I find a good way to deal with these situations is to simply express myself by providing a 'thumbs down'. More than likely the driver knows they have done something thats not perfect. Giving them a thumbs down is a non-confrontational signal of your dissatisfaction. I have found myself getting unreasonably angry with drivers and by doing something (thumbs down) that anger dissipates. Interestingly, I find I have a direct correlation with low blood sugar and anger levels. When running on low energy levels my fuse is certainly shorter.

Additionally another helpful tactic I have employed is to simply wave at cars when been beeped at. Around the parts I frequent our fellow road users don't seem to have much patience for cyclists a will often aggressively beep us. I find a friendly wave in their direction (as if you know them) satisfactory.

I like that. A thumbs down won't really make them too mad, and they know they messed up.

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OlympicHopeful.com - Interviews with aspiring Olympians | Strava
Supported by: Skechers|Zwift|Squirt Lube|TYR|Rubber Ducky Sunscreen|Riplaces|MultiSport Canada|Joshus Bikes
“More often than not bad luck meant bad plans” -Joe Abercrombie

Been quite a few months since this happened.

I won.

Guy put up a moving sign on his house a couple weeks ago!

Good riddance!

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OlympicHopeful.com - Interviews with aspiring Olympians | Strava
Supported by: Skechers|Zwift|Squirt Lube|TYR|Rubber Ducky Sunscreen|Riplaces|MultiSport Canada|Joshus Bikes
“More often than not bad luck meant bad plans” -Joe Abercrombie

I think the mistake you made is yelling at him, that type of approach rarely yields a successful outcome no matter how much the person may deserve a harsh dressing down. If you feel like you need to confront someone over their behavior, do it calmly and in a non-confrontational manner. Human beings have an enormous capacity for stupidity and abhorrent behavior. I find that there is a direct correlation between my my own personal serenity and happiness and how much I allow people these type of people to occupy space in my head. Unless the situation calls for the intervention of law enforcement I would usually just let it go. It's hard, it takes time, but just try and shut this stuff out my friend, you'll be happier for it.

Learn what it takes to be a "winner"

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Not everything is as it seems -Mr. Miyagi

Best thing to do is call the police and file a complaint. They won't be able to do much, however, they will have a talk with him and there will be a record of the complaint in case there are future incidences.

Something similar happened to me and a bunch of my buddies down at a local park. There is a 1 mile loop with a 2 lane road circling it. Some guy comes cruising through starts laying on his horn and swerved from his lane into the 2nd lane into 3 different groups of cyclists. At first we tried to talk to the guy but he was just cursing at us telling us to get off the road. We called the police and they came down and took down his info and had a few words with him. We've seen him around a few more times and he didn't repeat his antics.

I thought only I knew that song! Chapeau.

". . . Good god that man is tall . . ." Best.

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_____________________________________
What are you people, on dope?

—Mr. Hand

  

I thought only I knew that song! Chapeau.

". . . Good god that man is tall . . ." Best.[/quote]

Yes, I'm just trying to instill some culture into the discussion.

I was raised in Shreveport, Louisiana, and now live in rural northern Michigan. The similarities between the two locations is striking.

Hopefully, the OP/young buck listens to the song. Wisdom.

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Not everything is as it seems -Mr. Miyagi

What kind of outcome will that result in?

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http://www.jt10000.com/

Perhaps one where the two individuals were able calmly and politely engage in a dialog over what took place, how to prevent it from happening in the future, and maybe even an apology? This certainly won't happen if the first thing you do is yell accusations at the perpetrator.

Are you speculating or does that actually happen?

I've had bystanders come up to me after raising ruckus where I, in terms of my loud tone, seemed to them to be righteous, to ask me what provoked it. That's positive.

Note: I'm talking about yelling the facts of the matter or the driving actions: You cut me off! You're speeding! You're going to kill someone if you keep driving like that. Not insulting names, but yelling about the danger posed.

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http://www.jt10000.com/

If that's working for you then by all means go for it.

Does your approach work for you or were you speculating?

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http://www.jt10000.com/

I've had this happen multiple times - either young rich kids in nice sports cars speeding, rednecks w/jacked up trucks trying to buzz me, or soccer moms in minivans not paying attention... I went the passive aggressive route of public shaming. Our neighborhood has an online community called 'Nextdoor' what I've done when it's someone in the neighborhood is I make a post following my run/bike ride letting everyone know what happened and a description of the vehicle and essentially turn it into a reminder of the dangers of distracted/dangerous driving and that if it had been an older resident out walking their dog, or kid riding their bike that they would not have been as agile as me and able to quickly jump out of the way of a moving vehicle. Also including a reminder of cycling laws to include that passing vehicles must give cyclists 3ft of clearance when passing and explaining why runners/cyclists may be running on the road (ie. gutter is full of debris, piles of branches on the road in front of people's are hazards, etc.). It is generally well received with other neighbors chiming in about their concerns and other reports of dangerous driving. It's worked well for me so far.

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Elisha
"Triathlon doesn't build character. It reveals it."

Let me ask you a question. Have you ever felt inclined to agree with someone who made angry accusations or insults towards you? And be honest with yourself.
Making people feel bad, or threatened, immediately switches on their psychological defenses. They immediately start justifying their actions and finding fault with yours. It's how our minds work, ALL OF US!
If you want people to actually reflect on what's happened with the possibility of them realising they did something wrong or feeling bad about how they behaved, the worst thing you can do is be aggressive, insulting or excessively angry. Many people don't seem to understand that. They make terrible business people, negotiators and teachers.

Of course there is a problem with the approach crujones is suggesting, it doesn't give you the same instant gratification and the adrenaline buzz of self righteous indignation fueled rage. But it's far more likely to change future encounters.

If you want to change someone, be nice, understanding, respectful. If you want to be ignored....shout or insult them.
If you really want to annoy them, be excessively polite and smiley when they try and upset you!

Thank you for your contribution to this thread, I couldn't have written a better response myself. It's funny that you mention teachers because that is precisely how I earn my living, I happen to be a HS special education teacher. In my experience, when trying to resolve disagreements or a dispute, practicing kindness and keeping your cool has always been the better road to take. This applies to my students, friends and family, and complete strangers and has generally served me well. What a pity that reason and civility are concepts that so many among us have difficulty understanding and practicing.