Car following me

[paulhailes]

Slightly off topic:
Another time, some guy kept trying to force his way into a line of cars in front of me. Yeah, I was being a jerk and didn't let him in, as I'd been waiting for over 10 minutes in that lane (backed-up over a mile) .
Truck (same truck) was for sale with my cell number on the shell. So he calls me to chew me out. Dipwad.....his number was displayed right on the caller ID.
So I called him back. Anytime for about the next 6 months I was having a bad day, I called him back. I put his number in the M4M personals of craigslist. I submitted it to telemarketers. I called random businesses afterhours and left messages, asking to be called back at that number. Eventually I got bored and posted it online to share the fun. I'm betting he changed his number eventually.

Remind me to never make you mad, thats just plain evil, but in a good way.

[sugar land dave]

I had a hard 6 cowboy scare my wife and kids at a Home Depot until I almost rammed him broadsides in the parking lot. I blew the horn at him and pointed to my 45 on the dash. He found the Reverse and got the heck out of dodge. The LEO's found him and he got a nice butt chewing.

Sorry. Not enough details to form an opinion except to wonder why your 45 was unconcealed.

[thorkyl]

My wifes ex was following us one night, I happen to work on the route we where taking.
I hit the parking garage hard and fast. I was driving a super crew dually so there was no out running him.
Maneuvered through the garage in a figure 8 so I was going down as he was going up.
Hit an exit on the other side of the garage.
We where on the freeway before he left the garage.

Know your are and you can out maneuver if you can not out run.

[MadMonkey]

Know your are and you can out maneuver if you can not out run.

I'm assuming you mean "Know your car" and I fully agree. I know most people don't tend to drive "enthusiastically", but I try to push EVERYONE to get to know their vehicles, not only for situations like this but also for any other emergency situation. I was following a cop friend to an event a few years ago, and when we arrived I commented on how fast he was driving. His reply: "I don't drive fast, I drive with a purpose".

I saw what he meant shortly after. He didn't waste time at stop signs, when he made a turn he was immediately in his lane (no overshooting like 90% of the people on the road), he accelerated with authority, braked like he meant it, and in general was the master of his vehicle. I was already a car enthusiast at the time, but his statement made an impression on me and I now drive pretty much the same way. But the main thing I do whenever I get a new vehicle, even if it's a rental, is find out the limits and adjust my driving to match. It doesn't take much, just a few full throttle accelerations, hard braking, and a large parking lot for a few minutes to get a feel for it.

I'm rambling, sorry

[johnson0317]

I used to drive with a purpose, and got a few tickets. Now, in my mid-fifties, I stop at the light or sign until I feel the car rock back. I turn into my lane of turn. I take my foot off the gas somewhat before coming to the stop because gas is expensive and brakes are too; why use up more than you have to. If my 21 year old self could meet the present day me...I am sure I would have been disappointed at having turned into my father.

RJ

[jimlongley]

A lot of years ago my future wife was being harassed by her ex boyfriend, a county sheriff. He was parked in front of her apartment, and followed her to her brother's house, where she met me (for the second time) and we called the local cops. They showed up, he badged them, told them he was on a stake out, and they left.

My future wife and future sister in law had a bowling league that evening, so we left for the bowling lanes in three different cars, hoping that he had not seen which car she got into a good ten minutes before we left. He apparently figured that she must be with me because I was the car he didn't recognize, or he saw her get in it, because he followed me from minute one.

My superior knowledge of the town I grew up in allowed me to take some roads that he may never have been on, and at speeds that he must have been uncomfortable with, because half way across town, he no longer showed up when I slowed down to see if he was still there.

Of course it was a rural town and some of the side roads I took came in from behind and stuff.

When we got home that night he was parked in front of her apartment again, different police agency chased him off, and he never showed up again.

We were married the following May.

