White van man (probably revisited) is not a myth
Posted by: Misguided Fool on 15 October 2004
On the way to work this morning I was verbally abused and threatened by White Van Man.
I was turning left from a T-junction into a line of almost stationary traffic. To the right, about 100 yards away, was a white van. As the traffic was almost stationary, the van was a goodly distance away and was slowing down, I decided that there was sufficient time to pull into the queue.
The driver of the van proceeded to flash his lights at me and sound his horn? In normal response to this (probably shouldn't have really), I flicked him the vees. The next thing I knew he was out of his van, threatening to smash my face in, hurling other abuse and banging on my window. My response was to roll my eyes and ignore him. As he left he kicked the back of my car. I then shouted to him to grow up and stop being so soft.
He then followed me to the next junction as close as he could. As I was turning right he purposely drove his van into my passenger side door mirror in an attempt to break it. Luckily he only glanced it and did very little damage.
Fortunately, I got his registration and make of the van. I called the police, who then informed me that as nobody had stopped to be a witness there was little they could do, but take my statement. As I made my statement, the police person I was talking told me that as there was physical violence threatened and attempted criminal damage, this was not a standard road rage incident and that they would like to me make an official statement. There would probably still be nothing they could do, as it was my word angainst his, but at least they could be prepared if he did something like this again.
I realise that I probably shouldn't have flicked him the vees, and shouldn't have told him to grow up. But, do these things and getting one car ahead in a queue of traffic, really warrant behaviour like this?
This is the second incident with a white van man, that I have had in as many weeks. The last one was a fellow hurling abuse at me because I was in his way. Fair enough you might say... However, he was driving down a one-way street in the wrong direction.
Just wondering about other peoples experiences with road rage and the infamous White Van Man...
Regards
Mark ;0)
I was turning left from a T-junction into a line of almost stationary traffic. To the right, about 100 yards away, was a white van. As the traffic was almost stationary, the van was a goodly distance away and was slowing down, I decided that there was sufficient time to pull into the queue.
The driver of the van proceeded to flash his lights at me and sound his horn? In normal response to this (probably shouldn't have really), I flicked him the vees. The next thing I knew he was out of his van, threatening to smash my face in, hurling other abuse and banging on my window. My response was to roll my eyes and ignore him. As he left he kicked the back of my car. I then shouted to him to grow up and stop being so soft.
He then followed me to the next junction as close as he could. As I was turning right he purposely drove his van into my passenger side door mirror in an attempt to break it. Luckily he only glanced it and did very little damage.
Fortunately, I got his registration and make of the van. I called the police, who then informed me that as nobody had stopped to be a witness there was little they could do, but take my statement. As I made my statement, the police person I was talking told me that as there was physical violence threatened and attempted criminal damage, this was not a standard road rage incident and that they would like to me make an official statement. There would probably still be nothing they could do, as it was my word angainst his, but at least they could be prepared if he did something like this again.
I realise that I probably shouldn't have flicked him the vees, and shouldn't have told him to grow up. But, do these things and getting one car ahead in a queue of traffic, really warrant behaviour like this?
This is the second incident with a white van man, that I have had in as many weeks. The last one was a fellow hurling abuse at me because I was in his way. Fair enough you might say... However, he was driving down a one-way street in the wrong direction.
Just wondering about other peoples experiences with road rage and the infamous White Van Man...
Regards
Mark ;0)
Mark
Sorry to hear about your incident. Even if it comes to nothing it does leave a bad taste in your mouth.
I nearly had a run in with a WVD about a year ago when I used to work in London.
I was walking back from a meeting with a colleague of mine, when we got to a zebra crossing at a crossroad. I looked both ways as i know what the traffic in town is like, but my view was obscured by a lorry parked on my side of the road, so we proceeded to cross, only to have to jump back when a WV went came flying round the corner at speed, obviously ignorant to the fact that there was a pedestrian crossing there.
The guy looked out of the window at me with a glare and I just shrugged my shoulders at him and gave him an exasperated look. Hardly an aggresive sign I feel.
Anyway, unfortunately we were walking down the same road that he was driving on and he saw this and slowed right down, continuing to look out of the window at me and my colleague, (who as it turns out had no idea any of this was going on).
About 25 yards up the road he stopped, and got out as did his mate in the passenger seat, both of them staring back down the road at me. They went round to the back of the van and one of them got a crow-bar out, still looking at me.
Now they were parked on the side of the road we were walking on, and, on point of principle I was damned if I was going to cross over, and give them the satisfaction that they had put the wind up me, which to be honest, they had a little. I've been doing karate for 8 years and hold a 2nd dan black belt, but certainly have better things to be doing with my time than have some twat swinging a crow-bar at my head. Still, I was confident enough that if it did kick off, I could defend myself and my colleague (my brief-case will defend me from the crow-bar!!) so we continued walking.
We walked straight passing and nothing happened (fortunately), and when I mentioned the events to my colleague his response was "what white van?".
