Can't you just subtly key the side of the car when you catch up to them and say "Excuse me, but you might have damaged your car when you clipped me overtaking too close back there"

'oh sorry I didn't see you'

Now that would be a result. I think I've been apologised to twice in about 10 years. Totally changes the situation and I am no longer angry. But as said, most idiots (read: motorists) don't know they've done anything wrong and won't accept that they have.

One thing you'll find with car drivers who commit road rage on cyclists- most if not all aren't big or hard people. The car is an extension of their rage and frustration at life.

Most of them wouldn't get out of their car if you had a spat- speaks volumes.

If a manoeuvre is blatantly dangerous surely you can make an official complaint under section59?

Had someone knock me off my bike on a country lane once. Noted reg number and car model and spotted the car two weeks later when I was in a car too. Chased it about a mile into a car park, did a Police style "block" (was quite pleased with this) and had a very firm "conversation" with the driver. Extreme grovelling apology extracted.

He he…

As Hora says, if someone uses their car to be aggressive for them, they are 99% certain to be a complete spineless wimp.

But you'd thai-box the **** out of them anyway Matt?

a middle aged lady in a people carrier overtook me yesterday evening and left around 10cm room. I waved at her and shouted hello and she pulled up a little further up the road and apologised which was cool

mind you on the same stretch of road I had a prick in a red merc convertible threaten to kill me after i'd taken offence to him cutting me up at around 50mph. Just started singing his reg to him and it seemed to calm him down, as did the catcalls from the traffic backing up behind him.

bottom line for me these days is to make whatever you say polite and say it with a laugh, sardonic or otherwise. It would be a shame to avoid getting squashed only to get stabbed or whatever because you can't control your tongue.

My biggest fear is knocking someone off a bike- even if someone pulls an idiot swerve out of the kerb etc I'd resist using my horn incase its startles them (and causes them to lose control).

I still remember the lad in his works-livery-van that I posted up on here where he used the side of his van to guide me more into the kerb as in his words 'you were using up too much road so I though you should move over more' 😆

But you'd thai-box the **** out of them anyway Matt?

Kickbox actually. No fighting needed. He could clearly tell I am a World class ninja/streetfighter/death deliverer and so backed down immediately 😉

Matt this is no fun. My week's not complete without an online scrap with you.

Matt this is no fun. My week's not complete without an online scrap with you.

new medication?

I am about to go on an all night stag do and so am in a state of semi fear/semi excitement – so fairly placid…

A few beers and I'll get my fighting boots on and scrap with anyone that even looks at me 😉

Then he did it again further up the road. I caught up with him stuck in a long line of traffic at lights, and after a bit of mental arithmetic to check he'd be there for long enough, I rode up the inside and batted his mirror.

The whole thing smashed! Does this mean I get 7 years bad luck? It was worth it to see him standing on the bonnet of his Landy screaming at me!

Whilst I don't exactly condone that kind of behaviour, I certainly wouldn't oppose it (and beyond, e.g. dinking a panel with a bar end of clear/toecap, etc) if it's obvious enough that the driver is being a complete twunt.

The thing is, there's enough road rage/anger/moodiness/aggression/incompetence/snobbishness/etc that it really doesn't need adding to.

But some drivers deserve all the sh1t that comes their way.

As ever Sheldon Brown has the answer

A couple of things I have done – the person who pulls out of a side road in front of you and then freezes in your way – a last minute stoppie or big skid stopping inches from them sometimes scares the crap out of them as they think youa re about to appear thru the window.

I have also had a car pull out of a parking space as I was passing – I went down the side of the car leaning into them scraping the bar end right down the side – big scratch the entire length of the car. I couldn't avoid them completely but I did ensure the damage was as much on their car and as little on me as possible

Can't you just subtly key the side of the car when you catch up to them and say "Excuse me, but you might have damaged your car when you clipped me overtaking too close back there"

Very tempting, but you'd probably get a harsher punishment than they would if they knocked you off and injured you.

