In defence of drivers

[alasdairgf]

Just wanted to balance things out a bit...!

I've been commuting in Liverpool for a few months now, and with very, very few exceptions (I can think of one, and that was a guy being an arse rather than dangerous) I've found the car drivers I've been sharing the roads with to be patient, safe and friendly. Maybe it's because I'm the only cyclist stopped at the red light most times or queuing in traffic when it's just too tight to filter rather than hopping on the pavement... but it's been really positive. So: thanks!

I hear so many people saying that they're too afraid to cycle on the roads - my wife is one - because they're scared of having a prang because of some witless car driver. I wish we'd share as much about the good (or boring!) hours and hours, not the few hair-raising seconds.

I'm not saying there aren't any eejits wrapped in cars, ears stuck to phones and heads up arses, of course there are... but we - everyone, not just this forum - so focus on cyclist / eejit encounters that the picture's become skewed.

I love my short commute - almost wish I lived further from work! - and it's a shame there aren't more bikes on the streets of Liverpool with me.

 

[400bhp]

Generally the same here over the last 12 months cycling into Manchester.

Anecdotally some of the close shaves I have are often at the same locations.

I try to hold up a hand of thanks if someone hangs back to let me get past a row of cars or to let me turn right.

RLJ clearly has a perception issue on the drivers. "Well I saw him jumping red lights not half a mile before the accident"

 

[slowmotion]

Just wanted to balance things out a bit...!

I've been commuting in Liverpool for a few months now, and with very, very few exceptions (I can think of one, and that was a guy being an arse rather than dangerous) I've found the car drivers I've been sharing the roads with to be patient, safe and friendly. Maybe it's because I'm the only cyclist stopped at the red light most times or queuing in traffic when it's just too tight to filter rather than hopping on the pavement... but it's been really positive. So: thanks!

I hear so many people saying that they're too afraid to cycle on the roads - my wife is one - because they're scared of having a prang because of some witless car driver. I wish we'd share as much about the good (or boring!) hours and hours, not the few hair-raising seconds.

I'm not saying there aren't any eejits wrapped in cars, ears stuck to phones and heads up arses, of course there are... but we - everyone, not just this forum - so focus on cyclist / eejit encounters that the picture's become skewed.

I love my short commute - almost wish I lived further from work! - and it's a shame there aren't more bikes on the streets of Liverpool with me.

Well said. I'm in London but feel exactly the same. Most drivers are very good. The very tiny minority may give you a scare, or kill you, but the good ones deserve thanks, something that we often forget.

 

[John the Monkey]

IME, most are simply indifferent. If you can time passing pinch points &c so it doesn't "inconvenience" a driver, you'll get room. Similarly, you'll get good overtakes (generally) where room is available. If there isn't space, the same drivers will squeeze you if you don't stop them doing so.

I follow the HC - again, IME, this makes bugger all difference to the way drivers treat me (I've been cut up by those who've watched me stop at reds, let folk across at zebras &c &c).

Cycling in the UK (or my commute at least) isn't dangerous per se, but it's less pleasant than it needs to be for people to perceive it as "safe", largely because drivers can behave pretty much in any fashion they see fit, with no social, legal or corporal impact if they decide to be impatient or inattentive.

 

[slowmotion]

IME, most are simply indifferent.

Yes, good point. My personal experiences have been in central London where the traffic always crawls. Drive five miles to work and it takes 45 minutes. The bike on the same route takes about twenty five. I think that most central London drivers are fairly used to cyclists and know how to share road space quite well. I'm tempting Fate.

Safe rides.

 

[eddiemee]

I am passed by probably 30 or 40 cars a day (depending on how early I leave), say 200 a week. I average two or three inconsiderate overtakes a week and maybe one a month where I either have to swerve or brake to avoid a collision. So that makes well over 95% of the drivers absolutely fine. It's just the other few percent that we worry about because they can put our lives in danger.

