Driving You Over The Edge

I’m in my car heading home from work during rush hour. Things go fine, until someone cuts me off. I slam my brakes and push the horn. I see the driver giving me the finger. Angry, I flip one back. That turns out to be a mistake.

The other driver tries to stay in front of me. If I change lanes, he changes lanes. He often brakes suddenly, forcing me to brake, as well. I am upset, but try to remain calm and avoid an accident.

The other driver then tries to push me off the road! Panicking, I do everything to stay on the road. I take an exit earlier, hoping to get rid of him. The driver takes the same exit.

While we are driving, I suddenly see the driver turn around on his seat! He makes a slicing motion across his neck, and then uses both hands to make a gun shape, making a shooting motion. Because I am baffled and panicking, I don’t think about calling the police; I just want to get out of there.

I take another exit and the driver follows me. I know there’s a traffic light coming up and I know the pattern. I slow down. The driver rushes to the light, ends up in front of me, and opens the door, getting out.

Because I know the pattern, I know when it will hit green. I keep on rolling down the hill and when the light hits green, I hit the gas and take an empty lane. I pass the driver and manage to lose him in traffic.

When I get home, I call the non-emergency line for the police. They take my story. I remembered the make and license plate; it turns out the car was uninsured, but they can’t follow up on that without a reason. I am invited at the police station. There, I am told that because I didn’t call right away, there’s no proof of this road rage. I can press charges, but in the end it will be his word against mine. Instead, I let them take note of it. If someone else makes a complaint of this person, they will have two notes, and that will make it easier to press charges for that other person.

That same night, I buy a dash-cam.