Flashlights and Hot-Headed Motorists

Guys,

Just a heads-up here regarding the use of flashlights to warn road users.

I was walking with my girlfriend at night, and as we were walking up the main road of her town, some maniac in a Suburu went past at about 55MPH in a 30MPH zone! It seemed like a good idea at the time to give a couple of flashes of the strobe (P1D-CE) from the rear, to simulate the flash of a speed camera.

Anyhow, obviously this guy was not the most well-polished of characters. He spun around and started looking for us. He kept driving round the streets until he found us, wound the window down and asked what the f**k I was doing flashing a light at him. To which I replied that he was driving like an idiot.

He then preceded to get out of the car and chase us. Now I had two options here, I could either run, or overload his retinas with a Mag 2D ROP, and then leave a nice, Mag-shaped dent in his head. On this occasion, I chose to walk away, and called the police to report this threatening behaviour.

So, what would you have done? I am 6'2" tall and built rather sturdy, but was it the right thing to walk away?

I was very sahken, so input is much appreciated, thanks.

You did the right/smart thing. Too many folks in the hospital or even buried because of idiots these days!

I'm a big guy too and can easily get ticked off, but intelligence coupled with common sense is a valuable tool!

MikeSalt said:

So, what would you have done? I am 6'2" tall and built rather sturdy, but was it the right thing to walk away?

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Absolutely, no point in fighting when you don't have to. If you can get away, get away.

Sounds like a surprising overreaction, though, him coming looking for you like that just for flashing a light at him. I occasionally flash a light at unlit cyclists, just to remind them that they are required by law to have lights on their bikes. Not one of them has ever even slowed down because of it, but now this has got me a bit worried.

Here is what happened to one motorist who honked at a pedestrian in the street: dragged out of the car and beaten into critical condition.

http://www.signonsandiego.com/news/metro/20071014-1105-bpassault.html

I have dealt with more than a few hot heads, morons, drunks and outright criminals fleeing arrest. The average person is not prepared to deal with the unknown of a psycho, criminal or other miscreant with a weapon and a short fuse.

Even those citizens who legally carry concealed guns don't have the benefit of experience, tactical and legal training in these matters and would be best to avoid angering someone, if possible.

Flashing a bright light at a vehicle is provocative--and would not help in a legal proceeding. Best to only do it when the alternative (getting run over) is worse.

Also, the choice of words (if any) should always cool things down--always. "Sorry, man, just making sure you saw us. Take it easy."

Lightraven said:

Here is what happened to one motorist who honked at a pedestrian in the street: dragged out of the car and beaten into critical condition.

http://www.signonsandiego.com/news/metro/20071014-1105-bpassault.html

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Sweet story. LOL. I used to live in Pacific Beach. What's it like ? Hey, it's a beautiful thing. Some fool opened a chop shop in the garage across the alley from my apt. The slum lord landlord finally figured it out after all the neighbors gave him an earfull. That's nothing. My neighbor was out walking and came up on some guy holding a gun to someone's head. Two sterling characters by his account. The guy with the gun is giving my neighbor the evil eye. What to do ? He says: "Shoot him, I don't care" as he walks by, probably soiling his pants. Kept going and never looked back.

A word to the wise: lock the door.

PS mikesalt, you did the right thing, don't think twice about it.

@Mikesalt

You did the right thing. It's totally understandable to get a bruised ego after such an encounter, but it actually takes a bigger man in a situation like that, to do the smart thing and walk away instead of showing off how tough you are. There's no point at all to risk getting injured or injuring someone over such a trivial matter.

MikeSalt:

Like everyone stated already it is always better to walk away. I ride a mountain bike 15 plus miles everyday as a warm up to my workout routines and let me tell you I have had plenty of people drive like jerks when they see me riding on the side of the road.

I wear all the right equipment and have of course a flashing led tail light and head light plus a headlamp mounted on my helmet so in short I can be seen. But people always seem to throw things like cups of soda at me or they will yell out things and so on.

