One of them is the likelihood of injury and that's being mitigated by driving a car designed for back country use and also carrying a good beefed up first aid kit.

Oddly enough though, last night on my way out of the boonies about midnight, a truck followed and then chased me down the rural county road that leads to the main road. Guy just came out of nowhere and decided he wanted to intimidate a guy in a Land Cruiser. I moved away as quickly as I could rather than brake checking the guy or allowing him to move in any closer, but running dirt roads over cattle guards and low water crossings was not my idea of fun. At the closest, he would get up on my bumper, then back off to about 50 yards and come back again right up on my bumper.

I got out to the main road and turned directly into town and which point, this jackwipe turned his truck around and drove back from where he came from. Seemed a bit off to me to be chasing someone. Perhaps he thought I was up to no good driving down the road with lights on at about midnight but nonetheless, it was uncool.

How are you supposed to handle people who like to play car games in the boonies without escalating the whole thing into a confrontation? I didn't want to stop and move into a static position as movement seemed to me to be the best advantage and the road is not wide enough to easily turn around without getting T-boned from behind. What would you do?

You tube how to video

Lol. This happened to me a while back.  Car gets on my ass so I sped up.  Car gets back on my ass so I sped up more.  70mph on a back road at 3am.  I get to the highway and hit the brakes at the last possible moment to stop at the stop sign, car does same thing.

Turn onto highway and see the car was the sheriff.

Dick

I had my Glock 23 and a 15 round mag in the gun plus my AK-74 with 45 round mag in the passenger's foot well area. I was reasonably armed to handle the situation but didn't want it to escalate to that level. Gunfights don't look fun to me...

Do the locals know you?
I would think a yuppie suv in the middle of the night on back ranch roads was up to no good and might follow it a bit.

im inclined in this direction too but LC is ancient and clearly a beater so doubt they'll be thinking yuppie. Probably unknown city boy.

Poacher, drug smuggler, thief, etc. those all run through your head in the backcountry.
I would go introduce yourself to neighbors introduce yourself to the sheriff and spend some time at the local dinner in the early AM.
Its one of my flaws as I am anti social but I try to go to the annual VFD potluck so as to be known.

Come SHTF the ass that just chased you might be the one watching your back.

so drive the speed limit, and dont pay they other guy any attention.
if he runs you off the road, deal with it with the tools you have.
I never understand why people participate in that cat and mouse BS.

He can't chase you if you don't run. He shits just like you do. You can make him shit his pants if you put a gun barell in his teeth.

I was doing the 20mph speed limit as there's tons of deer you don't want to hit. Not paying attention to what he was doing wouldn't have been a good move. The road is one way in and one way out so you don't want to get cornered.

I think it was one of the ranchers that runs cattle on a grazing lease across my land and others. It's how we get our ag exemptions. I also suspect they've had problems in the past with people trying to rustle the cattle in my area. It's so remote you could potentially get away with it unfortunately...

Exactly...


Give him an opportunity to pass

It's a one lane road once you leave the main road. Unfortunately, not an option.

You have to decide what you feel are acceptable options.



I have been the new fella in rural areas and I have been the fella who lives somewhere asking if I could help someone who was not from that area, did not live in that area, was acting in an odd manner, and overall I just expected problems.



For a one way road with no where to pull off, I probably would have hit my flashers and stopped.  If lots of people jump out of the truck, you can always continue driving.  If one guy gets out of the truck I could see having my window down and asking him if there is a problem.  If lots of people jump out of the truck you might want to call the local police if you have the ability to do so.



Not what is his problem.  Not what is his mental defect.  Not if he was late to the meth head addiction club meeting.



I would not get out of the vehicle with a rifle in hand.  It is easy to get out of the vehicle with a handgun in hand and have it concealed.  



Anytime someone acted like they were following me I pretty much could explain I was looking for someone in the area and where the heck is their place at.  Or I was legally playing on forest service roads and having a good time.  And said as much.



I don't really try to meet everyone in an area and while I do agree with meeting your immediate neighbors and what not and stopping in at a local hardware store or restaurant, you are not going to meet everyone that way.



Don't assume cause of your vehicle someone thinks X.  They might not like toyotas.  They might know someone in a similar vehicle that caused problems in the past.  Who knows what.  How you see things and how someone else sees things are usually very different.



Anyway, so lets say you have a hothead behind you and you now have realized he won't listen to simple english and get it through his head that you are not happy with his actions.



Drive at an acceptable speed to you.  Don't try to speed up.  Don't try to brake check.  If a turnoff exists, depending on weather I would pull halfway off the road to let him by, but leave myself room and be ready to go forwards or backwards if he wants to try to block you in and cause trouble.  



I don't care if it is a paved road with no passing zones, you speeding up and driving fast and then hitting a deer or something leaves you in what sort of situation?



I am very slow to let anyone know I am armed.  I am very slow to tell someone I am in fear of my life.  I am not slow to try to see where a situation is headed.  I can be nice and loud so it is not hard to holler back as someone is getting out of the truck to ask if there is a problem.  I am not trying to say let that person walk up beside your vehicle so he can touch you or do something.  



