Yesterday as I was finishing a long ride, heading down a two lane road with virtually no traffic I hear the blast of a car horn behind me. Look over to see a mid aged woman with a teenage passenger yelling at me from inside their car. I thought I might talk sense and motioned for them to roll the window down, which they did, just so that the boy (most likely son) exclaimed “GET ON THE F’ing SIDEWALK” as they bravely speed away. Dropped to the 53x12 and nearly caught them at the next intersection. Just as well that they got away. Anyone out there have a novel approach on how to respond to morons in cars?
I believe that is why God gave you an odd number of fingers. Use one of them.
Ride old school Time pedals with the metal front cleat section…good for car paint frozen water bottle missile punch out side window meet them at a light, lean back and kick in their door panel meet them at light, grab driver through window, drag driver out and beat him in the road as his car idles forward into a ditch. (This occured near Rockford Il about 10 years ago…I am not the person who did it, but if you saw him - you would not want to mess with a 6’3" 240lbs 6% body fat CAT1 former Navy SEAL either) HALT! the passanger Ride VERY slow in front of them…ask them to hit you, beg even.
(yes, I have done all of the above but for drag a guy out of his car)
Ignore them?
I’m with you on getting seriously pissed off. However, one of these days the lunatic in the car may severely snap and do some real harm. I like to smile and wave right back - that’s never the reaction they want…
Plus, no matter what those jackasses yell (it could be the most finely crafted, elegant and offensive insult they’ve ever thrown at anyone) it ALWAYS comes out as: “aaaargghhh baaaarrrrgghhhh blaaaaahhhhhh”
Best to not say anything I think. There are some peolpe who will just never understand and it will only upset them more.
Ignore them…and let it go. It’s a crazy world out there…responding is not worth the risk.
I have an image that pops into my head whenever this happens to me. The person is 55-60, just had their second major heart attack, or maybe they’re in renal failure, both legs amputated due to diabetes from obesity…anyhow, they’re in ICU, tubes coming and going from every orifice of their body (including a few new ones put in by obliging first year residents)…and just before expiring, their last thought is how they abused that guy on his bike many years ago…and how maybe they should have made some different choices in they’re life…
Now don’t hammer me here…I know that I’m just as likely to end up in ICU as well, and that my exercise guarantees nothing…it’s not a rational thought…but sick as it is, it helps me, and keeps me from flying off the handle in these situations.
This is why you always hold on to messy gel wrappers and have a bottle of sports drink. Imagine the fun of them trying to clean that stuff out of their car and clothes while thinking 'damn cyclist!"
Or you could do what a friend did: he had a copy of the laws for cyclists printed on laminated cards and carried them when he rode. When someone did this he tossed the card through the window and yelled “learn the laws!”
Here in Missouri the idiot drivers are almost exclusively young males (some not so young, except mentally) driving pick-up trucks. The mother and son combo is a new one. Total a-holes
Stick your tongue out at them. It’s an unexpectedly childish reaction, it usually pisses people off, and there is no good comeback to it - they can’t escalate by responding with the finger or with violence.
i favor what is affectionately known as “the liverpool kiss”. however, i do not condone violence against idiot drivers.
In this instance it was just a fat puerto rican woman (no offense to the latin population but is it an unwritten law to hang a PR flag on the rearview?) who was likely in a hurry to get more groceries. I was especially impressed with the values that she has imparted to her child. My biggest fear is that more and more motorist pack heat in their cars. Maybe the best approach is to point at their fat ass and laugh. Just think how miserable their lives must be if they blow a gasket everytime they see a bike.
A buddy of mine was riding through a residential subdivision when dirtbag threw a beer can at him on the way by (70.3 empty beer can). He followed him at a distance and found a brick along the way. As the dirtbag got out of his car, he repeated exactly what was said to him on the way by and launched a brick against his car. He quickly got out of the neighborhood and did not return. Bike with a brick.
