Losing your temper.

[Banjo]

Can anyone that rides on roads truthfully say they have never lost their temper with some idiot driver?

Personally I see red much less as I get older.Wether I am getting wiser is debatable .More aware of the potential for disaster is the real reason I think.

 

[Deleted member 1258]

I think most people have lost their temper at some time. Personally I try to both drive and cycle cold these days, if I find I'm getting stressed or angry I'll pull over and stop, but in the past I haven't always been so controlled and have had my moments, which in most cases I regret.

 

[Smokin Joe]

I used to years ago, but if I do now I bottle it. My feelings are on page four of this thread -

https://www.cyclechat.net/threads/police-let-down.208907/

 

[rideswithmoobs]

Nope never lost it or got angry but then I don't commute or live in a city/cycle in cities so maybe I'm less in contact with all the problems encountered.

 

[andyoxon]

Angry, but never lost it - best not to. You don't want to be personally abusive in response either - inflames the situation IMO. I tend to say, mouth, 'WHAT WAS THAT', with upturned palms or similar, a close pass gets a 'turning right arm' give me more room, for the driver to contemplate in rear view mirror. Commercial vehicle - company gets an email.

 

[summerdays]

Cross yes... but loosing it, not normally! Thankfully!

 

[Slick]

I'm much the same, used to during my younger years but usually a work thing whereby from my perspective, people were hindering me from earning cash. On the bike, I reckon I probably need all my puff to keep pushing, but it can be frustrating sometimes. It also seems to come in batches. It feels like quite a while since anyone has really annoyed me on the road. Maybe an age thing.

 

[Andy_R]

I learnt to drive in Malta, where the driving is chaotic at it's best. A great example of this was on one lesson, someone pulled out in front of me from a side road. I was about to give it horn and lights and sweary, but my instructor pointed out, "He's in front now, don't make him slam his brakes or we'll crash" Whilst this is not actual traffic regulation, it works. Coming back to the UK was an eye opener...lunatics everywhere screaming and shouting. I found that Maltese drivers were ready to accept any sort of lunacy, whereas UK drivers go off the handle if someone takes the wrong lane at traffic lights by mistake. Funny haha, no. Funny strange, yes. I also learnt that during the hours of 1200-1500 in the summer you drive in the shade.. ( For those of you asking, I have been driving in Europe and the UK since 1987...in the late 80's 90% of Malta's roads were donkey tracks...)

 

[CanucksTraveller]

I noticed something recently, and it was that when I'm out of breath and the blood is flowing (i.e. whenever I'm cycling), I'm far more likely to get vocal (and sometimes get foul mouthed) than I would have been if say, a car drove close to me while I was walking calmly on a pedestrian crossing. I'd be way, way more passive in the latter and more likely to tut, shake my head, and most importantly, move on.

Unfortunately, nature never intended us to cycle or to go up against cars at the same time, and it has us physiologically ready to flick the "fight or flight" switch when we're in fast cycling mode... Please try and think of that disadvantage whenever you're in contact with another road user. You're at a disadvantage once you're angry.

 

[Onthedrops]

Not really.
Usually a shake of the head and a muttering to myself of how much of a t**t they are. No point losing it especially as there are quite a few nut jobs on the roads nowadays.

In these days of dashcams, a foul mouthed tirade following a near miss for example can result in confrontation or as we have already seen on another thread, litigation.

 

[Tin Pot]

I don't think you know what "losing ones temper" is, until you have kids.

Drivers are like irritating flies. 1.5 ton flies, admittedly.

 

[Moodyman]

I did once. Barrelling down a hill at 30 mph, taxi in the opposite lane turned across me into a side road. Almost wiped me out. He was 100% at fault. I gave him some grief and he said it was my fault because 'I was going too fast'. He'd allowed enough time to turn right based on his experience of how fast bikes usually move i.e. BSOs on a pavement.

I then realised there was no hope of getting through to that mentality.

 

[Onthedrops]

I did once. Barrelling down a hill at 30 mph, taxi in the opposite lane turned across me into a side road. Almost wiped me out. He was 100% at fault. I gave him some grief and he said it was my fault because 'I was going too fast'. He'd allowed enough time to turn right based on his experience of how fast bikes usually move i.e. BSOs on a pavement.

I then realised there was no hope of getting through to that mentality.

Taxi driver, Bradford. Enough said.

 

[HLaB]

I've definitely got angry in the past and said a few things and made gestures which I shouldn't have done but I can't recall ever having fully lost the plot leading to a full on argument with a driver. Not saying it didn't happen but with old age I can't remember ;-) . I'm going through a phase where I am laughing at muppets or feeling sorry/ pity for them, lol

 

[Moodyman]

Taxi driver, Bradford. Enough said.

Almost true. Should read: Bradford, enough said.

Taxi drivers on the whole are ok, but young lads in high powered cars...