Road Rage

[BenM]

26 years ago....
I was cycling down the A37 (I know! - though it was a Sunday and there was no traffic in those days) from Yeovil to Dorchester, just starting to pull up one of the many hills, was overtaken at very slow speed by a fully laden khaki Austin Maxi with insults etc being yelled out of the windows. I gesticulated back, the car stopped and the driver leaped out and tried to run after me - even up hill I was faster. He jumped back in the car, gave a punishment pass and carried on a bit. I was a little concerned when I saw he had pulled over further up the road, then had climbed into a field and selected a large rock to throw at me... Luckily a car came past which, when they saw the Maxi pulled in behind it and started giving the passengers etc. some grief - apparently said Maxi had been a bit of a pillock earlier on and this car was involved.

Luckily nothing more came of the incident - I guess drunk man was persuaded by his passengers that I wasn't worth it - but it did lend me some adrenaline for the next hill! I am still a bit apprehensive when driving along the road even after 26 years...

B.

 

[bicyclos]

I have had a number od do's over the last 13yrs but not worth writing about and I have learnt over this period to be more pragmatic and be cool in a situation. One recent incident was a car coming towards me in the opposite direction and drove over the white line towards me and back in to his side of the road for no reason. It was a guy walking to work which saw it who shouted at the driver. I was just suprised with the situation and no harm done. I just shook my head and thought what a bone head...........carried on my journey

 

[Pat "5mph"]

The most bizarre and thankfully not severe road rage I've experienced is when driver's coming the opposite way slow down to shout abuse. Its maybe an East Lothian thing I can't recall it happening elsewhere.

On the receiving end of this quite often here in South Lanarkshire/Strathcyde

 

[Crankarm]

Every one wants to read of the cyclist who fought back who beat an insolent, aggressive, dangerous driver who got out of their car or down from their truck and threatened them, to a pulp. But it ain't going to happen, not unless some one wants to incriminate themselves. There was the cyclist in Hove who hit a driver in a Jag I think, who felt the driver had nearly knocked him and his roadie mates off their bikes following an "altercation". The driver ended up in hopsital, may have been in a coma or even died. The cyclist was charged with GBH or manslaughter iirc. This is where the info dries up.

 

[HLaB]

On the receiving end of this quite often here in South Lanarkshire/Strathcyde

The day after I typed we got it somewhere between Fife and Stirling so I guess it not an East Lothian thing, I'm not sure he was expecting the Merry Christmas response

 

[jonny jeez]

very little to nothing on the bike but i once got into a punch up on the way to a funeral whilst driving, which was both embarrasing and absurd.

Emotions play the biggest part in these situations.

 

[colly]

Had no incidents while cycling but then again I don't commute and I make a point of avoiding busy roads so the chances of getting involved are few. I've had a number of near misses and run-ins with cars and drivers but nothing unusual.

Witnessed a couple of incidents whilst driving.
Handbag stuff really, except when a bloke managed to pull across a line of traffic and because the line he was moving into didn't move on as he expected, he blocked the carriageway. Once he was in position there was nothing he could do. Matey in a Beamer decides to play the 1812 on his horn before getting out and ranting like a lunatic and bashing the windscreen and door window of the guy stuck in his car.
Kind of pathetic because the beamer driver was maybe 6'2'' built like a navvy and the guy in the car was 80 if he was a day. Soon enough the traffic moved and as matey was getting back in his car there was lots of tooting from behind him.

Pi55ed him off even more.

 

[Cyclopathic]

This thread has inspired me. I'm off to create my very own tales of road rage even though it's boxing day and the roads are quiet I'm sure that if I really try I can get into a good enough ding dong to report back here. Here goes, wish me luck chaps.

 

[ianrauk]

This thread has inspired me. I'm off to create my very own tales of road rage even though it's boxing day and the roads are quiet I'm sure that if I really try I can get into a good enough ding dong to report back here. Here goes, wish me luck chaps.

Go fill yer boots..

 

[Drago]

I always strive to avoid such nonsense, but with my new training direction I can forsee that I'm going to find it difficult to resist the temptation to simply turn the persons car on to its side.

 

[Pumpkin the robot]

I was out today on my bike. Pulled up behind a car at a set of lightswaiting for them to change. An elderly guy pulls up beside me, an inch or two behind the car in front. I looked at him and just shook my head. When the lights changed he started to pull across in to me as there was a pinch. I shouted at him and banged his bonnet (possibly not the correct thing to do) He backed off and then passed, revving his engine and slowing down. I just carried on and went on my way.

