Double whammy

[Jon P]

Cycling back from a local orchestra rehearsal last night, on my folder with fiddle in a rucksack.  A car was waiting to pull out of a side street, it delayed quite unnecessarily until I had drawn up level then pulled right across in front of me, not forcing me to slam the brakes on but it was far too close for comfort for several seconds as it laboriously pulled off.

I assumed it had deliberately cut me up, and that was why the driver had waited.  I watched the car carry straight on towards the next junction, only a couple of hundred yards away, and decided to get even if I could.  Sure enough, it was turning right; I made it just before the driver had started to let his clutch out, pulled alongside and

WHUMP ... WHUMP ...

on the boot, hard.

Now it was getaway time before the expected glowering pig's head should burst out of the car, but as I went past I glared in at the driver.  However it wasn't some seething brute behind the wheel but a rather slight middle-aged lady who was leaning forward looking distraught, and who probably thought something had hit her rear.  I went down some side streets then rejoined the main road further on; she had parked up and was speaking on her phone. 

I couldn't really imagine she had meant to cut me up to be honest, and wouldn't have reacted like that if I had known.  But the frightening thing is that although her driving was dangerous, intimidatory and completely out of order she apparently had no awareness of this at all.  Hopefully it will have shocked her into thinking a bit harder next time she has to share road space with a cyclist.

[Jasmine]

I couldn't really imagine she had meant to cut me up to be honest, and wouldn't have reacted like that if I had known.  But the frightening thing is that although her driving was dangerous, intimidatory and completely out of order she apparently had no awareness of this at all.  Hopefully it will have shocked her into thinking a bit harder next time she has to share road space with a cyclist.

Probably not.  It sounds to me that she mis-judged how fast you were going.  Lots of people hesitate at junctions and haven't got perfect sense of spatial and speed awareness.  The result was that you got angry and retaliated some distance away to 'get even'.  She probably didn't even know it was connected to the earlier incident, but has gone away thinking cyclists are trying to intimidate her by kicking her car.  I got cut up twice this morning, but my only action was the shake my head at them and let it go.  The result is that I'll have forgotten about it by lunchtime rather than stewing about it all day.

[ABlipInContinuity]

Sounds like a bad encounter for both parties involved.

I try not to react before I know who is behind the wheel. Then I either take no action, shout something appropriate but informative (never offensive) or if I catch them up try and speak to them softly and politely, asking a question that makes them think over what just happened or making a sarcastic remark.

Someone hesitating to pull out of a junction could mean any number of things from nervousness of traffic to drunkeness to a driver struggling to see around an a-pillar. And drivers do sometimes make mistakes. If I can see it coming, depending on the exact situation and how far in advance I've read it I:

a - accelerate past the hazard, maybe moving out as far right as is safe to do so to give maximum margin if they do pull out - at 30+ mph down hill sometimes this is the only thing I can do
b - slow down/stop, even feign making a left turn
c- time it so I stop dead level and perpendiculer with their window after they have panic braked to try and 'avert' a collision and wait for their brain to catch up.

[Jon P]

I couldn't really imagine she had meant to cut me up to be honest, and wouldn't have reacted like that if I had known.  But the frightening thing is that although her driving was dangerous, intimidatory and completely out of order she apparently had no awareness of this at all.  Hopefully it will have shocked her into thinking a bit harder next time she has to share road space with a cyclist.

Probably not.  It sounds to me that she mis-judged how fast you were going.  Lots of people hesitate at junctions and haven't got perfect sense of spatial and speed awareness.  The result was that you got angry and retaliated some distance away to 'get even'.  She probably didn't even know it was connected to the earlier incident, but has gone away thinking cyclists are trying to intimidate her by kicking her car.  I got cut up twice this morning, but my only action was the shake my head at them and let it go.  The result is that I'll have forgotten about it by lunchtime rather than stewing about it all day.

You sound very keen to paint her whiter than white!  I wasn't going fast at all, if I'd been anything more like a 'normal' speed she'd have gone into me as she came right into the gutter.  I'd also hope that if she did see me at all she'd have ended up reasoning that, short of me being a random maniac, there was some connection with her driving.

I didn't get mad with her, it was more opportunistic - and as I say I regretted it when I saw what type of person it was.  "For old times' sake" - this was a typical response about 15 years ago but as a more responsible person now I normally DO let things pass (or use an AirZound).

Ed, I'd definitely have rather spoken to her as you suggest, however my action was based on the "assumption" it was a deliberate act from a male etc, don't think "polite discussion" would be any good against that type.

[mrcharly-YHT]

She may have meant to cut you up.

She may have misjudged your speed.

She might not have seen you at all.

The only thing that can be said with certainty is that you deliberately thumped her car.

It's not really a good idea. Bad karma and all that.

[Jasmine]

I fail to see how I am painting the driver whiter than white.  I am saying it is more likely that she made a mistake than deliberately trying to cut you up and you over-reacted  You decided to ride after her to get even.  Do you think the lesson that this driver has learnt from this is "I must keep a closer look out for cyclists and anticipate their actions better" or "cyclists are irrational so I should make no attempt to share space with them at all"?

[Tiger]

Never ever whack someones car unless you are ready for the consequences.  As far as we the cyclist are concerned it is hitting a car - but the driver experiences it as an assault on their person. The results can be very unpleasant and very physical - you have no way of knowing if the twunt in the car has a knife or similar, which they will feel provoked to use.
I speak from experience having been assualted by a taxi driver whose car I slapped for cutting me up.

It is lucky for you you whacked a little old lady and not an equally aggressive male with a hammer in the seat well.  As far as she is concerned though, even if she cut you up - your response was violent, threatening and aggressive. She may well have been calling the police on her phone as she will have felt you assaulted her!

[Jon P]

Fair points.  But didn't Richard Ballantine recommend doing this in "Richard's Bicycle Book"?  (I may be wrong on this.  He also recommended throttling dogs so was quite radical in some respects.)

I know it's a dangerous ploy, it was executed on a car committed to turning right, I made off the the left PDQ!

[mrcharly-YHT]

I'm pretty confident that he didn't recommend chasing a car down and thumping it AFTER THE EVENT.

Slapping it as it cuts you up is different, it is a way of getting the driver's attention.

I'm not an even-tempered person, and I have done what you did (it was a bull-headed bloke in the car). It resulted in a street brawl and other trouble that went on for weeks.

DON'T DO IT

Frankly, I wouldn't have been surprised if she was phoning the police.