Tempted by the "Dark Side"....

It's funny, how having a powerful flashlight in my pocket can bring out the "evil" side in me.....

a couple evenings ago i was being tailgated by some jerk in a piece of crap ford focus, following so closely i couldn't see his headlights, he didn't respond to flashing the brakelights at him, so i simply slowed down to **** him off more, i was driving on a heavily populated residential street and speeding was not an option....

my hand slipped into my jacket pocket where i pulled out my G2 with P61 HOLA, i began tightening down the momentary switch.....

then i thought better of it, and just ignored the jerk, but i was *sorely* tempted to give him a retina-searing blast of 120 Lumens....

i just count myself lucky i didn't have access to a Night-Ops Gladius set to "Strobe" mode..... don't think i could have resisted the temptation

what "darkside" temptations have you been able to avoid, or, given in to....

Don't get me started on people who tailgate... x10000

I hear ya' when i was learning how to drive, i would always speed up to "get away from" tailgaters, i let them intimidate me....

at some point, i had enough and now i like to torment them, if they think i'm going slow *now*, they ain't seen nothing yet, i will slow down dramatically, depending on how much they **** me off, i may try "brakechecking" them, or pulling the handbrake to slow the car down without illuminating the brakelights, when they see the trunk of my car get dramatically closer with no brakelights, they tend to back off really quickly

most of the time when i leave work, i'm in a bad mood, dealing with tecnophobic technopeasants for 8 hours a day is enough to make *Barney* go on a killing spree, so it's pretty ill-advised to get on my bad side...

besides, i usually have at least *one* fully charged SLA spotlight ready to use, don't tempt me.....

Not only tailgaters, but nimrods that keep their brights on when approaching, despite my courtesy flash to dim. It might be time to start carrying my new MAG-85 1300 Lumens...which is way brighter than any headlights I have seen.

luxluthor

you have never seen my headlights

Somehow when I encounter tailgaters, my windshield gets mysteriously dirty and I must clean it right then and there with with the windshield washer fluid. Usually after I have cleaned my windshield, the tailgater has fallen far behind or passed me. Apparently they can't stand my dirty windshield either

Ok, let's talk about people that drive about 10-15MPH *under* the speed limit now...

If they end up doing that, I usually call them into the police as possibly being DUI (of course, the ones I see doing this are usually weaving a bit...and I do live in a college town...)

And you might be careful who you point your flashlight at...you never know if they have something a little more powerful in their vehicle. People don't often try things like that here...but I live in Texas...

JM-99
(My biggest irritation is when there's a car-length between the car in front of me and myself and some idiot decides they want to get in that spot. Really safe...see aforementioned note about "college town"...)

markdi said:

luxluthor

you have never seen my headlights

Click to expand...

:laughing: True....what kind are they? I have wondered what the "torch lumens" are of most headlights. I think JS was saying based on a 65% of the 1300 lumen lamp rating, this FiveMega 9x Pila 150s would be like 845 "torch lumens" thrown on the street.

I'm just judging it by every car that drives by while I'm out walking my dog is not even close to the light on the street from my Mag85. I don't shine it at the drivers, just sometimes down at the road as they are coming up....and that seems like a pretty good (albeit unscientific) test of a bright flashlight to me.

I've always wanted to replace one of the brake lights with a laser module. Something like 20 red lasers aimed roughly at where the driver's head would be. Nothing like the 100mW retina burners like some of the lasers that exist, but powerful enough that the tailgater would be forced to back off or be dazzled by the lasers. I suspect this is not a legal solution to the problem of inconsiderate drivers though.

RadarGreg

I live in So Cal and was once told by a Policeman to use my emergency flashers when being tailgated.
It actually works very well 90% of the time.

When you use your brakes on the one who is tailgating who usually is irrational to start with, it tends to **** them off and then you have road rage on you hands. Out here you never know that they might have a gun or may try to wreck you.

I can remember when it wasn't like that out here.

I forgot to mention: as much as this (and a few other traffic things) annoys the h... out of me, I think of my passengers (kids and wife), and don't give into the temptation. It takes more than one person to have an argument, and truth is, most of these jerks are just oblivious at what they're really doing. They don't know how to drive responsibly; I don't let them make me drive like that.

Tailgaters? I just gradually slow down......after all, the speed WE are travelling at is much too fast for the following distance THE TAILGATER chose. "Brake-checking" is a very bad idea.

I was traveling in West Virginia last summer and if you've never been there they have some HELLACIOUS twisty, steep, switchbacked, roads in the mountains. I suppose you get used to it but I really just couldn't believe how fast a lot of the locals roared up and down those roads (I mean I could actually hear their tires squealing on some of the curves!)

Fortunately they also have a decent number of pull-offs so I kept pulling over and letting those idiots on by. I drive a Cherokee, I'm not about to try and set a record for the on-road slalom with those curves!

:lolsign: I know what you mean. The rare occasions that I get into mountain driving I feel like I should have a "flatlander" warning sign on top of the car...

zespectre said:

I was traveling in West Virginia last summer and if you've never been there they have some HELLACIOUS twisty, steep, switchbacked, roads in the mountains. I suppose you get used to it but I really just couldn't believe how fast a lot of the locals roared up and down those roads (I mean I could actually hear their tires squealing on some of the curves!)

Fortunately they also have a decent number of pull-offs so I kept pulling over and letting those idiots on by. I drive a Cherokee, I'm not about to try and set a record for the on-road slalom with those curves!

Click to expand...