Ok bear with me, I'm in a bit of a rage. Everybody knows that driving along the M1 in the fast lane, outside of rush hour ,is going to result in either a BMW, Audi or Merc driving inches from your rear bumper with main beams being flashed - no matter what reason you have for being in the fast lane. It does everyones head in, but you just think "c**t" complete your overtaking and move over when sensible.

This morning at 8:30 coming into Nottingham on a busy dual carriage way where it crosses the M1 I've just had to deal with the king of k**bs on a motorbike. This isnt a rant about his method of transport, just him as a driver - but I do think extra consideration is necessary as a biker at rush hour and I do have a bike license.

I saw him coming quick down the fast lane and I had two cars behind and one in front of me all over taking a chain of 5 or 6 LGVs. The biker sat close on the rear car until it was forced into moving over in between two of the lorries. Same thing happened to the car behind but it didnt move over so the bike did a highly suspect undertake in the gap between another two of the lorries so he was no sat on my backside.

I wasnt moving.

The next 2 lorries were too close for him to use the slow lane so he moved to within a nats arse on my rear bumper and started with the main beams (as if I hadnt seen him coming) so I shook my head which seemed to send him off the handle. He must have been centimetres from my rear bumper when i gave him the finger.

This caused him to intiate and absolutely insane undertake, so I put my foot down and closed the gap with the car in front to prevent it. Needless to say he was not happy. Once I'd passed the lorries and a couple of cars and the road opened up slightly and did move over to let him pass and he decided to come right up to my drivers window - so I laughed at him and gestured "what are you going to do now?". He passed me and sat on my front bumper doing intermittent heavy braking and kept coming back to my side. I kept laughing until eventually he sped away and as a parting gift, put a crack in my wing mirror.

Now I know I purposefully p*ssed him off, but everything I was doing on the road was legitimate and it would have been unsafe to let him pass by moving into the trucks braking gaps anyway.

I really could have made him a statistic

Did you take his number?

If so, report him to the police for failing to stop at the scene of an accident.

Don't worry - if he's riding like that a complete stranger will have his liver by the end of the week!

If you're that upset, report him (for criminal damage at least) but be prepared for him to counter your claims with one stating that you were driving dangerously. The guy was without doubt a cock of the cockiest order but if you've been closing gaps to cause him grief, then you'll be in the same knob shaped boat as him. I would have thrown a cold cup of Maccy D's coffee over him as Miss Owelly always seems to collect them in the car......

You got his reg plate?? Report him and then get a claim going for the damaged mirror. I'd have been tempted to not brake in time when he was doing his outbraking manouvers!!! Idiot bikers are about as bad as it gets - its them that get killed if either they or the driver doesnt react in time to their stunts.

I hate it when people insist on doing dumb stuff like that. I know quite a few bikers who have got so het up over flicking the vees at someone they arn't concentrating and crash. What a dumb ass.

Saying that, no matter how unsafe I judge someone elses driving or riding, I would not use a blockpass on em in case they got hurt.

As it was a bike, you would have got off lightly if he'd have hit you, maybe a few scraps on your car at most - I doubt if it was a sprinter van (also terrible for doing stupid moves) I would have sat in the fast lane like that - if only because I;ve got two kids and dont want to end up as a statistic, no matter how much anyone p i s s e s me off.

Glad you got through it "pretty much" unscathed.

Well this is the best bit, although I saw a plate in my rear view mirror, when he came past me he didnt have a rear plate on view. So once the damage was done there wasnt a number to take down

I wouldn't recommend trying to annoy bikers and certainly not trying to cut one up as it sounds in your post

for a start their mates might be not far behind and will give you a right hiding or leave you in a ditch somewhere

many also seem to be wearing camera's so you might find this incident on you-tube by now

so why did you speed up when he tried going past? why didn't you just let him get on with it and that would be the end of that? nope, instead you gave him the finger, sped up and prevented him from overtaking 'as safely' (ie you actualy made it more dangerous)

yes, he was being a cock, but if i'm honest, and there's no point pretending, i think you were too

