Michigan Drivers don't like Tailgaters....
BTW....I in no way advocate her actions..even though the idea is strangely seductive sometimes....
http://tinyurl.com/2b8cta
Woman allegedly shoots at tailgater
Fri Feb 23, 5:25 PM ET
HARRISON TOWNSHIP, Mich. - A woman who told authorities she was fed up with tailgaters pulled out a gun and shot at the tires of a pickup that got too close, police said. Officials believe the bullet missed the pickup, and no one was hurt.
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Bernadette Headd, 39, was in rush-hour traffic Wednesday in suburban Detroit when the pickup pulled behind her, police said.
Headd changed lanes and fired one round from a 9 mm handgun, police said. The driver followed her and flagged down a deputy, who stopped her and found the weapon.
"She said she was tired of people tailgating her," Macomb County Sheriff Mark Hackel said.
Headd, who had a permit to carry a concealed weapon, was charged with assault with a deadly weapon, discharge of a firearm from a vehicle and use of a firearm during a felony.
She was ordered held on $50,000 bond.
http://tinyurl.com/2b8cta
Woman allegedly shoots at tailgater
Fri Feb 23, 5:25 PM ET
HARRISON TOWNSHIP, Mich. - A woman who told authorities she was fed up with tailgaters pulled out a gun and shot at the tires of a pickup that got too close, police said. Officials believe the bullet missed the pickup, and no one was hurt.
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Bernadette Headd, 39, was in rush-hour traffic Wednesday in suburban Detroit when the pickup pulled behind her, police said.
Headd changed lanes and fired one round from a 9 mm handgun, police said. The driver followed her and flagged down a deputy, who stopped her and found the weapon.
"She said she was tired of people tailgating her," Macomb County Sheriff Mark Hackel said.
Headd, who had a permit to carry a concealed weapon, was charged with assault with a deadly weapon, discharge of a firearm from a vehicle and use of a firearm during a felony.
She was ordered held on $50,000 bond.
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Note to self...Do not tailgate people while driving in the state of Michigan anymore. Maybe it is a good thing I can't go to the Nascar race over there this year.
Jon0 -
quote:Originally posted by Jon0322
Note to self...Do not tailgate people while driving in the state of Michigan anymore. Maybe it is a good thing I can't go to the Nascar race over there this year.
Jon
LOL...we're not all that bad. I've only put 2 people in the ditch (not my fault). Too bad you can't go to MIS, Jon. I'm going to the August race myself, and I can't wait!0 -
To the Nut House she goes 0 -
I like Bernadette's style. I imagine that her technique would be very effective for getting rid of tailgaters. Think I will give it a try. 0 -
Doesn't it bother anyone else that this is an incident where a permit holder assaulted a fellow citizen without just cause? 0 -
Actually it does, Henry. On the other hand, my experience driving here in Michigan, I think she could plead temporary insanity... 0 -
quote:Originally posted by Henry0Reilly
Doesn't it bother anyone else that this is an incident where a permit holder assaulted a fellow citizen without just cause?
Yes, but I'm not convinced yet it was without just cause. [;)]0 -
I live in Michigam and was in a situation many years ago where if I had a gun with me I would have at least shown the driver behind that I had it. We were driving at night in blizzard conditions with wind chills at about 50 below when this guy came up behind us and tried to run us off the road. Driving was very treacherous and anyone with any sense would have stayed home(we were young and stupid).
He kept approaching at high speeds until he was nearly touching our bumper.He would stay there weaving in and out,then back off for a few minutes only to do it again. If we slowed down,he slowed down.When we sped up he did too. He passed several times and would turn off on the next road and wait for us to pass . He would then start all over again.
I remember searhing around the floor for a pop bottle or anything I could use to defend ourselves with.Something to throw out the window at him. If we hadn`t had 4 wheel drive I don`t know what would have happened.We were able to finally out run him by driving way too fast for road conditions and taking a side road.
I try to ignore tailgaters even though they make me nervous. Sometimes I`ll pull over and let them go by if traffic permits.I would never pull my carry gun on a tailgater unless said person was trying to kill me. You just can`t do it.0 -
I Hate tailgaters. I've brake checked several. 0 -
CHL permit = tool of Gun Grabbers... 0 -
I have to admit that as a NRA Instructor and responsible Firearm owner, I cringe when I hear or read stories like this one. And some of the follow ups aren't much better.
I guess Bernadette slept through the "law" portion of her CPL class.
And FYI soopershot, "showing" your Concealed Pistol to another motorist is "Brandishing" and will get you a quick trip to jail.
mrseatle seems to be right on the money0 -
I'd like to build a pickup with a brake light cutout switch, a 1-1/2" dia. rod sticking out 3' past the rear bumper and welded into the frame(for tailgaters), a 1000lb steel front bumper for the ones that pull out in front of me, and running boards made from 1/2" steel with sawtooth edges for those fu..um.. wonderful folks who open their doors into my truck in parking lots.
