What are the worst cars for cutting too close?

Shaky

I normally find Merc drivers to be the biggest muppets - and that's while i'm either on the bike or in the car (mind you, I do drive a Hyundai, which may count against me )

chuckcork

Two theories...

At the top end, people with big expensive cars. Too arrogant to really give a sh!t about anyone on the road that they can easily bully out of the way, knowing all the the while that if they do knock someone flying that no.1 they have a legal system and insurance to protect them, no.2 it can be easily enough argued that a cyclist "swerved suddenly" and no.3 that witnesses to the contrary are usuall scarce, and in any case a person who has been hit by a large fast moving vehicle is unlikely to be able to give any back any time soon.

At the other end, tossers on patheically small vehicles, with inflated ego's, who really don't care what effect they have on other people, because no.1 they are in a car and have higher status, even if it is a rustbucket worth less than your bike; no.2 they can escape at speed if they have to, and no.3 if you really counted you'd be in a car, so why should they respect you?

Unfortunately unless cyclists videotape every move they make, with both front and rear camera footage to allow independent evidence in the case of collision, we're stuck with a legal system that see's motorised road users as having special priviledges over anyone who isn't buring hydrocarbons, and will decide the minimum tariff applies.

Which is absolutey no comfort at all.

And to respond to the direct question, if a vehicle passes so closely that you coudl reach out and touch it in passing, then its too close. Camera angles are unlikely to show how close a vehicle is in practice.

A researched in Bristol did some study on how close vehicles pass. Apparently the more "professional" you look, i.e. man on road bike with helmet at the top end, woman on ladies bike with no helmet at the other, the amount of space you are given varies accordingly, the top end gets the least. The research was done while riding a bike and using some kind of distance measuring equipment so there was a high degree of precision in the measurements available. The researcher also got knocked off his bike twice for his trouble.

Maybe we could all wear prominent high viz vests emblazoned with "homicidal gun owner, pass me too close and find out", maybe we would get more space?

An aunt of mine did explain once that when she was being cut up in central London she would hit the cars with her chain. Got a lot of shocked drivers and probably more than an bit of respect from it.

abbots_mike

have left dents in many a car body panel. think that counts as 'giving some back'!

have never had a car lose me in our estae (i know all the shortcuts) and in traffic i WILL sit alongside them and correct them of their mistakes

treize vents

I agree with the BMW, Merc, 4 x 4 general tendency. I would add NEW BMW or Merc, old ones are not so dangerous. For me the little cheaper cars often cited are not at all dangerous unless they have three or more young lads in them. Those are maybe the most dangerous of all, as they are intentionally dangerous, and the others are just taking the road God gave them, more or less ignoring all others.

dangerousjules

for me(london specific) those wanky whatless inbred kingsferry coach drivers!

benborp

Bikerbaboon wrote:

those cars with 4 wheels are right sods.......... never benn cut up by a robbin reliant. (are they fast enough to even pass a bike ? )

I got a friction burn off of a passing reliant once.

abbots_mike

surely you mean:

benborp wrote:

I got a friction burn off passing a reliant once.

:P :P

snooks

Chuffin bell!

Not one mention of a WVM

or if we're "just" talking cars....the George W Bush (or should that be BWM?) X5 takes the prize, but I do live in Richmond council's area, so what should I expect???

Parsnip49

The worst cars for cutting too close are the ones with bad drivers in them.

The make of car has no bearing whatsoever - if you think otherwise, you are an idiot.

dirk_van_gently

Anything driven by a woman :shock:
Cocks in BMWs Audi's, Merc's Jags.
ANY Volvo, as you have to fail an eye test to actually buy one.
W@nkers in any form of white Van.

Have I missed anyone?

Honestly I treat everyone else on the road as a total eejit, that includes other cyclists.

karl j

treize vents wrote:

I agree with the BMW, Merc, 4 x 4 general tendency. I would add NEW BMW or Merc, old ones are not so dangerous. For me the little cheaper cars often cited are not at all dangerous unless they have three or more young lads in them. Those are maybe the most dangerous of all, as they are intentionally dangerous, and the others are just taking the road God gave them, more or less ignoring all others.

Interesting.

Dunno about other parts of the country but around here in eastest Anglia older BMW's seem to be the latest in boy racer culture. (ie. not driven very safely)

Parsnip49 (great name btw !), yes you are correct, unfortunately certain makes of car seem to attract the bad drivers, or encourage good drivers to behave like nutters. Quite why that is, i haven't got a clue.

victor ludorum

parsnip49 owns a beamer! parsnip49 owns a beamer! :P

number9

Skip lorries.

Flat bed trucks.

WVM.

Cabs and buses.

Parsnip49

victor ludorum wrote:

parsnip49 owns a beamer! parsnip49 owns a beamer! :P

Parsnip49 owns:

A Giant TCR Zero
A Scott S50
A Kona Stab

The only driving i do is in my mums VW Polo (soon to be a new corsa) when im at home (~4 weeks a year)

If i had the money for a nice beemer, i would hapilly drive one.

lost_in_thought

number9 wrote:

Skip lorries.

