Scary drivers
 

I was out for a quick ride today. We're on vacation at the NJ shore, so it's flat and windy. I was coming downwind, going 25mph +, well on the shoulder. There's a stretch where there are no stop signs or lights. A woman in an Explorer passes me with her right turn signal on, and wants to turn right into a street that's ten yards ahead of me. She then proceeds to slam on her brakes and lay on the horn, screaming at me. My assumption is that she expected me to stop on a dime when I'm going almost as fast as car traffic (35 mph). I'm just glad that she didn't just turn in front of me - I'd have face planted into her passenger door.

She's an ass, but at least she didn't kill you.

It's sad when this is the barometer.

Very common and will happen to you over and over again. Best option is to become a good cyclist and learn to anticipate poor driving.

Certainly a bit simplistic. Good cyclist or not, you can't always anticipate the actions of a moron in a car.

You would love me.

One of the boat ramps I like to use happens to be in a location VERY popular with cyclists (Key Biscayne). Well I have pretty much stopped vehicle traffic because when I get to the boat ramp turn off there are people riding. I can't exactly just cut in front of them - they might hit the boat and damage my outboard engine cowling! Or they might ding my stainless steel prop, or even snap off the skeg! None of these things are acceptable.

So all I can do is wait. As in stopped in the travel lane, waiting for the bike lanes to clear.

I could care less about the people behind me laying on the horn. I have satellite radio, an audio amp, and upgraded speakers in my truck. I can EASILY blast music loud enough to make the honking noises go away :)

I had some idiot cut me off BAD while riding once. The guy hit the gas pedal to pass two or three cars that were trailing me (they also wanted to turn) - and I was going as fast as I could manage to go (to clear the way for the cars - I am not a complete *******). But what Mr. Impatient did not know was that one of the cars waiting for me was an unmarked police car. I had a great time taking a "water break" while watching the guy get a ticket for reckless driving. It made me feel all warm and fuzzy inside - like a shot of really good rum does.

The very nice officer (who later told me he is also part of the bike patrol) even gave me updates (which is how I know what the ticket was for) and promised to show up for court :)

Why people can't just wait 20 seconds for a cyclist to clear an intersection makes no sense to me. Not at all. You are going to risk killing someone, and going to jail, just for 20 seconds? And what if you just maim someone? You are going to risk the jump in your car insurance - and the civil lawsuit that is bound to happen - all for 20 seconds? Really? Your time is THAT valuable???

That sucks, I try to take up the whole lane if I'm going the speed limit. If I were going the same speed in a car, I wouldn't get passed. Why should I get passed just because I'm on a bicycle if I'm traveling the same speed? It really pisses me off when people do that, especially if they do it dangerously.

you're still not going fast enough

IMHO, this incident was entirely your fault. Vacationing at the NJ shore on the 4th of July weekend and expecting to ride without incident? :rolleyes:

I avoid the NJ shore entirely until September. I avoid the local roads that people use to get to the NJ shore on weekends.

Every Friday the roads to the shore get crammed with people, then the shore itself gets crammed with people, then on Sunday the roads back get crammed with people. I don't understand why people choose to subject themselves to this.

I've recently moved from the States to Oz. South Australian drivers are the worst I've ever encountered. They have no stop signs or stop lights except in the city. Every intersection is a round about(rotary). Every where we would have a stop sign...they have yield signs. There is not one crosswalk in our 4 town span. I am not kidding. They make the old grannies hobble across to the middle of the road, 10 cars go past, then they continue to the other side of the road. They will pull out next to you when you are riding a bike. I almost got into a fist fight when some yahoo did a rolling stop while I was riding with my daughter on the back through a round about. I had no idea if he was going to run us down hill billy style.

Approaching a T-intersection on a lightly-used country road, I move to the centre of the lane to turn left (so I don't swing across both lanes when executing my left turn). I put my left arm out, get then get both hands on the bars to turn left just in time to see a car flash past - on my left across a double yellow line - about nine inches from the front of my front wheel. I'd even looked behind me before I stuck my arm out and the car appeared quite far back, but was apparently doing quite a bit over the speed limit.

Something similar happened about a month before in almost exactly the same spot, only that time it was a pickup truck and they just nicked my outstretched signalling left hand as they blew past me on the left.

