Worlds Worst Drivers

I have to endure the worlds worst driver because. Ok, let me set the stage. I am in an area with no bike paths where 11 million visitors pass through each year in addition to the local NASCAR wannabees. The average width of the shoulder is 6 inches. The only road with a wide shoulder is so littered with glass and debris that you will certainly get a flat 60% of the time.
Now for the drivers they come from all over with only one thought. I haven't figured out what it is but it ain't driving. Apparently they all opted for the cell phone option on their vehicle rather than the signal lights and how they can drive at all with their head that far up their butt I don't know.
If you see the pointing finger go up as in 'lookie over there" ,watch out, they are not looking at the road but maybe at the putt putt course they may visit later. The back roads are narrow but good and the good part is if you are to the far right you are probably ok since they all pretty much drive in the middle of the road. The scenery is beautiful the hills challenging but a lot of the driver suck.
Anyway how are the drivers where you are???

 

Pretty courteous, actually. Decent shoulder on many of the heavy-travelled roads, drivers give you room for the most part, of course there are some "screamers" around, but nobody has tried to drive me off the road or thrown things at me (yet).

 

It used to be a LOT worse around where I live, but it seems that the whole "Lance" thing has opened people up to the though of having cyclists on the road. I've had people yell "LANCE!" and "Tour De France!" at me as I rode along, and it feels a lot better than "GET OFF THE ROAD!"

Right now the worst thing is the occasional teenager trying to demostrate how slow his car is as he passes me. I drive a pretty fast car, so I'm not easily impressed by the 4-door accord sedan with the fart pipe and aluminum pedestal wing.

 

Yea, I know what you are talking about. However, when teenagers taunt me (gee, someone of their same age), you should see the look on their faces when I start sprinting and catch up with them, but alas, they put the pedal to medal and drive off (finally leaving me)like the little babies they are...

 

To be honest most of the motorists around here aren't bad at all. In fact they're pretty good. The problem is that it's the few a**holes that really stand-out from the crowd. I commute by bike almost every day, 10 miles each way. Almost everyday there's at least one jacka** that evidently feels that since I'm on a bike, I have no business being on the road. They let me know this by honking, screaming, gesturing, revving their engines (especially the young kids with the loud pipes), giving me no room (my elbow has been brushed by side mirrors more than once), or one of the other nice things that a**hole motorists like to do to cyclists. It's sad but if you're an adult on a bike (unless you're on the bike path with the family) it seems like (to many anyway) you're considered a freak...

 

jhuskey: Looks like we're neighbors. The best drivers are the ones who like to beep the horn RIGHT as they pass you. It's a great wake-up call. My secret revenge is to imagine them racing to McDonalds to scarf down something that will kill them, slowly.

 

Drivers around here are pretty good! They usually give enough space. I've been pretty lucky as far as pricks go. I've had a few screamers, but just as bad are those that fly by on a motorcycle. Not sure if they realize it or not, but you really can't hear them coming behind you until they pass you with the throttle wide open. Gets me everytime.

 

Well so far here so good
Drivers are waving at us and some horn tootin but usally from a distance
even the motorcycles tooten at us
but then I'm riding with my kids ( 3 of them anyway )
so maybe the group it making the differance
had one kid punch his little hatchback like he was goin someplace lol
but thats it so far even on the narrower backroads

 

Most of the drivers around albany,new york are actually pretty good i think. there are a few that honk and get pissed off that they have to slow down for 5 secounds. Occationally I will get someone who doesn't see and comes class. But the vast majority of the drivers here are pretty safe when it comes to cyclists.

 

the drivers here in ky. are ulsualy pretty good but there are a lot of stupid rednecks that honk and yell. one time a buddy of my mine was on his usuall morning ride when some [email protected]@hole in a big pickup honked, yelled and threw a beer bottle at him! he was riding a bike with those sharp metal pedals and he scraped his shin on it when he ran off the road and it gave him a pretty good painfull wound [skin was hanging off his shin and blood saturrated his sock] OUCH! One time i was riding home and some shmuck yelled "fagg" at me. people dont think cyclists have as much a right as they do on the road and they just dont care.

 

They also get crabby if you bike faster than them (downhill). Kind of amusing, but this subject's been discussed in other threads.

 

i can go a good 35 on my mt bike downhill cant wait to get a road bike!!! then i can catch up with those slimy rednecks! hopefully they wont make me crash and kill me

 

I live in New York City.

Do I need to say anything further?

 

The drivers here in Florida suck! But, the roads are pretty nice and leave plenty of room for bikes, so I don't have too much trouble. I live in St. Augustine which is referred to as "The Ancient City". I think that's because of the average age of the drivers here. THAT makes it a little scary sometimes. You know the old expression - "I want to die peacefully, in my sleep, like my grandfather. Not yelling and screaming like the passengers in his car". That always make me think of the drivers in St. Augustine. Hope I didn't offend anyone.

 

The drivers around my way are quite curtious and give plenty of room near enough all the time, only times ive had near misses is when motorists brake hard in front of me and has taken me by supprise, but then again its down to me to keep my eyes peeled for stuff like that. Only thing I do find is that in UK there is endless amounts of roundabouts everywhere, and on occasions when the traffic is heavy I have to really pedal fast to keep up with the flow. Alot of the time the motorists see me on roundabouts but dont realise what sort of speed im carrying and therfore pull out on me, its getting all to often that im having to grab my brakes hard so not to t-bone them.

 

LMAO. I hear you on the Accord or Honda teenager muscle car wannabees. Most of the drivers in my area are ok & give plenty of room but some have that "I aint crossing the middle line" attitude regardless if there are vehicles coming in the opposite direction or not. I've really only had three minor incidents htis year.

1. Woman driver in a minivan passes me and starts to make a right hand turn right in front of me. I'm going about 20 MPH, hit the brakes and scream NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO. She hears me and dosen't turn, thank god.

2. On a back road. Teenager in the honda with the "fart pipe" goes by and cuts me off with a right hand turn. He obviously did it for kicks. Didn't hit me so no problem. I gave him the "flying eagle" salute.

3. Worst one was 2 weeks ago. Local road. No shoulder and I'm as far to the right as possible without hitting the curb. I hear a car in back of me and another car coming in the opposite direction. I look back quickly and sure enough this guy is right on my back tire. He waits for the car in the opposite direction to pass and then slowly drives by me and yells "get out of the FXXXing road you retard". He is with his girlfriend or wife and small child. I figure, class act buddy, flip him the bird and keep riding. Come to a stop light and Mr. class act has the red. I pull up along side and tell him I have the right of way and if he would like to debate the issue I can certainly accomodate. He didn't even look at me but I heard his wife/girlfriend tell him to apologize. Light turns green and off he goes in the opposite direction as me.

 

hey I'm going cycling in st augustine over cristmas break! Ive gone there for vacation almost every year since i was 5. last year i wish i would have had my bike with me so im gona bring it this year. heres a little joke for ya [every thing in florida is in the 80s the IQs, the ages, and the temps] he he he

 

Well hello K-town. You then know the magical experience that is Sevier Coutny traffic which could be mistaken for Hell to the more sensitive.

 

being the only teenage cyclist around here i get the same thing. most comments are too obscene to post on this board. a lot of my friends ask why I ride my bike around town, considering I could just drive myself. they'll never understand

 

I live in the Buffalo, NY area. Most of the drivers are ok, but the bad ones are BAD. 90% are ok, but I've had things thrown at me, run (Bumped) off the road, turned in front of, and cursed out. Generally if you hold your lane and watch out, you're fine. If they think they can intimidate you, they will.