Words of Wisdom...I need 'em!

[coffee_brake]

This bad situation is over, and the emotions are cold, but it could happen again next week, or tomorrow, or next year. And it could have been a lot worse. What should I have done?

I don't live in the mountains (i.e. twisties) but I get to go to them enough that I feel comfortable pushing it a bit. I was near Deal's Gap in the NC/TN mountains this summer, and was attending a group function but I was riding alone that day.
I was on a nice twisty road that had bad surface traction, but I was riding within the limits of the road, myself, and the situation. Nice happy enjoy-the-view ride. Pickup truck pulled out in front of me and proceeded to ride 10 mph under the speed limit. IMO, this is a very dangerous place to be: behind a very slow vehicle in tight, twisty, limited sight-distance roads.
Also know this: my few years in the saddle have taught me that the ponytail behind the helmet will win you safety many times, but that other time will garner you a fight. This one was a fight for my life.

As I passed the truck, with signals, no tail-gating, lots of notice and in a clear area, he floored it and swerved left to run me off to road. Downshifting was automatic and passing was effortless, but it wouldn't have been if I was a new rider, it possibly would have been fatal to ride like I did around those curves. Then he proceeded to chase me. We're on a lonely twisty mountain road; keeping ahead of this guy is ruining my scenic ride but...I am riding for my life!

What do you do when the maniac wants to kill you with his tank on 4 wheels?

I carry a weapon on these kinds of trips, but it's for the tent at night, or if I get stranded...it's locked away in a bag, I don't have time to pull over and unlock and load it to defend my life. All I could do was ride as fast as I could until I had passed several more cars and was sure he couldn't catch up. Then when I found a gas station, I stuck around long enough to be sure he wasn't still behind me before I found a different road.

Not only did this guy ruin my pretty ride, he actively tried to commit vehicular assault.
What do you do?
Now my mind turns to ideas to keep the gun closer. The sight of it is enough to back off any sane person, and if they aren't sane, well, I'm ready, right? I would prefer to ride within the limits of the law concerning having a weapon, loaded or not, where I can reach it. But you've heard it before; I'd rather be tried by twelve than caried by six.

I hear wisdom come from you ladies time and again; I would appreicate any views you have...other than not riding, or not riding alone...that's just not an option!

[mazer]

First let me say I am glad you are okay, it is a horrible feeling to be in that situation, with little recourse. I have been in situations like this, only not in so a remote of an area.
I have some questions.
Did your spidey-sense inform you of anything while you were behind this guy and he was driving slow?
Did you see if he was looking at you often in his mirrors before you tried to pass?
Did you get a license plate number or description?
Did you phone the police and report that maniac?
These types of people are dangerous and you should consider yourself lucky that you did not get hurt.
I doubt your means of self defense would do you any good in a situation like this, your decisions in this situation turned out to be the ones that got you out of being hurt by the trunk driver.
There are so many other options than deadly force. I mean think about it, how are you going to pull out a weapon and fire on a moving vehicle with enough accuracy to stop him and two, it is way too easy to kill innocent people with a firearm.
Your best weapon in a situation like this is your head, and your gut feelings about another driver. If it was me, I would have just pulled off the road if the guy was going too slowly for no good reason, paying too much attention to me in his mirrors etc. I may have even have turned around, found a place to hang out out of sight of the road and laid low a bit or even continued going the opposite way and foregoing my ride.
Im glad your skills kept you safe, and I hope you never have to experience that kind of fear ever again

[Johnj]

There are so many other options than deadly force.

Sounds to me that the situation was handled correctly. Run, so you don't get ran over, until you can get to safety. It's unfortunate that the deadly force card was played by the other guy first.

[Brackstone]

Sorry to hear that happened to you.

I'm curious to know if he was behind you tailgating you for a while.

Not that anything would justify his actions obviously but you indicated that you were kind of "Enjoying the Ride" and people that want to go fast usually get very irritated by people who ride within the speed limit.

That would explain him passing you then riding even SLOWER infront of you because he felt like he was giving it back to you since you made him put up with it for so long.

Then when you went to pass him he went "Oh NOW she wants to drive fast?!" and flipped out.

That's my theory. I know it doesn't help but I like to try to find out what the other person was thinking to, that tends to put my mind at ease.

[Lion_Lady]

So glad you're okay. I'm not sure what I can offer other than, asking about what your senses told you about the driver before you passed him. The only thing I might have done differently would have been to drop BACK when he tried to run me off the road, rather than continue the pass. A motorcycle can turn around a LOT more easily than anything with 4 wheels. I would have gone the other direction for a bit. Maybe called the police.

Did you pass on double yellow? Was he "watching" you in his mirrors as he putted along before you passed him?

My suspicion is that he was baiting you. Hoping that you'd pass so he'd be "justified" in his assault. I try to be cautious, and if I've got any doubts, I get a plate number before I move... just in case. Once you're in front of him its too late to get that info.

I had an LEO bait me, by first doing the speed limit in the left lane, then moving over for me... then he tailgated me until I accelerated away. He "hung around" for some miles. (It was a blacked out Explorer, not obviously an "official" vehicle.) Then on another section of road, when I got too close to his rear end, he strobed me with his blue and red lights. I dropped back and he continued on.

