General Cycling Discussion - Worst drivers ... what do they drive?

What do the worst drivers drive?

What? You didn't include an option for Volvos?

There. You got urr Volvo.

Originally posted by bac
What do the worst drivers drive?

Across the board: motorized vehicles (though I've never been harassed by a motorcyclist. Doesn't mean they can't be awful drivers, they just don't seem to harass people on two wheels). To be fair, nearly all drivers I've encountered while cycling have been safe and reasonable. Just a tiny number are bad. Now while I'm driving a car, I can't help but believe that all those other people out driving cars are doing so for the sole purpose of getting in my way.

Big freakin' SUV = Other?

Worst drivers..... SUV's

Anything driven by anyone less than 20 years old just after school is let out.:eek:

This is the most dangerous time to be out on the road around here. I try not to get caught out that time of the evening.

Any of the above. My personal worst experiences are with BMWs!

Around here the worst is little old ladies in there big boats... After that is the teenage girls that try to get as close to the bike as possible (and sometimes pushing me off the road)..
:mad:

Bar none the worst drivers drive taxi cabs

the worst drivers drive cars, trucks, buses, suv's I can only think of one time that I had trouble with a motorcyclist and that was sort of funny

Suv?

logging truck drivers, but then i`m biased as i nearly get squished by the arseholes on a daily basis. :crash: :crash::crash:

I know this doesn't really answer your question, but when I was a courier I was riding during the middle of the day so I had the most problems with:

Wheel-Trans (wheelchair accessible transit 'buses') drivers.
Car fleets from 2 particular companies (which I won't mention here) - deadly.
Tow truck drivers can be counted on to behave like sociopaths.

Taxis were the next worst but at least they are predictably unpredictable. Passenger vehicles varied all over the map so there was no correlation. Subjectively, it seems like I've noticed a lot more problems with SUVs in the last year or so.

SUVs....

the poor handling characteristics and just larger size in general tend to amplify any driver incompetence.

Originally posted by deliriou5
SUVs....

the poor handling characteristics and just larger size in general tend to amplify any driver incompetence.

Spot-on!

Any motor vehicle with high ground clearance and high bumpers presents additional hazards to pedestrians and bicyclsts.

In Florida, old geezers in big cars like Cadillacs. Of course pick ups are right up there. Can't remeber how many times a guy in a pick up will look right at me and pull out anyway. They get a loogie if I can conjure one up. OH! The people with the "I support the sheriff, state troopers, ect." stickers plastered on their car. They get those stickers by making donations to fund raising by law enforcement. They seem to think by dispaying such stickers the cops won't mess with them for driving bad.

SUV's and pick-up's are the worst around here with redneck drivers making a game of 'let's see how close we can get the passenger side mirror to that guy's head'. :mad:

Originally posted by rockymtn_girl
SUV's and pick-up's are the worst around here with redneck drivers making a game of 'let's see how close we can get the passenger side mirror to that guy's head'. :mad: :):mad: Same thing happened to me about an hour ago,I would have to say he was maybe 6" from my head that ahole.

From my POV, it's got to be the SUV drivers. I know that this is a soon-to-be played out cliche, but I find it to be true.

And the bigger or newer the SUV, the worse the driver. They don't look for cyclists, couldn't see them anyway because of the huge blind spots, and frankly, they probably don't care.

Then, add a cell phone, a hot grande nonfat decaf vanilla latte, and Brittany and Dylan arguing in the back about which DVD to watch. Equals major hazard to cyclists.

definitely the trek riders. sometimes it is the cannondale riders. they can't seem to keep a paceline... hahaha.

Originally posted by caloso
From my POV, it's got to be the SUV drivers. I know that this is a soon-to-be played out cliche, but I find it to be true.

And the bigger or newer the SUV, the worse the driver. They don't look for cyclists, couldn't see them anyway because of the huge blind spots, and frankly, they probably don't care.

Then, add a cell phone, a hot grande nonfat decaf vanilla latte, and Brittany and Dylan arguing in the back about which DVD to watch. Equals major hazard to cyclists.

You've also described the typical minivan. Fact of the matter is that "it's not abut the vehicle." The thing is, the average SUV driver is the same type that drives minivans. The difference being that the SUV driver picked the SUV to avoid the minivan stigma. However, the profile is the same. And that same type of driver would be equally obnoxious in a 4-door sedan or a "tricked out" Honda Civic. Recently, Ford just announced a concept version of their Windstar that incorporates appliances made by Maytag. That's right: we're talking microwave oven, washer/dryer, vacuum cleaner, refrigerator... You think it's dangerous now? Wait till you get crowded into a curb because Jane Soccermom decides to pop a roast into the oven while attempting to pass you before the next stoplight. The intent of the automobile was originally to get us from point A to point B and not provide us a place to live. People need to start to understand that driving is neither a casual affair nor a game.

