volosong

On Saturday, to avoid using the signaled left turn lane at a busy intersection, my lady and I turned early into a shopping center and cut through the parking lot. Some car came screeching through the parking lot, coming too close for comfort. A little perturbed, it was easy enough to put on a burst of speed and catch up to her at the parking lot exit.

I tapped on her passenger window and said, (in effect), "Hey, slow down in a parking lot. You almost hit us." To shorten the story ... she went ballistic and among her ranting about having a child in the car, (no way was I going to look inside), she said if I tapped on her window one more time, "I'm going to come around and take you on". I found that slightly funny as I'm 6'3" tall and weigh 205 pounds and she was a pretty slight thing.

As to not escalate the situation, we left, rode across the street, and continued toward the post office down the street to drop off a package. She caught up to us, swerved in front, like she wanted to hit us, (not close, but the intent was obvious), and turned right at the next intersection. I let her go, but when she saw we were not going down that street, she turned around and came back to the main drag we were on. By that time, we entered the post office parking lot and she drove "angrily" past, honking her horn and letting everyone in the parking lot know that she was not a happy camper.

Sheech! Maybe she was on something? I was this close, (envision holding up my hand with my thumb and index finger about a millimeter apart), from calling 911 and reporting a "crazy woman" driver that is trying to run us over. Oh, she threatened to call the police also, and I told her to go ahead and do so, (she didn't).

Ride careful, fellow cyclist. We were not in any real danger, but I'm going to "protect" my lady when we are riding. We all need to be aware that we are no match against 3,000 pound "weapons" directed toward us.

(Note to self ... carry a pen next time I ride so I can write down license plate numbers.)

urbanknight

Since my cell phone is almost always in my center pocket, I whip it out and text myself or my wife the plate number. The wife gets it if I worry I won't be around to file the report, and she knows exactly what that text means.

aprevo15

That is such a great idea. I need to find a wife now. lol

Mr. Beanz

Not to escalate the situation? IME, any stupid idiot screeching though a parking lot is lacking common sense and consideration for the lives around them. I myself would just let the idiot go knowing that knocking on their window is asking for some sort of confrontation. You can't expect anything less from an idiot driver.

I think you should have just gotten the plates and reported her. Doesn't your cell have a camera?

volosong

Yes, it does, but will have to figure out how to use it. I was so surprised that I wasn't thinking clearly. Also surprised that she wanted to argue and fight while saying several times, "I have a child in the car". That doesn't compute. I just wanted to protect my companion and get away as soon as I could. I wasn't argumentative at all or "lectured" her after that first initial comment. Something set her off...maybe she was just having a bad day.

KD5NRH

Whether you saw the kid or not, based on her statement, you should have reported her for child endangerment too.

Mr. Beanz

Yeah, when I see these idiots, I figure they are already set off. A very sweet coworker had a very pretty young daughter, "HAD"! She was on the freeway with her boyfriend. Some azzhat cut them off so the boyfriend raced up to the other car flipping them the bird. They pulled out a gun firing off a couple of rounds. They hit his girlfriend in the head killing her instantly. Now, my then coworker is missing her daughter, she was 19. Sometimes protecting your companion is letting an idiot roll on by.

You never know what these idiots will do!

Happened back in 91'ish in Ontario, 15/10 fwy junction.

Genaro

That's horrible dude. It's just not worth it, but yes, sometimes adrenalyne is hard to control!

TJClay

That sucks but I'm not sure what you mean by a lady "cager". Did she have on a basketball jersey?

KD5NRH

Don't you ever listen to the Canadians telling us that there's no violence in Canada and certainly no guns?

Elvo

Couldn't even enter Ontario Mills without my passport

alicestrong

LOL...get hip, TJ...;0)

https://www.urbandictionary.com/define.php?term=cager

sdgrannygear

Ah... Life in the inland empire. With her escalating the situation, I think you should have called the cops, she's going to do something really bad eventually.

JetWave

I think Beanz said it best, your best option is let these idiots go their way. If you can reason with them, then they won't be an idiot to begin with. Someday, karma will catch up with their own stupidity eventually. We ran into these situations all the time but the important thing is you & your lady are still alive.

Bobsled

I see what you did there.

Mr. Beanz

Sadly this stuff happens way too often. But yes, karma gets them. Sadly there is usually an innocent person on the other side but if I we to call the cops every time I saw an idiot on the freeway (or any road), I'd have a list of calls to the Popo as long as my arm. And that's from one exit to the next.

Bobsled

Not singling you out, but screw karma, sometimes you have to let people know that what they did is unacceptable! And not speaking up is just condoning their behavior because if nobody says anything then they'll just continue to do it.

Example, wife and I are at the mall Thursday and we're walking out the store and towards our car. We're at the edge of the sidewalk and about to step into the crosswalk in the parking lot. We look both ways and there is a black SUV traveling from our right to left. The SUV is about 30 ft away still so we step down and are about half way thru the crosswalk (at this point we're right near the middle) and I can see the d-bag is not going to stop so we stop in our tracks. He's two feet in front of us when I throw my hands in the air and keep them there so he can see in the sideview mirror while my wife is yelling at him to stop next time. Hopefully he'll realize what he did was a dick move and that he was luck no one got hurt that time. What the hell can be so urgent that he can't stop for people in the crosswalk?

rooftest

tldr. Did you knock that ***** out, or what?

Mr. Beanz

M point wasn't to avoid the protest, it's the fact that chasing them down is a mistake and can cost you your life. Retaliating by cutting off a driver on the fwy, chasing down a car by bike is dangrous stuff. Yeah, throw your hands up in the air as the driver rolls by is one thing. But chase him down to his parking spot then confront him, it would be a different story. Not only is it dangerous but this puts you in a spot of guilt as well when you're in court trying to recover medical costs.

Nachoman

I prefer the stories where the cyclist kicks the cager's ass or at least breaks cager's window or mirror.

TJClay

Hip is one thing I'm definitely not......

Garfield Cat

That child in the car is herself.

Cairncross

Confrontation...glad no one got hurt. Be careful out there, idiots abound.
Lost a 16 yo friend years back, bunch of kids flipped the one finger salute at a gun carrying fool who chased them down, and shot.
I was attacked by a pit bull on a ride one day. Fortunately the tool of an owner had a muzzle on the beast. That day I started carrying pepper spray on every ride. Almost had to use it on a motorist one day that did not like me for some reason, got out of his car and challenged me. I had it in my hand, but I just laughed and rode off.
Coulda dropped him on the pavement, that's fun to think about.
Carry pepper spray.

idoru2005

Whether you are wrong or right, it is always dangerous to go after a woman (or man for that matter) who has a child in their car. Maternal/Paternal instinct kicks in and you better believe that this person will go ballistic.

calamarichris

It's pretty much a no-win situation when they have a kid. If they kick your @$$, you look like a wuss; but if you kick their @$$, you're a monster for humiliating them in front of their child. I've witnessed (but thankfully wasn't the focus of their ire) several women in these situations who are well-aware of this phenomenon and swing their little yellow BABY ON BOARD sticker like a battle axe; you'd think they'd want to set a good example for their child, but apparently they'd rather teach their kids that aggression and confrontation over petty things is the way you get what you want in life.