I'm not really a talkative person, and usually I would just stress to my friends about this, but its really late and I don't want to wake them up, so I'm stressing at you folks. I know its an essay. I don't really care if you read it all, I just need to vent.

I've had my license for less then two years. I've been in three accidents*: one a no-big-deal-fender-bender, but the others were big - as in two totaled cars big. Despite that, tonight was the scariest experience I have ever had in a car.

I've been really stressed lately because SOMEONE decided it would be a fantastic idea to plan Night at the Arts, a major play + gallery event that takes tons of time and planing, during the same week AP testing takes place. Today was the first day of N@A, I have a test tomorrow, and I was heading home pretty late. I was stressed and tired. I knew I was stressed and tired. When I know that I pay extra attention to the road because I know my reactions won't be as fast; I do not want another accident, this time actually my fault.

I'm headed down a three lane road in the far left lane, lane 1. In front of me is a dark colored SUV type vehicle, a similar SUV in white is in the next lane over, the middle or lane 2. Also in lane 2, sitting at my back bumper, is a silver car. The far right lane, lane 3, is empty. The White Car is farther ahead than the Dark Car. I know I will have to turn right some ways ahead, so I decide to move over now. There is sufficient space between me and the Dark Car for me to pull ahead of the Silver Car and move into lane 2. I speed up a bit, check my mirrors, and turn on my blinker. Before I move over I check my mirrors again, see the Silver Car behind me, and move. As I'm moving I notice I no longer see Silver Car's head lights, so I swing back into my lane. Silver Car is all mad at me, and he lays on his horn and swings into lane 3.

Now, I can understand being pissed when someone almost side swipes you, even if you ignored their blinker and sped up, but I thought it would just end there, you know? Lane 2 is clear for me so I move in, then head to lane 3. Silver car is out ahead of White car, but when I pull into his lane he hits the brakes. Um... ok? I speed up and slip in between White Car and Silver car and into lane 2. I won't claim to be a slow driver, in fact I speed a lot (the previous exchange was kept at the speed limit by Dark Car and White Car). I hit the gas hoping to get home as soon as possible, but as soon as I'm in lane 2, Silver Car in lane 3 speeds up too. He starts pushing at me and fake side-swiping me, and as we come up on a red light he speeds up. He pulls in front of me, and I think I'll just move beside him right before the light so he can't get in front of me, but he apparently thought of this already, and moves half way into both lane 2 and 3, straddling the line.

I'm still in lane 2, and as we get to the light he pulls all the way into lane 3. At the light I look over at him trying to figure out what the heck is his problem, and he's there, bald or shaved head, white shirt with some sort of decal on it and wide, crazy eyes, jabbing his finger at me and looking crazy. (He was also on the phone. In this state that's illegal, and makes me feel less to blame because he obviously wasn't paying attention from the beginning.)

The light turns and we head out. He has a better car, my car completely sucks and takes forever to reach any speed worth mentioning, so he gets ahead and pulls in front of me. I'm thinking its no big deal, he can be in front, so I move into lane 3 - I have to turn soon after all. He pulls back into lane 3 and does his I-brake-to-be-a-safety-hazard thing again. I pull around him and because he's still braking I pass him.

OH NO.

I still have to turn so I move back into lane 3 from lane 2, this time in front of him. Sort of a stupid idea. We're coming up on another red stop light, but what does that matter to him? He's got road rage! He slams the gas whips around me, then back into my lane. The stop is right in front of him and cross traffic has the green light. I swear he's going 60 mph 20 feet from the stop line, and there is a little tiny pickup crossing in front of him. I was certain he was going to smash that poor truck to pieces just because he wanted to get in front of me. Those little things can't take damage. He was going to kill them.

He stops half way into the intersection, the truck must have been two inches away from him. It passes by him on its way, and since he's in the middle of the road on a red light he just moves on. But! Near death experiences mean nothing to this man! He's waiting for me on the other side.

I'm in lane 3 still, and he's straddling lane 3 and the right hand turning lane. Its my turn, so I head into the turning lane, and of course he does to. Because he's such a clever fellow he sits in the turning lane even though the light is green. Clever fellow indeed.

