Another driver & cyclist confrontation caught on camera

[Keith A]

Seeing stuff like this has me thinking that I need to be riding with a camera...
http://www.cyclingweekly.co.uk/video...-cyclist-video

[Bentley]

That is major league f'd up. Way too many drivers are not respectful of cyclist. I would say its a minority but what they lack in numbers is made up in aggression. Enforcement of the law would help, I feel that a bit of enforcement would go a long way.

Ray

[chiasticon]

yikes! that guy was losing his mind! no idea what happened at the beginning that caused the cyclist to lay the bike down and engage him. generally I'd say not engaging is the best approach, but every situation is different I guess...

side note: this had me check the fly6 out again (what this was filmed with). they've come down in price and $99 ain't so bad for what you're getting, so I thought "maybe..." then checked Amazon reviews... 89 positive, 42 critical. not a good ratio.

[Keith A]

Originally Posted by chiasticon

yikes! that guy was losing his mind! no idea what happened at the beginning that caused the cyclist to lay the bike down and engage him. generally I'd say not engaging is the best approach, but every situation is different I guess...

side note: this had me check the fly6 out again (what this was filmed with). they've come down in price and $99 ain't so bad for what you're getting, so I thought "maybe..." then checked Amazon reviews... 89 positive, 42 critical. not a good ratio.

Looks like the $99 one is their previous version, and they now have a new one available. It must be pretty new as there are no reviews on Amazon yet.

[MattTuck]

Yeah, shouting "you're on camera! you're on camera!" is not exactly the best 'de-escalation' tactic, but it probably seems like a good one in the heat of the moment.

I wonder in a lot of these very aggressive motorist situations whether the person is just mad, or if there is a mental imbalance/substance abuse issue -- not condoning it, just trying to understand why some people seem to literally go crazy.

[lemondvictoire]

I go through there in Ross , Marin County and never had a problem there... Only riders that get stop sign tickets... Drivers generally there are bike friendly..especially in town .... I did have a problem with a rider (in Fairfax, Marin) that nearly clipped a pedestrian and later me...had a couple of words...I asked him if he wanted to talk more about it... then he rode off fast ....Be careful out there..

[radsmd]

Only difference between the old and new version of the FLY6 is the mount. The older version uses a silicon band and has worked fine for me. I think the new one uses a Velcro strap.

[benb]

I swear these guys with cameras always seem like the camera is making them escalate.

It sure doesn't look like the cyclist did anything wrong at the beginning but throwing the bike down in the road and screaming about the camera sure seemed like an escalation. I would never ever ever have done that, can't even imagine it seeming like a good idea. IME if you ignore these people they are way less likely to fly off the handle like the driver did. Maybe they yell one thing but then they move on if they don't get the reaction out of you.

Obviously that driver is insane but it makes you wonder if there was a way to avoid the whole thing.

[Repack Rider]

That corner is a couple of miles from my house, and I ride through it all the time. Never seen that level of conflict.

[Repack Rider]

I kind of like this one though.

[tumbler]

Originally Posted by Repack Rider

I kind of like this one though.

That was awesome.

[bluesea]

Originally Posted by Repack Rider

I kind of like this one though.

Not just angry but smart too, she escapes up a one way street!

[shovelhd]

Why was the cyclist riding down the middle of the street? Why did he lay his bike down at the light?

I love my Fly6. I don't ride anywhere without it. However I don't use it offensively.

[Peter P.]

Originally Posted by shovelhd

Why was the cyclist riding down the middle of the street? Why did he lay his bike down at the light?
... However I don't use it offensively.

I agree with your questions; he spent too much time in the middle of the lane even if he was taking the left. I could see how it would piss off drivers, especially those with a short trigger. I think the cyclist could have take a less invasive approach to navigating that intersection.

As to using the camera as an "offensive" weapon-The same thing is done with cellphone use; people feel it's an instant lifeline to police/protection, and expect the other party will back down when it's whipped out. I think there are a number of cyclists using cameras as a confrontational weapon. Both items are the new handguns of the West.

[flydhest]

I wonder if shouting about the camera is escalation. Usually people behave worse if they think they will get away with it.