sympathy for the cager
Originally Posted by
cooleric1234
The problem is that all it takes is one "bad apple" of a driver for me to end up dead. The stakes are high, we're not talking about taking turns on the playground here...
Hey mtalinm,
Is the title of the thread a play on the title of the Rolling Stones song, "Sympathy for the DEVIL"?
On several threads about responding to hazardous cagers, usually
re the middle finger, I have described my own personal bicylist's curse: jabbing my forefinger in their direction, shouting "You, you, you." I always add that I alternatively bestow many more bicyclist's blessings, a friendly wave usually for some minimal courtesy.
Originally Posted by
Metaluna
Playing devil's advocate, you could argue that waving/thanking a motorist for recognizing your right of way just reinforces the idea that you didn't really have the same right of way as cars and that they just did you a favor. But, I figure, even if they're just following the rules of the road, in their mind they *did* just do you a favor, so at least you're giving them some positive reinforcement which hopefully will lead them to continue being considerate.
Metaluna has a good point, but since bikes are in such a minority, that they are almost a "novelty," a friendly wave might be bestowed not as kow-towing, but an acknowledgement that you and the driver have mutually sucessfully completed a maneuver that allowed both of you to continue safely on your ways; sort of a "10-4, "over and out."