Why cyclists enrage car drivers
 

From the BBC:

http://www.bbc.com/future/story/2013...ate-cyclists/1

He has some interesting ideas.

He probably takes it too far, but there may be some truth in what he says... Plus, he lays all the blame on the cyclist -- which is certainly not true (He completely ignores the "Bully Theory" of somebody with a 4,000 pound car being able to bully the guy with a 15 pound bike).

I wonder what the results would be if anyone does a study as to "Why car drivers are enraged by car drivers?" There are way too many drivers out there with no patience what-so-ever and will get enraged at anything and anybody that interferes with them getting one car closer to wherever they are heading. Something very few of these studies take into consideration. Then there are people that just need something to complain about regardless of the situation.

Driving a smart car is worse than anytime I have been on a bike. Especially here in North Central Fl. The locals in their SUVs or pickups can't stand to be behind a smart with or with a couple of bikes hanging off the back even if it is traveling above the speed limit. They first ride the rear bumper in grand tailgating fashion, lay on the horn, pass and cut in as close as they can. After which they usually need to put on the brakes bc of the next car in line:) When we lived in Maine (NE RedNeck headquarters) at least they would tolerate the smart.

The author is not clear on what rules the cyclists break, he mentions a few, but left a lot of questions in my mind. In reality, there is an exception to the rules for various vehicle types on the roads, such as motorcycles, RVs, and especially 18-wheelers. I'm always seeing 18-wheelers cut off traffic, because they can and they kind of have to because they just can't wait for clear passage like a normal vehicle. By the author's reasoning all motorists should hate truck drivers much, much more than cyclists, since they're so much more prevalent on the roads.

So I do think the author is overthinking this issue. Like so many other authors in the newspapers, he's just trying too hard to sound smart.

I've been car free for 20 years not counting the shop truck I last drove as a diesel mech.

Once again it comes to mind that anyone writing about cyclist or motorcyclist on the road should atleast spend a month riding one before putting pen to paper. :notamused:

A long line of traffic is stopped and often someone will pull to the right, squeezing me into the gutter/curb. So, dismount, walk by and wave. (no middle finger) :lol:

I read somewhere that the difference between humans and great apes is the ability to put ourselves in another person's position ... to see things the way they see them. It's a higher social capacity. And unfortunately, I think it isn't really all that universal among humans.

So I have a different theory. Human tribalism. We respect and will share with people "in our tribe" ... people who are like us. In the road context, that means people who use the road more or less the same way we are using it ... and it excludes people who are using it differently. We have a HARD time seeing things from the perspective people in the other tribes.

I recall someone telling me years ago about getting lost on vacation and accidently exiting the freeway in their RV and driving through the San Francisco Financial District at rush hour. He said he was harassed by everyone for 45 minutes until he found his way back on the freeway, worst driving experience of his life. He said even pedestrians were mocking him, everyone cut him off, honked their horns.

And, I've seen what happens when a car foolishly gets in the middle of a critical mass crowd. It's a mistake they won't make twice.

There's a lot of truth in the article, people are attached to their rules and conventions...throw them a curve ball and they'll freak.

Once again it comes to mind that anyone writing about cyclist or motorcyclist on the road should atleast spend a month riding one before putting pen to paper. :notamused:


qft. Sorry, don't know how to work the multiquote.

That makes a LOT of sense!

We are in the way of cars, and drivers for the most part are in a hurry!
For one reason or another, some of those drivers feel that cyclists do not belong on the road.
And a very few (fortunately) enjoy giving hell to others particularly the vulnerable ones like cyclists because they are easy targets!

Folks in cars look for their tribe for sure.

Example: Ride an m/c and you will see them everywhere. Buy a Fiat 500, same thing... might be a stretch.

Even rodies charging in mass down the wide flood control bike path show little regard for others, running abreast 4 wide.
Their tribe, showing no concern for the youngsters riding with or into them at 10mph. :p
I use my bar-end mirror and move over to within 8" of the shoulder but some fool feels the need to yell "on your left" at full song. :lol:
I feel safer on the street than bike paths on the weekends. :D

I'm more interested in why people choose to write about the negative aspects of any relationship. The fact of the matter is that if there were not considerably more acts of cooperation and accommodation all of us who cycle on roads would likely have been killed by now. The simple act of my commute to work today involved dozens of acts of respect, generosity, cooperation, and sharing of the road for me to arrive safely. Yet, you rarely see anything written about this. Frankly I’m tired of the pandering to worst in human behavior. If you spend enough time looking for something, you’re sure to find it.

Funny you would say that. I posted this up on my FB page a couple of days ago:

Angeli Della Strada

http://i29.photobucket.com/albums/c2...ps48ebc079.jpg

This picture was taken on a cross country tour some years ago.

We had just done a BIG climb up the Big Horn Mountains, and were about to descend into Buffalo, Wyoming on the other side (a waaaay cool town, by the way). But there was road construction, leaving one gravel lane for both directions, and we needed to be shuttled down.

