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Road Rage

Old 08-04-22, 07:00 AM
  #26  
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Are you the golf club cyclist?
Sorry. My bad.
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Old 08-04-22, 07:12 AM
  #27  
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Sometimes it is hard not to react to an obviously malicious attempt of a motorist to scare or a stupid antic that could kill you. It only happens once a week or so. In states where guns are not banned, I do not react because someone might get killed. I have no problem flipping someone the bird or screaming at them generally speaking if they almost killed me.
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Old 08-04-22, 08:30 AM
  #28  
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LarrySellerz I've been bike commuting for 29 years. Over the years I have come to recognize the role "adrenaline" plays in clouding my judgement and contributing to anger.
Two devices have helped me minimize regretful reactions.

One is my helmet cam. For the last 8 years I have recorded my rides, primarily for evidence in the case of collision or catastrophe. The first few times I reviewed video of incidents where I encountered poor driver courtesy or dangerous driving I was very unhappy with my over-reactions. Plus on review, most incidents were not that dangerous, but adrenaline clouds judgement.

The other is the AirZound Airhorn from Delta Cycles. It's as loud as a hand-held boat/stadium compressed air horn, but you pump it up with your bike pump. Besides the safety advantage of being able to announce your presence to obliviots, it lets me honk my displeasure, which is more socially acceptable than, and almost as satisfying as yelling insults.

All that being said, I still fall short occasionally. I recently started a new job with new commute routes, and I have been a bit more vocal as I have been surprised more while learning the traffic and pedestrian patterns of the new routes.

It is shocking to hear one's self react with thoughtless, reflexive anger vocally on video replay.
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Old 08-04-22, 08:44 AM
  #29  
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I'm too old to argue and fight, but I found that if I hold my ground, calmly stare and say nothing it disorients them. I get looks like, "I think this guy is crazy."
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Old 08-04-22, 09:04 AM
  #30  
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In addition to the incident I had in post #17 above, I had another one around the same period, give or take a day or two. I thought at the time this was a case of road rage, but after reflecting on it...I'm not sure, but I was pissed.


I was riding down a 2-lane road with no shoulder speed limit 30-mph.

I passed an intersection with no cars behind me (I ride this road every time I go to the gym) and I had to take a left in just under 0.4-mile. About 1/2-way past the intersection I noticed a car turn into my lane, but I knew I had time to make the left turn, so I stayed in the middle of the lane.

I noticed the car gaining on me quickly, more than he should of with a 30-mph speed limit and me going just over 20-mph, but I stayed in the lane as this guy kept gaining ground, since my turn was coming up.

As I put out my left hand, signaling I was taking a left turn, I noticed the driver behind me was pulling into the other lane, as if he was going to pass me. I thought he would immediately comeback to our lane after seeing my arm singling a left turn, but he didn't. When I first saw him attempting to pass me, I was almost 50-feet from making the turn, so he would have at least come very close to hitting me if I turned as normal, the only other option was to abort the turn.

This pissed me off, so I aborted the turn and just kept slowly going over to the left to block him from passing me (being ready to get out of the way if necessary) and he had to hit his brakes at which time I yelled back to him, What the F**k!! (I wanted very much to have a conversation with this guy).

He pulled back into the right lane as I was stopped in the left lane, not far from the centerline.

He just drove off. I know I sounded freakin' mad, but I was also kind of scared and my adrenaline was pumping.


I'm not sure why he would do this, but it was a stupid, reckless act, I've never seen anyone attempt on this road. When I looked at him, I was stopped in the opposite lane, near the centerline, he slowly started moving again, past me in as he turned into the normal driving lane.

He never gestured to me, despite me yelling at him. So I guess he realized he made a bad mistake, usually I at least get the bird from people I have this type of interaction. That's why I'm glad I (nowadays) try really hard not to get too angry and stupid by yelling at people and flipping them off, sometimes maybe it's just an innocent mistake, but at that time it was very scary, hence the yelling, but I never flipped him off.





.
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Old 08-04-22, 09:37 AM
  #31  
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It's not clear from all the participants in this thread that the safe, intelligent, responsible and classy response to road rage is understood.
  • Make no eye contact with the enraged person or any person beginning to yell or utter profanities or threats.
  • Do not utter anything, especially profane words or threats, and make no gestures other than necessary directional hand signals
  • Maneuver to avoid them and get away as soon as possible.

