Do you guys confront stupid drivers and if so why?

[marzjennings]

Generally yes, if I feel threaten either accidentallity or on purpose I generally immediately blow up and start yelling at the driver, passengers in the car, other drivers and almost everyone else. It’s not pretty and I’m not proud of it, but it seems I’m wired to lose it when scared.

Happened yesterday when a driver pulled out right in front of me and my 2 cycling buddies. We braked quickly and avoided any collision and so no actual harm done. I yelled and cussed as is my way. My mate said, calmly, I needn’t have bothered as the driver had turned across our path and into oncoming traffic on a one way street. They had bigger things to worry about than 3 cyclists.

It has led to a couple of interesting confrontations, worst being a guy in pickup getting out of his car with a pistol already in hand. Of course now I’m scared even more so my dumb mouth keeps running. I was fortunate that we were on a busy street and folks were wondering why the guy had his gun drawn. He buggered off and I rode home with a major stress headache.

 

[winjim]

Generally yes, if I feel threaten either accidentallity or on purpose I generally immediately blow up and start yelling at the driver, passengers in the car, other drivers and almost everyone else. It’s not pretty and I’m not proud of it, but it seems I’m wired to lose it when scared.

Happened yesterday when a driver pulled out right in front of me and my 2 cycling buddies. We braked quickly and avoided any collision and so no actual harm done. I yelled and cussed as is my way. My mate said, calmly, I needn’t have bothered as the driver had turned across our path and into oncoming traffic on a one way street. They had bigger things to worry about than 3 cyclists.

It has led to a couple of interesting confrontations, worst being a guy in pickup getting out of his car with a pistol already in hand. Of course now I’m scared even more so my dumb mouth keeps running. I was fortunate that we were on a busy street and folks were wondering why the guy had his gun drawn. He buggered off and I rode home with a major stress headache.

See, if I lived in a country where you could just matter-of-factly state that oh yeah, by the way this guy had his gun drawn...

 

[marzjennings]

See, if I lived in a country where you could just matter-of-factly state that oh yeah, by the way this guy had his gun drawn...

I picked up the bad habit of yelling at drivers from growing up in Cornwall and working in Reading. If I had grown up here I would have developed a more healthy respect for road rage and its more terminal potential over here.

 

[slowmotion]

I don't react to routine bad driving at all. Anyway, by and large, the standard of driving in central London is excellent. However, once in a blue moon, somebody does something that gives me an instant blast of fear and adrenaline, and puts my life at risk. A concrete truck or a tourist coach gradually feeding you into an ever diminishing space. Then the red mist comes down and I get very aggressive and potty mouthed. And then it's over, and there's no need to fester about it any longer. It doesn't happen very often at all, thank Heavens.

 

[classic33]

I don't react to routine bad driving at all. Anyway, by and large, the standard of driving in central London is excellent. However, once in a blue moon, somebody does something that gives me an instant blast of fear and adrenaline, and puts my life at risk. A concrete truck or a tourist coach gradually feeding you into an ever diminishing space. Then the red mist comes down and I get very aggressive and potty mouthed. And then it's over, and there's no need to fester about it any longer. It doesn't happen very often at all, thank Heavens.

Worse when the driver is actually on your side of the vehicle though. Nigh on impossible to say they never saw you and believe them.

 

[slowmotion]

Worse when the driver is actually on your side of the vehicle though. Nigh on impossible to say they never saw you and believe them.

I usually put that in the category of "routine bad driving". I'm not talking about instances of panic, I mean times when I think "I am probably going to die". That's when the adrenaline takes over, and my mild-mannered self morphs into Charles Bronson.

 

[classic33]

I usually put that in the category of "routine bad driving". I'm not talking about instances of panic, I mean times when I think "I am probably going to die". That's when the adrenaline takes over, and my mild-mannered self morphs into Charles Bronson.

You mean on something like this?

Where a combination of a driver following the satnav, narrow roads and the coach slowing for sight seeing meant they keep on turning up at the wrong moment.

