Originally Posted by Owltooth
So, I think it's a bit unfair to place the blame for short tempered drivers on us cyclists.
Not only unfair, it's also a fallacy. Do an analysis over time of situations in which drivers have shouted abuse at you, look at what you were doing at the time and see whether it was a contributing factor. You'll generally find that over time there is no specific action of yours that will lead to a driver shouting abuse or whatever. The trouble is, we live in a culture where the ethos is one of blaming the victim wherever possible, and this attempt to put the blame on the cyclist whenever they get abused or assaulted is a prime example.
Blaming the victim allows the police and other areas of law enforcement to take no action when they see something like this. It also gives politicians an easy "out" when it comes to implementing policies that might hold the "majority" accountable for their actions whenever there is a conflict. Perpetuating a myth about cyclists bringing aggression on themselves simply by being "in the wrong place at the wrong time" causes cycling "advocates" to argue about these things among themselves, which generally distracts from the task of actually holding motorists accountable when they target cyclists with either verbal or physical abuse. The saddest part of all this is that so many people who claim to be cycling advocates are so happy to simply let it happen.
Personally, I take the attitude that I am not responsible in anyway for the unstable mental state of others. If people are bothered by something as simple as a bicycle on the road, I will pity them, but it won't change my lawful and peaceful use of the road. Generally I'll let the circumstances at the time decide how much of the lane I claim, but if it's an unusually narrow lane or there is an obstacle of some kind preventing me from riding on the outside, then I'll have no hesitation in claiming it.
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I am clinically insane. I am proud of it.
That is all.