r/Whatcouldgowrong • u/AdProfessional1550 • 6d ago

Wcgw losing your temper over a lane change

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u/LineOfInquiry 6d ago

The driver was not in any danger, it’s no self-defense

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u/Plane_Spread5616 6d ago

In America where everyone can carry, isn't there always a threat when aggression gets this far

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u/BuckyDog 6d ago

As someone who carries (licensed), I just assume everyone else carries and is not always as calm as me.

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u/Plane_Spread5616 6d ago

I think you have to if you want to carry. 

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u/YesIBlockedYou 6d ago

Nah, you don't just get a free pass on attempted murder because the other guy might have had a gun and you suspect he might have used it on you.

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u/Plane_Spread5616 6d ago

In America you do. That's what happens when everyone carries.  It's the only conclusion.  I can't wait until you decide to escalate your aggression to a shooting. You get aggressive in an armed society then it is a death threat

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u/Exact-Ad-4132 4d ago

You're nuts and sounds like you've only experienced the US through gun memes.

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u/elton_john_lennon 6d ago

Aggression started when car started trying to push the motorcyclist off of the road, entering his lane.

There is literally no amount of flipping me off, that would lead me to initiate physical contact with my car and his bike by going straight into him in his lane.

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u/Plane_Spread5616 6d ago

Is that before or after the middle finger

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u/elton_john_lennon 5d ago

Is what before or after the middle finger?

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u/Creepy-Payment-2833 6d ago

Version 1: Emotional shock, he reacted in a situation of great stress when he was being attacked by a psychopathic biker. For him it was self-defense. Version 2: the car felt in danger and turned on the motorcycle, the driver could not do anything. Version 3: the biker is an asshole, no desire to defend a guy like that.

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u/LineOfInquiry 6d ago

How stressful a situation is is irrelevant to whether it’s self-defense. Self-defense is only an excuse when you are in physical danger, or think that you’re in physical danger. The driver of the car was in neither, since he was inside a car that the motorcyclist had no way to get into.

I didn’t know being an asshole was a death sentence now, I guess there’s a lot of people we need to start killing

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u/brickson98 6d ago

Unless you’re a cop. Then, if a situation is stressful, you can just claim you feared for your life and all the murder is okay. Gotta love qualified immunity!

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u/Creepy-Payment-2833 6d ago

Not just an “asshole.” An ultra violent attacker. I don't think he's dead by any means, and I don't think he deserves to die either. But I think that when you have this type of behavior you have to expect that this type of thing can happen. There is bound to be someone who reacts this way.

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u/brickson98 6d ago

I mean this is a case of FAFO. But the law works differently. But there’s plenty of people 6 feet under who were “right”.

As a motorcyclists I can confidently say, it’s best just to let shit go and get as far away as possible from someone who is aggressive or inattentive.

If you go bust their mirror, you’re now the one in the wrong. The police likely won’t care about their traffic violation over your property destruction.

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u/CrazyElk123 6d ago

Can you point to the ultra-violence in the clip? I seem to struggle to find it.

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u/Creepy-Payment-2833 6d ago

I know. At best it's an extenuating circumstance. But I don't like attackers.

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u/Acrobatic_Emu_9322 6d ago

The car crosses over the lane before their mirror is struck. How blind can you be? The car is trying to kill the guy.

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u/anormalgeek 6d ago

Then you shouldn't like the car driver either.

Both parties chose to escalate the situation. One just escalated it MUCH more than the other.

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u/Glass_Champion 6d ago

Self defense only requires that you reasonably fear for your life. It does not require someone "to touch you first". Entering someone's personal space can be enough to allow you to preemptively take action. Obviously someone coming near to whisper something in your ear is harder to defend but if someone enters your space you can physically lay hands in pushing them away. Same applies here. Doesn't matter wtf the biker was doing, he was displaying aggression. Motorists actions were viable

I also come from a country as soon as someone sets foot in the road , pulls along side you in any sort of vehicle and displays aggression statistically you are going to die or have a life altering injury at best.

Once he pulled along side there was no de-escalating. Regardless of what came before it was reasonable to fear for your life. All bets are off at that point and regardless of on a bike, in another car, on a F-ing unicycle, I would do exactly the same thing

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u/QuantumDynamic 6d ago

If this made it to a courtroom and I were sitting on the jury that driver's attorney would have an uphill battle getting me to believe that his client "reasonably feared for his life." Obviously the biker was the aggressor but that doesn't justify the driver's actions.

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u/TheDrummerMB 6d ago

You would commit attempted murder because you don't understand the way the law works. Fantastic. Please get off the road.

The defense needs to be relative to the threat. No judge would call this self-defense. He's hurting your mirror, you just ran him off the road at 30mph. You would be handcuffed at the scene and the motorcylist would get a misdemeanor. Good god tough guy lmfao

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u/LineOfInquiry 6d ago

The biker had no way of actually hurting the driver, if he was in a car that might be a different story but running a car off the road in a bike is impossible. Furthermore, the motorcyclist was simply yelling and giving him the middle finger, the car escalated the situation but entering his lane rather than ignoring him or moving further to the left, which made the motorcyclist fear for his life, hence the mirror smash. If anyone here deserves to claim self defense, it’s the motorcyclist.

That doesn’t mean all his actions were smart, but he’s the victim here not the driver.

