Go Back  Bike Forums > Bike Forums > Advocacy & Safety
Reload this Page >

Having bottles thrown at you while you are cycling.

Notices
Advocacy & Safety Cyclists should expect and demand safe accommodation on every public road, just as do all other users. Discuss your bicycle advocacy and safety concerns here.

Having bottles thrown at you while you are cycling.

Old 05-27-11, 08:10 AM
  #126  
Senior Member
 
dougmc's Avatar
 
Join Date: Jul 2008
Location: Austin, TX
Posts: 3,040

Bikes: Bacchetta Giro, Strada

Mentioned: 1 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 6 Post(s)
Likes: 0
Liked 1 Time in 1 Post
Originally Posted by irwin7638
Regardless of the symantics or the driver's BAC, you witnessed a driver using a car with an open container of alcohol. That's worth reporting and illegal to do everywhere I can think of.
Yes, but the point was that the police seem to take a report of "drunk driver" far more seriously than "he threw something at me". (How effective "he has an open container" is is uncertain, though I'd expect it to be less effective than either of these.)

(Devil's advocate: and "open container of alcohol", well, it's not a crime for him to have an open container if it's empty. And he doesn't have it any more, does he? (Of course, littering and assault should still be crimes.))

Last edited by dougmc; 05-27-11 at 08:13 AM.
dougmc is offline  
Old 09-25-14, 12:53 PM
  #127  
Member
 
Join Date: Sep 2014
Location: Miami, FL
Posts: 26

Bikes: Trek 7.2 FX

Mentioned: 0 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 0 Post(s)
Likes: 0
Liked 0 Times in 0 Posts
Originally Posted by Snowsurfer
Has anyone ever had things yelled at you by a motorist, or a passenger in a car or other automobile, profanities, or non-profanities (e.g. "NICE BIKE!!!!")? What do you do? How do you react? What if you catch up to them at a red light up ahead?
Maybe the person saying "Nice Bike!" is being sincere. A lot of the people on this forum really do have nice bikes.
TheBoogly is offline  
Old 09-25-14, 07:02 PM
  #128  
Senior Member
 
dougmc's Avatar
 
Join Date: Jul 2008
Location: Austin, TX
Posts: 3,040

Bikes: Bacchetta Giro, Strada

Mentioned: 1 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 6 Post(s)
Likes: 0
Liked 1 Time in 1 Post
And here's what happens when the police take a charge of 'he threw a bottle at me' too seriously.
dougmc is offline  
Old 09-25-14, 07:10 PM
  #129  
Senior Member
 
Join Date: Oct 2013
Location: Singapore
Posts: 1,143

Bikes: Fully customized 11-spd MTB built on 2014 Santa Cruz 5010 frame; Brompton S2E-X 2014; Brompton M3E 2014

Mentioned: 0 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 17 Post(s)
Liked 0 Times in 0 Posts
Wow that's a pretty sad way to land in jail - but hopefully it does send a message that road-rage - which is getting more ridiculous - will not be tolerated. Or maybe not, as these tend to be heat-of-the-moment actions. I'd like to think it would slow some would-be offenders down though.
keyven is offline  
Old 09-25-14, 07:55 PM
  #130  
vol
Senior Member
 
Join Date: Jul 2010
Posts: 3,797
Mentioned: 0 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 1 Post(s)
Liked 18 Times in 12 Posts
Do drivers (or thug-pedestrians) tend to make such provocations to high-speed riders?

(btw I once heard a drive behind me say "let's look at these cool lights!")
vol is offline  
Old 09-26-14, 03:54 PM
  #131  
Senior Member
 
