How should I have reacted?

On Tue, 23 Nov 2004 22:29:50 -0000, "MielBob"

robertReplaceThisWithAnAtSignjohnstone26.freeserve.co.uk said:

Should I have:

- Reshaped his Alfa Romeo with my D-lock?

No. Alfas are works of art.

Quoted message said:

- Acted as if I was hit by him and collapsed to the ground screaming in
pain?

No. You would get dirty and wet, and probably run over by someone
else.

Quoted message said:

- Pretended to call the police?

Hahahahahahahahahaha. In the time it takes them to answer the bloody
telephone, you could have been home.

Quoted message said:

The driver told me
that he didn't see me because I was 'in his pillar'. I sure that he would
have ploughed straight through me had I not been shouting "Ooiii!" at the
top of my voice.

As A-pillars get thicker, this is an increasing problem. The driver
now knows this and will be aware.

On Tue, 23 Nov 2004 22:29:50 -0000, "MielBob"

robertReplaceThisWithAnAtSignjohnstone26.freeserve.co.uk said:

Yesterday evening I lost my temper for the first time in about 15 years.
You've guessed it - it was with someone driving a car. The car in question
almost flattened me as it entered a roundabout I was on, stopping 3 inches
from my left side. I responded with a rather uninspired "You stupid
[censored]!", before regaining my self control. On the remaining 10 miles of my
journey I mulled over how I could have reacted in a way that would maximise
the chance that he would drive better in future. Should I have:

- Reshaped his Alfa Romeo with my D-lock?

I suppose it might help reinforce the lesson. OTOH, a bit, er,
criminal for my tastes.

Quoted message said:

- Acted as if I was hit by him and collapsed to the ground screaming in
pain?

I've always fancied this gambit. But a bit too much like tempting
fate.

Quoted message said:

- Pretended to call the police?

Makes a change from the police pretending to give a [censored], I suppose.

Quoted message said:

Any ideas would be welcome, because I'm sure something similar will happen
in the future and I would like to have a response pre-planned.

Bob

PS If you're interested, it was dark at the time, I had Cateye 10W halogen
and LED head-lamps, was wearing a yellow jacket with reflective piping and
carrying two flourescent yellow panniers. I was travelling at about 10 miles
per hour and the area was well lit with street lamps. The driver told me
that he didn't see me because I was 'in his pillar'. I sure that he would
have ploughed straight through me had I not been shouting "Ooiii!" at the
top of my voice.

Hi there.

Best advice is to chill...

This sort of [censored] happens all the time, if you let yourself get wound
up every time you will do your self no good at all.

It would be better to try and anticpate this sort of stuff, and be
ready with a plan for evasive action. Then when the worst does happen
you are neither suprised on unprepared - "hang on there's another
d*****d motorist".

I get this every morning at a busy roundabout, so I usually take to the
extreme right hand edge of my lane, so that when they do pull on in
front of me I've got some space to play with.

Advance verbal warnings ("oi"😉 can help. The most satisfying commuting
incident I've ever had was when I saw a car about to do as your chap
was, and I gave a loud "oi". I think up to this point he had genuinely
not seen me, as he slammed on the anchors, ending up with the car's
nose sticking 3 foot into my lane...

....at which point I heard the satisfying crunch as he got rear-ended by
the other d*****d motorist behind him!
Cheers, Andy

www.stirling-tri.co.uk

Not Responding said:

On Tue, 23 Nov 2004 22:29:50 -0000, "MielBob"

robertReplaceThisWithAnAtSignjohnstone26.freeserve.co.uk said:

Yesterday evening I lost my temper.... The car in question
almost flattened me as it entered a roundabout I was on... I mulled

over how

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

I could have reacted in a way that would maximise
the chance that he would drive better in future. Should I have:

<snip>

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

- Pretended to call the police?

Makes a change from the police pretending to give a [censored], I suppose.

where is this place where the polis would pretend to give a [censored] about
the incident described by the OP? I may move there :-)
best wishes
james

Response to :

Quoted message said:

The car in question
almost flattened me as it entered a roundabout I was on, stopping 3 inches
from my left side. I responded with a rather uninspired "You stupid
[censored]!", before regaining my self control. On the remaining 10 miles of my
journey I mulled over how I could have reacted in a way that would maximise
the chance that he would drive better in future.

Judging from the times it's happened to me, I seem to react instinctively
in either of two ways: if I've been genuinely scared and am chock-full of
adrenalin, I yell "You stupid [censored]!" or variants thereof; if it's only
a non-lethal cutting-up-style tw@-manouevre, I do the naughty-boy finger-
wagging, ironic-applause approach, which I fondly hope will shame the
moron into better behavior. Probably doesn't work, though. :-( (And if
I've dented his precious machismo, it could make matters worse.)

--
Mark, UK.
We hope to hear him swear, we love to hear him squeak,
We like to see him biting fingers in his horny beak.

