Tapping on a Car to Communicate to the Driver

[Rod Smith]

“Do not touch my private property!” Overreact much? I do that regularly. Knocking on the side of a car is akin to knocking on the front door of a house and it’s done for the same reason, to let people inside know I’m there. If you’re cutting me off, I assume you didn’t see me. Generally the knock is appreciated. Drivers who get irate over a knock on the door or rear side panel are kooks looking for an excuse to get angry.

[jabberwocky]

I have zero compunction about giving cars a smack if they’re doing something that endangers me. There are a few mercedes driving around Great Falls with dents in their passenger doors from my foot.

[jrenaut]

I like to yell first. A very loud “Hey!” can be very effective. I hesitate to smack a car. There’s little chance of damage from a good open hand smack, but it’s a bit aggressive, and likely to lead to an aggressive reaction.

That’s not to say I wouldn’t do it. But I do try to follow the teachings of Dirt whenever possible, and seek a less aggressive means to express my dismay whenever possible. More likely to get a positive reaction out of the driver if you start off less aggressive.

Also, I’ve found since having children that I have an extra volume setting (it goes to 11) that I can get to when necessary. One of my daughter’s 4-year-old friends even remarked on it at her birthday party when I yelled across the pool at Yards Park to my daughter (for the 8th time) to stop running. So that helps. Now that open-window season is over it does get harder.

[TwoWheelsDC]

I’m probably paranoid, but I’ve read too many stories of people getting shot or stabbed over road rage confrontations to touch someone’s car. Not that I think it’s actually big deal, but some people are freakishly protective of their stuff, particularly their cars, so it’d take an extreme situation for me to do something like that. That said, on my motorcycle, there have been times I’ve nearly done the “punch the sideview mirror off and speed away” (having armored gloves is a nice benefit of motorcycling) but knowing my luck, I’d probably break my hand and fall off the bike.

[culimerc]

I occasionally will “reach out and touch someone”. The way I look at it tho, if I can reach out and touch your car, your WAAAAAYYYYY too close. The other situation I’ll tap someone’s car is when they are stopped in a marked and controlled crosswalk and I cross behind them. I touch the car very lightly just enough to let them know its not appreciated.

[Dirt]

I try to do the whole “Peace on earth and good will to humans” thang for the most part. If I’ve got someone who is moving into me, I will reach out and touch them before they actually hit me. It helps keep a few inches between their fender and my handlebars. My voice is quite effective in letting people know that I’m there. The problem that I have is that surprising a car like that can cause unpredictable reactions from the driver. Half the time when I smacked a car with my hand the driver turned INTO me rather than away from me… and it was purely because they had no clue what they were moving away from.

Most of the time I had issues with this when I would ride up the right side of a car. The easiest way for me to avoid having issues is to be very, very careful when it comes to riding up the right side of a car. I just don’t do it when the car is moving. I’ll take the lane and sit behind if traffic is moving slowly. When the speed picks up, I’ll move to the right side and let people pass me if there’s room.

Pete

[rcannon100]

If someone is threatening by life with dangerous driving (and I think that car in the british video was all but guilty of assault with a vehicle)…. I will use any reasonable means at my disposal to protect myself. Thumping a car will do absolutely no damage to the car – and will get the drivers attention.

Safety rule one. If I have to thump you to keep you from running me over; I will.

[vvill]

I think I’ve mentioned it before but I once tapped on a taxi driver’s window in Washington Circle, and he freaked and said he would shoot me if he had a gun.

[jabberwocky]

@vvill 35423 wrote:

I think I’ve mentioned it before but I once tapped on a taxi driver’s window in Washington Circle, and he freaked and said he would shoot me if he had a gun.

The only time I had a driver freak out on me was a guy in a pickup who had pulled up and blocked the W&OD crosswalk at Wiehle a few years ago. As I tried to scrunch around his truck, I put a hand on his fender to stay upright and he started SHRIEKING out his window at me, yelling homophobic slurs and threatening me for “touching his truck”. I can’t say I was particularly polite in return. I actually found it amusing at the time.

I’ve had to give a few cars in Great Falls a kick or two when they’ve tried to shove me off the road, but they’ve never hung around to complain.

[Terpfan]

Don’t do it. In DC, the police can (and will) use this as an excuse to claim a “hit and run.” Even if you were doing so simply to avoid a collision with the vehicle after they illegally cut you off. I can attest to that one. Ultimately, you will prevail since it’s a ridiculous insinuation by the DC police, but the anti-bike cops will say anything touching of a vehicle at any time constitutes hitting it. Seriously, they said even brushing a vehicle as you walk between parked cars constitutes hitting it. So it suffices to say you definitely shouldn’t touch it out of anger or face the wrath of the anti-bike DC police (and I do note some of their officers are outstanding and understand the rules of the road/laws including bicycling laws far better than others).

[dasgeh]

I used to be more of a thumper myself (both biking and running — I thumped quite a number of cars turning into crosswalks in NYC; I also enjoyed squirting them with my water bottle while running), but I’ve mellowed for multiple reasons:
1) the primary one being the stories I’ve heard of drivers (and other passengers) going completely beserk, coupled with the realization that I am not equipped to fight off/effectively run away from a car full of angry people, especially if they have guns (I live in Virginia, I have to be a realist).
2) I have a kid, and one in my belly, so I really, really, really don’t want to get hurt.
3) I’ve done stupid things too, and while I do my best not to do stupid things, sometimes it just happens (sorry guy waiting in the middle of Lee Hwy in the crosswalk near Nelson the other day — I really thought you were going to keep checking your phone, so I didn’t stop to let you cross – even though I admit I had time once I saw you look up from your phone).
4) Cars (and the internet) make many people meaner and more stupid.

Now, I generally limit interaction to real danger, and I try to yell first, thump if necessary. In my current state (very pregnant = very conservative rider), I’ve had far fewer really dangerous interactions. I’m not sure whether that will be predictive of my riding next year.

[Tim Kelley]

I’ve done soft, but urgent and repeated, open hand slaps on exactly two occasions. Both were at the start of right hook situations near the Clarendon metro and in both cases the drivers were too stunned seeing me right there to react in anger.

[jnva]

I treat cars like my kids – yell at them but no hitting:)

[consularrider]

@jnva 35461 wrote:

I treat cars like my kids – yell at them but no hitting:)

Spare the rod and spoil the driver?

[jabberwocky]

@jnva 35461 wrote:

I treat cars like my kids – yell at them but no hitting:)

I wish I could, but if I’m going downhill at 30+mph on a narrow, shoulder-less road and a car decides to crowd me into the woods, I have about 2 seconds to get their attention and convince them to change course. I generally choose to go straight to the physical interaction (with yelling as well, because you can never go wrong with yelling). :p

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