ParkingTheBus

For me it has to be the close pass... It's so aggravating and frightening to get whizzed by a car going 40 km/hr let alone 70. It's for this reason why I do avoid busy roads and try to take as many side streets as possible. Cycling in the suburbs is a complete write off.

How hard is it to weave your car into another lane, then back into the right line for 5 seconds?

wolfchild

Things which I find annoying:

- people who use their cellphones while driving ( distracted drivers)
- drinking and driving
- very loud exhaust systems
- very loud stereos/speakers

Of all those things I find cellphone usage the worst. I wish car manufacturers would invent some kind of a device which would prevent cellphone usage while the vehicle is moving.

Papa Tom

>>>>For me it has to be the close pass...<<<<

Interesting. For me, it's the WIDE pass, where a driver goes completely into the oncoming traffic lane to avoid me, even though there's at least ten feet and a bike lane separating us. I know this is just a symptom of drivers not knowing any better, but I find it as dangerous as passing too close. What happens when the driver has to swerve to avoid an oncoming car? And where might that oncoming car end up while trying to avoid the swerving driver? Seems like this type of reaction puts the cyclist in DOUBLE trouble!

AlmostTrick

Motorists overtaking me on blind curves or hills. Or attempting to squeeze past me in a narrow lane while there is oncoming traffic. The "Must Pass Cyclist" urge is very strong in some of them.

Cell phones? I believe they add risk, but I honestly can't tell when drivers are on them. (unless I happen to see it) They still see me and generally treat me with care, even while on the phone.

Reynolds 

Drivers not coming to a total stop at an intersection, creeping as I cross - or starting slowly when I'm still crossing. What will they gain, 1 second?
Passing and doing a right turn without using the turn signal.

baron von trail 

Rolling stops at stop signs or lights.

ItsJustMe

Has to be inappropriate passing. For me the worst is passing on blind hills/corners. It happens multiple times per day for me and just pure luck and the fact that there isn't much traffic on the roads I'm on saves people. There have been many times when if there had been a car there, either the passer would have hit the oncoming car head-on or would have swerved and hit me.

Close passing isn't really an issue for me. People who pass with oncoming traffic present scare me. It doesn't happen much but I've had several passers drive oncoming traffic into the shoulder. I don't really know why, it seems inexplicable. The other cars are clearly visible, and I'm running a Designshine taillight so I find it hard to believe that they don't see me in time to have slowed down.

BobbyG

When I'm driving and find myself doing something, I as a cyclist would find annoying!

spivonious

For me it's a tie between "passing on a blind hill" and "passing right before a stop sign/red light". It's the MGIF attitude that puts everyone in danger. A little patience goes a long way.

CrankyOne

Statistically, I'm most likely to be injured or killed getting hit from behind while riding along a roadway and that is one of the more uncomfortable elements of riding. Fortunately we're getting more and more protected bikeways so this is less and less of a problem.

So, I think left turning cars at junctions is is likely the worst now. Most do a good job of looking but occasionally they don't. Sometimes it's easy to know if they're looking down in their lap waiting for the light to change. Other times I've been really surprised by someone who seems to have seen me but then almost plows in to me. Though it very rarely happens, the people who turn left in front of me when I'm going straight ain't a favorite of mine. I'm a really huge fan of Netherlands and European signals that don't allow cars to turn when bicycle riders are crossing. Is and feels much safer.

mcours2006

This one here. Though I disagree about the suburbs. Here the secondary and tertiary roads are pretty good. There are no parked cars to worry about dooring you, and they are generally well kept. Still got to be vigilant about cars backing out of driveways.

Riding on secondary and tertiary routes downtown is a different story; there are way too many hazards on those side streets, not he least of which is how narrow the roads are.

bmthom.gis

Impatience. Other than being distracted, impatience causes accidents. It is responsible for getting buzzed, people yelling things, and other general ******bag behavior.

kickstart

Aggressive, selfish people, whatever their mode, and those who feel compelled to "do something about it". Those who try to "punish" others for their minor faults are most often more dangerous than what they're trying to "correct".

ptempel

Cars doing U-turns right in front of me. Common in NYC, unfortunately. Cars moving over into the bike lane to create another lane for themselves. One guy tried to turn in front of me *behind* another car that was already stopped for the same turn and letting me go. Yelled at him when I approached the intersection. Cars not using turn signals which is the norm in the city. You *will* be in for a surprise if you don't stay behind the car and look at the front wheel or ahead of it to get an idea of where its going.

To be fair, I find I yell at pedestrians more than at cars in the city. Most poeple are either in a zombie state, lookng at their phone, or just plain don't care to look. One guy caimed that "he doesn't have to look" after I complained that he almost walked into me. I wonder if he would have the same attitude after going to the hospital...