Hi all,


Had read my biking in India that i posted a long time back?

Perhaps all indians are bad-drivers!

regards
iluvbiking

Ford Mustangs.

I noticed on a few occaisons that some of the worst drivers seem to be etates with bicycles on the roof or on the trunk.

I am surprised that most of you did not mention pick up truck drivers... maybe you are one of them?

Well, I only had bad experience with semi trucks drivers, one who tried to drive as near to me as possible and I nearly got sucked towards his truck due to the air pressure difference.

White men in big domestic pickup trucks with oversized tires.
The meanest ones always seem to have 1.) Little chrome fish, 2.)Country music radio station sticker 3.)Faded sticker from local Republican political candidate on the bumper and/or tailgate. Interestingly, the meanest drivers always have "pro-life" (meaning, let 'em get born so I can run 'em over?) stickers, the most civilized and courteous have NRA, gun rights, and military emblems. Go figure! I have yet to have a serious scare from either a black driver or (in last 15-20 years, since these symbols came into use) a vehicle with either a rainbow or the little out-queer pink triangle.

Mini-vans! Without a doubt!!!

I make reference to the fact that if watched, persons driving Mini-vans display very poor spatial relations, I.E. they have no clue where their vehicle begins or ends!
They park about a metre away from the curb, straddle lanes, or seem to have learned the right turn signal for the left turn move that I swear Cabbies had sole patent on.

Beware the scourge of Suburbia...

My vote would have to be for the people that have those new in-dash TV's. I almost got smacked by someone in a beat-up old POS and as they drove by I saw the glow of the TV they were watching. And then once I was in my car and I pulled up next to a car and looked over and couldn't believe what was playing on the TV in their dashboard...not going to say what it was, suffice it to say it wasn't Sesame Street.

I had to laugh when I saw "Civic". I was beginning to get the feeling that some people automatically become dull and witless the minute they sat their rump behing the wheel of a Honda.

i agree roadbuzz.......BMW drivers.

Excluding those malicious socio/psychopath that are intentionally "out to get you", in general I've found that two types of drivers frequently encountered represent the greatest danger on the road.

[1] The "race car driver". There are those who believe that the roads are their personal playgrounds so they go out and buy a high performance car and proceed to treat every inch of asphalt like they're at Nürburgring. They do this because, and let's face it, driving today's roads is boring. They figure they can introduce some fun, excitement, danger, what-have-you into all that time spent crouched behind the wheel having to obey the laws and rules which force upon them the mundane task of operating a vehicle safely. The problem is that when they proceed to deviate from the bounds of predictable and safe vehicular operations, many myths come to light. First of all, they're not skilled race car drivers. Second of all the roads are not race courses and no one is fully prepared for the kind of driving that's being attempted. need I say more? The solution here is for the driver to enroll themselves in a race car driving course and join an autoclub affiliated with a track where they can indulge themselves in a safe isolated manner without endagering the rest of the public.

[2] The "casual driver". This is the type of driver who basically doesn't care about driving. They basically just want to get from point A to point B and really haven't taken the time to learn how to properly operate the vehicle in a safe manner. Oftentimes, their driving skill is mismatched to their vehicle such as the soccermom who in the past has been used to driving the sedan or little sportscoupe but is now perched behind the wheel of a 4-ton Ford Excursion without a good understanding of momentum management or heavy vehicle operation. This type of person doesn't know their vehicle. They don't know how long it takes to stop, how it handles when turning at different speeds and road conditions, where the corners are, etc. Likewise, this type of person may have a very low understanding of the rules of the road. This leads to things like failure to yield right-of-way, failure to signal, imnproper merging technique, etc. It's not that these people are intentionally rude... it's just that they don't know any better and couldn't be bothered to learn because afterall driving is a right, right? It's too easy these days for someone to get into a car, turn the ignition on and roll away just like someone walking into the living room, switching on the TV and staring at the screen. Hell, we've even ommitted the "kick the tires" portion out of the procedure. The solution to this is more rigourous initial driver training, followup training and specific make/model instruction. Auto dealerships should not be allowed to let a customer leave with a car without providing a weekend of training in the vehicle's capabilities, handling and maintenance. Vehicles need to be classified better and there should be stricter training requirements applied. The current ones are too broad. My Jeep ZJ does not handle like the Chevy Cavalier I learned how to drive in when I was taking driver's ed in highschool 15 years ago and yet they're lumped into the same vehicle category.

