Got buzzed this morning...
 

by a guy in a pickup truck. He came within a few inches of my handlebar, clearly on purpose. So after I yelled at him - instinctive reaction - I realized I was going to catch up to him at the next stop light. I stopped behind him and very obviously noted his license plate number. Paced him through a school zone, and at the next light I pulled up alongside his passenger-side window. 'Hey buddy,' I said politely. Loudly, because he had his windows rolled up and was trying to ignore me, but politely. 'Hey buddy, you're supposed to give a bicyclist 3 feet when you pass.' He's staring straight ahead, but I know he hears me. He and everyone else stopped at the light, for that matter. 'Three feet, buddy!' The light changes, and that's the end of the encounter. When I got to work I called in a report to the police - had his truck make/model/license plate number. I don't expect anything to come of that, but you never know; they filed it under reckless driving, and said if the detective decides a law was broken they'll follow up on it.

So I feel pretty good about the way I handled it so far. Anything else I can do? Any follow-up steps?

Nice job! I personally would not try to communicate after your initial reaction. Great work noting the license plate...even if you have to pretend to take a plate number to give them a little scare, do it.

I have had an ass buzz me like that, my uncontrolled reaction was to yell and the finger. He squealed to a stop and started to reverse back to me at high speed. In that situation, I shifted into my small ring and pulled into the grass and did a dismount. My plan at that moment for a fight was to stay in the grass so I would have cleat traction and to use the bike as separation with the big ring out as a weapon. He peeled off without further incident.

I really need to get some pepper spray or mace for these situations, just in case. If anyone buys this stuff, get the foam as it helps with not hitting yourself with overspray. For now, I am ready to pull out my c02 kit and warn them that I am going to mace them with it if it happens again, but I plan on getting a real canister. Lord knows I could use it for dogs as I nearly got clipped twice on saturday.

I wonder if reports that don't result in follow ups wind up in some kind of personnel folder so that multiple offenses will pile up and could influence future citations.

Sounds like he was sufficiently ashamed of himself that he won't do it again, though of course I'm just speculating.

I go back and forth on the question of whether it's better to rebuke a bad driver or just leave him alone.

Yeah, the other possibility is that he'll take it out on the next bike rider, just making sure he'll be able to speed away afterward. Guess it depends on the personality; I have a feeling the personality type to buzz someone in the first place is the cowardly kind that will do it again if he thinks he can get away with it.

My experience seems to be that it's best to not engage at all, unless they sound friendly and start the talking. So...almost never, and def. not after getting buzzed. I doubt the cops will do anything, but good on you for calling it in. Hopefully the guy is not on your regular commute.

Yeah, the pepper spray works ok but I found, or I should say was told to use the Wasp and Hornet spray in the small can. I have used it on coyotes and biting dogs and it seems to work very well. It could cause blindness for the perpetrator though. Not sure, but it did seem to blind the dogs I had to nail.

Get a helmet cam for proof....at this point it would be his word .vs. yours!

Never attribute to malice that which is adequately explained by stupidity.

We go 'round and 'round on this all the time. Why would you confront someone like that so aggressively? What if he'd pulled a gun when you were at the light yelling at him? Would you feel you handled it well then? @Number400: if the driver had gotten out with a weapon, instead of driving away, where would your antics have gotten you?

Smile, wave, take the license, call the local LEOs. Confrontation between a 50-pound bike and a 3-ton car or between you and a stranger of unknown stability is dangerous.

I think if it was stupidity rather than malice he would have at least made eye contact, and possibly apologized after I explained the three-foot rule to him. I wasn't being sarcastic in the OP - I really was polite, just loud to make sure he heard me with his windows closed. Not really aggressive; I didn't touch his truck, though I was tempted to rap on his window to make sure he paid attention. And yes, I was polite BECAUSE of the possibility of instability and/or weapons.

