Should i just keep my mouth shut

[Sig SilverPrinter]

On my way home down residential street cars parked on both sides, car speeds up to my back wheel ,drops back,speeds up and so on hear them laughing which i ignore.Come up to crossroads stick my arm out to turn right stop as a car is coming towards me by which time laughing boys have come up on my inside slowed to a crawl to give me some abuse coz i held them up by all of 30 secs!After listening to them swear at me i told the driver he was a w@%ker he then called me a 4 eyed speccy c*nt for some reason i found this mildly amusing put my hand to my mouth in mock shock and went oooooh this p*ssed him off and they reversed and came after me they got alongside me where the driver lent over his passenger to shout and swear at me whilst steering his car towards me trying to force me into parked cars.passenger then noticed the car that had come up behind them so there would be a witness if they did me some harm so sped off.
So should i have just kept my mouth shut?
How much verbal abuse do you take before saying something?

 

[dantheman]

bunch of self-gratification artists....

not much else to be said really, i think you were polite considering.

 

[Dayvo]

'Sticks and stones . . . etc.' but, of course, there is a limit as to how much you can take, although just by riding a bike is NO reason to be subjected to abuse!

Ignore it as best you can, otherwise make sure if you retaliate, verbally or physically, you have the beting of them!

Try and get the car reg. no. and report them; you won't have been the first cyclist exposed to their wit and intelligence!

Good luck and be careful.

 

[Gerry Attrick]

My policy is always to keep shtum. Clowns in mobile boxes always have the potential to do far more harm to you than you can reciprocate. It's no use claiming the moral high ground from your hospital bed.

 

[fossyant]

Nope - you handled it really well IMHO - just one word then a Ohhhhh - which is great...... "smile and wave" - works a treat........

 

[Sig SilverPrinter]

At the age of 42 I think i'm quite a polite easy going woman but some driving just p*sses me off at times

 

[Maz]

I would just ignore them. That's the least antagonistic thing to do, in my experience.

Got some verbal off a driver approaching in the opposite direction today (I did absolutely nothing to provoke him - nice wide road)...the combination of my speed and his meant all I heard was gobbledigook.

 

[hackbike 6]

Must admit most of the time I keep it buttoned as usually it causes more trouble then it's worth.I did it for twenty years and really got nowhere although I do let my mouth run away sometimes.

I wont do it unless im prepared to back it up if it turns nasty.IMHO.

 

[Sig SilverPrinter]

With what i consider to be bad driving i normally just give a[in my head] sarcastic thumbs up but just sometimes........

 

[hackbike 6]

Can't blame you though I think it would pee an angel off.

 

[yello]

They were looking for something. You could have paid them a genuine compliment and they would have still come after you. There are times - most times in reality - when you you just ignore it. It just ain't worth the hassle of playing w*nker games with w*nkers.

 

[monkeyjo]

I'm starting to think that keeping my mouth shut would be best.
Yesterday a driver called me a 'mouth c**t' for daring to talk back to him. I had to give up when he said he was going to pull over and...well you get the idea.

Didn't really want to get my head kicked in!

 

[domtyler]

Death would be too good for these goons, hopefully they will wrap that car round a tree tonight and all end up crippled for life.

 

[hackbike 6]

You seem a cheerful sort dom.

 

[domtyler]

You seem a cheerful sort dom.

Seriously these idiots, picking on a lone female cyclist like that, should be strung up from lamposts and hacked at with ice picks and small sharpened axes over the course of several weeks until death.