Commuting - How Do You Deal?

When I tell people I bike to work, they tell me about all of the dangers of cycling and the road. There are times I don't even want to say anything, because I don't feel like hearing about all the dangers. What are things you say to coworkers? Thanks.

Tell them its safer than eating fast food and living a sedentary lifestyle.

I tend to only care what a select few people think.
I would laugh in their face and walk away. Or at least laugh at their midsection and then walk away.

Here's a couple you can use according to the person:
--It's safer to ride on the road than to walk across intersections or across the street.
--It's much safer than riding a scooter or motorcycle.
--It's even safer than driving a pickup truck, even a monster pick up truck.
--It's safer than riding on multipurpose pathways
--It's so much safer than not exercising 3 times a week and going for bypass surgery

Have fun, and don't sweat it. Goal is not to convince. Goal is to plant seeds of doubt. The fact that the person is raising the question, means they are intrigued. Some of these will eventually grow to embrace cycling. They are not really raising objections. They are looking for reasons they can give to venture out of safe space and try cycling again.

The typical response I get is astonishment at the fact that I bike 12.5 miles, not concern for my safety. But, I usually just respond with some non-chalant answer, something that let's them know, "I've heard it before." Convincing doesn't work, but seeing me alive, day after day, might make a dent. If someone really wants to know, I explain the statistics (most injuries on bikes involve no other bikes or vehicles; most deaths occur to unlit bikes at night; etc.) and how biking on the street makes me visible and safer, that only if there is interest, not judgment.

"I don't worry about it, and you needn't, either"
or
"No sweat... my policy is all paid up."

When I tell people I bike to work, they tell me about all of the dangers of cycling and the road. There are times I don't even want to say anything, because I don't feel like hearing about all the dangers. What are things you say to coworkers? Thanks.

my phrase for a while has been "are you kidding? it's great out, i'd be crazy NOT to ride".

i think i'll say this through the winter as well.

or a better dismissive is "sounds good", "OK" "sounds great", "you bet", or "how 'bout those Broncos". these are my standard workplace elevator responses when i go to my job every day to play office.

"How can you stand driving every day?

A bland "Thank you for your concern" works well.

I say: It's not as bad as it looks. A road always looks harder to ride from a car than on a bike.

When I tell people I bike to work, they tell me about all of the dangers of cycling and the road. There are times I don't even want to say anything, because I don't feel like hearing about all the dangers. What are things you say to coworkers? Thanks.


I have the same problem when people find out I ride motorcycles. I'm usually treated to the "they knew someone who was killed, maimed, rendered brain dead" in a motorcycle crash story. While it amazes me that these same people know far more people who have been injured by car crashes and it never crosses their mind to tell driving horror stories I realize that they are well meaning. They mean no harm. If someone really irritates me I might come back with, "yeah, it's dangerous but last week I burned the roof of my mouth on a slice of hot pizza, and I'm having pizza again for lunch today. I just love living in the fast lane"

Say something like...

Since the dangers of cycling usually involve inattentive drivers, pay attention and don't kill me. Thanks.

Hasnt come up. Everybody is too busy telling me how good i look since i've lost 45+ lbs since May. Im gonna hear it about the motorcycle im sure.

Say something like...

Since the dangers of cycling usually involve inattentive drivers, pay attention and don't kill me. Thanks.

I respond similarly when told how unsafe it is to bike on the roads like I do. I also use "I'm not going to melt" when questioned about riding in the rain.

Hasnt come up. Everybody is too busy telling me how good i look since i've lost 45+ lbs since May. Im gonna hear it about the motorcycle im sure.

congratulations man that's awesome!

I dont mind the concerns for safety, etc.. I just nod and say yeah, ok, it's really not that bad. What really bothers me is people who almost seem to pity me "oh do you need a ride home? Are you going to be ok?" uhh.. no thanks, and yeah.. I'm fine. wtf people, I'm just riding a bike!

