Originally Posted by HigherGround
Do you think slapping the car is more likely to educate the motorist and change their opinion / behavior, or do you think it will be more likely to have a confrontational effect and antagonize relations between that particular driver and cyclists? Perhaps I'm cynical, but I'm guessing the latter. People get pretty possessive of their cars (especially the more expensive they are) and I'm inclined to think they'll care more about their car being struck, than about your rights as a cyclist. I'd speculate (and granted, I have no proof) that such actions would probably tend to harm their image of cyclists, rather than making the drivers change their behavior and attitudes.
I wrestle with this, as well, and I fully understand your concerns. However, how DO we constructive, tactfully, and assertively educate offending motorists? Deep inside, no one really takes kindly to being corrected, even when in the wrong,
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"Far and away the best prize that life offers is the chance to work hard at work worth doing." --Theodore Roosevelt
Capo: 1959 Modell Campagnolo, S/N 40324; 1960 Sieger (2), S/N 42624, 42597
Carlton: 1962 Franco Suisse, S/N K7911
Peugeot: 1970 UO-8, S/N 0010468
Bianchi: 1982 Campione d'Italia, S/N 1.M9914
Schwinn: 1988 Project KOM-10, S/N F804069