Irresponsible? yep
Illegal? probably
Fun to consider? definitely[:D]0 -
I had an '82 Mustang hatchback that, due to a warped exhaust manifold, would backfire on command. On a cold day, it would belch a six-foot flame out of the tail pipe. I put it to very good use on in rush hour. Best results were at night or in tunnels.
(Coloradans will appreciate that it worked its magic best on I-70 where Stapleton's runways crossed the highway)
Oh, and by the way...
Shooting at somebody who's tailgating is a very bad idea.0 -
quote:Originally posted by Henry0Reilly
Doesn't it bother anyone else that this is an incident where a permit holder assaulted a fellow citizen without just cause?
Yes, it makes ALL OF US look bad. This is exactly the type of thing that the anti-gun people in Michigan said would happen when that state passed its Shall Issue concealed carry permit law in 2001. The governor said that it would turn into the Wild West with permit holders shooting people in the streets over minor arguments. This type of stuff just allows them to say "see, I told you so!"
And this is not the first time a permit holder in Michigan has done this. I can remember at least one other incident over a year ago where some idiot with a carry permit started shooting at a tanker truck in traffic because he got mad. I would personally like to strangle this woman with her own small intestines.0 -
quote:Originally posted by Henry0Reilly
Doesn't it bother anyone else that this is an incident where a permit holder assaulted a fellow citizen without just cause?
Thats what I was thinkng. We are a shall issue state. an idiot like this put my CCW in jeopardy. At least no one was hurt.0 -
In the land of burned out hippies I use a different approach. Most tailgaters are zombied out and don't realize they are a pain in the tailgate. I slowly (about a minute)increase the speed 5-10 miles per hour. They speed up. I slowly decrease speed 10-15 miles per hour. Repeat as needed. They have to brake, wondering whats up because there is no reason for the change of speed. It amuses me, frustrates them and 90% of the time wakes them up with out a Jerry Springer episode. They pass and 15 minutes later they are bothering somone else and don't even remember me. 0 -
Back in the days when you had to turn your headlights on and off yourself, and you ran in the daytime with lights off, you could turn on your headlight which caused your taillights to come on and look like you have hit the brakes. I used to like to do that and watch the tailgater skid sideways in the road because he thought I hit the brakes. It doesn't work if he is too close to see your taillights. 0 -
quote:Originally posted by fugawe
I'd like to build a pickup with a brake light cutout switch,
Using the emergency brake does not make the tail lights come on. [;)]
I hope this idiot lady serves time. [:(!]0 -
The solution one of the crazy bikers over at another forum used to do was interesting, he carried a bunch of golf balls and tossed them over his shoulder to discourage tailgators.[:0][:0][:0]
Bricks work too.[:0][:0]0 -
I had a honda cvic back in 1975 that was tiny. I wired up the backup lights with a switch on the dash so I could flip them on at night when someone was following too close. The lights are quite bright and would discourage most drivers that followed too close. 0 -
Don't miss the point here. That round could have hit and killed someone and ruined 2 lives. [:(] 0 -
quote:Originally posted by allen griggs
I like Bernadette's style. I imagine that her technique would be very effective for getting rid of tailgaters. Think I will give it a try.
I was just kidding, guys. I do not actually advocate shooting at tailgaters.
My bad, I know that sarcasm does not come across well on these forums.0 -
They/she may not like tailgaters, but they sure the heck like doing it...
Was driving on Countyline Road today and this jerk comes up behind me right on my butt, to the point where I cant even see the front grille or headlights on his truck...and stayed that way for at least a mile ....He did eventually pass on a solid line no less, and the license plate was Michigan....he sped up to about 60...the speed limit is 45 in that area and I was doing about 50..
Sometimes you get the urge to hit the brake hard...0 -
iceracerx
This incident took place about 30 years ago.There were four of us in the vehicle.We all felt like our lives were on the line and he was trying to drive us off the road and kill us.
It would have been up to a court to decide if showing the gun was brandishing which is a moot point because we had no firearms.This was long before concealed carry laws in Michigan.
At what point does showing a gun become self defense? Is it when you fear for your life? Or is it only concidered self defense when two or three of your friends are dead in the ditch? This wasn`t your normal tailgater. We were his target and he toyed with us for miles.We were the only ones on the road. You had to be there to know. If we had been driven off the road we wouldn`t have survived due to the cold and blizzard conditions. The guy was crazy. Four wheel drive was all that saved us as he was driveing a 2 wheel drive car.
