detroitjim

Study: Aggressive Driving is Linked to Seeing Cyclists as ‘Less than Human’

https://usa.streetsblog.org/2019/03/...ss-than-human/

Maelochs

Might we note that most drivers see other drivers as less than human also?

CB HI

So, I must be unique in that I receive far less harassment when motoring than I do when cycling.

CliffordK

One thing about humans is that they are awfully good at prejudice.

Pass the street bum, and they are less than human.
Or, perhaps someone in a different occupation. The Janitor vs the Accountant vs the CEO? Where would the CEO be without someone to clean the toilets?

And, it goes both ways. Black communities may be as prejudiced against Whites as the Whites are prejudiced against the Blacks.

And we do it as cyclists too. Roadies vs MTB riders vs Duct Tape Utility cyclists vs DUI cyclists.

And, of course, Cyclists vs CARS.

CARS? Doesn't one mean the person behind the wheel?

And, don't forget that many of us either own cars ourselves, use taxi services, or have close friends or relatives that drive.

Somehow we all need to take a chill pill, and realize that we all are trying to make it through life, from those at the bottom of the heap to the top. In fact, there is a lot indicating that general happiness doesn't always follow supposed social status.

And, of course, consider how our choices impact the safety and lives of others.

Milton Keynes

This is the same study in which some genius came up with the idea that if we stop calling cyclists "cyclists" and instead call them "people on bikes," that will totally solve the problem.

CliffordK

https://www.bikeforums.net/general-c...han-human.html

I think it may be the same study, but different people interpreting what to do to improve cyclist/vehicle (bike rider/driver) relations.

I have to wonder how many people actually use the term "Cyclist" Is it only the cyclists that call themselves cyclists?

Lemond1985

"Our Wheeled-Pedestrian Friends".

JoeyBike

I don't know about the whole "less than human" idea, but I do believe that cyclists are viewed as "inferior persons" as compared to the car owners. Unless the cyclist is wearing full race kit which is about as close to a celestial alien as a human can get in the eyes of non-cyclists.

GamblerGORD53

So they show a photo of a MORON riding backwards on a bicycle in the middle of the road......
And we're wondering why we are thought of that way????
Well I NEVER wear a helmet or a circus uniform. NOBODY treats me lousy.

detroitjim

Being close to the border and having made a fair number of visits across the crick. The Canadian experience on a bicycle has been less stressful due to the greater level of respect given to cyclists by motor vehicle operators. It's a different world (generally) on your side.

Maelochs

The thing with this "study" is that people often don't know how they think ... they know how they think they think.

Seriously, how many people believe that drivers see cyclists and think, "There is a giant cockroach on a bicycle,"? How many think "Thae person on a bike is lower than a mosquito"?

Whose idea was it show the "insect scale"? Didn't that sort of plant the "insect" idea?

As I noted above, drivers see Everyone else as less than human. This has been noted and addressed by others repeatedly.

Also, check out the last two paragraphs of the report:

"One word of caution about the findings: the survey was not based on a random sample, so it is hard to generalize the findings to the broader population. The survey, for example, over-sampled high-income males, so it may be overstating or understating dehumanizing attitudes toward cyclists." So, the bulk of the respondents were the more aggressive, more entitled people in society.

And:

"The research team did not make specific recommendations about how to improve public attitudes toward cyclists. But they did speculate that Australia’s mandatory helmet law may contribute to the problem by obscuring riders heads and faces. Riding “uniforms,” kits and Spandex, may further contribute to the “othering” of cyclists." Because speculation is the heart of science, right?

In fact, drivers tend to view everything outside the car as far less important and less real ... which is why people get so angry at anyone who impedes their progress and stops their fantasy of power and control. Shoot, drivers get mad a Stop Lights. Obviously, reason is not high on the order of physiological operating systems employed while piloting an automobile.