"MielBob" <robertReplaceThisWithAnAtSignjohnstone26.freeserve.co.uk> wrote in message news:<[email hidden]>...

Quoted message said:

Yesterday evening I lost my temper for the first time in about 15 years.
You've guessed it - it was with someone driving a car. The car in question
almost flattened me as it entered a roundabout I was on, stopping 3 inches
from my left side. I responded with a rather uninspired "You stupid
[censored]!", before regaining my self control. On the remaining 10 miles of my
journey I mulled over how I could have reacted in a way that would maximise
the chance that he would drive better in future. Should I have:

- Reshaped his Alfa Romeo with my D-lock?
- Acted as if I was hit by him and collapsed to the ground screaming in
pain?
- Pretended to call the police?

Any ideas would be welcome, because I'm sure something similar will happen
in the future and I would like to have a response pre-planned.

Being nearly hit from the left when you have right of way is one of
the most unnerving experiences for a cyclist. It sounds as though both
of you came to a complete stop. In that situation the most effective
thing you can do IMHO is to take your time getting going again. Look
shocked and dismayed, mop your brow, give him a long sad disbelieving
look, shake your head, then move slowly off. Becoming aggressive will
only trigger a defensive reaction. Hold him and the traffic behind him
up for couple of minutes while you regain your compsure. This is
"shame therapy", a form of aversion therapy and may actually help
modify the driver's behaviour.

While you're doing all this of course, remember you are stopped on a
roundabout and be aware of the traffic around you. And as you set off
again watch out for other cagers pulling out of the queue and zooming
past on the left. Knowing that you followed a plan and that your
reaction was the one most likely to influence the driver's behaviour
should help you to feel better afterwards.

--
Dave...

Not Responding said:

Quoted message said:

- Pretended to call the police?

Makes a change from the police pretending to give a [censored], I suppose.

You owe me a new keyboard.

MielBob said:

Yesterday evening I lost my temper for the first time in about 15 years.
You've guessed it - it was with someone driving a car. The car in question
almost flattened me as it entered a roundabout I was on, stopping 3 inches
from my left side. I responded with a rather uninspired "You stupid
[censored]!", before regaining my self control. On the remaining 10 miles of my
journey I mulled over how I could have reacted in a way that would maximise
the chance that he would drive better in future. Should I have:

- Reshaped his Alfa Romeo with my D-lock?
- Acted as if I was hit by him and collapsed to the ground screaming in
pain?
- Pretended to call the police?

Any ideas would be welcome, because I'm sure something similar will happen
in the future and I would like to have a response pre-planned.

Bob

PS If you're interested, it was dark at the time, I had Cateye 10W halogen
and LED head-lamps, was wearing a yellow jacket with reflective piping and
carrying two flourescent yellow panniers. I was travelling at about 10 miles
per hour and the area was well lit with street lamps. The driver told me
that he didn't see me because I was 'in his pillar'. I sure that he would
have ploughed straight through me had I not been shouting "Ooiii!" at the
top of my voice.

Having attended a number of road incidents which were near, but not,
collisions and their resultant aftermath when one party or the other had
given vent to their, rightly or wrongly, held feelings I would have to
advise do nothing but think what ever you like.
I say this because in such instances it is often not the event which
triggers a violent episode but reaction to that event. Hence, dare I
mention it? the skate boarder knifed to death that was posted a few
weeks ago, the father and child deliberately backed over at speed and
run down by some 4x4 bully who had just passed to closely... these are
examples we have read about here on this forum.
You are on a bicycle and hence very vulnerable should the other party
either decide to knock you down with their vehicle, knife you, give you
a good bashing or otherwise abuse you. I can guarantee, almost, that no
one will come to your aid.
It is just not worth putting yourself in further danger even though you
may be justified in your reaction and feelings.

Sniper8052

Thanks everyone for the advice and the anecdote, Andy.

Dave Kahn said:

Being nearly hit from the left when you have right of way is one of
the most unnerving experiences for a cyclist. It sounds as though both
of you came to a complete stop.

You're right, it was unnerving, and yes, we both came to a stop. I'm no
cycling novice, but this was the scariest thing that's ever happened to me.

I'll bear in mind your "shame therapy" idea in future. The D-lock vandalism
idea was of course meant to be humourous, but also to indicate the
difficulty in behaving rationally once you've lost your temper. I agree that
following a plan in such encounters is important and I'm sure I'll handle
things better next time - unless the car hits me, of course.

Cheers,
Bob

Should I have:

Quoted message said:

- Reshaped his Alfa Romeo with my D-lock?
- Acted as if I was hit by him and collapsed to the ground screaming in
pain?
- Pretended to call the police?

None of the above. Civility gets the best results and improves the
motorists' image of cyclists.

Quoted message said:

Any ideas would be welcome, because I'm sure something similar will happen
in the future and I would like to have a response pre-planned.

