For the second time in about 6 months, I've had a scary experience with an angry motorist. This time, they drove (slowly) past me coming within 10cm of my handlebar. I shout out "Hey, too close!".

The guy stops his car in the middle of the street (blocking my path), gets out comes up to me all agro. I try to explain why I thought he should have stopped and waited rather than pass so close, and he gets more and more angry. I end up riding away and he runs after me hurling abuse at me.

God knows what he would have done if he'd caught up to me...I was scared. I thought he was going to attack me.

I'm sick of this shit. I'm not a big guy and I feel I need some way to defend myself from arseholes like that. Seriously thinking about carrying pepper spray or something. This shit seems to happen more and more often. Anybody else got any ideas on how to keep yourself safe?

Pepper spraying a chump will get you a whole host of assault, intent and criminal weapon charges. Doesn't mean chumps don't need it though.

GoPro

goPro and police report. did you get number plate and description of car and driver?

I think stopping in the middle of the road and confronting you is very agressive and intimidating behaviour. Not sure the police would actually do anything about it.

File a report, number plate, and make sure you include a description of the driver too.

I once had a car drive past and throw a glass bottle at me, it was a quiet night and the police caught the car a few suburbs up, but given my description was "the guy in the passenger seat" they wouldn't do anything on the basis that they could have swapped seats.

michael wrote:File a report, number plate, and make sure you include a description of the driver too.

I once had a car drive past and throw a glass bottle at me, it was a quiet night and the police caught the car a few suburbs up, but given my description was "the guy in the passenger seat" they wouldn't do anything on the basis that they could have swapped seats.

they could make them give evidence ?

the-stuff-thread-t38359-11955.html#p2652151

Astoria Paranoia wrote:GoPro

Exactly, if you're that worried about it.

mdavies wrote:For the second time in about 6 months, I've had a scary experience with an angry motorist. This time, they drove (slowly) past me coming within 10cm of my handlebar. I shout out "Hey, too close!".

If it's very narrow, take the lane so they can't pass; I know it's not always possible, but I find myself doing it more lately in certain areas, without incident yet.
And yes arse holes will always be arse holes, so as hard as it is say nothing, but recite the rego over and over until you can write it down and ring *555

comadi wrote:but recite the rego over and over until you can write it down and ring *555

This is incredibly hard to do in the heat of the moment too!

I was driving down old Hutt road heading toward the Caltex late one night (circa midnight), had a car come flying past me doing what must've been 160k - he freaked when the set of lights that you use to turn up the hill went read and slammed on the anchors, fully locked up all four wheels and did a complete 360 right in front of me. He very narrowly missed the traffic islands and light poles, came to a stop in a cloud of tyre smoke. Collected his thoughts and slowly drove off into the night. I was close enough to get a good read of his plate, and recited it over and over until I came to a halt and called *555.

I got through, recited the plate to them and was totally gutted that the plate was nowhere near a match for the vehicle (Subie RS Legacy vs L300 van.....). I always wondered if the car was stolen with swapped plates, but figured I'd most likely cocked up the rego

Cool story bro...

comadi wrote:If it's very narrow, take the lane so they can't pass;

was doing this the other month coming down a hill into a roundabout, munter in a suv mounts the traffic island at speed to pass me and then brakes to go round the roundabout.

I slowed down to let them get well ahead of me, kinda expected them to stop and accuse me of making them hit the traffic island, but no such luck.

try these after all whos gonna want to argue with someone with thier balls swinging in the breeze

Yep, I think we all know the tossers will always be tossers.
Sadly it probably won't get any better.
Re the bottle thrown at the rider ; I have had a bottle thrown at me when I was running on a grass verge by the road. Lucky for me it missed.

Had a ass hole clip me with his side mirror early one evening he stopped and started to rant about me hiting the mirror he said he was gonig to remove me from the planet,he was big so when he came at me I started shouting Fire Fire Fire this got a load of people running out of there houses to see whats happening, the ass hole went back to his car saying if he ever saw me again ........and drove off, to many people saw him nutting off at me and he didn't like his chances with lots of people looking on .

Crashed wrote:Had a ass hole clip me with his side mirror early one evening he stopped and started to rant about me hiting the mirror he said he was gonig to remove me from the planet,he was big so when he came at me I started shouting Fire Fire Fire this got a load of people running out of there houses to see whats happening, the ass hole went back to his car saying if he ever saw me again ........and drove off, to many people saw him nutting off at me and he didn't like his chances with lots of people looking on .

Nice one.
I would like to think the bill boards around now with the picture of AUNTIE - DAD - SON - MUM etc are helping, but I'm not so sure.
I always like to wear bright colours (white, yellow, flouro etc)
A couple of weeks ago I realised that the motorist actually has to have their eyes open to see said bright colours, as a Punjabi came out of an intersection right in front of me, and shit himself when I was veering out by his (closed) window screaming some local dialect at him !