Advocacy & Safety - Bike position and car overtaking

Good day all

When riding on the road I usually position myself as far left/right (depending on where you're from) as pratical. I determine this to be an area free from debris, parked cars and other obstacles.

If however a car (or in this particular case a 4WD/SUV large truck) dangerously overtakes several times (two-three inches of room tops!) I then move into a position where I can't be zoomed by.

It's a multi-lane road, the bike lane has temporarily disappeared due to intersection/merging roads. As a result placing myself in the middle of the lane does not obstruct traffic. This is only for the time period where the bike lane does not exist (200 meters / yards maximum).

At the traffic light I position myself in front of the car and proceed on the green light. I stay in the middle of the lane as it certainly won't be safe them zooming by even if I were in the gutter. I'm moving faster than the traffic in the right hand (or left hand in the US) lane nothing is ultimately being held up. The truck/car driver however has a big issue with this. In about 150m when the bike lane resumes I enter the bike lane and the truck/car passes yelling and honking. I return the favour with a friendly wave and proceed to overtake the truck/car at the next traffic light and so the cycle repeats.

In South Australia it's perfectly legal to ride as far left as practical/safe. I consider a really dangerous driver who fails to provide more than 5cm of room when zooming pass potentially very dangerous. As a result my riding position is one where he can not pass unless the other lane is clear and moves well into it.

How do you handle similar situations?

How do you handle similar situations?

Same way. Also a good idea to note the license numbers of particularly aggressive drivers for reporting to the local authorities.

RichC

How do you handle similar situations?

Same here too. I move 1 foot to the right each time a car passes too closely. If I'm lane claiming I drop 5km/h for every hoot of the horn.

How do you handle similar situations?

About the same as you do. Of course, I get a few driver honks from doing it, but no more so than when I used to ride in a more timid fashion prior to 1999. I think a few people just resent the fact that I choose to ride a bike, consequently, I hold their opinions in contempt.

Good day all

When riding on the road I usually position myself as far left/right (depending on where you're from) as pratical. I determine this to be an area free from debris, parked cars and other obstacles.

If however a car (or in this particular case a 4WD/SUV large truck) dangerously overtakes several times (two-three inches of room tops!) I then move into a position where I can't be zoomed by.
I find it safer to move out into the lane a bit when the usable lane is not wide enough to allow drivers to pass safely within the lane, rather than place myself in a dangerous position where I can be sqeezed into debris, drains, potholes, parked cars or gutters.

The issue of aggressive drivers is something else altogether. Such drivers cannot be appeased by our efforts; their dangerous behavior and attitudes are a result of their own ignorance. They, like tailgating drivers, believe that others are responsible for their own dangerous, ignorant behavior.

Always consider your own safety above all else. Never let impatient, aggressive drivers force you to do anything that puts you at risk.

I agree with everyone else, and I believe Forester would, as well.

I had to educate myself a lot. This was after I got hit by a car. My bike would not work properly, so it was less dangerous, if only for that reason .
By educate I mean that I am now a very wily, crafty rider whereas before I was more into sort of trying to get places a little faster. I use whatever parts of the roadway/non-roadway are available in order to traverse ground. I am also fortunate to not have to ride when traffic is actually on top of me literally as opposed to figuratively. I agree with what the others said.

Jacob

Some dude in N.Z had a good idea for people who are travling around countries. It was a rubber coated pole about 40cm (about 18in) with a bright orange flag on the end which flicked in if a car hit it so not to hurt the car. Good idea i think
Marie :o (sleepy)

I do what you do. When I move over into the bike lane, I'll often wave at them so as to signal "okay, it's safe to pass me now."

I don't disagree with any of the posts here and you must do what is necessary to protect yourself. Here is a slightly different perspective from Ken Kiker on "winning respect"

"When traveling through a section of Maryland, I was warned about the dangerous truckers.* No problem.* They couldn't catch me going downhill, and I got off the road when they were going uphill.* Soon, all these fellows were waving at me.* They knew it cost me something to pull over; I knew it cost them something to slow to a crawl on a hill."

here's the link:
http://www.kenkifer.com/bikepages/lifestyle/respect.htm

I just about always ride 1/3 of the way into the lane. I'm not going to wait to get into some dangerous situation. Those drivers that might hit you the third time, could hit you the first. Let them slow down, then move over. Even reckless drivers don't mow cyclists down like bowling pins. It would be too much of a hassle for them if they got caught. Actually, I am afforded at least as much respect with my style of riding as I was when I meekly stayed as far over as I could, and my number of near misses has plumitted. The average decent driver respects the cyclist that is watching out for his safety. And what is it going to cost them anyway, at most 15 secs of their busy lives?

Even reckless drivers don't mow cyclists down like bowling pins.

You,ve never been to Miami, have you?