C'mon, chill. Rehearse all you like, sphincter tightening moments tend to
wipe one's memory anyway ;-)

Quoted message said:

PS If you're interested, it was dark at the time, I had Cateye 10W halogen
and LED head-lamps, was wearing a yellow jacket with reflective piping and
carrying two flourescent yellow panniers. I was travelling at about 10

miles

Quoted message said:

per hour and the area was well lit with street lamps. The driver told me
that he didn't see me because I was 'in his pillar'. I sure that he would
have ploughed straight through me had I not been shouting "Ooiii!" at the
top of my voice.

The driver had a legitimate point. One can only hope that he's more aware of
the problem and will try to 'see around it'. It has been covered in one of
the motor cycling magazines which dealt with the problem intelligently
rather than hysterically. There is nothing once can do about the cars with
the broader pillars used in recent car designs and very little one can do
about the drivers and their observational behaviour. One can take charge of
the situation and alter one's own position on the road to make sure that the
chances of disappearing in a blind spot are minimised. I am a car owning,
motocycling, cyclist and have sympathies with all three camps. The common
sense approach used by Bike magazine was a breath of fresh air with its no
blame approach to finding a solution to hazardous situations faced by motor
cyclists and ipso facto, cyclists.

"MielBob" <robertReplaceThisWithAnAtSignjohnstone26.freeserve.co.uk> wrote

Quoted message said:

Yesterday evening I lost my temper for the first time in about 15 years.
You've guessed it - it was with someone driving a car. The car in
question
almost flattened me as it entered a roundabout I was on, stopping 3
inches
from my left side.

Near me is a roundabout that gridlocks in the morning. There is plenty of
room at the exit for two cars side by side so that traffic going from 9
o'clock to 12 o'clock could merge with the traffic going 6 o'clock to 12
o'clock. What actually happens is that the drivers going straight on move
over to the left as they exit, preventing left turners from entering the
roundabout.

It is also quite common on free flowing dual carriageways where when you
wish to turn left, you have to wait for someone coming round in the right
hand lane, just in case they cut across your bows.

On a roundabout I use regularly (with car & bike), I have seen cars get
SMIDSYd due to poor positioning.

If drivers take wrong lines, there is a fair chance cyclists make the same
mistakes.

Pooter said:

Near me is a roundabout that gridlocks in the morning. There is plenty of
room at the exit for two cars side by side so that traffic going from 9
o'clock to 12 o'clock could merge with the traffic going 6 o'clock to 12
o'clock. What actually happens is that the drivers going straight on move
over to the left as they exit, preventing left turners from entering the
roundabout.

Quite right too - otherwise the 6-12 driver is likely to come a cropper
when what he/she thought was a 9-12 driver is actually a 9-3 driver
thinking that the 6-12er is a 6-3er. :-)

R.

In message <[email hidden]>, Mark McN
<[email hidden]> writes

Quoted message said:

Judging from the times it's happened to me, I seem to react instinctively
in either of two ways: if I've been genuinely scared and am chock-full of
adrenalin, I yell "You stupid [censored]!" or variants thereof; if it's only

A motorist in a sports car cut me up - so desperate was he to get into a
stationary queue of traffic - and as I passed him on his side I yelled
'f***wit* through the open window. I just about heard his impotent reply
as I cycled into the distance.

On another occasion I muttered 'stupid c**t' as a rear seat passenger
opened a door and knocked my front wheel (OK - I was threading my way
slowly up to the traffic lights between cars and the pavement). Somehow
his strangulated 'motherf**ker' just didn't sound right in a posh
accent.

--
congokid
Good restaurants in London? Number one on Google
http://congokid.com

congokid [email hidden] opined the following...

Quoted message said:

A motorist in a sports car cut me up - so desperate was he to get into a
stationary queue of traffic - and as I passed him on his side I yelled
'f***wit* through the open window. I just about heard his impotent reply
as I cycled into the distance.

Until I heard about the Airzound (Pretty please Father Christmas!) I had
planned to get an air horn and carry in a bottle cage. Instead of
swearing through the window, I figured a 120dB blast in the right ear
and a sheet of paper explaining where they could find a copy of the
highway code ('cos they'll now be deaf) might have some effect.

I'm now marginally less angry most of the time.

Jon

Jon Senior said:

Until I heard about the Airzound (Pretty please Father
Christmas!) I had planned to get an air horn and carry in a
bottle cage. Instead of swearing through the window, I figured
a 120dB blast in the right ear and a sheet of paper explaining
where they could find a copy of the highway code ('cos they'll
now be deaf) might have some effect.

I'm now marginally less angry most of the time.

Jon

I used to have one on a bike back in the late 1970s. Once when I was cycling
along Cutlins Road under the railway where the new Edinburgh Park station
is, I used it because the road was a narrow 90 degree bend with no
visibility. As I went round the bend I saw the face of the driver edging
very slowly round the opposite way, it was a picture. The air horn was a lot
louder and deeper than my Zound, I think the driver must have thought here
was a large truck on the way.
--
Mark

1x1 wheel, 3x2 wheels & 1x3 wheels.