

So I'm on the way home tonight around 11.30ish. The road conditions are fine & there's not much traffic about. There's another scooter (I'm on a 50cc vespa) behind me and a car behind that, and I'm doing about 40mph heading into a moderately sharp corner, when I notice I can't see the scooter anymore.

Now when someone's passing me out I usually just keep my eyes on the road ahead rather than watch what they're doing, just in case something runs out in front or whatever. When I don't see him appearing in front of me I look over & the a**hole's about 3 inches away from me (this is still on the corner, we're talking small time frame at this point). So he eventually goes in front & of course I flash him a few times so's not to feel like I didn't do anything at all.

My little friend makes a show of going onto the wrong side of the road & prancing about for a hundred feet or so, then pulls into the entrance of a cul de sac & lets me pass by. I can see him start after me again in my mirror & as I'm coming up to a set of red lights I'm expecting a confrontation. Instead he pulls a skid up beside me. Now I'm really impressed! When the lights go green he pulls off & I hang back, thinking that's the end of it.

When I go through the lights I see him stopped 50m ahead sticking out across half the lane so I assume he's going to try to cut in front of me, which he doesn't God bless his mixed up little heart. Instead he follows behind again & when he catches up stays about 6 inches behind my ass going from left to right trying to... well to be honest I still haven't figured out what his objective was. It's not like I really got a chance to stop and ask.

This all goes on along a dead straight stretch of road with no lighting & no traffic. I'm on my own so I figure if I stop I'll get attacked & if I get attacked Wayne/Anto'll know exactly what to do seeing as he started the whole thing & this is probably his idea of Bank Holiday Fun.

Keeping this in mind I keep going top speed (still about 40mph), & at this stage I realise that we're coming up to some seriously windy(as in rhyming with wine, not, em, Mindy) country roads which, even though I know them like the back of my hand, produce at least 2 serious accidents a month. This is a tricky situation, and seeing as this is 1 week after the anniversary of my first accident (broke my hand), I'm not feeling lucky.

I start to slow down, not braking, just not accelerating for the first time since Joxer/Nails got close, and like magic he slows, stops, turns and f*cks off.

The thing that I'm most annoyed about, apart from the fact that this hadn't happened next week when MI5 deliver their prototype Destructobyke™ is that this thick knacker went home knowing that he got away with this sh!t. That it's yet another example of the scummer attitude/mentality prevailing, and that I got to witness first hand the kind of thing that consolidates these ****heads' belief that in this country they can do whatever the f*ck they want and get away with it.

Sorry, I really had to get that off my chest! I've finally stopped trembling with rage...

PS if you clicked this thread looking for anything to do with Catatonia my official opinion is they suck ass and balls.

Kali

Put it down to extreme ignorance as I'd say in my experience that at least half of scooter/moped riders haven't a faintest clue about proper road use.

The number of times I've been driving along at 50mph with a moped (at full whack) a couple of feet from my rear bumper... its ridiculously stupid... even the slightest decrease in my speed and he/she is ****ed over the car... one person doing this even had the helmet resting on their head, at 50mph like? total lack of common-sense.

The whole idea of indicating seems non-existent as well... skidding around corners while you try to brake and swerve around them... whoa great fun.

Farls

Did you not at least get the number plate?....possibly find out said scumbag's where abouts and call round to see what his problem was with some of yer mates?

Same **** happens me regularly and the thing that pisses me off most is if the cops are about for once in their lives it's me who'll get the blame cuz i'm a young lad in a saucy looking motor....at least in a car you have some safety but on a bike you have **** all...you can't even lock yourself in. My advice is carry something to protect yourself with so in any god forbid future frontations you can have the guts to stop and see what the problem is.

Farlz

Neil3030

I read your post and while i do sympathize with you on the whole situation that could not, for the best part, have been described as pleasent, I feel your instant assumption of the genre of this person is unfair. The simple fact (and yes he does sound like an absolute muppet) that he was driving wrecklessly and confronting you somewhat does not imply his name was "Wayne/Anto" or that he was from a rough situation ie townie, scumer so on.

Who is to say he wasn't from a middle class assclown or dare i say it an upperclass moron?

Please don't go putting people into genre's on foot of completely irrelevant evidence.

Having said that I'm glad to see you came out of this ordeal and wish you safer road use in the future.

Neil3030

They are names that are associated with scumbags yes. He also used the term "scummer" and "knacker" not to mention "joxer/nails" so yes i think it is fairly clear what he was implying.

But thank you for your concern.

Feckless Rogue

Sorry for the lack of response, I kinda just fired that into the ether and I wasn't really expecting anything back.

Neil I agree that only thing I know about them is that they wanted to cause me as much hassle as possible which they did, & I call someone who'd do that a scumbag, regardless of class. I don't link the word scumbag to any genre. In my opinion, if you cross certain lines in the way you act with people you're a scumbag.

Much as I hate to admit it, you’re right with your interpretation of what I was implying and I did that because I was pissed off with whoever they are. I didn't want to cause anyone offense by calling my agitator names like that - put it down to being angry and taking cheap shots seeing as I've no other way to get at them. In hindsight it was pretty irresponsible. Again, apologies.

Kali, one of the things I'm most pissed off about over the whole thing was the fact that I didn't get the number plate or even any kind of description of them. As it was happening I was looking more at their position on the road & how close they were to me. By the time I realised how much of a threat the person was he was behind me, and I had his lights in my eyes.

I did consider going after him when he turned around, but him being on a faster bike I wouldn't have caught up & if I had I'd have instigated a repeat - or worse.

