Road Rage

[Freddy88FM]

Ghost91 said:

Since then I've stopped beeping at idiots like this, unless they really do need to be made aware of my presence to stop anyone being crashed in to. It's really not worth it. Imagine if I'd stopped and got out, he did the same but had a knife or something.

Exactly. As a previous poster said... let them go and in a month you'll have forgotten all about it. Beep and confront them and they could end up becoming part of your life... and not in a good way.

[Impasse]

Freddy88FM said:

I'd think this probably suggest you rarely drive in busy cities. Countryside, A-Road and M-Way tend to be much less unfriendly. You cant drive a mile in London without being cut up, undertaken, over taken or similar.

I live in a very compact and congested city and drive in and out regularly. The continued function of my car's horn is known only to the guys who service and MOT the car. I may have to give it an experimental press a bit later just find out, but I'll wait until I'm outside the city on a quiet bit of tarmac in case a PHer with pent up seething decides to dashcam me or follow me for miles shaking their little red fist.

[Daston]

Was always told if you have time to press the horn, you have ample time to avoid the danger.

[DonkeyApple]

Reardy Mister said:

What about the guy who actually crept forward and pinned my leg between my motorbike and his BMW because he didn't like that I had filtered to his front right corner and then waited for some pedestrians?

I couldn't move because I physically couldn't get my leg to the gear shift to get any drive, because it was pinned to my fairing. He couldn't move because I couldn't move. Aside from blatant intimidation, that's very dangerous and very fking annoying.

What zen techniques of forgiveness would you recommend in that case?

As far as I'm concerns that is assault and a magnitude worse than the same chap blowing his horn and gesticulating. People like that should be prosecuted off the road for the sake of everyone.

[NiceCupOfTea]

Good thread.

I really try to take a deep breath and ignore the idiots, and I am a lot better at not using the horn now. Occasionally I slip - there is a road near me that has a lot of traffic calming chicanes in, and people coming the other way often straight line them or are really lazy about turning the wheel, such that I've had to take avoiding action a few times. It absolutely incenses me - their laziness puts me in danger. To some of them maybe they are just thick and a beep might make them think "oh, that was a bit close, best not do it again". I am sure that most of them don't notice/don't care/get off on it. Whenever I do it I start to become paranoid about checking my mirror in case they've turned around to "teach me a lesson".

Best off out of it. Take a deep breath, get on with your life.

[Hoofy]

DonkeyApple said:

Reardy Mister said:

What about the guy who actually crept forward and pinned my leg between my motorbike and his BMW because he didn't like that I had filtered to his front right corner and then waited for some pedestrians?

I couldn't move because I physically couldn't get my leg to the gear shift to get any drive, because it was pinned to my fairing. He couldn't move because I couldn't move. Aside from blatant intimidation, that's very dangerous and very fking annoying.

What zen techniques of forgiveness would you recommend in that case?

As far as I'm concerns that is assault and a magnitude worse than the same chap blowing his horn and gesticulating. People like that should be prosecuted off the road for the sake of everyone.

This time it's just trapping a leg, next time, he's ramming a cyclist off the road.

[funkyrobot]

I love it when my fiancee gets the horn.

[Freddy88FM]

Impasse said:

I live in a very compact and congested city and drive in and out regularly. The continued function of my car's horn is known only to the guys who service and MOT the car. I may have to give it an experimental press a bit later just find out, but I'll wait until I'm outside the city on a quiet bit of tarmac in case a PHer with pent up seething decides to dashcam me or follow me for miles shaking their little red fist.

To be clear the point I was replying to wasn't about beeping the horn, it was about encountering road rage itself. My response was based on being based in London during the week for the past five years and noting that even if you drive like a saint you will be beeped, cut up, undertaken, overtaken ... the list goes on... I already mentioned the van who used the wrong side of the road to get to the front of a right turn queue at lights, we had to reverse to let him in when he encountered traffic coming the other way. The user I replied to seemed like he doesn't regularly encounter poor driving like this.

It sounds like (if you never use your horn) then you are not reacting to poor driving. . Well done! The point of this thread is to remind people that this is the best way to do things.

[Reardy Mister]

Freddy88FM said:

Reardy Mister said:

What zen techniques of forgiveness would you recommend in that case?

Oosh, good question. I think I would probably end up gesticulating and having to 'reset my counter'. I suppose the best thing to do is clutch in, scoot forward and free your leg.

That's the problem, I couldn't scoot forward, my leg was stuck. The bike was already in neutral, that's why I couldn't accelerate away. It would most likely have resulted in the bike falling over, probably on top of me and the leg that was immobile. It left me no choice but discuss the situation with the driver. By which point, my buzzer had already well and truly gone off.

[C70R]

kambites said:

Freddy88FM said:

Sadly from my experiences of driving around London... few seem to be quite so relaxed.

Ah yes, that'll be your problem.

I disagree a bit with that. I grew up in a VERY rural part of the world, and now live in London. I find London driving pretty easy, if you are tuned-in correctly, based on a number of factors:
1) No dawdlers. Like it or not, people are generally trying to get where they are going, rather than being out for an aimless Sunday drive.
2) Few lost people. Most are locals or regulars, and know where they are heading and which lane to be in etc.
3) Assertive driving. You could call it 'aggressive', but the idea of people taking available gaps without hesitation makes for efficient traffic moving. If someone toots their horn at you (ooer), it's probably because you are daydreaming or in the wrong lane.
4) Low average speed. Leaves more time for decisions and results in fewer 'oh ****' moments.
5) Well-known major routes. Yes, Hyde Park Corner and Park Lane can be a pain, but if the traffic is moving then you'll get where you're going.
6) Realistic drivers. Londoners expect that driving around will take time, and therefore few tend to rush or be unnecessarily aggressive.

There are obviously plenty of exceptions to the above, but no greater than the proportion outside of London. Driving in London certainly isn't the same pleasure as hacking along a lovely country road, but I would say it has a lot going for it.

In actual fact, I tend to think that most instances of driver behaviour that frustrate me tend to occur on motorways, rather than in town. Tailgating, dangerous undertaking, inconsiderate overtaking, moving into my braking gap etc. are far more annoying than the occasional white van or taxi nudging out into a gap in slow-moving traffic.

Edited by C70R on Friday 9th October 15:21

[Freddy88FM]

C70R said:

I disagree a bit with that. I grew up in a VERY rural part of the world, and now live in London. I find London driving pretty easy, if you are tuned-in correctly, based on a number of factors

I have a feeling you're referring to the main through roads. I invite you to drive around Brixton/West Norwood and then decide which points you want to maintain!