Road Rage Incident - Did I do the right thing?

On Fri, 11 Mar 2005 22:40:38 -0800, "GaryG"
wrote:

A couple of months ago I was on this same stretch of road when I got passed
very close by a beater pickup. I yelled at the guy and gestured (I did
*not* flip him off). He screeched his truck to a stop in the middle of the
road and got out irate.

I don't disagree with the other replies, but be aware that this guy is
trying to get a reaction from you and is getting off on screetching to a
halt and confronting you.

In the future (sure, get his license number), be alert and if you see him
pull over and stop until he goes by - or even better turn off that street,
and have no other reaction. This will rob him of his fun.

If he continues to see that his attempts to buzz you are unsuccessful and
you no longer have a reaction, he will possibly cease to do anything.

What I did one time was try to make friends with the guy who wanted to
harrass me. I rode up and got off the bike and apologized to -him-, and it
really got him off guard.

I gave him my name and got his name (I think he gave me a fake name. My
'friendly' reaction really shook him).

Now when he sees me he waves. Oh he was a doozy, he tried to set up a few
barriers to make my bike crash - so it wasn't just a casual thing - he
started out very hateful.

The main logic is to be silent and smooth and not create a ripple when you
ride. Otherwise you get all upset and waste your energy on stuff when you'd
really be better off to just blow it off and forget it.

Best luck.

jj

It sounds to me like you mean to make every short, fat guy in your area an
enemy of cyclists.

Going toe-to-toe with a jerk who already nearly ran you off the road doesn't
qualify you as the sharpest knife in the drawer. That's not to say I
wouldn't have done the same thing were I in your shoes. But I'd probably
have kicked myself afterward for my stupidity.

There are some crazy folks out there. No point in provoking them. This
idiot who shot up the Atlanta courthouse yesterday might very well be in my
area this morning. It's been said he has people near here. I'd sure hate
to flip him off for passing too close.

--
Bob C.

"Of course it hurts. The trick is not minding that it hurts."
T. E. Lawrence (of Arabia)

"GaryG" wrote in message
...
So, I'm out on my regular training route this afternoon minding my own
business. The area is rural, and the road is narrow, with a 45 mph speed
limit. I ride this route a lot, and many of the locals know me and wave,
but there's this one peckerwood redneck who doesn't like bikes on the
road.

A couple of months ago I was on this same stretch of road when I got
passed
very close by a beater pickup. I yelled at the guy and gestured (I did
*not* flip him off). He screeched his truck to a stop in the middle of
the
road and got out irate. I told him I had a right to the road, and that he
had to give me more room when passing. He told me he almost had a wreck
once due to oncoming traffic when he was trying to pass a bike. I told
him
he should wait to pass until it was safe. It went back and forth like
that
for a minute until he drove off.

Today, the same thing happened. On a straight, wide-open stretch of road,
this guy passes within 12" of my handlebar. I yelled at him, and he shook
his fist at me. I gave the "Italian" salute (not the finger), and he
screeched to a stop in the middle of the road. He got out of his truck
yelling at me and would not let me pass. He yelled stuff about how bikes
shouldn't be on that road, and how I "dressed like a woman" and other
moronic stuff. I tried to be assertive, but not irate, until I asked him
if
he'd intentionally been trying to run me off the road. He laughed and
said
he was trying to brush me, and "what are you going to do about it?". At
that point, it kind of degraded into name-calling.

When I got home, I phoned the local sheriff's department and filed a
report
for "simple assault". Unfortunately, I didn't get his license plate, but
I
did get a good description of the vehicle and the driver, and I wanted to
get it on the record, in case he ever hits someone out there.

Anyway, I'm wondering if I did the right thing. My SO says that I should
have just ignored him, and may have made the situation worse. But damnit,
I'm a guy, and I've had friends hit and killed by cars, and I think it's
OK
to stand up for our rights on the road.

What do you all think?

Also, I'm considering submitting this letter to the editor of my local
paper
(this is a rough draft, written in some anger, so I may change it
tomorrow):

"To the short, fat guy who intentionally drove his 80's model GMC pickup
(with a "Union" bumper sticker on the tailgate) within 12" of my
handlebars
on Old Hwy. 44 on Friday afternoon.you are wrong - I do have a right to
ride
my bicycle on that road.

I ride that stretch of rural road often, and I've not had problems with
any
other drivers (many of whom recognize me and wave). But, on two occasions
now, you have intentionally tried to give me a "close shave".you admitted
it
this time when you got out of your truck in the middle of the road to yell
at me. According to my contacts at CHP, your actions constitute "simple
assault", and I've filed a report with the Shasta County Sheriff's
Department to get your behavior on record.

