Road readers, you've got to love them.

But coming up fast in the clueless cager stakes: The black berryers, please don't try to steer and email at the same time.

Where do I start? The cell phone yakkers(illegal in DC),the cabbies hooking U-turns without a signal,the folks who bumper-push their way through a pedwalk(when I'm on foot),people driving in the 'bike and bus only' lane,VA/MD drivers who think because they don't get points in DC there are no traffic laws. I guess the ones that really burn me are the ones who feel they have the right to do as they please. Occationally I'll pull up to someone and tell them what they did wrong(most of the time politely) and they ignore me or get offended. Hey,if you don't like the anti-yakking law,try to get it repealed.

What's JAM stand for?

Jackass motorist.


My favorite is the 105 lb. soccermom in her 6000 lb.Yukon which she's driving with her knees while trying to dial her new Chocolate phone and not spill her extra tall nonfat half-caff vanilla latte.

For me SUV's. Their drivers seem totally clueless to everything.

Suburban minivan drivers! They break into two categories:
Floaters - they drift along just under the speed limit, often ignoring the flow of traffic and any/all road signs. They'll blithely do left-hand turns from the right-hand lane [or vice-versa]. They may or may not have kids, although the ones who do are usually...
Ragers - they can't stand to be behind anyone. Their minivans are driven like go-carts, either full throttle or full brake. They will right- or left-hook anything from semi-trailers to kindergarten classes and speed through school zones like they're not even there. Don't even think about drafting off them, as they will take you out.

The ones I actually DO like will stay close (but not too close) behind me across the bridge, acting as a buffer as other cars speed by in the other two lanes. this prevents me from needing to worry about someone hitting me from behind.

Do you people really have this much trouble with drivers? Sure, I occasionally get drivers doing annoying things, but I also get the same behavior from pedestrians and other cyclists, and I know that there have been occasions where I've done things in traffic that make me think or say "oops, sorry!" Everyone screws up one in a while, but I must share the road with 1000 cars each day, 50 other cyclists, and hundreds of pedestrians, in a big city that's known for drivers who tend to ignore the rules, and I rarely have any problems. Certainly not enough to start stereotyping people into "annoying motorist" categories.

Two things:

If another cyclist or pedestrian is doing something stupid or dangerous, you can usually yell and get their attention. Not so with many drivers.

Stupid behavior by another cyclist or pedestrian is usually merely annoying. The same behavior by a driver can be lethal.

Riding thru the school zone at the local elementary when schools out. All the large SUV's and Lexus parked at the side waiting to open their doors JUST as I pass by... which is why I ride out in the whole lane now when going past the school so I don't have to scream at the top of my lungs. They dote so much on their kiddies they never look to see me coming.

#1 The guy who pulls up next to you at a stop light/stop sign and pulls off like a drag racer. Nothing, I mean nothing, is more impressive than somebody who can outrace a bike with their car.
#2 The people who pull up to a stop sign and come to a complete stop. You think, "great", you pull up to the stop sign ten or fifteen seconds later and this person, no doubt thinking, "what manner of strange beast is this on two legs sans engine?" stares at you...and stares at you...and stares at you...You wave at them to go, and they stare at you...Finally you nudge your way into the intersection and they take off as if you had just hypnotized them with your mysterious bike mind control and they managed to break your mind-grip on them at the risk of their sanity. Usually a really confused-looking old woman.

Floaters? Ha ha ha Good one

My favorite is the driver that is so afraid to right hook me that they pace me in the left lane for 1/4 mile, building up traffic behind them as they signal right, waiting for me to pass the parking lot entrance... 1/4 mile away.

They usually come with a free bonus of a raging, blind passer that overtakes 3-4 cars over the double yellow line, complete with squealing tires.

It's not just when you're riding. I was in the car today and slowed down for a flashing light signal in a school zone. The normal speed limit was 35, and the speed in the school zone was 25. I slowed down to about 32 as there were no kids present, and the knucklehead in the Cherokee behind me tried to pass me in the grass on the right. He was unsuccessful. A little farther down the road he managed to pass me in a short stretch of 4 lane only to get back in front of me (there was a lot of traffic) and proceed to drive the next *10 miles* just in front of me, or sometimes 2 or three cars ahead.

Why? It makes no sense. Such incredibly bad habits, lack of consideration, and complete failure to think about thier actions are far more common than they were even a couple of years ago.

Az

The ones who forget to open their wing-mirrors, so i'll be riding just behind them, they swerve to the left (in the uk ), nearly making me slam into them. It wouldn't be so bad if it was just the once either.

Luckily, you soon learn to treat every single motorist on the road as an idiot.

afluentus angelenus: driver in luxury car/suv that feels the need to keep as much space as possible between his/her nice car and the cars in the lane to the left of them......thus they drive in as much area available on the right side. since my commute takes me through west los angeles, beverly hills, and west hollywood i tend to come across a number of these each day. once i get further east into plebian turf, the interaction with these people decreases as the number of bikes on the road increases. when not migrating and in a parked position, these cars are often double-parked to mimimize the chance of another car dinging them when a door is opened.