WC89

I've had enough of the myriad of Kamikaze motorists swinging over to the opposite lane passing me on a blind curve or, just before the crest of a hill. In both scenarios, the driver cannot tell at all if an oncoming vehicle is just around the curve or over the hill! THIS IS VERY DANGEROUS FOR THE CYCLIST AND THE MOTORISTS!!!! There are a lot of cyclists who ride on the road in the world. So, since most motorists will likely be a friend or acquaintance of, or even related to a cyclist, everybody, please tell any friend or relative that drives a car/truck to STOP IT! Tell them to please wait the 2 - 5 seconds it usually takes out of their lives to get clear road ahead for a safe pass. Thank you.

donheff

Yup, happens all the time. And you know, if push comes to shove, the bike is going to get the shove.

Dudelsack 

And don't forget to come to a full foot-down stop at all lights and signs. Otherwise motorists are legally allowed to run us off the roads.

OldsCOOL

dont forget to signal every turn.

bigbadwullf

And those that cut left turns at intersections. Basically driving on the wrong side of the road. I've complained about this for years(not just from bicycling). Seems the Police just ignore it. But go 2 mph over the speed limit...

Bikey Mikey

OMG! I've seen this way too often and fear I'll be taken out by the oncoming car in my lane or the car swerving to avoid the other car and creaming me. Another annoyance I have, this is while driving, is people changing lanes IN THE INTERSECTION, not before, not after, but IN, which is highly illegal and extremely hazardous.

Monoborracho

Wear bright clothes (no white, black, or dark green) and a flashing light on the front of your bike (ounces).

That will do much more good than anything else to save your life.

Let's be careful out there.

mapeiboy

Bright clothes -- me , head to toe in Mapei team kit for the last 15 years . If you can not see me then you are blind .

Bikey Mikey

Bright Clothes -- check



Flashing lights(front and back) -- check

MagicShine 808e blinking (rated at 1000 lumens)




Radbot 1000



Back to our regularly scheduled program....

Another pet peeve is people in cars who don't use turn signals.

gear

Slow down their vehicle for 3 or 4 seconds till its safe to pass? Sure would be nice, wouldn't it.

zonatandem

You're preaching to the choir . . .
Have ridden in 30+ states, including Maryland.
Motorists/people/cyclists are generally great; however it's the idiotic/inattentive minority that creates dangerous situations.
Bright colors? Wearing bright orange matching jerseys on our tandem about 10 years ago.
We were the only ones on a frontage road, noontime, cloudlless sky near Tucson, AZ.
The pickup truck behind us hit us with his sideview mirror into my stoker's/wife's back.
Busted the mirror; we did not fall down. Swerving away from him (saw him in my mirror) was not a good option as there was a deep ditch to our right. Held our line.
Driver stopped and claimed 'I did not see you.'
Asked him what he looked for when driving: 'I try to drive between the lines'.
Oh, he was in his 70s (so was I and my wife), restricted driver's license, glaucoma and no insurance.
Our lucky day! We did not get killed.
Saw to it that his license was revoked. Bet he's now driving without a license.
Pedal on!

rdtompki

Just get over it. We're not going to change the behavior of the .001% of motorists who are dangerous idiots.

Bikey Mikey

It'll be easy to get over it if I'm 6 feet under or in an Urn on the mantle after being killed by an idiot--I won't care any longer.

qcpmsame 

Sorry I can't just get over the fact drivers refuse to drive responsibly. I think (JMHO) your % is really low from the number I see texting, eating, reading, etc. while driving, not to mention the plain carelessness around bicyclist. I have to continue to advocate awareness and education about responsible driving, not give up and give in. Agree to disagree I suppose.

Oh, IBTM to Advocacy and Safety, I fear.

Bill

curdog

+!

ro-monster

It's legal here.

WC89

I think that it is more like 10%, or even 1%. But 0.001% is absolutely waaaayy too low!

VNA

A minority who does not care about others safety!

There are the ones who want no matter what be in front and pass, the ones who have no clue, the ones who are down right nasty, and the one who are sick medically or otherwise!

I try to ignore it as much as I can and it is not easy--besides it will not make any difference being worked up about it!

But I try to make myself visible as much as I can with blinking lights front and rear and slick well integrated fenders covered with reflective tape and a day glow jersey.

Durockrolly

Not only do I deal with this while cycling, I am also a motorcyclist of 39 years !!!

jalbri

There are also probably a certain percent (0.001%?) of bicyclists who are dangerous idiots. I marvel at their actions when I'm bicycling and when I'm driving a car. The dangerous idiot car drivers/bicyclists together combine to create a cold, cruel (and dangerous) world out there. Maybe we should also tell our friends/relatives who ride bicycles to, as the OP suggests, please stop it.

TheHen

Let's see. Motorists kill 30,000-40,000 people per year and maim over a million. Cyclists kill a handful (many years none) and injure an unknown, likely small, number. I think our efforts should be focused on solving the larger problem.

By the way, I had the exact situation described by the OP occur to me today. Fortunately, the oncoming driver steered over to the extreme edge of the roadway so that the idiot who passed me illegally didn't swerve back into me. Do these people think they have X-ray vision? If so, it's time they get over their super-hero fantasy and grow up.

Yen

I used to vanpool with a woman who did not seem to understand how dangerous her driving is. Making phone calls, speeding, tailgating. I rode with her once, and never again. When she complained about cyclists blocking her way and slowing her down, I pointed out they had a legal right to do what she complained about. Talking about the danger of cell-phone use while driving was like trying to reason with a 1-year-old; she just didn't get it! One day she said she has gotten a lot of driving tickets, so I asked her if she's considered taking driving lessons. "Oh no, this is just the way I am", as if her driving habits are a physical trait she cannot change. It was shocking how little she seemed to understand about basic safe driving habits.

Retro Grouch 

The people that you are talking about won't think this applies to them. 50% of all drivers are below average and most people are convinced that they are above average.

maddmaxx 

I have something in MY way and I am going to go around it while You get out of MY way.

By the way, they do this for everything on their side of the road, not just bikes.

ratdog

There are drivers that don't belong on the road and there are bicyclist that also don't belong on the road. It just so happens to be more of the driver variety due to the overall number of drivers. Offenders should be forced to live a week biking alongside heavy traffic so they get a taste of the type of danger they cause.