Things thrown from cars

Belv

Had something thrown at me last night on my way home. I have no idea why. I was on the cycle path running parallel to a dual carriageway and something flew at me from an approaching car. It was about tennis ball sized, but not very hard fortunately. By the time i realised what had happened i couldn't see it on the path behind me or pick out the car it would have come from.

I have had cigerettes and eggs (halloween) thrown before, been spat at and regularly shouted to in the past too. It's not too much in 8 years of commuting, i suppose, but why?

SPOODZILLA

I've had things thrown out of the car window and hit me, but not deliberately. Cigarettes is top of the list. This morning was the corner of a bacon sandwich from a builders van. Nice!!

mediamonkey

Only once, on Halloween last year. At first I thought someone has swung a jacket or something at my back as it felt like a soft hit, but I guess it was probably an egg. It didn't break though

As for why... well in my case it was a carfull of lads about 17 or 18, and it's the kind of thing |I would have probably found funny when I was 15ish, so at a push I can see why.

When "adults" do it though, I have no idea why. There are a lot of morons in the world :roll:

dirk_van_gently

Cigarette ends, which you could describe as accidental, but in my opinion if drivers are not legally allowed to handle a mobile phone whilst driving, why are drivers allowed to smoke whilst driving?

I did read an alarming post about a passenger in a car, attempting to smack the cyclist they were passing on the arse, however the passenger got a hell of a shock, when instead of hitting the cyclists arse, hit the saddle. Que much screaming from passenger, and howls of laughter from the cyclist. :-)

gtvlusso

Slightly off topic, but I had a full, large cup of coffee thrown at me whilst on the motorway (in a car)! Hit the windscreen as I was overtaking......Luckily, I got the cars number and the occupants were prosecuted when caught for various offences including narcotics....funny thing was that it was the guys mums car.....he was 28 years old! He now has a 2 year ban and his mate is inside for narcotic's offences!

Other than that just had the usual ciggies and windscreen wash issues on a bicycle....

yes, there are some tossers out there.

Clever Pun

I had rocks thrown at me from across the river lea navigation... luckily the kids were rubbish at it... already failures in life

Random Vince

i've had anti freeze sprayed at me right outside the police station, not been hit by or known anything be thrown at me.

today in town I got hit by a woman who could not see properly due to her full veil (the kind with just a hole for the eyes to see through) why are they allowed to drive with such impaired vision?

in their own country (or perhaps the country from which their culture originates as i am aware of muslims who are British born who wear the full veil) they would not be allowed to drive, never mind drive with impaired vision - legally i can't drive without my glasses and i bet that even if i had prescription lenses in, say a ski mask then i'd get arrested for driving while wearing it.

regarding smoking and driving - isn't taking drugs and driving illegal?
is nicotine not a drug?

Porgy

I had a cup of coffee poured on my head from an office building in Stratford, London. It was cold by the time it reached me - and sweet (therefore sticky).

An egg - in Lewisham. It hit my wheel.

Stones by traveller kids in the Lee Valley. As the Clever Pun said - they're not good shots, fortunately.

cee

Dirk Van Gently wrote:

...in my opinion if drivers are not legally allowed to handle a mobile phone whilst driving, why are drivers allowed to smoke whilst driving?

<jestmode>
Yeah.......and why are car companies allowed to install stereo's in cars. If drivers are not legally allowed to handle a mobile phone whilst driving, why are drivers allowed to change the channel on the radio whilst driving?
</jestmode>

Random Vince wrote:

Is nicotine not a drug?

<jestmode>
Yeah..... and what about asthmatics who use inhalers....ooh ooh or people who have had a spoonful of Chesty Cough mixture??
</jestmode>

Belv

cee wrote:

Dirk Van Gently wrote:

...in my opinion if drivers are not legally allowed to handle a mobile phone whilst driving, why are drivers allowed to smoke whilst driving?

<jestmode>
Yeah.......and why are car companies allowed to install stereo's in cars. If drivers are not legally allowed to handle a mobile phone whilst driving, why are drivers allowed to change the channel on the radio whilst driving?
</jestmode>

<seriousmode>
I quite agree. A car is supposed to be a form of transportation, NOT ENTERTAINMENT.
</seriousmode>

cee wrote:

Random Vince wrote:

Is nicotine not a drug?

<jestmode>
Yeah..... and what about asthmatics who use inhalers....ooh ooh or people who have had a spoonful of Chesty Cough mixture??
</jestmode>

<ignoringstupidmodethingys>
I consider the greater danger is in having something else (that is alight!) to think about rather than the narcotic effect of nicotine.

Fuzz Monkey Five

half full can of coke once, why these idiots do it it - no idea.

Gambatte

An egg.

I was hunkered down over the bars and the car was coming in the opposite direction. egg must have slipped under my chin and hit my left shoulder. I reckon our combined speed meant it had an impact of about 70mph+. Took a fortnight for the bruising to disappear.

daft sod came back past to gloat whilst I was on the phone to a 999 operator, so could give most of the reg.

