I get into so many close calls, it'* not even funny, and it pisses me off SO bad when it happens. After the Grand Marquis incident, I learned that insurance doesn't always work out, and I am on guard 24/7 now.

Since the I bought the bonne (June of 07), I can recall four times where I had to hit the brakes hard enough to avoid an accident, the ABS kicked in.

Allow me to tell you what happened to me today. It defies one of the laws that are typically in play when my car is in the crosshairs of another; it wasn't an SUV but a small ford contour.

I decided in the nice weather today that I'd run to the Walmart that was close to my school to grab a mothers clay bar kit. I was driving along, having a good old time with the windows down, and jams blasting. I approached an odd intersection where you don't have a stop sign, but you have to yield to traffic coming out of the CVS pharmacy. Most people don't pay attention, but I came to a stop and let the oncoming traffic go. He seemed surprised that I stopped... and I was just thinking to myself 'there must be a lot of irresponsible drivers in this town, I'm glad I actually have the ability to concentrate while driving, unlike the history mid-term I just took a half hour ago'.

No more than 500 feet after that is where it happens. I'm up to about 45 MPH, and I have a Jeep about four-five car lengths infront of me (the guy I let go), and I see a Ford Countour, late nineties model, come to a stop on a side street. She saw the Jeep, and waited for him. As the Jeep passed her, I saw her start inching out. I figured she was just trying to get around the telephone pole blocking her view. Nope.

I had a funny feeling she was going to try something... so I had my foot resting on the brake, and I noticed the guy in the nice Saab behind me backed off as well. She done it. She pulled out RIGHT behind the Jeep. I managed to go from 45 MPH to just 15 in the matter of a few seconds, and there was gravel all over the road from the recent ice storm. ABS started moaning and groaning, and I had to swerve into the opposing lane of traffic momentarily to avoid a big pile of gravel that WOULD NOT have allowed me to stop. Swerved back into my lane, and got real damn close to hitting her, but didn't.

I got within a foot of her bumper, and I was laying on my horn the WHOLE time, for about 4 seconds. She was clueless, and did not hear me. About five seconds after the little incident was over, she looked in her rearview and noticed there was a green bonneville pretty damn close to her rear bumper. She just gave me the look like 'oh I must have cut you off... too bad'.

We came to the stop light for Walmart, and I pulled right next to her. I got close to her to the point where she couldn't open her door, and just stared at her the whole time through my window. The light was red for about one full minute I COULD NOT get the dumb little ditz to look at me. Not even with a beep of the horn. I really wanted to follow her, but didn't want to waste the gas and/or start a problem involving the police pulling me over lol.

Turns out this particular Walmart didn't even have the damn clay bar kit, let alone ANY clarbar kits. On the way back, I checked out what the scene looked like. You could see my tire treads like stamped into the dark tarmac, and you saw where ABS was keeping the wheels unlocked. Saw a swerve into my lane, then back into that lane of traffic. Had I hit her... cops would have had plenty of evidence to nail her ***.

The tire treads looked sweet imprinted into the pavement though

something similar happened to me the other day... doesn't it **** you off when they won't acknowledge the fact that they did anything wrong, and just ignore you?
they almost caused a serious accident, the least they can do is be a little apologetic about it.

Wow, chalk one up for abs! New mexico is one of them states where you are pretty much at fault if you hit someone in the rear. I would have prolly locked 'em up and sent her flaming mass of car into the jeep in front of you <give or take some flames>. I never think to hit the horn in those situations, just evade or brace for impact.

I always think to hit the horn if I think I can avoid it with the horn (unless you're against a deaf teenage chick that looks like she just got her license), or after things are back under control. My horn was broken for a while after hitting it so many times, the button moved outa place :P