KD5NRH's Avatar
 
Join Date: Jul 2010
Location: Stephenville TX
Posts: 3,697

Bikes: 2010 Trek 7100

Mentioned: 6 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 697 Post(s)
Likes: 0
Liked 3 Times in 3 Posts
Originally Posted by vol
(btw I once heard a drive behind me say "let's look at these cool lights!")
Was it a 1999 Blazer or a beat up 1997 Saturn sedan? Might have been me. I've been known to pull alongside and ask what blinky someone's using if it has a particularly good pattern that I don't recognize.
KD5NRH is offline  
Old 09-26-14, 05:07 PM
  #132  
genec
 
genec's Avatar
 
Join Date: Sep 2004
Location: West Coast
Posts: 27,079

Bikes: custom built, sannino, beachbike, giant trance x2

Mentioned: 86 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 13658 Post(s)
Liked 4,532 Times in 3,158 Posts
Originally Posted by KD5NRH
Was it a 1999 Blazer or a beat up 1997 Saturn sedan? Might have been me. I've been known to pull alongside and ask what blinky someone's using if it has a particularly good pattern that I don't recognize.
I've tried to do that and found that it just works better if I am on foot when talking to a cyclist.
genec is offline  
Old 09-26-14, 06:34 PM
  #133  
vol
Senior Member
 
Join Date: Jul 2010
Posts: 3,797
Mentioned: 0 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 1 Post(s)
Liked 18 Times in 12 Posts
Originally Posted by KD5NRH
Was it a 1999 Blazer or a beat up 1997 Saturn sedan? Might have been me. I've been known to pull alongside and ask what blinky someone's using if it has a particularly good pattern that I don't recognize.
Ha, I didn't see the car, but if you were in NYC last spring, maybe! I think that kind of remarks were the most welcome for a bicyclist: friendly and likely a driver sympathetic to cyclists (probably himself one).
vol is offline  
Old 09-28-14, 03:19 PM
  #134  
Newbie
 
Join Date: Sep 2014
Posts: 1
Mentioned: 1 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 0 Post(s)
Likes: 0
Liked 0 Times in 0 Posts
Originally Posted by Vodalus
i stopped, picked the bottle up, and threw it back in their passenger window at the next light.
Guys. THIS.

Last night I had done exactly this. The guy drove across the intersection, stopped and came out saying "my *****" a bunch of times. Honestly, I don't think any cyclist should be afraid of these guys. Yeah they have a car and can ram your ass against a tree or a sign, but that's if you're strictly riding down the street. I think they would have no chance when chasing a cyclist through the neighborhood. This would be funny.
butt is offline  
Old 09-29-14, 01:04 PM
  #135  
Senior Member
 
Digital_Cowboy's Avatar
 
Join Date: May 2009
Location: Tampa/St. Pete, Florida
Posts: 9,352

Bikes: Specialized Hardrock Mountain (Stolen); Giant Seek 2 (Stolen); Diamondback Ascent mid 1980 - 1997

Mentioned: 4 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 62 Post(s)
Likes: 0
Liked 3 Times in 3 Posts
Doug and everyone else,

First off I’d like to appologize for not being active for so long.

I vaguly remember reading about the above case a while back. And I’m sorry Doug, but I have to disagree with you. There is no such thing as taking these cases “too seriously.” As the end results COULD have been deadly.

That’s not to say that I agree with the punisment dished out. But we need the police to take all reports seriously.
Digital_Cowboy is offline  
Old 09-29-14, 01:08 PM
  #136  
Senior Member
 
Digital_Cowboy's Avatar
 
Join Date: May 2009
Location: Tampa/St. Pete, Florida
Posts: 9,352

Bikes: Specialized Hardrock Mountain (Stolen); Giant Seek 2 (Stolen); Diamondback Ascent mid 1980 - 1997

Mentioned: 4 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 62 Post(s)
Likes: 0
Liked 3 Times in 3 Posts
Originally Posted by vol
Do drivers (or thug-pedestrians) tend to make such provocations to high-speed riders?

(btw I once heard a drive behind me say “let’s look at these cool lights!” )
Vol,

Okay, what is a “thug-pedestrian?” Speaking from both sides of the saddle, I get sick and tired of motorists stopping not only over the stop line, but stopping IN the crosswalk. And then looking at pedestrians as if they’re “crazy” for not wanting to either walk behind said car or in front of it out of the crosswalk.

As a matter of fact just last week I had such an encounter with a motorist as I was walking to the neighborhood Walgreen’s. When I politely asked her to back up she rolls up her window so she doesn’t have to hear me. And no there wasn’t any car behind her she could have backed up safely.
Digital_Cowboy is offline  
Old 09-29-14, 01:13 PM
  #137  
Senior Member
 
Digital_Cowboy's Avatar
 
Join Date: May 2009
Location: Tampa/St. Pete, Florida
Posts: 9,352

Bikes: Specialized Hardrock Mountain (Stolen); Giant Seek 2 (Stolen); Diamondback Ascent mid 1980 - 1997

Mentioned: 4 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 62 Post(s)
Likes: 0
Liked 3 Times in 3 Posts
Originally Posted by butt
Guys. THIS.