I think, ok, fine, you want to wait, I can wait. But the second you get out of that car I am gone. But he does not, he finally moves forward, and so do I. We're now on a two lane road, with a turning lane and then the other two lanes in the opposite direction. I am thoroughly pissed. This road is right next to my neighborhood, and I'll be turning left into it soon. All right, Silver Car, lets play your game. I slam to gas like I'm going to race him down this empty road. He slams his too, and because, as mentioned before, he has the better car, he takes off. But I've tricked him! I slam my brakes and swing left onto the street before the one I usually take, we'll call it First st.

He's finally gone! I am freaking pissed and freaking happy.

I head down First then right onto R st. to meet up with my usual turn off and the road my house is on, Second st. I get to the three way stop to turn left onto Second and there. he. is.

@#%&$!!!

...

He's pulling up about the same time I am, but I do not want him in front of me, so I quickly turn in front of him. Usually I would take those streets pretty fast, especially that late at night when no ones out, but not tonight. He's attracting enough attention, I don't need to help him by speeding down the way. I'm going down Second, and I look behind me and see he's taking his dear time getting moving. Maybe it's not him?

Ha.

He comes speeding at me, but no, I'm not budging for him. --er can sit behind me till the end of the --er --ing world! I. am. not. speeding. up. for. him. So he's coming seriously fast, and he's pretty much on me when he slams his brakes. He does that a couple times; speeds up, slams the brakes, makes that screechy, burnt rubber noise.

I do not speed up. No. Not. Happening.

@#%&$!!!

...

....

By this time I'm getting a little freaked out. My house is coming up, and if I stop there and he stops there... I didn't want that to happen. Luckily, he turned of at the last side street before my house. Unluckily that means he probably lives near me.

Don't let my scathing wit and dry sarcasm fool you, that sucker freaked me out. I was not ok. I am not ok.

Either way, I must sleep now. I have to mother of all English tests in a few hours. If you read it all the way through, thank you so much for listening to me complain! It really means a lot, even if I don't exactly know how to express that.

*none of them were my fault in any way whatsoever, and the insurance company agreed. That's something considering my age.

I understand your need to vent. I would be freaked out too if something like that happened to me. Sure, I have experienced my share of near accidents with other drivers who either weren't paying attention or were performing foolish maneuvers (running red lights at busy intersections seems to be the big thrill around here), but I never had anyone follow me.

The worst I ever experienced with another driver getting angry at me when I was doing nothing wrong was one time that I was driving on a highway where the speed limit was 65. I was going about 70 and was being very careful not to drive any faster than that because I had received a speeding ticket a couple of weeks before that. Anyways, this guy in a convertible comes speeding along behind me and, despite the fact that the lane next to us was completely empty so he could have passed me easily, he decided that he has to ride my bumper for a few miles to show his impatience with how slow I was driving. Eventually he did decide to pass, only to pull right back into my lane a short distance ahead of me and then slammed on the brakes. If my reflexes had not been as fast as they were, I would have rear-ended him, and at 70 mph, God knows what that could have done to me and to the fool who wanted to play high-speed games.

It's times like those I wish that I could simply take down a license plate number and report it. Of course, that would do little good unless there were witnesses. Otherwise, it is simply my word against the other driver's.

You should have called the police. They could have sent a patrol car to help you and this guy obviously needed some re-educating. At the very least, if you had gotten his license plate number, then you could have filed a complaint. If he was acting that nuts, then he was probably "doing" something illegal. People shouldn't be allowed to get away with this sort of thing.

Lady B is absolutely right. That's something I taught my kids early on.

In addition, you should know the location of the nearest police station to your home... if something like that happens and that person is following you so close to your home, you don't want to lead them there. Drive directly to the police station and, if he follows you there, call the police from the safety of your car.

There's a LOT of nuts out there, kiddo. My kids deal with idiot drivers with road rage regularly in our area. If you don't have a car that will outrun them then drive smart, defensive, and straight to the cops. Most of all, don't EVER look at them - that's just begging to get yourself into worse trouble because then you can ID the moron.

Sorry you had such a terrifying trip!

~~Wiccan~~

With Wiccan's reasoning being of the foremost importance, the other issue is that this man has now bullied and endangered your life and the lives of others without any repercussions. In all likelihood, it's probably emboldened him to do this again. I just can't abide that when calling three numbers could put him in his place. There's an armed police force out there whose bills I pay through taxes, and their purpose is not to just sit around writing tickets. It's to prevent people like this from doing what they please.

Incidentally, I have called the police before, and it has made a difference.