Blinding an aggressive driver?

My 17-year-old daughter is a new driver. Last night, a fellow was tailgating her mercilessly, repeatedly backing up then pulling close as if to say, "Speed up or else." Finally she was able to change lanes, whereupon the jerk repeated the routine with the next victim.

Why SHOULDN'T we use a bright flashlight to blind such a jerk? Just a quick flash of the tactical switch to say, "I'm not as helpless as you seem to think...and the next guy might not be, either."

OK, fine, we don't want him to lose his night vision and crash. But boy, oh, boy, am I tempted.

Actually, I taught my daughter to take out her cell phone and either take a 15-second video clip or pretend to snap his photo as he passes. I figure that the aggressive driver will be stressed for days, wondering when the police will knock on is door. If the puny flash goes off to confirm his fears, so much the better.

What about using a quick flash of lumens to tell the guy behind you, "Your brights are on?"

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Paul_in_Maryland said:
Why SHOULDN'T we use a bright flashlight to blind such a jerk? Just a quick flash of the tactical switch to say, "I'm not as helpless as you seem to think...and the next guy might not be, either."

OK, fine, we don't want him to lose his night vision and crash. But boy, oh, boy, am I tempted.

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Also, if the agressive driver crashes, they may hit some other vehicle, and harm its occupants. In addition, if the person is really agressive, you probably don't want to provoke them. I understand your frustration, but it's probably best to just pull over and let them pass.

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Paul_in_Maryland said:
What about using a quick flash of lumens to tell the guy behind you, "Your brights are on?"

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The problem with this idea is that the person may not understand what you are trying to tell them. I very rarely forget to turn my brights down, but I guess that I have been guilty of it on at least one occasion, and I wouldn't know what someone flashing a flashlight at me was trying to say if it occurred again. Sorry that I couldn't be of more assistance.

If you are gonna give it to a driver let them pass and blast them with high beams in their rear view mirror (or like I do have 2 100watt modified driving lights running when high beams kick in to give them a red neck like they desire.

I once blinded a driver coming towards me in the opposite direction but only because he blinded me with his out of whack high beams to the point I had to slow down to nothing.
I don't have a pair of high powered lights on my car now but am waiting for a few hosts for some 130watt H4 bulbs I recently purchased...

Years ago I acquired a little gadget that looks like a garage door opener but it isn't. Aim it at a speeding car, push 'da button and it makes their radar detector go crazy. Some call it a brake light tester. /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/evilgrin07.gif

It uses a frequency that falls in the ham radio bands (shared with law enforcement) so it's technically legal for ham operators to use.

I was a passenger in a car once when a crazy driver flew past us at maybe 75 and wound up tailgating the person in front of us. Soooo....

I hit 'da button.

His dashboard lit up.

Then his brake lights lit up and he slowed down to a saner pace and stopped tailgating the guy in front of him.

/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/rolleye11.gif

Paul_in_Maryland,

Remember that this is your daughter you're talking about here. What you would do and what you would want her to do may be totally different. Do you really want her engaging some possible nut case out in the streets by herself? I think she did the right thing by just letting the guy pass. As my Driver Ed teacher way back in high school used to say, these types are "stray dogs"...they run up to you, smell your a**, move on to the next one, smell their a**, and so on.

Besides, with me living in SoCal, I never know which wacko I encounter may be packing. IMO, the best defense is to avoid getting into these situations. Anyway, just my .02.

One thing that could be done is calling the police on a cell phone and reporting his tag as *an agressive driver*. This may not get far but then some local police may knock on his door and ask him some questions which may make him think twice.

Agressive drivers don't tend to be very bright. While we all would like to do something direct about them, it's better just to avoid the situation.

Road rage is about a cycle of escalating stupidity.

So why provoke an aggressive driver if you don't have to?

Where can we get one these radar detector setter offers? /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/grin.gif

Write down the license plate and call the cops. Tell them how he is trying to cause a wreck, must be drunk, etc. They'll come give him a visit at home and make his cornhole pucker.

best regards

Just curious, was she driving in the left lane when this happened?

Yeah, I'm with wasabe. They're already being stupid - why blind them? I wouldn't want to tick somebody off in that situation. If you want to mess with their vision, let the lights on a police car handle that for you..

Although the radar-detector-setter-offer does sound like fun..