 

[slowmotion]

You mean on something like this?
View attachment 406810
Where a combination of a driver following the satnav, narrow roads and the coach slowing for sight seeing meant they keep on turning up at the wrong moment.

A tall moving canyon with ever-narrowing walls and a blind end. That gets the adrenal gland revved up.

 

[mikeymustard]

I don't react to routine bad driving at all. Anyway, by and large, the standard of driving in central London is excellent. However, once in a blue moon, somebody does something that gives me an instant blast of fear and adrenaline, and puts my life at risk. A concrete truck or a tourist coach gradually feeding you into an ever diminishing space. Then the red mist comes down and I get very aggressive and potty mouthed. And then it's over, and there's no need to fester about it any longer. It doesn't happen very often at all, thank Heavens.

Yeah, that just about sums up my response; I've acted really aggressively towards drivers on occasions where they were blatantly being stupidly dangerous, or dangerously stupid.
In my youth I was doing a really heavy job that made me look like some sort of weight lifter. I got cut up by some c*ck in an articulated lorry at a mini roundabout when he knew he was just gonna be stuck across my route through it. And then he made the mistake of smirking at me as if he'd just done something really clever! Before I knew it I'd thrown the bike down, climbed onto his cab and was banging on his window shouting "get out the ****ing cab and I'll show you what it's like to get run over by an *^$!ing truck, you ****ing peasant".
He locked his cab and cowered against the other door.

 

[classic33]

A tall moving canyon with ever-narrowing walls and a blind end. That gets the adrenal gland revved up.

Think he was heading for the motorway.

 

[slowmotion]

The trip wire for me is when I instinctively move my right shoulder towards my torso as a big vehicle comes by far too close. Eighteen inches maybe? That really gets my goat. Close passes by cars at the same distance don't generate the same terror. A driver once passed me so closely that I could have touched the door of the car by just sticking out my little finger without taking my hands off the bars. It was annoying but it didn't really matter in the scheme of things. The prospect of death or injury are worth reacting to. Nothing else.

 

[Johnno260]

I don't react to routine bad driving at all. Anyway, by and large, the standard of driving in central London is excellent.

Where I am standard of driving is horrible, I have issues daily while driving and I have taken to cycling early in the morning to avoid traffic.

Just this morning driving to work, the que of traffic moves aside for an ambulance, enter the typical X5 driver bulldozing his way through and no letting people re-join the traffic, I drive an old Fiesta so thought screw it indicated and pulled out, was I helpful no, but he pissed me off.

 

[nickAKA]

I can't see any point in wasting anger/energy on drivers who most likely don't even realise they're driving badly and will be 10 miles up the road by the time you've calmed down. I mainly ride at weekends so it's nothing like battling the rush hour traffic, but you still get the odd imbecile 'buzzing' you for no apparent reason.
I suppose I've had a few near misses where a driver obviously wasn't paying due care & attention and had the potential to kill me, but I saved myself by following a sage piece of advice my old feller gave me when I was learning to drive - always assume that everyone else on the road is an idiot* so best to do their thinking for them.

*paraphrasing, he was rather more forthright.

 

[Dave7]

Had to today.........b****y stupid driver (just happened to be a woman) suddenly braked in front of me and started to reverse towards me in order to reverse into the side road. I braked but had no where to go and no option but to SHOUT as loud as possible.
She said "sorry love.....I was too busy making sure I missed the parked car".
Must be difficult to see me wearing high vis orange top

 

[Heltor Chasca]

Hypercritical classic on Saturday. SUV parked on the ASL. I had to perch precariously out into the junction. Not my favourite place but safer than squeezed amongst the motons.

On green, I cycled ahead but couldn’t use the ‘painted cycle lane’ (aka junk infra) because it was full of glass. Could hear the car behind deliberately revving melodiously on the gas pedal. I could hear the occupants yelling from within despite the shut windows. Cue close pass and husband and wife gammons doing monkey impressions and making lots of chav noises.

Imagine their surprise when I gave them my most handsome of smiles. Lovely day out.