Very tempting, but you'd probably get a harsher punishment than they would if they knocked you off and injured you.

of course you would, possessions are always more valuable than people in british law. You can breed more little you's for free, whereas ego-mobiles cost cold hard cash.

When I pulled up to his window as hestopped in traffic 20ft later he basically said you shouldn't be on the road!
How exactly do you responde to that??!!

By telling him that no, it's you who shouldn't be on the road – repeating his reg number whilst getting out a mobile might just make him stop and think (I know and you know the police won't do anything – the driver doesn't).

The thing is, there are two types of driver who will cut you up. One lot do it accidentally – it's worth speaking to or scaring them. The other lot you can either report to the police (if you have evidence) or damage their car – the latter will make you feel better, but is unlikely to change their behaviour.

Rather than angry shouting, fistiness and car-damage (tsk TJ)- does anyone have any concrete advice on how to complain legally and how effective it can be?

I for one am not interested in damaging someones property- I'd rather stop their behaviour using the Police if possible.

After all- you dent someones car- that driver will forever think '****' when he sees a cyclist in his/her way.

I've noticed on big group rides plenty of mountain bikers haven't got a clue when they get to road sections.

ASBO peleton scary to watch them have no idea how to turn right on a busy roundabout, wrong side of blind bends with no escape route no wonder the road scares so many mtb'ers!!
I have done things in the past when I know people have done things deliberately including keying a car and then threatening to kill said occupant. He pulled out on me at a roundabout as he stared at me and smiled totally deliberate. I went on to wrong side of bollard to avoid him just missing it and a car coming in the opposite direction slammed on andI just missed that as I had to swerve across wrong side of road and then bunny hop pavement on my road bike. I shat myself, 200 m traffic jam and rage released. Keyed car. He chased me I stopped got off bike and went absolutely mental he got back in car gesticulating and left. Pre mobiles/camera days though.
I don't do anything on my commute for two reasons
1. It makes no difference to their behaviour
2. I have to cycle in the same way every day. No one else cycles it I never see other cyclists I would not be hard to spot/find if they wanted to.
Do get cars going mental at me for slowing them [inner car tyre is place to be] just shrug and then smile at them when I pass them in the jams later,
Hora I do a national speed limit and a Motorway roundabout MTFU

I certainly don't keep a cool head when riding behind hubby whenever he's pulling our young nephew along on his trailgator. He only rides a short stretch of busy road this way, until we get to a quieter lane or cycle path, on which the lad can ride by himself.
On the short stretch we rode the other weekend, I (at the back and slightly outside the lad) got buzzed at least twice, each time by drivers in their massive off road type vehicles. The second one had his window open, so I shouted "please leave some space", to which the driver hurled loads of abuse and swear words out, some of which my nephew heard.

I use the wobble tactic if riding by myself, if you wobble about 50-60cms out of the kerb edge, then the driver racing up behind usually gives more clearance.

If you regularly get such incidents (I don't) surely the answer is a helmet camera. At least you stand a chance then if reporting something to the police, as you have direct evidence.

does anyone have any concrete advice on how to complain legally and how effective it can be?

1. Go to the Police (Erm were you thinking there might be a different answer?)
2. Complete waste of time unless you have evidence beyond your own.

>If you regularly get such incidents

Then you're probably riding like a c*ck 🙂

Every time I have tried to say anything to a male driver who's cut me up, they've flipped out and gone absolutely mental.

When people get annoyed, reason goes out of the window. So save your breath, you won't do anything except make them hate cyclists.

Very few people are reasonable and rational when examining their actions – practically no-one is when they are in a state of heightened emotion.

The roads are full of cocks Donk, as is the earth. You can argue with all of them or just try and ignore them and carry on having the best time you can.

You know I have a lot of issues on the road but I see the error of my ways most of the time. I've banged my fist into van windscreens before now and offered all the gusy sat inside out for a fight. I was wrong.

