Yesterday we decided to take our motorhome to a recreational vehicle consignment lot in hopes of selling it quickly. Gary pulled out of the RV park where we had our motorhome and I planned to follow him there so he'd have a ride home. The highway Gary pulled out on was a two lane highway. A 4wd pickup came up behind Gary really fast, so Gary pulled to the right out of courtesy to let the pickup pass him on the left. As the driver of the pickup came alongside Gary he began flipping Gary off and cussing him out. Then the driver pulled in front of Gary and slammed on his brakes and stopped dead in the middle of the highway.
Meanwhile I was waiting to pull out of the RV park noticing all the traffic stopping so I waited wondering why the guy in the pickup had stopped abruptly in the middle of the highway in front of Gary. Next thing the guy in the pickup pulled off the highway and stopped over there. Gary decided to drive on as he suspected the guy was itching for a fight. I couldn't see the guy in the pickup because our motorhome was blocking the view of the driver's side. The guy had gotten out of the pickup with his pistol in his hand like he wanted to shoot Gary. Gary decided to drive off as quick as he could and leave the guy on the side of the road.
The guy on the side of the road got back in his pickup and started to follow Gary but he was several cars back by that time. Meanwhile I had pulled out onto the highway and was a couple of car lengths behind the guy in the pickup. I had no idea the guy had pulled his gun on Gary but did know he had been acting angry by stopping in the middle of the highway and then pulling off the highway. As I followed behind the guy in the pickup towards town I saw he was driving impatiently and it seemed he was trying to catch up to Gary. But as luck would have it he had several other driver's in front of him who were driving slowly and two of them made right hand turns which slowed him down even more.
As we got closer to town I saw Gary had made a left turn at the stop light and the light had turned red. At this point the pickup pulled into a middle turn lane to turn left. In my mind I was thinking he was so impatient to get somewhere just a short distance away. I mentally memorized part of his license plate and the make and model of his car. As I passed by I looked in my rear view mirror and noticed the guy wasn't stopping at the business but had turned around and going back the way he had come.
When we got to the RV consignment lot Gary told me about the guy had brandished a gun. I was shocked. Thankfully the guy was left behind and we arrived at the lot safely. We joked with the owners saying we hoped to get a call about them selling the motorhome when we got home. After the road rage incident we decided to stop for lunch and decompress. Gary was saying in a few short minutes I could have been looking for a new husband. I said I don't want a new husband. We drove home leisurely and when we arrived there were seven messages on the message machine. All the messages were from the RV lot saying they had an offer on our motorhome. In an afternoon we went from what could have been the worst of luck to the best of luck. Please keep your fingers crossed we sell the motorhome.
Click this link to see a
AAA survey about aggressive driving and at the bottom of the article is a quiz to take about aggressive driving. There are some good tips provided after you take the quiz. One quote I liked was "instead of making good time, make time good". Boy isn't that the truth. All images except the motorhome were borrowed from the net. Thanks for reading and for all your comments.
Hello Linda:
ReplyDeleteThis is appalling. Absolutely unbelievable except that it is real. What a dreadful shock for you both and we are so very sorry.
For us this is all particularly incredible as both in the United Kingdom and in Hungary it is totally against the law to carry a gun, and almost unheard of except in the case of desperate criminals.
We shall keep our fingers crossed for the sale of your mobile home.
Hi Linda, I can only echo what Jane and Lance have said, I am horrified. Good luck with the sale, and best wishes to you and Gary. x
ReplyDeleteOMG...Horrible!!! Scary!!! What's wrong with people???
ReplyDeletethat is so scary! So glad it went no further and Gary and you are both OK. Very glad you have sold the RV too though I hope the new driver doesn't come across the mad man.
ReplyDeletethat is so scary! So glad it went no further and Gary and you are both OK. Very glad you have sold the RV too though I hope the new driver doesn't come across the mad man.
ReplyDeleteThis is crazy, scary stuff! So glad you and Gary didn't suffer any further repercussions. I do hope you reported the driver. It probably won't do much good, but if the nut case shows up again at least there will be precedent!