Just goes to show the mentality of some people on the road, and although it came to nothing, that sort of intemidation is really not on. It's certainly not limited to White Van Man either, and whatever it is that motivates someone to jump out of their car and start flinging abuse in your direction, I really don't understand.
Matt
Sorry to hear about your incident. Even if it comes to nothing it does leave a bad taste in your mouth.
I nearly had a run in with a WVD about a year ago when I used to work in London.
I was walking back from a meeting with a colleague of mine, when we got to a zebra crossing at a crossroad. I looked both ways as i know what the traffic in town is like, but my view was obscured by a lorry parked on my side of the road, so we proceeded to cross, only to have to jump back when a WV went came flying round the corner at speed, obviously ignorant to the fact that there was a pedestrian crossing there.
The guy looked out of the window at me with a glare and I just shrugged my shoulders at him and gave him an exasperated look. Hardly an aggresive sign I feel.
Anyway, unfortunately we were walking down the same road that he was driving on and he saw this and slowed right down, continuing to look out of the window at me and my colleague, (who as it turns out had no idea any of this was going on).
About 25 yards up the road he stopped, and got out as did his mate in the passenger seat, both of them staring back down the road at me. They went round to the back of the van and one of them got a crow-bar out, still looking at me.
Now they were parked on the side of the road we were walking on, and, on point of principle I was damned if I was going to cross over, and give them the satisfaction that they had put the wind up me, which to be honest, they had a little. I've been doing karate for 8 years and hold a 2nd dan black belt, but certainly have better things to be doing with my time than have some twat swinging a crow-bar at my head. Still, I was confident enough that if it did kick off, I could defend myself and my colleague (my brief-case will defend me from the crow-bar!!) so we continued walking.
We walked straight passing and nothing happened (fortunately), and when I mentioned the events to my colleague his response was "what white van?".
Just goes to show the mentality of some people on the road, and although it came to nothing, that sort of intemidation is really not on. It's certainly not limited to White Van Man either, and whatever it is that motivates someone to jump out of their car and start flinging abuse in your direction, I really don't understand.
Matt
Patrick
Matt
Matt
so now let's hear it from the white van drivers 
TN
TN
doc, I bet you learnt some choice chat-up lines 
TN
TN
Some worrying stories guys, and you never do know what sort of person you're dealing with. This does however work both ways, as demonstrated by a story my karate instructor has recounted to me.
About 10 years ago he was at a training seminar in London, and one of the top students, who was normally at all of the training camps and was due to be at this one, had not turned up. He eventually came in about 3 hours late, looking rather harrased, made his apologies and left again, saying he'd be back later.
It turned out that he'd been on the receiving end of a road rage attack in which two guys ran his car off the road, and the got out of their car, one carrying a baseball bat.
Not wishing to sit in the car to receive a pummeling, our karate chap jumps out of the car a proceeds to defend himself from the onslaught. Unfortunately for the chaps with the baseball bat, they didn't realise that the chap they'd run of the road was 6 foot 3, 16 stone and a 5th dan in karate. Even their 3rd mate in the car couldn't help them out.
Subsequently he spent all afternoon in the police station (he called the rozza's as soon as he had finished teaching the scummy little bastards a lesson). No charges were pressed.
Matt
About 10 years ago he was at a training seminar in London, and one of the top students, who was normally at all of the training camps and was due to be at this one, had not turned up. He eventually came in about 3 hours late, looking rather harrased, made his apologies and left again, saying he'd be back later.
It turned out that he'd been on the receiving end of a road rage attack in which two guys ran his car off the road, and the got out of their car, one carrying a baseball bat.
Not wishing to sit in the car to receive a pummeling, our karate chap jumps out of the car a proceeds to defend himself from the onslaught. Unfortunately for the chaps with the baseball bat, they didn't realise that the chap they'd run of the road was 6 foot 3, 16 stone and a 5th dan in karate. Even their 3rd mate in the car couldn't help them out.
Subsequently he spent all afternoon in the police station (he called the rozza's as soon as he had finished teaching the scummy little bastards a lesson). No charges were pressed.
Matt
Men in white vans have to move as quickly as possible to be able to make a living from selling Dynalab speakers
Jonathan
Jonathan
quote:
Originally posted by BigH47:
If flashed up I usually wave as if I know them. This usually pisses them off. So job done then.
the best ones to wave at are hitch-hikers thumbing for a lift.
if you really want to piss them off, either wave at them, or stick your thumb up in response to their thumbing for a lift, as if to say "well done, mate", or "walk, you f*cker, it'll do you good".
the look on their faces is priceless!
TN
As most of you may be concerned,by what you read here, as a fellow Midlander myself [ before migrating south 
] may I assure you all, that people from the midlands are quick witted, intelligent,logical,thoughtful, Kind hearted, will always show consideration towards their fellow man/woman and are generious in both thought and deed, But
there are unfortunatly, one or two exceptions to this rule
oldie.
] may I assure you all, that people from the midlands are quick witted, intelligent,logical,thoughtful, Kind hearted, will always show consideration towards their fellow man/woman and are generious in both thought and deed, Butthere are unfortunatly, one or two exceptions to this rule
oldie.