What To Do About Jerk Drivers?



CyclingDrake25 said:
No I don't switch from sidewalk to street. I am on the street the whole way except for when I actually arrive on the final street before my destination, I will ride the sidewalk down that street while before I cycled the street. It isn't significant. I am an EXTREMELY safe rider. I won't weave through cars, I don't turn left, I basically am just a bicycle glued to the side of the road, cycling my little heart out to avoid all the demon drivers.
Cool! Just wondering as it was a thought that came to mind on my ride tonight as we were shown lots of courtesy on our ride tonight. maybe you should move to California! :lol:
 
CyclingDrake25 said:
UPDATE: So today, I decided to take a different route that would increase my trip time by 5 minutes but allow a more comfortable ride. A very short amount of this trip is on a sidewalk but it all worked out very comfortably. Then I go to cross using a sidewalk, car forgets that I have the walk, flies in front of me, I swerve into the curb to prevent myself from dying, bike tire breaks, car drives off, I have to walk several miles home carrying a broken bike. God not being in a car in Texas where 70% of the people are rednecks in giant trucks who think they run the world sucks.
If you're alternating between riding on the sidewalk and the road then think of the bike tyre breaking as a lesson to cut that **** out and not do it again. Id drivers see you doing that it's only going to encourage them to make the ride difficult for you, at least that's how it is in the UK. Not only that but it's dangerous not only to yourself but t pedestrians as well as other road users.

That ride was a lesson to you. Learn from it.
 
Keep a camera on you recording while you're riding and if you encounter any idiots in cars just upload the footage onto Youtube.
 
[SIZE=11pt]Bike riders should really be given priority on the streets and roads because more and more are using their bikes to commute to work and the safety of these riders are not given much importance. When I was I university, we had bike lanes and they are really strict in implementing the rules. Cars and other motor vehicles are strictly prohibited from these lanes and only walking and running pedestrians and bikes are allowed in the lane. I hope these rules can be applied in major roads in cities, but sadly here in our place, they are still not that strict about it. There are rules but they are not implemented that much and it causes a lot of accidents especially between bikers and motor vehicle drivers. It is sad because in these accidents, the bikers are the ones who are gravely injured since they are in accident with big cars and trucks. [/SIZE]
 
I've recently started recording my rides on video with a Garmin Virb that I got on clearance on Amazon. Great little unit. I want to ensure that I have documentation when a driver does what you describe. I've had my share of what you're describing over the past 4 years, mostly because I ride out in the country. Pickup trucks, trailers being towed, large farm equipment all share the road out here but cyclists are looked upon as a pox on the roads. I have a rear view mirror and I look at it frequently so I won't be hit from behind. (Those have been the closest calls, so far.)

A few weeks ago, I had a guy ride right up behind me and lay on the horn before blowing past me in a could of diesel smoke. I was lucky enough for him to be stopped at the lone traffic signal when I rolled up. I stopped next to his passenger window, calmly told him I'd just recorded his antics and was planning to send his license plate along with the video to the local police. He told me that he "didn't give sh*t what I did" and I said that was fine because I cared about what he did to me and anyone else riding a bike and asked did he want me to call the police right now to discuss it. He drove off.

Two cyclists were killed within 4 miles of my house in the past few months. I'm not going to be the 3rd and I will do everything I can to stop this kind of incredibly stupid behavior.

You may want to invest in a cheap video camera.

Brian in VA
 
Susimi said:
If you're alternating between riding on the sidewalk and the road then think of the bike tyre breaking as a lesson to cut that **** out and not do it again. Id drivers see you doing that it's only going to encourage them to make the ride difficult for you, at least that's how it is in the UK. Not only that but it's dangerous not only to yourself but t pedestrians as well as other road users.

That ride was a lesson to you. Learn from it.
Once again, I was not alternating from sidewalk to road. Here I made a drawing to show everyone what I meant. I start on the sidewalk and when there is a turn instead of turning onto the sidewalk I turn onto the street when the street is clear. Then at the end of the street where there is another turn I cross the crosswalk onto the sidewalk. I am on the sidewalk for a VERY SHORT DISTANCE. I still have found no solution to my problem with cars here. I finally got my phone fixed so at least if an altercation occurs I can call the cops. Definitely looking into getting a camera on my helmet, I think it is pretty inevitable that something will happen eventually because drivers here are just so bad.
 
Stand Your Ground... wait... you are just going to face people like that. Be as safe as you can, wear a helmet, know the rules. If you aren't comfortable, find a new route. Find your groove.
 
I was on a desolate road recently when all of a sudden a car comes from behind honking, and as they pass, a woman rolls down the window and screams "get the hell over!" I was already riding near the right edge and I wasn't blocking her path or slowing her down. Completely unnecessary. I have come to the conclusion that some people are straight idiots and I need to grow thicker skin and ignore them. Nothing helps the situation.
 
I generally stick to roads that have a limited amount of traffic. This way, I limit the amount of potential jerk drivers that I'll be encountering. However, when I do come across this type of driver, I'll quickly position myself in a manner that puts me out of harms ways. A few months ago, I had a small argument with a driver. I pointed out his terrible driving but I was on the side of the passenger door with a fair amount of distance. It would've been difficult for him to swerve into me if he got angry.
 
My favorite is when speedy drivers slow down to yell. Oh the irony. A buddy of mine and I were riding a few weeks ago and the SUV had enough time to slow down, cuss us out, then drive off. Kids in the back seat. All I said back was "you have kids in your car friend..."
 
Some story. Doesn't sound like fun. I've heard stories about Texans just drinking and driving like it's ok. Like its a common occurrence and the cops don't care. I don't know how true it is but it certainly says a lot about them in general if they ever did that. I can't really imagine that people in Texas are into riding a bike so you probably are annoying them. Lol good luck with that.