Good lookin out or may be "keep honking, i'm realoading" - jk i'd never put that on Mighty.

nice side markers btw

 

Hmmm.. I read the OP twice and I don't see anything "criminal" that would warrant his/her arrest. What are you talking about, specifically, 441 ?

 

In two cases I was given a ticket for wreckless driving

Wow, I don't understand how they can do that, I always try to drive Wreckless..................although sometimes I'm a bit reckless.........

On another note, I've had my car for almost a year now and I have yet to have anyone challenge me or race me or try to run me off the road or anything else. I guess maybe it's because I either drive off and leave them or don't allow them to corner me or something......I read a lot here on NAM about people getting raced in their MINI's, strange that it's never happened to me.......

 

I think he was referring to where the OP said he pulled in front of them and practically stopped, forcing them to go around him.........

 

It's all about how you use your breaks

Mark

 

you guys must live in picky states because here in south fl this is very typical so no one gets a ticket for reckless driving. its actually very annoying and i can understand the OP. they do this to me all the freaking time as well and its just like "hello do you not see me here". they can see you they just dont care around here. as far as being charged recklessly for what they did...wouldnt happen down here. but trust me i see way worse than what they described and cops just sit there and watch.

 

Sorry, that's not a criminal offense. Vehicular manslaughter, criminal. Stealing a car, criminal.

Practically coming to a stop in the roadway, not criminal.

And you do realize even if you get a moving violation, you haven't necessarily broken criminal law, right ? It varies by state, of course, but in most states, the most common CRIMINAL offenses involving a motor vehicle are driving to endanger another, negligent operation of a motor vehicle, reckless operation of a motor vehicle, attaching plates, fleeing the scene of an accident, leaving the scene of personal injury, leaving the scene of property damage, operating with a suspended or revoked license, unlicensed operation, and use without authority.

 

i think something got left out - because if i can run no plates - i'm in FTW

 

That's legaleese for "attaching plates that don't belong to you".

Funny though.

 

Forget the fact that the other driver was wrong. Forget the fact that you countered and brought yourself down to his (or her ) level. What's forgotten is that both of you could have caused an accident, which could have affected another car, or worse, a pedistrian. That's why it's called an accident, you don't expect it!

Forgive (or not)...Forget (definitely)...Motor On!

 

and wonder...

If everyone accomidates the d*ckheads, how will they ever change?

If one always "fights" them, then one has to change and lower ones own standards.

It's a no win situation. It sucks. The entitlement mentality (I"m better than others, so I'm entitled to be a *****) is rampant, and that's sad.

Matt

 

In such situations I've often wished that we (each driver) could stop and communicate our reasons for our respective behaviors. But of course that could never happen because both would come out screaming, swinging, or shooting.

When I was younger I used to follow people that pissed me off with (what I determined to be) reckless or inconsiderate driving. And when I say follow, I do not mean glued to their bumper, but at a reasonably safe distance. And no - not high beams or whatever.

But I would follow them ALL THE WAY to their destination! Yeah, I know - stupid. But that is what I used to do. And when we both got out I tried to be as non-threatening as possible and explain what I had perceived to be an affront to my driving rights.

I will not go into detail into how the "conversations" usually turned out because I am sure you already all know that! But once - only once - the guy actually ended up saying he was sorry and admitting that he was wrong. One brief moment of retribution versus how many other horrible moments....not a good ratio.

As I have aged I have calmed down tremendously. I still get upset at stupid driving. But I expect it, anticipate it, and prepare for it. And I do not react to it.

Ultimately I am a firm believer in cosmic justice - Karma. (No, my name is not Earl!) And whether the idiot that cut me off for no good reason this morning will get his lesson tomorrow when a cop tickets him, or whether that lesson will come 10 years from now is not my concern. I just know that he will ultimately be taught the lesson.

Life is short. Don't look for reasons to make it shorter.

 

thank you i work in a law office and this is what i handle on a daily basis and you cant imagine how many people think doing this is criminal. look the issue here is that people think" eh its a little car who cares" but you know what they dont consider our lives, our car, or anything about us for that matter. perfect example... yesterday while i was driving home from work someone driving a stupid SUV almost moved over on top of me. of course i honked at her because i didnt want to crash, then she has the b$%^s to roll down her window and start yelling at me!!!!! she pretty much told me i should get my stupid little car off "her" roadways of deal with people like her.( i wish she would have used this proper language) so i can totally see why the OP would get upset, in fact i can see how anyone driving a mini could get upset. that doesnt mean that because we get mad at the stupidity of other people we shouldnt be allowed to drive a mini. if the person paid for it, they can drive however the heck they want and it really isnt any of our places to tell them the shouldnt. all we can do is drive as careful as we want and let other people do whatever they want....IMO.

