Originally Posted by
nbseer
1/ Pickup trucks with huge side-view mirrors (that could clip you)
2/ BMWs (aggresive fast drivers that blast past you)
3/ Mercedes (ditto)
4/ Landscaping trucks pulling trailers loaded with equipment (you think you're safe when the truck passes, but don't forget that trailer)
5/ Parked running vehicles on right shoulder (getting doored... )
1 and 4 are - far and away - the biggest problem. I now ride with a camera and contact the police with video evidence. The cops call the drivers up and educate them in lieu of giving them a ticket.
With commercial drivers, I have noticed an immediate improvement in all commercial vehicles of a given company by the using the following action:
1. I call up the company and ask to speak to the senior management in charge of safety. I usually say that I wanted to talk to them before I turned video of one of their drivers over to the sheriff. I do this in a conversational tone and in a non-threatening way.
2. This usually gets the manager on the phone immediately. We talk, I explain the statute in question and how the driver violated that and give them a link to the video that I have posted in the internet.
3. This is almost always followed up with an immediate apology and a promise for this to be discussed at their periodic safety meetings or with the driver in question.
For example, I had this discussion after a school bus almost clipped me as he was trying to slide past me without passing properly. Immediately, I noticed school bus behavior changing.
I also had this discussion with a watch sgt for the local sheriff when two deputies pulled up behind me and honked. I brought this to the sgt’s attention, provided video etc... I told him I didn’t want to write any letter that wound up in someone’s file and were career damaging. He came up with the inventive solution to have the two deputies in question prepare a presentation on bicycle vehicle rules and present it at one of their training meetings. He assured me that the the reason that they were going to be presenting would be made known to all the other deputies so that (a) there would be significant teasing from the other deputies and (b) for the other deputies to see that this could happen to them to behave properly and address motorist behavior that was inappropriate towards cyclists. I liked that plan a lot and have since found the whole department to be much more amenable to addressing inappropriate motorist behavior towards cyclIsts.
Bottom line - you can have an impact on behavior. You just have to be smart about it.