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CaptCrash
 Senior Member
346 Posts
[Mentor]
Nampa, ID
USA
Suzuki
Honda Phantom
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 Posted - 11/17/2009 : 7:32 AM
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Ever had another driver get really angry with you? It happens occasionally you know. Here's a story that ran in the Idaho Statesman not too long ago:
"BOISE, Idaho An Idaho woman accused of ramming her pickup into another car, then hurling ranch salad dressing at the vehicle, has pleaded guilty to aggravated battery. Tiffany M. Wallace, 18, entered the plea in 4th District Court Monday in a deal with prosecutors. The Idaho Statesman reported Wallace was scheduled to be sentenced Dec. 11.
Wallace was arrested June 1 after police said she used her truck to ram a sedan several times over a road rage episode. The driver of the other car told police the encounter began after he was cut off by Wallace. He said she later cut him off again, yelled at him and threw coins and plastic containers of ranch dressing at his car.
The victim said the woman later rammed his car at least three times in a parking lot."
Information from: Idaho Statesman, http://www.idahostatesman.com/580/s.../961111.html
Pay attention to the last sentence: "...later rammed his car at least 3 times in a parking lot". LATER. Meaning she followed him. She chased him. She pursued him. Image if her victim had been on a motorcycle instead of in a car! Every so often you'll hear stories about Road Rage that document instances of drivers acting with malice toward bikers. Heck, you may even have been on the receiving end of some unwelcome automobile attention. Remember, this IS America and you don't have to be a rocket scientist (or even overly lucid) to get a license to drive or ride. With that in mind I thought I'd take a moment to share some basic security tips that people in TV use to keep Anchors, Reporters, Photographers and other personnel safe. I'm going to apply them to motorcycles and show you some of the risks and rewards of being aware of your surroundings and having an escape plan.
1. Avoid having a predictable pattern. Have at least 3 different routes between your work and home. Alternate routes randomly. If someone is mad at you and knows you'll be on your bike at a specific time in a specific place--you're at risk. If you have an incident on the way to work or home alter your route for the next few days, this gives the other driver time to cool off and forget you. If a driver feels you cut them off at an intersection, feels slighted enough to honk or flip you off, and then sees you the next day? You can become a target of opportunity. It's best to avoid them for a day or two so use an alternate route. Varying your time of departure and arrival can help you avoid the scene of an "incident".
2. If you think you're being followed--"Walk the Box". Make four consecutive right hand turns. Go around the block. It may be a BIG block but there is NO REASON ON EARTH for someone to make 4 rights turns behind you unless they are following you. If they do, then they are following you. You are now a potential target. Behave accordingly (see #3).
3. Once you fear (or know) you're being followed, proceed to a well lit, well populated area. This sounds awful, but place yourself where there are witnesses. Witnesses will help confirm your account of what happens and often serve as good Samaritans. Knowing where the local police station, substation or barracks are located is a good thing too. Go the police station parking lot and pull right up to the door. If you're being followed--they'll peel off. IF they follow you into the parking lot, just park it by the door and lay on the horn. Officers will respond. (Come on, there's a bike up on the sidewalk by the front door laying on the horn! They'll come out.) Police Stations tend to be populated 24/7 but be aware that at 2 in the morning in small municipalities you might not have an officer on duty at the station.
4. Keep a log of vehicles you are having trouble with. IF every few days that orange Mazda is giving you the finger? Take note of the model, year, and plate number. Once you're at work or home write up a description of the driver and a short note of what they're doing. This may sound nuts but you'll have documentation if something happens. (AND you'll realize that you need to vary your route to avoid problems).
A couple of final thoughts; first, cars are big! They weigh a couple of tons. As a weapon they are profoundly dangerous to motorcyclists and you want to avoid confrontations with them. What's the old saying? "Don't bring a knife to a gunfight"? A car's strength as a weapon are size, weight and low risk of operator injury. A driver running over a rider is at very little risk. YOU, the rider, are extremely vulnerable. Use your head to stay out of bad situations. Don't escalate them. FLEE. You can split lanes, ride up on the sidewalk, out brake, out turn and out accelerate most automobiles. Use this to your advantage. If you need to flee, turn into that parking lot, double back, slip between stopped cars, evade--don't fight.
Yeah, fleeing isn't as glamorous as fighting but you can't beat up an SUV with your gloved fists and if a driver decides to park it on you? Even if it's a crime--you're still the one doing the hospital time.
