Shaking My Confidence

[bacarver]

I was enjoying a perfect ride yesterday and then the van full of brats appeared. The van got close and I heard young men screaming at me. I looked to my left and saw that they had opened the sliding door and were leaning toward me so they could make sure I heard them scream. I hate to admit it but my anger flared and I did an "F and F" (gesture and one syllable curse word). Images of Jill Behrman flashed through my mind. (She was a cyclist from Bloomington IN who was thrown into a van during a bike ride several years ago.)
Then one mile down the road THEY DID IT AGAIN! This time I got the license. I rode to the police station and talked to an officer who was polite but hardly seemed that concerned.
I wasn't bothering anyone. I rarely have problems like this. I have had a can of beer thrown at me. (Good thing it was empty.)
I am feeling disappointed with myself due to my response. I think that a police car could have been following me or that children may have seen and heard my performance.
I do plan to control my reaction in the future, but how do you deal with the anger when you are used as a target for juvenile entertainment?
Maybe these punks need to go for a ride with me sometime . . . I'll show them some real exercise and recreation.
Barb

[Mr. Bloom]

I've been involved in situations where:

• I've let the "F" fly
• I've let the "Finger" wave
• I've gotten really mad

I get mad at myself when I let someone push me to the brink

But, following all that, I've decided in advance what I will do the next time something really stupid/unsafe happens.

My goal: I'm trying to not be mad or surprised, but rather go into auto-pilot by immediately focusing on License # and Vehicle Description...THIS TAKES PRACTICE to get good at it - particularly in a stressful situation.

THEN, I'm resolved that IF something bad happens, I am fully prepared to go straight to the police and FILE a complaint...no discussion...just file a complaint.

I believe confidence comes from preparation.

[BleeckerSt_Girl]

I would go back to the police station and demand to talk to someone else if the same person seems unconcerned.
What those teens did is DANGEROUS and under some circumstances it could cause the death of a cyclist. They will continue doing it if they are getting away with it.
Demand action.

[bacarver]

Thanks for the encouragement. I just called the police dept. to request an update regarding the punks who screamed at me and leaned toward me from the van. I'm feeling blown off. The officer is supposed to call me, but I'm getting very strong vibes that I'm just supposed to shut up and start riding my bike in the safety of my back yard. Yes . . . this is the frustration of being a victim. I can just let this go if I have to, but I didn't do anything wrong, so why do I have to fight my way through this?
I'm a nurse. Wonder if I would have stopped to help if one of the punks had fallen out of the van . . . ???
Barb

[BleeckerSt_Girl]

Thanks for the encouragement. I just called the police dept. to request an update regarding the punks who screamed at me and leaned toward me from the van. I'm feeling blown off. The officer is supposed to call me, but I'm getting very strong vibes that I'm just supposed to shut up and start riding my bike in the safety of my back yard. Yes . . . this is the frustration of being a victim. I can just let this go if I have to, but I didn't do anything wrong, so why do I have to fight my way through this?
I'm a nurse. Wonder if I would have stopped to help if one of the punks had fallen out of the van . . . ???
Barb

Maybe it'll help you get action if you tell the police that if nothing is done about this you will write a letter to the newspaper. That'll probably get some action going. These kids NEED to be contacted by the police and made to realize they will get into trouble if they do it again.

[Aggie_Ama]

Went for 32.27 miles alone this morning. Only incident I had was the standard bozo who wanted to lay on his (her?) horn. I smiled and waved with enthusiam. I still prefer riding with DH and am still nervous about every car that passes. One day I will be confident to ride alone more often.

[Starfish]

Maybe it'll help you get action if you tell the police that if nothing is done about this you will write a letter to the newspaper. That'll probably get some action going. These kids NEED to be contacted by the police and made to realize they will get into trouble if they do it again.

Sure. A letter to the Chief of Police or Sheriff, with copies to the Mayor, City Council members, all county newspapers, any local cycling shops/clubs, you name it. If you have a TV news organization anywhere near, find out of they have a tipline for news story ideas. I know we are 3+ hours from the nearest city with TV news, but they come out here for stories, etc.

Make sure you get the badge number of any officer who is blowing you off.

And, there are ways to get the information of registered owners if you have a plate number. My brothers have paid friendly visits to people who have threatened me (albeit not while I was on the bike) to talk with them. PM me if you want...I'm not sure my info is totally accurate.

[bacarver]

To my surprise, the officer did call me back this morning. He said that he located the owners of the van and THEY have spoken with their 15 year old son. The officer said that he is still going to meet with the 15 year old to have a talk with him. I am satisfied with this plan.
I will train myself to check license plates. This is a good habit to practice. I will also put a pencil and notepad in my under-seat pouch.
Thank you for the encouragement and the suggestions!
Barb

[onimity]

In Colorado cyclists are encouraged to use the standard road rage/dangerous driver hotline (*CSP). If an officer is available in the area, they will attempt to find the driver.

At a minimum, the information is kept in a dangerous driver database and the driver is contacted after 3 reported offenses and faces penalties for any beyond that. Of course I wish that they'd just go lock the guys up but it does please me that cars and bicycles are treated with equality in the system. This is due to the advocacy work of Bicycle Colorado.

I agree that making sure that the police take these things seriously is important. Equally important IMO is advocacy to ensure that cyclists are respected by the system beyond the individual officer/department.

Mr. Silver is right that you have to train yourself to react by looking for the plate. I do this every time a car scares me or turns in front of me even if they have a safe distance, a game more than anything but a good habit to develop. More useful long-term than the finger anyhow. It's important to have a means of remembering/recording the plate # too.

Anne