When driving through an area with lots of cars and pedestrians, you need to slow down and be extra careful to ensure everyone is safe.

What would you do if you were in this situation, but someone driving behind you in a rented car was tailgating extremely close while vaping and getting upset?

That is what happened to the driver in this story, so he reported her vaping to the rental car company so she would get a large fine.

Check it out.

You Refuse to Adult? That Will Be £250.

I’m in traffic the other day, not long till 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.

Got it, it is a very crowded area.

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.

Not just following a bit close, I mean tailgating.

Wow, she is really too close for safety.

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.

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.

She is being very dramatic.

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.

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 sharecar is public space, even when one person has hired it.

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

I 100% agree with this.

I am annoyed when I get in a sharecar (or a lift, or metro, or taxi…) and it reeks of Mango Creme Brulee Banana berry Ice Mist Swirl Whatever vape flavor.

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

She sounds very entitled and I’m glad she is being put in her place.

Read on to see what the people in the comments have to say.

It is a great line.

Very courteous.

Good to know.

This is so true.

People who speed through school zones are the worst.

Patience is a virtue while driving.

But far too few drivers actually have it.

If you liked that post, check out this one about an employee that got revenge on HR when they refused to reimburse his travel.