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twc
Advanced Member
659 Posts
[Mentor]
Fort Collins, CO
USA
Harley-Davidson
Electra Glide Ultra
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Posted - 11/17/2009 : 10:42 AM
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quote:
Originally posted by CaptCrash
Ever had another driver get really angry with you? It happens occasionally you know.
This is a great story accompanied by sound advice, but it needs just one more dimension added. I'll use a quote from the latest Larimer County (Colorado) Sheriff's Department online "Bullsheet" to illustrate:
But that story reminded me of an expression one of our sergeants uses in his talks. About this incident, he would say, "So there I was at the end of the bar reading my Bible and drinking a glass of milk when this guy takes a swing at me for absolutely no reason at all."
These events are rarely one-sided, though it sometimes happens that revenge is taken by proxy. Witness the anger that is aroused in public forums when bicyclist misbehavior is being discussed. Avoiding escalation is the first and best way to deal with aggressive drivers.
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ananga73
Ex-Member
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Posted - 11/17/2009 : 11:25 AM
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Very pertinent advice. However just wanted to add that driving in America can be very tame compared to some other parts of the world  I have lived in and believe me I have been around. |
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scottrnelson
Advanced Member
5262 Posts
[Mentor]
Pleasanton, CA
USA
KTM
990 Adv, ST2, XR650L
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Posted - 11/17/2009 : 11:38 AM
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Welcome back CaptCrash, we've missed you.
quote:
Originally posted by CaptCrash
Pay attention to the last sentence: "...later rammed his car at least 3 times in a parking lot". LATER. Meaning she followed him. She chased him. She pursued him. Image if her victim had been on a motorcycle instead of in a car!
This happened a few years ago in San Jose. A motorcyclist was followed and run over by a guy in an SUV. He died. The local motorcycle forums passed on the information and had hundreds of us looking for the one that did it, and he was caught and brought to justice.
I can't really find three different routes to work and am usually quite predictable. My philosophy is to not do things likely to upset other drivers, always trying to be as friendly as possible. But I'll still occasionally do something similar to #2 just in case. |
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CaptCrash
Senior Member
346 Posts
[Mentor]
Nampa, ID
USA
Suzuki
Honda Phantom
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Posted - 11/17/2009 : 4:08 PM
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Yes, you need to be play nice--but it's also possible that you're a target of opportunity like these poor guys:
"A Buhl man ran over two Idaho State Police troopers because he had gotten a speeding ticket from a Boise police officer earlier in the day, prosecutors said in court Friday.
David Paul Turnovec, 29, is charged with two counts of aggravated battery on a law enforcement office and once count of use of a deadly weapon during the commission of a felony after the two troopers' parked motorcycles were run down in the median of Interstate 84 Thursday.
He is being held on a $500,000 bond.
Sgt. Chris Duggan was listed in serious condition at Saint Alphonsus Regional Medical Center in Boise on Friday morning, according to hospital officials. ISP officials said Friday morning that Duggan has a broken leg.
Cpl. John Vance was treated and released.
Turnovec told a judge Friday he suffers from paranoid schizophrenia a fact not in dispute with Ada County prosecutors, who say Turnovec was discharged from the military over medical issues.
Prosecutors also say that after Turnovec struck the two troopers with his truck Thursday, he jumped out and pleaded with them to shoot him before he was arrested.
Ada County Deputy Prosecutor Jonathan Medema said Friday it appears Turnovec ran over the ISP officers because was upset with getting the speeding ticket earlier in the day by a Boise Police motorcycle officer.
Idaho State Police dispatchers said Duggan and Vance were sitting on their motorcycles about 3:44 p.m. in the median near the westbound lanes of Interstate 84 near Eisenman Road when the pickup, traveling westbound, went off the road and drove into them.
The crash caused a traffic backup at the peak of rush hour as medical help arrived and Boise police and ISP investigated the crash."
http://www.idahostatesman.com/newsu.../946515.html
Granted these Motor Officers were attacked by someone who looks to be insane, BUT he was offended by a Boise PD Officer and when he saw an ISP Motor Officer he took out his aggression on them. It's entirely possible that what you saw as an innocent move was viewed as "the last straw" and pushed someone over an edge.
Bottomline for me: this is also a situational awareness issue--are you just seeing cars around you or is that yellow Gremlin following you?
