Airzound. They'll hear that.

Ill bump them with my wheel, since i can pretend hey they cut me off and i couldn't stop in time. But hitting them with my hand or lock? no

I've had pedestrians hit my car as they walk by, because im too close to the crosswalk or the guy in front of me slammed on the brakes and so I had to. Often the other person gets mad but has no idea what happened to cause me to brake. Some pedestrians are nuts, hitting cars as they walk by, because they have to go now! They are as bad as cagers.

Just last week while i was biking to work a woman crossed left over the double yellow then swerved back and slammed on the brakes right in front of me (there was a red light she had nowhere to go) then screamed "I have the car!" What am I gonna do? What happens if I escalate it? Pull her out of her car and get in a fistfight? Or worse have her back up over me or try to hit me with her car?

After watching the videos of drivers deliberately hitting bikers (and the Pritzker kid who got away with it here in Chicago a few months ago, though the guy wasn't killed) no thanks. If someone is crazy and/or not paying attention, chances are human life is very cheap to them, and my life is quite dear to me.

I've done it in the past and even survived the redneck car chase that followed. I try not to do it now. The most effective way to get their attention is an open handed grab of the passenger side mirror as you pass the stopped car. They're forced to live with the mirror pointing the wrong way or stop and correct it.

As a pedestrian, I've also kicked in a turn signal when someone started to drive through a crosswalk while I was pushing a stroller with my 2 year old through the crosswalk.

Learn from the stoics:
Remember that it is not he who gives abuse or blows who affronts; but the view we take of these things as insulting. When, therefore, any one provokes you, be assured that it is your own opinion which provokes you. Try, therefore, in the first place, not to be bewildered by appearances. For if you once gain time and respite, you will more easily command yourself.-Epictetus

But I usually just flip 'em the bird.

There's no sense in getting mad. It just causes additional stress over and above what the near-hit did.

But I like the idea of 'bumping' their passenger side mirror to let them know they got too close.



"I will permit no man to narrow and degrade my soul by making me hate him." -- Booker T. Washington

A week or two ago, I was on an almost empty road with two lanes in each direction. I'm doing 23 mph in the middle of the right lane, and this car comes flying by, buzzes me, and blasts on the horn the whole time, then cuts me off, goes about 15 feet, then slams the brakes, before taking off again. She didn't try to "get" me with the brake check - she was too far ahead to force a collision - it was only to be obnoxious.

I caught up with her at the next light. She wanted to turn right, and there was a line of pedestrians making the turn impossible. And, almost too good to be true, the angry driver had her window down.

So I decided to lighten the situation with some humor: "The horn blows - how 'bout the driver?" The woman exploded with rage "Do the f'in speed limit or I'm gonna run you over." I pointed out that I wasn't speeding, and that it's a limit, not a minimum, but she kept yelling about running me over.

Then the light turned, and I went on my way.

Personally when I catch up to a car that has cut me off/committed a sharing the road no-no I bend down look into their window, and shake my head disappointingly.

I hope I can remember that one.

To everyone here who has actually hit a vehicle hard enough with their hand, u-lock, etc to where the driver noticed: has anything good ever come out of it? Incompetent and aggressive motorists don't learn a lesson in safe driving because some guy on a bike laid a finger on "their property". After all, they should have been on the sidewalk where they belong in the first place and out of their way. See what I'm getting at?

It's like a chihuahua trying to take a swipe at a coyote. How can one actually expect this to work on a regular, let a lone one-off basis? It's lunacy to pick a fight in traffic. I say just keep your head down while riding and tap your local advocacy groups for real change in driver education and public cycling perception.

i once headbutted a car window (wearing a full motorcycle helmet) after someone backed into my motorcycle and knocked it over because they went too far into the intersection and backed up without looking. The person did not respond to my horn or the horns of other drivers who watched it happen. After I hit the window, the driver looked so scared and drove away quickly.

i've left dents in hoods and doors with my foot when the alternative was my being squashed

To quote Cyril from Breaking Away, "College palefaces are many. We townie redskins are few. I council peace."

Yikes. I suppose it's all bluster, but I can imagine that woman's display discouraging a lot of commuters, especially beginners.