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Originally posted by Mr Whippy
I wouldn't recommend trying to annoy bikers and certainly not trying to cut one up as it sounds in your post

for a start their mates might be not far behind and will give you a right hiding or leave you in a ditch somewhere

many also seem to be wearing camera's so you might find this incident on you-tube by now

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Wan*er of the highest order! It's people like that who give bikers a bad name! I'd have done the same as you. A good tip is to keep a flash camera (that's one that goes flash not one that is flash) in the car and start taking photos (just piont and press, I'm not suggesting you take your eyes off the road). Taking photo evidence should worry him enough to make him p*ss off (whether or not the photos are actually any good)!

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This caused him to intiate and absolutely insane undertake, so I put my foot down and closed the gap with the car in front to prevent it.

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Originally posted by blakep82
so why did you speed up when he tried going past? why didn't you just let him get on with it and that would be the end of that? nope, instead you gave him the finger, sped up and prevented him from overtaking 'as safely' (ie you actualy made it more dangerous)

yes, he was being a cock, but if i'm honest, and there's no point pretending, i think you were too

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you might meet his mates tomorrow...

Doesn't sound like either of you are blameless. Just learn from the experience and let tossers pass and out of your way asap.

First of all put your knives down on the table. No reason for talking like that.

Second of all. Did you manage to identify the bike? inform the police for the incident. Let them know of the bike.

How did the mirror break? Did he knock it with something? If he did, this can be considered as an assault as well.

Obviously don't tell them that you speeded up to close the gap. You could mention to them that you had to speed up to increase the gap between the two of you and also put you into risk for an accident.

Obviously cameras are around so if they want, i am sure they can find him.

Mention the fact that the numberplate wasn't on the back as well which could mean the bike was stolen.

Bla bla bla.

I get your point but you should have just let him gone past.
Im Surprised you didnt see him a few miles later dead.
Lots of stupid bikers/drivers that will get themselves killed doing stuff like that.

im pretty sure everyone thats just said they would have just let him pass, just do exactly that without so much as a tut.... Honestly lol.

Im the most placid driver but even i have tick off points!

Washer jets. That is all.

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Originally posted by l0rd
First of all put your knives down on the table. No reason for talking like that.

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it is easy to see red in these situations but you have to resist.

if there had been an accident, how would you feel if you were responsible for a death or a serious injury? how would you know if you would be ok as well?

and think of the ensuing delay for ambulance and police to pick up the pieces.

IMO it is just not worth it.

Yes, I have had this happen, very often it is the driver's for German cars and white vans. Come up right behing you and flash for you to move out of the way but there is cars infront so they gain nothing other than being in the place where my car was - I am being held up by the cars infront.

Best to not move out of the way, for a little while at least, just to make a point but no more than that.

If they become really aggressive - I had one car, a few years back, start to indicate and then attempt to overtake me in the space between my car and the central barrier let them on their way.

Very likely they'll get their comeuppance but not at my expense.

Take lots of deep breaths and try to calm down, not easy I grant you.

[Edited on 11/3/09 by 02GF74]

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Originally posted by 02GF74
it is easy to see red in these situations but you have to resist.

if there had been an accident, how would you feel if you were responsible for a death or a serious injury? how would you know if you would be ok as well?

and think of the ensuing delay for ambulance and police to pick up the pieces.

IMO it is just not worth it.

Yes, I have had this happen, very often it is the driver's for German cars and white vans. Come up right behing you and flash for you to move out of the way but there is cars infront so they gain nothing other than being in the place where my car was - I am being held up by the cars infront.

Best to not move out of the way, for a little while at least, just to make a point but no more than that.

If they become really aggressive - I had one car, a few years back, start to indicate and then attempt to overtake me in the space between my car and the central barrier let them on their way.

Very likely they'll get their comeuppance but not at my expense.

Take lots of deep breaths and try to calm down, not easy I grant you.