If leaving the scene is delayed because a collision has already occurred, eye contact can still be avoided. I won't detail what to do after a collision here, but it suffices that escalation is not necessary or desireable. If law enforcement is not involved or until they arrive and take control of the situation, avoid and decline all arguments, insults, or verbal combativeness. Render aid or receive aid as necessary without hostility. Exchange identification or insurance information without unnecessary comment. The correct place for any necessary argument or settement of dispute is in court. Any comment you make has a high probability of being recorded, and if it is made without the benefit of careful forethought and legal counsel, is likely to be to your disadvantage.
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Old 08-04-22, 09:41 AM
  #32  
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Originally Posted by LarrySellerz
Anyone get road rage on a bicycle, or seen it happen? Yesterday I got into an altercation with a truck heading into a parking lot and looking back am not impressed with my behavior, but cars honking their horn at me when theyre in the wrong really gets me going.
...too many guns around now. Just keep on riding. If you have to, turn the corner and take a different street.
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Old 08-04-22, 09:43 AM
  #33  
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Originally Posted by GhostRider62
In states where guns are not banned, I do not react because someone might get killed. ...
...isn't this all of them ?
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Old 08-04-22, 01:43 PM
  #34  
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Originally Posted by greatbasin
  • Make no eye contact with the enraged person or any person beginning to yell or utter profanities or threats.
If you don't look at them, you won't be able to judge their next action. When an angry motorist chases and rides up alongside me, I definitely want to know if they're about to yank their steering wheel in my direction.
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Old 08-04-22, 01:50 PM
  #35  
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Originally Posted by LarrySellerz
No but I briefly held up traffic to talk smack
You talked smack and made fun of him for dropping his keys? What kind of monster are you?
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Old 08-04-22, 01:53 PM
  #36  
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Originally Posted by 3alarmer
...isn't this all of them ?
No. I would not mess around flipping someone off in Florida, for instance.
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Old 08-04-22, 02:32 PM
  #37  
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Originally Posted by JW Fas
If you don't look at them, you won't be able to judge their next action. When an angry motorist chases and rides up alongside me, I definitely want to know if they're about to yank their steering wheel in my direction.
I'm not advising to forsake situational awareness. Looking and eye contact aren't the same thing, and I doubt that eye contact enables the judgement of their next action, but it can be escalatory and it takes eyes off the road and proceeding course. Regardless, it's a minor point in contrast to those here admitting to yelling and making profane gestures. There is no justification for that and it's just asking for trouble.

I'll admit to having been tempted in the past to make smart remarks in response to needless and foolish hollering by motorists, but I have not and am convinced it was the better choice. I will advise myself to keep my mouth shut and ride, and suspect it would be good practice for some others here.
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Old 08-04-22, 02:35 PM
  #38  
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Originally Posted by LarrySellerz
both of us waited at a red light for like 2 minutes, and then there was a short striaght before a turnoff into a parking lot. Dude honks hard at me to get out of the way on the short straight, and after I do I catch up to him when he's trying to turn and cut him off, parking in front of him and confront him as to why he honked at me. A few words were exchanged before I let him go, but then I followed him to where he parked and made fun of him when he dropped his keys as he got out of the car. Told him it was karma.

Looking back my behavior was shameful and embarrassing but whatever. I just get weirdly heated at cars when im on my bike, ive never gotten into a fight or punched someone in my life, a pacifist to a fault, so this is not typical behavior from me.
From your description, it sort of seems like you intentionally got in the truck's way ("after I do I catch up to him when he's trying to turn and cut him off, parking in front of him and confront him"). That's a rather foolish way to deal with a pickup truck when you're on a bike.

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Old 08-04-22, 02:49 PM
  #39  
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Originally Posted by GhostRider62
No. I would not mess around flipping someone off in Florida, for instance.
...I hear people making a big, whiny deal about how the gun laws are so restrictive in California that it's like a police state.
For all I know, you are one of them. I can assure you people get shot and killed on the roads regularly in Sacramento. They are just as dead.*

*This message brought to you by the California Visitor's Bureau and the Sacramento Chamber of Commerce.
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Old 08-04-22, 02:58 PM
  #40  
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My son is presently learning to drive (has his permit). Because I am involved in this process, I am aware that there is well-researched advice on road-rage including that published by state authorities. The guidance here is not arbitrary or capricious and it is not merely the opinion of some.

