Oh no I touched a car!

[gbb]

I hav'nt read all the replies (short attention span ) but heres my take...

The drivers reaction seems way over the top...but....i know when i'm driving your reaction can vary from a shrug of the shoulders to instant anger. There's no logic, no working it out. I had a car (i was driving) squeeze me the other day. I had right of way and i let rip through the window. Another time i'd have raised my eyebrows and just driven on...no logic, no way of knowing how you'll react at that moment in time. perhaps that's just me, perhaps everyones more or less the same.

I did something similar the other week Catherine. Cycling through town alongside stationary traffic. One car was close to the kerb and i thought i could get through...but i caught his wing mirror and bent it back
He sat there.......i put my hand up to apologise and put his wing mirror back in place, and put my hand up again.
No aggro, nothing.

Another day....who knows.

 

[fossyant]

OCD!!!

Oi...that's my claim, but I've been beaten to it...... bugger..although....he was polishing a newish Spesh...... I have a vintage steel old race machine....

 

[HJ]

Me cleaning bike mid ride, with aforementioned cleaning cloth... (Photo thanks to Mr Tim Hall)

Wouldn't it be easier just to get mud guards...

 

[BentMikey]

Wouldn't it be easier just to get mud guards...

 

[andyfromotley]

SUV?

Intersection??

Jerk?

Good grief catherine,

 

[swee'pea99]

Cut the woman some slack. At least she's stopped wearing 'underpants'.

 

[alan sherman]

Think about it from teh other side. You are stuck in traffic and another roaduser rashes into you with a loud bang. I'd be hacked off too! It shows you went for a gap that wasn't actually big enough given the conditions (ie you couldn't put your foot down safely) and so had to touch the car.

We've probably all been there, it is an accident of slightly poor judgement. If there was no damage why didn't you just ask the guy to wind down his window, apologise and point out no damage?

His reaction was over the top but two wrongs don't make a right.....

 

[CatherineB]

I respect your right to hold a minority opinion, but I had plenty of room to safely stop and put my foot down, I just slipped a bit. I didn't 'rash' into anything with a loud bang, although I did whack his fender with the flat of my hand after he scared the shoot out of me with his horn for no decent reason and started screaming obscenities. I admitted my reaction was childish, and maybe in the future I'll reconsider, but I don't think he deserves to get away with that kind of behaviour without any reaction.

And thinking of it from the other side, if someone on a bike nearly fell and had to touch my car to catch themselves, or if they had an accident and crashed into my car, scratches would be the LAST thing I worried about. In the first instance, if they caught my eye, I would smile, because I would be happy that they didn't fall. In the second instance, I would get out of my car if I could and make sure they were OK, even if it was completely their own fault and even if they'd scratched the hell out of the car in the process.

But maybe that's because I'm not a complete and total self-gratification artist. (edited to add - I don't mean that you're a self-gratification artist, in case that wasn't clear. But lots of people do seem to turn into onanists of magnificent proportions the moment they enter a motor vehicle.)

 

[JamesAC]

A car is a penis symbol. I expect that when you touched it, he had a huge orgasm, which created a dreadful mess inside his underpants, and possibly his car. When you heard his horn going off, well, that was just it!!

 

[thomas]

I respect your right to hold a minority opinion, but I had plenty of room to safely stop and put my foot down, I just slipped a bit. I didn't 'rash' into anything with a loud bang, although I did whack his fender with the flat of my hand after he scared the shoot out of me with his horn for no decent reason and started screaming obscenities. I admitted my reaction was childish, and maybe in the future I'll reconsider, but I don't think he deserves to get away with that kind of behaviour without any reaction.

I can see this from both sides. I do not think his reaction was appropriate and you thumping the car certainly did no body any favours!!

If I lost my placing I would have done the same, it is a natural reaction. Then when I steadied myself I'd of apologised. If they wanted to check the car over then fair enough.

The driver sounds like a moron for instantly honking without giving you a chance. However, a light tap can sound a lot more. I had someone go in the back of me at a few mph and it scared the shoot out of me.

This was no justification for thumping his car.

Imagine if a pedestrian lost their footing and used you to steady themselves, I'm sure you would be a bit shocked if you weren't expecting it...and might even have yelled 'woaah' or something like that.

 

[ttcycle]

Me cleaning bike mid ride, with aforementioned cleaning cloth... (Photo thanks to Mr Tim Hall)

I missed this thread but OH MY GOD IAN!! that is some serious obsession you have with cleanliness!

 

[phaedrus]

onanists of magnificent proportions

 

[Ben774]

Some people are just socially retarded. Most 'normal' human beings would, as said above, just think oh dear cyclist slipped, glad there ok, and think nothing of it. Then you get the people like you (Catherine) met who, IMO, have a superiority complex as soon as they get into their 'expensive' car.

I live on a farm an often used to drive tractors around the roads doing jobs etc. You would almost always meet someone in a 25-30k BMW or Mercedes who would point blank refuse to move aside on a tight country lane so there car wouldn't have to touch the hedge or go through a pudle etc. but would insist that I drive up the embankment, or whatever, to allow them to pass. The fact that the tractor I usually used was worth about 3 times what there car was usually escaped them and it didnt matter if it got scratched/dented.

Anyway, my point is, people like that are a bunch of pompous barstuards. I'd of looked at him, let him finish his rant then bent down, unscrewed his valve cap and relieved his front tyre of its air.

 

[CatherineB]

I see what you're saying Thomas... But seriously, this wasn't a "watch out, steady on there" kind of reaction- he was screaming and furious because I laid a hand on his car. If he had behaved like that to me outside of his car, I wouldn't apologise and walk away. I would let him know that his behaviour was inappropriate and to calm down. Thing is though, he wouldn't act like that outside of his car, because it's safe inside and he's a giant coward who set out to frighten and intimidate a woman half his size. I just couldn't walk away from that.

 

[hackbike 666]

Oh I have had some right "do's" with people like this.They turn into physcopaths in their sad little metal boxes.