Road rage

[Arjimlad]

I tapped on a car which was closing in on me from the side a while ago, and the driver stopped got out & started threatening me with violence. Folks on here may remember it, he was later convicted of using threatening behaviour and fined a lot of money. He would have been charged with driving w/o due care if the Police officer had read the file properly as well. I was glad that I had the camera that day. It made for an interesting day in court when he fought it to trial.

Touching the precious paintwork seems to evoke a huge overreaction in some people.

On the flipside I have had many lovely chats with drivers, HGV or private cars when I've been able to greet them politely and ask for more space on the road, or just pass the time of day as we wait at lights. It's been said by @Drago that you can't always tell who is going to be the next Kenneth Noye or whether they're just normal people trying to get about.

It may seem people are completely intolerant of sharing the road with cyclists, horses, pedestrians you name it, but that impression comes chiefly if I read too much social media where the loudest idiots sound off.

Most people drive carefully & patiently, there's always the 1% spoiling it though.

 

[Johnno260]

I would say, it's best to try to not interact with these people, if possible you don't know what level of crazy you're dealing with.

A few years back, I was reversing onto my driveway with the flow of traffic, some idiot came along going way too fast, the crash investigator confirmed he was carrying too much speed as well, he swerved to avoid me, went onto the wrong side of the road, went over a pathway and hit a hedge and damaged a telegraph pole.

His first reaction when getting out the car was to pick up a spanner from his boot and threaten me, it was his fault but no he threatened me, now I can look after myself, decades living on a horrible council estate and just as long doing martial arts, but I'm not messing with someone with a lump of steel in their hands, I just raised my hands and said I have kids in the car back off, I went in the house and let the insurance know.

I have had a few issues on the bike, a can of some beer thrown at me by kids, when I shouted back they pulled over and 3 kids got out 17-18yr olds, I didn't back down here and I should have but they got in the car when they realized Mr Cyclist had a crazy look in his eye, stupid move on my part.

Issue is you don't know if they're carrying a knife or if they're totally nuts, also they're in 1ton plus metal box just try and be safe and let you head rule and not your heart when tempers flare, also it's the time of year when some people decide to have a drink and drive, people in my village moan about the police doing stops and breath tests, I welcome it as it's a deterrent.

 

[Biker man]

I tapped on a car which was closing in on me from the side a while ago, and the driver stopped got out & started threatening me with violence. Folks on here may remember it, he was later convicted of using threatening behaviour and fined a lot of money. He would have been charged with driving w/o due care if the Police officer had read the file properly as well. I was glad that I had the camera that day. It made for an interesting day in court when he fought it to trial.

Touching the precious paintwork seems to evoke a huge overreaction in some people.

On the flipside I have had many lovely chats with drivers, HGV or private cars when I've been able to greet them politely and ask for more space on the road, or just pass the time of day as we wait at lights. It's been said by @Drago that you can't always tell who is going to be the next Kenneth Noye or whether they're just normal people trying to get about.

It may seem people are completely intolerant of sharing the road with cyclists, horses, pedestrians you name it, but that impression comes chiefly if I read too much social media where the loudest idiots sound off.

Most people drive carefully & patiently, there's always the 1% spoiling it though.

 

[Biker man]

I would say, it's best to try to not interact with these people, if possible you don't know what level of crazy you're dealing with.

A few years back, I was reversing onto my driveway with the flow of traffic, some idiot came along going way too fast, the crash investigator confirmed he was carrying too much speed as well, he swerved to avoid me, went onto the wrong side of the road, went over a pathway and hit a hedge and damaged a telegraph pole.

His first reaction when getting out the car was to pick up a spanner from his boot and threaten me, it was his fault but no he threatened me, now I can look after myself, decades living on a horrible council estate and just as long doing martial arts, but I'm not messing with someone with a lump of steel in their hands, I just raised my hands and said I have kids in the car back off, I went in the house and let the insurance know.

I have had a few issues on the bike, a can of some beer thrown at me by kids, when I shouted back they pulled over and 3 kids got out 17-18yr olds, I didn't back down here and I should have but they got in the car when they realized Mr Cyclist had a crazy look in his eye, stupid move on my part.

Issue is you don't know if they're carrying a knife or if they're totally nuts, also they're in 1ton plus metal box just try and be safe and let you head rule and not your heart when tempers flare, also it's the time of year when some people decide to have a drink and drive, people in my village moan about the police doing stops and breath tests, I welcome it as it's a deterrent.

Its difficult what to do for the best,I am to old at 76 for fights and I walk away once ,I did stand my ground and he backed off thank goodness .

 

[CanucksTraveller]

I think as well as the rage in people now, what gets me is the refusal to take responsibility for a mistake, a stupid act, whatever, it's never their fault. The amount of times I see a boneheaded, aggressive manouvre and yet the wronged party gets shouted and gesticulated at. I think that's another symptom of something wrong in society.

