Road rage - when to get out of your vehicle?

Another thought experiment. I read a post on the ccw section of another very popular forum where the author describes being involved in a road rage incident. What struck me as tactically unsound was when he decided to exit his car to confront the other guy despite seemingly no urgent reason to do so. The other guy didn't have a gun or some sort of impact weapon. Instead the author's car happened to be blocked in by the other guy's car while the other guy was screaming at him and pulling on the author's car door trying to get him and his passenger to get out and fight.

At what point is exiting the vehicle the right decision? How does that calculus look to you? My first preference would be to drive away if possible but I'm not sure how to think about exiting.

I do have a "vehicle skills" class on my list of future training but was hoping to also gain some insight here. Thanks.

If you’re truly boxed in with no way to de-ass the scene in your vehicle, I wouldn’t exit the vehicle unless there was a compelling reason such as asshole appears to be retrieving something from their car. Not much point in getting out otherwise as there’s a significant chance the situation is going to escalate and at that point you might be viewed as a mutual combatant from a legal standpoint.

To avoid an armed conflict I think it would be wisest to take the path of least resistance...which is to say if an avenue of escape or avoidance is available, take it. The alternative, even if one prevails may prove to be costly both financially and / or in blood.

Is ego worth that price? Far better to call the appropriate LE agency and your insurance company...than a defense attorney.

Of course, if no avenue of escape is available, the specific situation should dictate whether remaining in your vehicle or attempting to exit and avoid, (or engage), is appropriate under the circumstances.

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Originally Posted by blues

.... the specific situation should dictate whether remaining in your vehicle or attempting to exit and avoid, (or engage), is appropriate under the circumstances.

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I agree with your entire post and I understand this concept but when are some specific circumstances that would be appropriate to exit? Car is set on fire, other person is retrieving a gun, etc?

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Originally Posted by RyanM

I agree with your entire post and I understand this concept but when are some specific circumstances that would be appropriate to exit? Car is set on fire, other person is retrieving a gun, etc?

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If the miscreant was going to stick a burning rag in your gas tank, break your windows with a tire iron or bat, or was clearly in the process of going back to his vehicle to retrieve a weapon, (as H County posed above), it might make sense to beat feet, or depending on scenario, have the vehicle between you and the offender and use for cover while putting your firearm into action.

I wouldn't get out for a pocket or small fixed blade knife . And assuming I'm armed, if he managed to break into the vehicle, it would be a bad day for him. If he has a gun, no sense sitting there while he's firing through the glass at you. Time to escape or return fire.

Really comes down to the variables in play.

Immobilized vehicle with one or more of the following:
Fire
Multiple assailants
Very early stages of crowd gathering (location of incident would play into this as well)

Otherwise I'm going to take advantage of the protection afforded by the vehicle.

Something like this would be really fluid and other than deciding on some key elements of a fact pattern would be guided by what was going on in the moment.

Unless otherwise forced to do so, I wouldn't get out of my vehicle until it's in my garage. However, my seat belt would be unbuckled at the first sign of trouble.


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I'd give my right arm to be ambidextrous.

Aside from a situation where being inside the car is more dangerous than outside, like say a fire, staying in the vehicle seems like the best option. If a threat has to break your windows in or smash the crap out of your car you should be able to articulate an immediate threat in case you have to defend yourself. If you get out an argument can and will be made by anyone and everyone not you that you escalated the situation by getting out.

If the situation is so bad that you have to GTFO then who cares if you dent up your car and those blocking you in. Hop a curb, play bumper cars with the threat... whatever it takes.

The car is a thousand pound defensive tool. Don’t give it up unless you have to.

You get out of the car if you plan on shooting or if staying in the car is a bigger danger to yourself than being outside.

It's not every case, but most of the road rage associated shootings I've seen involve the armed party exiting the vehicle. That's pretty much how it turns from, "Two people telling each other to fuck off" to "Violent assault". There are exceptions of course, like someone ramming your vehicle, but they're the rarer of them. In most every road rage shooting, someone got out of the car, when they should have stayed in it.

Clint Smith has a saying (well he has lots of them), but one I bear in mind, "Shoot or drive, but don't do both."

If you exit the vehicle, you give up impact absorbing armored protection, some degree of penetrating projectile protection (how many times do we talk about non-bonded handgun bullets doing weird things in laminated glass?), high speed mobility, and a high velocity, very large, very precise, bludgeon that is more effective at incapacitating a human than a handgun is. In other words, if you get out, it better be with a good plan of action to end a violent, deadly, assault in a more decisive form than you can with your car.

Some things that have helped me:

First- as much as you possible can, drive in such a way that doesn't invoke road rage in others. For instance, if you see a tailgating idiot, try to find a way to let him pass. Do all you can to not cut people off, and so on.

Second- don't escalate the situation. Don't flip people off, or non-verbally scold them, or drive passive-aggressively, or play unofficial road cop. If you do something stupid, non-verbally apologize (thump yourself on the head, ect). Your pride isn't that important.

Third, if possible, never let yourself get boxed in... which can be difficult depending on where you are.