Do you mouth off at drivers?

Glad to see you are back. We need a little Texas temper once in a while.

 

Thank you muchly, Jerry, it's a pleasure to be here. I must say that, but for lack of time, I would have responded to your post in the Canadians dislike Americans thread, in the Bloody Soapbox, for I can see you have not lost your touch, either. How's tricks?

;-) S

 

I am not scared of anybody, and I have a short temper to boot, so it doesn't take much to get me started.

Usually when they drive past me I give them my full thoughts on them.

If they stop to belt me with anything, chances are I can probably out run them. I have run 3 half marathons in my life and was a 5000m champ at high school, or I will get back on my bike and ride out to safety.

I don't usually cop it though, just morons who scream at me out the window. I try and give drivers respect, and hopefully they will respect me.

If I try and help them, then I hope they will repay the favour.

 

I find that screaming out "BAD DRIVER" at an intersection or just after they try and kill you shakes peoples mind into gear and force them to think about the fact that they just maybe garbage at looking after your best interests. About a week ago I had a clanger with some redneck fool in northern sydney after he beeped me three times consecutively and whooshed passed me as close as possible in an obvious attempt to intimidate me. As i have a wife and child i got the chance to confront him about about what he had done and Why . "PROBLEM MATE"? i asked. he then procedded to give me a mouthful about road rules and obeying them and that i was a bike rider, you know the same old cliches (by the way i never break any rules, as i have a wife and a child i feel a profound sense of self preservation and this extends into my defensive riding). I swiftly reminded him that i was a vehicle not a bike rider and that if he hit me i would die, but i hit him my wife would probably have to pay for the damage to his car cos i would still be dead.
What it took to shut the clown up was to ask him if he was willing to tell my wife and son that he'd killed me trying to intimidate me because i was not a car, as well as yelling out his number plate four or five times so loudly that everyone at the intersection could hear it and act as witnesses if need be as well as being able to report the goose if they had seen his prior actions.

I drive a car, and ride a motorbike, and ride a bicycle. they are all considered vehicles. Its just a pity that people who dont ride bikes or drive trucks or motorbikes develop a horrible affliction that dictates that CARS are the only vehicles on the road. its the only reason i speak up to poor drivers these days, because it is infinitely clear that they need VEHICLE EDUCATION.

 

i have on occasion.

i was riding with a friend of mine once when a driver cut us off. my friend let go of his bars, threw both hands in the air and screamed "WHAT THE F***?!?!"

the driver slammed on his brakes and got out of the car. my friend unclipped and raised his frame pump up in the air like a bat.

I've have never seen someone jump back in a car so fast.

also, some stupid drivers will think a co2 inflator is a can of pepper spray.

the moral is: keep mouthing off

 

Though I'm a relaxed guy most of the time, I used to mouth off all the time while riding!! At least five times a day, in the good old days But then I met this girl who was much into psychology and meditating, stuff like that... She basically told me that all this cursing and yelling isn't doing any good, since most of the drivers won't notice or hear it anyways. She said: you are wasting too much energy being pissed off all the time that you should be using being a better rider...get rid of the bad vibes...and so on... Well, I tried it and I must say she was right...now I hardly ever get angry anymore.

But now and then I just have to get really, really mad... Some jerks will put your live in danger, just so they can gain 5 seconds of their precious time
It gives me great pleasure and satisfaction if I can catch up with one of them and tell them how I really feel They deserve all they can get, including a kick in the head.

 

Been riding motorcyles for far too long to not mouth off at drivers (been ridind the pusshie for 6 months or so to work).
Hell Got 2 private shools on my route and the toorak tractor (suv's)driving set drop their children off by just stoping turning with out indication drive in bike lanes stop in bike lanes then open doors in your path, sort of like cabbies but worse they can speak english.
I generaly find if you take their mirrors off they soon dont forget to look out for a bike because those electric mirrors are not cheap....
I know its bad but working night shift and wanting to get home to a nice hot shower out weight the needs of the many...

 

i think its fair enough. What car drivers just dont seem to *get* is that while we may be an inconvenience to them, they are deadly dangerous to us.

Im at it all the time and will always take my rightful spot on the road. 9 years as a messenger has taught me that you have to forcefully take your rights on the road, or you will be gutter fodder.
While ive had plenty of slanging matches, etc i have only been "inspired" enough to hit someone once. He first pulled in front of me, hit me, then as i rode past him he then abused me and that was the trigger.......as he drove past me to give me another mouthful i turned around and cracked him with a lovely left jab (this is in australia, driving on the left and all) through the open car window. This slowed him down really fast and surprisingly he pulled over and left me alone after that!.

I think turning the other cheek and remaining calm is one of the biggest fallacies of our time and the way people get dissed for "being emotional" is crazy. People died for the rights we enjoy today, and it would be disrespectful not to protect them.

Another good trick, if you dont want to get agro with the driver is grab their keys and drop them down the nearest drain. works a treat.

 

I've been practicing another tack - waving thanks to drivers who are NOT obnoxious. I can hear when a motorist slows down behind me waiting for oncoming traffic to clear. They get a friendly wave. The ones that change lanes completely get one too. I've probably waved at 3000 local drivers over the last 10 years. I live in a small town and ride rural county roads so I'm sure my ideas won't work many places though. The obnoxious drivers get the muttered profanity but nothing visible. If I can restrain myself with these few drivers a local favorite is to smile real big and give them a huge friendly wave (while muttering obscenities). The "friendly" response confuses them.