ReplyDeleteAnd you sold the RV! Today the RV; tomorrow the bus!
Scary, really scary!!! Did you call the police and give them the license plate number? The driver is a loose canon waiting to explode.
ReplyDeleteHappy Gary is safe and the day ended on a very positive note.
What a terrible event. Yes, there is such a thing as road rage. You read about it all the time in the newspapers. But, I am glad you had such pleasant phone messages when you got back home. Good luck on the sale of your motor home.
ReplyDeleteOMG! I'm glad you both are okay but how scary. What is wrong with some people?
ReplyDeleteGlad that your day ended on a good note and that Gary is ok. It seems that hand gun ownership is much more popular in the South than where I come from in New England. I still find it shocking that the bank here in Seagrove, NC has to have a sign on the door stating "No Guns Allowed Inside the Bank"!
ReplyDeleteSo scarey, and I'm sorry it happened...road rage up close and personal is just awful. Glad there were some other people between him and Gary most of the time. THere are some real badasz people in these mountains.
ReplyDeleteLinda....what a crazy thing. Drivers are nuts!!! Sorry that you all went through that.
ReplyDeleteI always have one of those 2"X 2" sticky note things in my car and a pen that I can reach while I'm driving. I have had the need to write down a license plate to report to the police.
Horrible. What a world we live in where this kind of behavior is not uncommon....:(
ReplyDeleteThe man was demented! There are no answers down where we live, except hope we escape unscathed and elect officials who many have answers.
ReplyDeleteOMG! This is outrageous. What a terrible experience for Gary. I hope that creep is not a local and was just passing thru. We think a lot about road rage here in TEXAS..because it happens more and more frequently with the constant growth. And yes the stereotype is true, a lot of Texans are armed!
ReplyDeleteI hope the sale of the RV went through.
Glad Gary is OK and this nut didn't pull the trigger THIS TIME !This sounds like a felony to me and it should be reported before it happens to someone else with a worse outcome.
ReplyDeleteHow incredibly frightening. I am so glad that Gary is ok - and hope that the motor home sold.
ReplyDeleteHow scary for Gary. I would call the police to alert them. People are just unbelievable.
ReplyDeleteOn a positive note, I hope that your motorhome sells, so that you have a good memory of your first days in your new environment.
terrifying...so glad Gary did not become a victim...This stuff happens every day here in the Detroit area. Please never get in that motor home again. I pray it is sold by the time your read this. Dee
ReplyDeleteHi Jane and Lance, thanks, real and unreal at the same time.
ReplyDeleteHi Bramble Ramble, thanks, I tried to make a comment on your blog but only those invited can.
Hi Turquoisemoon, thanks, they need some ommm.
Hi Anna, thanks, we hope it's sold, will know by friday.
Hi Suzi, thanks, we can home and vegetated from the whole experience.
Hi Kittie, thanks, I still have to call the police and let them know.
Hi Gigi, thanks, folks need some anger management.
Hi Lori, thanks, folks have other problems and they manifest themselves on the road I think.
Hi Michele, thanks, sometimes I think I may need a gun to protect myself from those with the guns trying to use them for a no good reason.
Hi Barbara, thanks, yes some folks don't need guns if they can't control their anger.
Hi Cici, thanks, I need to get the sticky notes, that's a good idea.
Hi troutbirder, thanks, yes apparently according to the survey not uncommon and many accept the behavior. ???
Hi Joanne, thanks, lets hope he didn't take his anger out on someone else.
Hi Barbara, thanks, we hope we never see him again, it was at lunch time; we were wondering if he was on his way to a quick lunch.
Hi Dennis, thanks, I think that pulling a gun on a highway may be a felony not sure have to check into it.
Hi Elephant's Child, thanks, so glad he didn't pull the trigger.
Hi Jennie, thanks, hopefully we'll have good luck to make up for the trauma of it all.
Hi Dee, thanks, I hope we don't have to get into the motorhome ever again, not sure if he didn't like the fact that it had a Florida license plate. Apparently folks in Georgia don't like those who they think are tourists; although the tourists stimulate the economy so go figure.