Do You Want 2 Fingers or 1?
A lot of cyclists may have issues with this one, but I’m not afraid to admit that I give the middle finger to any driver doing something dangerous or stupid. I’ll even give them the finger when I see them doing something stupid to someone else while I’m rolling by. But I’m not biased…..I’ll also give a hand gesture to drivers doing something good and friendly as well.
I find that I flip off a lot more people here in Grenada than I’ve ever done anywhere else, but that’s also because of the tight conditions we deal with on the roads over here. But I also have no problem giving the peace sign or a hang loose to any of the nice drivers.
Grenada is a small island, so I seem to do a lot of two finger salutes as friends drive by. It’s interesting that the people I know are the ones always giving me lots of space. Even though the island is pretty tiny, I’m happy to say that I haven’t yet run into someone who said to me….“Hey, aren’t you the guy who flipped the finger at me last week?” Whew.
Hi Darryl,
I think I just realised getting all het up and angry was pointless. Plus had a few confrontations where I realised I might end up getting in trouble by letting my temper get the better of me and I’ve found smiling and saying ‘cheers’ when some idiot shouts at me to get off the road etc makes them realise who the real fool is.
I used to get mad – gesture and swear but as Kirkby points out you don’t always know what type of idiot is behind the wheel.
Now I smile and give them a thumbs up in a sarcastic manner and this approach also works well when you get drivers beeping or shouting abuse when they’re in the wrong. They seem taken aback by it and shocked.
As it catches them off guard hopefully like your skateboard incident make them think and realise they need to be more careful
Thanks James, what got you to make the switch? Here in Grenada, I’m not sure they would get the sarcastic thumbs up.
Hi Darryl,
here in Germany I would never flip a finger, it’s too expensive. They take you to court for every little thing over here and a middle finger can cost up to EUR 4000
That’s crazy. What’s the cost to a driver if they bump you off the road? In the United States, there’s nothing even done if they kill you.
Well, I have to say that, I really try not to do that. Not because it’s vulgar or rude or anything – sometimes people just deserve it. But, I’m on a bike and they’re in a car. It would be so easy for them to give me a bump or door me and then leave, it’s just not work the risk. Sometimes I’ll yell or throw up a hand in frustration, but I really try not to give the finger. You don’t know what kind of day they’re having or what kind of psychopath may be behind the wheel.
Thanks for your input on this one. Here’s what I know. A long time ago I was driving and came to a stop sign. I started to go but I never realized there was a guy on a skateboard crossing the street. So that meant I almost cut him off. He flipped me off as he went by in front of me and it really impacted me. It made me look harder the next time. That’s what my hope is when I flip off a driver.