I feel like a douche...
 

So, I've just picked up a bottle of Patron to give to my uncle for xmas, and also taking my new Under the Weather bag on her maiden voyage, when I nearly get run down in the parking lot of the nearby blockbuster.

The lady was looking at something in the rearview mirror (possibly herself), and started veering towards a curb and me. I was going slowly enough and yelled loud enough to not get hit and alert her that she was off course. I did not do so politely however. I yelled "what the Fu*k!?!?" and as I passed her window, looked straight at her and gave her a good ol' texan "FU*K YOU!!!!!" Here is where I noticed the toddler in the back seat. Man I felt bad. </rant>

Any advice on how to not loose my temper? I can't seem to not react like that?

The bag is freaking awesome by the way. Highly recommended!

tapping/banging a car is a great way to get someone's attention, especially if they are about to slowly run you down

It's not really a big deal. The kid's ears aren't tarnished or anything.

teach em not to mess with cyclists while they're young. its the only way to learn.

some girl in a BMW was yapping on a phone (illegal in chicago btw) and rolls into the intersection almost running me over. even after missing me by 2 inches, she still didn't see me. i'm now towards her rear on the driver's side, i coast backwards up to her driver's side window and slammed my open hand as hard as i could on her window. man i was so pissed, i didn't realize how hard i hit the window. the stupid girl literally jumped in her seat in horror, i swear she must have pissed in her pants. it was well worth it just to see the look on her face. honestly i dont' mind people driving while talking on the phone, but if you're in heavy traffic, or ESPECIALLY in the middle of an intersection, that REALLY pisses me off.

i'm a big fan of that.
if there's kids in the car it's even better. just yuppie-scum tadpoles, teach 'em a lesson while you can before mommy and daddy get them a bmw and send them out into the world.

LOL I like that....... after you've made an @ss of yourself enough times you get calmer..... at least I did.

stealing this.

yeah f em, you guys are right.

mommy just made an attempt on this cyclists life.

normally i try to just ask the driver why they were doing what they were doing. i think its better to leave a driver feeling foolish and guilty than foolish and angry.

I think what you did was fine. Your life was potentially at stake. **** her and her baby.

air horn honk at em

Odd. I only feel bad when I've done something wrong.

This is true, at least in places where people aren't actively psycho.

From what I've seen, most people, if given the ability to 'save face', will appreciate it. Give them a soft place to land, they'll chill out, and feel like they can apologize and not get killed for it. Give them a fight, and they'll never back down no matter what.

It's basic human nature and negotiation theory.

nah, youre all good. somethin almost identical happened to me except the kid was like 6 and i spat instead of cursing. lucky for her the window was half up. man, that still angers me.

One time I was riding back from a night class and some nasty old oldsmobile cut me off so I slapped the trunk and it made a terrible death "THWAAP!" they slammed on the brakes and looked like they **** their pants. They atleast slowed down after that.

I have scared countless drivers by slapping or hitting their cars. its almost payback when I scare them down that for them scaring me when they almost hit me.

After you passed her, the lady probably went on a 10 min cussing rant about bikes and bikers in general, so I wouldn't worry about the kid hearing a couple words from you. :D

i wish people didn't have to ability to yell. most people that yell have nothing good to say.

Kids love swear words.

Not that I don't wholeheartedly endorse nonviolent conflict resolution methods, but I find that if I give "them" a fight, they often do back down. Aggression may be a fairly common response, but very few of the people who resort to it are willing to stick with it - they use it *because* it deterrs response. After countless honks, screams, "get the **** off the road"s and death threats, i finally gave in, and learned first hand that when most people, even when staring you in the face threatening your life, would not "step out of their *%$&@!ing car and say it to your face" if there were a gun to their head, especially if you've just chased down their car over a few km on a bike. Childish bullying will only be encouraged by conceding to it. By pulling aside, speeding up, running away or getting on the sidewalk we only prove that aggressive threatening behavior works. If you can prove otherwise with a smile on your face (nothing's more pathetic than somebody choosing to lean on their horn for 2 blocks rather than change lanes), then so much the better. But one way or the other, don't reward bad behavior.

It would have been just as effective to have something like "Hey" and then as you passed by her window yelled or even just said, watch where your going. The profanity did not prove a point or anything. The only thing it would accomplish is inspiring her to intentionally hit the next cyclist she sees.

Having said this, what really ticks me off is when a driver yells at me for just being on the road. I was riding my tandem (with 5 year old daughter). I was in the right lane of a 2 lane road (2 lanes each way) stopped at a red light. No traffic in the left lane. Some large white truck comes next to me and the driver starts yelling. "Get the **** out of the road you dumb ass." Before I had a chance to make any sort of a come-back the light turned green, but it seemed the passenger took a look and my daughter and then said something to the driver and it looked like he had an embarressed look on his face. Why can't he just let me be on the road. I know its so terrible to have fun, exercise, use less gas, and use the roads that I pay for just as much as he does.

also, it's important to keep in mind that everyone's emotions run high this time of year. i drove to the king of prussia mall today in my car (because i didn't feel like getting run down on my bike / having to carry christmas presents back through the rain), and i saw this firsthand. almost got hit three or four times on my ten minute drive.

while this lady might have almost killed you tonight, odds are she's just in a hurry and while that's as valid of an excuse as downloading a ringtone is, it might explain what happened.

I'm all for the slap on the car. It sure makes an impact... Only, the ******** nitwits might not even know why you're angry at them. Half the time I save my own ass and they never notice how close they were to flattening me.
The presence of the toddler doesn't change anything imho. If you think it's ok to yell at her, then do so regardless of her company. At least she may be a bit more ashamed.

Actually, you're right, so let me amend what I said.

Being chill with the space cadets and people making honest mistakes gets a better response.

Aggressive ****tards require either deft smart-assery backed up by iron-clad confidence, or an equal amount of aggressiveness back.