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Stingray said:
Where can we get one these radar detector setter offers? /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/grin.gif

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The FCC has since clamped down on them, however there's some interesting discussion here...

Intentionally blinding even an aggressive drive (your definition may vary) and causing an accident (with the aggressive driver or another car) is contributing to the escalation of an already potentially dangerous situation. I expect that a police officer/court would interpret such an intentional escalation as an offense - and a dangerous one at that. (I imagine a clever aggressive driver would claim that you started the encounter by blinding him with a flashlight - which of course the police would find in your car).

If I had a bonehead on my bumper - about the last thing I want to do is take one hand off the wheel and fish around for a flashlight, and then fumble with the on/off swith. I imagine the effect of switching on a truly bright light in a dark car will also ruin YOUR night vision from the spill/interior/window reflection.

Change lanes, defuse the encounter and live to drive another day. Trying to punish some bonehead a few inches off your bumper is a very slippery slope. If you want to do something, let him/her pass, write down the tag and file a formal complaint. (Most police won't visit an agressive driver off the road without a formal complaint filed at the station).

Lets be sane and safe out there.

Paul in Maryland, I can really identify with what you're saying. I've seen a lot of "idiot drivers" on the road, but although it might give personal satisfaction to "blind" these people, as others have mentioned, it is probably best to just let the person pass. With all the nuts out there, you don't know which one would escalate the road rage into a real tragedy. If your momentary "blinding" of the driver results in an accident, you (or your daughter if she is driving) might end up the one in big trouble, and not the tailgater.

Aircraft landing lights on the rear fender will keep them away, even when switched off the sight of them should deter them

Technical point. Most modern day autos have some fairly aggressive glass tinting. Whatever light you might want to flash back at someone will most likely be weakened drastically by your back glass. Depending on the shape of the glass, you may get some unwanted reflection in your own eyes.

Member point. I try to remember areas that members are expert in. powernoodle is real world experienced in the interactive mechanics of citizens, the law and law enforcement. I tend to listen to him on subjects of this nature.

Yes, lynxarc, I saw that you posted the same advice; albeit in a slightly less colorful way.

Logic point. Looks like most members agree with this. The goal is point A to point B. To attain the goal I believe avoiding obstacles is best. That said, I'll admit I've had a few episodes in 700,000 + miles on the road. Each situation is different. Calm and cool seems to work best but has not always been my experience.

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- Jeff

I'm afraid I'm not good at calm and cool. But I can say that it is the best approach.

Avoid giving them the occasion to make the situation even worse.

I find that if I try to "punish" road idiots (by sounding the horn/high-beaming etc) all they seem to do is demonstrate their arrogance, which only makes me MUCH more mad. When I am mad I am not a safe driver. Just ask my wife. /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/blush.gif

Best is to stay calm and let them go. If you can take the plates then do let the cops know. If enough people do it then the cops might even send a pursuit car.

It really sucks that there are arrogant pigs on our roads and it bums me that they tend to get away with it mostly, but it is definitely better if you can avoid becoming involved.

It is hard for me to say this, and I confess I need to hear it more than most, so I'm mostly trying to preach to myself here. /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/smile.gif

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JohnnyB said:
Just curious, was she driving in the left lane when this happened?

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OK, yes, she was, but--

First of all, she was going a couple miles above the speed limit. It wasn't fast enough.

Second, for about 11 miles in each direction from our home, there is only one lane per direction, mostly divided by a "no passing" solid yellow line. Within that 11-mile radius, there is no "slow lane" to pull into.

Third, if traffic is busy, one must get into the left lane a mile or so ahead of her left turn, or she may miss the turn.

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flashfan said:
it is probably best to just let the person pass.

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My daughter was blocked in; she wanted very much to escape to the center lane, but she had no where to go, and the ******* knew it. I guess finally the car ahead of her turned; my daughter floored it till she found an opening, and he went on to harass his next victim.

It reminded me of my honeymoon in New York City. I would be waiting to turn left at a busy intersection, with absolutely no opportunity while the light was green. But that didn't stop the driver behind me from blasting his horn at me.

*DUI on the cell phone or 911 and report a drunk driver is your best bet for revenge and safety. Make sure to tell dispatch that he's swerving and speeding so badly that an accident is imminent. They will respond quickly.

Also make that 'drunk driver' call if you see someone with thier little kids jumping around and not buckled down. Too many kids die each year from stupid parents.

Jeff