[TeXJ]

I used to drive with a purpose, and got a few tickets. Now, in my mid-fifties, I stop at the light or sign until I feel the car rock back. I turn into my lane of turn. I take my foot off the gas somewhat before coming to the stop because gas is expensive and brakes are too; why use up more than you have to. If my 21 year old self could meet the present day me...I am sure I would have been disappointed at having turned into my father.RJ

hahaha

[LSUTiger]

This story is told as it was told to me by my Mother (more or less) :

A very long time ago (late 1970's) in Louisiana my Aunt was driving home from New Orleans on Hwy 90 to her home (approx. 70 miles). Somewhere along the way she noticed a car following her and the car followed her for a long time, she stopped several times along the way for gas and food but the car alway managed to show up behind her. She noticed it but thought nothing of it until the car turned off Hwy 90 behind her on to a 2 lane rural road on the way to her house. She was alone and started to worry a little, in the other car was a lone white male. She lost the car in a turn and never saw him again.

She made it home, but she was again alone as my uncle was working on an offshore drilling rig for 7 days. It was late after noon and she was outside her house to check for the mail. While she was walking down her short drive way back to her house she saw the car that was following her drive past and she got a good look at the man.

She did not know who it was but was very afraid so she contacted my mother (lives next door) to see if she could spend the night with my mom and dad.

She spent the night and there were no further sightings or incidents involving this individual.

Fast forward a few years later, when arrest of serial killer Henry Lee Lucas made the new she ran over to my mom's house and swearing to her that was the man she saw following her years ago.

Was it? She says it was. Very creepy to know how close to possibly being a serial killer victim (s) my family was. If it wasnt HLL its still very creepy.

[Gyrogearhead]

I had a hard 6 cowboy scare my wife and kids at a Home Depot until I almost rammed him broadsides in the parking lot. I blew the horn at him and pointed to my 45 on the dash.

I need to know your secret. I have never been able to keep anything on the dash of a moving car for more than two seconds. First bump, stop or turn and its on the floor under my feet where I can't get to it and can't drive with it there. I generally like to keep my 45 where I know it will always be quick to hand when I need it and I can get it without looking.

Gerry

[johnson0317]

Good point...I constantly lose my garage door opener and other junk that is not well secured anytime I put more than a little pressure on my brakes. A big, heavy gun, not concealed, on the dash, would take me days to find.

RJ

[Heartland Patriot]

I had a strange incident happen to me when I was stationed out in California, this was a couple of years ago now. I lived in a small farming town about 45 minutes away from the base where I worked. As I was headed in for midnight shift, I took the small local highway to I-505. I got on 505 and headed south. Not a lot of traffic that time of night; in fact, none. Soon I caught up with a car in the RH lane and put my signal on and passed it, no problem. It was NOT a police car, either, maybe it was a Honda Accord. I waited until I was two or three car-lengths ahead and got back into the RH lane. After a couple of minutes the other car comes speeding up and went around me, and got back over about a car length in front of me, then slowed down. And when I say slowed down, I mean down from about 70 to about 50 or so...slow. I waited a minute to see if it would speed back up, no go. I put on my signal, changed lanes, went around and sped up just a bit over the speed limit...and waited until I was about a MILE up ahead of that car before getting over. Soon after, here it comes again, same thing. Now I'm getting annoyed but I wasn't looking to escalate the trouble. So this time, I slowed WAY down, to about 40 figuring I'd let this car just go on ahead. Soon as it realized I was going slower, it got off an exit, then got back on behind me. Now I KNEW they were up to something. This time I mashed the heck out of it (not sure how fast to be honest)...well, they chased me for several miles. I got off at some farm roads that I knew would take me to the back side of the base. Not far behind me, that car got off too instead of going on toward the town up ahead like I hoped they would. I started making the turns on the farm roads without signals, barely slowing down enough to make them...I finally lost that car after about four or five turns (and several miles), and doing about 80 MPH on those little narrow farm roads...I was SO happy to pull through that front gate of the base and see those Security Forces guys. California has NOTHING like the Motorist Protection Act, of course, so I was disarmed except for my pocket knife...all I could do was keep moving and make for that gate. Now that I'm back in Texas, I will NOT allow myself to be in a situation where I am at such a terrible disadvantage. That one truly scared the dickens out of me.