I wouldn’t condone any of the violence we are mentioning here, as it will some day be traced back to you when you are on trial for throwing a brick at a motorist, but I don’t have any problem with fighting words with words. I’m not beyond the fray though: The other day I was rolling through a rather highly populated area of my usual ride (outside philly–manayunk) where there are two narrow lanes and cars parked on the street on either side. One day there was the guy who hustled his girlfriend out of the street but then proceeded to walk as ssslllloooooooowwwlly as possible as I approached. I said to myself- he isn’t getting out of the way…and then as I came up on him a car tried to pass me on the left. I squeezed through unscathed and quipped “take your time buddy.” His response about 2 seconds later as I rolled away: “F— you, you F-ing Fa–ot.” That’s some serious anger. The next week it was a muscle head in a BMW M3 riding on my left as I rolled through town. I was squeezing through the traffic backed up and he kept coming up next to me and I imagine he was pissed that I was progressing in traffic faster than he was. Well, he proceeded to “nudge” me continually to the right until i nearly got “doored.” My angry response was “F-you zipperhead.” He rolled his window down but I didn’t hear a word he said. I just yelled–“guess who’s going to break if you run into me…you don’t want that on your conscience.” People are a-holes but I don’t need to get shot over it–a good quip will usually satisfy my urge to strangle them.
Here’s my rather long-winded story from Austin:
I was on a street that was two fairly narrow lanes of traffic in my direction and no shoulder that takes me to a very nice kind-of-sort-of highway that’s great for riding (for Austinites, I was on Slaughter heading west over to Mopac). I’m cruising along at about 17 or 18 mph when a pick-up about 1 foot off my rear wheel honks at me. It then moved a bit to the left and went around me. Now, I’m not a total hothead, but I don’t have a lot of patience with rude, inconsiderate, or dangerous people, so I casually flipped the truck off as it pulled away from me, shaking my head as I did so.
About 1/2 mile ahead or so, there’s a stoplight where I need get in the left turn lane. It turns out the pick-up is still in the right hand turn lane so I look over for several seconds. The lady rolls down her window and I say in a very polite and congenial voice, “You can take that horn and shove it right up your ass.” I know, I know, hardly the way to calm the situation. Anyway, she starts yelling that I shouldn’t be on the road moving that slowly and blocking traffic. I respond that I have just as much right as she does to be there. She tells me I’m wrong, that I don’t. I tell her I’ll gladly pull off to the side and discuss it with her. At which point she actually did. So I get myself turned around and head over to the shoulder where she’s pulled off. Her passenger gets out of the truck with her cell phone in her hand, apparently ready to call 911 if I turn out to be some lunatic. I actually think that move was sensible. The resulting conversation goes something like this:
“You were out of line to honk your horn at me.”
“You shouldn’t be on the road going that slowly.”
“I have just as much right to ride on that road as you do to drive on it.”
“You’re wrong. You shouldn’t be riding there.”
“Check the Texas Transportation Code. I’m perfectly legal riding there.”
“Not when you’re going so slowly and almost cause an accident.”
“My speed is irrelevant. I’m legally entitled to ride on any street that has not been otherwise prohibited as long as I ride as far to the right as is reasonable given road conditions and hazards.”
“You weren’t on the right, you were in the middle of the road!”
“Hardly, the only time my line veered from the right side of the lane was when you honked at me.”
“You almost caused an accident! The guy behind me was coming up way too fast and almost hit me!”
“How is that my fault? Honking at me is hardly going to help. All it’s going to do is startle me into veering right in front of you, just as it did. And getting back to that middle of the road issue. On this particular road, since the lane is less than 14 feet wide, I can legally ride right down the middle of it, if I choose.”
“You’re wrong.”
“No ma’am, I’m not. You need to review the Texas Transportation Code.”
“It’s too dangerous for you to be riding out in the middle of the road with that much traffic and holding things up.”
“Again, you need to look at the Transportation Code. It clearly says what is and isn’t allowed when it comes operating a bicycle.”
Her companion joins in at this point: “There’s a sidewalk there you could be riding on.”
“The sidewalk joints are too uneven to ride safely. Besides, check your city ordinances. The City of Austin prohibits cyclists from riding on the sidewalk.” (Really only true in certain neighborhoods, but they didn’t know that)
The driver comes back in with my favorite line: “Well, you need to get yourself right with God.”
“Pardon me?!?!?” I’m absolutely floored by this comment. “First, you have no idea of what my relationship with God may or may not be. Second, what could it possibly have to do with this situation?”
“You need to straighten your life out with him before you get yourself killed riding like you are and have to face eternity.”