The one thing the above drivers have in common is that they fail to realise that there are other people on the road with which they must interact. Operating a vehicle on the road is not an isolated activity.

Around here (or at least where I ride) it seems that a mini-van driven by a woman (with no passengers) is the most dangerous. I think they just don't realize how big (or small) it is and drive it like a semi -- hogging the entire lane.

SUVs and pickups are just about tied for second place.

Third is small cars, usually driven by young people (twenty-something).


I didn't see a catgory for buses and semis. Other is too broad for every type of vehicle not listed.

Pick-ups. Idiot drivers and pick-up trucks were born for each other. Granted they aren't all bad (my dad drives a Ford Ranger in the winter) but 9 times out of 10 when I see or hear someone doing something reckless behind the wheel they are in a pick-up. Plus drivers of pig trucks and SUVs tend to be the least curtious.

Teenages suck as well. The most dangerous people on the road on my way home for lunch are the dozens of teen drivers (in their new cars :rolleyes: ) leaving HS for lunch at the mall.

I have an idea...instead of worrying about making automobiles safer and insulating the occupants from their environment. We should remove all standard safety equipment and install on the steering wheel a spring loaded device which would punch the driver in the face every time they got witjin five feet of another object. Then the driving masses are guaranteed to clean up their act.
:D

Originally posted by MKRG
I have an idea...instead of worrying about making automobiles safer and insulating the occupants from their environment. We should remove all standard safety equipment and install on the steering wheel a spring loaded device which would punch the driver in the face every time they got witjin five feet of another object. Then the driving masses are guaranteed to clean up their act.
:D

I saw this suggested before in another forum. Driving around with a 5" spike sticking out of the steering wheel is bound to make people think a little more carefully about their actions. And if not... problem solved anyways. |8^) A quick retrofit would be to just turn up the sensitivity on the accelerometer sensor for the airbags. |8^)

Impatient shoppers on Saturdays, all the time.
Doesn't matter what they drive. A third of people in cars couldn't drive a one inch nail;) If you gave them a bike they'd probably try and wear it on their heads:D

Originally posted by Malvern star
Impatient shoppers on Saturdays, all the time.
Doesn't matter what they drive. A third of people in cars couldn't drive a one inch nail;) If you gave them a bike they'd probably try and wear it on their heads:D

And a big

AMEN

to that

It isn't what they drive, it's how they drive: dangerously oblivious to their surroundings.

they don't have to drive a certain vehicle to be bad drivers people don't understand unless they ride bikes themselves:D

Here's a nice truck video.

www.wavelo.com/images/trucks.mpeg

Pick ups think they own the road, they're ALWAYS the ones that come closest to me when I'm riding. They never give any room, nor do they slow down, cars always seem to be cautious.

I think BMW drivers are the worst. They have high performance cars with good handling, so they think that means they get the right to drive like they are racing all the time.

I'd have to say hopped up Civic,(I would say pick- ups for other areas of the country, but in the Southern US nearly kind of person owns a truck, making it difficult to stereotype them!) The "Fast and the Furious" guys DO actually fit into an actual demographic, though. middle to lower class males, age 18-24, the ones who like to: train their dogs to be vicious, not use rubbers, try to be like the people on MTV, and other mindless, high risk behaviours. Last car I absolutely had to give the finger to,(not the thumbs up, the OTHER finger,) were a couple of these buttholes. They simply are not sentient enough to distinguish exploitative marketing techniques from reality, so they all wanna be eminem.
QK , I got that out of my system, sorry.

The worst drivers I run into on a day to day basis are the white work vans. I wasn't aware that these bricks on wheels could go past 80 mph. It also seems the more ladders they have on top the faster they go. Must be some type of spoiler system,:p allowing them to handle like Ferrari's. The second in my book would be the hopped up civics (any car with a fart pipe installed, and multi colored body panels):rolleyes:

... and here's me thinking this thread was dead. :rolleyes:

Saturday shoppers for me too, also people finishing work for the day.. very dangerous.

ME... that is until i started biking. And second on the list are soccer moms, with their big honkin (insert large lumbering suv here) and the I'm too rich to care in their (insert big honkin forein suv/car here). but if you ride early enough in the mornings, none of these people are awake yet :)

Old people in their Caddillac's and Lincoln's, are the worst. I live in a town of less than two thousand and years back used to coomute everywhere by bike and old people by far took the cake.

Jeeps. Wrangler-type jeeps. These drivers have something wrong with them before they ever gt behind the wheel.

RichC