Last night I had done exactly this. The guy drove across the intersection, stopped and came out saying “my *****” a bunch of times. Honestly, I don’t think any cyclist should be afraid of these guys. Yeah they have a car and can ram your ass against a tree or a sign, but that’s if you’re strictly riding down the street. I think they would have no chance when chasing a cyclist through the neighborhood. This would be funny.
Butt,

The sad thing with how you handled the situation could have gotten you arrested. See the post from Doug for proof of that.

I do agree with you though that in theory that we shouldn’t have to be afriad of them. But as you’ve said they do have a car, and they can do things to us to make our lives very mesierable. So a little discretion is a good thing.
Digital_Cowboy is offline  
Old 09-29-14, 01:13 PM
  #138  
genec
 
genec's Avatar
 
Join Date: Sep 2004
Location: West Coast
Posts: 27,079

Bikes: custom built, sannino, beachbike, giant trance x2

Mentioned: 86 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 13658 Post(s)
Liked 4,532 Times in 3,158 Posts
Originally Posted by Digital_Cowboy
Doug and everyone else,

First off I’d like to appologize for not being active for so long.

I vaguly remember reading about the above case a while back. And I’m sorry Doug, but I have to disagree with you. There is no such thing as taking these cases “too seriously.” As the end results COULD have been deadly.

That’s not to say that I agree with the punisment dished out. But we need the police to take all reports seriously.
The punishment was pretty harsh... but the offender knew she did wrong the moment she did it...
Hall's next move was wrong, she said, but she felt provoked.
genec is offline  
Old 09-29-14, 02:40 PM
  #139  
Senior Member
 
Digital_Cowboy's Avatar
 
Join Date: May 2009
Location: Tampa/St. Pete, Florida
Posts: 9,352

Bikes: Specialized Hardrock Mountain (Stolen); Giant Seek 2 (Stolen); Diamondback Ascent mid 1980 - 1997

Mentioned: 4 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 62 Post(s)
Likes: 0
Liked 3 Times in 3 Posts
Originally Posted by genec
The punishment was pretty harsh... but the offender knew she did wrong the moment she did it...
Agreed, the punisment was pretty harsh, but sadly sometimes the courts need to hand out a harsh punisment in order to get people to understand just how seriously some acts are. Although in this case, I think maybe as had been suggested in the article maybe a fine and a hundred or more hours of community service would have been the better way to handle it.

Regardless, though I think that it is safe to say that this individual will hopefully think before she acts the next time she finds herself in this or a similar situation.
Digital_Cowboy is offline  
Old 09-29-14, 07:17 PM
  #140  
vol
Senior Member
 
Join Date: Jul 2010
Posts: 3,797
Mentioned: 0 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 1 Post(s)
Liked 18 Times in 12 Posts
Originally Posted by Digital_Cowboy
Vol,

Okay, what is a “thug-pedestrian?”
Once when I was riding through Harlem in NYC, a teenager (maybe only 12-14) threw a rock/stone at me, and hit me hard. That's what I mean.
vol is offline  
Old 09-29-14, 08:19 PM
  #141  
Other Worldly Member
 
Jseis's Avatar
 
Join Date: May 2012
Location: The old Northwest Coast.
Posts: 1,540

Bikes: 1973 Motobecane Grand Jubilee, 1981 Centurion Super LeMans, 2010 Gary Fisher Wahoo, 2003 Colnago Dream Lux, 2014 Giant Defy 1, 2015 Framed Bikes Minnesota 3.0, several older family Treks

Mentioned: 5 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 194 Post(s)
Liked 136 Times in 53 Posts
A bullet thrown by rapid explosion from the barrel of a weapon in the right hand of a passenger in a blue 10 yard dump truck with muddy plates.
__________________
Make ******* Grate Cheese Again

Last edited by Jseis; 09-29-14 at 08:24 PM.
Jseis is offline  
Old 09-29-14, 09:17 PM
  #142  
Senior Member
 
arfer1's Avatar
 
Join Date: Jul 2014
Location: Mpls. Minnesota
Posts: 252

Bikes: 2008 Trek 7500, 1982 Schwinn Voyageur 11.8, 1982 Schwinn Voyageur 11.8 Chrome

Mentioned: 0 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 1 Post(s)
Likes: 0
Liked 0 Times in 0 Posts
I'm not proud of the following, but it's a story from the other side of the throwing.

