Why are Motorists so Idiotic & RUDE

[Blueberry]

We have some great ones - and some terrible ones 'round here too. Folks in retain say people are grumpier than ever this year - I expect they are driving too

What I really want to know is - HOW did you get hot chocolate home in your pannier in one piece? That's quite a feat!

[pardes]

[QUOTE=CA_in_NC;382413What I really want to know is - HOW did you get hot chocolate home in your pannier in one piece? That's quite a feat![/QUOTE]

No, I brought the whipped cream home in a can and made the hot chocolate at home. With the temperature outside, hot chocolate would have been ice cream by the time I got home.

[BleeckerSt_Girl]

I had a giant cup of hot chocolate this evening too, after my home made vegetable soup for dinner.
I tend to be a mini marshmallow girl myself. (and lots of them)
It was brutally cold today.

I don't know if it's our area here, or if I just ride in such a way as to not annoy motorists, but whatever the reason- I just never seem to run into aggressive nastiness from motorists at all. Maybe a couple of clueless people who have poor distance/speed judgment, but never any intentional aggression.
Well only once actually-- when I was on a group ride (which I don't do nowadays) some guy in a beat up car drove by and screamed at all of us out his window to "GET OFF THE F***ING ROAD!!!!!"....we not even blocking any traffic. But he had a bright red face, bulging neck veins and bloodshot eyes as he screamed it at us and drove off....he was apparently either drunk or about to explode at any second. (or both) It was so absurd as to be almost laughable.

[buddha_bellies]

My co-worker and I have experienced some really rude drivers/passengers in the past too. I had coin threw at me and he actually had a glass bottle threw at him. Luckily the aim was really bad or it could've been scary.

My commute is about 40 mins by bike or 30 mins driving during rush hours. So I keep telling myself when I bike that this is way less stress and takes just a little bit more time. I giggle everytime I pass by cars that are waiting to get on the bridge when I zoom right pass by them on the bike path

Most of the time, the drivers here are really good about cyclists; Probably because the City is trying to build more bike paths and new drivers that take the road tests are asked about cyclists' rights on the road.

Now if only all cyclists also respect the law too...

[lph]

somewhere, sometime, in a galaxy far far away... I read a really interesting article about road rage. The main point was that a lot of drivers feel that their car and the road immediately around them is an extension of their personal space, with all the psychological effects that brings with it. So they'll feel all the irritation and antsiness that comes with someone encroaching on your personal space or being in the way, while still feeling safe inside their enclosed space. I think cyclists feel much more that they use the road rather than "own" it.

[beccaB]

In my observations people around here give kids on bikes a lot of room. And kids are all over the place. Motorists only hate adults on bikes I assume.

[Biciclista]

I tend to be really lucky, but I've been inched off the road and yelled at too. I do my best to difuse anger by smiling and waving (unless the SOB is aggressive and scares me so bad I can't let go of my handlebars - THEN I use that adrenalin to try and catch up to them and give them a piece of my mind.)