tnguy

Continuing to read on this, it looks like the RR was getting attacked pretty bad when it first stopped (including tires slashed) so yeah, all bets off at that point.   I guess if anything can be drawn from this, it's to avoid mobs, either from the inside or the outside if possible.

  I do. But it's not for citizens :)

It seems possible. Though how they would know he was calling 911, I don't know.

  I'd like to know what kind of fencing class teaches you either leaping out of your car or charging at your opponent, sword held high and yelling as skills.   Also, I am a little confused by this comment: “Fencing, you can do it without the weapon. It happens in your mind". It almost sounds like he didn't actually have the sword? Though I'm willing to put it down to the usual journalistic nonsense.

  I don't think anyone was suggesting that.

A basket? You're optimistic. And you may have to walk the last couple of miles.

Fair point. Though I'd suggest that there's a lot being paid for directly with taxpayers money.

  I mean before the idiot and the brake check.

  They're getting paid with your money.

  Don't worry, the way they're printing it, you'll soon be taking home your wages in a wheelbarrow.

I'm watching my sums. Between one thing and another, it's starting reach the break-even point on just throwing in the towel and living off the land vs working to support not only my family but all the hangers-on. I'd have a happier life too. Healthcare? When I get old, I'll die. I suspect I'm more likely to die in a traffic accident on my commute than of old age anyway.

Pandas are Chinese. We should be spending the money on watching American bears, I tell ya.

  I do. But having known people who were killed & injured in hit & runs, I can (and again, I do not want to appear to be endorsing or defending the motorcyclists) understand the instinct to pursue.   The more I think about it, the more it seems that this outcome was pretty much predetermined from the moment that guy went down. I am not sure what the RR driver starting to shoot would have had on the situation, sometimes you're just in a bad place. Though brandishing would seem to likely be warranted and a good idea. To my mind, the whole thing was the fault of the asshole who brake-checked (and has since been arrested according to the news) and more generally to the pack of motorcyclists riding in the fashion that they were. Anything that followed stems from that.   The more pertinent question might be, given the RR driver being otherwise innocent of wrongdoing, what he could have done to avoid being drawn into things. (Note, not what he *should* have done). I don't have an answer for that either :)  

  Interesting point. A weapon may have allowed for a more peaceful outcome. By raising the stakes (on either or both sides), precipitation of violence may have have been avoided and appropriate negotiation (calling of the emergency services, first aid for the injured, exchange of insurance details) allowed to proceed. With no direct way to defend himself, the RR driver was placed in an untenable position.  

  If the gangsters were on motorcycles, I wouldn't hold much chance to outrun them.   As to anything else... That's a tricky one. There may be no good answers and there may be nuances. I also don't want to be seen as endorsing the overall behavior of that group which, definitely seemed pretty bad even in the first few seconds of that video. With that said, at first, regardless of the numbers, it was possibly just a simple traffic accident in which people are supposed to stop, take care of the injured and exchange details. Running and ramming bikes is an immediate escalation (regardless of being "right" or not). Then again, it is probably understandable from the POV of the driver as a panic fight-or-flight reaction and many people have a distorted view of motorcyclists, as they do gun owners (it's just a regular dude who happens to be riding a motorcycle).   Again, no answers, just points to consider.

I hope it's soon. I have started molding my mashed potato into lower shapes.

  I swear, I've seen someone tailgating at 55, the car they're tailgating turns off the road and the tailgater immediately accelerates all the way to... 55.   Heck, when I'm looking to pass, I leave more space. Gives a bit of a run-up to overtaking speed and better visibility down the road.

Not going to make any judgement on this one because in my opinion, there's simply not enough information. Here's a few things to consider:   If you get into an accident and you run, you're going to get chased. Bear in mind that most of the bikers there probably didn't know the full story. All they know is bike down and someone running. There's not much else will get a motorcyclist's blood boiling faster.    You start deliberately mowing people down while fleeing the scene of an accident, that's vehicular homicide or probably first degree murder. Now you have bikers and cops chasing you.   As for drawing and shooting. Well, by that stage, the #### had really hit the fan so all bets are off. But bikers carry too. Make those shots count.   With that said, it looked like more than a few of the motorcyclists were riding like assholes. Personally, I avoid riding in groups of more than a few people that I know well. There's just too much scope for asshatery with large groups. But we don't know what the situation was, the RR may have been engaged in prior asshatery. I'm sure the story is out there somewhere though. I'm off to some motorcycle forums to see what the consensus is out there.   Edit: Seems to align with the sentiment here. The guys on the forums I frequent tend to disdain douchey motorcycle activity so hardly surprising.

  I think there are some people who just don't have the concept of stopping distance. They're not deliberately tailgating, they're just dumb.

Top tip: Don't over-compress compression fittings. Also, use a new olive every time.

Meh. Bad decisions all round. Trying to run from about 100 motorcyclists though... Good luck with that.

This looks promising...   http://googlesystem.blogspot.com/2013/08/app-ops-androids-hidden-permission.html   Not compatible with my device :(

This page   http://www.stopcellphonetracking.com/google-helps-find-your-stolen-android-device/   seems to indicate that you can disable the location feature but I've been through the settings on my phone and that is not an option.

  It is pretty bad. It means that if someone can guess your password, they can find your location. Potentially, that could be very bad for all sorts of people.It also means that Google can obtain your location any time they feel like it at their own initiation. This should have required confirmation or enabling on the phone first.   I'm going to be looking in to what people have discovered about how this works and how it can be blocked (I can think of a few methods offhand, all of them require a level of technical knowledge).   Mine said accurate to 3000ft at first which is why I thought cell tower but then it dropped really low. Possibly that could be done with wifi triangulation but at this stage, who knows?   There are supposed to be some real open-source phones on the horizon but Ubuntu are starting to look like they may head down that same path with their built-in advertising.