Cyclosaurus

One of a few tactics I employ is statistics. I actually will count the number of cars that pass me until someone passes me closely. Usually it's double-digits, often more than 20. That means that 90-95% of drivers don't pass me closely/illegally. When put in that perspective, yes, I still feel the anger, but it's tempered by the fact that it just matches the prick percentage in the general population.

I have very strong opinions about the sense of entitlement drivers have and why it should change. However, I put all that aside when I'm actually on the road and just focus on getting where I'm going safely. Once I stop, then I review things that happened and think about them more carefully. Then if I do get really pissed, I'm not putting myself or anyone else at risk.

Chris516

I found this: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5jpTn-LYVjk on YouTube. I don't know how old it is. But both cyclist and motorist are bad. The motorist is worse.

dynodonn 

In my personal experiences, after reviewing my videos when I downloaded them, what I considered as too close for comfort passes were actually closer than I thought.....due to the quickness of the pass. My rear cam video is the most unnerving one to watch at times.

Cyclosaurus

Agreed. I have noticed that although the law says 3 feet, it doesn't spook me if someone gives me even just 1 foot of room. When it's a close pass, we're talking inches.

Machka 

Regarding passing too close … I had a really good tolerance for vehicles passing close. So much so that when a car mirror hit my hand as the car flew past me at about 80 km/h, I didn't sense that the car was too close. I knew the car was close, but my distance perception or closeness comfort level felt that it was still a reasonable distance away for me. It took me a moment to realise what had happened … that the loud bang and growing pain in my right hand were because I’d been hit ... and Rowan, riding behind me, confirmed it.

Since then, I’ve been a little bit less tolerant of close vehicles.

JoeyBike

Generally i judge it a close pass if i feel the heat coming off the engine and/or can smell their deodorant tree hanging from the rearview mirror.

duckbill

Everyone wants a piece of the streets. You only have to watch the Black Friday Youtube videos to witness the stampede mentality. This will not change, in fact I expect it to get worse as the cities stress with population growth. I try to be proactive and will ride way out of my way just to avoid traffic problem areas, just like I avoid shopping on Black Friday.

Hyperventilate

I grew up in a society were there very little respect for each other, this is reflected in the road manners of drivers. Then you get that a large percentage of drivers do not possess driving licenses or the number that do bought it from corrupt officials.

For the law abiding few it is a nightmare on our roads. So in all honesty, your answer I cannot answer.

unterhausen

I finally realized that when I got really angry with people and acted out, I internalized the incident much worse than when I ignored it. Waving was my release. After a couple of years of doing that, I really got over the anger. Maybe I'm just older and have lower testosterone levels. Nowadays, if people pass too close, I flip them off. Mostly I still wave when actual harassment occurs, it's by far the best response.

I-Like-To-Bike

Where is this society where you grew up and these nightmare roads exist?

BobbyG

The three great behavior modifying incidents in my life: One. Around age 27 I lost my temper and punched a solid oak door. Couldn't use my hand for a week. For the next year, anytime my blood pressure went up my hand would throb and remind me to calm down.
Two. Four years ago at age 48 I was taking out my frustrations on my bike ride home and pinched a nerve in my neck. Soul crushing pain for months. Missed a year of cycling. There were other contributing factors, but every time I start to push and strain on a ride, I remember the pain and stop pushing.
Three. I joined an improv comedy troup with weekly 'rehearsals' and monthly shows. I am now used to experiencing all sorts of outrageous situations and reacting in a way which is entertaining, non-confrontational and positive.

Hopefully you will find your own self-check mechanism before you get hurt.

Metal Man

I think anyone who runs a camera will tell you that the video never makes it look as close as it really was. I'm sure there is no shortage of videos on here where many will say "that didn't look so close" and it's true. At least with my GoPro, thry don't look close. I can't tell you how many times I've gotten home and looked at the video and had the same response "that didn't look so close". The fact is that if it "looks" close on the video it was WAY too close.

dynodonn 

I have my rearward pointed camera mounted on the furthest point of the stationary part of my bicycle, and it has given some unnerving aspects of my commutes at times.

