Stopping to 'have a go'

[DangerMice]

One incident brings a chuckle.

I had a guy 50 or 60 meters up the road pull over & park in a clearway in rush hour traffic (the lane I was in). I briefly tootled the horn as I went past and he flipped me the bird. I stopped at the lights a little further up, looked back and shook my head a couple of times.

He gets out of the car and starts walking down the lane towards me. I said (nicely) "its after 4pm mate, you can't park in the clearway", but he didn't hear me and must have thought I abused him because his stance got all aggressive and started yelling "what did you say? WHAT DID YOU SAY!". He was a huge Samoan guy, I thought "here we go", but just calmly repeated what I said.

He kind of froze and I could see the gears working in his head, the light came on and he was all "awwww sorry bro, sorry bro, my bad. Thanks for letting me know, I'll go move it". I gave him a thumbs up and carried on, laughing all the way. (I was kinda glad he didn't hit me too).

So all in all, a pointless altercation, i would have been better to ignore it.

[vifferman]

The thing about getting emotional when driving, and taking things too personally, is things can escalate very quickly as adrenaline kicks in, and rapidly get out of hand. Being on a bike, you're at a distinct disadvantage, apart from being able to slip thorugh the traffic fairly readily.
Road rage is DUMB. It's destructive, doesn't make people think, "My bad - I'd better not cut people off in future / check my mirrors, etc." Instead it becomes personal and is atken as a personal attack.
You've got to remember, most people think they're a better'n average driver. The aim if they fuck up is to make them realise they've made a mistake and need to take more care, not to be distracted by some vandal inflicting damage on their Falcadore GTS Prosthetic Penis.

[Badjelly]

If there was room to make this post my new signature, I would.

Oscar Wilde: I wish I'd said that.

James Whistler: You will, Oscar, you will.

[Oscar]

Thats not a sad thing, thats an awesome thing.

We aren't trying to solve anyones' problem, scumdog. We are just blowing smoke on some bs biker internet forum. I highly doubt some newb is going to take this sort of bs talk as "real life", and seriously, if anyone wants to smash someones car mirror or window (or doesn't) I doubt anything that you, I, or anyone else says is going to change it.

All that is happening here, is blowing off steam by a few individuals rolling around ideas, and others that disagree with them taking issue and talking down at them.. yeah thats you by the way, so really there is nothing you can "do" to fix the problem, so all you are going to get is wound up about it, so why bother?

Sure, but it's not nice to call people idiots. That just adds to the level of insult and injury, and we were all mates before someone started that, and if we weren't mates, then why post? Unless insult and injury is the whole point..

Yeah thats the dark side of it, and to be fair, that is a concern of mine also. It's pretty tough to win such a fight, unless you can go cross-country, or find some other method to get plenty of air between you and them.

Steve

So if we're only blowing smoke on some BS biker forum, why get upset about being called an idiot? Your post was idiotic after all, wasn't it?

The person who started the thread asked for our opinion, and we both gave it. Mine was about being careful - don't get yourself into a worse situation, but try to make the point to the other driver that you would like to share the road without getting hurt.

Being as how there are a lot of red blooded young fellas on this board, who may not have the age, experience or life skills to realize that you are posting "BS" - your opinion could get someone hurt.

[Tubbsy]

My take on this, even though I posed the original question, is don't do anything physical. As another poster said, if I was in my car and some biker kicked my door in or busted my mirror, I would lose it too. So acting on anger would achieve nothing, or nothing good anyway, apart from maybe a second of satisfation before getting run over.

But at the same time, educating people that we are road users too, and in fact, are far more vulnerable is the tough bit.

Yeh we're all blowing of steam on the forum. Unfortunately, the problem is all too real. Take for instance how many close calls each one of us have had....that's a lot combined. Maybe the only way to teach is lead by example.

Why do we pose such an unkown quantity to car drivers that to the majority we are pretty much non-users of the road, and no courtesy is displayed?

[Ixion]

Yup. Aim for drivers' door. They will never do that again.

Done that. Wrote off the bitches Austin A30. She was notorious, NEVER would give way to a motorcycle. Even claimed that bikes couldn't have right of way.

So one day I'm pootling along on the A10 (solid cast iron them things) and she pulls out in front of me. Not stupidity, she SAW me right enough just arrogance.

I thought "fuck you", a few weeks back she'd had a mate off quite badly (where the "motorbikes can't have right of way" came from). So, I braked until I was fairly slow, down into first gear (remember A30s took several weeks to accelerate up to 10 mph), and rammed her dead athwart the drivers door. On a rising throttle and braced for impact.

I was fine, A10 had a scratch on the front mudguard paint, her Austin got written off . And she got a ticket for failing to give way. to add to her collection.

Another time some cunt decided to deliberately open his front door on me.

So I rammed it.

Old style car where the door has a little metal strap to stop it opening too far and hitting the front guard. broke the strap rammed the door into the front guard. He was irate. Not such a good joke after all , eh.

Got cut off and had to brake fairly sharply this morning to avoid road-kill time. Silly be-otch pulled straight in front of me to cross my lane to get to the service station. ..

Just wondering.....for those of you that HAVE stopped to tell an idiot motorist off, how does it normally play out?.

Firstly, you get used to it. I expects several such occurrences a week, seldom take much notice of them now

Secondly, I find it's best to be going a tad faster than other traffic.

Thirdly , there are things you can do to mitigate the likelihood. A good one is , if you see someone waiting to pop out of a side street (and you should *always* expect that they will, give way rule be buggered), stare straight at them and swerve toward them.

