Road Rage

[Dora M]

While I lived in Australia, I have often been victim to car drivers yelling abuse at me for going too slow, or for allegedly taking up too much space. Or simply for being a bike rider. I have been pushed off the road twice. Once I landed in a ditch. The second time I crashed hard onto the asphalt and dislocated two vertebraes. Luckily I recovered within a month.
In both instances the drivers didn't stop to check on me. But some other kind folks in cars and on foot assisted me and helped me back onto my feet again. Admittedly, it didn't make me feel great, and for a while I took the bus.
Have you ever been abused by car drivers while riding you bicycle?

 

[CAMPYBOB]

Australians deliberately crash female cyclists? That's beyond insane. I though Americans and the English had cornered that market.

Of course I've been involved in road rage incidents while on a bike. I doubt there's anyone on the forum that has not.

 

[gavinfree]

It happens all the time to unfortunate bikers, but I've never dealt with road rage incidents while cycling myself. In a car, now that's a different story, but some people suck at controlling their tempers and enjoy abusing others in one form or another. It's always a good idea to steer clear of these individuals or report them to the authorities if you can get a license plate number!

 

[Volnix]

Some tips to avoid honking from cars that I found that work:

1. Wear a helmet. You will look like a "serious" cyclist and not just some road-scum-thing which would cause the car driver remember his last gas and insurance bill (which got raised because of a cycling related accident).
If you want to make use of your right not to wear one, wear a cycling cap.

2. Look as dodgy as possible. Think "Charles Bronson", "50 Cent", "Snoop Dogg" etc.

3. Never be clean. Wear oil-smudged track pants, ripped clothes. Extra points for blood stains.

4. Did I mention to not look clean? Add some dirt from your flower pots to your face and clothes before you ride.

5. Do wear lycra (as dirty as possible as mentioned above). Nobody wants to f@ck with a hard core multiple watt leg powered dope-fiend. Extra f@ck-off points for lycra which advertises products like motor oil, car related companies, something cycling related or a chronological date. Double points for Japanese lettering.

6. Do use lights. Try to look "nice about them" but make clear that your lights -are- able to cause seizures in a 500m radius, but your are not doing that "to be nice".

7. Do not try to appear "political", "romantic", "rational", "smart", or "hipster" about your riding. Bullsh^t like "I have the right to use the bike on the road etc". Look more like "F@ck you - and your whole crew - and car". Also (even though hard to do) try to look like you have a Porsche on your garage.

8. Never react to honking when you know that there is nothing wrong with your riding. Be calm and try to make the other guy think that you think that he is insane. Motorists do have to go through medical checks.
If it is your fault, try to look like "sorry man but I just crashed on that race and I think that my brain don't work that well no-mo..."

9. A few visible scars are helpful if you have them. -Do not cause the scars your self!- The bike will probably provide them for you sooner or later.

10. Have a piece of carton with a number on or a proper race plate on your bike. Extra f@ck-off points for numbers like, 13, 23, 666, or round numbers like 500, 300 etc.

Pro - tip: If you do not want to go for lycra, go for the "Drunk Peasant" look. Smudged overalls, A mysterious container on you or the bike.

Good luck!


For illustration purposes only:

 

[MotownBikeBoy]

Ah the Drunk Peasant look - the Old World equivalent of our ever-popular American "Crazy Smelly Drug-Addicted Homeless Guy"

Seriously, the vast majority of drivers are fine, it's just the few aholes that you remember.

I think the availability of instant communications via cell phones and small video cameras makes us safer because the driver inclined to cause real trouble in a road rage incident may (I said may ... No guarantees) think twice about it if they know they may be filmed doing an illegal or tortious act.

Generally, I think if "serious" cyclists were to adopt widespread use of video technology and make it known to the driving public that bad behaviors will be "caught on tape" it would make us all safer - says the guy who bought a handlebar mount and camera in November 2013 and has yet to install it.

 

[MotownBikeBoy]

Ah the Drunk Peasant look - the Old World equivalent of our ever-popular American "Crazy Smelly Drug-Addicted Homeless Guy"

Seriously, the vast majority of drivers are fine, it's just the few aholes that you remember.

I think the availability of instant communications via cell phones and small video cameras makes us safer because the driver inclined to cause real trouble in a road rage incident may (I said may ... No guarantees) think twice about it if they know they may be filmed doing an illegal or tortious act.

Generally, I think if "serious" cyclists were to adopt widespread use of video technology and make it known to the driving public that bad behaviors will be "caught on tape" it would make us all safer - says the guy who bought a handlebar mount and camera in November 2013 and has yet to install it.

 

[maydog]

I think anyone who has spent more than a few hours cycling on roadways has been a victim of verbal abuse by a driver or two. It is not so bad here yet, but when the temperatures warm, the traffic gets more congested and windows come down then the drivers feel free to vent.

I have never had a driver run me off the road, thank goodness. The worst harassment I had was someone "rolling coal" on me. I also had a nice conversation with an older gentleman that claimed that I could not be on the road since I do not have a license plate. Once in a while, I'll get honked or shouted at and catch up with the offending car at an intersection; I'll knock on the window and ask if there is a problem most often they try to ignore me, once in a while I'll get an apology.

I find that I get noticeably less harassment when I have my POV camera mounted in a visible location.

 

[Volnix]

Seriously, the vast majority of drivers are fine, it's just the few aholes that you remember.

It's not only car drivers that honk... Other cyclists tend to get aggressive too some times.

