Advocacy & Safety - How to deal with harassment

Hi,

I am new to this forum so I am not sure where to look for the answer to my question. I was riding home this evening on my bike and had two unfortunate events. It might be because it is a Saturday night or maybe the persons involved are just mean. As I was riding home (in the evening with lights, reflectors, etc.) a car passed me. The passenger threw an almost full drink at me as they were passing (I know it was almost full by the sound it made as it hit the bushes on the side of the road). I was not going at a high rate of speed and was not hurt in any way. A short while later when I was in a residential area a car pulled up beside me and squirt me with an unknown liquid (it appeared to be water when I checked it out at home) From the giggles the driver and passenger were both girls. What is the best way to deal with these types of situations? Although I have ridden for a few years I have now decided to make my bicycle my primary means of transportation. Is this something that I can avoid? Are there steps that I can take to protect myself (aside from the obvious)? I am concerned.

Thanks for any suggestions

Randy

carry a gun...no, seriously -carry a gun, a Big one.

Ride on, be cool, get home safe.
Worse may\will happen, only fight the good fight.

Bad $hit happens, mark the car with the lock and call the cops.
But don't be a hothead with some person witha several ton weight advantage.
Read 'The art of war'.

Hope your next ride proves much more rewarding.

Sh*t happens unfortunately. You were very unlucky to have it happen to you twice on the same ride. The *best* way to deal with these situations is to maintain control of your bike and ride on. You can be *right* but then again, on a bike you are at the mercy of thoughtless motorists. You could find yourself *dead right.* If you do loose your cool however, chase down the driver and pound...I mean motivate him/her not to do it again. Good luck. ;)

Thanks for the comments so far. I did keep my cool while riding but got angry at home. Is it possible to use a bike lock on the car? Does that make the driver of the car think twice?

Maybe they both thought you looked thirsty :D

But seriously, I'd just try and ignore them. Trying to retaliate with a bike lock etc. could easily turn their childish prank into dangerous road rage where they have the upperhand (car vs. bike). You could however carry a pen and paper with you and next time jot their number down and report the incident to the Police.

Thanks for the comments so far. I did keep my cool while riding but got angry at home. Is it possible to use a bike lock on the car? Does that make the driver of the car think twice?

Bike Lock = good..

Gun = Better

Fortunately, I haven't had stuff thrown at me, but if you want to "retaliate," you can write down their plates and report them to the police. From what I've read, that usually doesn't do a lot of good.

For the occasional obnoxious honk, I usually wave and smile. It disarms them (sometimes) and doesn't ruin my ride.

Edit: Yes, I know the difference between "right" and "write."

Thanks for the comments so far. I did keep my cool while riding but got angry at home. Is it possible to use a bike lock on the car? Does that make the driver of the car think twice?
It's a tough call. Only you must decide whether to retaliate and escalate the situation. We all understand how you feel. Yes, your lock would be able to inflict some damage to the offending car. Reporting the incidents to the police is the *right* thing to do, but I doubt you will find any justice. The greater challenge is how this affects your passion for bicycling. Don't let these isolated incidents dampen your desire to ride. Get back on the bike and enjoy the ride. :)

Probably you will not experience anything like this ever again. Once is rare. Twice is really unusual.]

You will not get anything out of trying to physically retaliate against the car and driver. You might even hurt yourself trying.

Like most of the others mentioned above, keep cool and continue to bicycle safely.

Carry a cell phone and call the police. Try to have the wherewithall to get as much detail about the car, driver, and passengers as you can. The police will take the assault seriously.

I second what mike says. I am larger and stronger than your average American, but all a person needs is to be able to push the accelerator to hurt you. Read back the license plate number aloud if they can hear you. Even pretending to record info will freak out you average driver.

Don't let the turkeys get you down.

Pull down your shorts and squirt them back. Well a sat night and water,most likly kids. Just keep riding.

Bike Lock = good..

Gun = Better

Don't be an idiot. You remind me of the bozos in old horror movies who keep shooting the monster, even when it obviously has no effect, then when out of ammo, throws the gun at it to boot!

Bike Lock: the motorist may have a gun themselves...but would probably settle for making hamburger out of your bike and body with that ton of metal they are driving.

Gun: Sure, if you want to end up in prison and the ***** of a 300lb black dude named Bubba.

Randyyo, most of the members here have "been there". The hardest thing is to keep your cool. This gets easier with time. Remember, knowledge is power. Read and know your state's bicycle laws. These are easily found on-line, or at your local library. Talk to other cyclists in your area, and try to get an overall feeling for how police in your area handle these situations. This will vary a lot from place to place. Some departments won't care, others will. As Richard Ballantine pointed out years ago in "Richard's Bicycle Book" (at the library) "get license numbers and all that, but the wheels of justice tend to miss these characters".

Don't use your lock on the offending vehicle, and don't try to "key" it either. That's malicious vandalism, and police will respond to that.

The last thing you want is a fight with a bunch of teenagers who are full of "liquid courage", or any other moron whose courage comes from a gasoline engine.

Thanks for the advice. I will talk this week with some others that ride. We have a fairly vibrant community here. I think your advice on the lock is correct. I was trying to figure how I would be able to use it and not crash at the same time. I currently have a cable with lock. The kind that is coiled. I will also write a letter to the editor of the local paper to let the community know about this type of behavior. Maybe it will help parents to ask questions about what their kids are doing.

Randy

I second what mike says. I am larger and stronger than your average American, but all a person needs is to be able to push the accelerator to hurt you. Read back the license plate number aloud if they can hear you. Even pretending to record info will freak out you average driver.

Don't let the turkeys get you down.

Thats what I would do. Pretend you are using your cell phoneto call the cops or or write down information about the car in a pad. Folks who do things like this are basically cowards, so exposure isn't their cup of tea.

I was on a tour a few years ago and a car harassed me repeatedly riding thru an urban area. I tok their picture with my digital camera...never saw them after that.

roughstuff

Don't let someone else's stupid behavior control your day. They're stuck in their car, and you are having a good time on your bike. Besides, one incident like this should be able to keep you off jury duty for anything involving a motor vehicle, or immature young person activity . ;)