 

[Jaguar]

. If you can time passing pinch points &c so it doesn't "inconvenience" a driver, you'll get room. Similarly, you'll get good overtakes (generally) where room is available. If there isn't space, the same drivers will squeeze you ...I follow the HC - again, IME, this makes bugger all difference to the way drivers treat me

Same here.
I have close shaves almost every day (and I don't even go far: just 5 mile round trip around town usually). The problem is with people who drive absolutely EVERYWHERE and seem to believe that anything else on the road is simply an irritation to them.

My friends (non-cyclists to a man) often take the time to tell me how bad, annoying and dangerous cyclists are... when we get into a discussion of why they think that, it just seems to be "the way it is". I can counter their arguments (road hogging is primary position etc) but the ingrained attitude is that cyclists are the problem, not drivers, even though they admit their own lives are put in danger by other drivers, not by cyclists.

I'm still not down on all drivers, and I do raise a hand in thanks to those considerate ones.

 

[guitarpete247]

I always hang back for cyclists when I'm driving and allow them plenty of wobble room and most drivers around here do the same. Some don't but they can be counted on the fingers of one hand in my experience. As there a lot of horses around the lanes here drivers are used to coming upon slow moving items in the road. There are also a couple of national cycle routes that cross near our village so quite a few cyclists out here on the lanes. The annoying thing about some of these cyclists is their insistance on riding 2 or even more abreast and won't get into single file for anyone.
We all need to show a little consideration for other road users as we expect others to show it towards us (sounds like a religious quotation I know) .

 

[BSRU]

The driver of a huge car carrier was very thoughtful this morning, stuck behind me in a 40mph zone, me just doing 25, he waited for somewhere to overtake me very safely instead of trying to squeeze past at dubious overtaking points. His consideration was acknowledged with a wave of thanks.

 

[Alien8]

Some good, some bad, the majority indifferent - this applies to car drivers and cyclists.

 

[GlasgowGaryH]

I agree mostly good and odd one bad. I dont race when I am commuting so there are times I slow down and let car drivers overtake me when its safe. Its nice when they wave a hand in thanks when they are past. At end of the day whats 5 minutes, I save the TT for Sunday mornings.

 

[As Easy As Riding A Bike]

I hear so many people saying that they're too afraid to cycle on the roads - my wife is one - because they're scared of having a prang because of some witless car driver. I wish we'd share as much about the good (or boring!) hours and hours, not the few hair-raising seconds.

I can agree that the vast majority of drivers on the roads are safe and largely considerate.


However, it is the fact that there are a small minority of tosspots out there that makes the roads, objectively and subjectively, dangerous.


Your wife is right to be scared.

 

[Davidc]

I'm in agreement with the OP, and many of the replies.

Most drivers are sensible and understand the need for us all to share the roads. That goes for all drivers.

There are a proportion of drivers who are dangerous and/or stupid. They scare me witless every so often, sometimes on a bike, sometimes in a car, sometimes on foot. I can't do anything about them being there, just try to avoid being hit by them. I'm actually more scared of them when I'm in a car than on a bike, but that's probably irrational and relates to my feeling insecure in cars. It's on foot though that I find dangerous drivers most frightening.

If the proportion of drivers driving badly was more than the few percent it is now then the roads would be unuseable, but inevitaably it's the few we all notice, not the sensible majority.

 

[swee'pea99]

I have very litle trouble with drivers, tho' I agree with an earlier comment that I think how much trouible you run into depends mostly on how well you adapt yourself to their world. I don't think RLJing and the like has any real impact; it's stuff like being aware of road positioning, overtaking in a way that doesn't put them out and so on. Vanishingly few will go out of their way to hurt you, but quite a lot won't make a big effort not to if you get in their way.

 

[Jezston]

I would also agree with above sentiments - 99.9% of drivers I encounter are corteous and give me no trouble at all.

The problem is with the 0.1% abhorrent peanuts, and the complete lack of will in society to do anything serious about them.