italktocats

that already happens on a daily basis...
but when those hit & runners find their car burned down the next day, it might set a better standard

dim

I read an article a couple of years ago, where a cyclist smashed his bike into the front windcreen of a car that passed him close here in Cambridge UK ....

some cyclists get stressed when commuting through busy cities with narrow roads and rude and agressive car drivers ... I see it everyday and experience it myself .... I wanted to punch a few rude drivers when I pulled alongside them and politely told them to be a bit more carefull as they forced me into the gutter ... and their response was foul language

Oneder

I don't think what they put on the news really matters. People know bullying cyclists with a car is wrong but some people either don't care or even get off on it. But you can be pretty sure that this lady will be much more careful in the future. Of course maybe the guy is a crazy person, but it seems very unlikely you smash a windshield with your fists (which I did not think was even possible) unless there was more to the story than what the girl admits to.

She seems to be concerned with playing victim and getting the guy in trouble more than she is freaked out or wondering why he got angry. If she were innocent I think she would act much more confused and hurt and not be vindictive.

Hoopdriver

More likely is that she will get contrived overblown sympathy from her circle of acquaintances to reinforce and enhance her victimhood (which is a growing cultural phenomenon), thus driving her to treat all cyclists with contempt.

mcours2006

I admire those who can keep their cool after what probably feels like a near-death experience...okay, exaggerated, but it's difficult to keep calm and cool when you feel like someone has done something that put your safety or life at risk because you somehow inconvenienced him or delayed his arrival at the next stop light. You are certainly a better man than I am. I try, nevertheless, to keep things in perspective, and to calm myself down. Most times, though, there is no encounter as vehicles are too fast, but the odd time when I catch up to the 'offending' motorist, I try to educated, okay, maybe a bit of admonishment, rather than rage. I let them know that they must give cyclists space, one meter of it, when passing, and if they can't then they have to wait for an opportunity when they can. Most people are understanding of it. A few even thank me for letting them know because they were totally unaware.

Oneder

I am sure they immediately put a detective on the case the second they learned a windshield had been damaged! Recently my friend's gun was stolen out of his house. He has video footage of a friend of his son entering the house and entering the closet, but the police said it does not prove anything. Good luck getting them to make an arrest for something like this.

Oneder

Also, cops don't want to deal with guys like that. If they have to deal with him they will likely just shoot him, but if they can they will just avoid the situation completely.

re: the news. People seem to think their job is to provide factual information to the public, while in reality their job is to sell cars and any other advertiser's products and also endorse their views as well. Tuning in to the news just gives you the thoughts of whatever CEO paid them the most in advertising fees that week.

Jim from Boston

I posted to this thread, “Close calls and the consequent reactions.”

Quote:

Originally Posted by Jim from Boston

…How to get the message out? I find threads about what to say to a driver futile, since these are brief, often emotion laden encounters, and often the cyclist makes a bad impression.

I have in the past posted about giving “bicyclist curses,” and “bicyclist blessings”;about 5 blessings a day, and about 3 curses a week. See also the sign below, on my commute through Brookline.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Jim from Boston

…I have those exact thoughts whenever I am passed, even when not too close by motorist who does not slow down or move over slightly, just as an indication that they notice me. I always think those self-absorbed cagers are only restrained by the thought of scratching their cars, or the hassle of filing police reports.

My only satisfactory retribution is to give them my previously-described Bicyclist Curse. (I repeatedly jab my pointed right index finger in their direction, while shouting an accusatory, ”You, you, you…”). The possibility of metaphysical retribution is more satisfying than the middle finger.

I do also bestow Bicyclist Blessings on drivers who show even a modicum of respect, with a wave of the hand. ….

KraneXL

I speed my vehicle within inches of you and your demeanor is...calm and relaxed? A hothead gets upset over nothing. His was a perfectly typical human reaction to a potentially life threatening experience.

Also, very biased news reporting. You mean a "red bike" to the average Joe? Actually its perfectly understandable considering the potential of serious injury even the slightest bump would have cause. Not only can it be startling but the wind alone can cause you to lose control. Close calls like that puts you in a fight or flight response. Also, road rage is a misnomer here.

mr_bill

Cyclist sentenced to probation in SF road rage attack - time served 6 days, $1,800 restitution, 8 weeks anger management

FWIW, "something like this" is called assault.

Probably a "red ebike" to an average bike commuter in Berkeley.
(BTW, it's probably a Diamondback Overdrive EXC now that I look at it more closely.)

The point is that the quality of the video is good enough to completely identify the bike.
And the quality of the video is also good enough for someone who knows him to identify him.
Plus there are three eye witnesses.