Heck I have even had people drive at me like they want run me over. I never sweat it anymore, people will always play the tough guy roll when in there vehicles, it is and outlet for them to get away quick.

The sad thing about it is right now I'm training to get ready for Police Academy (LVMPD) out here and I always laugh when people do things to me because some day that same person may need my help and lucky for them I would be there in a second to help them no questions asked.

Walking ( or running) away is by far the best choice of action in this case. Just glad it ended with everyone healthy.

djblank87 said:

MikeSalt:
I wear all the right equipment and have of course a flashing led tail light and head light plus a headlamp mounted on my helmet so in short I can be seen. But people always seem to throw things like cups of soda at me or they will yell out things and so on.

Heck I have even had people drive at me like they want run me over. I never sweat it anymore, people will always play the tough guy roll when in there vehicles, it is and outlet for them to get away quick.

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Seriously? Is that common?
I've only been to New York in the states, and you americans where UBERFRIENDLY there, despite all that I had heard and seen(sitcoms and movies) about rude New Yorkers. Couldn't been a lovelier group of people (allthough your security details has a lot to learn from the british). Behaviour that you described above sounds very alien to me, at all places I've been. Best to stay away from Las Vegas then.

Lobo said:

Seriously? Is that common?
I've only been to New York in the states, and you americans where UBERFRIENDLY there, despite all that I had heard and seen(sitcoms and movies) about rude New Yorkers. Couldn't been a lovelier group of people (allthough your security details has a lot to learn from the british). Behaviour that you described above sounds very alien to me, at all places I've been. Best to stay away from Las Vegas then.

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It is and in the area of town I live in it is considered the "Nice Area" of Las Vegas, West/Northwest. It is almost 9 out 10 times young teenagers in there mommy and daddy's BMW trying to act cool and show off to there friends.

Something being thrown at me from a moving car will most likely happen once a month, people driving head on with me one or twice a year.

People yelling stuff out there windows as they speed by almost everyday.

Yesterday, before I went to work I went out and it was around 9:00pm and started riding, I have five or six different routes I take and I was riding on my side of the road heading up a bigger hill way out in the southwest area of town and two different vehicles with teenagers went by and yelled out the F-word with "er" added to the end of it.

I just keep on riding, not worth my time to get into it with them, plus if they really meant trouble they would pull over and wait for me and then speak there mind. That has never happend!

Also, Vegas is not really that bad of a town. We just attract the worst of the worst with our advertising as the "Adult Playground" of the world. Transit people are every where on the strip and are a major part of or current criminal problems. Off the strip Vegas is in my opinion a good place to live. I have been here since I was 14, I went in the military and when I got out, I came right back.

Lobo said:

Seriously? Is that common?
I've only been to New York in the states, and you americans where UBERFRIENDLY there, despite all that I had heard and seen(sitcoms and movies) about rude New Yorkers. Couldn't been a lovelier group of people (allthough your security details has a lot to learn from the british). Behaviour that you described above sounds very alien to me, at all places I've been. Best to stay away from Las Vegas then.

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Sitcoms and movies?

The media, especially the news media, quite often show very inaccurate descriptions of America in general.

Unfortunately, England has bred a new race of people known simply as 'chavs'. These are the sort of people that require no provocation whatsoever to start a fight.

At least very few people in the UK have guns. I might have got more than a few photons blasted my way otherwise.

You probably should refrain from using a bright light or anything like that to try and make a person "fly right". Too many, as you found out the hard way, crazies out there. And they just might have something more powerful than your light to shoot back at you. Police even advise against flashing bright lights any more to tell someone they have their brights on. If someone is driving dangerously, the best thing to do is call the police on the cell and report it, hopefully they will catch them before they hurt someone.

You did the right thing walking away after it went bad, no sense in escalating it with the next step up, who knows what his next step may have been.

MikeSalt said:

At least very few people in the UK have guns. I might have got more than a few photons blasted my way otherwise.

