road rage in VA

[svtdriven]

I came across the the most a-hole driver I've seen in a long time today. He was weaving through dense traffic with no turn signal. Riding real close to people and using the shoulder before the exit ramps to cut people off.

By chance I got past him in a faster lane, but he caught right back up to me at a lane merge. hauled ass right up beside me and nearly had me into a guard rail. as soon as I caved and got behind him, he braked on me when I was still up close. I got really pissed off.

I really wanted to go after him and see if I could ruin his day. but I forced myself to turn off and get away from him. I know it was the right decision to make, but I'm still seriously upset by the event.

My question is, if a similar scenario were to occur, what could I do to teach this guy a lesson? copy his license plate number and report him?

My last girlfriend got a letter in the mail once from the police dept. saying that she was observed by fellow driver driving inappropriately. Is this something that would be on record if she were to get pulled over again, or is it just a scare tactic?

 

[speedofsound]

May I ask where in NoVA this was? I commute NoVA (no, it wasn't me), but I come across a-holes like this weekly.

 

[svtdriven]

right near dulles airport. specifically waxpool rd.

 

[speedofsound]

right near dulles airport. specifically waxpool rd.

Small world, I work near there and my wife witnessed someone of this nature at that off-ramp to Rt.28S passing on shoulders late last week.

I am curious of the answer to your question.

 

[FordSVTFan]

My question is, if a similar scenario were to occur, what could I do to teach this guy a lesson? copy his license plate number and report him?

Yes

 

[kingCOBRAsvt_99]

Welcome to NoVA, it seems to happen everyday driving to work for me. You can always call the non emergency police number or state police hotline and report them (ive done this before). I wouldnt recommend following them although if you happen to be going in the same direction as them im sure the police wouldnt mind you observing them for a while and letting them know where your current location is.

 

[GreySVTSnake01]

Oh snap. I drive down that road everyday. To be fair there are alot of 5mp below the speed limit, stop in the middle of the road to make the exit they missed,unable to merge without looking over their shoulder 300 times, generally retarded drivers in NoVa that would cause a person to drive this way. Not that I ever do of course.

 

[Iceman12]

hehe, i used to deliver to Redskin Park near daily, so I've spent a fair bit of time on waxpool as well.

the best way to sum up the driving in N.VA from my experience is, 95% of drivers are selfish as hell.

Nobody worries about anybody else on the road, people swerve from lane to lane passing people because they are in a hurry and don't care about anyone else..... people drive 5 below and stop in the middle of the road because they feel like they are safe and they need to make a turn and everyone else me damned.... accidents are annoying because they cost us time in our commute, with no concern if anyone was hurt,

tickets are bothersome to individuals so people slam on their brakes as soon as they see a cruiser.... doesn't matter if they had cut off a big rig 3 seconds before hand and that rig may just eat their car for breakfast.... gotta avoid that ticket.....

And of course there is merging.... i have spent so many extra hours in traffic around here because pricks can't seem to figure out the zipper.... TAKE TURNS!!! one car from one lane, then one car from the other.... shoulders are not free passes to the front of the line, switching lanes to the one that is disappearing to pass two cars and take more time is instant proof that you are a dickhead.......

this is magnified by ten when construction is involved.....

btw, one of the reasons this is such an huge problem in this area is 95% of the drivers at any given moment drive this way.... 100% drive this way at some point, myself included, nobody is perfect.

i will completely admit, that when i see these things i get pissed, if i get cut off, i get pissed, if enough of these things happen i wanna get off the road quickly so i will speed, i will cease the use of a turn signal, and i will go around people.... but never on the shoulder....

we all have had those moments where we drive like dicks because other dicks drove us to it.... it happens to everyone around here.... unfortunately it become a cycle...

the only ones who don't succumb to this mini road rage are the ones who drive way too slow.... but they tend to not be looking out their windshield, roll through stop signs and red lights, and try and get people killed by merging onto 66 at 50 mph...... not much of an improvement......


sorry for the huge rant.... N.VA drivers are a pet peeve of mine since i spent a couple years has a laundry delivery driver for my father..... :beer:

 

[RDJ]

I came across the the most a-hole driver I've seen in a long time today. He was weaving through dense traffic with no turn signal. Riding real close to people and using the shoulder before the exit ramps to cut people off.

By chance I got past him in a faster lane, but he caught right back up to me at a lane merge. hauled ass right up beside me and nearly had me into a guard rail. as soon as I caved and got behind him, he braked on me when I was still up close. I got really pissed off.

I really wanted to go after him and see if I could ruin his day. but I forced myself to turn off and get away from him. I know it was the right decision to make, but I'm still seriously upset by the event.

My question is, if a similar scenario were to occur, what could I do to teach this guy a lesson? copy his license plate number and report him?

My last girlfriend got a letter in the mail once from the police dept. saying that she was observed by fellow driver driving inappropriately. Is this something that would be on record if she were to get pulled over again, or is it just a scare tactic?

From the way this sounds were you directly involved with him this time? you make is sound like you and he were already angry and chasing each other.

either way trying to "teach him a lesson" is a very very bad idea. if someone is killed or injured by either vehicle in a road rage accident you will both be charged with homicide. about the only thing you can do is get his license tag and report him but don't chase him down to do it.

 

[astrodudepsu]

The waxpool interchange is horrid, but then again so is most of 28. You can report him, but what is that really going to do? Until he causes an accident he will continue to drive like a moron. As hard as it is, you have to take the high road and just let it go. It's very hard for me to do, so I feel your pain.

