I had a funny (stupid) one last week. I was heading down the road and I saw a woman about a pull out from a side road. I slowed expecting her to pull out, which she did in front of me. Because I had predicted it, I was now heading for the rear of the car and slightly into the side road. Anyway, she then took fright and stopped dead with 3/4 of the car out in the main road. She then stupidly decided to reverse quickly. I was not expecting that one and grabbed the top of her car at the back as I was now completely off balance and cleated in holding onto the roof. Thankfully, she had spotted me and stopped again while I regained my balance and rode off.
Car slapping
- Thread starter nightoff
- Start date
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native son
Active Member
- Location
- Barnsley
native son
Active Member
- Location
- Barnsley
What happened with the airzound, I have one , only used it once in anger so far.
Will all due respect, you are full of contradictions. Read my original post and you will see I was forced to swerve to the kerb and brake. The slap was to warn him I was there.
I find it odd that after your fairly theatrical outburt regarding my ego and the ramifications of my actions regarding the possibility of being maimed or my family being bereaved, you go on to state you would be punching the car with all your strength. Surely this flies in the face of your earlier comments of hanging on the handle bars and "kissing the misses".
I really don't see what ego has to do with it. It's a split second call on what to do in that situation.
Still, it's interesting to read what other people do in these situations.
It's both. I rap on the side of cars and vans with an outward tap of my knuckles, and it almost always has precisely the desired effect.
jmaccyd
Well-Known Member
Just working off this really and you also did say you know the driver had seen you. Look, its your neck my friend, and it is indeed a split second decision. Only one 'winner' in a collision between a car and a cyclist...and it 'aint you! Avoiding a collision is the important thing, if you feel that was the only option to avoid that then slap away but remember you are left close to the car and with a hand off the handlebars. If it is at all possible to keep both hand on the bars and stay away form the impact zone. Make a pragmatic choice that is the safest for yourself as a vunerable road user, not one driven by displeasure and ego of someone else bad decision making.
numbnuts
Squire
- Location
- Gone over the hill and far away
It must be my age showing, but there is no way I would slap a car, there in a "metal box" and I'm in thin air....
Origamist
Legendary Member
Any form of percussive engagement with a car/van driver is likely to garner a negative response. For that reason, I avoid striking vehicles as I prefer both hands on my handlebars/brakes. That said, I can recall hitting vehicles (twice IIRC) and in both instances it was to draw attention to myself as the drivers were forcing me to the kerb at speed, in wet conditions. I can only adduce that they had not seen me, or did not give a xxxx about my safety.
Not unless there was absolutely no other way to alert someone to my presence.
There is the possibility of loss of control by removing a hand from the bars in a potentially tricky situation and slapping someone's pride and joy is likely to make them ever so slightly irate, which I would rather not do.
There is the possibility of loss of control by removing a hand from the bars in a potentially tricky situation and slapping someone's pride and joy is likely to make them ever so slightly irate, which I would rather not do.
You are quite right. I did say the driver had seen me. This was obvious by the way he was straddling the central line after he pulled out.
The problem was he misjudged my speed (about 20mph at the time) and must have thought he was past when in reality his passenger door was level with my handlebars as he veered towards me.
I personally consider my actions a success. I not only avoided a collision but also made the driver aware how close he came to hitting me.
In the heat of the moment it's about self preservation not ego. The ego part possibly comes later when trying to converse with the driver to explain why his actions were dangerous. He knew he'd done wrong which is why he wouldn't acknowledge me.
Over many years of cycling, I've only ever had to hit out at a vehicle 4 times. I remember each time clearly as I felt I was genuinely at risk of injury.
Idiots if you ask me!
But as another case study - what do you think about this:
View: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KK-6jgeWtag
Justifed in giving the car a knock?
At the time I assumed it was because the car came very close, but also the driver has (Unwittingly) caught the cyclist between the car and the motobike parked in the cycle lan...
BentMikey
Rider of Seolferwulf
- Location
- South London
Not wishing to detract from the OP's thread, I thought Mickles reply quite appropriate particularly when you notice is 'post count' at the time i read it...
Scary! What is even scarier is that I currently have 999 subscribers in youtube. Whoooaaaah! Don't try and tell me that isn't some supernatural connection!
The end of the world is NIGH!!!!!!
mickle
innit
- Location
- 53.933606, -1.076131
oh sh!t
