Wherein I tick off a Road Rager

[Gerrinson]

So, I admit that what I did was technically not legal, but I don't think I was that out of line. Here you go:

In MA, you technically are not supposed to change lanes (i.e. left lane to right lane or when passing) unless you can see in your rearview mirror both headlights of the vehicle you are pulling in front of. So, if I pass someone one, I'm not supposed to go back to my lane until I can see both their headlights in the rearview. I think that makes sense.

Anyway, I was driving in the left lane on a 2 lane street. The guy in the right hand lane - The Shadow from here on out - was keeping pace with me and staying just off my rear corner. (Pet peeve - I hate people that keep pace with me at just that point because the only way I can see their vehicle is in the one side view mirror.)

Up ahead, I see some jackass weaving rather drunkenly from left lane to right lane to left lane. And I can tell he's going considerably under the speed limit because I'm catching up to him fast. He winds up in the left lane with his blinker on and comes to a stop - about 30 feet short of the nearest turn.

I decide I don't want to deal with it and I definitely don't want to wind up behind the idiot. I check my side view and The Shadow was still just off my rear corner. So, I goose the gas a little bit, pick up my speed and reach the point where I either have to hit the brakes to avoid the idiot in front of me or change lanes.

I glance into my rearview and I can see one of The Shadow's headlights and just about all of the grill, so I decide I'm far enough away to change lanes. I do so, and shortly the two lanes merge as we get into town.

So far, so good, right? Well, this is where the suck comes in and I think The Shadow overreacted just a bit.

The Shadow suddenly guns his engine, swerves 1/2 into the breakdown lane and 1/2 onto the sidewalk (no curb in this area) so he can get up even with me and starts yelling at me things like 'You think you can just speed and cut people off? You think that s*** is okay f***er? Well, f*** you, you don't cut me off like that and you were f***ing speeding, too, you little b****!'

He slams on his brakes to avoid a car that was pulling out of a driveway, gets right behind me, leans on his horn, then pulls back up next to me to scream basically the same thing again.

I didn't even turn my head to look, I just kept on with my normal driving and watching for any actual pedestrians figuring I could slam on my brakes and clear the lane in case The Shadow wasn't paying any attention to what was in front of him.

He kept this up right to where we reached one of the bridges the sidewalk and breakdown lane end at that point. He gunned it again on the opposite side of the bridge, but suddenly turned his rev into a screeching right hand turn when he saw the cop that likes to sit on the far side of the bridge.

Now, I admit that according to the letter of the law I did cut him off. But if I can see 3/4 of his front end in my rearview then there is still a bit of distance. It's not like I slid in 6 inches in front of him. Still, I guess you never can tell what will set some people off.

[blas]

Did he not realize that you didn't want to get killed by a drunken fool?

Sometimes I have had to cut people off or make a really quick snap (sometimes illegal) decision just to save my own skin.

How many times have I been driving to work or back home from being out and about on the weekend and some drunk is going the wrong way, and I have to change lanes at an intersection or go over the solid yellow line to avoid getting killed?

[Andara Bledin]

You know what? If that turdburglar didn't want to be cut off, then he shouldn't park his ass in what is essentially your blind spot.

I'd have had my cell phone to my ear after dialing 911, after that display. Anyone driving on the sidewalk deserves to be reported.

^-.-^

[Irving Patrick Freleigh]

Me, I think I would've started laughing or blowing him kisses or something.

And then I'd possibly get shot.

[Nashida]

Way I see it, you did what you had to in order to avoid becoming a pancake.

I would have still given the police a call after he started screaming at you and driving on the sidewalk...someone like that should NOT be on the road.

[Gerrinson]

I would have called the jackass in to the police but, sadly, in the name of cutting expense while unemployed, I dropped my cell phone plan 4 1/2 years ago.

And I was so happy when it was gone that I decided not to get a new one even when I had a job. Buh-bye, cell phone!

[digression]

My current job - where I can't get overtime or a raise, but I can pick up 30 hours of extra work to do on top of my 40 hour a week job - er, yeah, my current job would love for me to have a cell phone. But they can't require it because then they would have to pay for it, which they will not do.

So, as it stands, the only place they can reach me is home. Where I can hide under the covers and pretend to miss their call while being 'out' for the whole day. By which time it will no longer be an 'emergency' that requires my help. Because the whiny little b****es will have put on their big girl panties and gotten over it.

And, thus, I shall remain cell phone free for the time being. Except for when my g/f gives me her phone because she wants me to be able to call her while I'm off at D&D or something and she's staying home.