A couple of years ago, I was riding in Chicago on a Saturday in May in the area of Lincoln Park, close to Lake Michigan. I was approaching an intersection with a green light when a car passed me and turned right immediately in front of me. I slammed on my brakes and the quick stop sent to me the ground. I came away with torn pants and a large bloody abrasion on my right knee. I remember the grinning faces of the passenger and driver as they cut me off, but most of all I remember the car, which was either an original or replica of the Batman car from the 1960s television show, "Batman," complete with an open top.

I was furious, because it was obvious that their maneuver was intentional and because I could have been seriously injured if I hadn't reacted as quickly as I did. I got back on my bike, my knee throbbing and dripping blood, and headed west on Armitage in order to catch a Metra train at the Clybourn stop. The traffic was really backed up on Armitage, which has many stop signs, and I was able to advance faster on my bike than any car. About half way to the Metra, a coffee shop was handing out samples. I was at a stop light, and the lady said I looked like I needed something soothing and offered me a small paper cup of hot tea. I received it gratefully, then continued on, sipping tea and passing long lines of cars stalled in heavy traffic. To my amazement, I spotted the Batman car ahead of me, surrounded by a sea of traffic. I pulled up to the car, tossed the tea at the driver and said, "Payback's a *****." Then I accelerated away, filtering through traffic as the soaked driver cursed at me impotently. The traffic was such that they were stuck in the middle of the block, unable to advance or turn around.

By the time I got on the train, I was regretting what I had done, and I still feel bad about letting my anger lead my actions, but in the moment, I relished giving those jerks a bit of their own medicine.
arfer1 is offline  
Old 09-30-14, 04:30 AM
  #143  
Senior Member
 
Essex's Avatar
 
Join Date: Oct 2010
Location: Northeast United States
Posts: 1,147

Bikes: Tarmac, Focus Urban 8, Giant Hybrid

Mentioned: 0 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 2 Post(s)
Likes: 0
Liked 0 Times in 0 Posts
These faux (evil) superheros got what they deserved.
Essex is offline  
Old 09-30-14, 08:11 AM
  #144  
Senior Member
 
cderalow's Avatar
 
Join Date: Sep 2012
Location: Potomac, MD
Posts: 776

Bikes: 2012 GT Transeo 3 2014 Cannondale CAAD 10 105

Mentioned: 0 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 26 Post(s)
Likes: 0
Liked 0 Times in 0 Posts
i had a group of misguided youths buzz me in a vw passat.... turn around and come back to throw something at me. quick reaction times resulted in a catch, a quick turn and a good license plate number and vehicle description.

local PD was literally sitting on a side street and saw whole thing, and immediately responded. youths received misdemeanor reckless endangerment and 1 year probation each.

it's the one and only time i've had something thrown at me.

yelled at, buzzed on many occasions
cderalow is offline  
Old 09-30-14, 01:25 PM
  #145  
Senior Member
 
Digital_Cowboy's Avatar
 
Join Date: May 2009
Location: Tampa/St. Pete, Florida
Posts: 9,352

Bikes: Specialized Hardrock Mountain (Stolen); Giant Seek 2 (Stolen); Diamondback Ascent mid 1980 - 1997

Mentioned: 4 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 62 Post(s)
Likes: 0
Liked 3 Times in 3 Posts
The thing that I don’t get with some of these yellers is that even when they’re traveling in the opposite direction or we’re in the bike lane that they feel the need to yell at us. Likewise why do some of these yellers feel the need to tell us to use the bike lane when one does not exist?
Digital_Cowboy is offline  
Old 09-30-14, 11:36 PM
  #146  
Member
 
