Why do they shout?

StJon

Just a quick rant, but as a car went past me the passenger had his window down and shouted BOO as the drove past. Shorts defo had to go in for a wash as a got one hell of a fright. This is not the first time this has happened to me. This could have caused a serious accident if I'd lost control. I know you wont be able to give me an answer but why do they shout?
jon

BentMikey

Because you cacked yourself?

Harsh, but probably true. The more you ride, the more you get used to muppets like this. Yesterday I had a cabbie lean out and shout "C@nt". Weirdly he was in oncoming traffic, LOL!

Belv

For the same reason they throw things, i suppose: http://www.bikeradar.com/commuting/foru ... t=12560320

TheFoolio888

Because people are idiots.

tardington

Subconsciously they want you to fold in their wing mirrors?

ChrisLS

...it's at times like that I wish I was a trained stunt man so that I could act startled, swerve, throw myself and bike ,with its metal ended handlebars onto the bonnet of their car, scratching and denting paintwork, and then saying, as I pick myself up, "oh, sorry you made me jump"

SamWise72

Power. It's a form of bullying, and some people love to feel that they have the power to make others feel scared or harassed. Either they see cyclists as geeks, and therefore a soft target, or the assume they're safe from a battering in their car.

I was stopped at a traffic light, admittedly looking super geeky in my suit, and a Bell Faction helmet, on an old touring bike. 3 chavvy nippers, two on bikes, one on foot with a bottle of cider, came along the pavement, and one started shouting "Oi! Oi you! Safety boy!". Eventually I deigned to make eye contact, and he started shouting "Your mum! I ****ed your mum!".

I thought of coming back with something like "Yeah, she said you still owe her a fiver", or "She said you were rubbish", or "You ****ed my MUM? Uh, dude, she's 64!", but I refrained. However, he clearly wanted me to either get angry, or get scared, and start staring at the ground. I'm 6'3 and 17.5 stone, and not remotely scared of chavvy 16 year olds, so I wasn't about to give him that satisfaction, so I just stared at him with a quizzical expression, and gave him a grin that said "You're funny, but not on purpose!". The more I did that, the angrier he got, and by the time the lights changed, he was screaming at me, spit flecking his mouth. Inside, I was ready to rip his head off, but outside, I looked quietly amused as I rode away. I won that one.

cee

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z6mXfFTOxbM

claash

oh SamWise 72
I love your style!!!!! 8) 8)

Shadowduck

SamWise72 wrote:

I won that one.

You certainly did!

Nothing drives these people into a purple rage like a cheery smile and wave - or even better, if you're feeling brave, blow 'em a kiss and watch their little hard-wired brains explode! They simply cannot understand why you don't get angry, or scared, or both.

clanton

SamWise72 wrote:

Power. It's a form of bullying, and some people love to feel that they have the power to make others feel scared or harassed. Either they see cyclists as geeks, and therefore a soft target, or the assume they're safe from a battering in their car.

I was stopped at a traffic light, admittedly looking super geeky in my suit, and a Bell Faction helmet, on an old touring bike. 3 chavvy nippers, two on bikes, one on foot with a bottle of cider, came along the pavement, and one started shouting "Oi! Oi you! Safety boy!". Eventually I deigned to make eye contact, and he started shouting "Your mum! I ****ed your mum!".

I thought of coming back with something like "Yeah, she said you still owe her a fiver", or "She said you were rubbish", or "You ****ed my MUM? Uh, dude, she's 64!", but I refrained. However, he clearly wanted me to either get angry, or get scared, and start staring at the ground. I'm 6'3 and 17.5 stone, and not remotely scared of chavvy 16 year olds, so I wasn't about to give him that satisfaction, so I just stared at him with a quizzical expression, and gave him a grin that said "You're funny, but not on purpose!". The more I did that, the angrier he got, and by the time the lights changed, he was screaming at me, spit flecking his mouth. Inside, I was ready to rip his head off, but outside, I looked quietly amused as I rode away. I won that one.

Well done!

fossyant

I had this last year, as I was getting my fitness back.... car full of chav's... out on best bike.... the rear passenger tried to grab me on top of shouting.... missed.....But do this today, then I'd be raving - I'd go for them....

No messing now... had an old git try to force me out of the way today on the way home - forced him out of the way....

dav1

I was riding my local XC route at the weekend and a part of it runs a track by the A47. Some B****** in a white pick up decided to hit his horn to try and distract me. Thankfully I always expect idiots when going down there.

Fuzz Monkey Five

Kids at bust stop who shout at you, or ocassionally step out into the cycle lane so you have to swerve (blindly) into the road is a problem near me, had it a few times - partiuclaly at the same 2 bus stops.

I did once stop, get off my bike and use my finest scouse accent about 3 inches from the ringleader, giving it all teh Joe Pesci type lines from Casino / Goodfellas etc. Never really had a problem since then.

alfablue

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 :roll: ha......ha.....ha

karl j

SamWise72 wrote:

Power. It's a form of bullying, and some people love to feel that they have the power to make others feel scared or harassed. Either they see cyclists as geeks, and therefore a soft target, or the assume they're safe from a battering in their car.
.

yep thats about it.

Its relatively common around here in the summer when you get vans full of gobby tw&ts from the holiday camps. More often than not its gobby scousers shouting & chucking things out of the window at cyclists, peds, other cars etc. Sadly, though, i can't often understand what they're saying.
(apologies to the genuine decent people of that area)

shifter58

I had this happen to me last year riding into Bolton.Some clown screamed AAAH !!! leaning out of a car window causing me to come off my bike and crash in the road.A motorist behind stopped and helped me to the footpath.He was genuinly shocked at what the the car infront had done.The resulting crash screwed my knee ligaments up keeping me off my bike for over 6 months .At least the motorist who stopped gave me a lift home and wished he could have got the idiots plate number,but had already sped off.Some real idiots out there.

DLemon

I had this too on my commute home Friday. Out of the blue a car behind blasted the horn, passed very wide shouting, pointing and getting very angry. I think he was telling me that I should have been using a short section of cycle path on the pavement. in 5 years of commuting I've never had this. Funny though as the guy was old enough to know better, and had his company business logos all over his little black smart car! Yes I think it is a power thing. Unfortunatley I let myself down by shouting back and giving him some advisory hand signals.

Anonymous

Maybe for the same reason, it seems, UK riders think they need to shout at motorists????

SamWise72

My experience on other forums suggests we have it VERY easy compared to the Merkins. I've been shouted at only once or twice by cars, always by chavvy individuals. Many US commuters get screamed at several times per commute, and get buzzed very close too. I'm never sure if my tolerance for passing distance is just different, but I very seldom feel I've been buzzed.

lordmerchant

I had a ride friday evening and encountered a few idiots, the first two were leaning against a wall, just pointed at me and laughed hyserically, tossers. Theb when I nearly got home a chav got off a bus and tried to push me off my bike! I dont know why people fell the need to mock cyclists, maybe because we have the motivation to get up off our arses, who knows

Wooliferkins

An ex girlfriend had the BOO! thing happen to her. I cried with laughter when she emptied 500ml of PSP in his lap at the next red light.