Sundance: I’ll have to install a calmness meter on my blog that reflects my feelings about the road ahead.

Dear Mr. Riepe: I did some research before writing the post and found a lot of scary stories and data searching Google for “road aggression”. It isn’t pretty.

Those sexual promises seem a lot like the promises suicide bombers get. Maybe it will work but something just seems wrong. Maybe it would be better to offer cash.

Your youtube idea has great merit. Make sure you have the white balance set correctly before you begin and please shoot in HD. I look forward to seeing your work.

How come I am always the calming one. I want to be the viking every once in awhile. Do I need a K-bike for that???

I wish I knew why it seems so hard sometimes to release a demon. Chocolate is another demon…

Harv: Anticipation is something I first became conscious of during the MSF course. And then again on irondad’s blog. It is a habit I am glad to have and it has saved me from misfortune more than once.

The anger demon, when turned loose, is unpredictable. If often turns on he who loosed it.

From the flesh and blood me:

Inside I still get angry and expect more from drivers. I can’t calmly accept that all other drivers will react with selfish stupidity. If I do, then what does that say about the human race?

Thus I am calm ( mostly ) in my riding while seething inside.

This is a valuable post. Sometimes the most benefit comes when we let others see our weak moments.

I am under the impression that encounters such as you described in this most recent blog posting are on the rise. And I futher suspect thay are directly linked to the “me first” attiude that is so prevalent in United States.

There needs to be a more conscious effort to educate the masses so they honestly believe that the guy who says, “After you,” in the most convincing tone, is the one who gets the better job and has great, rampant sex 15 times a week.

That being said, your little morality play set me to fantasizing. I imagined following that SUV driver into the Macdonalds, dragging him out of the car, ripping his pants off, and painting his ass blue — for a presentation on YouTube.

But in truth, all that would likely accomplish is create another rabid SUV driver, who’d be cruising through traffic with a can of blue paint all his own. Between exercising good (but less than satisfying) judgement and the blue paint therapy, there has to be a better approach.

I did something stupid this week too. And I had help. All that was missing was the paint. Your blog has a calming influence on me. I will think twice about being a viking the next time.

Fondest regards,
Jack • reep • Toad
Twisted Roads

As riders it’s the most important defense mechanism we can employ. You moved to the side of your lane when you anticipated trouble. Life saving advice.

You gave yourself a way out of a potentially dangerous situation. All of us should ride this way.

Harv

GAW