Just checking after an altercation last night.
I was on Wyoming St at the intersection where the cobblestones start, turning left. The white SUV behind me blared its horn, so I took my left and pulled over to let him pass.
He stopped and yelled at me for being in the road and pulled away. I called after him, referring to him as piece of the male anatomy... and perhaps some saltier language too (I can't remember).
He stopped his car so I pulled down an alleyway, then left on Shiloh. When I got to the next intersection, he was waiting for me, out of his car. Advancing towards me, and trying to get in my way he said "So, am I still a
Now granted, I should have kept my big mouth shut and just let him drive off thinking he'd won the day. But, I didn't... *sigh*
Anyway, anyone experience something like this up in Mt Washington? And how concerned should I be? This is the first time since I started cycling again that anything like this has happened...so it was a bit of a shock.
It is tough to remain calm in the heat of the situation. I cant speak for mt wash in particular, but from previous drivers, you can tell the ones that dont care what the laws are, they dont care that you are allowed on the road, they dont care if they hurt you trying to get where they are going. Nothing you say to them will change this so its best to say nothing.
Also, why did you call them an adams apple?
I agree that it is hard to remain calm. Especially when people attempt to physically threaten you.
I always recommend getting a plate number.
I like to pretend not to have heard them at all, and just keep on biking and looking happy about the world. Then I find it helps to imagine them feeling very silly for shouting something that the person didn't even hear - kind of like when you shout after a friend you see walking by and they don't turn around.
It's probably a worse feeling than they'd get by being called an adam's apple (you'd rather them feel embarrassed than just more angry, right?), it's less likely to start an altercation, and it might even help them to calm down and realize it's stupid to be so mad at folks on the road.
Of course, in reality they probably just cruise on thinking they're hot shit for yelling at that cyclist back there. But imagining their embarrassment really helps me to just ignore them, and it might help you too.
It doesn't work for everyone, but I've always found a silent glare to be the best expression of anger. You want to force them to rethink their actions, and reacting in a way that reinforces the usual way arguments take place doesn't do that.
A good memory for plate numbers and vehicle make and model helps too.
I use the silent glare while driving my car too. You just stare them down and they know they just did something stupid.
I like to pretend not to have heard them at all, and just keep on biking and looking happy about the world. Then I find it helps to imagine them feeling very silly for shouting something that the person didn't even hear - kind of like when you shout after a friend you see walking by and they don't turn around.
+1
^+1 Let them own their bad behavior by not returning it in kind. Like you would with a child.
I repeat this so often, it's like spam.
Don't use standard physicological or metaphysical curse words. If you want to yell a curse at a deserving driver? Call him a drunkard.
"You D**k" isn't nearly as effective as "You DRUNK!"
Could you imagine, if law enforcement was forced to intervene, his distress at having to tell the officer that you called him a drunk? "Sir, would you care to discuss that before, or after, the breath test?"
He was a jerk. He was in a really dumb vehicle. He was harassing a cyclist. Just what do you suppose the chances of him being over the legal blood alcohol content are?
Call him on it.
I'm thinking it meets the preponderance of evidence criteria, even thouh it's far short of "beyond a reasonable doubt".
Sure, if you shout it at every damn jerk driver, you might be wrong once in while. So what? "If you don't want to be called a drunk, stop driving like one!"
If you are going to shout insults? Shout the appropriate one. "DRUNKARD ! ! !"
(Also, I have seen people straighten their behavior right up when I shout this.)
Mick
I love living on Mt. Washington but I have found out quickly that some parts are not so trendy. They have million dollar homes that are only 2 blocks away from section 8 welfare housing
It sounds like this happened in front of the Fire House. You should file a police report. I think they have a video camera on the front of the Fire House and might be able to pick up his plate number.
I like what bjanaszek and alnilam like. It's hard in some of these situations to keep your cool but when you do you will feel better about it. Given his response, stopping and waiting for you, I am willing to bet he was having a really bad day and it's best not to piss some adams apple off when they're at a breaking point like that. Let someone else do it for you.
You write good spam, Mick.
I'm sorry that happened. Please file a police report, or call the police if you're ever in a situation like this again. And hopefully you won't be, but aggressive drivers that are trying to assault you are not just jerks, they're criminals.
I also like Mick's idea of shouting "drunk" (if anything). Luckily I have never had to be in such a situation (on my bike anyway).
My favorite thing to do when I'm not provoked into complete and total rage by a driver, is to simply shake my head. I never realized 1. that I was even doing it or 2. how effective it was until...lo and behold, a guy in a pickup truck got completely enraged at me after I shook my head at him for nearly hitting me in a crosswalk while creeping out into the intersection. Why the reaction? I made him feel stupid. And he deserved to feel stupid, and even though he reacted like a total adam's apple, I think he got it.
the disbelieving head shake is also my most common retort. In large part because such actions often leave me speechless.
...he reacted like a total adam's apple...
Gotta add that to my immediately-at-hand vocabulary.
Is it illegal to pepper spray someone like this? Not worth either person going to jail, get him good and ride away.
Carrying pepper spray makes me nervous... that I might make a snap decision to use at and then later realize that it was inappropriate afterwards. [Or worse, decide to use and have it pointing in the wrong direction!)
That being said, this incident did make me wish I had something.
Is it illegal to pepper spray someone like this? Not worth either person going to jail, get him good and ride away.
Not a good idea. Spraying someone when you're being physically attacked, sure. Spraying someone for being a threatening jerk? Not cool, and definitely escalating the situation into something worse.
@reddan, I wouldn't spray someone if I didn't think it was a dangerous situation. What if the guy caught myddrin? Wouldn't have been good. I had a really bad experience a couple years back.. gave someone the finger after being pushed into parked cars, he got out, beat the snot out of me, I nearly went through a store window. The entire time I was trying to get my cell out, covering my face with my left hand... ran further away dialed 911, he didn't show up in court. If I had pepper spray he wouldn't have gotten away with everything that he did.
@flyS564, that's a different situation. Use of weapons to protect yourself is warranted.
My point was (is) that you shouldn't make a bad situation worse. Responding to threats with violence is making it worse; responding to violence with violence, especially if you can't escape, is reasonable behavior.
As a side note, retaliating AFTER a threat has passed (for instance, guy squeezes you against parked cars, you catch up at next light and spray him in the face) is also a mighty bad idea. Legally, any claim to self-defense you may have evaporates if you pursue and re-engage.
FWIW I've ridden over Mt. Washington at least once a week for years now. It seems particularly bad this year for whatever reason.