I would go to jail for "brandishing" any day before letting some sick fool try to kill me ,my wife and friends.0 -
I drive on "tailgate highway" every day. The speed limit is 55, but if you drive less than 65, some dude will try to push you down the road. The road is 2 lane and hilly with a lot of no passing areas. I simply slow down to about 40 when someone pulls up on my bumper. I'd rather get hit at that speed than at 65. I will pull over for them when I can do so at a safe spot. 0 -
soopershot, I could be accused of brandishing a firearm in 1970. That would be thirty-seven years ago. My circumstances weren't the same as yours, but it involved motor vehicles. I had just moved to High Point, North Carolina so my wife could be near her mother and sister. I was on my way from Greensboro to High Point one night and stopped for a red light. I was in uniform and driving a blue Dodge Dart. I was an E-6 at the time, so I was wearing the thirteen button blues and the sailor's white hat.
It was a three lane road at the light, two for through traffic and a left turn lane. I was in the right hand lane. An old Ford pulled up beside me in the middle lane and stopped for the light. If the Ford had a color, I couldn't identify it. It looked like it had been in a fire, but it could have been rust and primer. There were what appeared to be six wannabe gangsters in the Ford. The young gentleman beside the passenger door started making comments to me about my uniform and my family heritage. I kept looking at the light and tried to evaluate the situation with my peripheral vision. When he finally got around to saying he was going to take a look at my cute white ass, I picked up the Browning Hi-Power from the seat beside me and pointed it at the roof of my car. It already had a round in the chamber, but just for show and dramatic effect, I pulled the slide back and let it go. The sound was impressive. It echoed. I kept it pointed at my roof and turned full face to the young gentleman and smiled at him. He turned full face to me and put both of his hands about head high with palms toward me and his fingers spread wider than I thought they would spread. He started repeating over and over "Be cool brother, you a good man brother, just be cool brother." I just kept smiling at him.
I don't know if it was the slide going home or the passenger's sudden change of a attitude, but something caught the driver's attention. He revved his engine and dropped the clutch. His engine choked out. It seemed like it took forever for him to get it restarted.
I had no way of knowing if they were armed, or if they were, what with. I expect if any of them had made a sudden move I'd have shot them all, but the other four passengers were sitting at attention and staring straight ahead. I can't honestly say I was in fear for my life. As I remember it, it took all the willpower I could muster to keep from laughing.
When the driver finally got his engine started, he made a left turn from the center lane and did the best job he could of laying down some rubber. I took a bead on his trunk and seriously considered poking a couple of holes in it, but I resisted the temptation.
By this time the light was red again. I don't know how many cycles. I waited for the green and went home.
I told the wife about it. She not only didn't see the humor, she got angry with me for thinking about pulling the trigger.0 -
Bravo to you folks that pull over and let them pass. To the rest, you are an impediment to traffic.
One never knows when an automobile is transporting a heart attack, a hurt child, or otherwise injured person or pet. How would you like to be the SOB that causes a doctor to say "If you had only gotten here five minutes sooner".
Think people![xx(]0 -
Wow...didn't expect this thread to grow so large....I posted it because it reminded me of an "incident" I had the other day. I live off the first road coming over an overpass, to the left. I was doing 40 (All overpasses in Midland County are posted forty) and this guy was 3/4 of the way up my posterior. On the right hand side of the corner is a local business, and when the county put in the curb and guttering, they left almost a full lane worth of space on the right hand side. Sure enough, as soon as I put the blinker on and go to turn to the left, this moron whips past me on the right, into this space. The problem is, when you enter this space, you actually cut across the intersecting road as you pass....and there isn't another lane on the other side, there's a ditch big enough to swallow a full sized super-duty. Sure enough, as I look to the right in amazement at this dingus passing me on the right, he's flipping me off, and you guessed it, plonk into the ditch. Thank God there wasn't anybody waiting to turn on the intersecting road, or he would have T-boned them right into the ditch. Gotta love impatient drivers. 0 -
"I picked up the Browning Hi-Power from the seat beside me and pointed it at the roof of my car. It already had a round in the chamber, but just for show and dramatic effect, I pulled the slide back and let it go. The sound was impressive. It echoed. I kept it pointed at my roof and turned full face to the young gentleman and smiled at him. He turned full face to me and put both of his hands about head high with palms toward me and his fingers spread wider than I thought they would spread. He started repeating over and over "Be cool brother, you a good man brother, just be cool brother." I just kept smiling at him."
Good move JamesRK. The sound of a slide racking back is "the international language." It is an eloquent form of communication.
A few years back, I had a Mexican Army Lieutenant rack back the slide on a Colt 1911 acp, while it was pointed at my face. Although my Spanish was not too good, somehow I understood what the gentleman was saying. My response was identical to the response you got, my hands went right to the ceiling of the car.0 -
Only thing better than the sound of the slide is the racking of a shotgun [;)] Again, I wouldn't try it in this day and age of legal woes, but the sounds speak a strong language of their own, just the same. 0
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