Cyclist splashing brake fluid on cars?

[lph]

Just had to ask: Has anyone ever heard of an incident where a cyclist has kept brake fluid in a bottle, to splash on a car for retaliation??

I hear of cyclists being splashed on purpose with windshield-wiper fluid all the time, but I've never heard of this, and I would expect a story like that to circulate. I stumbled over a bike-hating group on FB, where somebody thought they'd heard their husband's aunt's neighbour's dog say something like this... sounds absolutely ridiculous to me, but I wanted to check.

The rest of the group went ballistic, of course. Them d@mn cyclists!

[Eden]

Never heard of it - what's it supposed to do - take the paint off?

[Geonz]

Perhaps we should all go out and do it and say we got the idea from their group :P

[bmccasland]

If the brake fluid is stored in a bottle, how does one quickly reach for it? Seems there could be a risk of accidently drinking from the bottle..

[zoom-zoom]

If the brake fluid is stored in a bottle, how does one quickly reach for it? Seems there could be a risk of accidently drinking from the bottle..

That would be my fear, too.

Appears that brake fluid is VERY bad for car paint.

Perhaps this needs to spread like an urban legend...let some drivers fear retaliation for their misdeeds. Don't F with a cyclist--you never know if he/she could be packing brake fluid. Heck, I know of a guy who rides with a gun. He's not particularly popular for obvious reasons, but if more motorists thought that THEIR lives or property could be at risk if they mess with the wrong cyclist, then maybe they'd be a bit better behaved while navigating their multi-ton weapons.

[Seajay]

Great! One more reason for crazy people to use their cars as weapons in the ongoing war between cyclists and drivers

[lph]

Perhaps this needs to spread like an urban legend...let some drivers fear retaliation for their misdeeds.

I'm afraid quite the opposite is true. There has been a fair bunch of cyclists on that group trying to turn stupid random comments into sane discussions about about where exactly cyclists should be in traffic and how they should behave, with some success, but once the brake fluid thing came up some drivers just went crazy and started threatening with baseball bats, dooring, making cyclists drink the brake fluid... It's really easy to "hate" someone you think as being just a random, arrogant b@stard, not someone who can talk and reason with you.

[Becky]

Appears that brake fluid is VERY bad for car paint.

It's very bad for bike paint too.....which is why my MTBs use hydraulic brakes that require mineral oil, rather than DOT brake fluid