Got a call a couple of weeks later to say they'd collarred him when he tried something similar and when questioned he plead guilty to dangerous driving.

AidanR

I had a stone catapulted at me (yes, Dennis the Menace style!!) when riding on a quiet semi-rural road in Sutton at 23:30ish once by the driver of a white van. Hit me in the leg and bloody hurt... but why was he driving around with a catapult?? There are some very odd people out there.

I've also had stuff thrown at me by traveller kids in Croydon, and an egg whilst rowing in Cambridge. I got off lightly though - someone there had a mattress dropped on their head off a bridge! :shock:

SPOODZILLA

Just remembered a few more - fireworks (riding through a particulary nice area) and snowballs (to be expected i suppose).

Parkey

I once has snowballs thrown at me by kids. Stupid kids who didn't realise that waiting for a cyclist to go past and then throwing them at him from behind when he's doing about 20 mph means they'll never reach him. I think their best effort landed just behind my rear wheel.

Minky

I've had cigarettes, drinks cans and fireworks (on halloween) thrown at me .

There is also a woman who occasionally likes to wait at the edge of the road and shoot passing cyclists (or maybe just me) with a water pistol...which can actually be quite pleasant in summer

ChrisLS

..just water(so far :? )

Anonymous

Had a milk shake tossed at me once, so I stopped at the next business on the road, semi country road, made a 911 call. Reported the description and the plate number of the truck with the twits in it. To my immense delight, I had the opportunity of riding to the area ahead where the state police car had been sitting waiting for speeders and verified that I was the complainant to the fact that he had the villains pulled over at the time I saw him speaking with them. I couldn't have been a happier camper. They certainly knew who I was when they saw me. Back in Washington state about 2 miles west of Monroe on Hiway 2.

cee

oooof!

Apologies if the sarcasm was misunderstood, or taken the wrong way.

johnnyc71

Last year I had just fallen heavily at a roundabout, doing 23mph. As i was limping home, some kind soul decided to introduce their kebab, with complimentary grease, in my general direction. I ended up covered in disgusting, rancid fat. I was in pain and fuming, but I decided not to give chase, as I was still a bit dazed from the crash.

Anonymous

cee wrote:

oooof!

Apologies if the sarcasm was misunderstood, or taken the wrong way.

No problem. Part of the goo hit my helmet back side, fortunately the cup did not.

rustychisel

Yup, various over the past 4 or 5 years... been bottled (hit) twice, had milkshake container flung at me, and a couple of months ago a heavy shiny metallic oblect (towbar ball??) which whizzed across my front wheel and slammed into a fence beyond me somewhere.

jedster

One day I was cycling behind a convertible Jag XK8 driven by a balding middle-aged bloke and I admit to chuckling when a chavvy youth landed a water bomb on him as he pulled away from lights.

You can imagine how much less funny I found it when the next evening a water bomb wistled past my ear at the same junction.

Hypocracy is a terrible thing...

Also had a bottle of water emptied out of a passing window at me.

J

SCOTTEX

I followed a clown in a Audi Q7 this morning, weaving slowly down a narrow street.
One hand holding a mobile phone to his ear, the other hand tearing off the wrapper on his pack of cigarettes and throwing it out of the window into my face, then trying to feed a cigarette into his mouth from his packet whilst talking into his mobile phone, what part of his body was doing the steering I don't know, I presume his knees.

...........and then looked shocked when I gave him a load of abuse.

jefferee

Not from a car, but I had a snowball thrown at me yesterday from the sidewalk on the other side of the road.

As it landed pathetically short, I simply shouted, 'nice try!'

John B

Passenger in a white van lobbed a half-full plastic coke bottle which pinged off my handlebars out near Chalfont St. Peter. A few minutes later I saw the bastards up ahead as they were being held up by police due to a lorry spilling its load in a country lane. Despite my valiant burst of speed they got past the scene when I was about 200 yards away. I was up for lumping the sods but would probably have been done for road rage by the OB so perhaps it was for the best, my word against theirs etc.

trisomy21

In the summer of 2004 I was on my way to work one afternoon when a Humvee/Limo passed and the passengers pelted me with bits of wedding cake and glasses of wine!

The next day a newly wed couple called to my workplace to donate their wedding flowers to the place (a hospice) and it's two of the Humvee passengers!

I explained that we needed a name and contact address so we could send a thank you note, which they happily provided,before telling them that I was the cyclist they had attacked and that I would be taking their details to the police.The girl became so hysterical,crying and wailing,that I ended up agreeing not to pursue it.

alfablue

I just put this on the why they shout thread, but I think this is a better place to share my trauma!

I was on foot in Bristol last night, not even with my bike, and I got hit just below the eye with a missile thrown from a car, so its not just cyclists that attract this!

It really hurt, and 1cm higher and I would have had a bad eye injury, but my companion thought it was hilarious - as the missile was a grape! She just didn't understand my fury!!! She suggested I call the police and report that I had been graped ha......ha.....ha