Road Rage & Firearm Self Defense Question

[not new guy]

It's Massachusetts. The only "right thing" is to always drive away, get away, go away, back down, etc.
Be a sheep, just like the Polioticians, Police and Courts want you to be, and you're "in the right". You're a good person, you're a "nice" guy etc etc...Or be tough, hardnosed - and "take no sh*t" from anyone like most of us here at NES - and suddenly YOU are the problem, YOU have an attitude, YOU are a bad dude, YOU were looking for trouble, YOU are disrespectful of the power of the Gov, etc etc...

It's about avoiding lunatics and not getting caught up in a situation that can very possibly result in property damage, death/personal injury, dealing with cops and judges, etc. Making a righteous stand against the next road raging psychopath you cross amounts to playing stupid games for stupid prizes. Absolutely nothing good can come of it.

 

[houdini]

I would not pull over

 

[peterthefish]

What is "Camping in the Left Lane"? Driving in the left? My "friend" regularly travels in the left lane, but he will move over when a faster vehicle approaches from the rear. Dip out then dip back in. Let speed racer get the ticket.

What you describe is exactly "camping in the left lane". The problem is, most people (even your friend I bet) aren't 100% vigilant 100% of the time. So they are oblivious to people coming up behind them, at least from time to time.

If the camper is a left lane cop doing 65, and I'm approaching at 80, they don't have a lot of time to see I'm coming, evaluate the rate of close, and then move the **** over, especially when they are traveling at the same speed as traffic to the right.

Fortunately cops are getting better about giving dickwits like your buddy tickets.

I get the attraction of the left lane for bad drivers. I really do. I call it the "low decision lane". You have no traffic to one side, whereas the right lane has to worry about entering and exiting traffic. But the idiots who can't manage the stress of camping in the appropriate (right) lane just probably shouldn't be driving - nevermind driving and ****ing around with their phone in some oblivious state, as typically seems to be the case.

Look, I'm just saying, if I were you I wouldn't be friends with that ****er anymore.

 

[dw617]

If you've ever had the pleasure of driving on a German Autobahn, you would know how the left lane works. It's really cool watching a column of 5-6 cars, all in the right lane, pass a truck on the left and then immediately go back into the right lane in the same sequence.

Do cops actually give out tickets for left lane hogs?

If cops started ticketing left lane hogs, texting drivers and drivers who don't put their headlights on in the rain our budget issues would be sorted.

To the op, your friend needs to go back to "Fahrschule"

 

[scatter]

Seems like an appropriate place to put this, even if somewhat off-topic.

I have discovered, after living in this state for a couple of years, that according to Virginia state law it is a criminal offense to drive 20 mph over the posted speed limit, or over 80 mph anywhere. People have been put in jail for this with no extenuating circumstances.

I don't agree with this, and I'm only posting this as a heads up to any of you speed demons if you ever head this way.

http://jalopnik.com/never-speed-in-virginia-lessons-from-my-three-days-in-1613604053

 

[ISOTOX]

Eyes forward, hands and feet in the car at all times...Carry on.

 

[Olympus Racing]

That's why I have a dash cam.. Best $60 insurance you can get. Wide view angle too.

 

[Picton]

It's Massachusetts. The only "right thing" is to always drive away, get away, go away, back down, etc.
Be a sheep, just like the Polioticians, Police and Courts want you to be, and you're "in the right". You're a good person, you're a "nice" guy etc etc...Or be tough, hardnosed - and "take no sh*t" from anyone like most of us here at NES - and suddenly YOU are the problem, YOU have an attitude, YOU are a bad dude, YOU were looking for trouble, YOU are disrespectful of the power of the Gov, etc etc...

Ha!

You go ahead and enjoy your car joust, and let us know how it works out. There's no place for ego on the roads.

 

[Mr.E]

If you've ever had the pleasure of driving on a German Autobahn, you would know how the left lane works. It's really cool watching a column of 5-6 cars, all in the right lane, pass a truck on the left and then immediately go back into the right lane in the same sequence.

Do cops actually give out tickets for left lane hogs?

If cops started ticketing left lane hogs, texting drivers and drivers who don't put their headlights on in the rain our budget issues would be sorted.

