How do you deal with stupid drivers? | Page 2 | GTAMotorcycle.com

How do you deal with stupid drivers?

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You gotta stay calm, that is the key. Laugh it off somehow, let them self destruct and be stupid, and ride defensively. Remember typically motorcycling is something you are out to enjoy. If someone is getting your goat, then maybe pull off someplace or get away from them. Last thing you want to do is engage any sort of way, because it will just make it worse. Also find some new riding buddies.
 
rinomato1 said:
as a motorcyclist who has been on hiatus for 5 years, I always wondered how other fellow riders dealt with stupid drivers. ie.: tailgaiters, Impatient drivers, distracted drivers, aggressive drivers etc..... because in a perfect world there would be perfect drivers..... but that's not the case. About 5 years ago we were out on a group ride, and we were going along the Allen, towards Lawrence and a man was tailgating us, flashing at us honking just plain putting our lives at risk... now we got to the stop and the fellow I was riding with got off his Harley, reached into his pants pulled out a nightstick and just shattered the guys front windshield, then another rider with us, decided to follow suit and pulled the guy out of his car and just thrash him. the driver certainly deserved his fate had he hit anybody but that was an overreaction from others and not myself I woulda just let the goof pass me. Now, my biggest fear was oh crap there are other drivers they are probably gonna call the cops on us, so we eventually pulled off somewhere along Lawrence gathered our thoughts and came up with a plan to disperse. Point is these terrible drivers constantly put Our lives at risk why arent entitled to defend ourselves!?!!? the best way imho is to always record record record! cameras baby. What's or how were some of the ways you dealt with these kinds of people.

another scary thing is being stopped at a red light and someone narrowly rear ends you. scary stuff

Thanks
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You have to be aware that you are a vulnerable road user -- and own that fact. Unlike a car accident, a motorcyclist is usually the big loser in a collision when they are not at fault.

Be a smart road user, if someone is honking and flashing you I'm guessing you're not in the proper lane. Learn to ride defensively, learn from your road observations and apply those when you re-see similar situations. For example, I use the HOV lane on HWY 7, it can move at 80KMH when the lanes to the left are stopped -- if they are stopped I've learned anxious drivers will dart into the lane anytime -- so I either travel behind a large vehicle or slow to 40KMH so I have reaction time. There are countless intersection, merging, and road access situations that you can learn to anticipate worst case situations, then ride thinking they might happen.

To answer your question - no, you do have the right to defend yourself, you don't have the right to be a vigilante.
 
sburns said:
You gotta stay calm, that is the key. Laugh it off somehow, let them self destruct and be stupid, and ride defensively. Remember typically motorcycling is something you are out to enjoy. If someone is getting your goat, then maybe pull off someplace or get away from them. Last thing you want to do is engage any sort of way, because it will just make it worse. Also find some new riding buddies.
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Unless the guy gets out of his car at an intersection and you can manage to lock him out of his own running car and split real fast, that works pretty good too.
 
Mad Mike said:
To answer your question - no, you do have the right to defend yourself, you don't have the right to be a vigilante.
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Vigilantes don't need to ask for rights, they have been betrayed to the point of taking the law into their own hands.
So many afraid to ride on the roads because law of the land has failed.
Insurance companies thrive.
Sad state
 
Trials said:
Unless the guy gets out of his car at an intersection and you can manage to lock him out of his own running car and split real fast, that works pretty good too.
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Or you have a trials bike and you wheelie up and over the car, that'll show them!
 
Trials said:
Unless the guy gets out of his car at an intersection and you can manage to lock him out of his own running car and split real fast, that works pretty good too.
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I only did this once and I felt a little bad later. A woman cut me off on Hwy 7 & Birchmount 3 summers ago, she was talking on her phone. We were approaching a stoplight, she changed lanes and clipped my front tire with her back bumper. At the light I opened her passenger door to let her know she hit me - she didn't put her phone or say a word, she just gave me the finger. In a moment of disgust I yanked her car keys from the ignition and pitched them 100' into a construction site than rode off.
 