I was on my street (a narrow housing estate road), driving at about 10mph which is about the most you'd sensibly want to be doing given the parking chaos. Came upon a line of parked cars to my left as the road bent sharply to the right. It gives you no option but to ease off even further to about 5mph or walking pace go past carefully up the right of the road, and just try to be ready to stop if you meet someone.
A taxi then came blowing around the corner doing more like 30, he clearly panicked, mounted the pavement on his side and came to a halt 20 yards past me screaming at me that I was "on the wrong side of the road". Well yes mate, that's what a car has to do when his own side of the road is blocked. What would you have me do, levitate? Or alternatively go as carefully around the hazard as I can and be ready to stop? I managed to stop instantly, he didn't. But he kept screaming that I was on the wrong side of the road.

It was pure excess speed on his part, not a remotely appropriate speed for a narrow estate, and an inability to stop in the distance that was visible to him. But it's always someone else's fault. I have no doubt that to this day he goes around thinking everyone he nearly runs into is at fault, whereas his excess speed is getting him into all sorts of bother, he just won't see it.

 

[Amanda P]

whereas his excess speed is getting him into all sorts of bother, he just won't see it.

If you get sucked into the rabbit hole of watching dashcam videos on YouTube (as I have) you see this quite a lot: dashcam owners driving too fast and getting themselves into foreseeable conflicts that they could easily have avoided by just easing off a bit. Sometimes deliberately driving into a conflict because 'it's my right of way!'

I'm reminded that when this forum was new and young, someone had a signature that read 'There are people you wouldn't trust to do your photocopying who have got driving licences'. This has stuck with me.

 

[Amanda P]

Sometimes deliberately driving into a conflict because 'it's my right of way!'

It's sobering, too: someone (who's gone to the trouble of uploading their dashcam footage to show how badly someone else drove) fairly obviously deliberately fails to avoid a potential collision, then shouts a lot of furious abuse, usually accompanied by horn-honking. These folk are driving around in a permanent state of barely-controlled rage, and don't see anything wrong with that.

You don't want to mess with these people.

 

[Johnno260]

If you get sucked into the rabbit hole of watching dashcam videos on YouTube (as I have) you see this quite a lot: dashcam owners driving too fast and getting themselves into foreseeable conflicts that they could easily have avoided by just easing off a bit. Sometimes deliberately driving into a conflict because 'it's my right of way!'

I'm reminded that when this forum was new and young, someone had a signature that read 'There are people you wouldn't trust to do your photocopying who have got driving licences'. This has stuck with me.

I went through a stage of watching dash cam footage, and you're right in many instances the dash cam owner would be in the wrong, even sometimes accelerating to create an issue.

@CanucksTraveller stated it well, there seems to be an inability to accept accountability anymore, people treat the roads as if they're the sole user, I have seen fender benders where someone said but I was indicating why didn't you get out my way, it's like they shift the blame onto someone else as using an indicator is a get out of my way signal.

 

[Biker man]

I think as well as the rage in people now, what gets me is the refusal to take responsibility for a mistake, a stupid act, whatever, it's never their fault. The amount of times I see a boneheaded, aggressive manouvre and yet the wronged party gets shouted and gesticulated at. I think that's another symptom of something wrong in society.

I was on my street (a narrow housing estate road), driving at about 10mph which is about the most you'd sensibly want to be doing given the parking chaos. Came upon a line of parked cars to my left as the road bent sharply to the right. It gives you no option but to ease off even further to about 5mph or walking pace go past carefully up the right of the road, and just try to be ready to stop if you meet someone.
A taxi then came blowing around the corner doing more like 30, he clearly panicked, mounted the pavement on his side and came to a halt 20 yards past me screaming at me that I was "on the wrong side of the road". Well yes mate, that's what a car has to do when his own side of the road is blocked. What would you have me do, levitate? Or alternatively go as carefully around the hazard as I can and be ready to stop? I managed to stop instantly, he didn't. But he kept screaming that I was on the wrong side of the road.

It was pure excess speed on his part, not a remotely appropriate speed for a narrow estate, and an inability to stop in the distance that was visible to him. But it's always someone else's fault. I have no doubt that to this day he goes around thinking everyone he nearly runs into is at fault, whereas his excess speed is getting him into all sorts of bother, he just won't see it.

Maybe he will drive into a brick wall and blame that next.

I think as well as the rage in people now, what gets me is the refusal to take responsibility for a mistake, a stupid act, whatever, it's never their fault. The amount of times I see a boneheaded, aggressive manouvre and yet the wronged party gets shouted and gesticulated at. I think that's another symptom of something wrong in society.

