Over-reaction?

[miracleone]

Today while driving home with my mum (she was driving) she changed lanes and was nearly hit by a car speeding in the lane she was changing into, the guy in the other car proceeded to pull up next to us and swear abuse at my mother with the line "pull over" being repeated, he said this as though he wanted to fight someone. I didnt react until he started swearing and threatening my mother when i proceeded to let all guns fly and gave him a verbal as well as presenting my middle finger. his car was filled with his father and two young women. he followed us to the next lights and got out of his car, he went to check his car as though we had hit it even though we didnt come close. (heres the golden part) then his father probably around 60y.o got out of the car and they came up to my side of the car screaming abuse at me telling me to get out of the car as i beleive this guy needed to either be calmed down or brought down i proceeded to exit the vehicle when my mum stopped me and wouldnt allow me to leave. they both got heated and then i got really pissed off and wanted to get out of the car and lay them both flat. the bloke was big looked like he was possibly juiced up but was as thick as a brick wall and from the looks of him wouldn't of known what to do if he actually got in a fight.

The question is: did i over-react when i got pissed off and tried to get out of the car.

Normally this wouldnt have fazed me at all except that he threatened my mother.?? feel free to say anything you want.
keep in mind in the backseat where two of my mates one is a 3rd dan black belt in Tae Kwon Do the other is a good fighter. so keeping in mind i knew there was no chance of me being harmed should i have kept a cool head or dropped him.

.m.o.

[ChuckaZulu]

Cooler heads prevail. LE is coming down hard on Road Rage situations now.

[Shar36]

Your reaction was completely normal. What child wouldn't want to protect their parent(s)? However your Mom did the right thing by stopping you. The old expression 2 wrongs do not make a right comes to mind here.

You had no way of knowing if this guy was tanked up on drugs and/or knocked down a few before getting behind the wheel of his vehicle. My guess is that there was a bit too much holiday cheer being had by this guy.

Should you ever be in the same position I would recommend getting out the cell phone and simply punch in 911. Your cell provided will simply connect you automatically to the local authorities. Make sure you have the make and model of the vehicle along with the license plate number.

Then you get to sit back and grin from ear to ear as the authorities nail the individuals arse to the wall, so to speak.

:D

[Courtenay]

Personally, I would have ignored it and kept going, or turned down a different street....whatever it took to get away. Why? Because if THEY got that angry over something that simple; like a small error in judgement on another driver's part (reasonably, it happens all the time) then there is something wrong with them. It could have escalated into someone getting hurt, unecessarily. Think, what if one of them had a weapon? Crazies like them are looking for trouble, don't give them what they want.

[Bad_Dog]

I agree with Courtenay. Difficult as it might seem to do, ignoring him would have been the best option. What if you had a gun; would you have shot him? What if HE had a gun? If you carry, you need to have a different (non-confrontational) attitude.

By pulling over you compromised your safety, as well as that of your passengers. You need to think of the big picture and not get tunnel vision. It's all about having the proper mindset. Leave emotion out of it, and you'll maintain situational awareness.

If the guy continued to follow you, you could have driven to the police station. Whatever you do in this sort of situation, do NOT go home. Lose him before you continue toward your destination.

BTW, why is this posted in the 'Ask a SEAL Archive'? Maybe we need some sort of general discussion forum here, where the majority of the topics are not necessarily NAVSPECWAR related. How about calling it "The Quarterdeck."

B_D

[miracleone]

we didnt pull over he just stopped at the lights next to us, i basically flipped out, and thinking about it now he needs to learn he is not tough just because he lifts weights. but violence wasnt and isnt necessarily the answer.

[MzAbby]

Cooler heads prevail. LE is coming down hard on Road Rage situations now.

Agree 100%.

Call 911, wave down an officer, let those who are trained in this be the heros. You don't know how far it could have escalated had you gotten out of the vehicle. Doesn't matter how many belts you or your mates have, belts don't stop bullets.

[miracleone]

what if i am the "bullet-proof monk"????thats for everyones opinions.
....snap up.....