Was I wrong?

[41magsnub]

This morning driving down a 45 mph to work I was being tailgated by a young woman in a Japanese SUV of some kind, had been for about a mile.  In her right hand was a cup of coffee, in her left hand was a cell phone she was talking on.  When I say tail gated, I mean really tail gated.  I could not see the top of her grill over the top of my trunk (older Toyota Avalon).  Traffic was admittedly going a little slow (35 instead of the speed limit) but it was moving well and the delay was far ahead of where we were.

Getting tired of this I gave her a brake check and she dropped both the cell phone and cup of coffee.  What was especially glorious about it was the cup of coffee flew forward and popped like a water balloon on her windshield.  My morning chuckle accomplished I continued to work.

I mentioned this to a coworker and she was aghast that I would do such a thing.

Was my little bit of road vigilantism wrong?  I don't think so.

[Mabs2]

Well, brake checks are common protocol in this situation right?  Not your fault she dropped her coffee...she should know better.

[Manedwolf]

I think you get extra points for the coffee drop.

Hopefully she learned a valuable lesson. It was someone like that who killed an award-winning jazz musician who was changing his tire on 495 in MA a couple of years ago, a guy who had defected from the Soviet Union and fought to achieve the American dream and all. Good musician, too. Some distracted lady in a behemoth of an SUV meandered into the service lane, hit his stopped vehicle in the tail and knocked it onto him, killing him instantly.

So I have no sympathy for the coffee spill, since she had NO hands on the wheel. I hope it damaged dash electronics. Good for you.

[Ex-MA Hole]

I could be wrong, but I believe what you did constitues road rage, aggrsssive driving, driving to endanger and driving in the passing lane, no?

[K Frame]

You're a hero in my eyes.

[41magsnub]

Oh, I should note it was a 2 lane road with an incredible shoulder since the city decided we didn't need a 4 lane anymore.

[mfree]

*sigh*. Wrong? No. Right? No. Grey area.

Satisfying? Heh, more than likely. I do hope she figured something out from  the episode.

[jrfoxx]

I think you get extra points for the coffee drop.

agreed. she shouldnt be tailgating, nor having her hands full while driving. serves her right.

[Jamisjockey]

Wrong?  Probably.  But some people are so damn self absorbed that they deserve a reality check sometimes.
Where I live, I think you have to be able to drive while on the phone holding a soy latte non fat whipped to pass the driver test.

[The Annoyed Man]

I wouldn't have done it; I'd have pulled over to the right lane and let her pass.  But then, my policy is complete non aggression on the road.  That said, those who tailgate assume the responsibility for stopping IMO (and according to law).

I do hope karma pays you back, though.

[41magsnub]

I wouldn't have done it; I'd have pulled over to the right lane and let her pass.  But then, my policy is complete non aggression on the road.  That said, those who tailgate assume the responsibility for stopping IMO (and according to law).

I do hope karma pays you back, though.

Again to be clear it was not a case of left lane vigilantism (which drives me as nuts as anybody else) as there was no left lane.  Due to asinine city planning this is a 2 lane road with the traffic somewhat stacked up in both directions.  The only way I could have pulled over would have been onto the shoulder and stop, then hope some kind soul would let me back in (unlikely on this road during the commute). 

I view it as pre-emptive self defense since there was a very good chance I would get rear-ended by her if I had to make a real emergency stop for whatever reason.  After the obscene gesture she did stop tail gating me.

Edit:  I tipe gud

[K Frame]

What obscene gesture?

She gave you one, or you gave her one?

[41magsnub]

What obscene gesture?

She gave you one, or you gave her one?

Her to me, I was laughing to hard to even consider one, not that I do that anyway.

[BlueStarLizzard]

gray area. but gloryfingly satasfactory.

ok, maybe not a gray area in this day and age, but still, satisfying!

[AJ Dual]

Grey area since it's not your's or anyone's place to do that, and to simply MYOB and drive as safely as possible is the default best policy.

