Paul Nicholls

My run in with a complete nutter….

It’s around 9:00, I’m in the car having just driven past the Beechings Way McDonalds heading towards Rainham when a car appears behind me and starts tailgating.

Now, I particularly dislike tailgating because to me its simply an attempt to bully and intimidate other road users. My policy is always the same - maintain (or lower speed to) the speed limit and stick to it. Then, if they want to go faster they can overtake, or they can lump driving at the legal limit. For me, the fact that Beechings Way is where I had my accident was all the more justification for driving at the limit.

Despite my sensible driving and there being ample opportunity to overtake the car behind me insists on remaining right behind me (I’m not exaggerating if I say I doubt there was more than a foot between us). The car swerves from side to side, flashes its lights, revs its engine, but still remains behind me.

That is, until about half way along the road. At this point the car decides to over take. Huzzah! Only, rather than then speeding off into the sunset, he decides to slam on his brakes (an all-too familiar experience on that road) and stop. What is going on? A rather large angry looking person emerges from the car and starts coming towards my car. Uh Oh. I reverse about 50m back up the street, but I’m painfully aware that a) my car doesn’t reverse all that fast and b) having broken into a jog, this bloke doesn’t look like he’s going to give up all that easily.

I spot a turning on the right another 20m or so behind me, and decide to back up and take it. Phew! I think great, I’ll just find another route through Tywdall and let this looney be on his merry way. No such luck, the road turns out to be a dead end. Not to worry, I’ll just park up for five minutes, collect my thoughts and move on. No such luck. A car appears at the entrance to the little close that I turned into. It drives a little way up then stops in the middle of the road (blocking it).

The same angry, burly bloke gets out of the car and marches over to me. Oh Shite. I keep my cool, he bangs on my window f’ing and cursing. “You got an ‘effin problem with me you ‘effin take it out here”…etc. I’ve already typed “999″ into my phone and had my finger on the dial button.

After a few minutes of ranting away the bloke realises I’m not going to rise to it, after some menacing expression and a failed attempt to break my window he returns to his car and disappears - leaving me somewhat shaken! I sit there for about ten minutes (in case he was laying in wait out on Beechings Way) then continue my journey…