Nowadays, if I feel someone has done me wrong on the road I try and explain to them why it's a problem rather than getting stuck in. It feels better. Most of them want trouble but I just let them go, the people who can be talked to are the important ones. Some, just some actually respond and understand. I hope they change their ways.

I've popped the boot a few times at traffic lights and ridden on.

Hora I do a national speed limit and a Motorway roundabout MTFU

On a commute with sleepy or stressheads? -not a chance. On a road-ride off-peak yes.

I was threatened with a bus this week.
The driver pulled out of a bus stop, despite looking at me riding in the road. He stopped at a round-a-bout a few seconds later and I managed to stop in front of him. As I pulled out on the round-a-bout he started shouting "you C"·t" "t&"t and such things. I shouted that he had cut me up and carried on riding. The next moment the bus was next to me, we were both moving down the road. He opened the doors so he could continue swearing and shouting and waving his fists (there were passengers on the bus). He was red with anger and almost spitting hatred. I explained what I thought of him too and said I would report him. He then swerved the bus towards me pushing me closer to the curb, threatening to run me over.
I stopped and wrote down the number and time. I saw him moments later so calm and normal picking up more passengers as if nothing had happened.

I've reported him and am waiting to see the outcome.

I have reported bus and post van drivers to their management a couple of times – the management certainly appeared to be taking it seriously and I believe its worth doing.

I"m not expecting anyone to read this, I'm just getting it out of my system…

We're all great cyclists and they're all crap drivers. But keying cars and smashing wing mirrors isn't going to pacify the driver in the long term. If he/she doesn't see you again and take it out on you, they'll take it out on some other poor cyclist. Bad karma, kids.

Noting number plates does at least remind drivers they do have an identity on the road that other people can track them down with. I think the naughty drivers tend to think they can hide behind their wheel, giggling to their mates as they buzz us on the road.

Last week a 4×4 tailed two of us riding along a wide but quiet road and then pulled up alongside us as we rolled along. The driver leaned across the passenger (who was holding a dog on her lap) and shouted "you aren't allowed to ride like that [side by side] – you have to ride single file" whilst looking at us, taking her eyes off the road and driving one-handed while stretched across the car.

The cycling side-by-side issue is a different stw debate but one that does seem to rile drivers. In this case, we waved at her as she sped off. We debated chasing her to the next junction (it amuses me that drivers often rage at us and then forget there's a stop junction/lights 30 seconds down the road!), but figured even if we did try to reason with her, she still wouldn't change her attitude to cyclists.

I don't think that all cyclists ride that well on the road, and as a driver experiencing the situation from that p.o.v, there must've been times where you've thought "****, I didn't even see that cyclist" or, "that cyclist needs to have some lights" etc. And if you aren't, are you a hot-headed idiot cyclist with biased opinions about who's the better road user? There've been times when I've wobbled/been caught by the wind/ etc or just plainly not ridden well and acknowledged that to the driver, thinking "sorry mate, my bad".

Each one of us has our own routine for cycling on road, and reacting in different situations. Perhaps all cyclists and drivers should go to "cyclists and drivers" instruction workshops and then we'd see we're all as bad as each other.

The End.

"sorry mate, my bad"

Monsta cars are supposed to give you enough room so that if you do wobble they wont smear you across the road. But no I'm not sayig all cyclists are perfect but drivers do have a lot more responsibilty.

Samurai, the cool calm pointing out the drivers error approach was what I was aiming for and failed miserably.

Re complaining to the police I've been on the GMP website and submitted a complaint on their "we are listening, talk to us" page (about a complete mentalist driver) zero response, you may get on better going in to a station. I think bus companies and other employers take these things more seriously.

I reported a bus driver to her employers and got a std-looking "we have dealt with the matter and take this very seriosuly" letter, they wouldn't tell me what action they'd taken, citing data protection.

"nothing you choose to say will make a diffrence."

try a four letter word beginning with C and get back to us!