Fun on the ride home last night:

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4F

Active member of Helmets Are Sh*t Lobby
Location
Suffolk.
Approaching a traffic island so I take primary to prevent any idiots trying to squeeze past when there is clearly not enough room. Cue idiot who then has to brake sharply to avoid driving into the bollard in the middle of the road on a failed overtake, who then passes me shortly after giving me the W***** sign

He then joins the queue of traffic 30 metres ahead and I notice his passenger window is down:-

Me: Is there a problem ?
Idiot: How much space do you need ?
Me: Enough space to prevent idiots from trying to squeeze past me when there is clearly not enough room, it obviously worked....

Idiot: You don’t even pay road tax...
Me: I have two cars at home, how much extra do you think I should pay ?

<silence from Idiot>

Me: Were you really in that much of a rush to join the back of this queue of traffic (10 cars waiting to turn right) that you couldn’t wait 5 seconds before overtaking me safely ?
Idiot : More stunned silence

Me: Enjoy the rest of your drive home

And cycle off into the distance never to see the idiot again.
 
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fossyant

Ride It Like You Stole It!
Location
South Manchester
At least you kept your calm.
 

Nigeyy

Legendary Member
Very much enjoyed reading that, and it really sounds like you kept it calm and reasonable. Still strange that so many road users seem to be obsessed with overtaking though (particularly bicycle riders).
 

HB_Dude

Active Member
Location
Hereforshire
Don't you just love it when the karma fairy presents you with an opportunity ^_^
I'll bet his face was a picture! Well done that man.
 

benb

Evidence based cyclist
Location
Epsom
I don't understand the mentality of someone who thinks (rightly or wrongly) that another road user doesn't pay "road tax" or is not in a road position that they should be. Their solution? Deliberately endanger their life.
 

400bhp

Guru
OWNED^_^
 

Profpointy

Legendary Member
Similar thing happened to me a while ago - the twat decided to barge me off instead - but I only just managed to brake very hard and wobblyly to avoid being side-swipped. Shook me up somewhat to say the least.
 

hatler

Guru
I don't understand the mentality of someone who thinks (rightly or wrongly) that another road user doesn't pay "road tax" or is not in a road position that they should be. Their solution? Deliberately endanger their life.
Yup. This still completely bamboozles me, but then I'm an engineer, not a psychiatrist.
 

jarlrmai

Veteran
It's a hard one

You don't pay road tax is really easy to say and really hard to argue against in the small situation time you have.

Even if you decide to take any of the tacks, you are kind of on hiding to nothing

"I have 2 cars" is a decentish comeback in the short term as it puts the argument back at them even if it technically we all know that paying road tax is not the issue here. I don't own a car so really I can't use this one, they don't know that but I feel it's a cheap answer, you certainly wouldn't use it in a debate that wasn't happening in the few seconds till the lights change.

The "road tax doesn't exist argument, it's VED etc etc" is too conceptually difficult to argue and wishy washy.

"The paying road tax doesn't give you the right to endanger me" one always seem to lead to the I wasn't too close / I didn't hit you / You are being a drama queen defence.

Essentially the road tax argument is a perfect riposte, it's pretty much the Chewbacca defence of bad driving, even the if the driver is using it with a straight face.
 
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