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Guns have little do with crime rates, it's the person that is behind the gun that matters. But at least in the US, many gun owners are much less likely to get into fights because they don't want the fight to escalate.

djblank87 said:

It is and in the area of town I live in it is considered the "Nice Area" of Las Vegas, West/Northwest. It is almost 9 out 10 times young teenagers in there mommy and daddy's BMW trying to act cool and show off to there friends.

Something being thrown at me from a moving car will most likely happen once a month, people driving head on with me one or twice a year.

People yelling stuff out there windows as they speed by almost everyday.

Yesterday, before I went to work I went out and it was around 9:00pm and started riding, I have five or six different routes I take and I was riding on my side of the road heading up a bigger hill way out in the southwest area of town and two different vehicles with teenagers went by and yelled out the F-word with "er" added to the end of it.

I just keep on riding, not worth my time to get into it with them, plus if they really meant trouble they would pull over and wait for me and then speak there mind. That has never happend!

Also, Vegas is not really that bad of a town. We just attract the worst of the worst with our advertising as the "Adult Playground" of the world. Transit people are every where on the strip and are a major part of or current criminal problems. Off the strip Vegas is in my opinion a good place to live. I have been here since I was 14, I went in the military and when I got out, I came right back.

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That seems to suck. But I guess it has a lot to do with what you mentioned, Las Vegas being advertised as "Adult Playground" of the world, actracting all kinds of people.

I also agree that you did the right thing by walking away and by filing the police report.

Many motorists are creatures of habit. If you stake out that stretch of roadway for a night or two at about the same time there's a fair chance he might happen by again and you might be able to get a plate number. People like that are a threat to everyone both by their driving habits and their personal attitude. Safely getting them handled through the legal system can be a beautiful thing......

I would have shot him and claimed his wife and house as my own.....


In all seriousness, you did the right thing. You don't want to end up fighting with someone. He may end taking you do court, claiming that you tried to blind him with your light while he was driving, then attacked him when he approached you to discuss the matter civilly .

jbrown50 said:

Sitcoms and movies?

The media, especially the news media, quite often show very inaccurate descriptions of America in general.

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What? The whole lot of you ARE NOT obese, ignorant, biblethumping, uneducated, guntoting, fat(did I mention that before?), paranoid inbred rednecks?


LOL, I know. And you should see the description of Sweden and the rest of Europe in Hollywood, not allways that correct.

But you start to wonder about New Yorkers compared to the rest of America when Letterman makes the tenth joke for the evening(every evening) about rude New Yorkers etc etc etc.

Lobo said:

What? The whole lot of you ARE NOT obese, ignorant, biblethumping, uneducated, guntoting, fat(did I mention that before?), paranoid inbred rednecks?


LOL, I know. And you should see the description of Sweden and the rest of Europe in Hollywood, not allways that correct.

But you start to wonder about New Yorkers compared to the rest of America when Letterman makes the tenth joke for the evening(every evening) about rude New Yorkers etc etc etc.

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Portrayals of Swedes in movies? The only impression I ever got of swedes was when I was a kid from the muppets the Swedish chef.

In my visits most americans are decent folks like you or I, some maybe on the heavier side but how can you not be with those ultra cheap and tasty fast food joints(I gained weight on my last trip, I wish we had a checkers or sonics or an IHOP in Canada).

Lobo said:

What? The whole lot of you ARE NOT obese, ignorant, biblethumping, uneducated, guntoting, fat(did I mention that before?), paranoid inbred rednecks?


LOL, I know. And you should see the description of Sweden and the rest of Europe in Hollywood, not allways that correct.

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I don't know if I should be complimented or insulted. I'm from the hills of Tennessee and play the banjo

For the Swedish, there is always the Swedish Bikini Team at the Southwest Pistol League 1 July 2001 pictures. I don't know if linking is such a hot idea but let me say that Sweden is well represented in a very positive light there.