I've been riding on Britain's roads for over 40 years, normal annual mileage around 5000 miles, it ain't nowhere near that bad, if it was I would have stopped years ago.
come and ride with me for a week.
i do 100+ miles a week and i can not remember a ride where i did not have a stupid near pass or aggressive driving including verbal abuse spiting, thing thrown from cars (full water bottles seem favored) it all depends where you live, what roads you ride and what time of day.
i have recently moved on to part time working so can now ride mid morning after the school run and only get two or three incidents most rides.
i ride a hand bike in town for shopping ect and get the most abuse on this, being spat on seem favored, "get off the f**** road spaz", and leaning out the window making retard noises is common though, one van passenger thought slapping the back of my head while driving pass a funny thing to do; i have given up commuting on the hand bike for no other reason than abuse and open hatred.
until you experience it for your self you can not believe the way drivers behave toward a disabled person just because they are on the road. i need to do 15 to 20 hours of exorcise a week to keep from rapidly loosing what mobility and quality of life i have.
i am finding it increasingly difficult to face going out on the road, i could sit on a exorcise bike but i do not get any where near the benefit of actually being out of the house.
i have got to the stage of going to the indoor shopping center and doing laps in the wheelchair, rather than ride at busy times of the day.
the solution enforcement and better road layout and stop handing out laughable judgments for killing people.
after reporting numerous incidents including witness statements to south Yorkshire police one involving being hit over the head and knocked out with a rolled up news paper from a moving car.
to date they have made an "intelligence report" on one car, given me advice to ride defensively and take up primary when passing pinch points ect.
basically "go away and stop bothering us" seams to be the attitude. i taught advanced motorcycle riding, i have ridden a bicycle all my life i know what i am doing on the road.
but when i go to the trouble of coming in to the police station to report some thing it is because it is a bad incident at least talk to the driver or send them a letter giving them advice about how to drive.
nothing will improve until drivers start getting prosecuted for the way they are driving a lethal weapon.