Advocacy & Safety - Short rant: Is everyone stuck in cruise control?

Why are drivers so unwilling to alter their speed in order to overtake more safely? I was out riding with my club yesterday on the wide paved shoulder of a 2-lane highway (one lane each direction). Almost every driver who overtook us completely changed lanes, and the rest went halfway. Obviously, that felt safest to everyone involved.

The exception was on the rare occasions when there was oncoming traffic. I could usually judge about 30 seconds in advance just using my helmet mirror that there was going to be a simultaneous pass. Sure enough, the overtaking driver would hug the middle line, and the guy in the oncoming lane might drift a little closer to the shoulder to make room. Out of about a dozen such occurences, nobody seemed to alter their speed enough to allow the pass to be off-set enough that they'd be able to move over once the oncoming vehicle had passed.

I guess I'm wondering, why? None of these passes were exactly dangerous, but they do have the potential. I know drivers don't understand the wind forces on us, or the potential for a catastrophic wheel bump, or how a pacline works as the lead riders head back (we are briefly 4 abreast, so not enough room on the shoulder for that). However, since, when 'possible' they gave us at least half a lane of leeway, to me that says that they feel safer changing lanes. So, why not slow a bit until the oncoming vehicle has passed to always have that safety margin? I'm sure they must see us at least as soon as I see them in my mirror (we're a big shiny colorful object).

The roads I ride now aren't usually a worry, since they're flat, empty, and have wide shoulders. What do you riders do who use hillier, curvier, busier roads with narrower shoulders? Just hope for the best?

I take the lane when I see this situation evolving.

I don't get so much the "cruise control" factor on my commutes, but more like motorists hanging back when there's plenty of room to pass safely, then accelerate past me when I take the lane to pass a parked car/obstruction, forcing oncoming motorists to take evasive action. I wish I had a dollar for every time this type of scenario occurred on my commutes.

The problem I have is motorists accelerating to overtake me into a traffic jam... it isn't as though they can't see it, they just HAVE to get past me. Even though I pass them at the lights - and often never see them again.

This is the problem, motorists think they gain something overtaking us, however the difference to their journey is negligible - probably none or positive because they accelerate later to compensate.

Yup. Take more lane.

It's illegal to ride four abreast where I live.

yeah I hear ya. they're cruising for a head-on, huh? sill, it's better for you than getting buzzed

The problem I have is motorists accelerating to overtake me into a traffic jam... it isn't as though they can't see it, they just HAVE to get past me. Even though I pass them at the lights - and often never see them again.


Don't let this this bother you. If they HAVE to get past you, that's their issue; no reason to make it yours.

I take the lane when I see this situation evolving.

I ignore it. Millions of cars have passed me safely and I can't be bothered to move in and out of the lane based on my assessment of whether their speed modulation is suitable. There's better things with which to occupy my mind.

By far my largest issue with this is country-side drivers. When on a two land road and an oncoming car is approaching and another car is approaching from behind and it appears both will pass by me at the same time i will very clearly "Take the lane"... when I can hear the car a two seconds behind me and said car has approached at a steady rate(cruise control) I will exit the lane because they're probably going to try and split the lane. Yes, you are basically being run off the road. Yes, it happens(twice today).

Staying in the lane aggressively when cars are approaching at 80-100km/h (mostly everybody speeds here) is just going to be precipitating an accident. Too many drivers are morons and will greatly over-estimate their ability to react to the unexpected(a cyclist and an oncoming car at the same time counts as unexpected).

When you combine the 'lack of useable IQ' on the part of the average motorist, the 'me-first' sense of entitlement, and the plain old irritation they feel at seeing us on the road, you've got a perfect formula for the attitude of "I'm not slowing down for those f!@#$%^ing a@#$%^hole g@#$%^dam cyclists!" Even nice little old ladies, who wouldn't say the F-word if they were pulling a train, likely think like this when encountering a bicycle rider on 'their' roads.

Who -- ME?!? Cynical?!?! NEVER!!!!!

If it's not safe, take enough lane that they can't do it. In almost every case when I have to do that, the overtaking driver will slow down and wait. In fact, only one in recent memory didn't; last week I had an upcoming simultaneous pass and not enough room so I moved to about the inside of the right tire track, not quite in the center of the lane but it's always been enough to signal the driver before. The pickup coming up behind me gave me plenty of room on the pass, but he did it by taking up about 4 feet of the oncoming lane and pushing the oncoming driver well off into the shoulder.

Sure the drivers should slow a bit so they don't pass when there's oncoming traffic. But why choose to use a paceline style that requires 4-abreast riding when you're on a road where this sometimes results in an uncomfortable pass? Couldn't you reserve that style for roads that have adequate room so it's not a problem?

As electrik says, when I'm riding solo, I do move out briefly just to say 'slow down a sec' if I'm on a narrower road (or notice a big truck fore or aft). It's highway traffic, though (100+ km/h), so leaving the shoulder is a very aggressive move, and I only do it when I REALLY think it's needed. It's rarely necessary... only at pinch-points like bridges.

In group riding, though, I'd be likely to cause an accident in the group! The roads are pretty decent, so this is more of a gripe about stupid driver tricks than an actual white-knuckle concern. How hard is it to anticipate an upcoming jam and ease off the gas for a couple seconds? Very, apparently.

We ride 2 abreast, but when the lead riders drop back, we're briefly 4 abreast. That's never been a real concern for a close pass in my experience, since we try to time it so that the lead riders go back only when there's no overtaking (or oncoming) traffic, but it's always possible one of us could pull a dumb move, or have an equipment failure. That's why it kind of bugs me that drivers don't move over if it requires actual brain waves to time it right, but apparently just keep right on going, likely with fingers crossed. That's what gets me; they know it's not the safest thing to do (since they move over when the road's empty), but they do it anyways, when slowing slightly would be so easy!