A good driving idea?

[abo]

Cycling seems to have changed my driving in a way I wouldn't have expected. If I see a cyclist coming the other way, on the other side of the road and I can see traffic behind them, I've started positioning my car close up to the centre line to discourage the cars behind from making a close pass on said cyclist. It does seem to work, at least while I'm driving past anyway. They don't try and squeeze through while I am there, and has the effect of slowing down the traffic coming up on the cyclist.

Good idea, or a waste of time?

 

[jack the lad]

I do the opposite. I move my car as far over to the left as it is safe to do so to give the cars room to pull out round the cyclist rather than have them try to squeeze by. It does depend on the road being wide enough to make it worth bothering - but I would think it safer than your approach.

 

[ianrauk]

Any action that stops a bad or mistimed overtake has to be a good idea does it not?

 

[abo]

I do the opposite. I move my car as far over to the left as it is safe to do so to give the cars room to pull out round the cyclist rather than have them try to squeeze by. It does depend on the road being wide enough to make it worth bothering - but I would think it safer than your approach.

See I thought about doing that, but on the 'regular' roads round here (not extra wide single carriageway or something) such as this one: Darlington Back Lane I don't think there'd be enough room for the other car to get through leaving enough room for the cyclist as per HC rule 163.

 

[WychwoodTrev]

I had to do an emergancy stop last night on a corner as a car coming the outher way was overtaking a family group of cyclists on the corner. I just sat and shook my headat the driver of the outher car

 

[NeilEB]

Personally, I think anything that interferes with 'normal' driving behaviour possibly does more harm then good.

I just drive normally, trying to give cyclists as much room as possible if I'm overtaking them. If they are in the other lane coming towards me, I don't do anything special, just drive normally so as to be predictable.

 

[swee'pea99]

A dangerous tactic to adopt unswervingly, methinks. You cannot know what kind of idiot is coming the other way. All you need is one who decides to go anyway...and with a much reduced margin for error. The best general approach, it seems to me, is simply to try to be alert to the individual situation and act accordingly.

 

[jack the lad]

On a narrow regular road, if the cars on the other side are already following the cyclist I would just drive as normal in the middle of my lane. If a car is catching the cyclist quickly from behind and it looks like I might get there at the same time - what I do would depend on whether they looked like they planned to overtake or not. If they appear to have seen and be slowing down behind the cyclist, which is what usually happens, I would not do anything. If it looks like they intend to plough on regardless I would do what I can to give them room to avoid the cyclist i.e. slow down and pull over. I wouldn't want to take the chance that they might decide too late that they couldn't get through and choose to hit the cyclist as the better option than hitting my car, when I could have helped avoid the situation.

I do most of my driving on narrow country lanes, with plenty of cyclists about. I cannot think of many situations when I have felt the need to take avoiding action and, as a cyclist on the same roads, I have very rarely felt that a car driver has put me in danger. It only takes one ignorant or idiotic driver to kill you, but fortunately there aren't too many of them who venture outside cities!

 

[tyred]

The most important thing (imo) while using a road, no matter what method of transport, is to always act in a predictable manner and make your intentions clear* at all times.

* note to Audi drivers. The little lever behind the steering wheel can be flicked upwards to indicate that you are going to turn right. It can be flicked downward to indicate that you are going to turn left.

 

[abo]

I don't do it as a last second manouvre btw, i'll see the cyclist from ages away and take the position. Round here, when cycling I've found that if there is no car coming the other way then you always get overtaken with plenty of room but there is oncoming traffic and someone wants to overtake then they will usually close pass and squeeze through. When I'm driving and adopt a position over to the right of my lane then the traffic coming the other way has *always* slowed down.

But yeah, I'm forgetting about the single 'ignorant or idiotic driver'. Might have a rethink, it only takes one moron to knock a bike off and I'd feel pretty terrible if I contributed to it.

 

[snorri]

. If I see a cyclist coming the other way, on the other side of the road and I can see traffic behind them, I've started positioning my car close up to the centre line to discourage the cars behind from making a close pass on said cyclist.
Good idea, or a waste of time?

As a cyclist i just prefer oncoming drivers to maintain normal road position.

What really scares me is when an oncoming driver pulls in to his/her left, thus offering to the driver behind me an "invitation" to overtake, an invitation that will be almost invariably accepted regardless of my safety. When I see this, if there is time I try to get out nearer the middle of the road to prevent a close overtake.

 

[Cyclopathic]

I don't do it as a last second manouvre btw, i'll see the cyclist from ages away and take the position. Round here, when cycling I've found that if there is no car coming the other way then you always get overtaken with plenty of room but there is oncoming traffic and someone wants to overtake then they will usually close pass and squeeze through. When I'm driving and adopt a position over to the right of my lane then the traffic coming the other way has *always* slowed down.

But yeah, I'm forgetting about the single 'ignorant or idiotic driver'. Might have a rethink, it only takes one moron to knock a bike off and I'd feel pretty terrible if I contributed to it.

My opinion is that it is better to simply drive normally and make adequate room for a bike when you overtake them. Whilst intentions are good I think we are on slippy ground if we start to second guess other drivers or try to dictate the way they drive by altering out own driving. I think that when driving a car our attention should be on what we are doing and how best we can drive to minimise danger. In this way you can be as sure as it is possible to be that one hasn't contributed to an accident.

It is only possible to drive defensively for ourselves. I'm not sure that an agressive positioning on the road to ensure that the oncoming drivers have to be defensive is the best way of aproaching things, although I can fully see why it is tempting to do so.

 

[Nigel-YZ1]

My preference is to drive normally.

There is always a number of ways that anything that you do can be interpreted, so sticking to a predictable path is the best in my opinion.

We have a generation of drivers who know that they will not be caught regardless of what they do, and are willing to take every chance with the lives of others. I learned that lesson the hard way a few weeks ago.

 

[moralcrusader]

The only driving that you can make safer is your own. Sitting an inch from the centre line will not discourage those who must get past the cyclists at all costs.

I've recently found that I have automatically started shoulder checking prior to turning - just in case there's a bike in my blind spot. Stupid place to be, but I'd rather curse people under my breath for being stupid than run them over.

 

[MontyVeda]

The only driving that you can make safer is your own. Sitting an inch from the centre line will not discourage those who must get past the cyclists at all costs.

I agree

I've recently found that I have automatically started shoulder checking prior to turning - just in case there's a bike in my blind spot. Stupid place to be, but I'd rather curse people under my breath for being stupid than run them over.

surely you should be shoulder checking anyway... as a cyclist I don't know where your blind spot is as they vary from vehicle to vehicle.