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Sometimes just driving a car in a city is an act of violence…

by Legs_Eleven_Worcester
Wed, Apr 17, 2019 09:10
6

https://www.outsideonline.com/2393742/how-do-drivers-not-see-theyre-worst

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6 comments

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hawkinspeter | 5 years ago
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I think he's a bit guilty of lumping all drivers (and cyclists) together when really there's a huge variation in people's behaviour on the road. At the start of my commute home, I often filter between two slow or stationary lines of traffic on a dual carriageway (which goes next to a shared use path) and quite a few drivers move their cars to one side or the other to give me more room (which is nice).

I do agree with the general principle that bad drivers are much worse than bad cyclists if only because their bad choices have way more impact (literally sometimes). I prefer to think that you have a spectrum of bad to good drivers and it's really only the minority of motorists that cause problems, but as there's so many more motorists than cyclists, we see bad driving more frequently.

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Legs_Eleven_Wor... replied to hawkinspeter | 5 years ago
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hawkinspeter wrote:

I think he's a bit guilty of lumping all drivers (and cyclists) together when really there's a huge variation in people's behaviour on the road. At the start of my commute home, I often filter between two slow or stationary lines of traffic on a dual carriageway (which goes next to a shared use path) and quite a few drivers move their cars to one side or the other to give me more room (which is nice).

I do agree with the general principle that bad drivers are much worse than bad cyclists if only because their bad choices have way more impact (literally sometimes). I prefer to think that you have a spectrum of bad to good drivers and it's really only the minority of motorists that cause problems, but as there's so many more motorists than cyclists, we see bad driving more frequently.

I should have perhaps moved to your part of the world.  Here in London, the drivers who are not a danger to themselves and to others are a minority.  And no: it's not 'confirmation bias', OK?  :-P

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hawkinspeter replied to Legs_Eleven_Worcester | 5 years ago
0 likes

Legs_Eleven_Worcester wrote:

hawkinspeter wrote:

I think he's a bit guilty of lumping all drivers (and cyclists) together when really there's a huge variation in people's behaviour on the road. At the start of my commute home, I often filter between two slow or stationary lines of traffic on a dual carriageway (which goes next to a shared use path) and quite a few drivers move their cars to one side or the other to give me more room (which is nice).

I do agree with the general principle that bad drivers are much worse than bad cyclists if only because their bad choices have way more impact (literally sometimes). I prefer to think that you have a spectrum of bad to good drivers and it's really only the minority of motorists that cause problems, but as there's so many more motorists than cyclists, we see bad driving more frequently.

I should have perhaps moved to your part of the world.  Here in London, the drivers who are not a danger to themselves and to others are a minority.  And no: it's not 'confirmation bias', OK?  :-P

I have uploaded two videos (near miss and a hit) here within the last week, so I wouldn't say that west country drivers are any better than elsewhere. Well, maybe better than Essex drivers

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OldRidgeback replied to Legs_Eleven_Worcester | 5 years ago
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Legs_Eleven_Worcester wrote:

hawkinspeter wrote:

I think he's a bit guilty of lumping all drivers (and cyclists) together when really there's a huge variation in people's behaviour on the road. At the start of my commute home, I often filter between two slow or stationary lines of traffic on a dual carriageway (which goes next to a shared use path) and quite a few drivers move their cars to one side or the other to give me more room (which is nice).

I do agree with the general principle that bad drivers are much worse than bad cyclists if only because their bad choices have way more impact (literally sometimes). I prefer to think that you have a spectrum of bad to good drivers and it's really only the minority of motorists that cause problems, but as there's so many more motorists than cyclists, we see bad driving more frequently.

I should have perhaps moved to your part of the world.  Here in London, the drivers who are not a danger to themselves and to others are a minority.  And no: it's not 'confirmation bias', OK?  :-P

You're exaggerating. Yep, there are some idiots in cars in London who shouldn't have  skateboard, let alone a motor vehicle. But they are the minority.

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Legs_Eleven_Wor... replied to OldRidgeback | 5 years ago
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OldRidgeback wrote:

Legs_Eleven_Worcester wrote:

hawkinspeter wrote:

I think he's a bit guilty of lumping all drivers (and cyclists) together when really there's a huge variation in people's behaviour on the road. At the start of my commute home, I often filter between two slow or stationary lines of traffic on a dual carriageway (which goes next to a shared use path) and quite a few drivers move their cars to one side or the other to give me more room (which is nice).

I do agree with the general principle that bad drivers are much worse than bad cyclists if only because their bad choices have way more impact (literally sometimes). I prefer to think that you have a spectrum of bad to good drivers and it's really only the minority of motorists that cause problems, but as there's so many more motorists than cyclists, we see bad driving more frequently.

I should have perhaps moved to your part of the world.  Here in London, the drivers who are not a danger to themselves and to others are a minority.  And no: it's not 'confirmation bias', OK?  :-P

You're exaggerating. 

Perhaps. 

Interestingly, my wife - who is the sweetest, most gentle pacifist you could hope to meet, and who thinks that 'everyone is redeemable' - thinks that in London, 85% or more of drivers are not competent enough to be allowed to drive.  Of that 85%, she estimates that no more than 25% have malevolence in their actions towards cyclists, but the remainder should still - in a society where human life is more important than money - be removed from the roads.   

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ktache | 5 years ago
1 like

BikeSnob is one of my favorite reads.

Hope he's right about about the Jones H bars.

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