There was a long line of cars waiting to be led down ... it looked like they had been waiting at least 15 minutes. Being on bikes, we were able to bypass all that, and pleaded our case with the construction workers to carry us down in the back of their trucks when they led the next round of cars down the mountain.

Bruce and I got in the back of this pickup, and he took my picture just as we were heading down.Shortly after this picture was taken, I gestured with my left hand and knocked my mirror right off my helmet. It flew over the side, and into the gravel.

Crap. Good luck finding something like a rear view mirror in Buffalo, Wyoming. Now I'll have to spend the rest of the trip without a rear view mirror. For me, that's like being naked.

But wait! I watched incredulously as the driver of the Jeep directly behind us stopped in the middle of the road. With everyone waiting patiently behind him, he got out, picked up the mirror, got back in his Jeep and waved to me.

Holy crap! I like to think of myself as pretty damn friendly to cyclists, but I don't know that I would have done that.

We finished the long descent down to the bottom of the pass and pulled over. The driver of the Jeep stopped, got out, and handed me my mirror ... again with a long line of cars patiently waiting for him. He had to get going, so all I could do was say thank you.

I offer this up as a reminder that although us cyclists occasionally get abuse on the road from misguided or misinformed motorists, the overwhelming majority give us the respect we need. And some give a lot more ... some are downright heroic.

Thanks again, angeli della strada!

Great story about the helmet mirror. I became a mirror convert 10 years ago, which made me into an obnoxious mirror evangelist, but the truth is I now hate riding without it, and I even miss it when walking and worrying about being right-hooked.

The comment about tribalism is painfully true, which is why I worry about the vior dire jury selection process in vehicular manslaughter cases, having seen too many bicyclists thrown off of panels. The curse of tribalism infects our politics, our religion, and our behaviour in public.

I believe the author was qualified. http://idiolect.org.uk/notes/?p=5881

"So, my bad and apologies for this. I should have been a lot clearer than I was. I’m just grateful that a few people understood what I was getting at (if you read the whole article I hope the correct interpretation is supported by the rest of the phrasing I use). The amount and vehemence of feedback has been quite surprising. Lots of people thought I was a frustrated driver who hated cyclists. In fact, the bike is my main form of transport. I’ve ridden nearly every day for over ten years (and been hit by a car once). For this article I was trying not to sound like the self-righteous cycling proto-fascist I feel like sometimes. I obviously succeeded. Perhaps too well."

Thanks for that!
... The apology was more interesting than the article...

Perspective is a weird thing. When I see a bike in traffic, I think that there is hope for the human race and that life is improving! SERIOUSLY!

I agree. However, in the past few years it appears that while the majority of motorists are absolutely neutral with regards to a person on a bike. A large chunk of what's left are enthusiastic supporters of people riding bikes and a very small fraction are, shall we say, lesser apes. I think as more people ride bikes and more people have members of their family and friends (tribe) who ride we cease being the "other".

Thanks for finding and posting the clarification. IMO it added to an already smart and interesting discussion of an important issue that affects a lot of us. And the post by Biker395 on roadside altruism and cooperation made a nice contribution to the thread too.

One needs to understand why the driver was already enraged before the cyclist even entered the picture. What has drivers constantly p'd off is their habit of trying to work their way through the "pack" of cars in order to get ahead. Only to move forward to the rear of another pack, and so on. After a half dozen or more of these, the rage is already there. Enter a bicyclist who may bend a rule, or appear to unfairly get ahead, and out it comes. KaBoom!

I discovered this when I decided it was time to slow down and not get any more speeding tickets. I started hanging out at the back of the pack and two things happened; I still arrived on time, and my road anger evaporated. Pre-enraged drivers is what we're up against. It's why I'm a MUP rider; no cars at all.

This is all because most of America is ALWAYS in a fake hurry. It's really dangerous out there, be careful. bk

Err ya go !

http://iamtraffic.org/

Looked it over and watched the video. :twitchy: :lol:
Following the rules of the road gives cyclists the rights of a car, even a full lane.
But, citations where I live are minor for a cyclist compared to a car for the same infraction.
I have never seen a bicycle rider cited, only the homeless harassed for not having a bell or blinky lite.

Regarding on the road altruism. It has a lasting impact for the giver & receiver imo.
Riding(m/c) home from work as a diesel mech. in dirty cloths. I stopped to change a flat on an up-scale BMW car. The driver thanked me and offered money, to which i replied, no TY just watch out for us.

<<I use my bar-end mirror and move over to within 8" of the shoulder but some fool feels the need to yell "on your left" at full song. >>

I would much prefer them to shout "on your left" than nothing at all, even if I've seen them coming. It's a bit like getting into the habit of using using your turn flashers when driving even if nothing else is around. That will never happen in FL, of course as most don't know what that little stick to the left of the steering wheel is for:)