Last month on a series 400 highway east of Toronto Canada a lady had her face completely rearranged by some idiot that tossed a big rock off a highway overpass. Years before that my own son as a child pitched a rock at a car and managed to take out the windshield. It cost him his allowance for the next thirty years and he had quite a job to sit for a while...This all happened in a first world country. Don't sweat it and just keep your eyes and brain alert.

So, it seems that I can have a stone trown at my car when I drive to university, as it is not something endemic in Africa and the Middle East.
Do you know of some especially bad areas in the Sahara and/or a bit south?

Another solution would be to travel in a tank. It would be also a useful vehicle when I hit soft sand. http://www.horizonsunlimited.com/ubb/smile.gif

Normally when encountering stone throwing kids (so far mostly when passing through Tunisia) we just slowed right down. This gives them the feeling the might get caught and dealt with if they did the deed, and it seems to work. We also adopted a policy of 'wave and smile' (whilst slowing down). The only time our group was hit by stones was when blasting along, windows shut looking straight ahead (It was our German friends who were doing this and got a hit).

Throwing sweeties is of course very non pc and therefore must be avoided at all costs.

Andrew

So why suggest it? Throwing sweets, that is...

Jeremy

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pigapitcha

throwing sweets from a moving car at children could cause injury to them - perhaps its a double stone throwing preventative......

Wish I hadn't suggested throwing sweeties really, it seemed like the simplest answer to counter stone throwing kid anxiety without explaining as above the highly technical process of slowing down and engaging with the local population instead of taking no interest in them and just exploiting their country for amusement. That (disinterested tourists syndrome) is more likely IMHO the reason for stone throwing, not the fact you didn't throw a cadeaux. After all stone throwers don't wait to see if you're going to give them something, they are intent on attacking you regardless. And as for the possibility of injuring someone with a high velocity boiled sweet...

Andrew

Hmmm... I don't know, a well-aimed pear drop might sting a little.

personally when kids throw stones at me on a bike, I sometimes go after them, even down alleyways and back yards and try and give them a good kick

all pointless of course, but sometimes I see red. I guess they find that even more exciting, and do it more.

I also do the same with dogs after my ankles....


I think pear drops which are aimed nicely could be a usefull alternative. perhaps we can start a topic titled 'Best object to throw back at stone throwing kids?'

or have we killed this topic :-)

Karim desertbiker


[This message has been edited by coolkarim (edited 05 March 2006).]

Giant gob stopper would make them think twice, or not! Maybe you could lassoo them with liquorice string before dousing them in sherbert powder and beating them with sticks of rock.
of course, when I were a lad................

Andy

So, you suggest me to throw things back to the children?
What about stones? http://www.horizonsunlimited.com/ubb/wink.gif

Please, don't think that I am a sniper or something the like.

You spray bleach in the eyes of dogs, gringo? You think that hitting a child with a heavy-duty slingshot is a good idea? Perhaps you find pleasure in torturing kittens, too. You do seem to enjoy offending people.

James

[QUOTE]Originally posted by coolkarim:
[B]personally when kids throw stones at me on a bike, I sometimes go after them, even down alleyways and back yards and try and give them a good kick

all pointless of course, but sometimes I see red. I guess they find that even more exciting, and do it more.

I also do the same with dogs after my ankles....


ha ha - I'm all for leaving the vehicle and giving chase - even if you don't catch anyone it expends a little "bad energy." and keeps them on their toes!

Gringo - I hope you're joking? blinding dogs with bleach?... holy moly - I bet you leave a trail of good will.

After losing a chunk of thigh (and my best trousers) to a particularly hellish hound in Kenya, I carry a tin of mace -- no permanent damage and wins any argument.

[This message has been edited by Richard K (edited 06 March 2006).]

Bringing the topic slightly back on track (!), I usually find that if I tuck in close behind a truck/bus etc. going through a village then they don't see you coming.

Ie instead of overtaking the thing (normal plan) just sit with it and enjoy the ride...

Sam.

and dodge the stones thrown up by the bus/truck!! I find a good cure for that is to spray bleach in the eyes of the bus driver, especially if it is a school bus travelling at high speed!

by the way, I think mace is illegal in the uk, so it maybe elsewhere too so watch out.

If everyone would do as I do and Solve The Problem, it would make it easier for the next biker to pass through, and the world would be a better place.

And yes, I think it is a fine idea to shoot a kid who is throwing rocks at you with a high powered slingshot.

Blinding dogs with bleach hardly solves the problem of strays wandering the roads. Firing at children from slingshots designed to kill animals is even more moronic.

I'd suspect that you are trying to wind me and other people up, but going by this and other posts you've made, you really are a colossal ***** , gringo.

James

[This message has been edited by JamesCo (edited 08 March 2006).]