Ride out complete: Being forced off the road by a car

[Snipped Text]

Yes, I know, I was being sarcastic ;-)

See, now you're getting it

You can throw shit both ways you know?, and just because somebody else
is being an arsehole, doesn't mean you have to be as well. If a NG
thread starts getting out of hand I just ignore that thread - easy.

 

Right, then. As you're still banging on about this, let's look at it
in some detail, without histrionics.

Seems fine so far. Let's assume that you were in first gear, clutch
in, and you made a timely getaway so as not to impede vehicles behind
you.

We'll look into your mirror problems in a minute. If he was too close
- accelerate. Bang it open and he's history. Or, as you state in a
couple of lines, it is two lanes, let him overtake. Problem solved.

"In case he had started off more swiftly than he had wished to" - what
does that mean, Nick?

Anyway: he has taken up the option to pass you, even though you've
squeezed it on a bit. So let him go.

You're making a massive assumption here, the bedrock of all your
panic. How ever could you tell that he was "REALLY upset"? Was he
looking at you instead of the road ahead? Was he mouthing insults,
gesturing, shouting or foaming at the mouth?

Face it: if he had "REALLY" wanted to have you off, he'd have nudged
your rear tyre when he was behind you.

So you're coming to the end of the two-lane section, into one lane.
You and YC are abreast of each other. You still have the option to
whack it open (assuming you're riding as you claim to normally, in the
right gear with 7k rpm on and ready to go), slap the brakes on - or
even sound your horn ...

You wouldn't want to try mounting the pavement. Approaching a kerb at
an acute angle is asking for disaster - the front wheel will likely
slide along the kerb and down you go. I don't think you were all that
calm by then, were you?

Suddenly the road is apparently swimming with water and spilt fuel,
too. That really fucks you up.

At this point I'd like to remind you of what the Highway Code offers
in this situation - #144 here:
http://www.highwaycode.gov.uk/15.htm#144

The bottom line is that the vehicle being overtaken should allow the
vehicle doing the overtaking to complete the overtake.

How could you tell that YCman had Red Misted? Another dangerous
assumption. I put it to you that if he had indeed fallen under the
influence of RM, he'd have jinked across and batted you into next week
rather than dropping in behind you - even though you had effectively
abrogated his right of way.

I don't see that his behaviour was in any way unreasonable at this
point. Ok, he'd perhaps pulled away a bit sharp and was closer to
your tail than you were comfortable with - he'd then accellerated and
come abreasst of you, then decided you weren't both going to fit into
one lane. Nothing unreasonable there - apart from your assumptions.

Your "would-be murderer"? You're still going to claim you're not
over-dramatising, are you? What did he do to announce his intention -
pass you a note, show you the Ace of Spades, or lob a horse's head at
you?

This is a situation of your own making, Nick. You should have let him
through according to the Highway Code. The easiest and safest course
of action (or even inaction) would have been to roll off as he came
abreast of you and let him through. Perhaps the /best/ and most
"acceptable" course of action would have been to give the ER5 a large
handful and get clear, then sort yourself out.

That was jolly nice of him really, wasn't it? He yielded his right of
way and tucked in behind you. Problem over.

You were afraid to check your mirrors to see if he was still there?
This is getting annoying. It is /your/ responsibility to keep a
picture in your head of what is going on around you. Looking,
/seeing/ and acting upon your surroundings in order to minimise
potential hazards /to yourself/.

I put it to you that if you had actually given it some - you'd have
been away and clear, with no yellow car in the same postcode.
In seconds.

Again - your mirrors are under your control and nobody else's. If you
can't see behind with them, make other arrangements. Different
mirrors, extended stalks, bar-end mirrors all work for other people.

Fear of the unknown now, eh? I still can't see wghere his behaviour
was unacceptable. Look at the situation, as I have, from his point of
viewe, Nick. You're becoming hysterical by this point.

Should you have been caught in a dead end, then as others have said -
you're a big bloke and you wear body armour. And you scare children.
Who, in their right mind, is going to **** with you?

FFS. If YCman had wanted to kill you, he would have done it by then.
He had plenty of opportunity.

Nice bit of forward planning and nice to see your mirrors are working
again by this point.

He was insensible too, was he? Again - major beanage would have seen
you away and clear.

Wass it the same Yellow Car? Perhaps it wasn't - there's more than
one about, you know. Anyway, he passed you while you were a sitting
target, so perhaps his Red Mist/murderous rage/ had passed, or the
monsoon-like rain coming in through the holes he'd punched in his roof
through frustration and rage at his murderous impulses being thwarted
by the wily motorcyclist had brought him back to his senses, eh?

Was it that, or is the whole episode a product of your own imagination
and paranoia? These things can help heighten a biker's awareness, but
taken to extremes and especially in Capital Letters may affect one
badly.

If YCman had wanted to do you over - he would have. He didn't.

I can see that, and I can sympathise with it. The thing you must do
is to look at this episode calmly and dispassionately - from the
perspective of someone other than yourself. This is what I have tried
to do above, and to give you the benefit of my experience. Remaining
calm on a motorcycle is the best way to stay alive, and the second
best way is to keep out of the way of tons of steel which appear to be
aimed at you. Then all you have to do is look out for the scenery
that attacks when you least expect it ... and keep another eye on your
fuel level.

