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Half of UK cyclists say they’ve been victims of road rage (+ infographic)

Almost a third say they experience it regularly

A recent survey of UK cyclists has revealed that 56 per cent have been victims of road rage, while 30 per cent say that they’re on the receiving end on a regular basis.

Merlin Cycles spoke to 1,000 cyclists about the issue. When asked what they believed the causes of road rage to be, half of respondents said simply that drivers have no patience.

Another 28 per cent believe drivers have a sense of entitlement because cyclists don’t pay ‘road tax’ (even though the proceeds of vehicle excise duty go into the general Treasury fund and despite a 2010 study that found that the people who cycle the most are likely to own at least two cars.)

22 per cent think drivers don't understand what cyclists can and can’t do on the road. (Putting those numbers together, we’re not sure the survey gave respondents a fourth option.)

Road rage on the rise according to cyclists

John Moss, Managing Director at Merlin Cycles said:

“All road users should be treated with equal respect to encouraging harmony on our roads. Before allowing a situation to develop, cyclists and drivers should take a deep breath before reacting. Mutual respect on the roads is key to safety.

“By learning to understand each other, cyclists and drivers can both have a pleasant journey without creating more tension on the road. Threatening behaviour is not something that anyone should have to deal with. Keep cycling, keep safe and report any criminal or threatening behaviour to the police.”

There’s also an infographic…

Cyclists-road-rage-infographic.jpg

Alex has written for more cricket publications than the rest of the road.cc team combined. Despite the apparent evidence of this picture, he doesn't especially like cake.

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20 comments

Avatar
HoarseMann | 6 years ago
0 likes

I will not ride without a camera now. I think this is the only deterrent, but it does rely on the police actually being bothered to do something with video evidence. 

With the reduction in police numbers, the chance of a driver being caught by a traffic cop is so low that the roads feel like the lawless Wild West. 

Most cars come with cameras and sophisticated image processing power these days. It’s possible that future legislation will require all cars to record footage and telemetry for crash investigation purposes. Also, image processing could be used to detect near misses and bad driving; automatic reporting based on artificial intelligence led decision making could be enforced. Insurance companies could use this data to adjust premiums, giving a good incentive to drive with care. Add cars that can scan a users face/fingerprint and check online that the combination of vehicle and driver is insured and permitted to drive before the vehicle starts... a bit big brother, but I can see it happening. But if autonomous cars prove to be so much safer than human drivers,  manually driving a car might be banned first!

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Yorkshire wallet | 6 years ago
1 like

#metoo

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kil0ran | 6 years ago
7 likes

It's not just cyclists though, stick to the speed limit whilst driving and you're likely to get tailgated, beeped, full-beamed, etc. Slowed down for a 40mph section on the way home tonight (S-bend, double whites) and WVM decided to overtake and then cut in when he ran out of road. Rest of the road has a 50mph limit and there was heavy traffic and for the next three miles so he made absolutely no further progress. Pulled up behind him at the T-junction at the end of that section and he sat there flicking the V's at me. Sadly not a liveried van and no dashcam so not much point in reporting it.

I've been driving for 30 years now and done some proper stupid stuff in my time (130mph+ on the M3 in an Astra GTE 16v with chocolate brakes probably the stupidest) but the level of aggression and crazy driving is on the rise. One thing I would never have done is overtake on double-whites yet I see it regularly now both driving and cycling.

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HarrogateSpa | 6 years ago
8 likes

Merlin come across as saying any problems are caused 50-50, so let's all be nice to each other and everything will be fine. What a load of rubbish.

When driving, I've never ever felt threatened or put in danger by someone on a bike.

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Leviathan | 6 years ago
3 likes

Mike Gatting clearly struggling with retirement there.

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alansmurphy | 6 years ago
7 likes

Ref automatic ban:

 

I think that massively depends on the road rage though, as technically I on a bike have shown road rage. Not sure calling someone a w@nker should be held as highly as drink driving.

 

It's the application of the laws that are already therte that are the problem. We've seen video of transit vans deliberately running a rider off the road and prosecutions such as 'careless driving' when it is clearly dangerous driving, abh or attempted murder...

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unclebadger | 6 years ago
3 likes

Great to see that Road CC haven't forgotten about that horrendous pillock on Priory lane. I cycle on that road twice a day every day and it always feels a bit run-the-gauntlet.

The intitiative from Merlin is great and very happy to see anything that increases awareness. trying to keep cool in a crisis is sometimes easier said than done.

I feel very strongly that vigilence (of your surroundings) and deference is the best bet for self-preservation. Simply because the person in the one tonne metal box has a distinct advantage over the average cyclist. We're pootling along in nothing much stronger than a pair of underpants, a vest and a sturdy vegetable collander. They remain protected by metal rubber and airbags. Its obvious who comes off worse in an accident.

