Driver confrontation question

[col]

Col, my dear chap. Stop speculating. The light either works or it doesn't. If it doesn't it's only polite to tell people, and it just so happens that cyclists are the people best placed to do the telling - we're usually quicker through traffic, and able to come up on the drivers's side.

Im your dear chap? Now come on, stick with your own please

 

[dellzeqq]

I have been alerted to problems with my lights in the past. By pedestrians or other drivers. Though not by a cyclist, yet. On no occasion has this necessitated a tap on my window. I maintain, that having never had someone tap on my window before in 12 years of driving, it would surprise me. I am unsure why you find this admission so threatening and worthy of ridicule.

I don't find it threatening at all, but I do think it's ridiculous. What do they think I'm going to do - eat them all up?

 

[Hip Priest]

I'm unsure whether you're criticising me or criticising these people you encounter. If you tapped on my window, I'd be initially alarmed, but I'd converse with you, and if you were informing me of a dead bulb, I'd thank you. The whole point of my post was to answer the suggestion that someone tapping on the window is as normal as someone knocking on your front door - it isn't.

 

[dellzeqq]

Im your dear chap? Now come on, stick with your own please

(checks for distinguishing marks....)

 

[dellzeqq]

I'm unsure whether you're criticising me or criticising these people you encounter. If you tapped on my window, I'd be initially alarmed, but I'd converse with you, and if you were informing me of a dead bulb, I'd thank you. The whole point of my post was to answer the suggestion that someone tapping on the window is as normal as someone knocking on your front door - it isn't.

I'm not criticising anybody!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! (except for that Keith Oates fellow)

 

[Dan B]

How do you define tapping and hitting, when does one become the other, or are you just being pedantic and clever

I would suggest that (Bicycle's charming anecdotes notwithstanding), "tapping" is usually done with the minimum force necessary to attract attention whereas "hitting" is a violent act which has damage as its objective.

If the kind of "hitting" you had in mind is not such as to be likely to occasion damage to you or your vehicle, why exactly are you afraid of it?

 

[Dan B]

The whole point of my post was to answer the suggestion that someone tapping on the window is as normal as someone knocking on your front door - it isn't.

I think you've misinterpreted my post if you thought that was the suggestion - but that's always a danger when employing the blunt rusty saw of analogy. The suggestion was that tapping on the window is about as (un)likely to result in damage to your property as knocking on your door, and thus that describing it (as Col did) as "hitting your vehicle" is stretching the definition of "hit" more than a little.

 

[PK99]

I would suggest that (Bicycle's charming anecdotes notwithstanding), "tapping" is usually done with the minimum force necessary to attract attention whereas "hitting" is a violent act which has damage as its objective.

in that case we need three categories: Tapping, banging, and hitting.

 

[col]

I would suggest that (Bicycle's charming anecdotes notwithstanding), "tapping" is usually done with the minimum force necessary to attract attention whereas "hitting" is a violent act which has damage as its objective.

If the kind of "hitting" you had in mind is not such as to be likely to occasion damage to you or your vehicle, why exactly are you afraid of it?

The fear is in the possibilities, and I wont let anything happen if all it needs is me to react first and decisively to an angry person approaching me. Todays ways include not knowing what a stranger has under their jacket or in their pocket, and Im not willing to let someone who thinks they have a reason to approach me in that manner get too close. Just in case it becomes that one time this idiot pulls a weapon and feels like using it. Iv seen and heard of things happening, that your probably ignorant to. So what you might see as an overreaction on my part, I see as the normal way to keep myself safe. So the next time you feel angered by a motorists actions, think twice about approaching angrily, I certainly feel there are a lot more out there who feel the same way I do, and wont hesitate to stop you before you pull a possible weapon, weather you think it unreasonable to believe that possibility exists or not. I for one am not willing to gamble that you wont pull a weapon, or would just attack unexpectedly.

