Barrettscv 

Yesterday I had to avoid an idiot who was more than your normal idiot driver.

I get a green light at an intersection and I move to cross the road when an oncoming vehicle make an illegal (she had a red arrow) left hand turn in front of me a group of cars. I stop to avoid being hit and can see the driver clearly.

This lady is putting down a fast food hamburger and picking up her ringing cell phone.

I get the usual "what's wrong?" idiot expression as she looks back at me.

Are these idiots everywhere?

theetruscan

yes .

making

Tex_Arcana

Your just now figuring this out?

Bet if she was hit by another car and managed to cream you in the process she would be swearing up and down the reason she creamed you was the other guy.

pipes

Yappers there all over the place

Mazama

You are invisible. Remember that.

Hill-Pumper

I'm not sure what I find more scary, the clueless drivers who are not paying attention, or the jerks that go out of their way to harass cyclist.

Wogster

Yes they are. Here in Ontario, Canada they are making using a hand held cell phone illegal while driving, of course that just means that people can pay more attention to one of the other 4,294,967,295 distractions in the cab of the typical motorized cage.

CliftonGK1

I've found that clueless drivers are easier to avoid than a 60mph handful of nickels.

Zardhex

Whats the story behind that?

aenlaasu

Most Swedish drivers are fortunately a lot friendlier about sharing the road with bikes than in the States. There are still the stupid ones that have curled my hair a few times.

The two most common I've come across here are the 'slack jawed moron'. I ride a recumbent trike. I've had a number of people driving toward me, just stare with mouths open in surprise and completely forget to properly steer. Then the car does the 'go where the eyes are' which is right at me.

The other ones that make me nervous are the 'race car style' drivers. People who come whipping around the inside of mostly blind curves on the wrong side of the road.

At least I've never been flipped off, screamed at, run maliciously off the road, hit with flying objects, or harassed. At least not since I've come to Sweden.

Pupsocket

I've seen more bad cyclists while driving than I've seen bad motorists while cycling. Common faults are inattention (weaving, wrong side of the road), disregard for rules-of-the-road (two- and three-abreast across much of the lane, running stoplights/signs without even looking or slowing) or just plain suicidal (no lights at night or on a busy 4 lane at rush hour with no shoulders.)

That said, higher horsepower and mass mean higher responsibility.

rthomse

I saw a gal on the Pa pike yesturday going 85 or 90 and was texting ! (I could see the Blackberry held in both hands at the top of the wheel when she wizzed past me.I was going 75 to stay with traffic.Yes siree Bob people are idiots.

Wanderer

This is the Chicago area - where they haven't seen many bikes for the last 6 months.

I can't believe how many drivers are driving brain dead around here.

It will take them 6 more months to get used to them again!

Bicycling and motorcycling will be very hazardous around here for awhile....

Do you remember now**********?

Tex_Arcana

Yeah, a lot of cyclist, or rather idiots riding bicycle shaped objects do suck as far as following the rules of the road (or even sidewalk). Once had a guy roll up to me while I was stopped at a corner for the light and stick around long enough to ask if I was tired, and "Why are you stopped?" Then he ran the light.

However, At the time I was driving a cab there wasn't a day that went by I didn't see at least ten "dumb@ss stunts" a day by my fellow drivers. In fact whenever I see something about vehicular cycling the first thing I remember is all those stupid stunts pulled by drivers and think, "Lot's of folks don't have any respect for vehicles that can do just as much damage or more then theirs. How are you expecting them to respect a vehicle that's little more then a speed bump for them to roll over."

elader

BioRad?? Dude, I work for Qiagen.

It's Icycler versus Rotorgene Q at 20 paces.