Originally posted by RonH
Sometimes I think they see us but think, "it's only some idiot on a bicycle", and they pull out or make their turn with no thought about the possible consequences.
The reason I made this comment is because this happened to me about a week ago.
I was coming home from my Saturday ride. I was about a mile from home and was passing a supermarket. A car was about to pull out of the parking lot but the driver stopped when he saw me. Then at the last minute he decided to pull out anyway. I had to brake and swerve a little to avoid a crash. I made my feelings known to him loud and clear!!
I know this jerk saw me but he probably thought, "it's only some idiot on a bicycle", and pulled out in front of me anyway.
Perhaps he has seen other cyclists shoot through red lights without stopping, or cut him off, or had an unpleasant encounter with a cyclist. That's no excuse for his stupid stunts!!
In some cases it may be a matter of stupidity or it may be just an attitude problem.
Unfortunately
we must constantly be on the lookout for these bozos. :irritated