I also use "I'm not going to melt" when questioned about riding in the rain.

Or... the acid rain is good for my skin. It's like a chemical peel. So I get a workout and a facelift. Can't get that in a car.

wtf people, I'm just riding a bike!

Nuh-uh. What you're REALLY doing is saying, "I'm not a part of your value/status system, where Car = Status." The logical response is pity. :rolleyes:

What really bothers me is people who almost seem to pity me "oh do you need a ride home? Are you going to be ok?" uhh.. no thanks, and yeah.. I'm fine.

Noooooo ! What you do is agree with them, say its terrible and dangerous. But that your bike wont fit in their car on the way home. And if they could give you 20 bucks to get a cab with bike rack. Most will walk away and stop ever bothering you.

If they do give you 20 bucks, take it, thanking them profusely, then ride home. If they ask for the money back, just blink and say "what money". Soon they too will stop pestering you.

Your managers are just concerned about productivity. Damn if he get's hit, I'll have to train another". A friend of mine, predicted with all sincerity that another mutual friend, would soon be injured, because she was a bicycle messenger. "Mark my words" Sadly, that guy is now a gork from having a heart attack and being w/o air for too long. The woman is still making deliveries and no injuries. The prediction was made 2 years ago and the guy is only 46. Trouble is that doing nothing is much more likely to kill you. Less than a thousand people are killed on their bikes a year, and only some of those entail cars. People are more than 3x more likely to be killed by a gun, then on a bike.

Number of deaths for leading causes of death

Heart Disease: 696,947
Cancer: 557,271
Stroke: 162,672
Chronic lower respiratory diseases: 124,816
Accidents (unintentional injuries): 106,742
Diabetes: 73,249
Influenza/Pneumonia: 65,681
Alzheimer's disease: 58,866
Nephritis, nephrotic syndrome, and nephrosis: 40,974
Septicemia: 33,865
--
Accidents involve bicycling, <1000.

Point out that by exposure-hour (time is the usual measuring rod for a commute), your twice as likely to die in an automobile as on a bicycle.

Seems like you're making the smart move to me.

I very flippantly, cheerfully, and manically agree with them.

"Oh yes, indeed I'm insane. I get terribly sweaty; I bet I smell awful right now. And certainly I am going to get creamed by a bus; if I'm lucky, I might even get hit on my way home tonight. Oh, and all those scary men out there--betcha I get sexually harrassed, at least and maybe even mugged before the week's out. Dogs? Oh yep, I had a Rottweiler clamped to my left buttock half the way in this morning. Cold? You betcha--I had to break off the snotsicles before I came in the front door. Inconvenient? Sure. I had to get up half an hour before I went to bed to get to work. Am I crazy? What do you think?"

Most comments I get are positive. I tell them that I am hardly every "not seen" any danger is usually intentional from drivers who are annoyed by my being on the road.

On a similar note, I've met three other cyclists, (two commuting, one working out), who all, somewhat accusingly, questioned my commuting on a certain road. They all said things equivalent to, "Isn't there a lot of traffic on Jupiter?"

I would expect this type of question from non-cyclists but was taken aback by it coming from other riders. The odd thing is that we were on roads just as busy if not busier when the inquiries came up. Go figure.

I very flippantly, cheerfully, and manically agree with them.

"Oh yes, indeed I'm insane. I get terribly sweaty; I bet I smell awful right now. And certainly I am going to get creamed by a bus; if I'm lucky, I might even get hit on my way home tonight. Oh, and all those scary men out there--betcha I get sexually harrassed, at least and maybe even mugged before the week's out. Dogs? Oh yep, I had a Rottweiler clamped to my left buttock half the way in this morning. Cold? You betcha--I had to break off the snotsicles before I came in the front door. Inconvenient? Sure. I had to get up half an hour before I went to bed to get to work. Am I crazy? What do you think?"


