Hypothetical question from a Newbie

[Carol]

Q: A couple of young troublemakers in a pick-up truck decide to follow very closely behind my convertible and harass me. What is the most intelligent way of getting rid of them? (Shot guns, speeding and confrontations are NOT on the menu).
Carol ;help

 

[Mac]

Pull to the nearest curb and stop. Dig out your cellphone. Dial 9-1-1 and tell the dispatcher the licence plate.

Thus saith the resident Mountie.

-Mac

 

[Jack]

If you have a cell ... call 911. With or without cell, drive up to the closest policeman, or to the closest police station and go inside, or to the closest hospital emergency room, or to the closest hi-dollar restaurant/country club and go inside. Do Not engage them but do attempt to get their tag number ... Do Not attempt any risky manuevers if it's hard to read a rear-only tag.
JACK:gap

 

[BlackNBlue95]

Q: A couple of young troublemakers in a pick-up truck decide to follow very closely behind my convertible and harass me. What is the most intelligent way of getting rid of them? (Shot guns, speeding and confrontations are NOT on the menu).
Carol ;help

Any idea as to why they wanted to harass you?
I agree with the others comments cell phone 911 police ect.
-=Rick

 

[78SilvAnniv]

Any idea as to why they wanted to harass you?

It's a hypothetical question. She just wants to know what to do in case it happens.

As an answer to your query though....it is because we drive a 'vette.
I was just harrassed this past week driving on the fwy to the next town for weekly shopping. Mercedes, small car that looks like a VW GTO but had a long, German sounding name; Kommandar or something similar...
Anyway, I had caught up to him at a light, he was in the slow lane and I was in the fast lane. I accelerated to my usual driving speed and held steady, he was just ahead of me. 1 mile and my exit was coming up so I began to consider dropping in behind him, but as I was thinking this, he began to slow and I started to overtake him.
So, I decide to accelerate a little bit (I still had more than 1/2 mile to the exit) and get ahead of him so I can take the 'fun' offramp at my favorite speed and enjoy seeing everyone behind me drop back at the 'scary' curve.

Well! As I accelerate and pass, I notice his fender is hanging in my side window, so I accerate a bit more and he is STILL there! By this time I'm irritated because my exit is coming up and I do not want a battle to see who gets there first. So I let off to bring the driver into my view and the old man (gray hair) is smirking at me! ad (appologies) I flipped him off, stomped my brake and ducked in behind him for my exit. He exited too, and pulled into the Mercedes dealership.

I did consider pulling in after him and asking him what he thought he was doing, purposely messing with me on the road...but my health is suseptible to stressful situations and I decided to drop it. I figure if someone, somewhere is keeping score...he'll have to answer for it someday!
Heidi

 

[MsSchroder]

Dang Heidi.

It was probably a Kompressor . You'd be amazed how that badge on the car adds inches to an old guys....um,.... ego, giving him an inflated sense of prowess. It is like the Type R badge on the ricer mobiles

As for the hypothetical young punks. I like Jack's idea.

Tammy

 

[BlackNBlue95]

It's a hypothetical question. She just wants to know what to do in case it happens.

Oops what I should have asked is why she thought someone might mess with her like that..
-=Rick

 

[78SilvAnniv]

As an answer to your query though....it is because we drive a 'vette.

I'd already provided my answer, maybe Carol has a different one?
h

 

[RonJ]

Q: A couple of young troublemakers in a pick-up truck decide to follow very closely behind my convertible and harass me. What is the most intelligent way of getting rid of them? (Shot guns, speeding and confrontations are NOT on the menu).
Carol ;help

I imagine the young lads were acting like idiots because a: you are a woman, and b: you are in a Corvette.

Seems some people like to harass a 'vette just to see if they can get some action out of the driver. Just set your cruise for a few miles over the speed limit and they will tire of tailgating behind you and will pass you with the pedal to the metal and a big smile!!

Short of giving them the bird and then putting it down a gear or two ... , I'd agree with the other replies, get their plate number and call 9-1-1. I'm assuming you have a cell in the 'vette, if you don't, you should get one!!

Cheers ..... Ron ....

 

[*89x2*]

Q: A couple of young troublemakers in a pick-up truck decide to follow very closely behind my convertible and harass me. What is the most intelligent way of getting rid of them? (Shot guns, speeding and confrontations are NOT on the menu).
Carol ;help

Pulling into a Firehouse parking lot if you pass one or any police station lot would end that - I offered the same advice to my wife if she were ever followed...

 

[kingman]

The pen is mightier then the sword!

All you have to do is call 911 and tell them that you are being harrassed and give them the license plate, That will get their attention when they see the flashing lights and l'm sure they will be pulled over.

If it was l, they would curse the day they were born. You see l'm protected by "Smith & Wesson".

Alan

 

[OLDGOAT]

Avoid Confrontation if at all possible

All you have to do is call 911 and tell them that you are being harrassed and give them the license plate, That will get their attention when they see the flashing lights and l'm sure they will be pulled over.

If it was l, they would curse the day they were born. You see l'm protected by "Smith & Wesson".