Driving education and training has consisted of book-based classroom, behind-the-wheel, and movies since at least the 1950's. The books and behind the wheel training hasn't changed much over the decades, but the available movies have. Until recently, there were lecture-based instructional movies, and scare movies. More recently, we have dashcam and traffic-cam fail videos. Previously, it was impractical to mount a film camera on a car or somewhere along the road and hope to catch a fail on film. Even with the advent of widespread video in the 80's and 90's, people were unlikely to have relatively large cameras mounted on their vehicles and continuously recording on tape. Even if they did and caught a fail, they had no way to share it. More recently, we have a proliferation of cheap and tiny cameras that produce good quality video, and easy and convenient video share sites that are a treasure trove of fail compilations that are rich in lessons to be learned. This sub-forum certainly has a share of video and commentary, focused mostly on collisions involving cyclists. Road rage and other confrontations with motorists is a topic that goes beyond the scope of this subforum -- I just mean that not every road rage fail video is appropriate to post here. Do look at some, as some in this thread have described looking at their own video involving themselves in confrontations. Decide what actions would have been preferrable for the people involved. Show me one where someone gained something by not just pedaling away.
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Old 08-04-22, 04:16 PM
  #41  
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There is really no way of knowing who was in the right and who was in the wrong...Judging by some of OPs posts and his dislike of cars and calling drivers cagers...I wouldn`t be surprised if he did something to initiate a conflict with a driver.
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Old 08-04-22, 04:29 PM
  #42  
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I've certainly had my share of moments when I've been irritated by drivers...

...but then I remember that they are protected inside a reinforced and motorized 5000 lb box, and I'm wearing lycra and a styrofoam brain bowl on a 16 lb bicycle. Since I'm a huge fan of getting home from every ride with my body intact, I really make it a point not to provoke conflicts.
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Old 08-04-22, 05:01 PM
  #43  
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After having several drivers whom I yelled at slow down or stop - but never having an altercation, fortunately - I realized that my voice really carries. So these days I tend to be more circumspect.
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Old 08-04-22, 06:56 PM
  #44  
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Originally Posted by Inusuit
A fight you don't have is a fight you won. I don't get into confrontations with anyone if I can avoid it. Lots of people in Wyoming carry weapons and are short tempered.
Good quote. I have a temper and am inclined to get into it verbally and with a pointed hand gesture, that I should not use. I did get chased up onto a sidewalk by a Cadillac when I used that same hand gesture once. I have to constantly remind myself that a lot of people that shouldn't, have guns.
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Old 08-04-22, 08:36 PM
  #45  
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Originally Posted by LarrySellerz
Really don't know what youre trying to say. I told him "thats karma!" after he dropped his keys (I was going my own way but decided to follow him to his parking spot to talk more trash. I am not proud of this action.) and he called after me, he was like "karma for what dropping my keys??" like im an idiot for pointing that out to him and I was like "yeah thats karma bro dont honk at cyclists" and then bounced. I made this thread wondering if others experience road rage on a bike similar to how people experience it in cars, im normally a super passive nonaggressive person.
I was asking important questions which you failed to answer! If you don't know the meaning of some of those things just ask?
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Old 08-04-22, 10:11 PM
  #46  
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Originally Posted by Koyote
From your description, it sort of seems like you intentionally got in the truck's way ("after I do I catch up to him when he's trying to turn and cut him off, parking in front of him and confront him"). That's a rather foolish way to deal with a pickup truck when you're on a bike.
Yeah I stopped in front of him preventing him from moving and started talking smack. He could have kept going but would have run me over.
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Old 08-07-22, 07:30 AM
  #47  
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Originally Posted by LarrySellerz
both of us waited at a red light for like 2 minutes, and then there was a short striaght before a turnoff into a parking lot. Dude honks hard at me to get out of the way on the short straight, and after I do I catch up to him when he's trying to turn and cut him off, parking in front of him and confront him as to why he honked at me. A few words were exchanged before I let him go, but then I followed him to where he parked and made fun of him when he dropped his keys as he got out of the car. Told him it was karma.