LOL. i picture you following them manically as they try to retreat, chasing them down stairwells and into the parking lot still listing all the various terrible things they haven't thought of, until they break into a run to get away. i've never tried it, but that could be fun.

hasn't happened to me with cycling, but this summer i started to think i'd lose it if one more person told me one more time about how throwing sidearm is not a good thing and my kid should stop. if they really had that incurable-egotist look in their eyes and it was clear nothing was going to cheat them of the satisfaction of Conferring Knowledge on me, i took to just closing my eyes carefully and standing like that while i waited for them to run down, then opening them once we had a real silence and saying very slowly and carefully, 'i know that.' i cannot tolerate people who are so busy listening to their own voice that they can't be bothered to check on the person they're using for the excuse to exercise it.

I say it's safer than rotting behind a desk all day without exercizing.

Number of deaths for leading causes of death

Heart Disease: 696,947
Cancer: 557,271
Stroke: 162,672
Chronic lower respiratory diseases: 124,816
Accidents (unintentional injuries): 106,742
Diabetes: 73,249
Influenza/Pneumonia: 65,681
Alzheimer's disease: 58,866
Nephritis, nephrotic syndrome, and nephrosis: 40,974
Septicemia: 33,865
--
Accidents involve bicycling, <1000.

Not that I don't agree with you, but these statistics, like most, are misleading at best. Many of those people dying from these diseases are simply dying of old age. The disease is listed as the cause of death, but how many 92 year olds are killed on bicycles every year?

A more accurate statistic would take into consideration the ages of the bicyclists, and compare that to the people dying from disease of similar ages.

But I agree with you in spirit. It's far better to enjoy the life you have and do the things you want while managing risk than it is to slowly dry up and crumble into dust.

Az

If someone really irritates me I might come back with, "yeah, it's dangerous but last week I burned the roof of my mouth on a slice of hot pizza, and I'm having pizza again for lunch today. I just love living in the fast lane"

:roflmao:

A more useful table might be:

Fatalities per Million Exposure Hours

Skydiving 128.71
General Flying 15.58
Motorcycling 8.80
Scuba Diving 1.98
Living 1.53
Swimming 1.07
Snowmobiling .88
Motoring .47
Water skiing .28
Bicycling .26
Airline Flying .15
Hunting .08

Data compiled by Failure Analysis Associates, Inc.

When I tell people I bike to work, they tell me about all of the dangers of cycling and the road. There are times I don't even want to say anything, because I don't feel like hearing about all the dangers. What are things you say to coworkers? Thanks.

i like to wear the cars are coffins shirt to work once in a while. stir things up a bit. heck if they can wear the crap they wear so can i.

and driving is just as dangerious as biking. we share the road.

When I tell people I bike to work, they tell me about all of the dangers of cycling and the road. There are times I don't even want to say anything, because I don't feel like hearing about all the dangers. What are things you say to coworkers? Thanks.

I tell them (in my province) commuter cyclists make up 2% of traffic but all bicycles (95% of bicycle riders are recreational riders) are involved in only 1% of traffic accidents but the real risk is not getting the exercise riding the bike provides.

Skydiving 128.71
General Flying 15.58
Motorcycling 8.80
Scuba Diving 1.98
Living 1.53
Swimming 1.07
Snowmobiling .88
Motoring .47
Water skiing .28
Bicycling .26
Airline Flying .15
Hunting .08


Darn, and my other sport would be skyding....

Stats are so misleading. Skydiving rates real high on the list, almost 10x the next one. But most fatalities would be people learning, ones who freeze up or panic. Darwinian principle works well in skydiving. Once you have weeded out the weak, those left who are are trained, have a much lower rate.

When im skydiving, im in control of my fate generally speaking. When im cycling, im at the mercy of the 16 year old girl driving moms minivan with the cellphone in her ear.

Darn, and my other sport would be skyding....

Stats are so misleading. Skydiving rates real high on the list, almost 10x the next one. But most fatalities would be people learning, ones who freeze up or panic. Darwinian principle works well in skydiving. Once you have weeded out the weak, those left who are are trained, have a much lower rate.