Actually, I had in the past shouted at some cyclists that were going all sketchy being entranced by the wonderful feeling of cycling in the sunshine after they haven't cycled for 10 years and they were watching the pretty clouds and birdies instead of the road path, on which I was going with 30+kmh trying to make it in time before the the super market closing time.

In a nutshell - confidence.

If you look "safe enough" they will not honk or shout at you. Except the homosexuals who get mixed feelings from your exposed lycra clothed ass (which wont honk if you look dirty etc) the other ones are probably just scared that they are gonna crash with you.

The standard road rager (the person that is driving for 6 hours a day stuck in traffic) will probably shout or honk at anyone, cars included. These ones have nothing to do with cycling.

 

[mpre53]

Look for jerseys with weapons themes. Smith & Wesson, Colt, the NRA logo. They're out there. Makes them wonder, and maybe rethink effing with you. And no self-respecting tree hugger would be caught dead wearing one, so you don't scan as some granola headed earth child.

 

[CAMPYBOB]

Quote by mpre53:
"Look for jerseys with weapons themes. Smith & Wesson, Colt, the NRA logo."

I have a few...and a couple of the armed forces ones.

The Carmen Miranda 'bowl of fruit'' jerseys do seem to get less respect, but I've seen cyclists get abused while wearing just about every style of clothing.

Rolling coal? How about wearing a Cummins jersey with the big 'C' logo? Or a Power Strokin' It! jersey with a FORD blue oval on it? Maybe the enDURAnce To The Max! jersey?

There's a special place in hell for the brodozer drivers that roll coal.

 

[CAMPYBOB]

I used to be an admin over on AR15.com...a firearms web site. There were so many cyclists on the forum that they came up with their own line of cycling clothing.

I like this one...

And there's always this...

 

[Volnix]

I have a few...and a couple of the armed forces ones.

You never been in the armed forces!!!

You know what we call guys like you in there?

"Asymmetric Threat"...





https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uh6G5PemzAk

 

[MotownBikeBoy]

Volnix, that is you behind the green pixels?

Volnix - International Man of Mystery!

Hopefully you have better teeth than Austin Powers.

 

[Volnix]

Volnix, that is you behind the green pixels?

Volnix - International Man of Mystery!

Hopefully you have better teeth than Austin Powers.

It is... I did about a year in the army. Did you see how "professionally" I hid all my medals and marine badges???

Well, I wasn't in the marines... But I cant complain! It was sh^tty enough!

 

[joshposh]

This one time I was riding my bike and I had the right of way at a intersection. The motorist was at the stop sign waiting for me to pass, but he was impatient, so he gunned it right in front of me, and he nearly hit another oncoming car. He stopped in front of me and I crashed my bike to avoid hitting him. I remember rolling on the ground and looking straight up at him. He was looking down from his car and he took off not wanting to help me up. I guess he was scared. He might have been drinking earlier and didn't want anything to do with the cops.

 

[kana_marie]

When I have to deal with any kind of traffic I'm uncomfortable anyway. But there's some drivers out here who get downright furious if you don't pull over to let them pass... well, when there's traffic in both directions, anyway.

 

[Clairelouise84]

While I lived in Australia, I have often been victim to car drivers yelling abuse at me for going too slow, or for allegedly taking up too much space. Or simply for being a bike rider. I have been pushed off the road twice. Once I landed in a ditch. The second time I crashed hard onto the asphalt and dislocated two vertebraes. Luckily I recovered within a month.
In both instances the drivers didn't stop to check on me. But some other kind folks in cars and on foot assisted me and helped me back onto my feet again. Admittedly, it didn't make me feel great, and for a while I took the bus.
Have you ever been abused by car drivers while riding you bicycle?

I have seen it a few times but so far never fallen victim, god help them if they do though. I am still a bit nervous riding on the busier roads so I always try to be considerate and thoughtful but I get really aggressive when I am nervous so if someone yells at me I will start yelling back and then some.

 

[ABNPFDR]

I get harassed every now and then, usually by college age kids doing stupid stuff like barking like a dog to scare us... stupid stuff. Drivers yelling at usin anger is rare, happens every now and again on a group ride but if it's just me or just a couple riders it seems to not be an issue. Most of the people I ride with are experienced and people I have been riding with for years so we make every effort to let cars pass. I think our courtesy comes across to the drivers and they are more accepting of sharing the road with us.

That being said I used to commute every day, 18 miles each way. On one really really busy road that was always backed up for a mile I used to ride down the shoulder of the road and pass all the cars. One Ass-hat in an Audi did not take too kindly to that. I would pass him nearly every day and he started to move his car into the shoulder in an attempt to block me in. Over a few weeks he'd pull out further and further.

One day he pulled out too far, too late. I had to swerve off road and I went down. However he had no place to go after so I calmly pulled out my phone. Took a picture of his license place, a picture of the car/bike lying in the road, and the man directly behind him said he would call the police if I wanted. I snapped a photo of his license plate too.

A woman at the gym I went to was engaged to one of the police in that town. I told her what happened, sent the photos to her, she passed it along to her other half... Couple days later got the word back that it was "taken care of". Never saw the Audi again.

 

[6fhscjess]

I used to be an admin over on AR15.com...a firearms web site. There were so many cyclists on the forum that they came up with their own line of cycling clothing.

I like this one...

And there's always this...

Northeast Shooters did a jersey too!

 

[CAMPYBOB]

Hmmmm? I wonder if CalGuns ever did a run of cycling clothing?