Riding Solo Safety
 

I've been riding solo since covid and it's getting sketchier out there. People are angry and frustrated and I've had a few incidents recently where I've been the target of their anger. It's mostly macho guys and their big trucks (one actually had "redneck" on the window that I saw after he came too close to me and spun his wheels to spit sand at me) but today it was a sedan with christian symbol on the back (blared horn long before and after going by me despite my being on the right shoulder on a straight road without traffic). While I ride I think about what I could put on the back of my jerseys to make these rednecks think I'm almost one of them - I wear plain safety yellow, so there's room for a message. Ideas welcome! Here's what I've come up with so far:

"Make America Great Again"

"World's Greatest Mom"

"Jesus Loves You"

[the fish symbol]

"Mom, Nurse"

Do you think it might help? Any other ideas? I could stop riding but riding is saving my sanity!

Nothing will help.

American flag colors.

That is no joke. When I ride the roads I am typically treated pretty well. I have worn this enough to be able to definitively say that it makes a positive difference. I attribute it to the Red, White and Blue humanizing the experience. I am seen as a person rather than an annoying cyclist.

https://scontent-atl3-1.xx.fbcdn.net...41&oe=5EED5036

Get a metal pole that sicks out 3 feet from the frame to the left.

"Nurse" will definitely not help you with some of these losers.

Open Carry

Stand My Ground

Stand Behind Our Troops

Just on my way to pick up my Humvee

Looks like he's wearing a shirt, not a flag...

"Your mom"
or
"GFY"

Are NOT advisable.

Just wear the nation's colors.

I'd say not a lot. As the saying goes "Every dog's got a few fleas", and you're experiencing the annoying "fleas" in your area. It happens everywhere, but its not that often I experience it so I just ignore them and brush it off.

Unfortunately alcohol stores were one of the stores deemed essential. People with a lot of time and now you have a bad combination and more drunk/high drivers on the roads. I have been in more near misses in the last two months than I have in my entire life.

That’s what I think.

kinda the opposite for me. So much so, that I've chanced it by riding in areas that were known to be a lot busier with higher speed limits.

i wonder if City riding may have been the way to go since most folks were at home? Country roads have been sketchy here.

definitely would make more logic.

https://cimg6.ibsrv.net/gimg/bikefor...30fb8a898b.png
Cycliq Fly 6 and/or Fly 12. Record them and report them. It's our in our self interest to make the roads safer for everyone.https://cimg8.ibsrv.net/gimg/bikefor...4ea61337f5.jpg

hdmi?

The flag idea is perfect!

just ordered an iron-on decal from amazon ... I'll iron on separate fabric then pin on jersey. I'm riding like an old fart these days (am I allowed to say that?) with a trunk thing where I could mount a small flag on a pole but it would mostly be perpendicular to drivers. Me thinks you can't have too many flying flags, tho!

I've considered this many times but when cops say stuff like "well, what do you expect riding a bicycle on the road?" I sorta don't think they will be bothered with video footage unless I'm actually hit. And, even then, the cyclist is 99% blamed. Years ago we had a guy pull a gun on us and the quote above is from the county sheriff that day.

I support
POLICE

The first two words should be smaller, and the last one large and bold across your back.

Interesting. I‘ve found just the opposite.

I like it! Will try the flag first and saw those flags with the blue stripe that looked pretty cool but they were all too big.

People are generally arseholes and there is no redemption. We have been seeing tons of nasty people these days at the shop, nobody seems to understand their is a global crisis going on and a little respect and decency is what we need right now. They are pissed off at anyone and will take it out on someone as soon as they are out. It is rather a sad affair.

Ride safe and know this isn't a time for silly slogans and name calling. Even if trashy generally light skinned middle class southern people have taken the term. Rednecks originally referred to poor farmers and then was a sign of solidarity so miners could identify themselves (by the red bandanna around their necks) from the hired goons that were trying to murder them for standing up for their rights and their well being.

Hubby and I got a great laugh out of Humvee idea! Thanks!

Interesting history. So much time to think riding solo and I did wonder where the term "redneck" came from.

So, hopefully the flag idea is well accepted by the right and OK with the left too. No harm or silliness with that.

Not that it matters, but I sorta want to defend my beloved state of New Hampshire and say that every one of these incidents happened in California. Southern California. In fairness, CA has way, way more traffic and way, way more cyclists. Wish I could get to NH right now ... I would feel so much safer.

I think flag is probably not going to hurt.

Note that when people yell, honk, blow smoke, and spin tires at you, that means they saw you, which is a good thing. They are not trying to kill you, so they probably won't kill you, which is also good. Even the intimidation-passers are actually trying quite hard to *nearly* hit you, which means they are more or less trying to not hit you, which is a good thing.

So that's all good.

People texting, posting on FB or BF, watching videos, or chatting up with their friends and family will not honk, yell, blow smoke, or spin tires at you. They might not see you, which is bad, and they might kill you, which is bad.

On narrow twisty hilly roads, drivers actually need to spend most of their time looking out the windshield, which is very good for you. As opposed to straight flat wide roads, where they can and do spend a considerable amount of time not looking out their windshields.

In conclusion, don't fear unsocial angry people, and don't fear social people on twisty hilly roads. Fear (and avoid) social people on flat, straight, wide roads. That's where you're gonna die.