What's your opinion with Bad overtakes?

[JoshM]

Somewhat ironically I get more abuse from other drivers when waiting on, what I consider, a safe place to pass than I ever get whilst riding a bike.

I've fairly recently started driving again, and I'd say this is true. As a driver though, I'm happy to suck it up. I'm not about to put a vulnerable road user at risk by doing something I feel unsafe just because some chump is flashing their lights at me.

 

[sanddancer]

My opinion is that the drivers who pass close are a'holes.

My car has a British Cycling decal on the back windscreen and, as I drive waaayyy less than I cycle, I consider a cyclist more than an unfortunately high number of others seem to do.

Somewhat ironically I get more abuse from other drivers when waiting on, what I consider, a safe place to pass than I ever get whilst riding a bike.

If I'm behind a cyclist and someone behind me shows signs of idiocy I sometimes take longer to overtake the cyclist.
Not to annoy the idiot even more, well ok a small part of the reason but mainly to wait for a large enough gap for me and the pursuing fool to pass safely.

I despair at how some drivers treat cyclists and how some people on bikes conduct themselves as to give others a bad rep.

 

[Drago]

Driving home from the library this avo. Had to stop as a long queue of parked cars on my side of the road, and traffic coming on the other. As it was almost clear another car appeared on then other wide, then as that was almost past another appeared...and so on for 2 or three minutes.

Anyway, the car behind starts tooting at me. Externally I remained calm and ignored them, but internally I was loading a belt of ammo into my M-134 and gunning them down. I mean, what do they expect me to do? Fold the car up? Take flight? Have a head on to stop the traffic so they could go?

I was in just over a tonne of metal, and shudder to think what stunt they'd have pulled if I'd been a cyclist waiting.

 

[glasgowcyclist]

I despair at how some drivers treat cyclists and how some people on bikes conduct themselves as to give others a bad rep.

Why do you suggest some people who cycle badly give others a bad reputation? They've got naff all to do with me or how I ride.

 

[Drago]

Unfortunately, the tribe of inconsiderate car drivers don't think logically. A significant proportion sees one cyclist riding badly, and thinks we all do, no matter how illogical this may be. A read of the comments of any Daily Mail story involving a cyclists will substantiate this rather daft mindset.

 

[tyred]

I wouldn't be surprised to find that drivers who treat cyclists with total disdain treat other drivers with the same lack of respect.

 

[glasgowcyclist]

Unfortunately, the tribe of inconsiderate car drivers don't think logically. A significant proportion sees one cyclist riding badly, and thinks we all do, no matter how illogical this may be. A read of the comments of any Daily Mail story involving a cyclists will substantiate this rather daft mindset.

I understand that but we don't have to accept it, let alone perpetuate it!

It'll only remain an accepted viewpoint so long as it's allowed to go unchallenged.

 

[adamhearn]

I wouldn't be surprised to find that drivers who treat cyclists with total disdain treat other drivers with the same lack of respect.

Totally agree, a poor driver isn't likely targeting cyclists they're just poor drivers!

Mind you, I did have one tosser feign a swerve at me when I was approaching the centre of the road in preparation for a right hand turn. He was young, mouthy and looked like a complete reject.

 

[sanddancer]

Why do you suggest some people who cycle badly give others a bad reputation? They've got naff all to do with me or how I ride.

Because when confronted with opinions from a lot of none cycling vehicle drivers I try to put over a sensible and legitimate argument to counteract the dross that some spout.
A lot of the time you hear "all cyclists are tossers and shouldn't be on the roads" etc etc.
Their argument is usually based on some misdemeanour a cyclist has committed like red light jumping etc.
When usually it seems the main reason boils down to pigeonholing due to a few idiots they have witnessed and mainly impatience rushing round then getting held up here and there for a minute by the odd bike.

The same goes for someone on a bike who gets cut up by a car and proclaims all car drivers to be comlete tits. Unless they drive a car themselves so then it becomes that actual model or class of vehicle.


It's a pity some people are in their own bubble and so far up their own backside they don't think about others.

 

[Johnno260]

Where I am people pass closely on purpose.

 

[adamhearn]

Where I am people pass closely on purpose.

Come on you can't *know* that unless [like my example] there is a deliberate act and acknowledgement of such by the driver. Most people just don't think or react and whilst that's deliberate [in that they didn't do anything to avert danger] it's not a positive act.

 

[KnackeredBike]

Maybe it is a regional thing (lots of windy country lanes), here I get the occasional close pass but more people leaving plenty of room oblivious of oncoming traffic or a blind corner.

Luckily a fair proportion of close overtakers do so in heavy traffic (or most recently twice in heavy traffic) so I can catch up and give them a bit of friendly driving advice at their window. Mr x2 Close Passes left about 5 metres space when he overtook again, either took on board my advice or decided I was dangerously crazy and likely to murder him at the next traffic lights otherwise.

 

[Randy Butternubs]

That's nonsense. The problem with bad overtakes is that the overtaker is either incompetent, careless or both.

Yeah I don't think the highway code or unenforced laws have much impact on people's driving. I reckon most people just don't engage their brains and realise the danger and fear they cause. The alternative explanation that they do it deliberately is scary to contemplate.

Had a damn tractor towing a long trailer decide to squeeze past me today. To add insult to (almost) injury I was signalling left to turn off in a few seconds. The road opened up immediately after his chosen passing point too. Tractor drivers are the number one terror around here.

 

[Nigel-YZ1]

The asshats are just as bad to other drivers round here. There's lots of drivers of big German machines that just have to justify how much they've spent if they see a small car.

 

[HLaB]

Most bad overtakes are bad planning by a driver not malicious, they want to get from a to b and dont think about x,y,z in the middle. Many driver who would give you lots of room when the road is empty, when suddenly confronted with an obstacle like an oncoming car or island because they haven't planned ahead for slowing down they squeeze by. Unfortunately there are malicious tw@ts out there however, but they are not in the majority.