I don't understand why you're so upset and threatened by bicyclists, but
you
'd better get your head straightened out before someone gets hurt, or you
end up in jail. Do you intentionally drive close to tractors, or kids on
horses? They're "slow moving vehicles" too, and they use that same road
frequently. So, the next time you see me out near Palo Cedro on my bike,
just take a deep breath, pretend I'm a tractor, pass me with 3 feet of
clearance when it's safe, and we'll all get along just fine. OK?"

--
~_-*
...G/ \G
http://www.CycliStats.com
CycliStats - Software for Cyclists

"MJR" wrote in message
oups.com...
-- because it permits you to do ANYTHING. Stupidity will
even rule over courage and love. (hence our current President).

Wow ... you've shown incredible courage with this little cheap shot. What's
really stupid to me is how all the liberals and democrats can do nothing
constructive, cannot make a positive contribution to anything and have
become completely obstructionist in their approach to everything. We have a
president who is working very hard to tackle some very tough problems. I
don't see any democrats doing anything but taking cowardly cheap shots like
the one you've posted here. Get a spine!

--
Bob C.

"Of course it hurts. The trick is not minding that it hurts."
T. E. Lawrence (of Arabia)

psycholist wrote:
"MJR" wrote in message
oups.com...
-- because it permits you to do ANYTHING. Stupidity will
even rule over courage and love. (hence our current President).

Wow ... you've shown incredible courage with this little cheap shot.
What's
really stupid to me is how all the liberals and democrats can do
nothing
constructive, cannot make a positive contribution to anything and
have
become completely obstructionist in their approach to everything. We
have a
president who is working very hard to tackle some very tough
problems. I
don't see any democrats doing anything but taking cowardly cheap
shots like
the one you've posted here. Get a spine!

--
Bob C.

"Of course it hurts. The trick is not minding that it hurts."
T. E. Lawrence (of Arabia)

That's interesting that you critique liberals and democrats. I happen
to be a registered republican, and have never been a member of the
democratic party. I too am unimpressed with the left's responses to
the "so-called republican" anti-civil liberties and fiscally
irresonsible (borrow and spend), policies -- not to say anything for
what they have done to our national sovreignity, because if you think
we are more secure now, take a close look at who really dicates the
foreign policy of this nation. I guarantee you that it isn't us... and
the House of Saud has far more influence over what we do
internationally than any contingent of American voters.

It is really a scary day when Pat Buchanan starts to sound reasonable -
but I'd sign on to 100% of his criticism of the complete fascists who
you revere for "tackling tough problems." However, I do agree that
Buchanan's credibility is quite soured by his racist and anti-semitic
nature - but that doesn't make him wrong about his criticisms of our
current regime.

But again, you prove my point. Stupidity can make you do ANYTHING.

GaryG wrote:

Yeah...damnit. I was kicking myself for that all the way home.

Both incidents happened about the same time of day (around 4:30 pm).
I
normally try to avoid riding around "rush hour" (such as it is in
this
semi-rural area), so I'm pretty sure I can avoid him by avoiding that
time
of day. But, I may stake out that road in my car next week, and get
his
license number so I can update the report.

What I do in a face-to-face confrontation like that is look the driver
straight in the eye and repeat their license plate number in a loud,
level voice. No matter what they say, I simply repeat the number. They
get the point, I get the number.

Anybody who will threaten with a vehicle is not a candidate for a
reasoned discussion. Just report them.

On Sat, 12 Mar 2005 10:25:04 -0500, "psycholist"
wrote:

It sounds to me like you mean to make every short, fat guy in your area an
enemy of cyclists.

Bob, I think you're a bit out of line with this comment. Note this:

When I got home, I phoned the local sheriff's department and filed a
report for "simple assault". Unfortunately, I didn't get his license plate, but
I did get a good description of the vehicle and the driver, and I wanted to
get it on the record, in case he ever hits someone out there.

I think this shows some care towards not having someone else be hassled.

However at the point where the guy says he almost had a wreck it might have
been best to say "I'm sorry that happened to you. I hope in the future we
can share the road", and offered to shake his hand. You know - appeal to
the 'man to man' spirit in him.

Going toe-to-toe with a jerk who already nearly ran you off the road doesn't
qualify you as the sharpest knife in the drawer. That's not to say I
wouldn't have done the same thing were I in your shoes. But I'd probably
have kicked myself afterward for my stupidity.

