Cyclist vs bus driver, city road

"How did you deal with this driver, how did you let him know it was unacceptable for him to risk your life ?"
To be honest I couldnt believe it, he was laughing as he spoke, and I stood next to him for a good couple of minutes repeating the fact he was driving a lethal weapon, and he took it like a joke.
So despite me patiently telling him all the above, the reaction was indifferent.

That is absolutely what I would expect - to a greater or lesser extent - indifference, or if they are in a hurry or in a poor mood they might tell you to 'fuck off'.

So, this bus driver, risked the life of a cyclist and when confronted simply laughed at you. This doesn't need pointing out, but to him, the incident was not a big deal, I could go further and suggest he thought it was funny or even entertaining or he actively disliked you, but that would be speculative, but I think what we can certainly agree on is that he didn't think it was such a big deal.

Your patience in dealing with him in a calm manner wouldn't have seemed to have achieved much, he will most likely have forgot about by the time he is watching EastEnders.

I would guess that tomorrow when he is on the roads, he will still think cutting a cyclist up is not a big deal - after all he has been presented with nothing to challenge that view - an essential tool in reciprocal altruism has been stymied - the correct (and natural) use of emotion curtailed - the entirely wrong message has been sent out - the problem and risk has been passed onto the next cyclist, a chance has been missed.

I doubt whether being violent and abusive would have changed that.

I think that if you make it a habit of driving your car on the pavement and people simply scatter - or at the worst calmly ask you to be more considerate - you are unlikely to have your behaviour modified in the that respect that the level of empathy needed to take on board other people's concerns so readily (needing little more than a reasoned talking to) has already been shown to be absent from your character by the very fact that you are driving on pavement in the first place.

If on the other hand, every time you mounted the pavement, just about everyone complained, shouted, kicked your car as it came past, called you every name under the sun and occasionally tried to brick your windscreen - I cannot see how this would not have you thinking, that firstly, "this driving on the pavement is a big deal to these people" and secondly "every time I do drive on the pavement I get a load of grief".

The idea that a confrontation of any kind would resonate no more than a calm word at the lights, wouldn't seem to hold much water for me.