Geriatrix wrote:661-Pete wrote:Another point - I would never, ever, wilfully touch another vehicle whilst cycling. Except as a last-ditch life-saving measure - e.g. to fend myself off from a collision! Courtesy counts for a lot in good road sense. And thumping a car roof with a gloved hand is a good precursor to fisticuffs....
I agree with you although I have done it myself
. It remains a valid point that any vehicle that passes close enough to allow you to do that is too close, but I'll admit, I'm not sure if the act of thumping the roof or side if the vehicle has any benefit in correcting driver behaviour, and may make it worse.
No but it's the
only recourse when being driven into the curb at 20mph,which is what happened to me,when the driver stopped,without warning he came at me with fists at the ready,I hit him with the bike in self defence,which again was my only recourse in the circumstanes.I was not thinking about anything else but my own safety.
He OTOH was deliberately out to cause trouble and this wasn't some chavvy type but a thirtysomething business type in a shirt and tie,driving a high end Merc.I noted how he went from agressor to plaintive victim when the tables were turned.
There are an element of bullying vehicle drivers who think they can get away with murder and sometimes do,but once out of the "box" are found to be like any other jack when their spring is sprung.
I hate to have to defend myself against such people,it affects me for days afterwards,and I do my utmost to avoid it but sometimes people are either so stupid they don't realise what they're doing or they are out to deliberately bully "lesser" vehicles,you can never tell which is which.
BTW,I've never yet been knock off,I like to think it's due to riding strategy and skill but I wouldn't have stood a change against the red Mondeo who drove directly at the cyclist on roundabout in one of last nights clips.