The Galway Advertiser Facebook page lit up once again this week after a Moycullen woman messaged the paper with a story about a frightening incident which occurred on Monday. The woman was driving home alone at 11pm when she noticed a car to her rear being driven erratically. Her experience was detailed on-line and the post was seen by nearly 200,000 people and shared thousands of times.
Speaking to the woman in the aftermath of the incident she outlined what exactly had happened. "I was driving on the main road between Moycullen and Spiddal (known as The Mountain Road ) when a car came flying up behind me. Initially there was another car in front of me but that turned off and the car behind me immediately started flashing me. It was blinding me. At first I thought it was the guards and that maybe I was driving too fast but I knew I was under the speed limit. Then I thought it might be somebody I know, messing, and then I was thinking maybe the person was trying to tell me there was something wrong with my car. I was going to stop but I decided not to."
The woman became scared when she indicated to turn right down a rural road towards her home. The car behind her, which was silver with a Dublin registration plate, immediately followed, all the while still flashing her. "I was very scared at that stage I was just gripping the steering wheel with fear. I wasn't sure if I should turn into my own house or not, but I knew my father was at home so I did, and the car just sped off. It was obvious then he wasn't trying to tell me something was wrong or he wouldn't have just driven off."
The woman, who is in her twenties, had seen a number of stories shared previously by the Galway Advertiser highlighting incidents where men have tried to enter women's cars, and she says reading those had made her more cautious. "I always lock my doors day or not, I am very aware of my safety. I wanted to share because I think people need to take precautions - especially women driving alone at night. I'm glad so many people have shared it - don't be bullied into pulling over if you are unsure."
She says this experience has made her a little bit more wary of driving alone late at night. "I would just be a bit nervous that this person knows where I live. My father drove down the road after but there was no sign of anyone. I saw on Facebook that people were saying I should have driven to my local Garda station but that is Mill Street. Something like this makes you aware of the fact there is no local guard around. There used be a Garda station in Moycullen but it closed years ago. I didn't ring Millstreet because I figured by the time they got out he would be well gone."