Nunymare

All I do nowadays is shake my head, or sometimes throw my arms into the "What the hell are you doing?" position. It's just not worth initiating contact with a driver (if they come out and yell at you though it's a different story...)

Nunymare

I had an idiot a few weeks back honk me incessantly, then rev his engine to pass me with his horn blaring all while yelling at me out the window. He then stopped in front of me and got out of his truck and berated me for ignoring his yelling out the window... Some people...

JoeyBike

How big of a rush could he have been in if he had time to stop and chat?

Hyperventilate

To I-Like-To-bike
At the bottom of the Africa continent there is a beautiful country called South Africa, a place of strong opinions and poor road manners.

digger

People who are ********, know that they are ******** and tend to look for a reaction from the victim. If you do not give it to them, they do not get what they want.

When cycling in Maine a few years back (2004), a couple of teenagers in their car blew the horn at me as they passed.

I waved, noticing that they were both looking back for my reaction. A few seconds later, the passenger waved back.

When someone gives me the finger I merely look up, then back at them and shrug with a "what are you pointing at" gesture. Most hate that.

JoeyBike

This brought back an old memory. I was on one of my 7 month bike tours in the eastern US cycling through Virginia somewhere about midway between the mountains and the ocean. I was on a fairly average two-lane road with no center line and deep ditches on both sides starting where the tarmac ends. Not two inches of grass before the ditch drops off about six feet. Woods beyond the ditches.

So I was JRA (just riding along) and I notice a small car coming up behind me full of people. I keep an eye on them and up the road ahead as it would be tight if there were a car oncoming in the other lane at the same time. As the car behind me starts to pass me it jerks over toward me in an intentional attempt to knock me in the ditch. Since I was paying attention the whole time I just stopped pedaling and the back end of the car missed me by about a foot. (No effing way is any vehicle going to "scare me off the road" after living on the road for five months. Trust me on that - they will have to hit me flat out).

So they missed me and I see four high school aged males looking back at me to watch me crash and burn, including the driver. That's when the passenger-side rear tire caught the lip of the ditch and flung the back end of the car up in the air, turned it almost sideways, then the other way as it sort of bounced on no more than three wheels down the road for five second or so. Just as I was reviewing my last First-Aid class in my mind the car straightened out and I think all of the kids except the driver were in different seats than when the episode started. Oh, the look on their faces when that car was hopping around with rubber squealing and rocks flying. I just gave a big smile an waved (with all five fingers).

spare_wheel

Over the years I've started protesting more, not less. I think it's very important to let motorists know that it's not acceptable to intentionally or unintentionally endanger cyclists. I also think that some cyclists have internalized a sense of inferiority that makes them view attempts to warn or educating motorists as hostile behavior.

JoeyBike

Dang straight I have.

Cause if I do this -> "protesting more"

I'm gonna see this ->


Feeling inferior is better than internalizing a couple chunks of copper-coated led.

It's hot where I live. Everyone has their windows up and A/C blowing. So they can't hear you anyway. You wanna go banging on windows in a city with a "shoot the car-jacker" law go right ahead. Even grandma is packing heat down here in the Dirty South.

(image linked to here: https://www.liveattherock.com/col/wp-..._barrel_ft.jpg )

unterhausen

I only flip people off when they pass too close. I figure it's just as much for the following drivers as anything. Around here, most people are actually pretty nice, if they pass too close it's just as likely to be thoughtlessness as anything. My little displays of emotion let them know it's not ok.

B. Carfree

I would have needed a break after that to recover from an hysterical laughter induced oxygen debt.

North Coast Joe

I was reaching for the pepper spray just today!

A pick-up with ladder rack slowed and followed me for probably 1/2 mile before passing, then stopped in the lane, driver's door opening. The guy stepped out & said: "I had to stop you, that is the most hellacious cool bike I've seen in a while!"

I guess ALL of the motorist interactions aren't unpleasant. It just took three years of riding to experience one. Just thought I'd add a ray of sunshine.

SquidPuppet

If I allow a crappy driver to cause me to feel rage, I am giving a complete stranger way too much control of my life. It's my day off, my bike ride, and I'm not wasting them on someone I don't even know.

Believing the above has worked for me 100% of the time. I smile at them. They are just ignorant dipshyts, afterall, right?