Disengaging with close passers

There are cyclists, there are drivers and there are cunts. This isnt really a cyclist vs driver situation its a cyclist vs cunt situation and its nigh on unavoidable due to their nature. Fortunately they are few and far between. 

I find i am generally pretty calm about bad passes and cars pulling out. I am always expecting it but when it does catch me off guard and gives me a real fright it always results in very loud rarely coherant swearing. In that situation I am ready to start throwing head butts at a moments notice, thankfully its never come to that because its super dumb in retrospect.  

These sort of encounters are now so common I always ride with a camera.

Part of the problem is zero police engagement or enforcement *unless* you have it on video (and even then it's not a guarantee); the Police just say "it's your word against his" and the case doesn't even get started

Glad you are OK.
Being shook up at least means that you are alive.

At the risk of getting the wrath of the forum regulars thrust upon me, sometimes the only way you can de-escalate is to prevent it from occuring in the first place.
When I'm on single track roads, I'm always looking for an escape route where I can safely pull over and let them pass - from either the front or rear. I'll then vent my spleen quietly, once they have passed.
I know I shouldn't have to, and never used to until I had two weeks in hospital, 4 months of not being able to walk properly and a further year before I could ride greater than 20 miles again.

Venting the frustration at the time is great, but I'm always aware of how fragile my body *really* is, and how hard it is to walk - let alone have a decent punch-up - in cleats.

In your case, you got unlucky and got landed with a cunt. It's unlikely that faced with another motorist - which would have forced him to stop - the outcome would probably have been the same. Some people think that the world revolves around them, and we are here to serve them.
De-escalation with someone like that would only happen if you had been a good foot taller, a good foot broader and built to make a brick shithouse cower; or if you had a car and flicked a switch on the dashboard that turned on the little flashing blue lights; or you produced a Warrant card.

Sometimes, backing down before it has even happened is the best thing to do.
It's all very well being right, but its far, far better to be alive and healthy.

Can only echo everyone else's sentiments about being sorry this happened. Take your time and come back when you're ready. I find myself riding more and more off road myself. I don't enjoy it as much as on the road but it is largely stress free.

I've often contemplated taking up boxing. Fighting isn't a solution and can get you in a worse situation but I have wondered if my arms were as big as my legs if that would intimidate some people to be less agressive

I'm really sorry to hear what happened to you, and I'm happy that you are just about ok after it - though I can well appreciate that the psychological damage may be more serious than the physical. It sounds like you were just really, really, really unlucky. I say this because as someone who has cycled for commuting and pleasure for over twenty years now (mainly road), I have never experienced an aggrieved motorist actually assaulting me. I have shouted, screamed, and sworn a blue streak at countless drivers after they've close passed me; I've banged on cars; I've caught up with drivers and had shouting matches with them through their wound down windows. I've occasionally even had apologies, but the worse I've experienced is twice having people getting out of their vehicles and inviting me to have a scrap (I declined both times). I often have conversations with friends and family about how I should stop engaging with motorists in these ways, for my own sanity and because you never know if any given driver is going to be a psycho. So I certainly don't think you did anything wrong or should have done anything differently. I mean, to swear at a driver for a dangerous close pass is really not that bad a thing in the grand scheme and is perfectly understandable and justifiable. Unfortunately in your instance the driver seems to have had a screw loose or was having a really, really bad day. My dad told me he once (as a pedestrian) motioned to a driver who roared past him at a ridiculous speed on a quiet residential road to slow down, the guy stopped his car and got out and was pretty close to assaulting him. It just seems some people are waiting for an excuse to get in a confrontation. I guess it's a broader question about whether to just stop engaging with such drivers at all, and it's something I've thought much more about as I've got older. Apart from the very rare occasions in which drivers apologise, such interactions leave me frustrated, angry and put a downer on my ride. I've got much better at not reacting to stuff, or just trying to remember number plates and company names if possible and then putting in complaints, though this obviously only works with company vehicles. But I do find I feel better if I do ignore stuff. Though it goes without saying that you have to be some sort of saint (or at least well practised in Buddhism) to keep this up for an extended period.

I'm afraid using a camera is getting close to a standard requirement.

Not sure what you do at the time about someone prepared to turn round and pursue you in a vehicle.

So sorry you had that experience. Sounds like a really nasty bully with a chip on their shoulder.

I agree with HoarseMann - I've found that using a camera means that you can not worry about having to engage with the driver though it doesn't sound like you were looking to engage anyway. When I used to try to tell drivers about their close pass, I only ever had a couple of successes when the driver apologised and the rest of the time you just end up getting angry and frustrated.

Don't engage. There's a reason they are driving like a tw@t - it's because they are one. You are unlikely to change their behaviour by remonstrating. Some people are just nutters that cannot be reasoned with.

As much as a faff charging cameras is, it's the only proper way to counter this behaviour. Glad you are ok.

Sending you solidarity. I've had similar. You are clearly not to blame here. Get back in the saddle.

You weren't looking for a confrontation, they were. Just keep on riding, stay safe.