9 Driving Habits that Most Annoy Cyclists

The Majority of drivers are courteous to cyclists but a small minority treat them with contempt. Here are just few of the most annoying habits we see on the road today.

What driving habit annoys you? Use the comment area at the end of the article to add the driving habit that annoys you the most.

1. Buzzing – Deliberately driving too close to a cyclist, often while speeding, coming within inches of a vulnerable bicyclist.

Being buzzed is quite probably the most dangerous of all risks a person takes when they go onto the roadways byways. The decision to buzz a cyclist is nearly always a deliberate move to This callous behavior is almost always is a deliberate action by the motorist and is quite often accompanied by speeding. Buzzing is most often a response by a frustrated, impatient motorist who has grown weary of sharing the roadway with cyclists.

When it comes to using public thoroughfares, bicyclists have just as much right to use the road as motorists. The problem is some drivers either don’t realize this fact or choose to ignore the rights of their companions on two wheels. Legally speaking, bicycles are considered traffic, and therefore, bicycle riders have certain rights, as well as obligations. The first of these obligations is to ride in the same direction as motorized traffic. Riding against the flow of traffic is not only extremely dangerous to the cyclist but to the motorists they encounter as well.

When a cyclist travels in the same direction as the flow of motorized traffic, he or she will be travelling at a slower pace, meaning that drivers must pass the cyclist. Sadly, this is when buzzing occurs. It is when they are passing a bicycle that some motorists take advantage of their size and sheer power to harass a cyclist rather than patiently slow down to ensure that they are not running the risk of inflicting injury upon the person on the bicycle. Passing a bicyclist on a busy street is one of the most dangerous maneuvers a motorist can take. The slightest mistake on the part of either the cyclist or the driver could mean disaster.

2. Dooring - Opening car doors just as a cyclist is approaching, causing him or her to crash into the vehicle door or flipping over it. This almost always causes serious damage to the bicycle and often results in serious bodily harm as well.

According to John Forester, author of the bikers’ bible, Effective Cycling, dooring accounts for approximately eight percent of all bicycle-car collisions. Most of these accidents occur when motorists or in the case of one way streets their passengers do not take a few seconds to not look before opening their door to make sure there is no oncoming traffic – including bicycles. Unfortunately, some people think causing chaos and injury is fun and deliberately open their doors when they see a cyclist approaching.

Avoiding these thoughtless individuals is difficult, but it is a good idea for cyclists to keep their guard up when approaching a car with people sitting inside. It is better to be safe than sorry. Slowing down and cautiously moving over to give the car door enough room to swing open without hitting you may be the only way to avoid potential disaster.

Drivers will not look before opening their door right as you are riding past. To make sure you don’t get hurt by these acts of stupidity we reccomend reading 6 Ways to Reduce Your Chances of Getting Doored.

3. Drivers Who Park on the Bike Lane – Parking cars in lanes reserved for bicycles not only creates risks for cyclists, but for everyone else who uses the road as well.

 

In most cases, the bicycle lane is right next to legal parking spaces or very parking spaces for cars are just a short walk away from lanes reserved for bicycles. Except in emergency situations, double parking is always illegal and double parking in a bicycle lane is no only illegal, it creates a very serious road hazard.

Parking in a bicycle lane forces cyclists to ride in lanes reserved for high speed traffic, defeating the purpose of having a bike lane in the first place and exposing cyclists to unnecessary risk.

4. Pulling Out Too Close to Cyclist -A driver starts makes a left turn without yielding the right of way to a cyclist travelling in the opposite direction.

This happens most often because the driver has miscalculated how fast the cyclist is travelling. Of course, there is the very real possibility that the driver simply does not care if the cyclist is close enough to get hit. Sadly, some motorists feel that since they are protected inside a much larger and heavier vehicle, the cyclist should be the one to yield the right of way, regardless of what the law says.

This scenario is even more dangerous when the motorist is not starting off from a stop sign or traffic light, especially if the cyclist is going downhill. When riding down a moderate size hill, a cyclist can reach speeds up to 40 miles per hour. Often the motorist who pulls out does not realize how fast a bicycle is moving. When moving just under twenty yards per second, a person riding a bicycle could slam into an automobile that is moving at or below the legal speed limit.

No doubt, it is essential that cyclists be dressed in bright colors to enable motorists to see them easily. Cyclists must also assume responsibility for riding defensively, looking ahead for motorists who may be in their paths, turning, slowing down, stopping or creating a hazard of some type.

5. Driving Too Close – tailgating: When a driver follows any other vehicle, whether it be a car, bus, truck or bicycle, leaving little space to stop safely.

Unlike motorized vehicles, bicycles are not equipped with brake lights. A cyclist uses his or her hands to squeeze their brakes in order to slow down. Even braking requires that both hands be engaged on the brakes, making it impossible to use hand signals to warn motorists behind them that they are slowing down. The driver who is guilty of tailgating runs the risk of not being able to recognize that the cyclist is slowing down until it is too late.

