Advocacy & Safety - Territorial Drivers

I thought this Washington Post article, Looking to Avoid Aggressive Drivers? Check Those Bumpers. (http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/06/15/AR2008061501963.html?referrer=emailarticle) captured some very interesting human psychology. I bet it would also hold for cyclists as well. The more personalized your ride, the more likely you are to take the lane and aggressively confront drivers.

If it's not clear from the article, I think the causality goes the other way. Territorial road users are more likely to personalize their vehicles. Putting bumper stickers on your vehicle doesn't make you aggressive.

If it's not clear from the article, I think the causality goes the other way. Territorial road users are more likely to personalize their vehicles. Putting bumper stickers on your vehicle doesn't make you aggressive.

I think the article did try to say that, but rather obliquely.

I wanted to add this: if you think drivers are territorial when you cut them off, just see what happens when you have to touch their car or hit their car -- I have seen a person absolutely flip out.

What an overgeneralization! I have two window stickers (MADD and Phi Beta Kappa), plus a bumper sticker (Torrey Pines Association), and I am an extremely non-aggressive motorist, probably because I do so much walking, jogging, and cycling.

Do we really need to talk about the nature of statistics in this thread?

Do we really need to talk about the nature of statistics in this thread?

everyone knows 86.39% of statistics are fabricated, anyway.

Ya know, I could see that -- people who like their cars are more likely to personalize them. I know that I still hate seeing door dings on mine, but I gave up on bumper scratches after a couple weeks of living with parallel parking. And, yes, I've done my share of personalization to it.

The stickers themselves may be indicative of different personalities, too, but that'll be harder to accurately determine. A driver with an SCCA membership sticker might be more situationally aware and less likely to make unsafe moves, for example, but that's still no guarantee.

How about a "share the road" or a "California Bicycle Coalition" or a "League of American Bicyclists" bumper sticker?

The article is poorly written, but I tend to agree with it.

So a person who gets a lift kit for his 4x4 and gets bigger brakes/tires and chips his vehicle would probably be more aggressive than a driver who doesn't do those things?

The article is poorly written, but I tend to agree with it.

So a person who gets a lift kit for his 4x4 and gets bigger brakes/tires and chips his vehicle would probably be more aggressive than a driver who doesn't do those things?

Ehhhh, maybe; but he might also not want to mess it up by doing stupid stuff on the road (reserving the stupidity for off-road ;) ), so he'd drive with some sense.

Aren't assumptions wonderful? :D