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06 Aug 16 - 09:29 AM (#3803870) Subject: BS: and now - layby rage From: Rumncoke So I parked my van at the end of a row of vans, nose to tail, and several van lengths in front was a small car. Being considerate and it was late and pitch black. I had already dipped my lights and rather than drive in and reverse up to the first van, I pulled up and reversed, so as to cause the least disturbance. I turned off the lights, but before I could get the key out of the ignition, there was an almost naked man out of the driver's door and screaming at me for shining my headlights into his car. He leaped back into his car and started the engine, then tried to run over me. Unfortunately he could track me as I was holding a torch which requires a double click to turn it off, and he'd hit me by the time I'd done that. Fortunately I was already moving away to leap onto the grass, which is a good foot above the level of the tarmac and which reduced the impact considerably, though I am still sore. Then perhaps someone else in the car advised him to drive away, before the police arrived. He did not turn his lights on, so I could not see the number plate, so I did not bother the police. I bet he's hell in the mornings, assuming he can find anyone who'd live with him. It's just a pity he didn't pick on one of the lorry drivers who use that pull-in regularly, but that sort never do. |
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06 Aug 16 - 09:41 AM (#3803875) Subject: RE: BS: and now - layby rage From: Senoufou What a horrible experience for you Rumncoke. I'm so sorry you had to go through that. He sounds like some kind of nutter, and was maybe having sex in his vehicle (no excuse at all, by the way) and resented being interrupted. I'd have called the Police anyway, as they might still have been able to spot him, travelling in the direction you'd indicated. His offence is actually very serious. Are you okay? Do you maybe need to see a doctor for a check-up? I would be shaking with shock, so take it easy won't you? |
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06 Aug 16 - 09:51 AM (#3803878) Subject: RE: BS: and now - layby rage From: Raggytash Appalling, assault with a deadly weapon, GBH, attempted murder even. Hope your recovery is rapid. |
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06 Aug 16 - 10:19 AM (#3803889) Subject: RE: BS: and now - layby rage From: Rapparee The sort of person who shouldn't be driving and who (in the US or anywhere else) shouldn't be allowed weapons of any sort. You should have called the police as this fellow needs to be curtailed for his own safety -- someday someone is going to actively defend them self against him and both will get into trouble. That sort of rage is, literally, murderous and needs treatment. |
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06 Aug 16 - 01:56 PM (#3803909) Subject: RE: BS: and now - layby rage From: Mr Red Sex in the van, in a layby. Aptly named! Seriously, he may have been waiting for a lover of either sex, or suspected you of being a dogger. Or a private detective. There sounds like some guilt going on there. Or he could be waiting for a dealer, or was a dealer. Some drugs make them aggressive. Who knows. I have a dash-cam, and if I was suspecting idiocy I dictate the number plate, it can hear me better than the outside of the car. The video is not good enough for NPR. But you don't anticipate problems from stationary vehicles, normally. The (notso) downside of dash-cams is that it reminds you to observe speed limits etc. |
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06 Aug 16 - 03:36 PM (#3803928) Subject: RE: BS: and now - layby rage From: Rumncoke Unfortunately the only time the number plate was illuminated it was for a few seconds as I was reversing, and my attention was on getting the van aligned with the earth bank on the left side of the tarmac, far enough away so as to be able to access the side door of the van, but not so far out that a large vehicle could not pass by - the lorries sometimes leave very early, to catch the early ferries I think. I did experience an adrenaline rush - I have to confess that I find them enjoyable - and I put the bike lock next to the bed just in case he came back and I could hit him with it. The damage is surprisingly minimal - a few bruises and a twisted knee, but I actually feel slightly elated. I also feel that I need to do some sorting out in the house so that if I were to meet a sudden end at some time in the future I would not leave so much to do. The layby is usually a fairly quiet place, it is out of the way and there are other places closer to the town for assignations. I usually enjoy the darkness - this last week has been moonless so the stars are very visible, and I have sat and taken in the night sky in all its glory on many visits there in the past. |
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06 Aug 16 - 09:07 PM (#3803958) Subject: RE: BS: and now - layby rage From: Stilly River Sage I guess I'd have been inclined to try to do some damage to his car, to make him easier to spot later. Like swinging that flashlight at the windshield or side window (depending on how large the light is). I'm glad to got off so lightly, Rum. And I suppose that is as good an excuse for continuing the decluttering as any! |
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06 Aug 16 - 09:43 PM (#3803960) Subject: RE: BS: and now - layby rage From: ChanteyLass How frightening! I hope you heal quickly and completely! |
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07 Aug 16 - 01:48 PM (#3804036) Subject: RE: BS: and now - layby rage From: Mrrzy Yikes! Really, yikes! |
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07 Aug 16 - 10:05 PM (#3804097) Subject: RE: BS: and now - layby rage From: Rumncoke Nothing much is going on now I'm back home, I'm doing a lot of sleeping and hobbling around. Just below my left knee is still painful to touch - classic bumper level injury but I was moving away, up onto the grass verge or it could have been a lot worse, particularly if I'd been trapped between the car and the edge of the verge which was over a foot height of soil. The torch is only a light plastic, the front light for my bicycle, so it would not have done any damage to the car. I was far more concerned for the SPB (that is me) and the hired van with an excess of over eleven hundred pounds on the insurance. As far as I know there isn't another pull in like that one anywhere close by, and the next layby on the road is far smaller and directly on the road, so the lights of every vehicle passing shine onto those parked there, so hopefully he either had to go on driving for a long way or have the inconvenience of somewhere unsuitable for his purposes. I'm not really bothered, to be honest, just glad that he left so promptly and I could get to sleep. |
