20Dec05

Road rage incident in the Philippines:

"An acquaintance died last weekend during a road-rage encounter. He was driving with a single passenger when another car cut into his lane just ahe ad of him. Incensed, he immediately overtook the errant vehicle and blocked its path. The errant vehicle stopped, and everyone (driver and two passengers, all male) exited. The driver of the first vehicle also exited, saying to his passenger that he was going to give the misguided motorist 'a piece of his mind. '

A shouting match quickly developed, with threats exchanged. The driver of the first vehicle then turned away from the three men and started to walk b ack to his car. He never made it! One of the men from the second vehicle ran u p behind him and bashed his skull in from behind, using a length of pipe. Victim was DRT. The trio then fled and are still at large."

Lessons: Anger, when out of control, can quickly get you in over your head! While we all need to take pride in our existence, one cannot "take a stand" at every provocation. Aggressive disengagement is nearly always the best plan, particularly when in a public place. When you go looking for trouble , don 't be astonished when you find it, more than you wanted!

Watch your back! Keep looking around. Give them the impression that they will be unable to sneak up on you. You may not see a weapon now, but an attacker can produce one in an instant.

/John