uxrider

Do you agree that pick-up truck drivers seem to be the worst offenders of passing too close to cyclists, honking just as they approach, refusing to move over the line to give room, etc, etc,?
Today on my ride on a country road with very little traffic this jerk in a black pick-up (black trucks seem to be the worst of the worst!) came just behind me and honked, then sped off without giving me any room at all. Where did he want me to go? The road has a gravel shoulder and would have been a nasty fall if I got into that loose crap. Any one else find pick-ups to be the worst offenders? (not highly scientific poll but this is what I have observed)

LowCel 

Don't you love it when they buzz you with their mirror and lay on the horn? It makes it a very interesting ride!!!

SDRider

Oh hell yeah. The biggest jerkoffs on the road IMO.

jmccain

That's so weird! It's exactly what I've noticed.

Best, John

Mariner Fan

Yea, I hate that too. Scares the crap out of me. BTW, I have a pickup so not all of us are jerks.

SDRider

Yeah, most aren't but it seems there are enough of them that the stereotype is born.

Think about it, how many Prius drivers have run you off the road intentionally?

mollusk

I've had a few "close encounters of the worst kind" with pick-up drivers and it does indeed make for interesting riding.

On Sunday morning I did some riding on US 301 (4-lane divided with a paved shoulder) which seemed to be carrying way more than the usual amount of truck traffic. It wasn't the semi drivers' fault, but often they would pass me when they had no opportunity to get over and give me a lot of clearance. Quite a few times I was passed by LARGE trucks at 70 mph with less than 2 feet of clearance. They were "pro" drivers so they held a good line, but dealing with the buffeting was quite a challenge. In spite of the fact that I started the ride with the intention of "moderate" pace I felt the need to put my nose on the stem and hammer through that part of the ride.

BlazingPedals

Not many... OK none, but OTOH, I don't see nearly as many Priuses (Priusii?) as I do pickup trucks. Especially out in the country, where I live and ride.

mkadam68

I dunno, up here in LA, it seems there is a direct relationship between how much of an idiot driver to cyclists a person is with what the value of their car is. Mercedes are the worst. Is it that way in San Diego, too?

JNorm

The only bad experiences i've had with trucks are the tractor trailer kind. They don't seem to realize how wide their truck is and how bad the wind the kick off/suck in is. I've had a couple close calls getting either almost sucked into the trailer or blown off the road

uxrider

I ride in an area that has quite a few gravel pits so dump trucks are a common sight, they almost always give me much more room than those morons in black pick-up trucks........

punksurfer024

i drive a pickup

Tequila Joe

Yep, same here; It’s not all pick-up trucks but if someone intentionally buzz's me close, it is usually a-hole in a pickup. I’ve noticed that they usually have at least one of the following;

Big jacked up 4x4
Bumper stickers - NASCAR stickers seem to be popular
Cowboy lights - roof and side marker lights
Mud flaps with pictures on them
CB antenna
Custom wheels
Some fancy paint job

Generally, they seem to be your typical rural / urban redneck.

SDRider

Yes, it's like that here too. Although, I'd say most of them are just clueless and/or distracted and not intentionally out to kill me which is more than I can say for some of the idiots driving trucks that I've had dealings with on the road.

There are a large number of Priuses on the roads here and I can't recall ever having a bad experience with the driver of one. Trucks and SUVs still out number them by a huge margin though unfortunately.

testtube

For me it's:

1) Cell phone using soccer moms in SUVs and minivans. I don't think they're being malicious as much as distracted and clueless.

2) Hybrids... (?!) I can't explain this other than possible jealously that I am traveling on something more efficient.

I've had issues with pick-ups in the past but not for 5+ years...

blacksquid

I just read that prius means "to go before" in Latin so, I think, be "prii". Anyone else care to guess??

SDRider

Sorry to hear that.

VT Biker

Well,

part of this may be the perception as well as the opportunity due to the location. For one thing, most of us head out of the city when we ride. As such, a higher portion of people outside an urban area are going to have pick-up trucks. And this is not confined to rural farming areas anymore, since Detroit has convinced every white-collar worker that they are not really a man unless they look like they bail hay.

So now you have a bunch of wanna-be tough guys purchasing their trucks which they never use, which are typically too big for most roads designed and built years ago. Add to that the fact that out there in the country they can speed and act like a-holes without worrying about being caught, and you have the perfect storm for why pick-ups seem to attract d-bags.


Wanna know what: my experience in Colorado has been that the real farmers/ranchers in the plains are polite and make the effort to get in the other lane even to avoid us. It is the trucks in the mountains where all the yuppies live in their second homes that are the biggest problem.

TCR

I drive a black pickup truck.

velomedieval

I've had worse luck with minivans. Especially the ones with Indiana's special new "In God We Trust" license plate (seriously-- don't know why that is).

fujibike

I drive a black pickup and offer every courtesy to a cyclist that I expect when I'm cycling. Ignorant drivers come in all vehicles. My worst experience was with a tractor trailer. Almost completed his pass on a narrow two lane through a small town (thanks for a 25 mph). The end of the second trailer he was pulling clipped my handlebars as he was cutting back in from his pass and drove me into the curb-head first over the bars I went.

CycleAloha

I too drive a black truck and try to give fellow riders lots of room and usually a wave to oncoming riders....some see and wave back some see and ignore and some just don't see, so whatever.

Hocam

SUV's are just as bad, if not worse around here. This morning one pulled out into traffic right in front of me, he got a big thumbs down as I passed on his left to avoid being side swiped.

Statistically the bigger the car you buy, the bigger your ego, the more selfish you are and the worse your driving ability.

atbman

Black pickups are to cyclists what black helicopters are to Montana militia men

spry

^ Uneducated upchuck of Uxbridge.
Yes,I own a pickup.