Scary Missoula Road Rage Incident at Mullan And Reserve

Lately driving around Missoula has been alarming. I have witnessed one car accident, two close calls, and was personally threatened with bodily harm. This all happened within a recent weekend.

A Lot of Bad Driving in Missoula Recently

Even with a full moon coming up soon, and the weather that has been mild for driving, I am still not sure if any of this has to do with the horrendously bad driving I have been witnessing lately. I don't think that I am the only one who has seen some bad driving around Missoula lately.

Read More: Missoula Has a New Bad Habit While Driving

The recent incident that shook me most occurred at the intersection of Mullan Avenue and Reserve Street, a notorious hotspot for traffic issues. For residents familiar with the area, the dangers of Reserve Street are no secret. There is a Facebook group that is dedicated to raising public awareness of the issues, it is simply called, Let's Improve Missoula's Reserve Street.

Reserve Street Road Rage

I was traveling west on Mullan and was stopped at a red light in the inside left turn lane to eventually turn south onto Reserve Street. There were a few cars in front and behind me and in the lane next to me. The traffic light changed to a green arrow and we started to drive. As I approached the intersection to turn I noticed there was a pedestrian who was crossing Reserve Street against the light and appeared to be yelling at the cars that were traveling through the intersection with the green arrows.

By the time I got to the intersection, the person was right by my vehicle. I rolled down my window to inform the person they were crossing against the light. They proceeded to yell profanities at me and then threatened to hit me with a balled-up fist as they approached my vehicle. I quickly rolled up my window and continued through the intersection and out of the way.

I Still Don't Understand Why This Happened

After the adrenaline wore off, there were so many things that went through my mind. I realized I had been threatened with physical bodily harm by a person who was not only in the wrong, but was also breaking the law. For some reason, that person felt that me and all the other drivers were in the wrong. So much so that they wanted to physically hurt me. I haven't been threatened with bodily violence since high school. The person who threatened me looked much older than me, so I am assuming they should know how a crosswalk at a traffic light works.

Missoula's Most Infuriating Intersections

The incident also happened at one of the most dangerous intersections, not only in Missoula but in the state, according to LawMontana.com using data from 2017. According to Missoulians, it is also one of the most infuriating intersections.  I still don't have an answer as to why the person decided to act the way they did towards me and the other drivers that day. I do know that I was lucky that the incident wasn't much worse. I could have been assaulted. Or, even worse, the pedestrian could have been hit by a vehicle. All I can say is please let's keep our tempers in check and be safe on our Missoula roads.