[/digression]

[Geek King]

I would have called the jackass in to the police but, sadly, in the name of cutting expense while unemployed, I dropped my cell phone plan 4 1/2 years ago.

Most cell phones, no matter if you have an active plan or not, can still call 911 in the states. All providers are required to now have this feature on phones and towers as a condition of doing business in the US. Keeping an old phone and car charger can be useful to keep in the car in case of a real emergancy.

[The Gatekeeper]

Did you signal the lane change?

That is my pet peeve. Fine pull in when things are tight, but give me a little notice. Not just signalchange lanes. But put on the signal, and then move in.

Not saying guy isn't a total loser, just wondering about the signal is all.

[PepperElf]

your action while driving is nothing compared to his....

he kept creeping up on purpose in your blindspot
and then drove on the shoulder endangering others just to whine at you like a bitch

he needs therapy

[ArcticChicken]

I guess I'll be going with the unpopular opinion here.

I decide I don't want to deal with it
<snip>
So, I goose the gas a little bit, pick up my speed and reach the point where I either have to hit the brakes to avoid the idiot in front of me or change lanes.

Drunken Moron's action's weren't an immediate hazard, until you made them one.

Instead of slowing down and waiting for the Shadow to pass you so you could safely and legally change lanes and pass DM, you chose instead to speed up. When the Shadow sped up with you, instead of hitting the breaks you instead chose to perform an illegal lane change. Yes, I'm sure the law allows for a margin of error, but from what you said, you consciously chose to perform an illegal action, not because the alternative was an accident, but because you didn't want to be inconvenienced. How many people have we roasted on these boards for using that logic?

No, I'm not saying the Shadow's actions were at all justified. He is a class A douche bag who will get someone killed one day, himself if there's any justice, but your actions were more out of line than you think.

[edible_hat]

Instead of slowing down and waiting for the Shadow to pass

I'm thinking the Shadow is related to one of the 80% of drivers in my area who do anything they can to stop other drivers changing lanes.

[blas]

I still vote you do what you have to do to keep yourself alive.

It's no joke when some drunk is coming at you head on, or swerving so badly that you can't even predict if they will come right at you or go the other way.....

Sometimes you just go with your very first gut instinct.

I fully admit to illegal lane changes and driving on the wrong side of the road to avoid someone who is swerving or coming right at me. I don't want to die.

[WhiteRose]

in that case, it's ok to do that because of environmental circumstances...

[Andara Bledin]

When the Shadow sped up with you, instead of hitting the breaks you instead chose to perform an illegal lane change.

I didn't see where he said the Shadow sped up. Just that he sped up to get ahead of the Shadow, and he didn't have a 100% (only 98 or so) view of clearance to change lanes when he did so.

Plus, based on the way the OP is written, it's one of those situations where you have about a second to choose to either speed up or slow down, and once you've decided, you have to commit fully.

^-.-^

[ArcticChicken]

I fully admit to illegal lane changes and driving on the wrong side of the road to avoid someone who is swerving or coming right at me. I don't want to die.

In that situation any judge would dismiss the charges, if the DA was dumb enough to bring them, because the law can't force you to injure yourself.

I didn't see where he said the Shadow sped up. Just that he sped up to get ahead of the Shadow

Sorry, refused to tap the breaks and let him pass.

he didn't have a 100% (only 98 or so) view of clearance to change lanes when he did so.

Actually, according to the OP, it was 75%

I can see 3/4 of his front end in my rearview

And in a moving vehicle, that's a huge difference.


Look, I wasn't there, and I can't know for sure, but certain phrasing in the OP

I decide I don't want to deal with it

He winds up in the left lane with his blinker on and comes to a stop

I either have to hit the brakes to avoid the idiot in front of me or change lanes

leads me to believe it was a conscious decision, not an ohshitgottamove decision.

I'm not saying Gerrinson was thinking about it in terms of "be inconvenienced or break the law", and I'm not saying he's a bad person, I'm not even saying that I wouldn't have made the same decision myself, given the same circumstances.

Heck, I could be entirely wrong about the circumstances, but going by the information which I have been given, this was not a matter of life or death, this was a matter of annoyance, and, given that, it was the wrong decision.

I would tell any of my friends the same thing, and I'd expect them to tell me that, were I the one driving. I'm not going to hold back just because I've never met you guys.

And please keep in mind that I'm not saying the Shadow reacted well at all, just that Gerrinson shouldn't have been in that situation in the first place.