Again, I’m nearly speechless…nearly. “Let me get this straight: I have to get right with God because you want to kill me?” She didn’t like that at all. “Since I can tell that you’re a fine, upstanding Christian, I’m sure you’re going to rush right home and pray for my poor soul and for the Lord to keep me safe from inconsiderate and woefully ignorant drivers such as yourself, aren’t you now?”
That’s the point where I rode away.
Sad but true. I would hate for someone to follow the advise and wind up like this Dallas cyclist
10:16 PM CDT on Wednesday, June 8, 2005
By DAKARAI I. AARONS / The Dallas Morning News
A police officer testified Wednesday that Southern Methodist University law professor Jane Dolkart told him she only intended to tap a bicyclist with her car the day she allegedly ran him down.
IRWIN THOMPSON/DMN
IRWIN THOMPSON/DMN
SMU law professor Jane Dolkart (center) talked with friends before her trial on Wednesday in Dallas.
Officer Craig Bennight’s testimony came on the first day of Ms. Dolkart’s trial. She is charged with aggravated assault with a deadly weapon.
Ms. Dolkart is accused of using her car to hit lawyer Tommy Thomas last May while he was biking with a friend at White Rock Lake on West Lawther Drive south of Mockingbird Lane. Mr. Thomas suffered minor injuries as he was dragged under the car.
Officer Bennight testified that Ms. Dolkart said Mr. Thomas had intentionally blocked her efforts to get around him.
He also testified that when he told Ms. Dolkart that Mr. Thomas was claiming she had intentionally hit him, “that kind of unleashed a torrent of anger” from her.
Officer Bennight said Ms. Dolkart told him that claim was absurd and that, “I only meant to tap him.”
She was arrested shortly thereafter.
During cross-examination, defense attorney Mike Gibson questioned the thoroughness of the police investigation, noting that officers never went back to the scene with Ms. Dolkart.
They also did not hold her car as evidence, even though Officer Bennight said it was used as a deadly weapon.During opening arguments, Mr. Gibson said evidence would show that Ms. Dolkart accidentally hit Mr. Thomas and that the proper place for this matter is a civil court.
“Just because a car and bicycle collided on a road, it doesn’t make it a crime,” Mr. Gibson said.
Officer Bennight later testified that he and his partner spent time discussing the incident with both parties to determine whether the collision had been an accident or intentional.
“We both concurred there was no evidence it was an accident,” he said. “Ms. Dolkart never said it was an accident.”
Mr. Thomas is expected to testify Thursday.
If convicted, Ms. Dolkart could face two to 20 years in prison and a fine of up to $10,000.
It’s not worth it… I just let it go now.
I made the mistake of going after a car once… I yelled, “F— You A------” and kicked a hole in the passenger door. They turned around and chased me through town in their car. I made a wrong turn and they saw me run into my apartment.
They called the cops and wanted to press charges… I was just about to be arrested for assault. The officers pulled me aside and whispered, “I know that you are pissed off… in fact, I probably would have tried the same thing…I’m an avid cyclist too… but, it is not worth it son”
Anyway, a long story short… they dropped charges and I wasn’t hauled away… I had to only pay for the repair of the door…
After that, I just let everything go… and ignore them… it’s not worth it too me to have a criminal record haunting the rest of my life for some stupid road/bike rage… I’m just sooooo grateful that the police officers calmed him down and convinced him to not press charges!!!
Get the licence plate – call the police.
Say how they swerved at you and almost ran you off the road. The police won’t give them a ticket or anything but it will be typed into thier computer and saved, hopefully they will call the person or drive by thier home to have a talk with them.
This will go under thier file and if it happens again or if they “accidently bump” a bicyclist – they will have a history of harrassing bicycles and will be convicted more easily and get a stiffer penalty.
Also – Join a bicycle advocacy group.
Recently, I had someone say something similar. I was in the left turn lane on a downtown Chicago street and a guy pulled up behind me, honked and said, “get on the sidewalk.”
I turned around and told him it was against the law and I could get a ticket. He was surprised and replied, “really?” The light changed he drove by, beeped and gave an apologetic wave.
How’s that for a weird interaction. Turns out the guy wasn’t a dick, just misguided.