My conversation with the LEOs did not inspire confidence that they're going to do anything, so I feel like I took my one chance at possibly changing this guy's behavior by talking to him.

Who rides a 50lb bike?

@crazyed
From my sig: WorkCycles Secret Service and/or Peugeot plus racks, plus lights, plus pannier, plus laptop, plus winter gear = 50 pounds. Add 15-20 pounds of groceries and it's even more...

@Bat Guano
Do you honestly think you taught that driver to give cyclists 3 feet? I think it far more likely he went wherever he was going and ranted about the jackass on the bike in the middle of traffic (and please, I'm not calling you a jackass; I'm just saying that was probably his reaction). You are entitled to your opinion. I personally would never confront anyone. You simply have no idea what kind of crazy you might be dealing with; the driver is a complete unknown and they've already acted aggressively toward you. Why escalate? What are you trying to accomplish? I would submit that if it's just to make yourself feel better, it's not worth it. FWIW, I agree with you about the local LEOs.

Just smile and wave boys...smile and wave.

Europe says Hello (or so I'm told).

If someone buzzes me that close, and I get a plate #, then it's automatically a call to 911 to report impaired driving. I have a zero strikes rule.

Not a bad idea. I may try that next time.

I would at least have been ready to defend myself or attempt an escape. I did not get off my bike to confront, but to defend. In my view, I was being assaulted with a vehicle twice! When clipped in or even standing over a bike, you are completely vulnerable. I hate conflict! I agree that my smile and wave was a grimace and a finger and that I can work on :)

Another Hello from Greece too! lol

Oh please...being shot at by motorists is ridiculously low risk. I don't worry about people shooting at me, I worry about getting mowed down because some milk-toast cager was slurping their slurpy, diddling with their thingamabob, or thinking about lunch. If I can help reduce this risk by confronting motorists, I will do so. Heck, I consider it a moral obligation.

i've reacted both ways. one time i just waved, and the next i followed them into the gas station they almost right-hooked me going into and confronted them to explain exactly what kind of screw up they were and my condolences for them being the product of siblings.

but, maybe i'm in a unique situation as the police here make it known that they don't care about cyclists. we're on our own. doubly frustrating as i used to be a state LEO.

(in NY there's no 3' rule, just "safe distance". which, to my jaded legal mind means "what? i didn't hit him did I?")

Depends on the circumstances. On the open road where the offending motorist grazes me on purpose, I would get steamed. In the city grid, I pass and get passed with inches to spare almost every day. I would wear out my phone reporting everyone who squeezes by me during my work commute. Does not raise my blood pressure one point. Standard operating procedure in my town. I have no way to judge their intent - to send me a message or to just get where they are going. I assume the latter.

I am sorry the OP got buzzed. I have been needlessly endangered by motorists and it can ruin the next few minutes of my day if I judge their actions to be purposeful and mean spirited.

You should never argue with stupid people.
They'll drag you down to their level and then win because of their greater experience.

Got buzzed this morning...
 

I understand that it can feel impossible at the time, but confronting someone is not advisable for road rage. I've been buzzed too recently and it sucks.

Cyclists will never gain respect on the road if they do not confront bullies. I've done this more times that I can count and each time the motorist either fled or apologized.

I think yelling at motorists don´t have any pedagogical value, but violence against his vehicle and mind have. Here we have a working class who make deliveries by motorcycle of everything, like food and documents, as quickly as possible to make more money. We call them motoboys. Since the streets is filled in every space by cars, they use the gap between them to go. But they had a big problem, motorists here likes to swerve without any signal, suddenly. So, when motorist is changing lane and a motoboy is caught by surprise, and nothing occurs, he beats the side mirror to death. When he falls his comrades smells it, and a swarm of motoboys comes to terrorise the motorist. Now motorists are more attentious in gaps where motoboys might be.

Here a image to illustrate the scenario.
http://imguol.com/2013/01/28/28jan20..._1920x1080.jpg