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08 Aug 16 - 04:41 AM (#3804121) Subject: RE: BS: and now - layby rage From: Senoufou There's so much rage and aggression on the roads lately it seems to me. Fairly near my village they're in the throes of constructing a huge Distributor Road (most people think it's totally unnecessary, but that's another story) The result is that for several miles along the original, existing route, the speed limit is down to 30mph. It's to protect the men working alongside the traffic, and to protect passing motorists from heavy plant crossing the road. Every time I travel this way, there is always someone tailgating me. I do exactly 30mph as the law requires (there are huge speed-limit signs all along the way), but I'm hassled every time. Often, the beasts overtake me (highly dangerous manoeuvre) lights flashing and horn blaring. it's intimidating and quite frightening. I've noticed that these drivers are usually in Beamers, Audis or Mercedes. I wonder why? (I drive a little Ford Fiesta and look old, so maybe they see that as 'doddery', but I always keep up to speed, I just don't exceed it!) Glad he didn't do you worse damage Rumncoke. It sounds like a serious bruise, but nothing broken. It would have made me very nervous about driving at night in the future. You're being very brave and philosophical about it! |
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08 Aug 16 - 01:40 PM (#3804195) Subject: RE: BS: and now - layby rage From: leeneia In America, lay-bys (we call them rest stops) are often a place where prostitution goes on. There is now an organization called Truckers Against Trafficking which encourages truckers to report sex traffic, which often exploits minors and other defenseless people. Here's their website, which is a real education. http://www.truckersagainsttrafficking.org/ I have no doubt that this pattern (rest stops and prostitution) is world-wide. Rumncoke's run-in with a half-naked man very defensive about lights sounds like a run-in with prostitution to me. ============= My newspaper ran a story on Truckers Against Trafficking. One day a trucker at a rest stop spotted a woman's face in a trailer window. She looked very pale and sick, and someone inside yanked her away from the window immediately. The woman had been taken prisoner by two pimps. Among other things, they nailed her feet to the floor. Doctors estimated she had 48 hours to live when the trucker reported seeing her. It's good to know about; maybe one of us can help somebody someday. |
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08 Aug 16 - 02:17 PM (#3804201) Subject: RE: BS: and now - layby rage From: Senoufou Oh leeneia, that's heartbreaking, the poor woman. How can people be so terribly cruel and evil? You're right about trucking and prostitution being a worldwide problem. All over Africa truckers are quite accustomed to long-distance journeys of several weeks (roads are so badly surfaced and progress is very slow) When they stop for the night, women approach the lorries and offer services which include sex and also cooking the driver/s a meal on little charcoal stoves. The awful thing (apart from the exploitation, made easy through sheer poverty and need) is that HIV and other serious sexual diseases are freely passed on. The drivers then contaminate their wives/mothers of their children when they get home. I believe that quite a large proportion of roadside soliciting in UK is by women with serious drug addictions. The man with 'lay-by rage' had perhaps paid for his sordid pleasure and was furious at being interrupted. Nasty person. |
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08 Aug 16 - 04:13 PM (#3804217) Subject: RE: BS: and now - layby rage From: Rumncoke The pull in is usually a safe and peaceful place, no comings and goings, lorries and vans pull in there as it is quiet. There is a steep bank on one side, and a crescent of wooded land between it and the road. It is too far from the town to be a haunt of prostitutes or the sort of place to go for assignations. I have been going up there for many years - there used to be a mobile café appear each morning before the council stopped it, where I could get a cup of tea and breakfast in a bun to start the day. |
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09 Aug 16 - 05:02 AM (#3804281) Subject: RE: BS: and now - layby rage From: Teribus Terrible experience, and I hope you have a swift and complete recovery. Having read your account the car was pointed towards you in the lay-by. Under the circumstances as you described them, what was it that prompted you to get out of your van? |
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09 Aug 16 - 12:49 PM (#3804334) Subject: RE: BS: and now - layby rage From: Thompson Maybe drop in to the local coppers anyway, because it's reasonably likely that the same person parks there regularly, and he sounds like he's a danger to others. A few reports by different people might save a life, while a bunch of people saying "Ah sure I'm fine, I won't bother" leaves him out there possibly endangering lives? |
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10 Aug 16 - 02:54 AM (#3804413) Subject: RE: BS: and now - layby rage From: Mr Red there is a side effect of cannabis which can present. Peaking at 7 days all that mellowness is balanced by an aggression. I have had it confirmed by the New Scientist and a friend who had to buy her husband more to calm him down. This may explain, but not excuse. Maybe he was waiting for more supplies. |
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10 Aug 16 - 04:58 AM (#3804423) Subject: RE: BS: and now - layby rage From: Herga Kitty No wonder you screamed too! You seemed remarkably composed when I saw you later in the Royal York, so I hope you're feeling much better this week. Thanks for your songs in the singarounds! Kitty xx |
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10 Aug 16 - 08:36 AM (#3804445) Subject: RE: BS: and now - layby rage From: Rumncoke I've faced the Solent, Force nine wind against tide - there is a state which is beyond fear. |
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10 Aug 16 - 09:59 AM (#3804457) Subject: RE: BS: and now - layby rage From: Senoufou Ugh, I'd have been as sick as a dog Rum, on a boat in a gale in the Solent. I've been seasick on the Thames on a tourist boat from the Tower to Westminster! |
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10 Aug 16 - 01:02 PM (#3804478) Subject: RE: BS: and now - layby rage From: Senoufou My last post (on a boat in a gale in the Solent) reminds me of that poem about King 'arold at 'astings, "on 'is 'orse with 'is 'awk in 'is 'and.." |