Road Rage Is Getting Worse. Here’s What To Do About It

I’m very glad you’re talking openly about this very serious topic.

Before I started cycling a few years ago, I’m ashamed to say I got annoyed about cyclists slowing down traffic, especially during rush hour. Now that I’m also a cyclist, my perspective has completely changed, and so have those of my family and friends after I was run off the road by a car at the beginning of the year, and ended up in hospital. I now take extra precautions when I’m driving around cyclists – a few extra minutes on my trip will not kill me, but reckless driving might kill them.
Unfortunately, I agree with you that this problem is getting worse, but I have experienced firsthand how you can change people’s minds, starting with your own – all it takes is for enough people to take up cycling and to start seeing cyclists as people who have just as much right to use the roads as they do.

Perhaps everyone should have to ride a bike on a busy road as part of their driver’s license requirements (first and foremost politicians and heavy vehicle drivers).

All I heard was Gordon Ramsay raging in the kitchen

Seems worse in brittain than many other places. I'm sorry you guys have to live like that over there. I'm glad to live in a place where obviously you get some crap happening on the roads but… it seems particularly bad in the UK.

I've always said: A good driver makes a good cyclist, a good cyclist makes a good driver. I've ridden a bike since around age 10, as I got older I got into being a serious roadie including racing. Now I'm 71 and fortunately I've never had any super bad accidents due to any confrontation with cars. I still ride a lot but I don't take chances with any vehicle. There are many cyclists that have similar aggressive attitudes as drivers while riding in city traffic, it the crazy world of cities. My thought is that the car will always win. I do understand that if an automobile threatens you by either cutting you off or worse, then you would freak out on that person. Also I've seen many cyclists riding with no respect to the road rules by running red lights etc., they give all cyclists a bad name.

It isn't just road rage, so many times I've had cars within an inch of hitting me, even been clipped more than once.
I genuinely feel people are simply in their own little world and not even thinking about how their actions behind the wheel.

My American is showing, but I’ve started wearing a belt over my bib to carry a 4” long knife on my hip on rides. Primarily to use in self defense in the event of a physical altercation after I was threatened by a pedestrian on a greenway, but most definitely I’d use it if threatened by an angry motorist too.

Obviously, my first move would be to flee to safety and verbally deescalate the situation, but I would likely get pummeled in a fist fight if I got backed into a corner. My knife just makes me feel a little bit safer on my bike.

As a cyclist I recognise that we are vulnerable on the road. Expect the unexpected and don't react to bad driving. Don't be in a rush, ride single file, stop at lights and be visible. Report dangerous or aggressive drivers.

I live in thailand and there's no road rage here.

TBH, there are more dangerous drivers there causing other drivers to road rage than there is problems with cyclists. The only fuss I would normally have with cyclists are when there is cyclist lane but the cyclist choose to ride on the car lane instead.

I honestly don’t think the rage is limited to road users. We’ve become a society that has become self centered and we’re losing the ability or desire for empathy for others. Also people are constantly late whether through being overcommitted, bad time managers, or just lazy. There’s also the fact that, people have come accustomed to hiding behind a keyboard and picking fights. I think we’re seeing that spill over into real life encounters. Finally cycling has long had this elitist reputation and perhaps drivers see those who cycle as having extra time that they don’t have. Just some of my thoughts

I have a lot of sympathy for bike riders as a driver but I will be honest I didn't hear anything in this video about calling out poor behavior from cyclists. It was what everyone else can do to make the cyclist life easier. Just seems a little one sided. A question you may ask is if a cyclist had a bike lane nearby to use why are they in a car lane? Just something I see in my hometown where city Hall installed bike lanes throughout the city. I don't see hardly anyone use them and the has caused a lot of distress for businesses they are in front of or just people's houses. They are a pain.

No road rage in Taiwan…. The UK has a lot of problems, probably stemming from bad government and enforced diversity getting under people's skin!

It’s funny how the bike is what makes it not safe? Not the speeding 4,000 lb. hunk of metal with poor ability to see, maneuver, and stop.

Conor, I greatly respect you for sharing a personal video that you are obviously not proud of. But you really shouldn't feel embarrassed or bothered by your behavior here – the driver of the car was furious simply because you were there, while you had every right to be furious at him for using his car as a weapon and trying to take you down. That he then jumped out of the vehicle and verbally attacked you for no real reason is even more of a defense for you to lose your cool and respond as you did. You did NOT escalate things by getting physical yourself, so kudos to you for that. I will admit to getting upset with other drivers when I'm in my car, but I contain my feelings and get past them pretty quickly and just move on. No harm, no foul sort of thing. I don't understand why some people, like the driver you encountered, just snap when nothing really happened. Thanks for making this film, and for all the other pieces you do here on GCN. Well done, sir.