 

[F8LBITEva]

PIT manuever

 

[giz93cobra]

So does reporting this overly aggressive guys tag number get any response from LEO's? Do the police wait until they receive a certain amount of complaints before confronting the driver? Does this go on his driving record? Or is it just a waste of time calling these nimrods in??
I heard that an Officer has to witness an action to take action.
Why cant people just follow simple driving rules, Slower traffic keep right (to include all Commercial trucks, Smart cars and the Prius) use your turn signals, don't follow too close, Don't blow through red lights, don't use the berm or a merge lane as a traffic lane to advance your postion, Don't retaliate on other stupid drivers just let it go Etc. Etc. Etc.....:shrug: Sorry for the Rant!!!

 

[svtdriven]

I wasn't directly involved with him at first. I just witnessed him being aggressive on the exit ramp from 606. It was clear and I was able to get all the way over to the left before traffic for the wapool exit started backing up. It was by luck that the left lane was moving faster than the two right lanes. That's how he ended up behind me.

"Follow at a safe distance" used to mean 2-3 cars behind, now it means 2/3rd's of a car. If you leave a whole cars length, someone will dart in front with no turn signal and jam on the brakes.

The far right lane should only be for turning into the Wegman's shopping center. leaving it open for a merge after the light is just too tempting for the aggressive drivers.

I decided to not follow, and it was a tough decision. Honestly, I wasn't thinking far enough ahead to consider the worst case scenario, somebody getting killed over it. I was coming up on Loudoun county parkway, which is now a good shortcut to ashburn village blvd. I made the split decision to turn and continue to the shortcut rather than chase after the guy. I really wanted to go after him though, but knew it was a waste of time and energy. It took over a day to really calm down over it. One of the reasons I posted it in the first place was to help get it off my mind.

I'm glad I'm not the only one who is unimpressed with the way people drive around here. Your rants are actually appreciated.

 

[astrodudepsu]

I wasn't directly involved with him at first. I just witnessed him being aggressive on the exit ramp from 606. It was clear and I was able to get all the way over to the left before traffic for the wapool exit started backing up. It was by luck that the left lane was moving faster than the two right lanes. That's how he ended up behind me.

"Follow at a safe distance" used to mean 2-3 cars behind, now it means 2/3rd's of a car. If you leave a whole cars length, someone will dart in front with no turn signal and jam on the brakes.

The far right lane should only be for turning into the Wegman's shopping center. leaving it open for a merge after the light is just too tempting for the aggressive drivers.

I decided to not follow, and it was a tough decision. Honestly, I wasn't thinking far enough ahead to consider the worst case scenario, somebody getting killed over it. I was coming up on Loudoun county parkway, which is now a good shortcut to ashburn village blvd. I made the split decision to turn and continue to the shortcut rather than chase after the guy. I really wanted to go after him though, but knew it was a waste of time and energy. It took over a day to really calm down over it. One of the reasons I posted it in the first place was to help get it off my mind.

I'm glad I'm not the only one who is unimpressed with the way people drive around here. Your rants are actually appreciated.

I live off 606 in Reston, and I exclusively take Shaw Rd now to miss 28 entirely. Shaw takes me to Church and from there I can zig zag to work. I got fed up with the Waxpool interchange.

 

[RDJ]

you made the smart decision. for sure .. getting involved with someone like that will only get you introuble.

Having lived there from the time that whole area was countryside to 1998 when it was truly a pain in the ass (altho less of one than now) I feel your pain. getting around there is bad enough during off hours let alone during rush. To be honest however, they are not the worst drivers. That title belongs to drivers from MASS.

I wasn't directly involved with him at first. I just witnessed him being aggressive on the exit ramp from 606. It was clear and I was able to get all the way over to the left before traffic for the wapool exit started backing up. It was by luck that the left lane was moving faster than the two right lanes. That's how he ended up behind me.

"Follow at a safe distance" used to mean 2-3 cars behind, now it means 2/3rd's of a car. If you leave a whole cars length, someone will dart in front with no turn signal and jam on the brakes.

The far right lane should only be for turning into the Wegman's shopping center. leaving it open for a merge after the light is just too tempting for the aggressive drivers.

I decided to not follow, and it was a tough decision. Honestly, I wasn't thinking far enough ahead to consider the worst case scenario, somebody getting killed over it. I was coming up on Loudoun county parkway, which is now a good shortcut to ashburn village blvd. I made the split decision to turn and continue to the shortcut rather than chase after the guy. I really wanted to go after him though, but knew it was a waste of time and energy. It took over a day to really calm down over it. One of the reasons I posted it in the first place was to help get it off my mind.

I'm glad I'm not the only one who is unimpressed with the way people drive around here. Your rants are actually appreciated.

 

[fiveohpoepoe]

So does reporting this overly aggressive guys tag number get any response from LEO's? Do the police wait until they receive a certain amount of complaints before confronting the driver? Does this go on his driving record? Or is it just a waste of time calling these nimrods in??
I heard that an Officer has to witness an action to take action.
Why cant people just follow simple driving rules, Slower traffic keep right (to include all Commercial trucks, Smart cars and the Prius) use your turn signals, don't follow too close, Don't blow through red lights, don't use the berm or a merge lane as a traffic lane to advance your postion, Don't retaliate on other stupid drivers just let it go Etc. Etc. Etc.....:shrug: Sorry for the Rant!!!

Unless the reporting party[rp] is willing to prosecute and follow through with court etc, an officer has to witness the action. A citation can be written on be on behalf of the pr, however the officer cannot testify to anything. There will be two sides to that story and up to the judge to determine who is believable. Being it was called in and a lookout given, it will be noted if and when that car is pulled or contact is made [my dept] the officer will be made aware of it. There is no number of times it has to be called in for an officer to take action, but again, an officer has to witness it