I've had a couple recently.
1: A few weeks ago I was on the last mile, heading home from a really nice 40 mile ride after work. I was on one of my hometowns straightest, levelest roads that passes the local elementary school. Just as I'm passing the playground with about a dozen kids playing, a garbage truck runs a stop sign and almost hits me. I slowed down and looked back to see he's yelling at me. I stop and realize he thinks I did something wrong. We start yelling at each other, lots of profanity (from both of us, sadly). I started to roll back towards him but thought better of this action. He pulls away and as I slowly start riding away I apologize profusely to the 2 mothers or teachers sitting there that witnessed the entire thing. I felt bad for my actions but they seemed more concerned that I wasn't hit.
2: This morning my buddy meets me at 7:30 for ride. 5 miles in I notice a white Explorer come down a side street, they can go right, left or straight. I thought he was going to turn left, thus putting him right beside me, going in the same direction. And as they start to pull out I thought that's exactly what's happening. Nope, they're going straight...straight into me! They missed me, about 2 feet, no big deal. My buddy comes up and he's angry. I asked how close they got, he said if I would've tapped my break I would've been under their tire. Great way to get the blood flowing early in the morning.

I had a guy buzz me the other day and nearly hit a car coming the opposite direction, and guess who got the finger from BOTH driver's; ME! Apparently riding on the white line was not far enough right for the two of them.

Mike

I had a guy pass anther car in a 30kph zone. so I had two cars coming at me, one in the correct lane, another in my lane. Both were doing well over 100kph. This is a 30 zone in the middle of nowhere on a riverbank road. The oncoming car was actually touching the white curb line. I had enough time and room to swerve directly in front of him and spook the living tar out of him and make it back to relative safety. I of course gave them both the finger and they both returned it in stereo.

No word of a lie, about 7kms down the road, same thing happens again. I'm in the middle of farmland, on a river delta. No stores, not gas stations. Kms and kms of blueberry farms. And these dolts are doing over 100kph in a 30 zone. Other days, I might have one car or truck pass me on this stretch of road.

I have considered using my blinkies during the day now.

Someone passes you in a vehicle with a right turn signal on and starts to turn right and you can't anticipate that? I would almost expect it. Once drivers pass us, they forget about us.

Unfortunately, quite true.

Always assume you are invisible and stay in an insect-like state of awareness. Stay alive.

It's not.

There is a glaring omission from this thread. Fact is that these drivers do the same thing to other vehicles. I've seen the same kind of driver behaviour when I've been in my truck as on my bike. In fact, I think I get a bit more courtesy on my bike than I get driving a car.

It all boils down to Lack of Respect for Others; especially if those Others are strangers.

I sure as hell don't miss that. Although trying to get to Toronto from Burlington Ontario sucks no matter what time of day or year it is...on a bike or driving.

I don't miss New Jersey at all.

Cheers,

Brian J.

I expect nothing less from my home state. I live at the jersey shore year round, September can't come soon enough. Glad you didn't get hit, stay safe out there.

In addition to being cyclists most of you guys are morons in cars also.

There are bad drivers out there, no doubt about it. I'm glad that I can ride mainly rural roads that have little traffic. But then there's stuff like this:

Yesterday headed home with a good wind behind on a straight and flat stretch. I was going about 25 mph and was overtaking another rider who was going about 20. Car approaching from behind at the speed limit (45 mph). We were coming up to a crossroads and the car wanted to turn right. He passed me, then realized he didn't have room to turn right in front of the other biker, so slowed way down. Sudeenly, the other rider sticks out her arm for a left turn at the same time she initiates the turns. She just about t-boned the car! Driver jammed on the brakes and lets her go, then actually started looking around to see where I was! It was clear he wasn't going anywhere until he know I wasn't passing him on the right. I wasn't - I had backed off to avoid a three-way vehicle meet-up.

I thought it was a good bit of attentive driving!

The incident I posted would have certainly resulted in two things if I were driving my car:

a) Never would have happened, the guy passing would have waited.
b) I'd be dead and so would the other guy.

I would hope most cyclists when driving appreciate how much time or space they need to allow cyclist on the road. If anything I have become more cautious in not passing unless i can go way wide.