Holding onto people's cars - do you do it?

[Gary E]

Should I be expecting to be punched or arrested?

In these days of zero-tolerance policing - possibly both!

 

[martint235]

Leave orf, its civilised down here.

But...but....but... you keep telling me I won't like Croydon!!!

 

[theclaud]

Not in the context of the OP and this thread it ain't. Seriously, why would there be any need to touch another road users vehicle at a red light?

I didn't suggest there's an awful lot of need for it. In fact I'm not sure it indicates very sensible positioning. But it's entirely harmless to the car and its occupants and no reason for them to get all twisty-knickered.

 

[Globalti]

Late as usual to the discussion.... touching someone's car only proves that you are fundamentally insensitive to the fact that a car is a very powerful symbol of a driver's presence on the road and a very personal little piece of their territory. As someone wrote on page 1, you might as well walk up and touch them in person. Actually it's worse because the car is their defence zone.

 

[Miquel In De Rain]

No,never do it,even when I was in Thailand cycling up one steep hill with one of their lorries doing about 10mph I didn't hang on to it,although the German guy did.

 

[Vikeonabike]

It's obviously nonsense to suggest that you need permission merely to touch anything that belongs to someone else. Whether it's intrusive or ill-mannered or not depends entirely on context. I regularly move other people's luggage on trains, for example, if it's thoughtlessly placed/causing an obstruction. Should I be expecting to be punched or arrested?

Ok, you took the reply in the wider context. And I agree, normal people would not punch you for moving their luggage on a train, if, as you suggest it is thoughtlessly placed (Remember what I said about justifying your actions), however someone may take umbridge, escalating the scenario to a point at which it may end up with police /court action. So what happens if someone puts thier laptop/briefcase in the aisle and it's in your way. You pick it up to move it, the owner sudenly sees you pick it up to move it. THUMP. He decides you're attempting to steal his laptop/briefcase! Has he punched you for no reason or just attempted to detain a thief (possibly with a little too much force given the location and situation)?
The main point of my original post was in the context of a vehicle. The only reason I can think of for touching somebodies vehicle is as a last resort warning to the driver that they are about to endanger your own safety! Certainly not after the incident, never a stationary vehicle and not if you could take avoiding action in the first place!

 

[theclaud]

Late as usual to the discussion.... touching someone's car only proves that you are fundamentally insensitive to the fact that a car is a very powerful symbol of a driver's presence on the road and a very personal little piece of their territory. As someone wrote on page 1, you might as well walk up and touch them in person. Actually it's worse because the car is their defence zone.

I'm not insensitive to it - in fact I'm very well aware of it. But I don't acquiesce in their symbolic power and I have no intention of deferring to their territorial claims. Someone wrote above that the car is an extension of personal space. Which is true, but you might as well say that it is an appropriation of public space. A mobile land-grab, as it were.

 

[VamP]

Not in the context of the OP and this thread it ain't. Seriously, why would there be any need to touch another road users vehicle at a red light?

To give his windscreen a bit of a clean is one that springs to mind...

 

[VamP]

Late as usual to the discussion.... touching someone's car only proves that you are fundamentally insensitive to the fact that a car is a very powerful symbol of a driver's presence on the road and a very personal little piece of their territory. As someone wrote on page 1, you might as well walk up and touch them in person. Actually it's worse because the car is their defence zone.

Actually, I think not. What it does show is a willingness to cross that perceived boundary, but it gives no indication as to your motives.

As a number of people have posted - sometimes you need to touch the car to get the driver's attention. Often this is in extremis. Sometimes you do it out of anger at previous events. Sometimes you touch a car accidentally.

Ultimately, the question you should be asking yourself is: if another person touches something belonging to you, clearly without intention to steal or damage, what rational justification do you then have to resort to violence? Actually, I would extend that to touching you in person too.

 

[theclaud]

Ok, you took the reply in the wider context. And I agree, normal people would not punch you for moving their luggage on a train, if, as you suggest it is thoughtlessly placed (Remember what I said about justifying your actions), however someone may take umbridge, escalating the scenario to a point at which it may end up with police /court action. So what happens if someone puts thier laptop/briefcase in the aisle and it's in your way. You pick it up to move it, the owner sudenly sees you pick it up to move it. THUMP. He decides you're attempting to steal his laptop/briefcase! Has he punched you for no reason or just attempted to detain a thief (possibly with a little too much force given the location and situation)?
The main point of my original post was in the context of a vehicle. The only reason I can think of for touching somebodies vehicle is as a last resort warning to the driver that they are about to endanger your own safety! Certainly not after the incident, never a stationary vehicle and not if you could take avoiding action in the first place!

I've rarely had to justify moving luggage, because it's blindingly obvious what I'm doing. Occasionally people take umbrage anyway - that's their problem. Likewise it's obvious what a cyclist resting idly on a car is doing, and if people get shirty about it, that is their problem. It doesn't look like a threat because it isn't one. If I wanted to do something that could be easily misconstrued as an attempt to steal or damage something, then obviously I'd take more care to reassure or seek permission.

 

[Bman]

What law could you be put in court over, after touching someones car?

Its not Theft
its not Criminal Damage.

Invading someones personal space is not illegal (just rude).

 

[Boris Bajic]

I agree completely with Claud on the issue of touching or moving the property of others. There will always be times when it is the right thing to do.

But I think that for a cyclist to lean on a car for convenience at a junction or in heavy traffic (as in the OP) is rude.

I do not understand for a moment why a motorist would go ape about something like that - it seems to take all sorts - but it is rude nonetheless.

As already noted, it is warming that no-one on the thread seems to have done it or had it done to them. We must be a nice bunch, unlikely as that seems sometimes.

 

[snapper_37]

I did have the idea of trying out using a car as a lean post this week, to see what reactions I got. But every time I had the opportunity I felt really uncomfortable for some reason and chickened out. My personal view is that it is entirely harmless, although I've never had the experience either way, but just seems irrationally rude.

 

[snapper_37]

Do the people who get so worked up about having their cars touched ever go to a hand car wash I wonder. They must be on pins when the windcreen wipers are whipped up in the air.

 

[VamP]

I thought I had made it clear that I have no problem with touching people's cars if I feel it warranted.

I think Bicycle... erm I mean Boris was referring to the narrow description as per the OP's story. Which to be fair does not seem to be a warranted case of car touching.