Alan

Jack has is perfectly correct. Car theft ( didn't want to say carjacking ) is a possible motivation-or simple theft from a well to do motorist. And, as others have said, women alone ( or even anyone alone ) are at risk from criminals. I think lots of vette / sports driving occurs out in the country far from help if needed and perhaps even out of cell service. It's something to think about before setting out. Road trips with vette clubs make a lot of sense.

Alan, naturally self defense is a last resort and is to be avoided at all costs ( except yours or a loved ones' life ). But being prepared to defend yourself is a noble and even patriotic responsibility. I see Carol lives in Canada. This is a problem as the Socialist liberal gov't up there is intent on disarming every lawabiding citizen while searching for ever more "rights" for felons. I think handguns are virtually illegal for private citizens in Canada. Some 36 or 38 states in the USA are now "shall issue" for purposes of permits to carry concealed handguns. This means that any law abiding citizen of sound mind can get a permit.

I'd throw a caution out as a postscript to your statement which is that avoidance is always best and relying on S&W is a last resort. Also, as the CCL class teaches in my state a person must be VERY careful during a traffic stop if he/she is lawfully armed. Hands out the window kind of careful. Though, I understand, when our police pull up your plate they also see that you have a concealed carry permit. This tells them that there may be a lawfully carried gun in the car but it also tells them that the driver is a lawbiding nonviolent citizen who has submitted to extensive background checks to get the permit-thus-there is almost certainly no danger.

Maybe it's just because I'm an oldgoat now but the world seems a whole lot more dangerous than when I was a young man. Sadly, I don't think it's my age. I think it's true. Stay safe Carol. And, btw, I love Canada and Canadians no matter what crazy gun laws they pass.

 

[kingman]

Oldgoat you are 100% correct.

Yes the laws in my state are more with the criminal then they are with me. The last resort is the only time lethal force can be used within the legal guidelines.

Being a competitive shooter l am forced to use the smallest caliber available or the tables can be switched against me. I would be better off stabbing the perp with a pencil!

Alan

 

[Mac]

The town where Carol lives is 'red neck' country... population 2100 or so, close to the Rocky Mountains, resource based economy, where men are men and sheep scatter at the sound of a zipper.

Carol's new 2005 Corvette will likely be the only new Vette in town. I suspect car jacking is the last thing Carol would have to worry about since that kind of big-city crime doesn't often happen in small towns. More likely, the local yahoos will drive their pick-me-up trucks onto her bumper just to see if she runs. That being said, if Carol calls the local Mounties, the young'uns will likely find themselves in a heap of trouble because once the Mountie gets done chewing them out, their folks will likely tune them up as well.

Issues like Canadian versus American gun policy are best left to the Edge Forum because folks tend to lose objectivity when they start smelling gunpowder.

-Mac

 

[Edmond]

I would call the police and then head straight for the station. Or maybe I would just call Mac and have him come rescue me!

 

[Daryllawman]

I agree with MAC....Make the Call..........Welcome to the Corvette Action Center......and if all else fails....put the pedal to the medal with the Z-06 and leave that problem behind and when it is safe to do so then slow and make the call......if you get cought point out the perps vehicle when they pass....

Note.....Remember it is always better to be tried by twelve than to be carried by SIX.....

 

[Greenie]

Hmm, well, you ARE driving a Corvette! Wave goodbye and you are outta there!

 

[Carol]

From Carol RE: my hypothetical question

Just to clarify my hypothetical question, here is some more info:
1. I live in a fairly remote area with very limited cell phone coverage and roads with no towns for many miles
2. It would take 911 or police hours to respond even if you could make the call
3. I did not want speeding to be an option (for obvious safety reasons and knowing that there are many moose and deer that pop out at unexpected times, also I thought that speeding might make matters worse)
4. I am not a gun-toting person and would not even consider that option
5. Thankfully, 99.9% of people we encounter will stop and give aid to any driver in distress (we did hit a deer with our pick-up truck once and numerous people stopped to see if we were OK and offer assistance)
6. I have never driven a Corvette (mine is on order) and really just don't know how much attention it will draw or problems I will encounter
7. It was a purely hypothetical question -- I was attempting to discover if any of you out there have ever had a serious problem of this nature.

Well, there you have it,
Thanks for all your input,
Carol

 

[Jack]

Now that Carol has fleshed out her locale's limitations ... I digress. In her locale it seems cell phones may be useless and there's nowhere nearby to take refuge and potential for wildlife crash. I'm not sure what the proper name is ... but there are special driving courses available ... training primarily to evade kidnappers/terrorists ... I visited just such a school near the airport at Oxnard CA. Also, perhaps some sort of high-powered radio/radiophone may be available and appropriate for the locale. Possibly a couple of Tasers behind the seat and a heaping helping of discretion might be of help too.
JACK:gap

 

[invinceablevett]

Carol.....the hypothetical question of yours was a real life situation for my sister.She and a friend of hers were driving (convertible Jeep) when they were approached by 2 young men in a "type R" car.At first they were all giggly but when my sister tried to pull away they just kept pulling up along either side.My sister and her friend were getting real nervous because they wouldn't let up.Some other motorists noticed the goings on and must have called the police because a couple of minutes later the police pulled the young men over.All ended well and my sister now has a cell phone. ....As for my sister driving my Vette.....Well let's just say she gets lots of phone numbers thrown at her:L