When you are stuck in traffic there really isn’t much you can do other than sit back and wait for it to start moving – even if it is really annoying.

What would you do if when you were stuck in traffic, someone in a rental car kept tailgating you and making it unsafe to be on the road?

That is what the driver in this story experienced, but they managed to get their revenge.

Check it out.

You Refuse to Adult? That Will Be £250.

I’m in traffic the other day, not long until peak hour, in the high street of a built-up area with lots of pedestrians and and a fair few cyclists.

Shops and restaurants, grocery stores and banks, bakeries, etc.

One traffic lane and one frequently-packed parking lane (people getting in + out) on each side of the road.

Those are the worst places to drive.

25 mph speed limit (with active civic process toward lowering it to 20).

Other drivers often not paying attention.

Red-light cameras.

I do not make a slowpoke of myself, but neither do I speed; I drive carefully and I keep my attention on my surroundings.

So I noticed the car behind was tailgating me very soon after that began.

As if this is going to make you go faster.

Not just following a bit close, I mean tailgating.

At a normal distance behind I’d have been able to see at least the top of its front bumper bar in my interior mirror, but I could barely see the base of the windscreen.

Through which, via the mirror, I could see the driver.

She did not appear to be a happy or nice person.

By repeated experience I associate her bearing…her facial set and expression (and hairdo)…with Karen’s.

I know that is not nice of me. I still do it anyway, and wrestle with the ethics of it on my own time.

I’ve never heard of Zipcar, sounds like a cool service.

It is a Zipcar, and she does not act as if applying a lot of attention to driving it.

Nothing I can safely or legally do about that, just have to keep an eye on her and try to get out from in front of her at soonest safe opportunity.

In course of keeping an eye on her with mirror-glances, I see her vaping.

Still tailgating.

Finally I reach my turn, which has a turn lane, so I indicate and get (all the way) in that.

Zipcar Karen has plenty of room, a whole lane to herself to just float on by, but floors it and dramatically veers toward the parking lane, as if my car is so hugely fat that she had to take the long way round.

Revenge plus helping to keep the roads safer. Well done.

Once back home, I rang Zipcar and gave in the car’s number plate, location and time.

They were very keen to learn the user had been vaping; that’s at least a £250 fee, which users agree to on sign-up.

They can also be kicked off the platform/account closed.

And I am fine with that.

A share car is public space, even when one person has hired it.

I hate that smell too.

Yes, vaping is less reeky than smoking; still smells bad, though, and leaves residue.

I am annoyed when I get in a share car (or a lift, or metro, or taxi…) and it reeks of Mango Creme Brulee Bananaberry Ice Mist Swirl Whatever vape flavour.

So, assuming all goes as it probably will, Karen gets to pay stiff money in recompense for making a pestillence of herself.

If this is not her first offence, perhaps she gets to find something other than Zipcar.

Jerk-move to leverage someone’s chemical addiction against them? Maybe.

Be that as it may: Petty? I think so.

I get it that people are in a hurry sometimes, but tailgating someone isn’t going to speed everyone along!

Let’s take a look at some of the comments to see what others have to say.

Yup, common courtesy.

It was perfect.

This person is a good citizen.

Yeah, she was being very dangerous.

Now that would have been fun to see.

Calm down and let the traffic move.

Some people need to unclench.

If you thought that was an interesting story, check out what happened when a family gave their in-laws a free place to stay in exchange for babysitting, but things changed when they don’t hold up their end of the bargain.