How do you react to rude drivers?

[Stu Smith]

Sometimes plod turns up in the nick of time...
A few weeks a go I was returning after a great Sunday morning on the bike. I was climbing up a slight incline on the main road approaching a junction to my left, when a young guy in a loud VW polo decided he could get round me and turn left before I was at the junction. He realised he wasn't going to make the left turn without first knocking me off, he stopped and we just looked at each other neither of us reacted with fingers or swearing. I carried on but straight away a 4X4 came along side me and called me a selfish wa#ker and I should have give way to the Polo to turn left across my right of way. So I replied no I had the right of way and he was going to make the left turn and I was actually on the junction, he carried on giving me sh*t and waving his arms, telling me how we shouldn't be on the roads etc. He then sped up and went. Then a BMW 4X4 traffic cop car came along side dropped his window and asked if the 4x4 driver had been giving me a hard time, to which I replied yes. The Police fella said he witnessed the whole thing from the Polo trying to side swipe me to this 4x4 giving me the sh*t. He left in a hurry, a mile further up the road the said 4x4 had been pulled over into a lay-by and the driver was just getting into the back of the Police 4X4 ...It did bring a little smile and still does.

 

[RichardB]

I like Richard Ballantyne's suggestion from the 70s. In traffic, carry a water pistol filled with concentrated raspberry juice or similar. If put in danger, squirt it on their windscreen. It's sticky and hard to get off, and wipers will only smear it around. In traffic, with a bike's agility and speed, you are streets away before they can react. Highly unlikely that fruit juice could be construed as damage in a court of law.

 

[glasgowcyclist]

It's sticky and hard to get off, and wipers will only smear it around.

I wouldn't think it a good idea for me or the general public to have an enraged driver belting after me with restricted visibility.
With respect, that's a stupid idea.

 

[Joey Shabadoo]

I worry because I've got a quick temper and I react more often than not. I'm well aware that I may be writing cheques that I can't cash any more though so I try to avoid main roads when cycling. I stick to back roads, trails etc as much as I can. Hats off to you commuters, I certainly don't have the fortitude or resilience to put up with that.

 

[Ming the Merciless]

I misread the title as how do you react to nude drivers.

 

[LeetleGreyCells]

I find being assertive on the road helps to avoid these issues. For example, I always take primary when passing by any pedestrian crossing islands then immediately move back to secondary if safe to do so. I make a lot of eye contact with drivers when they are behind me or they are waiting to enter/exit a junction/cross my lane. I always give a thumbs up when the driver has been patient, even if they’ve only been patient for a few seconds.

There will always be drivers who pass too close which you just have to deal with by keep riding. A confrontation gets you no where, but just by riding you are promoting cycling and reminding drivers that there will always be cyclists.

I do find that by having a rear light either on constant or blinking at any time of the day does result in fewer close passes than when I ride without. Or that’s at least my perception.

 

[Ming the Merciless]

I believe in positive reinforcement. So when a driver does something good, like waiting to pass if the road is narrow with blind bends, or gives a wide pass, or stops to let you go first at a road narrowing, or hangs back when you need to pull out past a row of parked cars etc; then I’ll make sure to thank them via wave, thumbs up, smile if oncoming, shouted thanks if their window is open. I know we’d call all these, things a competent driver should do anyway. But a bit of positive reinforcement doesn’t do any harm. As to the bad ones, it’s usually best to let it go, whilst you’re in a vulnerable position on the road. Some riders get cameras mounted but they seem to have a disproportionate number of close pass and bad driving encounters.

 

[LCpl Boiled Egg]

I believe in positive reinforcement. So when a driver does something good, like waiting to pass if the road is narrow with blind bends, or gives a wide pass, or stops to let you go first at a road narrowing, or hangs back when you need to pull out past a row of parked cars etc; then I’ll make sure to thank them via wave, thumbs up, smile if oncoming, shouted thanks if their window is open. I know we’d call all these, things a competent driver should do anyway. But a bit of positive reinforcement doesn’t do any harm. As to the bad ones, it’s usually best to let it go, whilst you’re in a vulnerable position on the road. Some riders get cameras mounted but they seem to have a disproportionate number of close pass and bad driving encounters.

They probably just post the "incidents" - after all no-one is going to watch videos of boring cycling where nothing happens!

 

[Archie_tect]

I did that once and the driver overtook on the wrong side of the island instead...

This happened to me last week... 3 points on their licence if seen by the Police and have time to deal with them.

I move over to the centre of my lane as I approach an island and speed up if I can, then give the car behind a wave for staying back which they've always done as a result, then a wave as they start to pass to thank them for waiting- doesn't take any effort on my part and provides them with a warm glow as they advance another step in their road sense training for good behaviour.

Good manners tends to be reciprocated in my experience. Bad manners and aggression just winds people up and woe betide the next cyclist an irritated motorist meets if you;'ve aggressively sworn, gesticulated and argued with them for your own transitory gratification.

{Edit: Just read YukonBoy's comments above and agree entirely!]

 

[Arjimlad]

I try never to be rude. If you start off aggressive or offensive you will almost certainly get that mirrored back to you.

If I do catch up with a close passing driver I try to assess whether they're Kenneth Noye or not, and whether I could escape if they go ballistic. I will always try to start with a friendly "good morning" ... "bit close there, could you leave more space in future?" ..

The most common reaction is a polite apology and all is well. The next time the driver leaves more space and we've sorted it out like proper grown-ups.

If I get any abuse then I stop conversing and upload the whole footage to the Police so that they can have a go at educating the muttonhead.

I'm fortunate that Avon & Somerset say that they act on every report I make - although I don't know if that's a warning letter, fixed penalty, driving course or prosecution whatever.

There was this one time, though, driver looking out through a letterbox in his frosted windscreen on roads used by schoolkids.... the Police visited him at work and he made a fulsome apology to me by phone. WARNING BAD LANGUAGE !!

 

[ianrauk]

They probably just post the "incidents" - after all no-one is going to watch videos of boring cycling where nothing happens!

Not really. Some of these cam cyclists seem have more incidents in one week then I do in a whole year. Not saying all of them of course. But a good few do go out of their way to justify their camera.

 

[Smokin Joe]

I like Richard Ballantyne's suggestion from the 70s. In traffic, carry a water pistol filled with concentrated raspberry juice or similar. If put in danger, squirt it on their windscreen. It's sticky and hard to get off, and wipers will only smear it around. In traffic, with a bike's agility and speed, you are streets away before they can react. Highly unlikely that fruit juice could be construed as damage in a court of law.

As it needed to be cleaned off it would be classed as criminal damage. Ballantyne was a bit of a weirdo with some very strange ideas IMO.

 

[GetFatty]

If a car behind me beeped me, I used to move to the middle of the lane, slow, stop, put my bike gently on the ground and go around to the driver's window, tap lightly on it and invite them to get out to discuss their issue with me.

 

[helston90]

The main issue I get is a close pass on the roads around here and normally results in me flipping them the middle finger a) in case they look they may review their actions and b) if the car behind them sees me do that they know that the car in front did something wrong/questionable and they'll hopefully give more space or wait to pass.

 

[Starchivore]

Smile and wave Roy, just smile and wave.

Yeah this is me now. You're basically powerless in that situation, so best to do something that isn't going to up the aggression, but may at least confuse and mildly annoy the driver.

If a close pass I might make a pushing out gesture, to indicate that more space would have been good.