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Daddio
Senior Member
470 Posts
[Mentor]
Calera, AL
USA
Suzuki
Bandit 1250
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Posted - 11/17/2009 : 4:53 PM
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Welcome back Capt - I sense a bit of experience in this thread. Me - I am Mr. Anonymous. I don't tend to make folks mad at me. Sounds like you have been followed to purpose. I do take notice of patterns. I would notice the "Yellow Gremlin". Your avoidance tips are useful. I will be passing this to Mommio and three daughters. I will not leave out my son.
Glad to see you back!
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Nightwatchman
Junior Member
76 Posts
Littleton, CO
USA
Honda
Shadow Spirit 750
Peer Review:
1
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Posted - 12/28/2009 : 4:46 PM
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| Excellent reason to have a CCW permit.... |
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bachman1961
Advanced Member
1408 Posts
[Mentor]
colorado springs, co
USA
Honda
CB750 NightHawk
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Posted - 12/29/2009 : 1:27 AM
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Good subject matter and good advice.
I have a healthy respect for observation / situational awareness as related to others behavior in traffic. Thanks for a few good reminders and a few new (to me) ideas.
I'm inclined to agree with twc that something likely triggered this nuttso behavior and attracted her attention to a particular victim.
Who knows ?
It may have escalated in a grocery store (Ranch dressing isle?) or in line at the register. Possibly, a transgression of slight may have never been on the radar at all from the victim perspective.
There is nothing wrong with keeping an eye out all the time, understanding there are disturbed people who can act out for no cause or precipitating provocation. Now that the 'Yellow Gremlin' has been mentioned a few times, I'm afraid I'll have a difficult time NOT profiling. 
~brian |
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jguynn
Junior Member
30 Posts
Missouri City, TX
USA
Harley-Davidson
Sportster 1200C
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Posted - 12/29/2009 : 8:53 AM
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quote:
Originally posted by CaptCrash
Knowing where the local police station, substation or barracks are located is a good thing too. Go the police station parking lot and pull right up to the door. If you're being followed--they'll peel off. IF they follow you into the parking lot, just park it by the door and lay on the horn. Officers will respond. (Come on, there's a bike up on the sidewalk by the front door laying on the horn! They'll come out.) Police Stations tend to be populated 24/7 but be aware that at 2 in the morning in small municipalities you might not have an officer on duty at the station.
I work for a police department in a small suburb of Houston, I'm not an officer but I do have some insight into this part of CaptCrash's post. From roughly 8 AM to roughly 5 PM you can expect to find several officers (not necessarily uniformed officers) in my location...with the exception of lunchtime, say 11:30-12:30.
Much later than 5 PM and it's possible, if not probable, that all the on-duty officers are on the street.
Yes, it pays to know where the closest police station is, but in smaller towns/departments it's good to know WHEN you can expect one or more officers to be at that location. |
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Razzoo
Standard Member
130 Posts
Phenix City, Al
USA
Triumph
Sprint ST
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Posted - 12/29/2009 : 7:54 PM
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A guy pulled of a side street into congested traffic and almost hit me, I was PO'ed, he had his window down, so I came along side and told him he almost hit me and that he was idiot, and then turned around and took another route leaving him in the traffic.
He also turned around and followed. He passed me and this time he cut me off again(escalation). So now he is in front of me again. At this point I am thinking that have had enough of this - so I just quietly followed and then turned off making sure he did not follow me. -- at this point he thinks he won and that I decided that that is OK with me. Another though crossed my mind is I don't need to be getting into these sorts of confrontations as I have the only Triumph sport tourer in town and I have enough problems without making enemies.
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bachman1961
Advanced Member
1408 Posts
[Mentor]
colorado springs, co
USA
Honda
CB750 NightHawk
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Posted - 12/29/2009 : 8:34 PM
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quote:
Originally posted by Razzoo
A guy pulled of a side street into congested traffic and almost hit me, I was PO'ed, he had his window down, so I came along side and told him he almost hit me and that he was idiot, and then turned around and took another route leaving him in the traffic.
He also turned around and followed. He passed me and this time he cut me off again(escalation). So now he is in front of me again. At this point I am thinking that have had enough of this - so I just quietly followed and then turned off making sure he did not follow me. -- at this point he thinks he won and that I decided that that is OK with me. Another though crossed my mind is I don't need to be getting into these sorts of confrontations as I have the only Triumph sport tourer in town and I have enough problems without making enemies.
The first thing I think of is my family before I get too riled up or consider something I do or say might lead to an escalation. The last thing I would want is to be partly responsible for some screwball following me or recognize my vehicle and know where my family lives.