DFC,

 

I used to drive a Morris Traveller occasionally only got rid of it 4 years
ago and that was because two local scrotes decided to vandalize it . Kids
refused to go in it as it ruined the street creed which was one way of
getting out of being a taxi service .Never ever broke down either , was my
dads originally until he died then i nicked it , cracking car in the snow
better than the focus but boy were the brakes crap (drum all round)

 

Sounds awfully similar to that time when WC (or was it Muck?) was on the
receiving end of a lobbed bag of fish and chips...

--
Dnc

B1200 - +30bhp ~|~ ZZR1100 - faster when upright
V2300 - flat cap and rug ~|~ A6 2.5TDi V6 Quattro Sport

MIB#26 two#54(soiled) UKRMMA#26 BOTAFOT#153 X-FOT#003

 

In uk.rec.motorcycles, DoetNietComputeren belched forth and ejected the
following:

It was me and it was a roast beef Sunday lunch.

 

The situation reads to me as just a bloke in a yellow car fancied a
minor drag with a bloke on a bike. Happens a lot and often the two
parties are up for it.

I had a good one with a kit car vs my SO Honda from Brent Cross down to
Swiss Cottage. Every set of lights we'd line up and rip off. There was
nothing in it, but the driver and I were loving it, hitting 90+ before
having to brake like ****. At the end of the runs, he and I were
laughing like loons, so with a cheery wave we separated.

This was in the pre camera days, of course.
--
Dave
GS850x2 XS650 SE6a
I demand nothing of you except that you amuse me.

Folding@Home Team UKRM
http://vspx27.stanford.edu/cgi-bin/main.py?qtype=teampage&teamnum=47957

 

That's my take on it as well. If you want to filter then you have to
accept that a lot of car drivers don't like it and might try to
intimidate you.

I'd have given him some heavy duty intimidation back, starting with
hand gestures and followed up by pulling over to discuss the
situation.

That'd help.

 

Ride more aggressively. Learn to stick up for yourself on the road and
defend your road position.

Failing that pull over and let him go. If he stops behind you then
just walk over and head butt the ****.

 

Nice idea. I pretty much opposed to retaliating by actually damaging
someone's car just because they've been an aggressive twonk, not least
'cos plod might be intgerested in criminal damage by someone with a
unique identifier on the back of their vehicle, in contrast popping the
rear door open seems about right. Magic.

 

Nice idea. I pretty much opposed to retaliating by actually damaging
someone's car just because they've been an aggressive twonk, not least
'cos plod might be intgerested in criminal damage by someone with a
unique identifier on the back of their vehicle, in contrast popping the
rear door open seems about right. Magic.

 

Neither am I, but like you I'm 6 foot plus and can look intimidating
when I want to. Comes in handy.

What I really meant was, anyone likely to hit you is actually going to
do more damage to themselves than you, so you may as well confront
them.

I take it you mean addict-racing.com rather than bensales.com because
the latter has nothing on it at the moment.

Addict Racing is a template provided with the CMS I'm using. I can't
be arsed to do any design work on it at the moment.

 

Booting their door shut as they put their leg out normally works too.

DAMHIK, IJD OK

 

wrote

Kinell, that was ages ago but you are right and as it happens so was I.

 

Andy Bonwick wrote

A free and frank exchange of views, I do so like those.

I think two options present themselves.

One: BGN should have fucked of into the distance and stayed fucked off
or

Two: The Bonwick Manoeuvres.


Either/both can hurt but the second is much more satisfying.

 

Find out the cost and benefits, and do comparisons with others, too.
Either something like Bikesafe which will assess and advise you an
areas that need improving, or do an IAM, RoSPA or DSA course. Both the
IAM and RoSPA are in the region of ?85 for the tuition and exam, I'm
not sure about the DSA as yet - although I have been told that the DSA
(as it is a Government-run thing) is likely to overtake the other
advanced qualifications in respect of 'favouritism' (for want of a
better word) by the inscos.

Well, what you are doing on the road, by yourself, isn't necessarily
going to be the same as with a couple (or even a number) of other
people.

--
Lesley
CBR600FW
SBS#11 (with oak-leaf cluster)
BOTAFOT#101A UKRMHRC#12
BONY#54P BOB#18
Real burds don't take hormones, they rage naturally

 

Had an email from him the other day - the UKRM usual offer still
applies if anyone is interested.

I will possibly try and organise properly again this year - it depends
on a few things (like my work situation - if I have no job I will
organise!)

 

*applause*

I've sat here and waded through 140+ posts and this one sums up how I
felt reading the original post.

oh and facing up to the bloke that did it is not about being a violent
type...its about making them think you might be violent. how violent
does a 5 foot 4 small bird look? its amazing how many people wont
argue with one.

--
Adie
(replace spam with nickname to reply)

UKRM FAQ: http://www.ukrm.net/faq/

Triumph 955iSS / ZX9R / GSF1200 bandit (for sale) / CG125
MRO#11 BOTAFOF#7 BOTAFOT#130 DIAABTCOD#17 MIB#24 YTC#16 BOB#15 ex-UKRMMA#22 BOMB#11

 

Beav said...

WHM 833G, Almond green Morris Minor 1000 Traveller - my first car.

 

Andy Bonwick said...

The Bandit is now fitted with some pretty sturdy MX brush guards for
just this reason

 

In uk.rec.motorcycles, Beav belched forth and ejected the following:

Too Northern but I do like a Lancashire accent.

That's not a bad idea, I'd rather do it on the move. Do you have to stop
and do it?

I suppose moving their passenger wing mirror would do it.