How do you cope with the anger?

[Panter]

You know, when some t**t cuts you up, deliberately swipes at you with a car or hurls abuse at you just for being there?

How do you deal with it?

I've always had a problem with road rage but I'm finding I'm getting just as stressed on the bike now but without the ability to catch the perpetrators.
Thing is, it's me that's suffering the stress, it's me who'll die an early death, not the mindless car driver who'll forget about it in an instant.

As an example, when the middle aged woman in the Merc yesterday decided to turn across in front of me, causing me to lock up and nearly fall off rather than wait the two seconds for me to pass, my heart rate monitor started bleeping furiously, meaning I'd gone over my upper limit just through stress! not good......

So, how do you deal with it?

 

[Aperitif]

I'm with Lee.
And - take a very strong primary line wherever a left hook is on the cards...'encourage' the cars to 'adjust' to where you want them to go...behind preferably.

 

[papercorn2000]

Hunt them down and kill them.

 

[MickL]

Beer, but I found just let it surface then boil away to nothing try not to act on it. So much of anger when some thing like this happens is an Adrenalin dump on the system, Hence increased heart rate, short words ( you know the ones ), Some times afterwards shakes as well. Some people just freeze up when it happens stand there in disbelieve. You find your own way of dealing it with. Me I just sit and mong in front of the TV or Play my guitar even paint a model, some thing that takes focus of the anger.

 

[Davywalnuts]

Hunt them down and kill them.

Seconded... Unless am in company and there will be witnesses..

Those burnt out cars at Bedfont lakes are there for a reason.. hehehehe!

 

[nilling]

I'm with CofG on spreading the karma around and giving more waves/thumbs-up

 

[Davywalnuts]

I've posted a couple of times (about this time last year) about how to deal with this. One poster stated that if you cycle every day then you don't really want angst every day. I try not to police the roads now - there's a mobile phone using driver every couple of miles, for example, on my route. What can I do about it? Not much tbh. I can't go round shaking my head at each one. So I just cycle to keep myself safe (following the advice from here and other sources), in the knowledge that other road users are going to be driving recklessly and with little disregard for me.

I also try and do a few more thumbs ups and cheesy grins on occasions which seems to spread a bit of karma around.

Weird example I had from a couple of weeks ago. Bloke in sports car passed me then stopped in a queue. I looked in through the window as I filtered past slowly. He was texting with a little lap-dog on his, err, lap. Dog saw me then leapt to the passenger window (my side) panting at me with tongue hanging out saying "hello" in doggie language.

Would have been occasions in the past when I would have thrown my arm out, rolled my eyes and mouthed something appropriate. This time I just smiled and grinned ruefully whilst shaking my head gently yet disparagingly (I thought). Guy thought I was smiling becuase his dog was so cute!!!! I know this because as he past me again he grinned back at me, gave me a thumbs up and stroked the mutt!!!!

Left me bemused that did.

I wonder what the dog was in for later that evening!

 

[BigonaBianchi]

Laugh at them very visualy so they can see you in their rear view mirror, it calms you and pisses them right orf.

 

[tyred]

Curse at them and call them lots of names. They won't usually hear but it gets the frustration out of the system.

 

[rich p]

I reached the age of reason when I was in my forties and decided it wasn't doing anyone any good (least of all me, as Panter says) to rail against wrongs in public. I now give them a short hard stare and move on. I think I've perfected the Lance Armstrong glare! I now only swear at the television.

 

[Over The Hill]

It (and most things) are about expectation.

You expect too much and so you are angered when they fall below your expectiation.

If you expect ALL drivers to curse and cut you up. When 99% of them dont then you have had a good day!

Then apply that to everything in life. You end up counting the good things and expecting the bad instead of counting the bad things and expecting the good.

Simples!

 

[papercorn2000]

Seconded... Unless am in company and there will be witnesses..

Those burnt out cars at Bedfont lakes are there for a reason.. hehehehe!

I usually kill the witnesses as well. Colateral damage etc.

 

[MacB]

I usually kill the witnesses as well. Colateral damage etc.

still think you're a soft touch, got to be some torture first

 

[JamesAC]

gave me a thumbs up and stroked the mutt!!!!

Good job it wasn't a cat he had with him, otherwise he'd have been stroking his ..

 

[sheddy]

I sometimes wonder if an egg loaded bazooka would help.
Mind you it would have to fire sideways (cutting up/left hooks) backwards (impatient revving) and forwards (wrong side of the road)