When im skydiving, im in control of my fate generally speaking. When im cycling, im at the mercy of the 16 year old girl driving moms minivan with the cellphone in her ear.


And each dive lasts how long? A minute? Thats alot of dives per death anyways.

how many 92 year olds are killed on bicycles every year?

But how many 92 year olds are dying of disease that they wouldn't have if they'd been bicycling all their lives?

See: http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/9377816/site/newsweek/

Fatalities per Million Exposure Hours

Skydiving 128.71
General Flying 15.58
Motorcycling 8.80
Scuba Diving 1.98
Living 1.53
Swimming 1.07
Snowmobiling .88
Motoring .47
Water skiing .28
Bicycling .26
Airline Flying .15
Hunting .08


That one is going to be tough to give up.
It does suck to die from living. :D
Of course, we'll all give it up eventually.

I do take the question seriously, because that is how it seems to be asked, usually. I tell them that actually, it's not too bad if you are careful to obey all the rules and act as much like a car as possible, such as being in the correct lane for turns. One woman at church especially seemed shocked to learn that I actually rode in the road, but a few weeks later she said that after she thought about it for a while, she realized she had probably over-reacted.

I also have had a cycling friend express some concern about the roads near my office, which is by a mall, and say that some of his other cycling friends (including someone at a bike store!) are leary about riding in this area. I think it's just a matter of how road-educated the cyclist is, and maybe how well they can match traffic speed. Those who have not ridden much in an urban or suburban setting, and have had no education about it, tend to be skeptical, and maybe rightly so, for them. Myself, I became fairly confident after about a year of it, and from hanging around on this forum, so now it might be a matter of choice whether I feel like dealing with a certain road, but it's not that I'm scared to.

When I tell people I bike to work, they tell me about all of the dangers of cycling and the road.
The first thing I would ask them is, "How many miles do you cycle per week?" Usually, the answer is "None." Case closed.

:D

The first thing I would ask them is, "How many miles do you cycle per week?" Usually, the answer is "None." Case closed.

:D

I sometimes ask them how many people died in cars, and how many died on bikes this week.

i fly small planes. same argument. a cool level head and good mental decisions equal living. stupid daredevil activities has higher chance of death.

I sometimes ask them how many people died in cars, and how many died on bikes this week.

Good one. Lately I've made a point of noticing the traffic casualties in the paper. Sacramento is a fairly good size town, maybe a million or so in the metropolitan area. Everyday the Bee lists at least one and often more accidents in which a person is seriously hurt or killed by a car. Rarely do you see any bike fatalities. I realize that there are many more motorists than cyclists so the proportions are off, but the real numbers are still much, much higher. If a cyclist was killed every day, the Legislature would probably pass a bill to outlaw bikes. But a motorist a day? Well, that's life.

I realize that there are many more motorists than cyclists so the proportions are off, but the real numbers are still much, much higher.

It's hard to make exact figures, and collisions happen because of behaviour, not what mode of transportation you use (carelles drivers or pedestrians can be hurt as much as careless cyclists) but we can look at this with a decent estimation of the situation.

Bike Belong (an advocacy group) claim almost 30% of the population have been on a bike in the last year, so that's a lot of bikes. You would think casual or recreational riders with less experience would have more problems than experienced riders (commuters and racers) in traffic and we know they make up the vast majority of bike riders (the National Bike Dealers Association claim 95% of bike riders are recreational riders).

Like I said earlier, in my province cycle commuters (a small group of the total number of people who get on a bike) make up 2% of traffic, yet bicycles are only involved in 1% of traffic accidents.

Even more important is the effect on health. Heart disease and strokes are the most significant difficulties facing the publics' health. Sure, most heart disease happens to older folks or others with specific problems, but I'd find it hard not to believe if Joe Average managed to get out on his bike and ride to work, like the OP is doing (and getting all those remarks about the dangers of doing so), the chance of his develouping heart disease is significantly decreased.

