Road Rage Incident - Did I do the right thing?

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

"GaryG" wrote: (clip) Unfortunately, I didn't get his license plate,(clip)
^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
In my opinion, that is the only thing you did wrong. There is a fair chance
you will see that truck again. Have a pen and pad handy.

"Leo Lichtman" wrote in message
...

"GaryG" wrote: (clip) Unfortunately, I didn't get his license
plate,(clip)
^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
In my opinion, that is the only thing you did wrong. There is a fair
chance
you will see that truck again. Have a pen and pad handy.



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.

GG

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.

GaryG wrote:
"Leo Lichtman" wrote in message
...

"GaryG" wrote: (clip) Unfortunately, I didn't get his license
plate,(clip)
^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
In my opinion, that is the only thing you did wrong. There is a fair
chance
you will see that truck again. Have a pen and pad handy.



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

I have an old voice recorder (digital, flash memory) that I'm thinking about
carrying with me for this reason.

GaryG wrote:
What do you all think?

You already know you should have gotten the person's plate number.

I had just enough problems in Massachusetts that I memorized "MGL Chapter
85, section 11B Every person operating a bicycle upon a way, as defined in
section one of chapter ninety, shall have the right to use all public ways
in the Commonwealth except limited access or express state highways where
signs specifically prohibiting bicycles have been posted."

Then I would state that my operation was a right, and theirs was a privilege
requiring a license. That _usually_ got them to leave in a huff.

You might try memorizing the same, or caving a copy of your bike laws (with
sections defining your rights highlighted) just to hand him and go on your
way.

Austin
--
I'm pedaling as fast as I durn well please!
There are no X characters in my address

AustinMN wrote:
GaryG wrote:
What do you all think?

You already know you should have gotten the person's plate number.

I had just enough problems in Massachusetts that I memorized "MGL
Chapter 85, section 11B Every person operating a bicycle upon a way,
as defined in section one of chapter ninety, shall have the right to
use all public ways in the Commonwealth except limited access or
express state highways where signs specifically prohibiting bicycles
have been posted."

Then I would state that my operation was a right, and theirs was a
privilege requiring a license. That _usually_ got them to leave in a
huff.

You might try memorizing the same, or caving a copy of your bike laws
(with sections defining your rights highlighted) just to hand him and
go on your way.

Good stuff, Austin!

In article ,
"GaryG" wrote:

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?"

You should have just shrugged it off.

Even if you did get the liscense number, the "incident" was not
witnessed by an LEO or anyone else.

More importantly, you do not know who this driver is. Maybe he just shot
a judge and three deputys to death.

Your Next!

He "gave" you 12 inches. No harm. no real foul. Take a deep breath and
enjoy the ride.

HAND

"H M Leary" wrote in message
...
In article ,
"GaryG" wrote:


You should have just shrugged it off.

Even if you did get the liscense number, the "incident" was not
witnessed by an LEO or anyone else.

More importantly, you do not know who this driver is. Maybe he just shot
a judge and three deputys to death.

Your Next!

He "gave" you 12 inches. No harm. no real foul. Take a deep breath and
enjoy the ride.

Mr. fat boy redneck also pulled over and "gave" him cause to call the cops
at the very least. Behavior like that is called assault and he easily could
have been arrested. I always keep a cell phone with me. As soon as he
stopped, and asked me what I was going to do about it, I would have dialed
911. If he would have tried to stop me, he would have found himself digging
a cleat out of his butt not too soon afterwards. I realize some people are
capable of some very stupid things and I don't purposely confront people
unless I'm backed into a corner. However, I also don't live my life in
paranoia, afraid of what someone might do. People like this should be
taught they can't engage in that type of behavior, preferably by the police.
Otherwise fat boy might be all that much more emboldened by the knowledge
that he can intimidate bikers just like his ex wives and try "giving" them 6
inches the next time, and then 3 inches the time after that...

"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.

Snip

I carry a cell phone (small one) on all my rides. "911" is on the speed
dial. When someone acts up, I whip it out and push "9". It's amazing how
fast people calm down and drive away when they hear me talking to the
dispatcher describing their felonious behavior.

YMMV