Originally Posted by rustystrings61

After reading through this thread and thinking back over my experiences on bikes since 1973 or so, I believe that while the possibility of a crash due to negligence is greater than it was in past years (thanks cell phones and texting and automotive infotainment screens!), the animosity from motorists seems LESS than in past years. And I ride in a mix of small city, suburban and rural areas in red state South Carolina, which some would automatically characterize as "anti-bike."

Maybe it helps that much of my riding is either alone or with one or two other cyclists, and we're not blowing through traffic signals and the like. We do tend to single-file it when vehicle overtake, and there does seem to be a lot of motorists slowing, assessing when it is safe to pass, and then giving us at least the 3-foot minimum required by law here if not more clearance as they go by. It helps to do a low wave or some other polite acknowledgement of motorists approaching and passing, because it's the South, you know? It's the same as the tiny, discrete, but still ALWAYS seen and acknowledged lifting of fingers off the steering wheel as cars and trucks pass each other on rural roads around here, and that little bit of acknowledging each other as people and a little greeting goes a long, long way to lubricate interactions on the road.

I HAVE had interactions with motorists who almost did something stupid or dangerous because of mucking about with phones or radios, and in a couple of cases have had words with them. I get the best results when I couch what I say to them in terms of "Please be careful out there, you don't want hurt someone." And generally they don't, usually they look sheepish or embarrassed, and sometimes they even seem to take it in the spirit in which it is given. It helps to be over 50 and to look a little bit grandfatherly.