Riders often see motorists doing dangerous things such as texting while driving and can be become enraged, leading to a road rage incident.
However, kicking doors or yelling abuse only inflames the situation further … and remember, they are bigger than us which means we can come off second-best like the riders in these two videoed incidents.
In the first incident in Los Angeles, rider Samuel David Ayres told a BMW driver to stop using his mobile phone to text while driving.
The driver then rams the rider who was left with concussion, two hairline shoulder fractures, a broken left foot, a broken bike and a hefty medical bill. To donate to Sam’s medical fund, click here.
Meanwhile, in Brazil, this rider is offended by something the driver has done and starts kicking his door.
The driver responds by ramming his Kawasaki Ninja. The rider still hasn’t worked out that he is David with no rocks in his slingshot up against Goliath. So he jumps on the bonnet of the car which then speeds off across the road.
The hot-headed rider could easily have been killed by this hot-headed driver.
Fighting off road rage
The best solution is to take a deep breath, then take some relevant action, such as collecting evidence to convict the driver of an offence.
Since most incidents which trigger road rage are in heavy traffic, it’s a good idea to have an action camera on your bike or helmet, the legality of which is currently being tested in the courts.
NSW police have cameras on their helmets, so why can’t we?Make sure you capture not only the incident, but also the number plate of the offending driver.
In the Brazilian case, an action camera may not have captured anything as the incident seems to have happened behind and beside the rider.
In the LA incident, the video doesn’t identify the BMW driver, so it will be difficult for police to take action. The rider should have moved in front, turned his head and recorded the number plate of the car.
Otherwise, you should look around for eye witnesses, or even better, drivers who have dashboard cameras on their cars such as the one which captured the Brazilian incident.
Let’s hope that the driver offered the vision to the rider or that the rider has now found it on YouTube and can take action against the driver.