Brentdelro

Ran across a super aggressive driver today.

he didn’t like how i was in a left turn lane out of a neighborhood. Honked, i moved over and he continued to yell and swear. Didnt know what to do so i started recording. I tried to link the video but i cant because my account is new.

should i do something(i have his plate) or just move on in life.

TakingMyTime

Get use to it. You'll have your good days and you'll have your bad days. In my book that wasn't that bad.

CAT7RDR

SUVS and trucks may break my bones but horns will never hurt me.

Whereabouts?

Steve B.

Get thru the intersection and then stop and pull over. Let them get bored and they will move on.

SoSmellyAir

Perchance, your own neighborhood? Do you know where the aggressive driver lives?

Avoid confrontation with aggressive drivers while on bike. Without a car, you will most definitely lose.

urbanknight

Did he stop the rant once he realized you were recording?

Polaris OBark

Get the license plate and report it to the major insurance companies. Ask them if this is the kind of driver they wish to insure. Pretend you know they are the insurer. If you hit the top 10, you are most likely to get one interested.

jsigone

ride with front and rear flashing lights. BE SEEN

I run this rear light 100% of time while riding on the road or mixed surface. Battery life will last a century worth of miles.
https://www.niterider.com/products/s...ible-taillight

zandoval 

I still attempt to confront them when they do things like you described, but, I have never had a good ending to those confrontations. I once had to walk home and at arrival was calm enough to realize that my defensive tactic could have easily ended with me in jail. Thank goodness I live in Texas. You never know how its gonna end up so its most likely best to just let it pass...

Garfield Cat

There's aggressive and then there's passive aggressive.

pbass

I live in Glendale which is the aggressive/a**hole driver capital of CA. Part of the reason our car insurance is (AFAIK) the highest in the state.
I try to only ride the road to get to the dirt, but incidents like that are daily for cyclists here. Just the other day, I came to a 4 way stop in a suburban area on Chevy Chase Dr(very popular cycling route), not a car in sight save for one at least a block and half behind me I had seen earlier, which was now obscured behind a turn. So I rolled right through the stop. Then I hear the car floor it and he charges up on me (I don't even know how he could have been focusing on me, he was waaay back there) and then gets alongside me and proceeds to squeeze me to the shoulder practically into the trees, all the while screaming in a fit of rage at me for going through the stop sign. I abruptly slow down and he shoots ahead, and go figure, blows right through the next stop sign in his blinged-out G-Wagon, practically taking out a pedestrian. Glendale, Baby.

Velo Mule

De-escalate @Brentdelro . While that is the advice I give, I know how hard it is to do. Keep your cool. Keep it from becoming an argument. I know it already is and that is the problem and why it is so hard to not come back with an argument of your own. Something like "Easy there, we are both trying to make lefts in this mess". I know it sounds lame, and it is asking you to do the work, but this is the best way to bring it back down.

That is assuming you can even talk to him or her. Nowadays, everyone has their windows up and their sound system turned way up. Giving him a thumbs up or wave so that he feels like he has been acknowledged can be helpful.

Good luck out there. It ain't easy being the good one. (Not that I am much good at it either).

downtube42

Chill, be the sane one.

After I started riding public transit and seeing the % of people with anger management and other signs of mental health issues, I came to the conclusions the same percentage of motorists probably have the same issues, they're just in cars. The best approach is to stay calm and attentive, don't engage, don't look scared, don't look aggressive. They're fighting their own demons, you just happen to be nearby.

Recording and reporting is fine, but as far as engaging, don't.

BRIAN90505

These days in SoCal it's best to avoid provoking anyone and stop using the lanes as if you're a car.

urbanknight

Oddly enough, the more I act like a car, the more respect I get from drivers. Of course this also means getting out of the way whenever possible, but following the rules and riding predictably goes a long way.

SoSmellyAir

In my riding area (Irvine) this works 99% of the time. Of course, once in a while one encounters a driver who either (a) has never previously encountered a bicycle in a motor vehicle lane, or (b) worse, somehow firmly believes bicycles should be confined to parks and sidewalks. Kids zooming recklessly around on Super 73s (like live Mario Kart) do not help our cause.

BRIAN90505

Well if it works for you, that's great, until it isn't. I know that even though I ride bicycles (and motorcycles), whenever someone on a bike is pedaling in the car lanes without the share markings, it really irritates me. Good luck with your way of riding though.

urbanknight

Since I follow all traffic laws, it only "isn't" when some other driver breaks the law. If you think cyclists should only be allowed to take the lane when there are sharrows, you don't understand CA traffic laws (or their reasons) very well. I've got over 3 decades of "my way of riding" and the trick is to be as visible and predictable as possible, but still not assume that anyone sees you.

BRIAN90505

LOL ah, you're one of those, here to tell me how many years of experience you have and how I don't understand. I mean, how can I possibly know any more than what your 3 decades have taught you. Have a nice day and don't bother with a reply. I'll be leaving this thread now.

urbanknight

Just offering my experience and advice. I have no idea if you have more or less than me, and even if you have less you may have a valid point to share anyway. You're welcome to see my point or counter it, that's what respectful discourse is all about. You're also welcome to go away without comment, of course. I do see that you're one of those people who try to control others with that "don't bother with a reply" bit. I won't buy into that. If you want to go then go, but don't try and silence others because you're not getting your way.

Eric F 

You committed a minor traffic offense. He threatened you with a deadly weapon. You learned your lesson.

Lesson: Glendale has a lot of a-hole drivers.

Eric F 

Your irritation appears to be based on ignorance about the rights and rules of the vehicle code and how they apply to bicycles. In broad terms, a bicycle operating on a roadway is a "vehicle" and has the same rights as other "vehicles", as well as being bound by the same rules.

Urbanknight isn't the only one who has found that behaving in a "car-like" manner is generally safer than riding in an unpredictable way that drivers aren't at all familiar with. It not only makes sense, but it has been proven in practice.

SoSmellyAir

Unfortunately, this type of irrational impatience and irritation is all too common. I bet that, while you are driving, both the number of times you have been inconvenienced by cyclists and the duration of the resultant delay are miniscule compared to the same metrics by other drivers.

Very few Californians are knowledgeable about the California Vehicle Code. We have to make the test super easy to pass due to the lack of public transportation. For example, no one seems to comprehend Section 21654:

California Code, Vehicle Code - VEH § 21654 | FindLaw

Not even Sergeant Brian Pennings of the CHP:

Know the Road with the CHP: When to move out of the way of a faster car - ABC30 Fresno

Eric F 

I witness ignorance by both drivers and cyclists on a regular basis.

For cyclists, it’s often blurring the lines between vehicle and pedestrian, and they become unpredictable. It not only increases their own risk, but further fuels the stereotype of lawless cyclists.

For drivers, it’s not understanding that cyclists have the right to ride on the roads, including taking a full lane (with some exceptions).