Originally posted by Cambronne
Obtain a copy of your state's Motor Vehicle Operator's Guide...hilight the bullet points describing your road rights...
...When confronted, show the offender what the DMV says about your means of transportation.
...[SUV jockeys think] we should be turning slow circles on bike paths and in mall parking lots on Sunday mornings.
We cyclists have certain rights by law, yet the motoring public seems to be largely ignorant of these rights.
In fact, motorists seem to be ignorant of many of the traffic laws in general. Like dialects of language which vary from region to region, road rules seem to change depending on where you go. Motorists seem to make them up for their own convenience. As motorists copy each other's bad behavior, they create new accepted
driving practices. The actual laws tend to disappear.
This reinforces their delusion that they "own" the roads.
This delusion leads motorists to believe that cyclists should stay off "their road." The belief that "posession is 9/10ths of the law" means that cyclists must exercise their rights assertively to keep them.
Our presence on the road (not on the sidewalk) will help create the impression we belong there. Motorists will assume we belong the more they see us. Especially when we know our rights.