 

[theclaud]

The fear is in the possibilities, and I wont let anything happen if all it needs is me to react first and decisively to an angry person approaching me. Todays ways include not knowing what a stranger has under their jacket or in their pocket, and Im not willing to let someone who thinks they have a reason to approach me in that manner get too close. Just in case it becomes that one time this idiot pulls a weapon and feels like using it. Iv seen and heard of things happening, that your probably ignorant to. So what you might see as an overreaction on my part, I see as the normal way to keep myself safe. So the next time you feel angered by a motorists actions, think twice about approaching angrily, I certainly feel there are a lot more out there who feel the same way I do, and wont hesitate to stop you before you pull a possible weapon, weather you think it unreasonable to believe that possibility exists or not. I for one am not willing to gamble that you wont pull a weapon, or would just attack unexpectedly.

Is it me, or does the winking smiley just make this look even more bonkers?

 

[400bhp]

[QUOTE 1612471"]
A fitting end to a bit of a mad thread. Started off well, O was on fire with his way of words, everyone agreed with me as per usual.

Then the whole thing went a bit South with petty sniping and point scoring. People CAD is that way --->.
[/quote]

Good post

I don't get why the need for the sniping and one-upmanship.

 

[stowie]

Driver confrontation is usually somewhat pointless. It may be a cliche to say that "an idiot drags you down to their level and wins on experience" but it is true. My methods for dealing with difficult drivers are

1) Ignore it. They are a minor irritation that will bugger off out of my life as quickly as they made their unwelcome appearance. I tend to use this with drivers not acting dangerously around me, but doing the pointing at the gutter / waving of hands thing. Most of this can be safely ignored.

2) Wave and smile. Acknowledge their presence with a nice gesture and smile - maybe a thumbs up or a regal wave. A good move if one catches up with the miscreant at the next traffic jam and can sail serenely off into the sunset whilst they are trapped by queues.

3) The finger wag. Treat them like a naughty school child. Wag your finger, tut and shake your head slowly and sadly as you would with a small child who had just wet themselves. I think the key here is to be as utterly patronising as possible in the short period of time one has interaction. I did this once with a cabbie who had close passed me to get stuck 100 yards down the road. As I went past slowly he started to shout at me and I simply did the finger wag, and said he was a very rude cabbie. He went a red colour and jumped up and down in his seat as if he was being electrocuted. In certain circumstances the finger wag can be very therapeutic.

4) The "sir" technique. I haven't tried this myself, but have it on good authority (a mate) that if one has to engage with an irate driver, using "sir" to punctuate the sentence is pretty effective - as in "Was that an acceptable pass in your opinion, sir?". His theory is that only policemen use "sir" to address the public and using it allows you to assume an air of authority. He swears it works and drivers end up looking a little confused as you patronise them politely.

5) Buy yourself a sword and go after the miscreant whirling it above your head like a Visigoth into battle. I must confess I haven't used this technique, so cannot verify the effectiveness or otherwise. I have fantasised about doing it a few times though....

 

[Bicycle]

This was a fun and engaging thread to read, ponder and add to.

The claws did come out occasionally, but no scars.

Sometimes these things can somehow (and with subtlety) massage our thinking on a topic for the better.

If this thread were a car, it would be a 2.8 litre 1971 Series I Daimler Sovereign; not the most sought after in its day, but maturing into a coveted thing of beauty. BRG with tan leather, manual windows and no headrests.

The Daimler would have no MOT, so the thread would instead be an early, steel, rigid Kona MTB from the very start of the off-road arms race. No suspension, canti brakes, quill stem and simply perfect geometry from a time before fat alloy tubing and squishy bits took the beauty out of off-road.

Needless to say, the Kona would be in perfect working order...

 

[Glow worm]

If this thread were a car, it would be a 2.8 litre 1971 Series I Daimler Sovereign; not the most sought after in its day, but maturing into a coveted thing of beauty. BRG with tan leather, manual windows and no headrests. yet another snotbucket.

There FTFY

 

[col]

Is it me, or does the winking smiley just make this look even more bonkers?

Trying to show im being light hearted, its so easy for some to take the tone wrong. but bad choice of smiley though

Why bonkers though?