It is difficult to understand why some motorists feel the need to drive so close behind a cyclist. Maybe it is because he or she motorist wants to take the first available opportunity to pass the cyclist; maybe they want to intimidate the person riding the bicycle; or perhaps the motorist is simply unaware of how dangerous driving so closely behind the cyclist can be. Regardless of the reason, however, tailgating is an extremely annoying and dangerous habit.

For their own protection, cyclists should take every possible precaution to make motorists aware of their intentions by signalling when they turn and using the standard signal to indicate that they intend to slow down by putting their open palm behind them before applying the brakes. Bicyclists must exercise extreme caution by avoiding abrupt movements; and as a last resort, if they really feel as if they are about to be run down by an irate motorist or if they sense danger of any kind, they should be prepared to turn off the road as soon as they can safely do so.

6. Harassment - Throwing debris, taunting, shouting, swerving the car toward cyclist etc – always deliberate;

Harassment has many faces ranging to yelling at or taunting cyclists telling them to get off the road or ride on the sidewalk to swerving at their car in the direction of cyclists, or throwing objects at them. Extreme harassment also includes actually hitting cyclists with a vehicle, often causing bodily harm and damage to the bicycle. There is never an excuse for this behaviour. One can only guess that a motorist acts in this manner as an act of unexplained, inexcusable road rage. Sometimes, road rage is simply the result of a driver having a bad day feeling the need to take their frustration out on someone, or they may somehow get some sort of perverse pleasure out of bullying a bicyclist from the safety of a motor vehicle. Regardless of the motivation, this deplorable conduct never has a good outcome. The cyclist could sustain life-threatening injuries or worse and a destroyed bicycle. The motorist, on the other and, runs the very real risk of being prosecuted and charged with a moving violation or worse. When faced with this possibility, one must wonder if the angry attack was worth all the trouble.

Even an act as seemingly harmless as throwing an object from a moving car or yelling at a cyclist can have serious consequences. A while back, a high school student threw a baseball bat out a car window and stuck a jogger. The young man who tossed the bat thought it was funny until he realized that the jogger had sustained some major injuries and nearly died. As a result, the driver was arrested, charged with assault and battery and prosecuted. Rather than playing baseball with his classmates, he spent the next few years in jail for his thoughtless act.

There isn’t much a bike rider can do to avoid harassment, except possibly turn off or stop until the offending vehicle has moved on. One can hope that if something like this happens, the perpetrator is apprehended and punished before anyone is hurt.

My favourite type of driver is one who leaves 4 inches for cyclists to get past – and then tells you to “fuck off” when you kindly tap on their window.

7. Right Hook – Passing a cyclist and then making a quick right turn in front of the cyclist, causing them to stop abruptly or run the risk of running into the car.

Cyclists are warned to pay strict attention when approaching an intersection and take heed of any car that might be coming up a little too quickly from the rear in an attempt to pass them by. As a precaution, it is best to be ready to stop short, or take some other evasive action in case the motorist speeds up and then makes the quick right turn in front of them.

8. Distracted Driver – Drivers who are talking on the phone or sending text messages are the most frequent offenders here.

In what is possibly the understatement of the twenty-first century, a recent article in the Washington Post, the American Automobile Association revealed that we are currently experiencing an epidemic of distracted driving.

We have all witnessed incidents when drivers are talk on the telephone, or sending or receiving text messages while driving along in heavy traffic. Not only are these drivers annoying, they are extremely dangerous.

While some may disagree, there is usually no good reason for anyone to talk on a cell phone while they are driving. Contrary to what these wheeling talkers and texters may believe, whoever is on the other end of the line can wait until they safely reach their destinations where they can talk or text, to their hearts’ content.

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9. Indicating late, or not at all – Motorists change lanes, turn or stop without giving consideration to those around them. There are times when even the most accurate of psychics have no way of knowing what these inconsiderate drivers are up to.

It is always a good idea to verify your route before heading off for a new destination.  Using GPS technology is always helpful.  If you are uncertain of the directions to reach your destination, it is almost impossible to know when you will have to make a turn until you are already at the intersection. There re times when we must make a sudden turn or lane shift and signal late, however some drivers have the very bad habit of braking before turning on their turn signal or worse not signalling at all. Unfortunately, some motorists cannot do more than one thing at a time and if they are talking with a passenger, taking a sip of water or changing the radio station, they might simply forget to signal.

Any driver who is not good at multi-tasking should avoid the temptation to do anything while driving except pay strict attention to the task at hand – driving as safely as humanly possible. At the very least, changing lanes, turning or stopping without giving the proper signals surprises the drivers who are travelling behind them, and could lead to a fender bender or worse. When a bicyclist is following at a steady pace and the driver suddenly slows down, changes lanes or turns, it could result in a collision and severe bodily harm for the biker.

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Tagged as: Cycling, driving habits