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#1
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Was I right to blow my top?
My Saturday morning ride ended in a bit of road rage today. Did I do the
right thing? Towards the end of a forty mile ride I was travelling downhill in a thirty mph zone about 150 yards from the left hand turn into the estate where I live. I was coasting at about 24mph and noticed a four wheel drive land cruiser type vehicle coming the other way. The next thing I am aware of is an SUV type vehicle coming from behind and squeezing me off the road. I swerved to avoid the SUV and managed to brake without hitting the kerb. I guy I know happened to be standing on the pavement and shouted over "thats shocking" but I just flew after the SUV knowing he would have to slow down at a tight bend a couple of hundred yards further on. I was shouting and swearing ( and I almost never swear) and eventually he stopped about a hundred yards beyond the tight bend. I then started shouting and swearing (again) trying to get him to understand what he had just done and I got worse when he said he was nowhere near me and anyway I was cycling in the middle of the road blocking his way. A bit of a scene ensued which got the attention of passers by and I was about to leave when he got out of his vehicle and made noises as if he wanted to fight, but he quickly changed his mind. I was so mad I didn't have the presence of mind to get his registration number but both him and his passenger are locals, as I recognised their faces, but I am not convinced, even with an independent witness, the police would be interested in a nearly accident so I probably won't pursue it. His passenger was reluctant to back him up in the argument and I got the impression he understood how close it had been and though the driver was totally unrepentant he may have said something in a quieter moment to make my outburst worthwhile. The thing is when I got home I was angry with myself for losing my rag and thinking that cycling (much as I love it ) isn't worth it. I have been thinking along these lines quite a lot recently as I have become a bit paranoid about the "normal" near misses. Was I right or I have I so enraged this guy he'll make sure he hits the next cyclist. |
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#2
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Was I right to blow my top?
Wavering wrote:
[he said] I was cycling in the middle of the road blocking his way. The question is: would he have forced a motorcyclist or another car to swerve in order for him to save a few seconds? Of course not. 24mph downhill in a 30 limit isn't an unreasonable speed, it's a shame that more people don't realise this. |
#3
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Was I right to blow my top?
Snippity
Was I right or I have I so enraged this guy he'll make sure he hits the next cyclist. The guy is now totally embarrassed - not only did other locals witness his humiliation but so did a good friend. To add to his humiliation is was his (lack of) driving skills that caused this humiliation. He also wimped out of hitting you, which is another dent to his ego. He will give every cyclist he meets a wide berth now, particularly you, as he knows how big you are. Nice one :-) |
#4
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Was I right to blow my top?
Mark Thompson wrote:
Snippity The guy is now totally embarrassed This dumb f*** now realizes that what he thought of as 'normal' drivin is actually very dangerous. Hopefully you've made him not just realiz this but also act on it. If someone's driving badly and you get th chance to tell him about it, take it. You've done the right thing - |
#5
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Was I right to blow my top?
Wavering wrote:
The thing is when I got home I was angry with myself for losing my rag and thinking that cycling (much as I love it ) isn't worth it. I have been thinking along these lines quite a lot recently as I have become a bit paranoid about the "normal" near misses. You did the right thing by letting him know he was in the wrong. It's always annoying when you lose your rag, play it cool next time, but confront them all the same -- much more fun. And never think that cycling isn't worth it. The way I see it, you can kick the bucket in a thousand different ways at any time, and if you happen to be cycling at that moment; you're doing something that you love. Simon |
#6
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Was I right to blow my top?
"Wavering" None wrote in message
... My Saturday morning ride ended in a bit of road rage today. Did I do the right thing? Towards the end of a forty mile ride I was travelling downhill in a thirty mph zone about 150 yards from the left hand turn into the estate where I live. I was coasting at about 24mph and noticed a four wheel drive land cruiser type vehicle coming the other way. The next thing I am aware of is an SUV type vehicle coming from behind and squeezing me off the road..... I sometimes get this type of behaviour, but generally I get enough warning from the engine note to tell if the vehicle is trying to squeeze past or hold back, and if it's obvious they are trying to squeeze past there is no point in trying to outrace it as once it has started to squeeze past it's best to just let it continue past, rather than "duelling" with it (or banging its roof) like I have seen some cyclists do. It's like the other day I was cycling along a town centre road with a cycle lane, which I avoid as it has a brick surface and I stay on the tarmacked traffic lane, and I was doing 15mph keeping pace right behind another vehicle, and I'm aware of the front of this blue car about 2 foot from my right side, like it's overtaking me because it does not like to see a cyclist who's not using the brick surface. I could have stood my ground, but thought it's not worth it so I slow down and let the car past and regain my position behind it. |
#7
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Was I right to blow my top?
Adrian Boliston wrote:
I could have stood my ground, but thought it's not worth it so I slow down and let the car past and regain my position behind it. Ah. But by doing that are you not reinforcing the flase notion that you shouldn't be on the road in the first place? By passively moving aside you are acknowledging that you should be on the (****ty) brick cycle lane. Simon |
#8
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Was I right to blow my top?
On Sat, 6 Mar 2004 20:47:12 -0000, "Adrian Boliston"
wrote in message : I could have stood my ground, but thought it's not worth it so I slow down and let the car past and regain my position behind it. Never give in to bullies. And that's exactly what that driver was. -- Guy === May contain traces of irony. Contents liable to settle after posting. http://chapmancentral.demon.co.uk 88% of helmet statistics are made up, 65% of them at Washington University |
#9
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Was I right to blow my top?
Wavering wrote:
Snipped.. his way. A bit of a scene ensued which got the attention of passers by and I was about to leave when he got out of his vehicle and made noises as if he wanted to fight, but he quickly changed his mind. Does anyone else get that feeling of having extraordinarily intimidating physical presence over driver's when they get out of their cars or are immobile. I'm a big bloke, but don't normally feel like it as I was a skinny wimp with glasses as a kid, but if a driver starts shouting at me, they usually shut up once its person to person instead of car to bike. In these situations I feel very aware that I am already warmed up and far more ready for a scrap than them. I'm really not a violent person honest. -- Andy Morris AndyAtJinkasDotFreeserve.Co.UK Love this: Put an end to Outlook Express's messy quotes http://home.in.tum.de/~jain/software/oe-quotefix/ |
#10
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Was I right to blow my top?
"AndyMorris" wrote in news:c2doac$jhi$4
@news6.svr.pol.co.uk: Does anyone else get that feeling of having extraordinarily intimidating physical presence over driver's when they get out of their cars or are immobile. Probably because they feel invulnerable in their cars surrounded by all that metal. They feel all tough and ready to "have a go" then they step out of their cocoon, loose their protection and realise they're going up against someone who is more likely fitter than them and has adrenaline coarsing through their system due to riding in traffic. Most sane people will subconsciously pick up on the "I'm the dominant one here" signals and back down quickly. Of course there's always the situation where the guy that gets out of the car is a psycho who's built like a tank. In that case you're f*cked :-/ I try to avoid confrontations such as these as the outcome can be very unpredictable, but at times everyone has to respond in a way that they need to at the time. Graeme |
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