Tennessee woman drives home. Then someone follows her all the way up to her driveway

It's easy to watch horrors, thrillers, or true crime and assume that a person can handle dangerous situations differently from the main characters. But often, people's natural reaction in real life is to freeze or even to convince themselves they're being overdramatic and that there is no danger.

One woman is going viral for a PSA about experiencing this very phenomenon in a potentially dangerous situation, and she's spreading awareness for her fellow women.

‘That'll never happen to me'

A Tennessee mother and content creator (@the_kimosabi3.0) shared a harrowing encounter she had with a fellow driver on the road. The video has since accumulated more than 12,000 views.

“I need to start this out by saying that I already know that my survival skills were not surviving today,” the creator said. “I don't need you to come in the comments and tell me how stupid I was … If you think for one second, ‘That'll never happen to me,' yeah, it probably could.”

The creator said that she was driving home on the interstate during the evening when she saw a “nice-looking” BMW SUV following her.

“It was like, every time I changed lanes, it changed lanes with me,” she said. “And I was trying not to be that girl thinking somebody was following me because girls overreact all the time, right? This is why we do.”

Once the creator pulled off the interstate, the vehicle continued to follow in her wake, despite her “[trying] to lose him” by going nearly 80 mph in a 55 mph zone.

How long did the driver follow her?

The driver proceeded to follow her to her home. Then he pulled into her driveway.

“Then I'm starting to think; even still trying to reason with myself. I'm like, ‘Maybe it's a delivery driver because I have a hell of a lot of stuff delivered out here,'” the creator said. “And then I realized he doesn't even have Tennessee tags. He's from New Jersey. So now at this point, this man gets out of his vehicle and he just stares at me and I'm like, ‘Can I help you with something?' And he was like, ‘Juanita?'”

The creator told him he had the wrong person and house, but the man didn't leave. He asked her for water, which she refused on account of not feeling safe to unlock her home in front of him. As if things weren't stressful enough, his car failed to start, even though he said he had gas.

How did she handle the situation?

The creator ended up calling her husband, who arrived within 10 minutes. She also called multiple tow truck companies, all of which told her it would take at least an hour and a half to arrive. Finally, the locally owned Nate's Towing and Repair saved the day within 30 minutes.

“This company quite literally probably saved my freaking life,” the creator said. “I call them and this man can hear the panic in my voice … Him and his wife came out here and … they knew something was wrong.”

The driver resisted anyone getting in or near his vehicle, even the tow truck drivers, and claimed he “couldn't get in touch with anybody.” He finally accepted a ride from the creator and her husband, and Nate's Towing and Repair followed closely behind to ensure the couple's safety.

“Shout out to that tow company, because they quite frankly are the best things that ever happened to me today outside of my husband,” the creator said. “Ladies … if you have the least bit of suspicion, do not be an ignorant fool like I was tonight, and don't go home … And now I'm not even letting my daughter come home to stay tonight because we are all worried that that man is going to show back up over at this house.”

What should a person do if a driver is following them home?

Multiple viewers in the creator's comment section urged her and others to, in future similar situations, “drive to the police station not [her] own home.” Legal experts echo this advice.

There are ways to test whether a driver is following one's vehicle, according to accident and injury lawyers Auger & Auger. The firm says to make four right turns back-to-back to test whether a suspected driver is following behind the vehicle when driving on city streets. If the suspected driver “is still behind you after the fourth turn, they're probably following you.” If the pursuit is on the freeway, the firm says that the driver should get off the freeway and get back on to see if they're being followed.

In addition, Auger & Auger relays points of action to get away safely: Continue driving; don't make an indication to the other driver; never drive home; call the police or drive to the nearest police station. If that's not possible, drive to a crowded and well-trafficked place rather than “[playing] a cat-and-mouse game with the following car for long.”

Colorado law firm Gaddis, Herd, Craw & Adams also advises individuals to avoid panicking in stressful situations.

“It's not a good idea to start speeding, try to make sudden turns, or hide in alleyways,” the firm says. “The last thing you want to do is crash your vehicle while trying to evade a stalker. Remain calm…”

Buzz News has reached out to the creator via TikTok comment, as well as Nate's Towing and Repair via email.