Mvcrash

uhmmm.....axxholes

PatrickGSR94

Better than getting buzz passed just because you're in a bike lane and motorists think they don't have to give the required clearance, because a cyclist in a bike lane and a car centered in the travel lane often do NOT result in at least 3 feet of clearance between your elbow and their mirror.

I think the worst thing for me is motorists trying to pass on a hill or curve, especially when there is clearly oncoming traffic very close. It results from impatience of course. Thankfully most such idiotic behavior is prevented by clear communication with motorists behind that it's unsafe to pass at a given point, by turning and looking at them (lets them know that I know they're there), giving a "stay back" hand signal (I can often see traffic over a hill that someone behind me cannot see yet), then waving them by when it's safe to pass.

I've had to do this a lot more lately with some detours off of main roads for construction near my commute, and it works extremely well. For the most part motorists wait patiently, and change lanes fully to pass. Every now and then some idiot makes a bonehead move, but that's really very rare. Once or twice in a month, perhaps.

Marcus_Ti

People who don't use their turn signals.

Seriously. How hard is it to understand that I AM NOT A MIND READER. Then they get uppity with me when I don't know if I have the right of way or not when they don't signal WTF they are doing at an intersection.

Leisesturm

I do not believe that this is correct. In fact, as I understand it, being injured or killed by being hit from behind is statistically the least likely of all the collision scenarios. The most likely is a right hook or T-bone of some kind. Those protected bikeways are a double edged sword in a country with the GINI index of China (~45) They are expensive to build and will be underutilized when completed. This builds resentment among the motorist community about the waste of municipal dollars. If cyclists would stop feeding into urban myth fears about how dangerous vehicular cycling really is more would do it. With more cyclists on the road riding responsibly, confidently... safely, there would be little or no need for protected bikeways except for recreation. There will NEVER be as extensive a cycling infrastructure as extensive as the one that already exists for motor traffic. We had all best learn to share it, rather than long for a day when separate, but equal, protected pathways will allow door-to-door cycling peace of mind.

caloso

Mine too.

Although I have noticed that the more I ride, the better I get at reading cars' "body language" and predicting moves even when there's no turn signal.

Leisesturm

That 3' thing again. Sigh. I'm just saying.. sometimes you are not the cyclist being passed. Sometimes you are on the OTHER side of the road minding your own business, and some truck that is bent on giving the cyclist on his side of the road the customary 3' is now heading right at you!! I wonder if there are even as many cyclists in your entire state, as there are in just one square mile of Portland. When you have that many cyclists (and cars) in a few dozen square miles, reality starts to set in. Concepts like 3' of passing distance go right out the window... where they belong. A car in its lane does not have to leave it to pass a cyclist in the bike lane. In fact, it better not around here. That would be one hell of a wreck. Nor is expecting the car to wait for oncoming traffic to clear before passing practical. That is not going to happen. So he is going to pass. Right now. Ready or not, here he comes. Handle it. Guess what? You just did. If you are able to get home and pull up BF to complain about driver behavior I'd say you are doing pretty well.

tarwheel 

There are so many annoying things that drivers do that it is hard to pick the worst. Lately, I seem to be encountering a lot of drivers who don't use their turn signals and find that very annoying. Cell phone talkers and texters are probably the most dangerous. Close passers a close second. In fall, winter and early spring, I encounter a lot of drivers who forget to turn on their headlights when it's dark -- and habit that I find dangerous as well as ludicrous.

GovernorSilver

I've learned to watch out for drivers looking at cell phone/mobile device instead of anywhere on the street they're riding on.

The sudden, aggressive U-turn sucks too.

Cyclosaurus

Driving a car in front of me. Making turns I'm not also making. Holding my turn up by also making the same turn. Getting through a traffic light when I miss it. Merging into my lane. Not letting me merge. Driving faster than me. Driving next to me. Driving slower than me. Honking a horn. Not getting out of my way when I honk. Not letting me cut into a line of traffic. Trying to cut into my line of traffic. Slowing down to read address numbers or read street signs. Tailgating me when I slow down to read address numbers or read street signs. Hovering impatiently in a parking lot waiting for me to vacate my spot, while I'm trying to get everything and everyone loaded. Taking too long to get out of a parking spot that I am clearly waiting for.

ItsJustMe

This depends on your riding situation. For me it's definitely being hit from behind, because my riding is largely rural. I'm getting passed by sleepy drivers in the morning doing 60 MPH on roads with no shoulders, and passing perhaps one intersection per mile, and even many of those are Ts not full intersections.

If you are riding in the city, I think the danger is much more from front or side impacts (right hooks, left crosses, pullouts). If you average ALL cyclists then the city probably wins by virtue of having more riders in that situation, but don't use statistics to cover the fact that for some people, rear impact should be their biggest concern.

rmfnla

I really hate when a driver stops and waits for me when he/she has the right of way.

Drive your friggin' car, for chissakes!

I also hate the one who creep along behind me because they are afraid to pass.

Some people should just take the bus...