Originally posted by Randybaker99
Whoa! Those are some pretty intense stories! I feel I need to share my considerably less exciting experiences with Boston area drivers. I don't log 3,000 miles per year (though I may make it this year) but in the miles that I have ridden in downtown Boston and many of the suburbs, I have yet to experience anything like the kinds of incidents you report. I do believe you, but I am hoping that these are isolated incidents. I want to point this out, lest our UK friends think that there is a homicidal maniac hunched behind the wheel of his Olds Cutlass, lurking in each and every Dunkin' Donuts parking lot (there are a *LOT* of those here...) just waiting to inflict death and destruction on any unsuspecting cyclists who happens to wander off of the bike path.
I am much more concerned about drivers who are oblivious/clueless/asleep/on the phone than I am about malevolent, psychotic, enraged thugs. (Now that I've said that, watch me get mowed down next week by a baseball bat-wielding hillbilly!)
I guess my point is this: sure there are lots of hazards to riding, and maybe those of us who live in the US and/or Boston are at a higher risk, but I still feel that if I take some precautions, ride defensively, don't assume driver intelligence, and generally expect the unexpected, I will survive to be a grandfather.
One more thing, I never, ever, ever provoke, engage with or respond to provocations. None of this finger jabbing, bird flipping, name calling stuff - that is a sure way to bring the psychos out of the woodwork. Donald, I am NOT accusing you of any of these acts, or trying to blame you in any way. I just want to remind folks to stay on the moral high ground - it's safer there!