You have to assess things.  You need to figure out what options you are comfortable with.  My jeep is not very wide and with decent tires on it I feel comfortable dropping 2 tires off the side of most narrow roads to give room for someone to pass.  Generally they have to have their tires off the other side of the road.  And like I said, if someone wants to block you in, be ready to go backwards and back up onto the road.  I actually would prefer that since it is easy to hit your brights and use the door for protection and get a good idea of what is going on rather than trying to see what is behind you.



Now, what are you going to do if there are 2 vehicles behind you?  What if dude's buddy came at you and you now become a sammich in the road?



With all the drugs out there, lots of folks have pot grows to protect or a meth lab or whatever.  Some are just paranoid and burned out and see attacks coming at them from every direction.



And we all know how well the job market is doing in many rural areas, so you get the theft added into making everyone more friendly to strangers.



I don't advocate leaving yourself exposed to harm.



But I do really think those people in the area may as well all hear the story about the new guy who asks if someone needs assistance when he is being tailgated.  Offer to call 911 is someone is hurt and an ambulance is needed.  

So you are saying that if you meet a vehicle coming toward you, there is a traffic jam.

Nonsense...


Drive a one lane road every time we go/come from the mtns.

That's awesome.

even still, maintain what you feel is a safe speed. if someone is fucking around behind you, let em.
dont you go fucking around too and do something stupid. if he is fucking around and hits you, so be it.
you are armed, protect yourself.  you will be 100% in the right.
if you drive crazy too, you become at fault.

For TX county roads, the speed limit is 60 mph unless it is signed otherwise.  If you were going 20 on an unsigned county road, this guy might of thought you were up to no good.  I know 60 would be nuts to do on a dirt road, but 20 seems really slow, and I have done plenty of back roading in my lifetime.

Don't speed up to the point of losing control, damaging your vehicle.
If you choose not to let him pass, just flip your mirror up and drive normal.

One lane road with cliffs on each side in Tx. Got it. Lol .

Come on man..


Trust me. I've been there....it's the fear of escalation of force that screws with you.


I run single as in big enough for a full size only roads a lot. Some folks like going 5mph..some 50mph. I've passed and pulled over to let folks by.

If I'm worried I have a sidearm on my lap ready to go..and I normally won't stop.

Ill idle forward..or pick a spot I can back out fast. You chose the spot not them.


On my fj I installed a rear facing boat spot light on the roll cage. It came in handy with tailgaters ..with their high beams on while on back roads....an fj40 only goes so fast even on the hwy.

It also gives you plenty of light to allow you to see what's back there...

Guy or guys get out..you light them up...and evac or communicate.

Maybe they were going out to the main road to meet an ambulance.

Maybe it was the rancher and he was trying to protect his property (and yours since you lease).

Maybe it actually was a meth head that was going to shoot you in the face.

Chances are if you stopped and kindly talked to them that would have ended your situation.  If you have a right to be there and property on the road maybe you should be asking them what they're doing out there in the middle of the night.

Might work...

OP are you close to the oil fields?

Rear dashcam & rear facing bright white spotlight or lightrail.

That is why I had a set of 1700 lumen LED work lights on the back of my truck!

Are there multiple ways into your BOL?
If you really did need to get back to your place what are the odds that someone else decided to block access by dropping a tree or parking a heavy beater vehicle in a narrow spot?
Heck, even a gate with a lock could keep you out.

You could stop and then run them over with your car once they get out but I suppose that sort of politically incorrect in USA.
FerFAL

I'm liking this idea. The road is broad enough you can pull over and let them pass. I considered that option but didn't want them alongside me able to either broadside me or otherwise. The whole rearfacing spotlight sounds ideal...Thank you!

Has merit. My AK-74 is my back country woods rifle...

No, I'm in Hill Country just NW of Lampasas and 6 miles west of 281.

I'm noticing a trend here...

Nope, just one road into the backcounty. No gates anywhere that could be opened or closed. Blocking the road with a beater would be likely if things get very hairy but I need to just introduce myself to the local community and get that out of the way.

This beater has been beaten enough plus this is a bit politically incorrect...

WHERE WAS THAT AT???

 

Crazy shit right there.

On lights to the rear of your vehicle, know your local laws and consider that you might make things worse depending on how you plan to use them.



For the crazy city driving, pull into a local police station.  All the pretty gals who get followed when driving their "nice" cars know this trick.  Sends the stalkers cruising on by and then you backtrack the other way.



Since you say there is room to pull over and let em by, that is what I would be doing next time.



And as already said in other posts, have a plan for whatever they choose to do when you pull over to let them get by.



They might stop and not get out of their vehicle.  They might stop and more than one might get out of the vehicle.  They might try to block you in.  They might hit your vehicle.  Or they might cruise up and wave thanks as they go on by.



Back to the lights on the vehicle, I know most everyone runs around with off road lights uncovered, but most states have laws about having lights on your vehicle that are not covered when on real roads.  Last time I checked something like my jeep with 2 headlights and 2 fog lights is perfectly legal.  If I put a bunch of off road lights on the jeep and an officer wants to be a pain, those lights could mean a ticket if I don't keep them covered when on the roads.