johnny99

I have biked in the US, Canada, Europe, and Asia. Of all the places I've been, I would say the USA is the worst by far. In all other countries, car drivers give bicyclists a lot of respect. Not so in the USA, even in supposedly pro-bicycle states. A few USA cities (e.g. Portland and a few college towns) are much better than most USA cities, but the vast majority of USA cities are worse than all other countries.

jdon

I would agree but there are some exceptions. The drivers in Scottsdale AZ are some of the most bike friendly I have come across.

Avalanche325

Since about 90% of the posts are from the USA, and about 3% from Canada, there might be a reason why there are more bad driver stories coming from the US posts. (And yes, those are official right out of the blue sky numbers)

I was in a bowling alley the other day. According to a poll that I took, everybody in the entire world bowls.

Gromulus

You "gots to be tuff" to cycle in the USA. We are a big country with large, fast vehicles driven by aggressive drivers. Kevlar suits and semi-auto handguns are a prerequisite! Seriously -as others have indicated, while we may not be as bike friendly as some other countries, you will usually only hear about the negative incidents on forums.

dmb2786

i like it.

cheval

Try wearing a jersey with a big American Flag on the back.

cshell

Wouldn't those cobblestone roads / streets beat you to death on a road bike?

zonatandem

Ridden over 300,000+ miles in 30+ states and several Canadian provinces. Am still alive and well.
There are rude/inconsiderate folks/drivers in any country.
Pedal on!

KevinF

I have ridden extensively in several states, and by now have ridden at least somewhat in about half of them in a cycling career that dates back to 1993. I probably average about 4,000 miles a year. I honestly can't remember a single time somebody has thrown something at me, and off-hand I can think of only twice that I've been "run off the road". Honking horns? Nope.

The two locations I've lived in over the years have been the suburbs of Washington DC and the suburbs of Boston. Every list I've seen of the "most aggressive drivers" has Washington DC and Boston listed in the top 5. I just ride recreationally; I have no desire to race; most of my miles have been solo.

But there you have it: for whatever reason, over 60,000 lifetime miles in the USA, and I've had virtually no incidents whatsoever.

jdon

Good enough for me!

tntyz

I've had a few hollers and honks, but nothing like the bizarre stories I read here. I'm tempted to write to the local paper praising the excellent drivers we have here, but don't want to tempt fate!

sundaypunch

I live in a rural area and have had no problems with drivers. I think most of the horror stories you read on BF come from riders in urban areas. In general you are going to find a higher proportion of A-holes in cities. This is reinforced by the several years I spent living in Chicago before moving to a rural area.

banerjek

People offer to help me all the time when I'm fixing flats in winter (usually in storms). I've even had them hold their lights on me and refuse to leave until they see me continuing on my way.

banerjek

I dunno -- your hills suck. I'd rather have terrain and encounter an occasional redneck.

The Weak Link

I've spent about a month in Romania and three weeks in Ukraine. You'd be insane to get on a bike in those countries. You'd be insane to get in a car in those countries. Using brakes is a sign or weakness. The roads are poorly built and even more poorly maintained. AND THEY'RE ALL COMMIES!

I just made the last sentence up. They're nice enough people, but I wouldn't ride a bike on their roads.

I've had three people harrass me in Kentucky, otherwise drivers are courteous. I don't have any complaints about them.

The unleashed dogs are another issue.

Ed Holland

Surely it depends where you are....

I moved to the Bay Area from the UK and love riding here, but there is a lot of cycling activity here, so road users are mostly tolerant of bikes. I've ridden a little in Los Angeles and whilst there was a lot of traffic, had no problems to speak of.

Cheers,

Ed

the_drain

I will...I'm curious what it comes to with the exchange rate.

garysol1 

20 years and untold 10's of thousands of miles and no major issues come to mind. Ride defensively and be respectful of the cars and you will have little issues

timmyquest

I've been hit in the head with a water bottle on my last 5 times. Seriously.

Not really...ever...

Drag

I'm pretty weary and careful when I ride, but I've been pleasantly surprised about the decent treatment I've received in the near western/northwestern suburbs of Chicago the last several years. Albeit I'm not as high mileage as many of my compatriots here, but noone's ever honked or squeezed me in a lane. Majority of times at stopsign intersections, drivers wave me through. Some folks even nod "hi" while waiting with me at intersections and a few have asked politely for directions.

But I guess I just jinxed myself. I'll be run over by a pickup tomorrow.

johnny99

I biked through southern Ukraine for a couple of weeks and never had a problem with car or truck drivers. Maybe the big cities are worse, but rural areas were more bike-friendly than California. I've also spent several weeks biking through communist China and Vietnam and no problems there either. It is true that the roads aren't well maintained in those countries and traffic laws are more like suggestions, but the cars are also smaller and slower than American cars and the drivers give you a lot more space when passing.

2WheelFury

Most drivers are fine but it only takes one with a testosterone-laden jerkoff behind the wheel to make things very dangerous for you. Most of my rides go without incident, but over the years I've had bottles chucked at me (bunch of drunk hillbilly ******bags in a jacked-up pickup truck in FL - redneck country), been hit a couple of times (once in Chicago, fortunately without injury, once out here when an overly aggressive idiot clipped me with a sideview mirror, again fortunately without injury), been honked at, had numerous who-knows-what yelled out the window at me (it never phases me and most times I can't tell what they're saying anyway).

For the most part, just mind your business and don't be a jerk. I also recommend trying to tailor your route to streets that are wide enough for safe passing and/or don't have many cars. Fewer encounters with human beings = lower likelihood that you'll encounter one who happens to be a dickhead.

Some people just plain suck. Just try to avoid them.

JoshTheSkier

VT's not so Bad, I've only had a one instance ever of a driver around here being truly crazy-mean.

timmyquest

A whole generation of driving dbags in America grew up on this

DonFrambach

I have not had a significant problem here in Ventura, California. Didn't have the same experience in urban Boston (caused me to stop riding).

Have had a number of very nice encounters: In 1981, when solo riding across rural Florida, a guy stopped his Greyhound bus and offered me a free ride because he thought it was "too hot". Several times, when stopped to fix a flat, I have been offered rides. So far, I have declined offers for rides but only after a sincere "thanks".