How Do You Shake it Off?
 

We recently moved to another building at work, which means a different route that's not nearly as bike friendly as the one I have been using. A close call today when someone deliberatly right hooked me. I know it was deliberate, because she blew her horn the entire time. I was almost a news story.

I'm still shaking a bit, and I was wondering how the rest of you calm down after a near disaster. Because I have to get some work done today.

It takes time. It also helps if you can blow of steam if you tend to get angry. My commutes after incidents like this tend to be all out hammer fests while I try to calm my temper down.

Sorry to hear about that :(

I tend not to get so wound up like I used to. I thinking reading Robert Hurst's book helped a lot, I sort of get a little zen about it if I have a near miss.

Also go and reward/buy something for yourself for surviving! (I find this always helps).

Two rounds center mass followed by one to the head if threat fails to stop :D

Accidental/unintentional near collision situations: A quick holler for the idjit to wake up and watch where they're going, then I hammer the cranks for a while and burn off the excess adrenaline.

Intentional horn-blowing obviously trying to hit me situation: Cleat to the tail lights. I also have some short track-spikes screwed into the front of my left shoe. (They're MTB shoes with 2 tap holes for putting in the included football style cleats, but they accept track spikes, too.) They're good for gouging into someone's paint if you're in a situation where you need to fend off with your foot to keep from plowing into someone.

Did you get the license number? A deliberate right hook = attempted assault with a deadly weapon.

+1. Ride away and call the police.

Yeah, but adjusting for windshield deflection on a moving vehicle is a PITA.




+1 on DataJunkie's comment. The intensity of my commute increases dramatically following an encounter with a JAM. I get a more intense workout and relieve the tension from the encounter. Win-win.

Yeah deliberate attempts to hurt or frighten you make things a lot worse, than just plain thoughtlessness. Only ever happened to me once being run off the road.:mad:

I just hope that these people when they get out of their cars actually stop and think about what they have just done.

The worst I get is a really bad buzz now and again (haven't been hooked or had objects thrown at me, and I try not the let the "encouraging comments" get under my skin) and I'm with the above - I just hammer as hard as I can until I can't anymore.

I do just that, I shake it off. Hammer on the cranks for awhile to burn up some adrenaline, then take a few deep breaths and get over it. Being angry accomplishes nothing, damaging their vehicle accomplishes even less and my get you into trouble. Find what works for you and use it, anger is just going to shorten your life and make you miserable... Just my .02

Chief

No it isn't. This is the same drama rich attitude that only makes things worse. :rolleyes:

If two rounds center mass dont stop her, save the third one, you might need it.:rolleyes:

How do I shake it off? The Dude's way: A white Russian, a little herb, and watching "The Big Labowski". :thumb: "This aggression will not stand, man." :lol:

But seriously, you just have to let it roll off your back. I find a hot shower followed by stretching (or yoga) and a nice leg message by my wife tends to make things a lot better. ;)

I haul ***** after the ****** to give him a good rodgering but like always I can never catch him. Works out the aggression though.

:lol: Yes, nothing quite like a good rodgering. :thumb:

LOL, yeah that was quite possibly the whitest thing I ever heard... kinda like when Richard Pryor used to make fun of whities. :roflmao2:

Thanks. I'm better now. All I managed to get out was a very strident, "Hey!" Fierce, I know. Hardly a good rodgering.

I never roger in public, no matter how mad I get.:o

If the ATL police care as much at the Redmond PD, then the phone call goes about like this: (paraphrased from an actual call I made.)

"Redmond Police, officer <name> speaking."

"Someone just tried to hit me with their car while I was riding my bicycle. I have the make, model and plate for the vehicle and I'd like to file a report for agressive driving."

"Were you struck or injured?"

"No."

"I'm sorry that someone drove a bit too close to you sir," (yes, that was an actual quote) "but unless you were struck by the vehicle, the department can't do anything unless we witness the driver performing the action."

"So all of the Dial 911 to report agressive driving signs around town are just pretty decorations?"

"If you'd like to come to the station and file a report you may do that, but we can't guarantee any action from it."


The local PD's have all made it very obvious that with the recent budget cuts, they're underfunded to investigate the "insignificant" cases. Another example: Someone at my old apartment (next door to the Redmond PD) intercepted a piece of bank mail and used my credit card to purchase a bunch of items. They were stupid enough to have the items sent to my old apartment, where they now lived. I filed a police report and even told them of the arrival date of the packages (I had gleaned that info by calling the companies), yet the police told me the dollar amount of the theft wasn't high enough for them to make an arrest.
Yes, that's right. Unless there's trading of paint or big money involved, the cops can't be bothered to care.

Your body shakes due to the adrenaline rush for our "fight or flight" phenomenon. I would suggest you chase them down and beat them up. ... or ... keep biking until you stop shaking. Some weight training should help too, or just pushups. Eventually your adrenaline level will drop to normal.

Things turn out best for those who make the best of the way things turn out.

Take a deep breath and remember - just because that person in the cage is having such a crappy day, is late to work, maybe has a truly horrendous situation of some sort they're dealing with in their life, to the point they're acting out like that, you don't have to let it ruin your day.

Take a few deep breaths and count your blessings. Start with the fact that you didn't kiss the pavement, and that you're life is probably going better than that person who's loosing it behind the wheel. It's possible she'll even regret her behavior once she has a chance to reconsider it. (I only say that because sometimes I have.)

Next use it as an object lesson on defensive riding. While it's true there's really next to nothing you can do if someone is hell bent on running you down, 99 percent of the time right hooks are avoidable - but it takes diligence. I've had my fair share of close calls and even hit the pavement a couple times. And I realized I had to use those experiences to evaluate and modify my riding in order to stay safer. I now really pay attention to how I am positioning myself whenever approaching an intersection or any driveway. I really make an effort not to enter anyone's blind spot when they have an opportunity to turn right, for instance.

Of course like I said; if someone is passing you, knows you're there and is blowing their horn and in effect telling you to **** off and get out of the way... I think karma will catch up to them. Try not to make your day worse with an assault charge. Chill out and have a great ride home. You won.

DanO

I guess it's all where you live.

I got clipped by a car hard enough to fold in his mirror. I saw a cop up ahead in a car. I pull up to the cop and the conversation goes like this:

Me: You see that blue van?
Officer: Yea'
Me. He just hit me!!!
Officer: Do you want us to take a report?
Me: Are you serious?
Officer: If you are hurt we can call for an ambulance

End of story.

The apathy of the NYPD to anything not involving donuts or death is simply amazing.


To the OP, you just do, you've still got to get where you are going.

I wouldn't take others' experience with apathetic PDs as an indicator of what you should do. However, I think your question was really more about what you do to settle yourself down from a scary encounter. I'd say if you're feeling shaky, you might want to try to commute at slightly different times or on different routes when the traffic is lower, just a few times while you're still feeling shaky -- it'll help you get your confidence back. And, with a little time, you'll lose that "they're out to get me" feeling. They really aren't, not most of them -- like I said in another thread, there are a few sociopaths behind the wheel who really don't care who they kill, and there are somewhat more people who are just too stupid to really understand the consequences of their actions (and who might conceivably deliberately hit a cyclist and only then think, "Uh oh, bad move, now I'm in trouble!")...but most drivers really do not want to hit anyone, even if only for the purely selfish reason of wanting to avoid hassles.

I would call the police. if they claim they can't do anything get that in writing and then get in your car and do it to a cop in the same jurisdiction. another thing would be to remind them that an suv going ~30mph has more kinetic energy than a bullet and ask if you can shoot your gun at people so long as no one gets hurt.