Home › Forums › Miscellany › Community › Not giving in to road bullies
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August 5, 2009 at 4:50 pm #778844
So hubby and I went to watch “Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince” in Pensacola last night after dropping our son off at his mema’s. We hopped on I-10 and were on our way. Hubby was driving slightly faster than the flow of traffic so we were in the left-hand lane.
About half way there a big rig decides he’s going to start riding our tail so he can force us to move over so he can pass us. There’s enough traffic in the right-hand lane (and we’re running a little behind) so hubby doesn’t move over. Suddenly we hear a strange moaning sound (it kind of sounds like a horn, but it wasn’t) and the rig is right on our bumper (close enough that if hubby had tapped the breaks he would have rear ended us). After about a minute the rig backs off. Then he decides to do it again. I can see both the driver’s hands on the top of the steering wheel in the side view mirror so I know the moaning/horn is not him blowing his horn at us. I figure it’s the sound of him drafting off us.
Traffic finally clears up enough in the right-hand lane so the rig moves over and barrels around us, revealing itself to be an ambulance (emergency lights NOT flashing*). I kept looking straight ahead as it passed us or else I would have probably flipped the driver off for his reckless behavior. By this time we have reached the area where I-10 is three lane and the ambulance gets in the far left lane (we’re in the middle) and then the ambulance (which was in such a hurry before) doesn’t gain any ground on us (and no hubby didn’t speed up).
Evidently he thought that JUST because he’s an ambulance he should have rule of the road, whether his emergency lights were on OR off.
I wish I had caught the name of the company because I would call and royally chew them out for the driver’s reckless driving. I know the ambulance was #27 and on the side it has an orange, white and green stripe with a lightning bolt shape to it. In fact I was tempted to call 911 while it was going on (except for the fact that it wasn’t an emergency).
*Had the ambulance’s emergency lights been flashing we would have gladly moved into the other lane.
August 5, 2009 at 4:50 pm #498944August 5, 2009 at 5:01 pm #778845Oh, that always peeves me off! When they’re royally riding your tail, and then when they do get a chance to pass/I can move over, they’re hardly moving any faster than me anyway. 👿
But always scarier with something big, especially that close. Wish you could have called them in. 🙄
August 5, 2009 at 7:17 pm #778846That’s so annoying. An abulance driver should have a freakin good idea what can happen when one drives unsafely. And im glad you pointed out that you could’nt move over because people driving in the left lane when not passing is another pet peeve of mine. 😀
August 5, 2009 at 7:23 pm #778847I’m glad you didn’t flip him off; some drivers think of the left-hand lane as “their lane” no matter how fast they’re driving. Nowadays one has to be so careful when driving because you never know what another driver is carrying with them.
August 5, 2009 at 11:12 pm #778848You need one of these two bumperstickers for your vehicle…. 😈
Watch Out For The Idiot Behind Me.
Don’t tailgate, I’ll flick a booger on your windshield.
August 6, 2009 at 12:34 am #778849bayoudragon wrote:You need one of these two bumperstickers for your vehicle…. 😈
Watch Out For The Idiot Behind Me.
Don’t tailgate, I’ll flick a booger on your windshield.
😆 I love the booger one! 😆 Unfortunately, there are a lot of crazy people out there and no telling what’s on their mind. If that ambulance driver had caused you to crash just think–they would be the ones taking you to the hospital! Now that’s a real scary thought! 😮
August 6, 2009 at 12:48 am #778850What a jerk! I had a similar experience too, but I didn’t back down either 8)
During the morning rush, I turned right at an intersection, and accidentally cut off a big rig. I felt really bad, so when I got up a little further, I tapped my brake lights and waved a little “I’m sorry” wave out my window. Not enough penance for him apparently, because he crept up and literally SAT on my back bumper. I was sitting in a line of cars at a red light, I had nowhere to go. I crept forward as much as I could, about 2 feet, and he came right up and sat on me again. The whole time he was revving his engine like he was growling at me; he would “jump” off the brakes so they hissed really loud, then slam on them again so he’d only go forward a fraction of an inch. He was so close to me, every time he jumped on me I really thought he was going to hit my car. He did this three times, then the light ahead turned green, so I moved forward, but didn’t make it through the intersection. He started up with the same shenanigans again, at which point I was all “HELL no.”
So I threw my car in park, rage-marched up to his cab, gave him my best bitch glare, and told him “LOOK, I’m REALLY sorry that I cut you off, but will you please mind GETTING OFF MY ASS?” He started to say something and I just turned my back on him and got back in my car.
He gave me a veeeeeeeeery comfortable cushion after that. I think he was just shocked that a nice young girl like me would stick up for herself. After I calmed down, I laughed at how I must have looked barking up at him. Yap! YAPYAPYAPYAP! *dirt scratch*
August 6, 2009 at 1:37 am #778851I’ve had a cop ride me like that several times. It’s like (and I’ve been told by others) they’re TRYING to make you speed up so that they can ticket you. And just today, there was an article in the newspaper about a cop (not on call, no lights/sirens) running a red light and causing a serious wreck, there’s been a rash of cops getting ticketed lately for reckless driving/speeding and causing minor wrecks when not using lights/sirens.
Nothing against cops! They do a very difficult, dangerous and thankless task for nowhere near enough compensation (and yes I have cop friends). But there seems to be a handful around here to whom the laws apparently don’t apply. I wonder if some ambulance and other fire/rescue drivers don’t get the same complex.
Oh yeah, one without lights/sirens and speeding down a highway late at night last year hit and killed a pedestrian.August 6, 2009 at 2:53 am #778852Cherisherself-I am so glad that you did that! I would like to think that I would have the guts to do it!I hate it when drivers think that they can bully others into doing what they want. I wish that you could have gotten the company name pegasi. 😡
August 6, 2009 at 9:14 pm #778853AnonymousLadyFirebird wrote:If that ambulance driver had caused you to crash just think–they would be the ones taking you to the hospital! Now that’s a real scary thought! 😮
You mean like in 2000 when one cut Tami off on the freeway?
The station is off to the side and they had (had, gone now because of this) gate arms that would allow them to cut across the freeway to the other side. Tami was in the inside lane and an ambulance came out sideways across her lane from in front of two semi’s. Complete and utter blind spot, just pulled out in front of her. What could you do? Absolutely nothing. And ambulances DON’T GIVE. Her knees smashed the dashboard to the point I found busted fuses inside.
This is why she had to have back surgery two years ago.
We should have sued the city. I don’t know why we didn’t.
August 6, 2009 at 9:38 pm #778854Oh my goodness!! What about the collision claim? She wasn’t deemed at fault was she? That’s terrible either way! It’s a good thing that blind area is gone now at least.
August 6, 2009 at 10:34 pm #778855AnonymousYes, she was labeled at fault, because hey, it’s an ambulance, who cares if you can see it or not, it has the right of way.
August 7, 2009 at 2:10 am #778856😡 That’s AWFUL.
August 7, 2009 at 5:11 am #778857All examples of why I really don’t like driving freeways and autobahns. You can’t drive as fast on the byroads, but you’ve sure got fewer wannabe-Andrettis around.
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