Fourthly. If it was actually stupidity it can be worth stopping for a little chat. If it's not inconvenient. most of the time it's apparently a waste of time. But y' never know.The guy that responds agressively may actually take on board "Shouldn't do that. Oh. " And remember it next time, even though he won't agree with you at the time.

And there are a SHITLOAD of drivers out there who genuinely don't know the rules. Don't be agressive, just do the "You know, you nearly caused a very serious accident there. Do you realise the law says ... ".

I've done it many times. With variable success. The cunts that deliberately try to kill you are another matter.

[Ixion]

Why do we pose such an unkown quantity to car drivers that to the majority we are pretty much non-users of the road, and no courtesy is displayed?

We don't. They do it to everybody. They do it to me when I'm in the Pajero. Weighs two tonne, solid as a solid shithouse, VERY few vehicles are going to come off best in a tangle with it. But they still pull out in front of it, try to occupy the space I'm in etc.

Maybe not so much as a bike, but that's probably just down to visibility

Thing is , most cagers are just too downright stupid NOT to do stuff like that. Remember, every other cage on the road is, by definition, driven by someone of subnormal intelligence.

[Ecclesnz]

Lol red repped for my post and given this comment
"you are an asshole. The really dangerous sort. The sort that kill people because you feel angry."

While I can't tell who you are yet, you just didn't get it. I'm not likely to go off and kill someone at the drop of a hat. Someone crashes into me, on my bike, in my car, what ever, I'm not going to go off and hit them (as others on this forum have previously indicated they would).

When people talk about kicking in doors and all that sort of crap recently the first thing that comes to mind is the elderly guy killed in Auckland recently after the fender bender.

An accident is an accident, I willful act of damage is something entirely different. If you are prepared to do damage to my car because of an almost accident in traffic where will you stop? Are you the next guy who will beat someone to death because of a small oops?

It can be a little hard to tell if you're running a piece of metal along my car or kicking in a door. In your tiny little mind you may be just trying to "learn the cager a lesson on manners" to the guy in the car you may be warming up before you really tee off on me. How do I tell the difference?

[CookMySock]

My take on this, even though I posed the original question, is don't do anything physical.

Like run a biker over while he's on his bike? Make a new speedhump on the road out of him? Kill him because he just scratched your paint and now he is going to do something more to you?

Yeh we're all blowing of steam on the forum. Unfortunately, the problem is all too real. Take for instance how many close calls each one of us have had....that's a lot combined. Maybe the only way to teach is lead by example.

The problem isn't "too real" at all. I have had for more abusive approaches than any poster in this thread so far... by a wiiiide margin, and I feel safer on the road on my bike than in my car.. Take a look at the numbers - you have had one abusive and threatening approach? Over how many years? One other poster has had one abusive and threatening approach? Over how many years? The chances of such a thing are statisically microscopic overall, provided we don't go out to deliberately pick fights.

Why do we pose such an unkown quantity to car drivers that to the majority we are pretty much non-users of the road, and no courtesy is displayed?

NO courtesy? Where did you get that from? It's tempting to take one incident and garner support in some internet forum for it (trivial) and then project it onto the rest of society, but it is still no more than your own projection.

The courtesy I am extended from cars is enormous.. I think it's you who is doing something wrong. Ask yourself what you believe.

Steve

[Katman]

I have had for more abusive approaches than any poster in this thread so far... by a wiiiide margin

Perhaps if you didn't talk such shit...........

[Tubbsy]

NO courtesy? Where did you get that from? It's tempting to take one incident and garner support in some internet forum for it (trivial) and then project it onto the rest of society, but it is still no more than your own projection.

The courtesy I am extended from cars is enormous.. I think it's you who is doing something wrong. Ask yourself what you believe.

Steve

I get that from the amount of near misses I have had over only the last 4 months. Not every day, but often enough. Have you noticed how often the advice, "assume every car driver will do something stupid" is given?

The courtesy you are being "extended is enourmous", but that's your own projection too isn't it, and that kinda invalidates your presumption that it was me doing something wrong. Maybe courtesy was the wrong word, but it;s the closest one I could think of.

Have a read back through the forums at how many close calls and near misses riders have posted about?

Bike riding has garnered a rep as being dangerous, why? Because we are all doing something wrong? I don't think so.

I'm not garnering support for some imagined infringement so I can go and kick doors in and key cars. I was asking a simple question to foster healthy debate, which is the whole point of a forum is it not? We all have differeing opinions clearly, and just because your experience differs to mine, how does that mean I'm doing something wrong and you're doing something right?

[Oscar]

Perhaps if you didn't talk such shit...........

You bastid - you beat me to it...

[MIXONE]

I'll put my hand up.
I failed to give way to a motorcyclist in my car a coupla months go and he had to take avoiding action. I was mortified - I missed him by inches...

Was that you trying to get me Oscar.Better luck next time eh!

[Gremlin]

I spoke to one fella one evening, after we had gone around a corner, and without indicating, he had moved into my lane, when I was just coming up around his rear quarter...

He got stuck as first vehicle at the lights, so I had the chance. Bike on sidestand, and walked up, visor open. Predictably, the first words out of his mouth were, I'm sorry, I didn't see you... I was calm and said, Yep, I imagined so. I said, look, yes, you need to be careful, but at least use your indicators so I can get some warning.

Yes... I know this doesn't sound like your typical chat and this was indeed how it went, but hey, vehicles have blind spots, but if you use the fricken flashy things, it gives people some chance.

Anyway... went through the intersection, and while watching him in front, he changes lanes without indicating.... So no, it probably does fuck all, unless they have suffered some sort of damage, physical, financial etc, and even then it probably won't last.

[Oscar]

Was that you trying to get me Oscar.Better luck next time eh!

If I'd have known it was you I woulda tried harder.
SPLAT!