This extract from a UK blog is worth a read, along with the comments that came from it. The advice is worth taking note of here in Toowoomba where some of our drivers are not as 'country friendly' as many in the city would have us believe. In particular, note the advice to take the registration number and ring the police. Our Toowoomba police take road safety seriously, and they do take action against road users, and not just car drivers remember, who breach the law.
The full blog can be found here: http://www.trenholm.co.uk/?p=88
Never, ever get into a fight with a “bike-hater”.
This is the motorists who is angry with you, or who is angry with his spouse/boss/kids/world and you are the nearest target. The warning signs are erratic or aggressive driving, rude hand gestures, verbal abuse. This is the person who deliberately blocks bicycle lanes, or who passes you with only a hair’s breadth between his wing mirror and your handlebars, then shouts abuse if you complain. Very rarely, it can escalate to objects being thrown at you, car doors being opened in your path, sometimes even to full on ramming. Don’t let it get that far.
The only way to tackle a bike-hater is not to tackle him at all. Simply get off the road to a place of safety as quickly as you can. If you feel threatened, get help. If that means walking up to the nearest building and ringing the bell, or walking into a shop to ask for help, do it. As soon as it is safe to do so, ring the police with your location and the car’s number plate.
You will want to fight back, your pride will be hurt, but never let that tempt you into escalating a confrontation. Let’s be clear about this: you might be in the right, but your antagonist has over a ton of metal at his disposal. When a cyclist mixes it up with a motorist, the cyclist will always lose. Just let the motorist go.
No comments:
Post a Comment