~brian
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SkootchNC
Advanced Member
607 Posts
[Mentor]
raleigh, north carolina
USA
Harley-Davidson
road glide
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Posted - 12/30/2009 : 6:43 AM
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It's been my observation, that most folks just aren't paying attention. Whether I'm in a car, a work truck, or a motorcycle, drivers (and riders) do stupid stuff.
On the rare occasion I attempted to discuss their action, it was clear, that the other person, had NO clue, and felt I was the aggressor.
I truly believe many "victims" of road rage, were the cause of the rage. I doubt there is a way to scientifically study that theory, but that's MY opinion.
I refuse to live my life, in a state of paranoia. Not to mention, I live in a sub-division, in a city. If I kept track of every vehicle I saw, I'd get nothing else done
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Axiom2000
Moderator
974 Posts
[Mentor]
Georgetown, Delaware
USA
BMW
R1200RT/ R1200C
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Posted - 12/30/2009 : 7:17 AM
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quote:
guy pulled of a side street into congested traffic and almost hit me, I was PO'ed, he had his window down, so I came along side and told him he almost hit me and that he was idiot, and then turned around and took another route leaving him in the traffic.
He also turned around and followed. He passed me and this time he cut me off again(escalation). So now he is in front of me again. At this point I am thinking that have had enough of this - so I just quietly followed and then turned off making sure he did not follow me. -- at this point he thinks he won and that I decided that that is OK with me. Another though crossed my mind is I don't need to be getting into these sorts of confrontations as I have the only Triumph sport tourer in town and I have enough problems without making enemies.
I think your actions in this instance are just inviting trouble. If someone cuts me off, I may shake my head at them but my immediate desire is to get as far away from them as possible. Pulling up next to them and calling them an idiot is just a sure way to escalate the incident to who knows what level. You have no idea who is behind that wheel, what their state of mind may be and how they may react. I don't believe it is a good idea to think of these situations as "I won, he Won", driving and riding on the public roads should not be considered a competitive event. If your reaction to his poor judgement/inattention causes a violent reaction on his part, then you lose, hands down end of story. |
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haithabu
Standard Member
238 Posts
Canmore, Alberta
Canada
Honda
Varadero
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Posted - 12/30/2009 : 9:54 AM
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As I've said elsewhere, I take idiots on the road as a natural phenomenom, just like gravel on the pavement. Getting mad at one is like getting mad at the gravel. If it wasn't him making a bonehead move, it would be someone else. It's my bad if I let him take me out.
I believe escalation is a no-win game, even if you're in a car. Somehow people are more aggressive when they're in a vehicle and more prone to react badly to even polite confrontation. |
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CaptCrash
Senior Member
346 Posts
[Mentor]
Nampa, ID
USA
Suzuki
Honda Phantom
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Posted - 12/30/2009 : 11:22 AM
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quote:
Originally posted by haithabu
As I've said elsewhere, I take idiots on the road as a natural phenomenom, just like gravel on the pavement. Getting mad at one is like getting mad at the gravel. If it wasn't him making a bonehead move, it would be someone else. It's my bad if I let him take me out.
I believe escalation is a no-win game, even if you're in a car. Somehow people are more aggressive when they're in a vehicle and more prone to react badly to even polite confrontation.
This is an excellent philosophy! Escalation works against riders. All someone has to do to get even is pass you too closely and open the door as they go by. Getting into an agressive situation with a car is like going after a tank with a pistol--you can make a lot of noise...do very little damage and get really hurt.
I'm big on being macho but why poke the bear? |
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Niebor
Ex-Member
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Posted - 12/30/2009 : 12:52 PM
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quote:
Originally posted by CaptCrash
I'm big on being macho but why poke the bear?
 Nice!
Nothing much to say, beyond that I certainly agree with the conclusion.  |
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Shadyrider
Junior Member
98 Posts
Hemphill, TX
USA
Honda
VLX 600 GL1800
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Posted - 12/30/2009 : 1:31 PM
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quote--haithabu---"I believe escalation is a no-win game, even if you're in a car. Somehow people are more aggressive when they're in a vehicle and more prone to react badly to even polite confrontation."
I always worry about escalation..... Not everyone that carries a gun has enough sense to know when/when not to use it.
My grandson is studying to be in law enforcement and I have major concerns about the simple traffic violation pull over.... so many LEOs have been victims of escalation by being stopped. |
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WSMeders
Standard Member
108 Posts
OH, DC
USA
Yamaha
FZR600
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WarHawk
Advanced Member
1794 Posts
Baytown, Texas
USA
Yamaha
'07 V-Star Custom
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