Wow... Not sure what just happened!

[hbridge]

Wow, just wow!!! I am sitting here crying not knowing what I did to endure the wrath of a stranger...

I was driving to a store (3 minutes away) to get light bulbs. I pass a small school along the way. There was nothing to indicate school was starting or ending: no crossing guard, no flashing lights, no children out, no activity in the far parking lot...nothing! I drove past the school and saw a woman pulling out so I stopped to let her out of the schools back lot (that cannot be seen from the road). She stopped half way and started screaming at me. I motioned for her to go and she seemed to get more animated. Gave me "the finger", screamed some more and finally pulled out. I have no idea what I did wrong or why she screamed so much. With window's up I have no idea what she was saying; she had kids in the car, I, thankfully, did not. What should I have done in this situation? I feel accused of something, but have no idea WHAT!



Since I am not in a good place myself, this is affecting me more than it probably should! I just wish I knew exactly what I did wrong so I can not do it next time.

[hillview]

I'd try to just shake it off. I would assume she had a very bad day and was super angry and took it out on you. From what you wrote you didn't do anything wrong.

[Snow mom]

Hmm, I have no idea what you did wrong and have to wonder if there was some misunderstanding on her part that she was so angry? It sounds like you are aware there is a school there prior to this incident? Maybe she didn't like that you yielded right of way and thought you were creating an unsafe situation? Yielding right of way is an unwritten rule where I live and I do feel like sometimes it makes things more complicated or dangerous than if people would just follow the written law of who has right of way. Anyway, I would try not to dwell on it. I'm sure NOTHING you could have done would make how she acted okay.

[TwinFoxes]

Don't let a random person ruin your day. For someone to behave like that with kids in the car tells me she's a little off her rocker, or she was having a really bad day herself. Even if you had done something wrong, that's not acceptable behavior. It sucks when jerks ruin an otherwise perfectly fine day.

[ezcc]

Ugh! I HATE it when that kind of thing happens- so frustrating to not even know what you did wrong. People are so antagonistic when they drive- I don't get it. Her poor kids listening to her screaming, you just know she does that kind of thing regularly. I also would have done nothing and probably also felt terrible.

[bisous]

I'd try to just shake it off. I would assume she had a very bad day and was super angry and took it out on you. From what you wrote you didn't do anything wrong.

Totally this.

I'm so sorry you feel badly about it. Do whatever it takes to get through it but do know that you did nothing wrong. It is HER not you.

[basil]

Wait, you stopped to let her out, thereby yielding right of way when you shouldn’t have? That annoys the heck out of me when people do that. So hard to figure out what is going on.

Doesn’t excuse screaming and fingers though.

[specialp]

First, she was having a bad day. Don't let it ruin yours.

I generally do not like when people stop in the street to let me out. If stop and go heavy traffic, it's nice but generally I would rather wait. Often I need to get into the 2nd lane and I can't see past the person's car to do that safely. So my choices are to risk it, pull out and potentially block everyone including nice gesture person while I wait for an opening, or waive the person by and hope they go on. Or worst is if I have to turn left. It's never a cause, however, to be rude.

[hbridge]

Wait, you stopped to let her out, thereby yielding right of way when you shouldn’t have? That annoys the heck out of me when people do that. So hard to figure out what is going on.

Doesn’t excuse screaming and fingers though.

That's the thing, she pulled out in front of me and started screaming so I thought I would just let her go ahead of me! Literally, there was no one else on the road; no one behind me. In fact the only other car I could even see was the one behind her coming out of the school parking lot. This was mid-morning, not much going on in my little middle of nowhere town! I had NO IDEA what to do. Did she want me to go, did she want to go ahead of me...I had no idea! IF there had been traffic, I would have made a decision, but she pulled out almost into my lane and started yelling! I have no idea what the problem was or what she wanted me to do.

HOWEVER, I "might" have confused her when I stopped, I never thought of that! With no one behind me or even coming up behind me, it never dawned on me to pull in front of her when she was halfway out of the lot... I stopped because I honestly thought she was going to pull out in front of me... Hmm, something to think about...

[BunnyBee]

Maybe she mistook your wave for the finger? Or she's just crazy. It would have shaken me too, and I tend to replay things over and over. Damn anxiety. Have a glass of wine and try to release it.