What are you going to do? Beat, knife, firebomb and shoot every idiot on the road who messes with you? The road would be a dystopian mess of corpses and burned out vehicles. Then you go to jail and they walk away. Suck it up and get away from them. Live another day. If you see the jerk's car parked somewhere I suppose you could kick the door panel in and take off, but really it's not worth it.bikers revenge.jpg
 
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sburns said:
Or you have a trials bike and you wheelie up and over the car, that'll show them!
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Would be nice some times but sadly I think it might be highly illegal.
 
You need to believe you're a god at motorcycle operation.

Seriously. A lot of ****** riders (and drivers) will blame others for being bad operators. If you're a god at operation, you're so ******* godly that your skill will carry you and you will never have an accident due to others because you see it coming. The ****** drivers don't matter to you because you see their shittiness a mile away and avoid them.

I'd suggest regularly training so you actually have the skill to back up the confidence if you go this route btw, or you gonna die lol

Trials said:
You have to out ride them all.
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I'm guessing this meant the same thing. Just more humble lol
 
油井緋色 said:
You need to believe you're a god at motorcycle operation.

Seriously. A lot of ****** riders (and drivers) will blame others for being bad operators. If you're a god at operation, you're so ******* godly that your skill will carry you and you will never have an accident due to others because you see it coming. The ****** drivers don't matter to you because you see their shittiness a mile away and avoid them.

I'd suggest regularly training so you actually have the skill to back up the confidence if you go this route btw, or you gonna die lol



I'm guessing this meant the same thing. Just more humble lol
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Yes.
Is like riding over a big pile of crazy rock where you know if you do crash you are going to get hurt bad no matter what. Worst thing you can do is to plan where you are going to fall, because for sure that is how it will turn out, best thing you can do is to ride with confidence and use both the brain and the reflexes.

... one more thing; I've come to the conclusion I crash more when I am wearing a helmet video camera,
I can't seem to ride good and make a good video at the same time, from now on that thing is getting bolted to the bike. ymmv.
 
I think a lot of riders have a sense of entitlement on the road. It's especially evident in those stupid "angry crazy people vs. bikers" videos on YouTube.
 
Michael0124 said:
I think a lot of riders have a sense of entitlement on the road. It's especially evident in those stupid "angry crazy people vs. bikers" videos on YouTube.
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... are you referring to lane splitters and people filtering front in traffic?
Yes those riders certainly do practice self entitled and car drivers are going to get somewhat upset with it no matter what.

It is important that you ride your lane position with some authority, if you ride like you are on a bicycle, car drivers will give you about as much spacial respect as a bicycle rider which is very little.
 
Wingboy said:
You don't deal with stupid drivers. You learn to spot them and stay very far away from them.
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Vigilance vigilance vigilance spot them and avoid them I agree. move out of there way, and act as if they're all trying to get you. No matter what two wheeled contraption you're on. From Bicycle to vespa. I agree with you 100000000%
 
Trials said:
... are you referring to lane splitters and people filtering front in traffic?
Yes those riders certainly do practice self entitled and car drivers are going to get somewhat upset with it no matter what.

It is important that you ride your lane position with some authority, if you ride like you are on a bicycle, car drivers will give you about as much spacial respect as a bicycle rider which is very little.
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Absolutely we must be assertive on the road, we've all had cagers try to push us around. But there is a fine line between aggressive and assertive, and it's usually ego that makes us cross it.

I mean the riders that get angry and lash out...revving, mirror smashing, riding like an idiot just to catch up to whoever they felt slighted them and "put them in their place". As if they own the road and have that "how dare you, do you know who I think I am?" mentality. I don't understand why some riders feel the need to escalate an already bad situation into something much bigger than it needs to be.

What's the point? **** happens, people are dumb, if no one got hurt move on and enjoy the ride. You'll get over it soon enough.
 
Riceburner said:
or speed away(under the speed limit of course).....;)
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And this is why i am personally against mixing little bikes like a CB500 or CR250 in 400 series Highway traffic. Yes they can do it, but they don't have anything in reserve to get away from trouble. Listen to Wobblycat in his podcast about his experience.
 
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