Advocacy & Safety - Some motorists are insane!

The motorists around here have been particularly hostile lately but the one I encountered today was absolutely insane. I was riding along a pretty wide city street about 5 feet from the curb and about 4 feet from where the motorists' right tire is. As this guy passed me he blasted his horn and motioned for me to get out of his way. Now the thing is, I wasn't in his way, there was room for him to pass safely without even going into the oncoming lane AND there was no oncoming traffic anyway.

So I did what I've taken to doing when harassed by motorists: I yelled at him to get off the road. I do this for two reasons. First, I firmly believe that any motorist who is not willing to share the road with other legal road users absolutely has no business on the road. Second, I do this to give them a taste of their own medicine. I'm trying to point out to them the absurdity of their behavior by showing them that they are as justified ordering me off the road as I am in ordering them off the road - not at all.

Well I've been doing this for a couple of months and most people just look at me blankly then say something utterly silly like "you're supposed to go the speed limit". Never mind that if they actually think that, that's further evidence that they don't belong on the road. But this guy freaked. He threatened to beat the crap out of me. Then he threatened to shoot me. But it was pretty obvious that he was trying really hard to be intimidating and I had a hard time taking him seriously. Now, I don't respond to this kind of thing the way I ought to - I've got an overdeveloped sense of justice and this kind of thing outrages me. So now I yelled at him that if he is not willing to share the road he has no business using it. So now he sped ahead of me, got out of his car and walked into the street. I gave him a wide birth but he chased me to the other side of the street then he chased me down the street. When it was obvious that he couldn't catch me (duh) he bent down and picked something up which I assume he intended to throw at me but I never let him get close enough. Well at this point I'm totally outraged and shocked that someone would behave this way and I continued yelling at him that if he is not willing to share the road he has no business on it (my actual language was more colorful).

I really regret that in all the excitement I failed to get his license plate number. At the very end I thought about going back to get it but he was still coming (on foot) so I took off.

Sorry this was so long. I just had to share this experience.

Personally, I prefer to avoid someone who is willing to get out of their car when they were previously acting aggressive toward me, unless they're a lot smaller than I am! :) If they're unavoidable, that's the purpose for which pepper spray in made.

Normally, when a car seems to want to pass, or is getting agressive, I generally show them one index finger, to let them know that I will be out of the way in a minute. If they have another lane available to pass me, I simply don't respond to them. I don't need to get into a fight with them about it because the effort is wasted. They're either too stupid to understand or too arrogant to care. Either way, I'm not going to change them by arguing.

Sounds like you missed a perfectly good opportunity to whack the guy with your pump or u-lock. (Not that I'd ever recommend such a thing.)

Sounds like you missed a perfectly good opportunity to whack the guy with your pump or u-lock. (Not that I'd ever recommend such a thing.)

I thought of that after the fact. I guess I'm glad I didn't think of it at the time.

....I don't need to get into a fight with them about it because the effort is wasted. They're either too stupid to understand or too arrogant to care. Either way, I'm not going to change them by arguing.
You're right of course. It just outrages me that some people think they are perfectly justified in ordering legal road users off the road. I guess I need to get past that. Like you said the effort is wasted.

Yelling at motorists neither makes you safer nor resolves a confrontation. All it does is satisfy your own pride at the risk of escalating the confrontation. There are some real unstable people out there and some of them do carry guns. The best thing to do is simply ignore these idiots. If they start doing something truly threatening, then try to put distance between you and them. You have nothing to gain by arguing with some whacko who controls the guidance system of a 2000 lb bicycle-seeking missile.

When I am driving my car or riding my bike, and there is some nut behind me, I pull over just as quick as I can and let the nut get by me.

There is nothing to be gained by yelling or confrontation. If the person was decent, they would not be acting as they do.

I truly believe that a significant percentage of folks driving cars are either on or coming off of drugs or alcohol, are on some sort of prescribed mind-altering medication, or are neurotic an/or psychotic. Road rage in this metro area is a fact of life.