Will he be found? I have no idea. But the idea he *can't* be found because the video sucks is absurd.

Just by recognizing "Dartmouth," "Rice," and "Boston" stickers in a video led a son to turn in his father, Marshall Grant Neely III.

-mr. bill

InOmaha

Just your typical road rage. No different then if she would have cut off a car and the guy got out at the next light and bashed her window in with a tire iron.

Justify the incident anyway you want to in your mind, but remember if you decide to use violence don't be surprised if the violence escalates quickly and not in your favor.

The idea that a person in a car would be afraid to fight a person on a bicycle is laughable. What are you assuming the bicyclist is in better shape? As if people in cars don't workout. Some even workout using fight training as their mode of workout. If you break someone's window out with a bicycle pump you'd better be ready to go all the way to make sure that person doesn't stick it where you don't want it. It's probably why he saved up his rage and picked a person he thought he could intimidate into submission. If it was a truck full of construction guys, he'd have probably done the right thing instead and filed a complaint with a license plate number.

If he did it to me, I'd finish what the guy started and turn my dashcam video in to the police when they showed up. Bicyclists aren't the only people who record traffic to protect their interests.

On top of it, we've got the bicycle mafia people in the thread talking about torching people's cars. That gave me a chuckle. Great way to spend some years in prison.

squirtdad

just saw a motorcyclist do similar...... not sure if there were dents and broken window

Shimagnolo

Speaking of motorcycle road rage, this incident was pretty bizarre in that the motorcyclist got the least damage: https://www.cnn.com/videos/us/2017/0...age-incidents/

WNCGoater

There's about 1000 things I could think of to post in response to some of the asinine comments posted on here. But it would be a waste of effort toward some of the peon-brained "cycling advocates" participating in this thread, life's too short...

WNCGoater

^This^
And FWIW, under existing NC laws governing the use of deadly force with concealed handgun carry permits, she would have been justified in NC to shoot the guy in response to his reaching in the window and threatening after smashing up her car in a rage. (Yes, I realize this is not in NC)

Oneder

You don't know the situation more than anyone else, but don't call for reasonability and then suggest it would be ok to shoot the guy in response and expect anyone to take you seriously. Nothing stops people on bicycles from having guns either, and a place like NC is exactly the kind of place I would carry one while commuting. By the same laws they'd be justified to shoot down someone assaulting them with a lethal weapon, much more justified. And not just in NC but in virtually every state.

I've had people intentionally go after me while on the bike, and the most common type to do that is the tennessee tough guy who is always looking for an excuse especially if they think you are a "yankee". I don't care what the law says, anyone who does that and gets a baseball bat to the face gets what they deserve.

KraneXL

That's not road rage; and there's a enormous difference. Road rage is an unnatural and exaggerated response to an otherwise minor issue not likely to cause any physical injury.

Anger brought on by someone nearly running you off the road -- while you're riding a bike -- and putting you in a position that could cause serious injury or death is standard human response.

mcours2006

Incredibly, I am not disagreeing with you , but I doubt most people would see it that way.

Oneder

Assuming she didn't knock him down ie assault him with a deadly weapon in a hit and run. That seems much more likely given how seldom things like this happen and how common close passes are.

KraneXL

Probably because most people aren't cyclist and haven't had their life flash in front of them due to someone else negligence -- or in some cases, intentional act.

People in cars don't see what a cyclist sees and don't know how treacherous the road surface can sometimes be even when you're not trying to avoid getting run over. Sometimes you can't just move over because of road debris, or a pothole.

I've had people sandwich me in between two moving vehicles and all you can do is pray. You can end up taking a tumble or running into something while they just drive merrily on their way totally oblivious to the trauma, damage, and/or injury they have caused.

Chris0516

Well, It is a number of factors.

1. Not having the time to bother confronting them.

2. The place it happens(open road instead of a traffic light, for example), may not be the most advantageous place to confront them.

3. Becoming so used to being harassed. That it just becomes like the daily bully on the playground at school.

4. Learning how to respond in a non-confrontational manner.

Oneder

5. Cameras everywhere.

KraneXL

That's just the thing. You don't have to come in contact with someone to cause them harm. In fact, I'd be that in the majority of cases, its their proximity that does all the damage. Now the question: if someone runs you off the road without ever hitting you have they committed a crime?

mcours2006

Unless there is a witness or video, it really doesn't matter as it isn't going to be prosecuted anyway, at least from a legal point of view.

CB HI

I have successfully gotten motorist prosecuted for harassment and terroristic threatening with myself as the only witness. It might only be a 50/50 effort but a 50% prosecution of the worst motorist is worthwhile.

With some luck, the prosecution of the Hit&Run guy was easy.