I was on my street (a narrow housing estate road), driving at about 10mph which is about the most you'd sensibly want to be doing given the parking chaos. Came upon a line of parked cars to my left as the road bent sharply to the right. It gives you no option but to ease off even further to about 5mph or walking pace go past carefully up the right of the road, and just try to be ready to stop if you meet someone.
A taxi then came blowing around the corner doing more like 30, he clearly panicked, mounted the pavement on his side and came to a halt 20 yards past me screaming at me that I was "on the wrong side of the road". Well yes mate, that's what a car has to do when his own side of the road is blocked. What would you have me do, levitate? Or alternatively go as carefully around the hazard as I can and be ready to stop? I managed to stop instantly, he didn't. But he kept screaming that I was on the wrong side of the road.

It was pure excess speed on his part, not a remotely appropriate speed for a narrow estate, and an inability to stop in the distance that was visible to him. But it's always someone else's fault. I have no doubt that to this day he goes around thinking everyone he nearly runs into is at fault, whereas his excess speed is getting him into all sorts of bother, he just won't see it.

 

[oldwheels]

@Brandane makes a valid point but i'm not so sure it has got any worse, i think it has always been there just nowadays it is more reported on with the rise of instant communications

It may not have got worse in percentage terms but the increase in traffic volume means there are more of them now than even 20 or 30 years ago.

 

[All uphill]

My subjective take on this is that the vast majority of people are pleasant most of the time; put them in a pressured situation and they are likely to react badly.

Drivers running late, trying to squeeze in school runs, work and supermarkets; trying to make ends meet, deal with the pandemic, coping with kids. All of these can tip someone into behaviour they wouldn't normally do. That doesn't make it okay, but I do try not to take it personally on the rare occasions when someone flips.

 

[bladesman73]

It's not just a feeling, there ARE. And they're not just behind the wheel of a car. I'm not sure what has happened in the last 20 years or so, but there are far more angry people about, everywhere.
I think it's a general attitude of "It's my right to do what I like and no-one has any right to stop me. ME, ME, ME."
They've been brought up in the belief that they cannot be punished for their actions. From school onwards. Parents can't use physical punishment, Police have their hands tied. There are no consequences for bad behaviour, so what did all those do gooders think was going to happen?

Agree about ME Me ME but to equate people being rsoles to parental violence is utter clap trap. Parents who are violent still do beat their kids, but the intelligent ones realise that other forms of chastisement are much more effective. Beating your kids just teaches them that violence is a way to control others. Plus i have noticed many people over 40 are increasingly violent, they were brought up before your dreamed up period where so called do gooders control each and every parent.
Society simply reflects the mantra of those in power. For the last 40 years we have had govt after govt enforcing neo-lib dog eat dog ideology which has infested society. Life has become one big stress, increasing and unavoidable debt, piss poor wages where working people are needing benefits and the use of food banks to support themselves, currently life in the UK is far from healthy in terms of the mental trauma these and other pressures are creating. people with mental illnesses are not supported well enough and the general message we are given is to trample over others to get what you want. It started with thatcher and the current govt have just raised this utterley depraved ideology to gas mark 9.
If govts listened to 'do gooders' more we would have a more caring and supportive society which would lead to less stress, more happiness and less selfish scrotes riding roughshod over others.

 

[steveindenmark]

Cyclists do not get an exemption pass either.

 

[Brandane]

Agree about ME Me ME but to equate people being rsoles to parental violence is utter clap trap. Parents who are violent still do beat their kids, but the intelligent ones realise that other forms of chastisement are much more effective. Beating your kids just teaches them that violence is a way to control others. Plus i have noticed many people over 40 are increasingly violent, they were brought up before your dreamed up period where so called do gooders control each and every parent.
Society simply reflects the mantra of those in power. For the last 40 years we have had govt after govt enforcing neo-lib dog eat dog ideology which has infested society. Life has become one big stress, increasing and unavoidable debt, piss poor wages where working people are needing benefits and the use of food banks to support themselves, currently life in the UK is far from healthy in terms of the mental trauma these and other pressures are creating. people with mental illnesses are not supported well enough and the general message we are given is to trample over others to get what you want. It started with thatcher and the current govt have just raised this utterley depraved ideology to gas mark 9.
If govts listened to 'do gooders' more we would have a more caring and supportive society which would lead to less stress, more happiness and less selfish scrotes riding roughshod over others.

No-one is saying it's ok to beat a child senseless, but as you say, violent parents will do that anyway regardless of the law. Banning the smacking of children as a small reminder of the difference between right and wrong was a classic case of using a sledgehammer to crack a nut, and now we are seeing the results. You reap what you sow...

 

[bladesman73]

No-one is saying it's ok to beat a child senseless, but as you say, violent parents will do that anyway regardless of the law. Banning the smacking of children as a small reminder of the difference between right and wrong was a classic case of using a sledgehammer to crack a nut, and now we are seeing the results. You reap what you sow...

As I said, rubbish. Smacking kids is hitting them. Would you want an adult to give you a slap if they were unhappy with you? It shows a lack of control and lack of intelligence in that an adult should be able to communicate with children verbally to chastise them whilst setting a clear example that using violence against others is wrong.