I don't think it has anything to do with being a 'sharp knife'. It's an
emotional thing, not an intellectual thing. You have to carefully train
yourself not to get upset at useless emotional incidents if you're going to
be riding a bike. Even though I've done this extensively, I still had a
reaction the other day when beeped at - however I didn't gesture, I just
hollered and I was the only one who heard me. It's natural when shocked.

There are some crazy folks out there. No point in provoking them. This
idiot who shot up the Atlanta courthouse yesterday might very well be in my
area this morning. It's been said he has people near here. I'd sure hate
to flip him off for passing too close.

This borders on paranoid. The chance that a person is an axe murderer is
vanishingly small. Of course, be aware that you are alone and isolated and
he could ride around the block and come back and -actually- hit the rider.
Again, these types are usually looking just to shake you up and have a
chuckle - they are not murderers, though they could easily self-justify
blowing you into a ditch and riding off - or clipping you and riding off.

Getting a cellphone and a pen and paper and a camera (or a cellphone with
camera!) is the best defense if you simply -must- do something. Get the
phone out, take a picture of his car and of him advancing on you, write
down the phone number.

Say little or nothing if possible and never flip off the drivers - it gives
them cause. If you are going to do something like this get some pepperspray
also (heh, we need a cellphone-camera-peppersprayer all-in-one!). It's much
better for you if you spray an advancing person than punch him. If the cop
and/or judge sees you just stood your ground and the guy had to advance on
-you- it will be in your favor. Put the bike between you and him.
Definitely dismount. I can't emphasize this enough. At the hint of trouble
you do not want to be straddling your bike or have a foot clipped in!

However I have to emphasize, it's best to be cool, and do nothing and just
return to focussing on your riding. It will eventually have a pay off when,
in the future, you discover yourself having no reaction to a fake threat
like being buzzed or rushed by a dog, or shouted at - you even get a bit of
a high if that calmness pervades. Note how much extra gear you have to
carry to protect yourself above. g

jj

"bikeguy11968" wrote in message
oups.com...
snip
Final result- Perp confronted, caught, and name posted in local paper
under the rap sheet. Some fashion of charges laid as well, although I
am not certain about those.
Follow up- Next week's ride, same route, same car passes us at a sedate
rate of speed. Same driver. I decide to make a call to my friendly
neighborhood cop, and ask if the license has magically been re-instated
5 days after a violation. He says "hell no.. I smell a biiig fine.."
End result- More stuff in paper, loss of license, cash fines etc. A
small victory, but a victory none the less.

I love a story with a happy ending.

On Fri, 11 Mar 2005 22:40:38 -0800, GaryG wrote:

What do you all think?

Given the opportunity, I'd have introduced a Diadora to his nutsack.

On Sat, 12 Mar 2005 10:34:30 -0500, "psycholist"
wrote:

"MJR" wrote in message
roups.com...
-- because it permits you to do ANYTHING. Stupidity will
even rule over courage and love. (hence our current President).

how all the liberals and democrats can do nothing
constructive, cannot make a positive contribution to anything and have
become completely obstructionist in their approach to everything. We have a
president who is working very hard to tackle some very tough problems. I
don't see any democrats doing anything but taking cowardly cheap shots like
the one you've posted here. Get a spine!

So, should I assume that this is how "all" republicans react to an
unnecessary comment.
You have just insulted all liberals and democrats, based on the
statements of one, is this a demonstration of a republican taking the
high road?

And I certainly won't get into a discussion of what all that "working
very hard" has done to our country.


Back to the original topic, Just a general thought. I often see people
posting that they gave someone the finger. My feeling is that it
accomplishes nothing and can put you at risk. People sometimes become
quite brave when they have a ton or more of car wrapped around them.
In my opinion it is best not to aggravate a situation. It is a good
idea to get a license number whenever you are harassed. Better to be
safe whenever possible.


Life is Good!
Jeff

"bikeguy11968" wrote:

Final result- Perp confronted, caught, and name posted in local paper
under the rap sheet. Some fashion of charges laid as well, although I
am not certain about those.
Follow up- Next week's ride, same route, same car passes us at a sedate
rate of speed. Same driver. I decide to make a call to my friendly
neighborhood cop, and ask if the license has magically been re-instated
5 days after a violation. He says "hell no.. I smell a biiig fine.."
End result- More stuff in paper, loss of license, cash fines etc. A
small victory, but a victory none the less.

I think I'm gonna cry... that's - SO - beautiful, man...

Mark Hickey
Habanero Cycles
http://www.habcycles.com
Home of the $695 ti frame