Kids playing Chicken with cars!

[J.C.]

I haven't been this upset with a stranger for sometime.

I just dropped my daughter off to dancing and was travelling at about 40kph. I was coming up to two kids (approx 13 yr old ... old enough to know better). They were on the wrong side of the road and not in single file so I had my eye on them. Just as well too as the one nearest to the on coming traffic (me) looks me in the eye and swerves out in front of me then back in. He was, at that, point about 10 -15m in front of the TS. I reacted instantly by swerving to the right (and cursing).
Then it hit me! This is not on. I looked in the rearview mirror and hit the picks. He spotted me and tried to bolt. No cars behind me so into reverse I go hammering it back into the carpark area swinging the nose around then back into drive and on the gas. There were no other vehicles around for a good 30m so all appeared safe.
I was p1ssed! He had just jumped the gutter and decided to pull up as I had caught him. I pulled up and feed it to this kid, making him realise that that sort of behavour is just not on and there are risks involved and if he pulled that stunt with me again I wouldn't be so kind.
To be truthful here, he scarced me pretty bad. I had come off nightshift this morning and was pretty laid back after sleeping today and was just enjoying the gentle cruise in the car. I was doing nothing wrong and driving carefully.
What frighten me was "what if I had hit this kid or he had fallen off his bike?". Bugger the car! As much as I love it, it can be fixed. He would be hurt or worse. Then there is me. It would have messed me up a fair bit as running over kids is not one of my favoured past times.

Kids will be kids. Being cheeky has it boundaries and I can smile at most of the stuff that goes on around here as I was young once to, but doing this sort of thing is not at all wise. Hopefully I taught him a life lesson and the only thing that was hurt was his pride. Me! More grey hairs.
What are parents teaching their kids nowadays?
I turned up at home shacken and pale from the experience. It was close. To close for my liking.

Anyone had similiar encounters?