 

After a strong NHTSA campaign in 2004 to encourage state and local law enforcement agencies to target agressive driving, most reported/observed road rage/agressive driving incidents are now charged under the state's Reckless Driving statute... and are therefore usually criminal traffic offenses.

So you said it yourself: It varies somewhat state-to-state, but for the most part, since 2004 road rage = Reckless Driving = criminal traffic (misdemeanor) offense.

Agressive driving usually only breeds more of the same from others. Is it all really worth endangering property or the safety of yourself and others in order to "teach someone a lesson" that they're probably not learning anyway?

Seriously, I think public street racing is probably a safer activity to indulge in...

 

If you notice, I listed "reckless operation" as a criminal offense.

But tell me what the OP did that you interpret as reckless driving. He/she never mentioned speeding. Not allowing someone in your lane doesn't require speeding. You're assuming. Slowing down in your lane, while obviously meant to aggravate the other driver... definitely not reckless driving.

I agree with your comment about road rage just escalates to more road rage. I recently handled a claim where a driver merged right in front of our insured, pissing him off, so he passed the other driving on a double yellow line. So the other guy passes our insured on the shoulder, only this time, intentionally scraping the side of his car as he goes by. Our insured then rams him in the rear of his car, then again passes him in a no passing zone, scraping the side of the other guy's car. This happened three more times before our insured finally got his temper under control and turned onto a side street. Police came and got both driver's within hours of the events.

So yeah.... road rage can definitely lead to nasty things. So while I don't condone what the OP did, I don't see any evidence indicating a criminal offense.

 

Three words: Mini with SPIKES!

We call people like that around here M*******s!

 

Aw. I didn't realize there was a profanity filter, much less that it'd pick that up. Let's just say I live in Massachusetts...

 

I know I'm a minister, and so you'll probably just assume that I'm a milk-toasty kind of guy, but when I'm driving my MINI (which I've only had two months), I am having so much fun that I just end up being nice to everyone else on the road!

 

Reminds me of a bumper sticker I saw once, "this person only carries $20 of ammo them at any time". Or something pretty close to that.

I will admit to having off days but the worst thing you can do when something like you describe happens is to dish out "street justice".

 

Haha that's insane! Although there have been a few times I wished I could just sit down and talk to a rude/aggressive driver like this and hear is thoughts on what happened :P

 

Three Stickers:
1) NRA Life Member
2) "Keep Honking, I'm Reloading"
2) "Kill'em All Let God Sort Them Out"

That would keep pesky drivers off your tail, but I drive too fast for anyone to keep up.

 

When I'mi riding the Triumph I pretty much yield to the jerks. When I'm driving the Mini I'm more likely to hold my ground. When I'm driving a nasty old pickup truck I pretty much go when and where I'm entitled to go and refuse to let the jerks cut me off. Likewise I've noticed that the roadhogs tend to stay out of my way when I'm in the truck.

 

I used to drive like this. The last time I allowed the guy to my right pace me, he swerved into me (previous car)! I wasn't in a hurry and assumed he was going to turn right ahead, but no. Ended up being the preacher from the church I used to attend.

So I now take command of the lead every freakin' time, screw being part of the pack. If it's a big SUV or pickup in a hurry, I redline and speedshift because I kinda like being able to see ahead. Yes I'm a bit aggressive, but I'm not going to be pushed around.

Respect is earned, not given away.

 

Since we're talking right of way, I have a question for the average (ok, above average) driver out there.
You're at a stop light. There's a left turn lane on the left, a left turn/straight lane in the middle, and a straight only on the right. When the light turns green, there are advance turn-left lights. So the person in the left lane turns left as well as the person in the middle lane. Is it permissible for the person in the left lane to cut into the right lane? Who is at fault there? Shouldn't everyone stay in their own lane throughout the turn and then try to switch after checking for clearance?
I ask because I've been cut off numerous times and no one pays attention! I've done it on my scooter even (talk about scary!) and in the MINI. I'm noticeable in both situations because these people are RIGHT BESIDE me at the stop. Is it their fault for not seeing my blinkers/seeing me turning or my fault for not blaring my horn as I'm turning so they KNOW I'm there?

Sorry, a mite frustrated. Want to make sure it's justified.

 

Yes, of course you are supposed to stay in your lane through the turn. I'm sure that was a rhetorical question.

Here's the problem: If someone hits you in this situation, it could easily turn into a Word Versus Word situation. That is, unless you have a good samaratin that stops and gives you his/her information as an Independent Eye Witness. Even a police report will not likely help as most police officers don't know which driver to believe and do not assign fault on the report.

So... what happens in a W vs W situation with no IEWs and no fault assigned on the Police Report is each insurance company takes their insured's word for what happened and denies liability. So your Collision Coverage and deductible will apply along with any out-of-pocket rental costs (assuming you have rental coverage on your policy).

80% of the time, lane-change accidents are no-win for either party.