How should I retaliate against attacking car drivers?

As far back as I can remember ( the 70's ) I've had a bad relationship with drivers. This sometimes amounts to non lethal abuse such as food being thrown at me from passing cars. More often the attack is similar to the one that just happened.

I was standing at a pedestrian crossing waiting for my green light and looking at my phone. When I got green I pocketed my phone and paused to look before crossing. This phone distraction perversely saved my life as at that moment a speeding car shot straight passed me through its red light. This is a recurring feature in my life.

My question is the next time this happens what is the best way to retaliate against the driver.

Why yes....as it happens I am bloody angry.

(edited for spelling)

Best thing, like any road rage is not to retaliate. And I sympathise, drivers have no care or consideration for pedestrians, but retaliation will lead to escalation, and you're not the one in the two tonne deadly machine.

Best way is to take down the plate number and report it as an aggressive driver. Then the next time they get a ticket, they get hit with an additional $200 fine.

MrDeVil909 wrote:

Best thing, like any road rage is not to retaliate. And I sympathise, drivers have no care or consideration for pedestrians, but retaliation will lead to escalation, and you're not the one in the two tonne deadly machine.

I don't really see that as an option because the result would be perpetuating a status quoe that's untenable.

If you're in America there's not much you can do unless you're badly injured. The motorist lobby won full rights to the road decades ago and we're only in the infant stages of changing that.

Even here, every time this topic comes up, half the posters blame pedestrians for making them unfairly use their precious brake pads.

Seth wrote:

If you're in America there's not much you can do

I'm in the UK but my options seem pretty limited here as well.

It is really about ethics in motor vehicle operations.

If the car has already passed, nothing short of a projectile weapon can help. "For everthing else, there's caltrops™."

If you have a cellphone you should be able to hack the lights at the next intersection or maybe those pneumatic police barriers things.

Yet another reason why self driving cars can't come fast enough.

I still say go demi-Road Warrior: attach a sharp spike to the front of a Reliant Robin and unleash Hell.

Rezzy wrote:

If you have a cellphone you should be able to hack the lights at the next intersection or maybe those pneumatic police barriers things.

I like the way you think Rezzy. But I just couldn't stand having to listen to Cold night in Chicago again.

The short answer is: You can't.

The long answer is: You can, but it requires you (a) willing to chase them down, (b) getting lucky that they have to stop for a red light or traffic soon enough that you can catch them, and (c) that you're willing to get into a fist-fight. Or a tire-iron fight.

The long and short of it is that you're dealing is arseholes, and unless you sink to their level, you can't retaliate. If you *do* want to sink to their level, keep a pocketful of pennies on you at all times, so you can hurl 30p in shrapnel at them, damaging their paintwork. However, see my earlier point about getting punched for your troubles.

Seriously, talk with law enforcement about reporting aggressive driving.

In the state of Colorado, for instance, you can dial *277 on your cell phone and report an aggressive driver incident.

Report an Aggressive Driver

The Colorado State Patrol's Star CSP (*277) aggressive driver program was implemented on July 1, 1998. The CSP partnered with several cellular companies to provide a phone number, free of charge, to be used by motorists to report "real time" aggressive driving behavior. The phone number is Star CSP (*277). Since the program was started, the CSP has received more than 230,000 reports of aggressive drivers.

Some examples of aggressive driving behaviors are moving violations that put other motorists at risk, such as improper lane changes, following too closely, weaving, passing on the shoulder, and speeding.

When observing an aggressive driver that is putting other motorists at risk, the aggressive driver should be avoided by getting out of the way, not making eye contact or giving any indication of disapproval of their driving behavior. Contact the CSP as soon as is safely possible and be prepared to provide the following information: vehicle description, license plate number, location and direction of travel, driver description, and the aggressive driving behavior being demonstrated.

The information provided is entered into an aggressive driver database. After three complaints are received against a vehicle, the registered owner is sent a warning letter advising them of the complaints and encouraging them to take the necessary steps to correct the aggressive driving behavior. If additional complaints are received against the vehicle, a uniformed CSP member makes personal contact with the registered owner of the vehicle and takes appropriate enforcement action.

If you do not have a cellular phone or would like to report an aggressive driver after the fact, you may contact one of our communications centers directly or e-mail the Communications Branch.

And in the DC Metro Area.

http://www.smoothoperatorprogram.com...

I should think England should have stricter controls than any American state. Like, 6 aggressive driving complaints against you in a 60-day period and they deactivate your starter by remote control.

If additional complaints are received against the vehicle, a uniformed CSP member makes personal contact with the registered owner of the vehicle and takes appropriate enforcement action.

Which, I believe, would have to be 'nothing', because the officer didn't witness the alleged crimes him or herself.

Most likely, what that sort of thing will probably do is make officers more likely to issue tickets for other infractions..... they probably won't tend to be nice to people with lots of citizen complaints.

Get your midichlorian levels up and just blow out their tires with your mind.

I would love to have some sort of way of electronically tagging cars where the driver is texting. This needs to stop. It causes all sorts of problems aside from the risk of hitting someone or something with your car.

fangblackbone wrote:

I would love to have some sort of way of electronically tagging cars where the driver is texting. This needs to stop. It causes all sorts of problems aside from the risk of hitting someone or something with your car.

Yup.

Yet another reason I think taking control of all motor vehicles away from humans is a fantastic and overdue idea.

H.P. Lovesauce wrote:

I should think England should have stricter controls than any American state. Like, 6 aggressive driving complaints against you in a 60-day period and they deactivate your starter by remote control.

My experience driving in England vs. the US was that it was a lot more stressful in England, due to narrower roads and heavier traffic. Aggressive driving is bad enough here, but I can see it being more hazardous there.

IMAGE(http://i.imgur.com/h3pH7w0.gif)

Jonman wrote:

The long answer is: You can, but it requires you (a) willing to chase them down, (b) getting lucky that they have to stop for a red light or traffic soon enough that you can catch them, and (c) that you're willing to get into a fist-fight. Or a tire-iron fight.

This happened here in bicycle-loving Tucson recently. Cyclist lost in the 3 on 1 fight, but was rescued by a bystander & able to ride home. Here's the news story (the embedded video really is a bystander phone video of the cyclist getting beaten up, so warnings...).

Cod wrote:
Jonman wrote:

The long answer is: You can, but it requires you (a) willing to chase them down, (b) getting lucky that they have to stop for a red light or traffic soon enough that you can catch them, and (c) that you're willing to get into a fist-fight. Or a tire-iron fight.

This happened here in bicycle-loving Tucson recently. Cyclist lost in the 3 on 1 fight, but was rescued by a bystander & able to ride home. Here's the news story (the embedded video really is a bystander phone video of the cyclist getting beaten up, so warnings...).

Three folks I hope die in a fire.