OTOH, I agree with the sentiment, and I'd be irritated at the woman too. It's a minor, but constant fear that Mrs. Dual will kill herself and our four daughters tooling about in the minivan multitasking while driving like that. So I'm in the "wrong but very sympathetic" camp here.

[mfree]

Paddy, karma's done. Lady was tailgating, and she got creamered. Who's to say that if 41magsnub didn't brake-check her that day that she wouldn't have mowed a pedestrian down at a crossing the next day or rammed the back tire of a motorcycle in her inattention?

[The Annoyed Man]

Again to be clear it was not a case of left lane vigilantism (which drives me as nuts as anybody else) as there was no left lane.  Due to asinine city planning this is a 2 lane road with the traffic somewhat stacked up in both directions.  The only way I could have pulled over would have been onto the shoulder and stop, then hope some kind soul would let me back in (unlikely on this road during the commute).

I view it as pre-emptive self defense since there was a very good chance I would get rear-ended by her if I had to make a real emergency stop for whatever reason.  After the obscene gesture she did stop tail gating me.

Ah yes, one of those PITA two lane roads that always runs bumper to bumper.  Well, there was nothing else you could do I suppose.  You are thus absolved. 

Tailgaters are especially annoying to me; I drive a small fuel efficient vehicle most of the time and it's typically an SUV on my ass in an attempt to intimidate.  I get the last laugh, though, because I'm getting 40mpg and they're not.

mfree

Paddy, karma's done. Lady was tailgating, and she got creamered. Who's to say that if 41magsnub didn't brake-check her that day that she wouldn't have mowed a pedestrian down at a crossing the next day or rammed the back tire of a motorcycle in her inattention?

Thinking like that is annoying because it's dishonest.  He didn't 'brake check' randomly or for the purpose of brake checking.  He did it to stop her from tailgating.  You know it, I know it and he knows it.

[xavier fremboe]

I totally understand where you're coming from, but I've made the decision to no longer brake check.  Consequences are too high.  Instead, I keep cleaning my windshield until they back off.  You'd be surprised to see how well it works.  Third time some one has to clean their windshield from my overspray and they usually get the picture.

[K Frame]

What, no one carries a sack of ball bearings or a box of roofing nails anymore?

Wimps.

[Zardozimo Oprah Bannedalas]

^ Typical white person.

[Devonai]

I imagine she thinks you owe her a cup of coffee and a spray bottle of Armor-All.  She learned nothing.

[Manedwolf]

I totally understand where you're coming from, but I've made the decision to no longer brake check.  Consequences are too high.  Instead, I keep cleaning my windshield until they back off.  You'd be surprised to see how well it works.  Third time some one has to clean their windshield from my overspray and they usually get the picture.

Yes, that's the equivalent of taking a wiz at the driver tailgating you. It works quite well!

[freakazoid]

I don't think you did anything wrong. It's not like you started following her around and driving at her real aggressive or did anything to cause any actual danger. Something that I like to do but have only been able to get it to work about twice now is to slowly keep speeding up way past the limit and wait for them to realize how fast they are going when they all of a sudden slow waaay down, .

[PTK]

I totally understand where you're coming from, but I've made the decision to no longer brake check.  Consequences are too high.  Instead, I keep cleaning my windshield until they back off.  You'd be surprised to see how well it works.  Third time some one has to clean their windshield from my overspray and they usually get the picture.

I do the same thing, and there's MUCH less chance of getting rear-ended like there is with "brake checks".

[41magsnub]

I totally understand where you're coming from, but I've made the decision to no longer brake check.  Consequences are too high.  Instead, I keep cleaning my windshield until they back off.  You'd be surprised to see how well it works.  Third time some one has to clean their windshield from my overspray and they usually get the picture.

That's not a bad idea, I need to get out my pick set and adjust the nozzles to get a little more altitude to be effective though.