I would ask someone who lectured me on the dangers of riding my bike how can they be so careless with their health by not riding or driving in those death traps called cars.

Isn't it supprising that people have the mind set that driving is safe? You pass road side memorials every day but it never occurs to them that it could happen to them on any trip. Bicyclists know the dangers and try to minimize them by aggresivly riding defensivly. Auto drivers don't think they are in danger so they sip coffee, talk on cell phones and basicly daydream down the road in their 2000 lb death traps. Who are they kidding when they ask about OUR saftey?

...and basicly daydream down the road in their 2000 lb death traps. Who are they kidding when they ask about OUR saftey?

Their reasoning is not totally out of whack. They are surrounded by metal, seatbelts, airbags and crunch zones while they are tooling around in their gas guzzling daze. We, on the other hand have only our wits, lycra and styrofoam to protect us from the oblivious pilots of those "2000 lb death traps."

Their reasoning is not totally out of whack. They are surrounded by metal, seatbelts, airbags and crunch zones while they are tooling around in their gas guzzling daze. We, on the other hand have only our wits, lycra and styrofoam to protect us from the oblivious pilots of those "2000 lb death traps."

Another reason cars are less safe is their threat to others. Bike hits someone and there is little damage, a truck or car hits someone and there is much damage. Many overlook this. Even if it is safe for the driver, it is far less safe for everyone else.

Many also don't consider just how similar the rate of death is in a car accident as on a bicycle. In my province of BC the death rate for drivers in a collision with another car is .64% and the same rate for cyclists in collisions with cars is .42%

2000 lbs.? What ultra-lightweight cars are those people driving? Even compact cars are in the 2500-3000 lb. range. SUV's are more like 4500 on up (6000+ for Suburbans, Expeditions, and such).

Sorry for the off-topic post. I just had to make that clear :)

I just smile and say "Yeah buddy, nothing like taking your life in your hands to make you feel alive. Most people have to go on safari or something to try to feel like that. Heck, all I have to do is ride down to the corner." ;)

Many over estimate the dangers of dramatic, rare events and dismiss the dangers of more boring, common events. Many assume that if we can control a situation, or if the situation is a familiar, common event, we’re more likely to be safe. There is generally a huge discrepancy between the true magnitude of a risk and a lay persons perception of it. Some of us can make a good profit from exploiting fears, like selling cars on the basis of their perceived safety.

Many over estimate the dangers of dramatic, rare events and dismiss the dangers of more boring, common events. Many assume that if we can control a situation, or if the situation is a familiar, common event, we’re more likely to be safe. There is generally a huge discrepancy between the true magnitude of a risk and a lay persons perception of it. Some of us can make a good profit from exploiting fears, like selling cars on the basis of their perceived safety.

Well put. I remember reading that the most dangerous portion of any flight is the drive to the airport. But no one thinks of it that way.

Do you point out all the dangers of not exercising? Being overweight? Driving? Air pollution? Oil consumption?

Say this.......

"It's one of those things you have to really experience to see what it is like."

"have you tried it?" "You know not exercising will kill you, right?"

If you want to control the conversation, answer a question with a question. Ask questions about the things you want bring up.

This morning in the paper I read a story about how there were 112 murders in our province of 4 million people. 81 of those murders had to do with organized crime and the drug trade. That leaves 31 murders. Out of an estimated 1,200,000 people who rode a bike at least once in BC in that year, 5 people died on a bicycle. They say I'm taking a risk riding a bike? It looks like the odds are better for getting murdered than being killed riding a bike.

I'm convinced people over estimate the dangers of riding a bike because so few use them for transportation in North America. We're different and a target for those looking for scapegoats. Do you think workers in Copenhagen, London, Madrid, Tokyo or Bejjing would say you were crazy riding a bike into work? I don't think so.

Not to bring the forum down, but how about:

"I don't care, I've got nothing to live for"

(should be used with caution around people you like and the born-again)