 

Yeah- I always wave at the ones that slow or change lanes. Speaking of waving, I got a wave from a biker type on a Harley the other day, and not the regular up in the air style. Here, Harley guys always give a low wave (dont ask why- I don't know) and that is what I got, hand extended by the knee low wave- seemed strange considering the difference in our chosen modes of relaxation...but I have been telling all my biker friends that I get the same thing from cycling that they get plus some excercise, maybe this guy was smart enough to know that...anyway, it was pretty cool

 

True story...I was just out riding the 5 mile loop that makes up the perimeter of my neighborhood. In one section a couple of new houses are being built, so today there was a steady stream of cement trucks coming in to that section of my lunch time ride. Over the course of a half dozen circuits, I passed in-bound trucks several times. Each time they kept to their side of the road and watched their speed as they passed me. I waved every time as they passed or gave them a thumbs up if they had moved over when they saw me coming.

One guy however was driving right down the middle of the road, and when I saw me, he even crowded over a bit more, to the point that I had to pull clear off the road and stop as he went by. I turned around and followed him into the job site and waited until he got out of his rig. I asked him his name, told him mine and in as friendly and joking a way as I could muster asked him if he had had trouble seeing me. He clearly wasn't expecting me to come talk to him, and probably wouldn't have said anything other than "Sorry." I told him no hard feelings but reminded him that there are a boatload of little kids in my neighborhood whom wouldn't necessarily have been as quick to bail. But the best part was that a couple of the other drivers came over to hear the conversation and started giving him a hard time about it. They had apparently been standing there watching him run me off the road. About that time another guy comes up who was apparently either his boss or the crew chief, as I was pulling away that guy was giving him 8 rations of shiznit for being unsafe around a neighborhood.

As I pulled away, I actually felt a bit sorry for the guy, but only just.

 

Now thats the kind of story I like to hear.

 

I think what we need is for Campagnolo to come up with a handlebar-mounted rocket launcher. "Now available in your choice of titanium or carbon fiber..."

 

Indeed, or, instead of a waterbottle cage a frame mounted gun holster and a jersey stating "This bicycle protected by Smith and Wesson". Just fantasizing I would never consider carrying a weapon but have considered getting a "Human Being on Board" Jersey made.

Actually, reading the mails brings back so many memories of my riding years in Canada. Luckily in France, even Paris I don't have nearly the number of problems that I had there, even at rush hour. In the countryside people are sometimes far too polite and it gets a little nerve wracking when they follow you up a hill at 20km/hr waiting until there is 1km of open road to pass you.

You know what? I think I just cured myself of any thoughts of moving back home.

 

One of my ex'es pointed out that a gun still leaves the offending vehicle blocking the road; it was she (and a pacifist, at that) who suggested the rocket launcher.

Truth to tell, of course, is that I've been responsible for some bonehead driving myself (this is New Jersey, after all; I have a reputation to maintain!).

Seen on a local t-shirt: "Welcome to New Jersey. Now Go Home."

 

i am a driver but i always give consideration to cyclists when i am in my car...if a driver is pissing me off i cycle in the middle of the lane lowly and refuse to let him past...that pisses them off more that calling them a fat prick..

 

I've read that tolerant drivers are much less likely to be involved in accidents. One would assume that applies equally to cyclists. Funny how I find it so hard, although I'm getting much more relaxed and tolerant as I get older.

 

I was cursed in russian yesterday. Some guy pulled over left into a cycle lane, nearly forcing me off the road, so I banged on the side of his car (a huge people carrier) to let him know I was there. I wasnt even all that pissed off really, as I had anticipated him doing it (he was avoiding a car in the middle of the road turning right) and was already slowing down, I just didnt want to be squashed. So he winds the window down and tells me not to hit his car again or <muttered slavic threats>. I shrugged and cycled off, and in fairness he did give me a wide enough berth when passing me a minute or so later.

However I lost it totally on saturday when guy behind me started hooting at me for not being in a cycle lane when I was stationary at traffic lights! When the lights changed, and he came along side me we had a frank exchange of views. I was tempted to follow him (as he turned into a side road so was clearly local) but was a) late, and b) realised i was in danger of losing the moral high ground if i followed him home just to hurl more expletive filled abuse. Deep breath and let it go. Annoying though.

 

I never mouth off but I do let someone know when they've made a mistake or almost run into me.

Numerous times people with try to pull out when I'm right on top of them. At most I give a hand gesture. Not the finger, mind you, just a hand up in the air as to say ,what the hell!? Only, once have I ever gotten off my bike to actually confront someone but that's because it was a really close call! Even at that I didn't lose my cool. I simply asked them if they had a hard time seeing my bright yellow jersey.

Flying off the handle does no one anygood. The problem being, some drivers just don't care. They'll retaliate if they feel threatened. Your best weapon is being prepared to stop. In traffic, I'm always a fingertip away from my brakes.

 

dont mouth off.....but seem to be flippin off at drivers waaaaaaaay to much, it scares me when they go like right by ya n then beep....jeese, you'd think they'd never seen female cyclists b4

(n i was so sure i had already replyed once in this thread hmmm)