There is a definite need to change the law to have stronger penalties for the many, many awful drivers out there. Especially feckin bus drivers that tailgate bicycles!!!

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brooksby replied to unclebadger | 6 years ago
6 likes

unclebadger wrote:

...

There is a definite need to change the law to have stronger penalties for the many, many awful drivers out there. Especially feckin bus drivers that tailgate bicycles!!!

I've been off the bike for the last few weeks, so have been on the bus to and from work.

Sitting on a bus and seeing how closely the double-decker bus follows behind a cyclist in the bus lane or how closely the bus overtakes another cyclist...  I am sat there white-knuckled and wondering how come the vehicle that I'm paying a fare to be on, that's being driven by a so-called professional, hasn't been involved in a horrendous incident.  And that has been on every journey, so twice a day for five weeks.  The numbers game for it really doesn't look good 

Avatar
Bluebug replied to brooksby | 6 years ago
1 like

brooksby wrote:

unclebadger wrote:

...

There is a definite need to change the law to have stronger penalties for the many, many awful drivers out there. Especially feckin bus drivers that tailgate bicycles!!!

I've been off the bike for the last few weeks, so have been on the bus to and from work.

Sitting on a bus and seeing how closely the double-decker bus follows behind a cyclist in the bus lane or how closely the bus overtakes another cyclist...  I am sat there white-knuckled and wondering how come the vehicle that I'm paying a fare to be on, that's being driven by a so-called professional, hasn't been involved in a horrendous incident.  And that has been on every journey, so twice a day for five weeks.  The numbers game for it really doesn't look good 

If you are at the front you can take some mobile footage of it and post it up. 

I remember years ago when I was unemployed, my job centre was near the local bus garage. Anyone who was male had no skills/qualifications but had a driving licence with no points was sent to the local bus garage.  I also had some mates who drove buses as young men though a few of them rode various types of bike.  Since then I have little respect for "professional" drivers.

 

 

 

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BehindTheBikesheds replied to Bluebug | 6 years ago
1 like

Bluebug wrote:

brooksby wrote:

unclebadger wrote:

...

There is a definite need to change the law to have stronger penalties for the many, many awful drivers out there. Especially feckin bus drivers that tailgate bicycles!!!

I've been off the bike for the last few weeks, so have been on the bus to and from work.

Sitting on a bus and seeing how closely the double-decker bus follows behind a cyclist in the bus lane or how closely the bus overtakes another cyclist...  I am sat there white-knuckled and wondering how come the vehicle that I'm paying a fare to be on, that's being driven by a so-called professional, hasn't been involved in a horrendous incident.  And that has been on every journey, so twice a day for five weeks.  The numbers game for it really doesn't look good 

If you are at the front you can take some mobile footage of it and post it up. 

I remember years ago when I was unemployed, my job centre was near the local bus garage. Anyone who was male had no skills/qualifications but had a driving licence with no points was sent to the local bus garage.  I also had some mates who drove buses as young men though a few of them rode various types of bike.  Since then I have little respect for "professional" drivers.

Not sure why this article would interest you to comment when you've already clearly stated in another article that pedestrians are the greatest danger to yourself (and accuse others of  an alternate viewpoint to that (the one expressed here and everywhere else) as speaking more about them.

So, now that everyone on this forum is saying that motorists present by far the greater harm, people on bikes being in fear of harm and motorists do wrong all the time are you not going to out everyone with this way of thinking as it speaking far more about them than some alternate reality where motorists aren't the problem?

Well?

Avatar
brooksby replied to Bluebug | 6 years ago
0 likes

Bluebug wrote:

brooksby wrote:

unclebadger wrote:

...

There is a definite need to change the law to have stronger penalties for the many, many awful drivers out there. Especially feckin bus drivers that tailgate bicycles!!!

I've been off the bike for the last few weeks, so have been on the bus to and from work.

Sitting on a bus and seeing how closely the double-decker bus follows behind a cyclist in the bus lane or how closely the bus overtakes another cyclist...  I am sat there white-knuckled and wondering how come the vehicle that I'm paying a fare to be on, that's being driven by a so-called professional, hasn't been involved in a horrendous incident.  And that has been on every journey, so twice a day for five weeks.  The numbers game for it really doesn't look good 

If you are at the front you can take some mobile footage of it and post it up. 

I remember years ago when I was unemployed, my job centre was near the local bus garage. Anyone who was male had no skills/qualifications but had a driving licence with no points was sent to the local bus garage.  I also had some mates who drove buses as young men though a few of them rode various types of bike.  Since then I have little respect for "professional" drivers.

I never sit up front.

But I've sat against a window on the pavement side of the bus, and EVERY SINGLE TIME the bus has overtaken a cyclist if there was no glass then I could have reached out  and easily  patted the cyclist's hand, and possibly stretched to reach their shoulder. Personally, I think that's a bit close...