Looking back my behavior was shameful and embarrassing but whatever. I just get weirdly heated at cars when im on my bike, ive never gotten into a fight or punched someone in my life, a pacifist to a fault, so this is not typical behavior from me.
Maybe your blood sugar was low? I'm not trying to diminish what the driver did but you say this was not typical behavior for you.
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Old 08-07-22, 07:48 AM
  #48  
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I have found that if/when I engage in road rage, I am hurting myself the most. I usually just change directions and get away. I tend to dwell on things when I react to anger, mine and others, and imagine scenarios that will soothe or build my ego. That winds up ruining my ride, at minimum, If I just get away and do not jump into the fray, I can let it go and leave it behind. A much better scenario for me.
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Old 08-07-22, 10:19 PM
  #49  
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Originally Posted by LarrySellerz
both of us waited at a red light for like 2 minutes, and then there was a short striaght before a turnoff into a parking lot. Dude honks hard at me to get out of the way on the short straight, and after I do I catch up to him when he's trying to turn and cut him off, parking in front of him and confront him as to why he honked at me. A few words were exchanged before I let him go, but then I followed him to where he parked and made fun of him when he dropped his keys as he got out of the car. Told him it was karma.

Looking back my behavior was shameful and embarrassing but whatever. I just get weirdly heated at cars when im on my bike, ive never gotten into a fight or punched someone in my life, a pacifist to a fault, so this is not typical behavior from me.
I used to do sh.. stuff like that when I was young, but learned to be cooler as I got older. I do occasionally wave angrily at a stupid driver but never yell or flip the bird any more, let alone confront someone. If someone yells at me, I wave in a friendly way as if they said something friendly to me.

One realization I've had is that this stuff happens. It is just a fact of life. Cars do stupid and sometimes mean things. You have to understand that it will happen, predict, anticipate, and avoid it as much as possible. Be protecive and defensive.

BUT - also understand that attaching too much meaning to this stuff and allowing it to make you angry just makes your ride less enjoyable. Mess with their minds rather than get pissed off. Return stupid or mean things with a friendly wave.

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Old 08-07-22, 11:46 PM
  #50  
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Lots to learn here. Thanks

Being a bicycle commuter for more than 40 years, who drives for a living, and owns cars, and also an all around recreational cyclist, conversations like these are food for my soul.

I guess like everyone here:

I can sincerely empathize with these experiences because I have them too. It does happen, of course. It's really dangerous out there.

Because of the omnipresent threats I limit my time on the road and ride vehical-free trails and roads for fun.

But I must ride the roads to get to work, save gas, save time, and get some exercise.

I don't want to come off like some know it all jerk. Or pretend that I'm writing something new no one ever thought of -

But here's the thing, people tend to get in a hurry even when they shouldn't be, because it's part of the program and they can't deactivate the subroutines sometimes. Could be chemicals, drama, pain of all sorts, distractions, not just phones, deficits of all kinds, concerns, worries, excitements, erotic urges, who knows right?

They're all out there scurrying around like seemingly mindless bugs.

Why even more than ever people fail to use the effective and well designed turn indicators so convenient and courteous because I speculate that they figure "well it's obvious what I'm going to do or there no one out here who matters for as far as I can see, I don't know.

YEs it's really pretty pathetic.

So at this point it's unfortunately a kind of norm. And to be honest I've got to laugh at how petty and ludicrous this road rage crap is.

And yeah I've had my scrapes I won't even dare to write about or try to explain because that's hard work writing down the details.

When I'm driving at work I'm extremely courteous and professional, especially to cyclists,y buddies out there! It's made me more cheerful. There are lots of riders out there doing their thing, their way, and they're all cool.

But when I'm alone riding it is easy to forget. Someone wrote about getting low on sugar, and that does have profound effects Consider the driver's out there. There are a lot of drowsy type 2 diabetics out there particularly on the evening commute!

I love riding to work. Too bad for those who have to drive a great distance to get to work. It's tough for them. How can you not blame them for personalizing their cars, mind of being in a hurry because they have to punch a time clock? I mean come on , these are the people we are afraid of.

So it's bitter out there sometimes.

We just have to cope as best we can. Escalating conflict is not advised. Right.

But when you realize someone behind the wheel does something that is going to hurt you real bad, you can't be blamed for having an emotional response!

We're emotional beings and not Spock from the Star Trek scripts. We're all a bunch of impetuous Captain Kirk's and Catwomen from Batman.

I'd be more suspicious of someone who doesn't express their feelings than not. It's good to let it out Keeping it in hurts too. Just saying.

Make friends not enemies.

I used to ride as fast as I could, hitting sprints of 30 mph between lights. I've found that 14 mph works pretty good on 45 mph boulevards for example, I have fewer right hooks than when I was jamming Now I ride a single speed. The big bummer is it is hard to accelerate on a single speed with being stuck in a tall gear.

But somehow it flows better and I like that.
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