Have you ever maneuvered your car in a way such that to get into the space you want to occupy, you have to rely on the other driver (who is also about to enter that same space) to hit his brakes and let you in? But instead of stopping, he actually hits you out of road rage (or poor reflexes)?
I know that’s awkward phrasing but basically I’m mostly talking about lane changes or merges where you stick the nose of your car in front of another moving vehicle and hope the guy stops.
Me – very untrusting of other drivers, I usually find myself on the other end of this maneuver, and invariably let the guy in. On the flipside, I generally only get into a space if there’s plenty of room and it doesn’t require much cooperation from anyone else.
To be honest, sometimes this makes me feel a bit emasculated as I find myself constantly bullied by other drivers who make these obnoxious moves and assume I will stop (and as I said, I always do). I think one day when I’m really old and I don’t give a crap anymore, I will just keep going and knock off the guy’s bumper. When the cops arrive I’ll just say that he tried to merge in too late and my old person’s reflexes weren’t quick enough to stop in time.
Anyway, have you ever been on the receiving (or giving) end of such an incident?