If you are in a situatioin such as a natural disaster...Katrina for instance....when some one is kicking in your door...do you want to wait 3 days to buy a gun? The police are tied up. You are sleeping and u hear pots and pans being rattled around or you come in from work and hear your daughter screaming for help being raped...knife to her throat...poice station miles away or phone lines cut...you going to cower in a corner maybe reach the police after bad cell service and watch your kid be murdered? Home invasion is way to common.

Petitt family in Connecticut...home broke into while unarmed family was home...Husband beaten left for dead wife and daughters raped then tied to bed and house set on fire smothering them with smoke.

Unarmed they had no chance. Do you want to have a chance or be an easy victim.

Bad guys had no gun either...just muscle.

 

Rapp, I too feel for you and your young daughter. I have two step daughters, both of which are now out of the house and living on thier own. Back when I was a young man, I witnessed an attempted rape, I was unarmed and driving my Austin Healy 3000, I jumped out as I saw a man dissappear behind the post office with his arm around a young woman's neck. Running behind the building, he had his back to me, a 6' tall man with a girl barely 16 by the neck. I'm only 5'5" and weighed much less than him. Trained for combat, I knew what had to be done. I got behind him with my own arm around his neck and with his other arm that was now groping the young woman, I grabbed for that and brought his hand to his shoulder blade . He immidiately let her go and I had him face down on the ground, where I kept him until the police, which my girl had summoned, arrived and took over. I got back into my still running healy and left. My good deed done. I'd do it again and again, if need be. So people like that can't do bad things to people like your daughter.
People that re like that are predetors, they prey on those that they percieve to be weaker than they are. Stay on the Police Dept. What that was is an assault. No need for that.
Good luck and give your daughter all the support she needs.
Rick

 

I live outside of Baltimore. It doesn't make any difference how big you are in terms of protecting yourself. I am 6'3 and I weigh 240. I am also in good shape. When confronted by the type of people you are talking about they don't think first what can happen, they just think later after the deed is done. This could include fighting, a knife, or a gun. Believe me they don't care how big you are or who you are or what they do. Most of the time these people are on the brink of a breakdown or worse.
I am not a macho guy, but I can handle myself if confronted. Through the years seeing what people are capable of doing when angry, I have turned away when given the finger or cursed at, etc. rather then end up in jail, the hospital or dead. These people are out of control in their life. Don't take it personally.
I love my family to much to lose them over some insane road rage *******.
Sooner or later they will lose. Maybe everything.

 

Damn! Sounds like LA or Detroit! Didn't know you Aussies had ragheads there! What the hell is a "Holden Commodore"?

 

I am not sure about where you are located though I know here in Sydney there are a lot of people who wave when you leave a gap in traffic when they have their blinker (turn signal) on or leave a gap when they come out of servo's or side streets. I have even seen 5 cars in a line of slow banked traffic reverse a metre or so to let someone in.

This courtesy is not shared by all and I can see red sometimes when people don't wave.

As far a cutting off, I have accidently done this a couple of times in the crossfire due to the blindspot I am still getting used to though a wave has diffused the situation. Something I have started doing also is to wave back when someone waves at me after I have let them in. I had one girl wave back again.... A tip for all single Crossfire owners, as this could have gone on for a while as she was smiling.

I see an attempt here of someone pursuing the idea of a SORRY sign to have in your car to help diffuse situations. http://www.awesomelibrary.org/road-rage.html

I think the key here from some of the research I have done over the past couple of days is to say sorry (a sorry sign might show that you make mistakes so often you have a sign for it) If its too late and you have an agressor on your hands already. "Don't Retaliate" An international sorry sign might be the go.. like the praying hands sign, though taking both hands of the wheel could be dangerous.

In a Survey in the US, , administered by Response Insurance, revealed that 34 percent of drivers say they honk their horn at the aggressor, 27 percent yell, 19 percent give the finger back, 17 percent flash their headlights and 7 percent mimic the initial aggressive driving behavior. Two percent of drivers admit to trying to run the aggressor off the road.

I shall post something with regards to what to do in case of road rage shortly.

 

Holden Commodore is probably the most common car in Australia. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Holden_Commodore we exported a few and the design to the US as well. Holden also make the Monaro which is a pontiac GTO which we shipped to you guys.

In Aus you are either a Holden or Ford fan even if you own something else. I am a Ford Fan. We have a V8 Supercar Championship with Either Holden Commodores or Ford Falcons racing. It's quite popular....

http://www.v8supercar.com.au/

This was probably what the road ragers were driving. The cops used to drive these as Highway Patrol Cars.


http://img93.imageshack.us/img93/6286/gajic21sb.jpg

 

I found this which is quite good advice for Road Rage
Things to consider

• If you make a mistake driving, give a 'sorry' wave. If someone else does it, give them a chance to give you a wave.
• Count to ten slowly and keep breathing deeply.
• Sometimes people get in their car and drive when they are already angry, sad, drunk, distracted or running late. Their anger may not be due to anything you have done.
• Stay in your car if you are being harassed by someone and wait for help.
• If someone is threatening violence toward you, try and attract attention so that someone can get help.
• If you are being followed (by any kind of vehicle) and you feel scared or afraid, drive to the nearest service station that is open.
• If someone is showing "road rage" toward you, try not to take it personally. If you get angry back at them, then you are giving them the reaction they are after. Try to remember how unnecessary their behaviour is and laugh on the inside.
• Write down the registration number of the vehicle that the person is in.
• Keep to busy roads rather than back streets, so that you can easily get to a shop, or somewhere where you can get help.

Tailgating

• Don't feel pressured to speed if someone is 'tailgating' you (driving too close behind your car). If you speed, you are at greater risk of an accident, and you may become more stressed.
• If the person tailgating you persists, slow down gradually (use your indicator to show what you are doing) and pull off the road to let him pass.
• If the other car or truck stops too, drive on again at a safe pace until you reach a town or garage where you can stop.
• Take the registration number of the other car or truck and report it to the police.

How to prevent your own road rage

Remember that getting angry at someone may make you feel worse than you do already.

• Don't get into your car in an emotional state (angry, sad, aggressive, distracted) that may affect your driving or patience with other people.
• Remember that it is not someone else's fault that you are running late.
• Consider how you may feel after you calm down - you may feel embarrassed at over-reacting the way you did.
• Be aware of the consequences for the person you harass. They may feel upset, frightened, and unsure about driving alone. There may even be small children in the car who do not understand what is going on.
• Remember that someone can take your registration number and report the incident to the Police.