Just remember if the car never makes contact with you but you damage the property YOU will be liable if caught for the repair. I say let it go cause around here people get shot over things so frivolous.

You all must be riding in some tight city traffic if you can smack cars with your hand. I’m almost never close enough to reach a car even if I wanted to, and I like it that way. But then, I ride in the higher speed suburbs and use assertive lane positioning.

Overtaking cars almost always pass me wide, (even if they have to wait behind for a safe opportunity to do so) and the very few who don’t are going much too fast for me to want to touch in any manner. I also never squeeze up next to them at stops… There are seldom more than a few cars ahead so I just take my place in line.

I tapped a cabbie once when he slowed suddenly in front of me to park on-street without signalling.

The one time I got right-hooked I had to use my left hand to keep my balance as I cornered with the car, and then I was too shaken up to respond with anything more than an incredulous shake of the head.

I don't carry anything heavy that could cause damage. I figure a light tap is OK if you don't think they've seen you.

In NY you can almost always catch a car if you want to (enough lights and traffic in most cases). I get the frustrated urge to hit a car sometimes, but I have never done it. I have decided to race a car sometimes after being cut off or honked at. Unless they get lucky with lights and a clear road, I can beat most cars for quite a while. I bet most of them ignore me or don't get the point, but it makes me feel like I win and it doesn't lead to violence or lawsuit.

I've tapped cars before, but I'm trying to get better. Never done it to leave a dent though. If I did then I'd suspect it's a commuter on my same route, and if he's anything like me then he'll catalog it in his mind fo the next day he sees me on the road. I have a few cars I look out for that have been bonehead enough to stick in my mind. A roadie with the same yellow backpack or blinkies is sure to stand out to them in my 'hood.

+1

That's when I'd tap my helmet and say "thanks for putting the death threat and your licence plate number both on my video camera. It's going to the cops. You'd better be really, really REALLY careful around cyclists from now on, since you'll be on record with the police of making death threats."

Aggressive motorists, I quite agree. Incompetent ones who just didn't see you, because they didn't look, might just benefit from being alerted to your presence. But I'm just talking about a tap of the hand on the window or roof; I wouldn't use a lock or do anything that might damage the vehicle.

FTW!.. I'd do this in this situation!

I'd only smack a car (with an open palm, for the most effect) if I found it absolutely necessary to get the drivers attention to stop a dangerous situation from transpiring.

I slapped car windows a few times but NOT after the fact as an act of anger, but before or during to get their attention. A couple of times it was too close and happened too quickly for my brain to compute any other response, such as blowing the Airzound, so extending my arm and hitting the window was faster and "more natural" way of getting the driver's attention

By diligently checking my helmet mounted mirror, I've found that I can predict and avoid or prevent a right hook well in advance of it actually happening. From my observation the right hookers are accelerating(to get around you quicker) and moving left earlier(to lengthen their turn radius) as opposed to a passing motorist who maintains his speed or slows and moves left later. When I see this harbinger of doom I move left myself and also accelerate and they usually back down, *sometimes* signal, and cut right behind me. If they stay committed to right hooking me, I now have a lot more room on my right to take evasive action (brake, turn right with them).

Interestingly, the right hookers I encounter rarely use a turn signal. The other side of the coin is that the cars that signal early just about never right hook.

<EDIT> Oh, and on the rare occasion they are actually a right hooker *with* an early turn signal, I do the exact same thing (move left, accelerate) and also extend my left arm in a slowing signal, palm facing back. Usually does the trick, but I'm ready if it doesn't. When they do tuck in behind me, I continue to accelerate and move a little further left so they can still make their right turn a little quicker, as a quid pro quo.

+1

I too never have and never will. I definitely wouldn't want angry/insane drivers assaulting me on my bike because I pissed them off (unintentionally or otherwise), so I don't think it makes sense to take things into my own hands when the reverse happens...

And:
Edit (wrong url)
Winning Respect From Motorists

This is not a good idea. It can get you hurt very badly or even killed if you do it to the wrong driver. There are enough road rage incidents between two cars. How do you think it will go if someone who is willing to ram another car decides they want to ram you on your bicycle?

The most I ever do is yell to avoid the collision. I may curse under my breath afterwards but that is where it ends. I am moving on and watching out for the next knuckle head that might run me over.