Thursday 01/10/15
Many members of society have become aggressive and selfish. Instead of looking out for others, they focus their energies on their petty wants and desires, like spoilt children. We see this far too often in the number of road-rage incidents and Coward Punch attacks that feature in the nightly news. (Yes, they are Coward Punches, not king hits. Only a gutless coward stalks and attacks an unaware victim from behind). Unfortunately, these same cowards take their dangerous behaviour onto the road, looking for victims harass and assault.
I’m sure there have been times in your life where you have gotten bad vibes from someone. Not from anything specific they’ve said or done, but just a bad feeling. The same thing can happen in a vehicle, you can get a bad feeling about another driver on the road. If you get this feeling, slow down a little and let them pass. Don’t do something stupid and make them a permanent part of your life. The legal ramifications for a momentary lapse of judgement can be detrimental. Don’t pull over and confront the other driver; that situation can escalate from loud accusations to violence very quickly. Also, don’t drive straight home. You don’t want the other driver to find out where you live.
I have been followed a few times over the years, but fortunately it has only been in areas I am familiar with. Sometimes it was just coincidence, other times it was stupid kids harassing random drivers. Once or twice it was a genuine. Because I knew the area I was in, I took the next three left hand turns, bringing me back onto the road I was originally driving on. It was statistically unlikely the car behind me was still following due to coincidence. After I’d established that I was being followed, I drove toward the local police station, making sure I avoided any intersection where I’d have to stop (such as traffic lights). Once my tail realised where we were headed, they quickly lost interest in their game.
If the other driver is driving aggressively or dangerously, you’ll need your passenger to call the police (000 in Australia) and tell them what is happening, including a description of the driver, their vehicle and the license plate (if you regularly travel alone, you should consider installing a hands-free kit in your car). Tell the police where you are and tell them you need assistance immediately. If you know the location of the police station, drive there. If the other driver stops following you, that is a good result. If not, park in front of the police station. Do not get out and confront the other driver. You don’t know if they are drunk, on drugs, or have violent psychological issues. Normal people don’t drive across town so they can fight a complete stranger in front of a police station.
Unless you are known by the other driver, it is unlikely they will follow you again. However; you must be vigilant on the way home, and over the next couple of days it’s better to be safe than sorry. Another important thing to remember is ALWAYS lock your doors. This prevents bag-snatchers from grabbing your valuables when you’re stopped at traffic lights. It also stops thugs from climbing into your vehicle, or opening your door and dragging you into the traffic.
If you found the information in tonight’s blog useful, please share it with your friends and family on social media.