Considering writing to the local bus company to complain (Excel, a subsidiary/division of First between Bristol and North Somerset).

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Grahamd | 6 years ago
4 likes

Merlin cycles need to look at themselves as the info graphic about preventing road rage is very poor. Whilst it may be possible to deter some road rage by wearing a helmet cam and staying calm in the face of an onslaught could well stop a situation spiralling, neither can stop a self obsessed lunatic from their actions. To reduce road rage we need the 4.2 million cyclists to inundate their MPs with demands for greater protection and prosecution of offenders with an automatic ban, say a year in line with drink driving. 

 

Avatar
KarlM77 replied to Grahamd | 6 years ago
7 likes

Grahamd wrote:

Merlin cycles need to look at themselves as the info graphic about preventing road rage is very poor. Whilst it may be possible to deter some road rage by wearing a helmet cam and staying calm in the face of an onslaught could well stop a situation spiralling, neither can stop a self obsessed lunatic from their actions.

 

True, but Merlin can sell you cameras & lights.

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CygnusX1 | 6 years ago
8 likes

I would add

3a) Is it illegal to filter past traffic on the nearside ? Yes/No.

3b) Is it illegal to filter past traffic on the offside ? Yes/No.

Have been beeped at for both on the same stretch of road

 

And...

3c) If you see a cyclist filtering in your rear view mirror, should you move your vehicle to impede their passage?

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peted76 | 6 years ago
6 likes

Yes 'half' doesn't quite cut the mustard for me.. I don't think I know anyone who has NOT been on involved in some sort of incident.. be that a purposful close pass or sworn at by driver/passenger or worse.. blimey the country lanes of warwickshire may not be the mean streets of LA but the amount of not 'on my road' self entitled land rover drivers is off the charts! 

Avatar
Grumpy17 | 6 years ago
18 likes

A lot of ignorance at the heart of this road rage against cyclists.

Would it be asking too much to include some compulsory questions in every learner driver's theory test  specifically related to cyclists, along the lines of :

1) Cycle lanes- is it obligatory for cyclists to use them at all times when they are available?- yes or no?

2) Are cyclists prohibited by law from riding two abreast when cycling on the road- yes or no?

3) Is it illegal for cyclists to filter through stationary or very slow moving lanes of traffic- yes or no?

4) Which class of road user are more adversely affected by road defects and associated hazards such as potholes,raised /sunken grids, uneven road surfaces, diesel spillages etc.and should therefore be allowed more room and shown more consideration by other road users when negotiating these hazards.   Is it cyclists and motorcyclists or the drivers of 4 wheeled vehicles?

5) State four reasons why cycling is more beneficial for short journeys than using a car or motorised vehicle?

Avatar
Simon E replied to Grumpy17 | 6 years ago
5 likes

Grumpy17 wrote:

Would it be asking too much to include some compulsory questions in every learner driver's theory test  specifically related to cyclists, along the lines of :

1) Cycle lanes- is it obligatory for cyclists to use them at all times when they are available?- yes or no?

2) Are cyclists prohibited by law from riding two abreast when cycling on the road- yes or no?

3) Is it illegal for cyclists to filter through stationary or very slow moving lanes of traffic- yes or no?

4) Which class of road user are more adversely affected by road defects and associated hazards such as potholes,raised /sunken grids, uneven road surfaces, diesel spillages etc.and should therefore be allowed more room and shown more consideration by other road users when negotiating these hazards.   Is it cyclists and motorcyclists or the drivers of 4 wheeled vehicles?

5) State four reasons why cycling is more beneficial for short journeys than using a car or motorised vehicle?

To begin with they can view a couple of tweets and briefly discuss the content:

https://twitter.com/wmpolice/status/776679721606209536

https://twitter.com/cycleshaz/status/947050279605821440

Then a practical: part 1 is a short bike ride in busy urban traffic, learning about ASLs, turning right, vehicles parked in cycle lanes and so on.

Once they've recovered from that they then do part 2 - riding on rural A- and B-roads. They will observe the numerous hazards, including but not restricted to potholes, litter, gravel, and how many drivers negotiate these routes with little or no regard for other road users. A short typed report should suffice (handwriting might be a little shaky if the rides have shown what passes for 'normal' riding conditions in this country).

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alansmurphy | 6 years ago
12 likes

"Stay Seen"

 

Here we go again - I'd like to wager that most road rage doesn't occur because the driver is concerned for our safety!

 

 

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LastBoyScout | 6 years ago
4 likes

No mention of the half-wits that think it's funny to drive past and scream/throw things out of the passenger window at you?

Worst incident I've ever had was a particularly unpleasant individual in Oxford - really wish I'd had a camera on that ride.

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CygnusX1 | 6 years ago
12 likes

Only half? The other half must either have not been riding very long, or only ride off road

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