Join Date: Jan 2014
Posts: 40
Mentioned: 0 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 0 Post(s)
Likes: 0
Liked 0 Times in 0 Posts
Originally Posted by Digital_Cowboy
The thing that I don’t get with some of these yellers is that even when they’re traveling in the opposite direction or we’re in the bike lane that they feel the need to yell at us. Likewise why do some of these yellers feel the need to tell us to use the bike lane when one does not exist?
More often than not I can't understand anything being said to me in a passing vehicle, so it's just the driver that ends up looking stupid. I remember getting yelled at by a rather large man in a pickup while he was revving it. Funny part was he found the time to get out of his vehicle and yell at me at the next stop sign when clearly he seemed to be in a rush as he almost left crossed me and tried to overtake me at a neighbourhood pinch point.

Though one time I remember getting screamed at by some people in a pickup to get in a bike lane blocked by parked cars. Those people received an earful back from me....
Nunymare is offline  
Old 10-06-14, 10:56 AM
  #147  
Fredly
 
Join Date: Jun 2010
Posts: 477

Bikes: Surly Long Haul Trucker w/ SRAM Rival, & 36H 38's, Late 70's Santana Tandem w/ Double Diamond frame

Mentioned: 0 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 1 Post(s)
Likes: 0
Liked 0 Times in 0 Posts
Originally Posted by vol
Once when I was riding through Harlem in NYC, a teenager (maybe only 12-14) threw a rock/stone at me, and hit me hard. That's what I mean.
I had this happen to me while riding the Seagull Century. Some kid (probably 8yo) and his friends all pelted me with rocks. I saw the rock travel from the hand one one kid all the way until it struck me in the leg. He took off running back inside his apartment after I yelled at him. If I wasn't on the ride, I'd have followed the kid back to his place to complain to his parents.
iconicflux is offline  
Old 10-12-14, 10:09 PM
  #148  
Banned.
 
Join Date: Jun 2010
Posts: 434
Mentioned: 0 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 29 Post(s)
Likes: 0
Liked 1 Time in 1 Post
A young woman threw a tray of fast-food french fries at me once; she yelled, 'get that %^*&ing thing off the road'.

A friend told a story of a car coming up from behind, deliberately knocking him over, yelling at him; a cop just behind the motorist saw it all. When my friend complained to the cop he stopped the motorist, then came back to my friend and told him the motorist had apologized.
RandomTroll is offline  
Old 06-07-15, 08:38 PM
  #149  
Senior Member
 
RogueRadio's Avatar
 
Join Date: Aug 2014
Posts: 192
Mentioned: 0 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 0 Post(s)
Likes: 0
Liked 0 Times in 0 Posts
Nothing yet, but a few of the guys from my local bike club pissed off an ex-convict on the road, who then proceeded to pull a gun on them from his car and threaten to shoot them. Good thing they kept their wits, pulled over, and reported his plate to the cops. He was arrested for it. Here's the NBC article
Driver Points Gun at Bicyclists in Bucks County Road Rage Incident | NBC 10 Philadelphia
RogueRadio is offline  
Old 06-09-15, 09:58 PM
  #150  
Senior Member
 
Join Date: Jan 2006
Location: Austin, TX
Posts: 239

Bikes: Yuba Mundo 4.3, 2007 Jake the Snake

Mentioned: 0 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 0 Post(s)
Likes: 0
Liked 0 Times in 0 Posts
So, I'm not at all victim-blaming here, just speculating whether there's a correlation between having things thrown at you and wearing kit. ****ty drivers who would do this sort of thing could very easily be the sort of rednecks that think men wearing Lycra deserve to have things thrown at them.

I'm a hippy who wears flip-flops, shorts, and a t-shirt/shirtless and I've never had anything thrown at me in at more than a decade of biking. Though I'm also 6'2", solidly built, and carry a 4" fixed blade on my belt at the small of my back (clearly visible when biking). That could help. I also do most of my biking while commuting where, presumably, even a non-Mensa member who would throw something would be aware that I could easily pull up beside them at the next light.
bovine is offline  

Thread Tools
Search this Thread

Contact Us - Archive - Advertising - Cookie Policy - Privacy Statement - Terms of Service -

Copyright © 2024 MH Sub I, LLC dba Internet Brands. All rights reserved. Use of this site indicates your consent to the Terms of Use.