To the op, your friend needs to go back to "Fahrschule"

its not just the autobahn, most highways I have driven in in Europe have MUCH better left lane awareness than we do in the states. I was driving on the autostrada in Italy a couple years ago and I remember seeing a Ferrari rip up the road, flash his beams about 100ft from the car ahead, and the car ahead immediately moving over. Last time I did that here the left lane camper actually brake checked me...fool

 

[wahsben]

There are plenty of people here that are assuming that the person in the left lane wasn't passing and was just cruising along. If he wasn't passing he shouldn't be in the left lane but if he is passing lets say at 75 and some ass comes flying up wanting to pass at 85 he doesn't have to move over. Should he move over when it's safe to do so yes, otherwise he's as big an ass as the one flying up on people.
The person endangering people is the one flying up on people.
What his friend did wrong was to stop when the other one did and if he didn't move over when it was safe to do so, but from what was written he did try to move over but the other driver was in too much of a rush and couldn't wait so they blew by him on the right.

 

[42!]

The whole traffic thing is irrelevant. The OP's friend pulled over after the other driver. He was looking for a confrontation and he readied his gun "just in case". Super bad judgement, he got lucky this time. I hope he learns something from this.

 

[JayMcB]

but if he is passing lets say at 75 and some ass comes flying up wanting to pass at 85 he doesn't have to move over.

There's your mistake. You're wrong. Move over. If you're doing 150 in the left lane and a ZR1 comes up on you, MOVE THE FVCK OVER. PERIOD.

He got a pass on this. He should never have pulled over unless they traded paint, and even then it should be recorded.

 

[TLB]

its not just the autobahn, most highways I have driven in in Europe have MUCH better left lane awareness than we do in the states. I was driving on the autostrada in Italy a couple years ago and I remember seeing a Ferrari rip up the road, flash his beams about 100ft from the car ahead, and the car ahead immediately moving over. Last time I did that here the left lane camper actually brake checked me...fool

Actually Mass drivers are particularly bad with this compared to many other states.

 

[JayMcB]

Actually Mass drivers are particularly bad with this compared to many other states.

Drive in CT, or RI, or NY, or NJ, or MD, and they are ALL worse

 

[wahsben]

No that's where you are wrong. You don't move over until it's safe to do so and if you're passing you're within the law. If the lane to your right is solid vehicles you'll just have to wait.

There's your mistake. You're wrong. Move over. If you're doing 150 in the left lane and a ZR1 comes up on you, MOVE THE FVCK OVER. PERIOD.

He got a pass on this. He should never have pulled over unless they traded paint, and even then it should be recorded.

 

[TLB]

Drive in CT, or RI, or NY, or NJ, or MD, and they are ALL worse

Don't doubt it, although the CT staties used to ticket for this. Some states are very good, like WV.

 

[FalArAk]

I know that everthing has a way of becoming controversial on the internet and I get no benefit out of defending him, but I do want to point out a few things that seem to be getting missed here - not only was the rager speeding excessively which is a danger to others, but this guy stomped on his brakes, and backed up on the side of a highway! Personally I consider any of those things reckless and willful acts of aggression - all of which are against the law. The brake check alone has a potentially lethal outcome. I mean, even if my friend made some mistakes, they were all largely reactive and lawful, not to mention that he did ultimately "do the right thing". Clearly the rager was in attack mode (brake check, throwing it in reverse, etc.) so how is that somehow getting overlooked? Just saying.

If your friend wasn't left lane camping,he never would have been in the way and never got brake checked.

NONE OF THIS would have happened if he wasn't left lane camping.

All very good points. I didn't expect that anyone would commend his actions, I guess I'm just more sympathetic to his part in the scenario - maybe because I know him personally or because of the way it was described to me.

The fact that your buddy pulled over to engage him while he had a gun tells me a few things.

1) The gun gave him courage he otherwise wouldn't have had,otherwise he NEVER would have pulled over.

2) I would really like to hear the other side of the story because anybody that would pull over to engage somebody while carrying a gun has a few anger management issues.

3) Passive-aggressiveness by your buddy is most likely what triggered the other driver to go crazy.Because your buddy had a gun,he wanted to initiate something,like dare the guy to do something"cause I got a gun!!"

There has to be more to the story.