[Edited on 11/3/09 by 02GF74]

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I do drive a lot with work and have done for a long time now. I am not the slowest driver out there by any stretch of the imagination but in the last 5 years or so I have really mellowed it my attitude to driving and other road users. If I encounter a kn*b, be it in a car, van or lorry or on a bike then the less time I am near them, the better! If this means "rolling over" to let them past then this is what I do. I don't want them near me when they do their next stupid stunt!

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Originally posted by Richard Quinn
If I encounter a kn*b, be it in a car, van or lorry or on a bike then the less time I am near them, the better! If this means "rolling over" to let them past then this is what I do. I don't want them near me when they do their next stupid stunt!

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I'm the same - get out of their way, and let them be a statistic somewhere else. They may think that they've 'won the battle', but I simply don't care.

For a similar reason, I really don't mind people driving much faster than me on the motorway - if the police have a choice between pulling someone over for doing 75-ish, or someone doing 90-ish, I can guess which they'll prefer...

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Originally posted by Mr Whippy
I wouldn't recommend trying to annoy bikers and certainly not trying to cut one up as it sounds in your post

for a start their mates might be not far behind and will give you a right hiding or leave you in a ditch somewhere

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i get it loads in my works escort van they are slow as hell so when im overtaking you somtimes get prats come flying up my arse all i do i take my time more then and move over to the other lane as slowly as possible then either give them the bird or laugh at them when they come pass really annoys them

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Originally posted by adam1985
i get it loads in my works escort van they are slow as hell so when im overtaking you somtimes get prats come flying up my arse all i do i take my time more then and move over to the other lane as slowly as possible then either give them the bird or laugh at them when they come pass really annoys them

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Well this is the best bit, although I saw a plate in my rear view mirror, when he came past me he didnt have a rear plate on view. So once the damage was done there wasnt a number to take down

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oh yeah! it was a rear view mirror glance, thought id seen some ident through the main beams but must have obviously been just the change between dip and high rather than a white panel.

Well every man to his own i say, I can see both sides but i wish it were simple like this;

If the person over/undertaking were not one step away from an imoeba AND had a concept of the relationship between speed/distance/time ONLY then i would happily sit at a constant speed and relative position on the road to let them over/undertake and do what they want.

I would also like other people to do the same for me if one day i felt like going to tear up the road!

Just to add: This is never the case, there will always be one imoeba out there to finish your life off whether on a bike or in a car!

[Edited on 11-3-09 by Chaz]

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Originally posted by cd.thomson
He tried to undertake in a very small gap in the slow lane to move into a small gap between me and the car in front - id have had to have braked to let him in.

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After being a statistical member a year and a half ago, i don't want anyone anywhere near me.

Doing 120 miles a day, doing 60-65 tops apart from overtaking.

I am ready to get STAY AWAY FROM ME stickers in my car.

Just got a new one just over a month now, driven 3k so far and allthough keeping my distance etc. my windscreen is full of stone chips.

Have allready counted 9 of them.

enough craig bashing, im the one with the broken wing mirror without having any of the fun of wizzing past people on a motorbike in heavy traffic .

If were splitting hairs I'd have to say your maths was suspect. You havent factored that I would have been braking not to simply let him in but to create a safe braking distance between him and me, and him and the car in front.

edited to add that I know how I reacted wasnt the best course of action, I can only blame spur of the moment, fit of rage type thinking. I shouldnt have got annoyed at someone else driving dangerously is the moral of the story, but "king of the roads" can get frustrating - nobody is perfect, right?!

[Edited on 11/3/09 by cd.thomson]

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Originally posted by cd.thomson
enough craig bashing...

...If were splitting hairs I'd have to say your maths was suspect.

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Originally posted by balidey
Washer jets. That is all.

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+1 for zil.

violence is escalatory.

I've used the washer jet trick a few times as well.

Thing is, as I'm getting older I'm getting less tolerant. Maybe there are more people on the road driving like idiots or I'm just getting cranky.

But if the limit is 30, i'll be doing 30. No matter how close you get i'll still be doing 30, i'll just be doing it whilst getting PI**ED off with you.

Now don't get me started on people driving around roundabouts incorrectly ....... oooh, i could swear.