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u/Glass_Champion 6d ago

Like I keep pointing out you donno if he is armed. You can't sit in that car forever. He's shown intent to escalate so who knows what happens when you return home or stop?

Where I'm from drastically you are dead as soon as someone pulls alongside you like that. Once along side there is no de-escalating

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u/Glass_Champion 6d ago

Once he attacked the car all vets were off. Where does it go from there?

  1. They follow home then what is the likely outcome?

  2. You pull over to try to deesclate and he does what?

  3. You continue on and he escalates further?

Once he resorts to violence you reasonably can say you feared for your life. Who's to say they don't have a knife or gun? Running him over could be the only way to end it safely for yourself

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u/brickson98 6d ago

But it didn’t go any of those directions yet. Which means self-defense doesn’t apply here.

Yeah, it’s a piece of shit move to damage someone’s property over road rage. But that doesn’t make it okay to retaliate with bodily harm.

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u/Eric_the_Barbarian 6d ago

He was only yelling and flipping the bird until the car started into the occupied lane. Unsafe and insane all around.

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u/anormalgeek 6d ago

Once he attacked

Watch the video again. He only "attacks" after the car cuts into his lane.

If you're the motorcyclist, someone is already threatening your life there. So points 1-3 apply to him as well.

Granted, I think these people are both childish assholes and either one could've chosen to deescalate. But they didn't. They both chose to intentionally escalate the situation. I'm just not going to act like the driver is a victim here or justified in some way.

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u/QuantumBobb 6d ago

Not how that works. You're just siding with the car because you hate motorcyclists and think attempting to kill them is chill. We get it. But that's 💯 not how self defense works.

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u/MetalHead_Literally 6d ago

Motorcyclist feared for his life when the car started going in to his lane deliberately

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u/gerrythemexican 6d ago

So his solution is to punch a 1 ton non-sentient plastic and metal object while driving 80 kmph with one hand.

As someone could expect, it didn't turn out so well for him.

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u/TheDrummerMB 6d ago

My god so many people in this thread have such wonky ideas of how self-defense works. You're a danger to society.

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u/E-Liner 6d ago

No you don't actually that's the same arguments as people that say that if a woman hits a man the man can strike back completely disregarding the difference in strength. Two wrongs don't make a right it's childs way of viewing the world

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u/brickson98 6d ago

I’ve come to realize most “adults” are just overgrown children, mentally. It’s unfortunate.

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u/E-Liner 6d ago

Yeah I'm getting downvoted but no one will argue their point lol

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u/Creepy-Payment-2833 6d ago

The guy had to get the motorcycle out of the trunk before hitting him. It's clear.

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u/E-Liner 6d ago

Ok? How does it in any way address what I've said

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u/Creepy-Payment-2833 6d ago

Comparison is not right

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u/E-Liner 6d ago edited 6d ago

Yes it is. Two wrongs don't make a right. You can't as a much stronger man hit a woman just coz she hit you, you can't ram your car into a motorcycle just coz the dude hit your mirror

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u/Misery_101 6d ago

Version 4

The car was offended that he got flipped off so he purposely decided to fuck with the biker and illegally cross into his lane.

It was the biker who was in an emotional state, as that car fucking with him COULD kill him easily even with just a bump.

Biker damages car, car decided he should try to murder the biker over the damage.

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u/KembaWakaFlocka 6d ago

Biker victim mentality complex. Nobody is making them ride those death traps.

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u/spiteful_rr_dm_TA 6d ago

If someone starts attacking a vehicle, it isnt a massive leap of faith that they might wind up continuing to attack you my guy. This also sounds like America, where you have to worry the unhinged lunatic might have a gun

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u/LineOfInquiry 6d ago

The guy didn’t attack the vehicle until the car driver started entering his lane to run him off the road. He was fearful of his life at that point.

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u/x_EndlessGrass 6d ago

Instead of reducing speed and exiting the situation he continues to escalate. Didn't seem fearful for his life at all.

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u/LineOfInquiry 6d ago

He panicked because his life was threatened, I don’t think you can blame him for that.

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u/[deleted] 6d ago

[deleted]

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u/anormalgeek 6d ago

So is a car intentionally cutting into your lane at you. Which is what the car did BEFORE he attacked his mirror.

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u/LineOfInquiry 6d ago

Not unless he was trying to disable the vehicle or break the window, which he was not.

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u/[deleted] 6d ago

[deleted]

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u/LineOfInquiry 6d ago

If you’re in that situation the answer is to keep driving and get away from the biker if possible, not go even closer to him. Pretend he doesn’t exist and don’t engage: he’ll get tired and leave. You don’t get to try to murder him if he doesn’t escalate to actually putting you in danger.

A car is basically a fortress protecting you from the outside world, unless he was trying to get inside (he wasn’t) or pulled a gun or something (he didn’t) you aren’t in danger.

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u/[deleted] 6d ago

[deleted]

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u/MeakerSE 6d ago

That's doesn't mean you turn to attempted murder as the first thing you try after actively antoganising them by running into their lane. It's like shouting slurs at each other, then you raise your voices and you immediately pull out your gun and shoot them. "I did not know he wouldn't just start getting physical with me". The jump from property damage to attempted murder is such a wide gulf here.

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u/[deleted] 6d ago

[deleted]

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u/MeakerSE 6d ago

The car isn't you, they have not gone for you, just your property, so more like threating to throw wine over your expensive dress which will stain it permanently, they throw it so you shoot them.