The next night when I was travelling the same route I went out with a 'modified' pair of practise nunchuks (i.e. the foam padding taken off) but I don't think I'll be taking them with me generally because if I got stopped by the Law I could get into unnecessary trouble. It's still a decision I haven't completely made though.

Incidentally on that next night, within a few hundred feet of the place he stopped hassling me I saw a guy on a bigger bike on the other side of the road, no helmet or lights. I still can't decide if it's a coincidence, but nunchuks and all I still burned out of there as fast as I could!

I still don't think that if I'd had the 'chuks (& that's probably the most dangerous weapon I'd carry for the same reason as before) I'd have had

the guts to stop and see what the problem is

, because as I said I assume this guy isn't going to hassle someone unprepared, and what vicious people define as 'prepared' is a blade. With people getting stabbed to death these days for nothing, if I can avoid a confrontation I will.

Thanks for your responses

daveg

Carry a gun... How I have dreamed of tapping on the window of an ignorant road rage c"nt with a gun and saying what up mate ?

Bo Duke

This is my story (shortened version) about road rage and I need advice.I was at a junction with my brother in my car.I seen a car coming so I waited for it to pass and all of a sudden without indication it turned off so I went to move when next thing this beeps his horn at me.Thinking I knew this guy (friend, relation etc. messing with me) I slowly moved away while looking in my rear view mirror and I seen a guy waving his fist at me.So I moved it on (bearing in mind the 30 m/p/h limit).When I went to turn right he came along side me stopped me a started shouting. I said "What`s your problem?" He kept shouting so I said "Have you got a F*ucking problem?" to which he replied something along the lines of "No but you do".The a huge Fu*king oger got out of the car and grabbed me by my throat and told me that he`d Fu**ing kill me.Now I`m not small about 5`11" and stocky build but this guy would have pasted me across my seat.I went to the Gardai and gave a statement.Should I press charges?????
Your help is much appreciated.

Chimaera

Definitely - by the sound of he was completely out of order there.

Though your description is not entirely clear about exactly what happened - perhaps you could elaborate a little?

Neil3030

I don't know how many of y'all are familiar with the belgard road in dublin but those of you that are will appreciate the traffic that conjests at the turn off to the link road at Kingswood Heights at around 5 or 6 pm. Well this evening this arsehole thought he'd skip the queue of people turning right and let on that he was heading on straight up the dual carriageway but instead got to the top of the turning queue and tried to turn into it. Naturally the dirvers who had queued up were not to welcoming to this with the result that this pissant was left out in the main lane blocking it completely for a full turn of green of the lights while waiting for someone to let him in. Its this tyoe of idiocy that can (and nearly did for me) cause someone to fly off the handle and do some damage.

Feckless Rogue, I suggest a large screwdriver or vicegrips if you are thinking of protecting yourself. They will pack a punch and should the garda find them on you, say that you carry them should a problem arise with your bike and they they are too large to fit in the storage compartment due to the lock/second helmet/whatever else you may keep in there.

[edit] BO Duke, I would strongly suggest pressing charges. Did you get the plate numbers?[/edit]

MarkR

I've always been an advocate of one of those hefty maglite torches, about the size of a nightstick? Won't fit on a bike though...

Borzoi

Originally posted by Legbreaker
I've always been an advocate of one of those hefty maglite torches

Yep, 12" (Maglite) kept either under the seat or in the dash, well you really should keep a torch in the car.

Eye

oh i'm surprised there was'nt a thread like this sooner...there are oooh so many of these ejit on scooters it's almost worse than those boy racers in ther honda civics

I know what it's like though a couple of weeks back was bringing the gf home on my bike (650 dragstar) came to a set of lights and just in front was a small blue scooter heading down the same road. weather was good and no traffic on the road, lights went green and off we went heading down a decent straight stretch, so as you do i open up a little and passed the scooter and continued thinking nothing off it, scooter was a bit behind at this stage as i reach the right turn into the gf's housing estate, some traffic there so had to wait a second and the scooter came up behind me turning in same way... thoughtt nothing of it.
Now this is where it gets interesting, i turn right, followed gingerly by this scooter, and was approaching a speed ramp with my gf's house directly after it on the right hand side. so natuarlly i indicate well before the ramp to give the scooter a chance to calm down and take me on the inside.... i went over the ramp and looked in the mirror just as i was about to turn and saw no scooter so as you do i assumed grand off he goes to me left.... but nooooo he had other plans.
i start turning right as this lunatic passes by on the right, my front wheel was literally inches from his back tire as i hit the brakes.

at this stage i'm really shocked by what happened and quickly said f*** this he ain't getting away with this, so i turned back onto road and gave chase to the little f***er down a housing estate i don't know got close enough to him to get his license plate and a smacks on the head from the gf but i was happy to have gotten the number, headed back to her house and was so pissed i was going to report it to the cops but i did'nt.... now i realise i should have but i still remember the scooter plate number.

no i'm no big macho man but i swear if i ever catch up with the little bar steward he will get a piece of my mind and maybe something more.

if i was on my own on the bike i probably would have chase him until he stopped and confronted him.... probably would have been beaten up too

probably just as well i guess

Bo Duke

Just for all that care the pri*k came up and grovelled with me not to press charges and the soft fu*ker that I am I let him away.
Oh by the way I carry 2 maglites ( 3-D cell and a 4-D cell ones) in the car.One under each seat and a 12ins piece of chain under the driver mat."For locking my gate at night officer!!!!!!!!!!!!"