Why do drivers think that cyclists are good for target practice?

Question

Anybody have any idiots accelerate towards you, beep, then laugh at you and drive off whilst you are in a bloody mess on the pavement? Nursing an injured leg and an even more injured road bike?
Other people's experiences please

Having been a driver for 10 years, I do follow the highway code. I cycle on the correct side of the road and follow all road signals. I even give drivers behind plenty of warning, so why do they not extend the same courtesy - even going as far as deliberately trying to cause an accident. It is unacceptable. If I was in my car, they would have stopped, so why do they drive off because i'm riding a bike?????

Even though I am a careful cyclist. The attitudes demonstrated here towards less confident cyclists is horrendous. Drivers have a duty to take care, given that you are in charge of a machine that will kill if not used correctly.

That said, I agree that cyclists not wearing correct protective gear or lighting up properly are acting irresponsibly

Answer 1

Having been a cyclist for nearly 40 years, and a driver for over 30 I have seen lots of examples of both very bad (i.e. mean and malicious) and very good drivers and bicyclists. Unfortunately some people are plain mean and uncaring and when you put them in +2000 lbs of motor-powered metal, the whole world becomes their target. Likewise I've had very nice, courteous people who go out of their way to make sure they give bicyclists plenty of room.
I personally have been purposely run off the road, not because I was riding improperly or on the wrong side of the road but because as the driver put it as he steered his car into me "the road belongs to cars, not f**king bicyclists". I have had beer bottles and soda cans (full and empty) thrown at me and even had someone pull up beside me on a busy city street and push open the passenger door in an attempt to knock me off my bike. I have also had motorists stop and wave me by (even though I had stopped for them because they had the right of way), or slow down or give me plenty of clearance with passing.
Likewise I have seen bicyclists be real jerks, like the club riders who insist on riding 4 or 5 abreast on a street making it impossible for cars to pass, then flipping off the drivers when they do try to go by. I have also nearly hit bicyclists while in my car because they were riding on the wrong side of the street, at night, with no lights. And unfortunately, I see these wrong-way riders much more often than I would prefer.

In short, you just have to be constantly on your guard and be aware that there will always be those a$$holes that have a chip on their shoulder against bicyclists as well as those clueless idiots that ride their bikes on the wrong side of the street or down one-way streets the wrong way. I just try to be a decent person and set a good example whether I am riding or driving, and I know this goes against today's way of operating but I try to treat others as I would want to be treated myself.

Answer 2

Well, I can honestly say I've never tried to hit a cyclist nor seen anyone try to.

For the record I think that cyclists should learn the highway code and follow it - cyclists run red lights, weave in and out of traffic, and alternate between the road and pavement.

Cycles and cars should share the road, but I think it's the cyclists who forget that and cycle without care for any cars or where they're going. I was the victim of cyclist rage (the cycle version of road rage) when a cyclist was riding all over the place and started shouting abuse at me because I had dared to move into the right hand lane at a roundabout when I was turning right and got in his way and not left room for him to move around me, even though there was none!

So really, it's no wonder they get hit by cars acting in such an erratic way. If people drive dangerously and get hurt, it's their own fault, similarly if people cycle dangerously and get hurt it's their own fault. I have little sympathy for either.

Answer 3

I'm a driver : Were I live cyclists don't seem to use any due care and attention on the roads they seem to believe they as cyclists have full right of way in any given situation regardless if its putting their own life at risk. I personally cant believe how stupid some of them can be Cyclists as like drivers need to take responsibility for there own actions and ride the streets in a safe and responsible manner.

Answer 4

Itry to give cyclists room (and motorcyclists too) for several reasons: -

1) I don't want to have an accident, points on my licence, higher insurance, get sued or have it on my conscience for the rest of my life
2) The cyclist is a human being, somebodys son/daughtet/wife/husband/brother/sister etc etc etc
3) I hope that by treating cyclists and motorcyclists well when I or any my friends/family/loved ones are on bikes/motorbikes drivers will look out for them.

Also one of my friends was hit by a car when cycling and had a resit an enitre year of her degree as the accident had broken her fingers and she couldn't write in order to do her exams. Thats an extra year of student debt she has to deal with as well entering the work place a year later and having it on her record that she repeated a year, not really fair!

Answer 5

Because some of us get pissed off by cyclists who do the following;

1) ignoring traffic lights and wondering why they nearly get knocked off their bikes by cars going through on a green light (the bike is in the wrong!)

2) ignoring pedestrian crossings - i saw a mum and her baby in the pushchair get blown over by a man on a bike who ignored the STOP signal - YOU ARE TRAFFIC, NOT PEDESTRIANS!

3) not using LIGHTS or reflectors at NIGHT!!! WE CAN'T SEE YOU IN THE DARK!!!

4) Riding on pavements - ITS SOOOO DANGEROUS!!

5) Going faster downhill on narrow lanes while we are trying to overtake you

6) Riding 2 or 3 or 4 abreast

7) Riding too far away from the person you are following. I had to overtake 5 bikes in 5 attempts - VERY DANGEROUS!

8) Going the WRONG way up a ONE WAY STREET!!!


Because loads of cyclists give everyone else a bad name i am too SCARED to ride my bike anymore!!!

Answer 6

I'm both a Cyclist and a car driver.
Whilst on my bike, i get car driver who think i have a target on my back,
when I'm in my car i see cyclists pull in front of me, and cycle against me on a one way street.
The point is we never see the people who drive or cycle well because they don't come to our attention

Answer 7

There are too many cyclists who do not follow the rules of the road, like riding with traffic vs. against it and having to obey stop signs and traffic lights, and too many motorists who do not know that bicyclists have the same rights and responsibilities as cars.

Answer 8

Wow, look at all the people who feel it is their right to take someone elses life because they ran a stop sign!

People, are you crazy???

Why do you have the right to hurt, maim, or KILL someone? EVER?

And where are you going that is sooooooo important that some one else's life is disposable?

Would you walk up to a complete stranger and shove them to the ground? So why is that ok when you are doing the equivalent in your car?

Yes, cyclist run red lights and stop signs. So do cars, but I don't see you out crashing into cars on purpose because they ran a stop sign.

People in cars speed, drive under the influence, run stop signs, cut you off in traffic, break all kinds of laws, why doesn't that justify running them off the road?

That is not "logic" and it does not justify your actions. I dare you to use that defense to a police officer. "Yes officer, I ran him off the road because I saw him run a stop sign".

In answer to your question - My experience is to ride like I'm traffic. I stop at (almost) all stop signs, wait my turn at red lights, signal when in traffic, you name it. I also make every attempt to humanize myself. I think that's the big one.

When a car has the window down I speak to the driver. It's hard to be anonymous if you just said, "Fine, How are you?" Even if they are pissed at you and won't speak, it tends to make them think of you as a person.

Making eye contact with the driver also helps. I think us cyclists get in the habit of watching the car itself, instead of the driver. If you are looking in the eyes of the driver, they tend to look at you, and that helps humanize you.

In my personal opinion, it is human nature to bully. It is empowering in a sick kind of way.

Answer 9

Oh please dont tar us all with the same brush. I am a very cautious driver when it come to cyclists because my fella is a biker and i have seen the bad things that can happen to a cyclist because of bad drivers (my dad was knocked off his bike, had a few of his teeth knocked out and his bottom teeth went through his bottom lip the copper who came to the rescue thought he was dead!)

Sorry for your bad experiances but i do take take around bikers and cyclists.

Answer 10

Some cyclists do my head in.....why don't they use the bloody pavement when the roads are too busy? I try to give them alot of room for ease but they never even signal to say thank you.