rallen

seems fair to me.

for instance if someone almost killed me with a gun I could punch them, I think. or a knife or a baseball bat...

Bheleu

If someone is on your property and you perceive a danger, you have the right to take deadly action to defend yourself. Just make sure you drag them inside before the cops show up. If a car is coming at you at a high rate of speed, by all means defend yourself. Likewise... just make sure you can drag them into your house afterward. Tandem bike or bike trailer + rope = 4 the win. Just try not to do this on a daily basis.

ItsJustMe

If they did it on purpose, and they pose a continuing threat to your safety, sure.

ItsJustMe

Insanely bad advice. You think that tampering with evidence in a murder case is going to make you look innocent?

Bheleu

Self defense is not murder, it's self defense.... see even Acorn supports setting the groundwork for self defense. Now would you consider going to a shelter first (bf) saying someone almost killed me on a bicycle. Next you go out and do the deed, you're forgiven just like this lady was.

... and yeah sorry but the above was all in jest. Nobody should ever attempt to escalate anything. Even in your own home, shooting first and asking questions later - even when you feel you are legitimately concerned of a danger from an unknown noise in the house - you do not know the level of danger and could end up shooting a loved one. The roads belong to everyone. Accidents happen, but intentional harm should be reported so that the cops can take care of it, especially if they come after you again so that when you are gone - there's evidence against them. Otherwise, you'll just be another cager vs cyclist statistic. Intent is the issue at hand. Did they intend to "almost" kill you? I doubt it, or you would have been dead; therefore, I'm going to say no you should not hit someone that probably already feels bad enough they damaged their car by hitting a cyclist. Besides if you escalate things further, you could end up like the guy that was drug along the car, slammed into mailboxes, and left for dead.

Kurt Erlenbach

There is a difference between retaliation and self-defense. You can use force to defend yourself from an imminent threat. You cannot retaliate with force against someone who threatened you with harm, but who no longer poses a threat. So, no, you cannot punch someone who almost hit you with their car.

Treespeed

We'd all be getting dragged out of our cars and punched in the face if we we're held to account for ALL of our near misses. Forget it and move on. I know it's easier said than done.

genec

if they almost killed you, you can almost punch them.

ilmooz

+1. Perfectly worded advice.

Pete Clark

"If a motorist almost kills me with his car can I punch him with my fist?"

Of course. But you would end up with the short end of the stick.

Too bad traffic laws can be far more lenient than those that address assault and battery charges. I say protect yourself by letting it go. It's not worth going to jail and getting a misdemeanor on your police record, despite the fact you were the one who almost met death.

The motorist will probably swear it was accidental, and the court would probably believe it. But it would be hard to prove his face accidentally fell on your fist.

Digital_Cowboy

Yep, judges are a lot less likely to believe the "Top he was walking across the floor and tripped. We helped him up, and damned if he didn't trip and fall again." Story of dealing with undesirables. :-(

JoeyBike

I know that if someone slams into your car with their car by accident, and they are totally at fault, drunk, and stupid...you still can't assault them.

Now, if they did it on purpose and you have reason to believe that they will continue trying to kill you, then yes, you can punch them. You better be able to prove it tho.

gcottay

Only if you really want to punish yourself.

nelson249

Another +1. Exactly right.

mikewille

You have to make sure you punch them while they are almost hitting you, that way it's self defense

Bheleu

Wow! Great IDEA! Attach a few shotguns in various directions on your bicycle. A device which detects which direction you get hit from fires off a volley from that side. Attach a sign that says, "WARNING: IF YOU RUN INTO ME, EXPECT TO BE FIRED UPON." Because it fires from the action of the vehicle striking you, they are in effect shooting themselves?

Although if you strap a bunch of shotguns to your bike, you're bound to have people pay attention to you anyways, arrested, and put in jail in some states - loaded or not. Then you have to worry about thieves taking them too... so again not a serious post, just adding to the angst of idiots that don't pay attention.

jgedwa

There are billions of people in the world. If you happen to run into one of the many of them who is a jackass, just turn away from them and give your attention to some of the remaining billions who are not jackasses. Life is way to short to ever spend giving any attention to people who are not worthy.

Plenty of times I have shared the sentiment of the OP. But, it is just never good for you. And its not like they are going to learn a valuable lesson from it. That is why they are jackasses in the first place.

j

tomg

"Rise Above",
don't follow your (not alone-shared) "gut" reaction,
use your head,
"rise above!"

nvincent

It depends which country you're in. I'm sure there are some countries where the driver would have to compensate you with a few heads of cattle. If he doesn't own any cattle you could probably punch him in the face and take his wife.