Dealing with idiot motorists

[Matty]

Here's hoping this doesn't attract 11k views and hundreds of responses!

I am developing a method of dealing with the usual moron that does something stupid. It involves remaining calm (the really tricky bit), and being able to catch/keep up with the traffic (possibly tricky).

For instance tonight - our friend WVM does a Lewis Hamilton-esque take off from the lights to prevent me filtering in. He fails, because I pass him stationary doing 22mph. After bouncing off the rev-limiter through the first two gears, he is now alongside me on the wrong side of the road heading towards oncoming traffic. I, meanwhile, am following the other traffic - all of us doing the same speed.

I get a barage of swear words, something about 'motorcycle licence....?' then get shoved into the kerb, such that I have to brake or get knocked off. When we get to the next set of lights (inevitable at evening rush hour), rather than speak to knobhead, I pull up alongside the car behind. Poltiely ask the driver if he saw that WVM move, yes is the answer, 'I saw him move across into you'. With his approval I take his number plate, plus WVMs, who was probably watching in his mirror. Witness for me then.

If your route takes you a further set of lights, its then that you mention to knobhead, as calmly as possible that he is being reported and the bloke behind is a witness. Alas, this bit didn't quite happen tonight. Will report anyway....

Matt

 

[fossyant]

Which bit didn't happen - the witness......nothing like exaggerating the truth to the WVM as he'd have seen you talking to the car behind..........

 

[Matty]

The catching him up again bit ..... bit too big a gap between lights.

 

[upsidedown]

Wish i could be that calm and collected, i either lose it and give abuse or ignore them completely, i don't seem to be able to do the bit in the middle.

 

[fossyant]

I never stop for a battle, just usually shout at them when/if they do it...most are accidental/lack of awareness........but I've not yet had a deliberate 'attack' on a commute......(have had one on a ride, but me vs 4 lads ain't going to happen).

 

[BentMikey]

Telling them you have a video camera almost always cuts the aggression. It's only the times I didn't manage to get that across that things have continued.

 

[Matty]

Wish i could be that calm and collected, i either lose it and give abuse or ignore them completely, i don't seem to be able to do the bit in the middle.

I'm approaching 1 year of full time commuting and have only just mastered it.

I got fed up with the 'who can shout the loudest and who knows the best swear words' approach.

I've had one major success - a moron shoved me into the back of a parked car. The next lights, the chap behind him confirmed he had seen it. So when i knocked on knobhead's window and asked why he had tried to knock me off, the discussion was fairly short. Apparently he did see me, but didn't see the parked car (5m in front of me!), then he denied not leaving me any room. I pointed out that this wasn't a debate, and if he'd like to go ask the bloke behind, who did see the car plus me, it would be confirmed. Silence, then lots of apologies. Twat.

Satisfying. Oh, he then followed me for about a mile too scared to pass! Shame.

 

[gaz]

i just shout YOOOOOOO! as awareness, not being aggressive or confrontational, just want people to know i'm there.
Frankly we all know that there are some shoot drivers out there, but talking to the odd few isn't going to make any of them better.

 

[scouserinlondon]

Other than my cabbie fight, the only conversation I've had was with a bloke Stockwell, I simply said to him 'mate, the last thing you want to tell your wife and kids tonight is that you killed a bloke for the sake of 5 metres of road'

 

[hackbike 666]

I waved and shouted yoooooooooohooooooooooooo at some geezer using his phone a few weeks ago.I think he got the message.

 

[Blackandblue]

Other than my cabbie fight, the only conversation I've had was with a bloke Stockwell, I simply said to him 'mate, the last thing you want to tell your wife and kids tonight is that you killed a bloke for the sake of 5 metres of road'

That's a nice approach (not the cabbie fight, the other bit). I've contemplated something along those lines before but never managed to verbalise more than "Is it really worth it?"

Personally I couldn't be bothered to take the time to haul out my camera to take a conspicuous photo of their vehicle/licence plate or take out pen and paper to make a note of the same. I occasionally engage in "discussion" and mostly try to keep it civil but often shrug it off or simply shake or tap my head. I can't recall any discussion ever having a satisfactory outcome.

My stock response to someone agressively/ignorantly trying to pass me or someone who is beeping their horn at me when I'm not remotely inconveniencing them (I think it must simply be the fact that I am on a bike and proceeding through traffic faster than they are) is to usher them closer to the bumper of the vehicle in front of them - as if I was guiding them into a parking space. It once raised a chuckle from the female passenger of a car whose driver had objected to my presence on the road.

 

[BentMikey]

It's very possible to tell someone constructively and calmly, and come away with a positive interaction. It's extremely difficult to do because of our fight or flight response, but I've had quite some success with it. Scouser's example is an excellent one.

It did rather make me laugh when f1_fan told me I should do this.

 

[XmisterIS]

In my experience of taking bicycles, motorbikes, cars and vans onto the road ...

99% of drivers are actually "OK" - courteous, polite, defensive drivers, no hassle at all.

0.9% of drivers are unobservant f*ckwits whom I treat with extra-special vigilance, seeing as what they're going to do next is anybody's guess!

0.1% of drivers are aggressive to the point of being murderous, beligerent, very antisocial and often very, very, very stupid. I mean almost retarded. Or actually retarded (although there are some very intelligent sociopaths out there).

Unfortunately, it's those 0.1% who can completely screw things up for the other 99.9% of us, they know they are being selfish, boorish, vicious sh*ts ... and they either don't care or they enjoy it.

When it comes to the 0.1%, I ask myself, "Can you imagine being that person? His life must be a complete misery if he insists on behaving like that!". My experience of people tells me that I'm usually correct in that assumption.

Such is life!

 

[Matty]

Agreed XmisterIS, same goes for peds!

 

[ufkacbln]

On another slant - I was replying to another topic when I came across this.... the ultimate accessory