 

[Chet0729]

You never know who is in the other car. Never stop, ever. I drove 40-50k miles a year for 25 years in MA, RI, CT and NH. I have seen some of the stupidest shit ever. I have been in three lanes of bumper to bumper traffic moving at 75 MPH, middle lane (495 Grand Prix) and there is some idiot behind me flashing. No where to go and the line of cars ahead is as far as you can see in all three lanes. I used to love days like today, we worked, no snow days and as long as you drove for the conditions you were fine. There was always some idiot going 65 on the snow covered highway who would fly by and almost ever time they would be off the road, usually in the median a mile up the road.

 

[Zeo]

Exactly this. I think there's a good portion of the motoring public that don't use their side and rear view mirrors. If you are using them correctly and frequently, than one would notice a fast approaching vehicle soon enough to safely move over.

Unless its a Mass. statie, in a black unmarked car, with lights off at 3 AM. on 95 close to the Rhode Island / Mass border who pulls out of those emergency-vehicles-turn-only cut outs, who then throw his f***** spot light in your face while you're cruising at 64 MPH.
Then speeds off ahead of you like an alien space ship... still with operating lights OFF.

 

[radarbob]

just remember "DMBSW" Pronounced "dumbass."" Stands for"Don't Make a Bad Situation Worse." Stay safe and live to drive another day.

 

[kevin9]

No that's where you are wrong. You don't move over until it's safe to do so and if you're passing you're within the law. If the lane to your right is solid vehicles you'll just have to wait.

True, but go back and read the OP. The right lane was not solid cars as evidenced by the fact that the friend did move over, and that by the time he did there was sufficient room for the rager to have already moved over.

If I'm passing and someone comes up on me tight I try to signal as soon as I see there's going to be a slot to move over, and I start moving over as soon as I see the headlights of the vehicle behind me are even with the car on the right. That's closer than I normally like to merge back in, but I want to be most of the way into right lane before the tailgater has room to cut right and around. Many left lane campers won't pull over until there's a clear quarter mile stretch to pull into, or even half a mile if there's a truck up ahead.

 

[Rick O'Shea]

Carry a sheet rock saw. Then if someone really gets under your skin roll down the window brandishing your sheet rock saw with nasty looking teeth. If you can't avoid them or they really get under your skin of course. But I've yet to meet the person who wanted to stop and throw down with the crazy saw wielding person.

+1

 

[josh2600]

If your friend wasn't left lane camping,he never would have been in the way and never got brake checked.

NONE OF THIS would have happened if he wasn't left lane camping.



The fact that your buddy pulled over to engage him while he had a gun tells me a few things.

1) The gun gave him courage he otherwise wouldn't have had,otherwise he NEVER would have pulled over.

2) I would really like to hear the other side of the story because anybody that would pull over to engage somebody while carrying a gun has a few anger management issues.

3) Passive-aggressiveness by your buddy is most likely what triggered the other driver to go crazy.Because your buddy had a gun,he wanted to initiate something,like dare the guy to do something"cause I got a gun!!"

There has to be more to the story.

This.


If carrying a gun doesn't make you way more apprehensive about the possibility of any kind of conflict like that, you should probably seriously rethink carrying.

 

[josh2600]

Having a gun on me turns me into a zen master in traffic.

 

[Olympus Racing]

Just end this thread. It's painful

 

[bigblue]

Just end this thread. It's painful

This is comedic genius.

I just wish grandpa doing 75 in the left lane would get new tires for his Buick so he can do more than 30 in a 45 then speed up to do 35 in the 30 zone.

Can we get some Prius jokes in here too?

 

[noxin]

Can we get some Prius jokes in here too?

Well, isn't the Prius the joke itself?

 

[kalash]

This is comedic genius.

I just wish grandpa doing 75 in the left lane would get new tires for his Buick so he can do more than 30 in a 45 then speed up to do 35 in the 30 zone.

Can we get some Prius jokes in here too?

New tires? You don't need new tires!

 

[CTpatriot]

Here's what I do. Dash cam recording front and back video and audio inside, take things in slow motion being sure not to cause of ve blamed for an accident, make commentary on what is happening and what I am about to do, commentary is pretty self serving, things like " boy this guy is in a hurry he must have an emergency or is an off duty cop, I think I will pull over to make room" Keepnmy eyes on him, watching for any weapons or offensive manuvers. If you are still being harrassed, call 911 and proceed to a police station. Most shootings occur when people stop and or get out of cars, I have rarely heard of on the move shootings.

 

[Scott7980]

Dash cams, racking slides, the problem is not much of you have ever had a mouth full of knuckles and don't know how to act.