What should you do when a maniac is driving by???

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ltslimjim

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...and you are on the road with them?

I had an experience a few months ago that was nerve racking. Someone casually passes me on the left, this is a local 4 lane(2 lane in each direction; divided highway with median).

As soon as he passes and signals back to the right lane, now in front of me, the driver starts driving insane. He veers right slightly off of the road and nearly hits a turn lane median(from a school's exit, a one way), over corrects and winds up in the left hand lane...

Okay, maybe just in a panic, right? Well, not quite. Things start getting actually scary. The guy plows into the median section(all grass) and starts accelerating. (limit is 55, most go 60...and he pulls away while driving off-road)...

As this group of vehicles I'm with(including the driver in question) approach an intersection, he speeds through the turn lane section(since the median/grass ran out) and now back on pavement, decides to go into oncoming traffic.

!?

He must have passed by 20 cars AT LEAST, coming at him going 50+ and somehow no one got hurt. I tried to flash people and get their attention at least, but I couldn't recover to get ahead of him in time. I had this terror-like fear come over me that if I didn't do anything and this guy hurts someone, how I would probably feel...

I tried to call the police, people had already called in on him apparently according to 911. I don't know if he ever got caught, I tried to actually tail him for a while after he double-backed before returning to the original direction of travel.

This is right outside of my house. How would you avoid someone like that? Seemed like a brazen loser, maybe on drugs(I cant see this being alcohol???), but not necessarily on a suicide mission. Still, he could easily have killed a dozen or more.

What do you do in situations like this, where you are either aware of an erratic, perhaps road-rage driver; or worse they are driving at you with little time to react?
 
Never had something quite that extreme happen, but whenever I encounter someone driving erratically I usually back down and try to put as much distance as I can between me and them.
 
all the above.. but per your own recomendation of "tailing the guy" Big NO-NO.. if your not the police you have no buisness putting yourself in harms way. What if the guy notices you tailing him and does a abrupt stop ? gets out and opens fire on you ? there is no call trying to be a good samaritan if it includes getting yourself hurt. Thats what Law Enforcement get paid to do. your civic duty in this situation is call and report. Keep yourself safe to get home for you and yours.
 
I would like to start with the premise that it may be a person in need etc. Then the course of action is pretty clear. Perhaps diabetic shock et al.

CHiPs covered this in an episode.
 
The problem I encounter is that I am so busy avoiding the maniac that I don't usually make a mental note of what car he's driving or the license number, etc. And then by the time I feel I am safely clear etc. I feel that my call to 911 would probably be too vague to be of help. And these days chances are about 100% that somebody else has already called. I think the #1 thing you need to do in this situation is do whatever is needed to keep yourself safe and possibly your loved ones in the car. In other words, don't grab for the cell phone while following the guy at high speed just so you can become part of the impending accident. Probably the best thing to do is slow down, let him get away from you, or move over a lane or two, or possibly even pull off the highway and wait for a few minutes.
 
A co-worker of mine had a similiar issue. He was sitting at a light and a guy rammed his car and sped off, driving erratically. He called the police and they told him to follow the car and they would be sending a police officer out in pursuit. My friend followed the car, which topped out at about 90mph several times until the guy rammed a curb and disabled his car trying to turn into a parking lot. My friend got out of his car as the guy was getting out of his. The guy tried punching my friend so my friend hit him with a good hard punch and held him down on the ground until the police came about a minute later. The guy was charged with all sorts of offenses and had to pay for the repairs to my friend's car. The guy was under the influence of illegal drugs.
 
Originally Posted By: cchase
Never had something quite that extreme happen, but whenever I encounter someone driving erratically I usually back down and try to put as much distance as I can between me and them.


This is the only good answer.
 
A guy in an S-10 almost plowed into me and a bunch of other drivers. He was weaving all over the road and generally driving erratically. He kept doing it and I thought there was a very high risk of him hurting someone, so I called the cops. Gave them the plate and description of the truck and told them which direction I saw him go. Saw a sheriff's car going that way very quickly literally seconds later.
 
Originally Posted By: ethangsmith
. He called the police and they told him to follow the car and they would be sending a police officer out in pursuit.


WOW, searously ?
 
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Amazingly yes. I wouldn't have believed him, but he came into work the next day with a smashed bumper on his car, a few small cuts on his face, and some slips of paper from the police department detailing the incident.
 
I have had thoughts of perhaps a physical issue causing this, but the guy in this case was making deliberate decisions not necessarily just 'erratic' or 'clumsy'. He wound up stopped just outside of my house, actually(I was returning home at the time).

My wife and a friend were also in the car at the time. I had my wife use her cell phone to call in, I was trying to catch the 'suspect' driver in order to get plates. I wasn't literally 'tailgating him'. Just wanted to be clear there.

I have heard of crazy instances/experiences from someone that saw them first hand.
 
Originally Posted By: AuthorEditor
I feel that my call to 911 would probably be too vague to be of help. And these days chances are about 100% that somebody else has already called.


FWIW, in a crowd situation, there is a moderate-to-great chance that everyone assumes someone else has already made the call or is better qualified.

If someone collapses in the middle of a crowd, grab someone by the shirt, and say, YOU call an ambulance.
 
Originally Posted By: eljefino
Originally Posted By: AuthorEditor
I feel that my call to 911 would probably be too vague to be of help. And these days chances are about 100% that somebody else has already called.


FWIW, in a crowd situation, there is a moderate-to-great chance that everyone assumes someone else has already made the call or is better qualified.

If someone collapses in the middle of a crowd, grab someone by the shirt, and say, YOU call an ambulance.


I agree with the sentiments here. I mean, it can't hurt to 'check' if 911 has received the call on the incident you are involved with...at events where there is paid or even just professionally organized non-profit, usually alert THEM so that they are giving the call and not many calls from spectators(thus over-loading their call centers).
 
Get description of the car in question, the driver (if possible the general progression of events (who, what, when, where, ect) Call 911 and calmly give the report to the operator, they love organized details that they can easily enter into their report for police dispatch. It might be likely that they put you in touch with a patrol car to give more details.
 
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