 

[Toshiba Boy]

In 35 years cycling (including racing, training, sportives and commuting (school and work) in West Midlands and latterly West Somerset), one incident, about 12 years ago.

Quiet Sunday afternoon in rural south Warwickshire, nipped out for a spin, and as I came downhill into a village, ancient old car pulled out from kerb, no signal, right in front of me. No other traffic around, so simply continued with my momentum and overtook the car.

Driver didn't appear to like this so, eventually, (it was a very old car) caught up with me and drove right on my back wheel. We came to a junction, again no traffic so I contuned, as did he, right on my back wheel. Left hand turn, he then finally started to overtake, drew level, and then, quite simply, drove into me. Side of his car hit my handlebars away and over I went. He continued.

Jumped up, and checked bike first (of course) then me. Few scrapes on both. Looked up, and there he was doing a 3 point turn and heading straight back at me. I grabbed bike and stood on pavement. He drew level, wound his window down. He was a seriously old guy. He said that he was "annoyed that I'd overtaken" and "didn't mean to actually hit me", that he "just wanted to scare me" (so that's alright then).

Gave him a piece of my mind and mentioned his number plate to a friend who was a Chief Inspector in the Police. Understand they had a word.

Not that the incident is still imprinted on my mind, but his number plate was C 614 UKV. No doubt, that both old geezers (car and him) are no longer with us (nothing to do with me or my friend ).

Irony is, this was on such a sleepy, rural ride, compared to the years of commuting and training rides in Coventry and Birmingham over some 30 years.

 

[Davidsw8]

This probably doesn't really count but I was a passenger in a car last night and we passed a woman on an A road into London, texting while driving. She caught up to us and passed us on our right at some red lights where she was now making a phone call.

I was furious! All it amounted to was me taking her Reg. down to report but I didn't like how angry that made me feel and I'm glad I wasn't the one driving.

It just seemed such a mental thing for her to do and she 100% saw us clocking her on the phone and had no shame about carrying on the call.

She proceeded to undertake another vehicle and then drive off and take a left, thankfully out of our path.

 

[Cycling Dan]

In 35 years cycling (including racing, training, sportives and commuting (school and work) in West Midlands and latterly West Somerset), one incident, about 12 years ago.

Quiet Sunday afternoon in rural south Warwickshire, nipped out for a spin, and as I came downhill into a village, ancient old car pulled out from kerb, no signal, right in front of me. No other traffic around, so simply continued with my momentum and overtook the car.

Driver didn't appear to like this so, eventually, (it was a very old car) caught up with me and drove right on my back wheel. We came to a junction, again no traffic so I contuned, as did he, right on my back wheel. Left hand turn, he then finally started to overtake, drew level, and then, quite simply, drove into me. Side of his car hit my handlebars away and over I went. He continued.

Jumped up, and checked bike first (of course) then me. Few scrapes on both. Looked up, and there he was doing a 3 point turn and heading straight back at me. I grabbed bike and stood on pavement. He drew level, wound his window down. He was a seriously old guy. He said that he was "annoyed that I'd overtaken" and "didn't mean to actually hit me", that he "just wanted to scare me" (so that's alright then).

Gave him a piece of my mind and mentioned his number plate to a friend who was a Chief Inspector in the Police. Understand they had a word.

Not that the incident is still imprinted on my mind, but his number plate was C 614 UKV. No doubt, that both old geezers (car and him) are no longer with us (nothing to do with me or my friend ).

Irony is, this was on such a sleepy, rural ride, compared to the years of commuting and training rides in Coventry and Birmingham over some 30 years.

Time bites back or is that wrong to say

 

[Maylian]

I've had two incidents in the last few years. The first was when I was approaching a RBT taking the second exit, it is a two lane roundabout and a car took umbridge that I had slowed him down as he was hurtling along and was beeping me as I went around. Once we got round he raced in front of me and skidded to the block me, as there were two I mouthed an apology and they went on their way.

Another was a car pulled out from a side road and almost took me out, I politely suggested he watch out in future to which I got a choice swear word response and where to go. To which my response was to step it up and demand he get out of the car, he tried to race off (during rush hour) so I followed him and shouted and hit the roof of his car several times. I think the guy realised that he was in the wrong and just pi$$ed a very big and now very angry guy off and was desperate to beat a hasty escape.