P

[Bluebabe]

I too, have had this happen to me, enough to where I now don't do that. Not saying there isn't times that I don't WANT to, but being a woman on a motorcycle on a lonely stretch of road can get you in a hairy situation.

In Alaska, you can be in that situation 5 miles out of town. I have learned to incorporate some of the aforementioned suggestions: turn around, it may just be the thing you needed. We don't ALWAYS know what's best for us. Stopping and taking a break to enjoy some of that awesome scenery.

I have had to stop or pull over until people go around me in town, too. Sometimes a motorcyclist just becomes a good aggresive out let for people in cars....don't pretend to know why. And being a woman can sometimes make that worse....who knows? Maybe he had a fight with his wife/girlfriend? Could be a 1000 different reasons, but NO reason for you to have to defend yourself or fear for your life.

Keep the gun in your tent and shoot it in the air to scare bears/animals away if need be. Do NOT stick it on your bike out of fear. That is just asking for trouble. Besides, if someone is going to that length to make your life miserable, they may have one, too and seeing yours just lets them know you are "willing to fight." Now a days, it is getting crazy out there and we have to be all the warier for it. Not worth dealing with that "in your face attitide" unless you know how to deal with it or just plain "ole enjoy it.

Next time, respond, don't react to an annoyance when you ride, be open for different routes and changes in plans. Chalk this one up and let it be the next time that you learned from this experience....and are all the wiser for it...don't let your emotions get the best of you...

Hope that helps...

[coffee_brake]

Thanks ladies, you are all right, trying to fire on the run is just stupid and there was a passenger in the truck. I'm sorry anybody else ever faced this, but I'm glad I'm not the only one!
The guy swerved so suddenly, I was already at his front fender, I didn't think whether I should back off or accelerate, I just punched it. I think that was the right move.

The guy just pulled out in front of me onto the road and did 25 in a 35, he never passed me. I will always gladly pull over for a faster driver or rider, and wave like heck and toot the horn if somebody lets me pass. I didn't see him eyeballing me any more than middle-aged guys in pickup trucks always eyeball motorcycles, in the South at least. It was a hopped-up pickup, it was very fast for a truck, but of course it couldn't take the curves like the bike. I'd leave him on a curve and he'd start catching up on the next straight. The only thing to do was keep hoping for curves, and then passing the other vehicles in a manner I didn't like at all to put something between us.
My cell phone did not have reception anywhere on that mountain road, and I sure didn't think there was any reason to get a license number before I passed...but how could I have written anything while operating the bike around curves with a really bad driver in front of me?
I wasn't even sure what the name of the road was!

I guess I should have just kept behind until I found a place to pull over, but I'd never get anywhere if I did that for every slow driver with the sense of entitlement to hold up traffic for miles. Totally took me by surprise. You all are right, oftentimes you get the "feeling" and you can just avoid the confrontation and back off.

The story about the unmarked police Explorer is a good one! On another ride with the hubby, we were tooling along on a side road, nice and easy because it was time for deer, and FOUR black explorers crawled up our rears. I was in lead, hubby pulls up next to me and signs "5-0 (police)." We kept it at exactly 55 until they got frustrated and all passed at once, at warp speed.

I don't know what I realistically could have done differently.
I just hope something like this doesn't scare off other riders. If I didn't ride alone, I often just wouldn't ride!

[MZ33]

You made it. You survived. Under the circumstances, you did the right thing.

I agree with Lion Lady that if you can drop back, it may be the best solution, but it sounds to me that you didn't feel that you could. (You're spidey-sense was telling you that, I suspect.)

I have had similar instances occur. Whenever possible, do not return aggressive driving with more aggressive driving--that is how it escalates to road rage. Just do whatever you have to do to escape--usuallly dropping back and letting Captain A**hole have his way--but it's not clear to me that that was a viable option for you, at least not this time.

I consider what happened to you to be emotionally traumatic. Don't be surprised if the feelings linger with you for some time, and the results crop up in strange places. I hope you can be easy with yourself at those times.

Take heart. You did good.

[Dystopian]

Medieval technology found useful for the modern age.

Caltrops are good fun.

[mazer]

I sure didn't think there was any reason to get a license number before I passed...

As an ex-LEO I see a big problem here. You need to be more aware of your surroundings. Many times while riding we get caught up in the twisties or the scenery, often oblivious to what is going on around us. In case of any emergency you need to know where you are. The name of the road you are on and the mile marker numbers should periodically be looked at to see where you are, this way, if something happens, say you break down and have no cell reception, you can tell a passing motorist where you are - to within a mile.

but how could I have written anything while operating the bike around curves with a really bad driver in front of me?

You dont need to write anything down. Make a game of memorizing the plate. Like 6CTZ856 could be six cats ate 56 (whatever) If the letters remind you of a word or a friends or family members initials, remember them that way and then concentrate on memorizing the numbers....make it a game, check the license plate frame, does it tell you where the truck or car was purchased? This is exactly how LEO's memorize things.

I wasn't even sure what the name of the road was!

Please ladies lets be safe out there - the more aware of your surroundings, the mre you can do in case of break down or emergency.