Grrr - driver altercation

Driving up Arbuthnot Rd., trying to get up the hill I thought I'd steered clear of by not taking Drakefell Road, on the left, filtering with traffic. Start crossing Pepys as coast is clear and this dude starts to turn left in front of me. I stopped my bike, having only just barely managed to see him before he starts turning, b/c his car has one of those little lights on the side of the wheel well.

I yell lightly, "Don't turn in front of me!" and he rolls down his window and says, "Did you indicate?" No! I was going straight! "Well, you should wait for cars, I'm not the one who's going to get killed. and why are you on the lefthand side if you're going straight?"

I was just completely dumbfounded. What the hell? He keeps arguing with me, and telling me I shouldn't be on the road, at least not mentioning road tax, and I'm like, I am a legal user of the roads, we have to share, he keeps coming back at me. I'm like, Dude, I'm just trying to get up a hill, going straight, and you turn in front of me! That's not acceptable!

He's obviously just going to keep arguing, I have no idea if he'll try to get out of the car or not, so finally I just tell him to go. JUST GO! and I ride around behind his car and continue my way up the hill.

What the effing hell, people? This is the first time I've had some idiot turn in front of me and then BLAME ME for it!

yeah i am with him all the way there.. fking dangerous cyclists!

bloody women

You should have bunny hopped up to the window, and spun your back tyre on his face. That's what I would have dine. Totally.

I know, all stroppy like, get a grip!

you should have cut the slag

WAC. Couple of deep breaths and move on, not worth wasting energy on dickwads like these.

In fact, this has happened to me before. One of the few times I shouted at some guy, just from instinct because he nearly killed me... and as I'm shouting at him, i see through the wind screen that he's shouting at me... as if it's my fault.... at that point you just think "this guy won't see reason."

Kill them in the face. Either one really, doesn't matter as long as there is lots of unnecessary violence.

tappy tappy

yeah i am with him all the way there.. fking dangerous cyclists!

Totally!....
....and they dont even pay road tax!

The first thing I would do (okay, second after calling them an inbred baboon feltcher) is get their plates. That way if it kicks off you can track them down. Other than that, be thankful there was no injury. Some drivers are fuckwits, pure and simple. Always beware of left turners.

tappy tappy

oooh... I like that!

I reckon just pointing to that hanging under your top tube would diffuse the situation.

Totally!....
....and they dont even pay road tax!

or insurance, they skid around and plough into cars all day and who pays! typical woman...

or insurance, they skid around and plough into cars all day and who pays! typical woman...

Yeah, bet she was'nt indicating that she was going forwards...

oooh... I like that!

I reckon just pointing to that hanging under your top tube would ignite the situation.

Fixed.

That's quite a tool, hael! Oh bloody hell, I've just set myself up. Oh, well.

Was the driver an Iraq by any chance?

Americans!....
....and they dont even pay ANY tax!

fixed

ignite... diffuse... whatever.

Same thing happened to me last week, driver passes me then turns left right in front of me then stops half way around the corner to let someone cross the road so I nearly plough into the side of his car. I make it clear im not particually happy and he waves his hands in the air like its not his fault. fucking idiot. then about 30 seconds further down the road a lorry does a u-turn and nearly takes me out again. I even have to jump onto the curb so he doesnt get my front wheel.

So i followed him home and killed him.

ignite... diffuse... whatever.

true, its all closure.

I had a guy fully turn left onto me last year. He took me out, totalled my bike, I was thrown to the floor, and whilst coming too, vision still blurred and shock kicking in, the driver tried to smash my face in coz 'I scratched his car' . . . Total cunt.

They are everywher J, and sometimes it's just best to let them drive on coz no amount of arguing will make them see sense. Sad but true.

Glad you didn't get hit.

oooh... I like that!

I reckon just pointing to that hanging under your top tube would diffuse the situation.

It doesn't seem to. There's something about the protective car-bubble that makes people feel safe. I had to point out to some bloke who was getting progressively more leary that fat middle aged men shouldn't really be getting aggressive with bigger, fitter, younger men who have a fucking great lump of steel chain around their waist. That's when he paused for a moment to think and then drove off, still shouting crap at me.

But he might be careful of the next cyclist though.

What sensible argument can you make with idiots at the time, "So, you just effectively just overtook me, then cut straight across me?"

That point when you're riding on the inside of the cars, effectively running a two-lane road but without marked lanes is a tricky one. We know the cars are in the wrong, but it's easy for the muppets to do that to you without thinking. And at the time, they think they're in the right, because it feels like they haven't done anything wrong. I always feel like you need to just leave them with a question or two, so that they go away and answer it in their own time after they have calmed down.

The thing is, if I'm coming up to a place where a driver might potentially turn left I always look for the indicators! I didn't see them but then, as I saw one at the last second, my thoughts have turned towards "Maybe you were so intent on getting up the hill that you didn't see it before he started turning." Then again, all his arguments were stupid, so whatever.

I also try to speak nicely to car drivers, I've had a few good quick points with them on occasion, but the others just seem to be set in their "I'm right" mentality.

But as to "riding on the inside of cars", that's where we're supposed to be otherwise they'd be honking at us for getting in their way. Whatever, we're going to get honked at no matter what we do so all we can do is always try to scan our behavior and see when we're in the wrong and correct it for the next time.