Additionally, the person is driving a lethal weapon, and may have another one in the glove compartment.

We had a bicyclist killed on Broadway in Denver about two years ago in an incident almost identical to the one described by the original poster. The guy in the pickup simply reached in his glove compartment, pulled out a gun, and shot the bicyclist straight through the chest. We have had 5 "road rage" shooting killings in the Denver metro area this past year or so.

I guess, IMHO, a bit of patience and avoidance is much better than being shot. I keep my cool (at least externally).

Great post, Denver!

We had a similiar situation with our bike club, the other day. In this case, however, there were 12 of us and one of him. However . . . an interesting thing happened. Once we all stopped shouting and calmed down...HE admitted that he shouldn't have passed us like he did and WE admitted we could have handled it without cursing at him.

We both got a little education.

The motorists around here have been particularly hostile lately but the one I encountered today was absolutely insane. I was riding along a pretty wide city street about 5 feet from the curb and about 4 feet from where the motorists' right tire is. As this guy passed me he blasted his horn and motioned for me to get out of his way. Now the thing is, I wasn't in his way, there was room for him to pass safely without even going into the oncoming lane AND there was no oncoming traffic anyway.

The simple solution is not to bother responding at all. This sort of aggression is best met with arrogance (personally I believe they should teach arrogance at schools, that would solve a lot of the world's problems). If this guy wants to send his blood pressure through the roof and send himself to an early grave, I say let him do it.

people need to learn to treat people like they want to be treated
and 2 wrongs dont make a right
Road Rage on both parts dont get any thing done except 2 (or more ) people get mad
and maybe someone geting hurt
in my humble opintion both parties need to work on this
I'm not sayin I havent done simluar but it was in a car not on a bike (still stupid), but it's uncalled for, expectly when the other vheical out weigts you by several thousand lbs

I had a similiar situation on the Moosa Tour back in July. We were on an East-West highway in Quebec. It was a highway I would never have chosen to ride but it was the tour route. There was lots of traffic and lots of long hills. We were in a construction zone on a long downhill. The oncoming traffic was stopped so there was plenty of room for any motorist passing and you could clearly see that no one was coming the opposite direction.

I was a couple of feet from the edge of the road, no shoulder, just gravel due to the construction.This white car was passing me and it was so close to me I thought I was going to end up in the gravel. I couldn't figure out what the problem was since there was no oncoming traffic.

We had to stop to let the oncoming traffic through and I got off my bike and marched right up to the car and told the driver he scared me to death and asked him why he was trying to run me off the road! He responded that I didn't give him enough room to pass! I told him in my best teacher "sit down and be quiet" voice that he had plenty of room, he had the whole road. I think he was quite shocked to be told off by a little 100 lber like me. :eek:

I paid a couple of weeks ago for it. My bicycling Karma wasn't very good. I did a 76 mile ride and the temps were very cool and my legs stiffened from the cold air and I was miserable all day, the next day I forgot a shoe when I went to do a club ride, my new wheelset was held up by hurricane Charlie in Florida and Performance shipped me 1-700c tire and 1-650c tire.

I thought later that I was probably better off saying nothing to the driver but I think the stress of all the traffic and very long hills and no sunshine for days and a week and a half of touring had done did me in.

Kathi

One thing I notice when cycling is the behavior of motorists..That One real disappointment of late...I was ridng home on a country road with lots of blind hills..
My disapointment...I pickup truck passed on a blind hill..Used frequently by cyclists to avoid high traffic areas.( Anza road for Temeculites.) Well, a bike could have been coming down the hill...
The kicker...The pickup truck had a road bike in the bed of the pickup..This road is very narrow at this point, where he passed a double yellow line; there could have been an unforseen cyclist...
Somehow, I expect more of cyclists...This obvious cyclists turned motorist, passed where another downhill cyclists could have been..I have been in this very position. Wondering if I could have exited into the dirt fast enough.
Doubt he had the share the road bumper sticker on his pickup.