How do you act if you get harrassed by a driver???

[FreshNewbie]

Well this weekend my boyfriend and I went for a 30 mile ride. It was my first "long" ride since i started riding a little over a month ago. I managed to averaged about 15-16mph. I was so proud of myself! Almost to the end of our ride I got yelled at by a passing car ( some assult of course) and then my boyfriend got yelled at which sounded something like that : Get of the road you .....ing as.....le. I was so mad that some people can actually be so ignrant and pardon me - stupid. Although, I told myself not to pay attention to this but now that I think about it, if I ride in New York what must be happening in other states where riders get tiped over by openned doors, etc. So how do you act when this happens to you?? -Yell something nasty back ( don't want to come to their low level ) , keep riding????
Any suggestions or similar stories ladies ??????

[Pax]

This comes up all the time on the motorcycling forum I frequent - Always remember that the car is their equalizer. If you decide to yell back or go toe to toe with a cage driver they will ALWAYS have the bigger/badder weapon if things get outta hand. Best bet (for me anyway and I'm a complete hothead) is to shake it off and pity them the confines of life in a cage.

[caligurl]

i've done both... depending on my mood: kept riding just shaking my head... or flipped them off...

just the other day... i moved into the turn lane to turn left... the road i was turning on had a stop sign (i didn't).... the idiot pulled out in front of me! good thing i was paying attention.... gut reaction took over: "WTF ARE YOU DOING YOU STUPID A##HOLE????" the passenger's window was open so i know they heard me!

[FreshNewbie]

The same thing happend to us the same exact day when we got yelled at. We were riding in a residential area ( great for riding), we had no stop sign however this guy did. He , of course, thinking that he is so important on his huge truck with a hure beer gut hanging out yells : where are you going you mtf .... I dont think he was paying attention where he was going and what was infront of him.
But I think it made him feel great to just yell something, of course my boyfriend didn't hold it back either. One thing I would wanna see is these kind of people get on a road bike and climb a hill, maybe then they would shut up.

[caligurl]

most times people at intersections are uber considerate.. waving me first even if they have the right of way! i don't expect that and always wave and say thank you so that they can read my lips..... but i DO expect to take my right of way

i just read an article someone posted in another forum about the cyclist/car "war" and who has a right (we both do!)

why can't we all just get along???????????????????

[FreshNewbie]

I do appreciate when people are nice enough to slow down or swith to other lane so a cyclist has more space. There are people out there who do appreciate the sport not participating in one. But then there people who would drive right behind you, hunk loudly to scare you and drive off while you are trying to catch your breath. I think this is how people are, we need a war anywhere we go. If we can't have one with another country, we will go have one on a road ( 18 wheelers vs. Cars, Cars vs. cabs, cars vs. bikes , etc etc). But one thing that is really making me mad : they don't realize that they put under danger not only the cycist but themselves and other people on the road. UGRRRRRRRRRR

[bikerchick68]

I do my very best to NOT even react... I figure I could yell back (usually it DOES make me mad) but THEY have a 1000 lb car... and I have a 17lb bicycle... not good odds... also IF they get out to challenge me, I'm in cleats that I can't even walk well in, let alone try to ward someone off or run away... it's just not worth the risk to me... I usually just smile and wave at them...

fortunately there seem to be as many people being KIND as being A-holes... I always thank people who wave me thru letting me know they SEE me, or who give me extra room etc...

sorry you had to deal with people being jerks... it's a bummer...

[lkrider]

I am always amazed at the different things i get yelled or honked at for (surprize--it's usually by old ladies!), pulling into a left turn lane, stopping in the middle of the lane at a stop sign! One woman yelled at me to "get a drivers' license!," and I am over 40! Bad guys always seem anxious to show that they have more horsepower-(duh) and testosterone and love to hammer the engines on their big trucks as they go by. After those first few seconds of shock and headshaking frustration -- I try to smile broadly, channel my inner zen, think good thoughts. Never yell. Use the negative energy thinking of ways to spread the light of understanding to those poor ignorant souls who have not experienced the simple joy of riding a bicycle.

[FreshNewbie]

Next time I will try smiling. I bet it will get them even more pissed of seeing that instead of me being mad at them, I will take it with a smile ( not sure whether it might turn out good or bad ) Oh well, I guess you are right they are just ignorant people who have no life of their own, so they try to ruin ours ...

[bikerchick68]

hey freshnewbie... remember as you are smiling and waving that you can also be cursing them with a big ole grin on your face...

[FreshNewbie]

Hahaha
Gotta love this forum !!!!!!!!! Very true bikerchick68, you bet I will be doing it next time it happens. ....

[Jo-n-NY]

I like the smiling idea also. I will just be hard to remember about it in one of those situations.

I take back roads to get to my favorite bike path. With some developements there are some moderately busy roads, nothing crazy. On one my husband and I got yelled at to get on the sidewalk that was on the opposite side than we were and suppose to be riding. The best was getting cut off by a school bus. We were both stopped at the red light, light turned green so I proceed to go straight and she turns right in front of me knowing I began to go already with a stinkin smug look on her face. I wish I thought fast enough to get her the licence plate #. I rode on wishing bad karma on her consisting of 4 flats.

~JoAnn

[yellow]

Never yell.

I smile, wave, and YELL "have a nice day!" and then maybe give them one of these: followed by a smile. There's nothing I can do about their problem and it wouldn't do me any good to make them more angry...as many of you have noted, the poundage ratio is not in your favor. I've never had a horrible incident, though I hate the way it makes me feel when it happens.

So much negative energy out there. It's sad, and scary.

[snapdragen]

Never yell, I usually blow kisses.......

[Geonz]

I have tried to train myself to say "Be Careful!!!" because I dont' think fast enough to see what kind of attitude the driver has, usually (okay, sometimes it's obvious). It's full of all those explosive speech sounds but doesn't have a negative message... if somebody stops and says "What did you say to me?" I could say "Be careful!"
I thought of it when, on Hallowe'en, the lady with the car full of kids ignored my presence and ran a stop sign. Usually here people *are* uber courteous - last Saturday people with the total right of way on a busy road *stopped* to let us across!
MOstly I just keep it cool. . . so many times as a young thing I got mad at people and then found out the rest of the story, so usually I just don't go there . . . and the cars are bigger, *and* (more importantly to me it confuses 'em when you don't get mad.