How do you deal w/ cars that won,t pass?
 

Yes, I know I'm venting and want commiseration, but what can you do about drivers that will not pass even if they have plenty of room and you try to wave them around? And there they sit on your flank doing 12 mph this behavior makes me CRAZY:eek:, If I was to fall I am guaranteed to be run over, so if they still refuse to pass I will pull over rise my arms, glare, cuss and consider taking anger management classes, Also I get nervous because this same behavior has precluded being hit by a bag of rotten peaches or a happy meal. any suggestions?

I'm one of the ones that's slow to pass if it's a twisty road. I've never been waved by...that would help a lot. Even if they just turned their head and looked at me, I'd feel better. It's just that if I get surprised by an oncoming car, I want the bicyclist to know where I am and see what's happening, because I'll have to cut in fast.

Most of the time they're way out in the lane, so you need to take the whole other lane to pass, and you don't have a lot of time to do that in the city.

This is exactly the opposit of the average complaint. I'd say don't worry about them, when they think its safe, they'll pass. At least their not passing at 50+ with 6" to spare.

I let'em wait. If they're not ready to pass, and they don't look like they're slowing down to turn, park, etc, I'll pull out more into the lane, and make clear who's in front, who's passing, etc.

It does bother me when there is ample room and view, but they still won't pass. I worry that this is a driver too scared to be driving a car. They bother me almost as much as the ones who fly by in a curve without slowing when they can't possibly know they have a clear route ahead.

I try to waive people by if I can see that it is safe. I have learned to be patient with them. One time I made a fool of myself by angrily waiving for a car to pass only to learn that they were approaching their driveway and were courteously avoiding cutting me off.

Maybe I'm still traumatized by the peaches.

As pilots say, its better to come back tomorrow than to push a bad position.

Why keep going if you're not comfortable? Pull over (if you can), get a drink of water, let the blood pressure go down, then go again. That's not being meek, its being smart.

I usually let then ride behind me. If they feel they can pass safely they will. When riding on winding roads with roller type hills, I will wave them thru when I can see that it is safe ahead. Usaully I can see over the top of the hill before the car since I'm ahead and sitting up higher. The cars will usually oblige my wave by passing and giving a "friendly toot" as they go by. Sometimes I flatter myself by thinking the woman, in the car following behind, isn't in so much of a hurry that she can't view the senery. I'd probably do the same if a fit, 20 something lady, in lycra, standing on the pedals while riding up a hill, was holding me up while I was driving on a country road. I sure would not want to endanger her just so I could get by as soon as possible!

You just don't know when the next bag of peaches is coming. You can worry about it, get off the road or ride. Pretty soon, camera's and solid state recording deveces will be so cheap that we will all be able to have them. Then we will see some interesting cases in court.

I never wave someone around me anymore.

Once or twice when I have done that I found that I was wrong, and it really wasn't safe for them to pass me. I.e., a car came out of a hidden driveway after my wave around.

I wonder if I would be found to be the proximate cause of the accident, in that scenario.

So, I pull over if I can. Hey, I have all day - most likely - ENJOY!

It makes me a bit nervous. I keep thinking of the scene in "Easy Rider".

That was helpful. Really really helpful.:eek: When I think of Easy Rider, I want to think of other scenes. Like tripping in a graveyard.... No wait, that one's not much better....

I've never seen it! Will it make me want to take a nap afterwards to wipe it from my mind?

I'm with Denvr and Monoboraccho. If there's a place to pull over, I do it, and let them go by.

It will make you unable to take a nap afterwards to wipe it from your mind. Still, you need to see it if for no other reason than young Jack Nicholson as a ne'er do well lawyer.

I turn off on the next road, parking lot, or retail establishment where I can safely get off the road and allow them to pass.

Whether I'm on my bike or in my truck, if I don't want someone
behind me I just pull over and stop. No big deal.

Well, since I ride a trike: pull over, remain seated, dig out the catchers mit from my panniers, and hope to catch a few peaches.......

Dennis Hopper is a pretty good character too although I am sick of his Ameritrade commercials.

My recumbent seems to draw them like flies. I think that it's the safety vest I have draped on the back. I pull over to the side, stop and wave them past.

It's not exactly VC, but those morons are causing traffic problems and I try to have pity on lesser drivers.

Very rarely do I have this problem but on a couple of our backroads- Where all the users seem to respect each other- I occasionally find a car behind me that cannot pass unless I pull over in a gap. Had one that still would not pass last year so I just hammered it for a couple of miles to give the driver a bit of speed- then pulled over- only to find the car about 200 yards behind me. A Learner driver on what must have been her first drive that was only going at around 15mph top speed.

OK I can say this as I am an asian woman...

We have alot of asian drivers in OC. For some reason they are scared to death of us cyclist. They will not pass us. If we are standing off to the left of a right turn pocket, they still will not turn right. If we meet at a stop sign, they will not go first. I have had a driver stay behind me for little more than a mile. I finally stopped my bike in front of the car and walked over and explained nicely, that it was not necessary to stay behind the bike (assuming for some reason they believed they were required) and they are perfectly OK to pass. I think I scared the lady silly.

I sortof gave up. If someone doesn't know how to drive it's their problem. If it's annoying me, I just turn off or pull over nad let them by assuming, sadly they are clueless.

This has never happended to me but the situation sounds risky. I think it's time to pull over and let them pass.

I move over right as far as I safely can and I wave them on.
If they still won't take the hint, I just keep going.
I can only go so fast and I figure, eventually, they'll pass me out of sheer boredom.

We have a lot of Asian Bicyclist as well. An interesting perspective on the Asian drivers from an Asian Woman. I am always afraid I will run into a driver from Hong Kong. They don't go very fast over there, but they sure are aggressive about taking position. :eek: Don't get in the way of a Hong Kong Taxi Driver :eek:

I could only wish most of the drivers around here were more cautious about passing, let alone not running you over. I always take the lane either in front or in line at traffic lights. Way to many people trying to pass the other cars on the right to make a right turn - bicycle lanes don't help.

If someone has waited behind me (or us), I try to give a friendly "thank you" wave when they pass. We ride on lots of narrowish roads, often with little shoulder (not much traffic, either), so I sure don't want to antagonize any local drivers.

+1. I feel a little guilty if I'm slowing traffic whether it's my fault or not.

I do, however, mutter unkind things under my breath while the numb nuts is still behind me with a clear lane in which to pass. If they're really stubborn, I give up and pull over.

We usually just crank it up to whatever the speedlimit is so we don't hold them up as much.........

I was driving SAG once for a large group and was standing at a blind intersection making sure the riders were safe. Some elderly person (yea, yea, just like us) pulled up to me in her car (actually blocking both lanes) and started explaining to me how she was almost forced to run over some of our cyclists because they wouldn't pull over and let her by.

When I go to the archery range I drive up Kings Mountain. Lots of riders have exhibited the same attitude you describe while I wait behind them. They keep looking back with a "pissed" look on their face. I won't pass unless I think it's safe. No amount of waving me around will do. I had a cyclist do that once, and a car came around the bend about the time I would have been next to the cyclist. I wait until I KNOW it's clear.