Flat bed trucks.

WVM.

Cabs and buses.

I think flatbed trucks are certainly the most scary, well, any kind of articulated lorry. They just feel closer.

And to be honest, apart from the WVM who knocked me off my bike earlier this year, they've been pretty OK.

Parsnip49

The only two cars that have ever hit me:

A xsara (sp?) picasso filled with a family who now know how to swear in glaswegian.

A White van man who apologiesed profusley, there was no harm done and i went on my way.

I have had so many close calls with all maner of cars - the similarity - sh*t drivers, not the cars.

fonty1978

All van drivers / lorry drivers i've found totally inconsiderate!! :evil:

Bus drivers where i commute always seem to give me lots of room so well done to them

neillcp

Generally, its a pretty random assortment of cars being driven by tw@ts, but some of the worst are definately Audi A3's. Seems to me that they can't afford a BMW, so feel they've got something to prove. Like the lack of brain cells between their ears.

Also those OFJ coaches that ferry people from Heathrow to central london hotels seem to be driven by complete a rses.

biondino

Lorry drivers almost always seem pretty good and considerate drivers to me, and if they can't see you you certainly can't blame them if you get yourself in a pickle.

Chelsea tractors suck balls because the combination of drivers with little skill but a large sense of entitlement is not a happy one. Quite a lot of them on my commute, unsurprisingly.

Parsnip49

Good job no one is posting tired, old, stereotypical generalisations.

victor ludorum

Stereotypes can be lazy generalisations perpetuated and dispersed by popular culture.
However, stereotypes can be, and sometimes have to be, a valid form of cognitive heuristic.

Also, you have to bear in mind that, as cyclists, we very rarely have real personal interactions with the people in the cars. We are forced to interpret the movements of basically anonymous and personality-less vehicles, which we have to sort by make and model because they lack other distinguishing features. We anthropormorphise them, because that is what people do.

In short, the problem with BMW M3s is that they all look alike...

biondino

Parsnip I was just remarking at your biting sarcasm on another thread. Really, do you think we're being desperately serious about this?

Having said that, Victor is right. If we're aware that a blinged up Citroen Saxo is more likely to do something stupid than a Volvo, then we can cycle accordingly.

Parsnip49

When im on the roads, i treat all other road users the same way - expecting them to drive like idiots, that keeps me safer - you may say that in itsself is a stereotype, but if it means i dont get knocked off then so be it.

What gets me is when people rant about BMW/Merc/Audi/bus/Lorry drivers saying they all drive like tw*ts

If someone came out with "all roadies/hybrid riders/MTBers are gimps" there would be an outcry and a lynching on this forum, but to do it to a driver solely because of the brand of car they drive is somehow ok???

Parsnip49

biondino wrote:

Having said that, Victor is right. If we're aware that a blinged up Citroen Saxo is more likely to do something stupid than a Volvo, then we can cycle accordingly.

As i said above, ive been knocked off my bike twice 1 WVM and 1 people carrier with a family. Both were driven by idiots (the WVM was admittedly apologetic about it) would you have clocked a xsara picasso as a danger mobile? - i cycle as if every car is driven by a tool, my grandad is the worst driver on the planet and your "d*ckhead in a beemer" radar wouldnt spot him - thats the point im making, all brands of vehicle can be driven by inconsiderate bad drivers, the make of car has very little bearing on it.

Sarcasm, on an internet forum??? Whatever next...

robmanic1

Perhaps we should include a disclaimer in any comments stating that the views expressed are based on personal experience and may appear to be generalised. That should keep the forum pedants happy!

Honest, the amount of times folk jump on the slightest comment and come-over all self-righteous and indignant, makes me so angry and indignant (d'oh)!

agnello

In my experience Audi drivers are the new BMW drivers

ie they try to kill me more often

Last night an M&S van driver gave me and my mate a mouthful when we were in single file on the A36. Think my mate is ringing them - hopefully get him the sack or perhaps executed :P

Still don't know what his problem was.

apart from being an ugly, ignorant bast**d obviously. but that's hardly my fault

Surf-Matt

Surf-Matt wrote:

Audis - they have taken over BMWs as the "angry repmobile" of choice to the "upwardly mobile" driving spacker.

Agnello - coincidence?!!

JoeSoap76

Can't say it's any particular make/model for me... but something about screwing a licensed taxi plate to the back of any car seems to cause the driver to lose all sense of judgement when it comes to overtaking me. You can almost feel when one is coming up behind you...

Oh, and somebody asked what is 'too close'. To me, it depends on the conditions (weather, traffic, pedestrians, etc) but if I feel uncomfortable or at risk then they are too close. If I need a more tangible rule of thumb, if I can reach out and touch then I tend to go into a little rage :oops:

SmellTheGlove

The only car I'm afraid of is the one with my name on it and the clind bunt at the wheel => could be anyone/thing in these parts.

BTW is a silver van man just a WVM who's won a raffle?

dang65

Another vote for the Audi here. Can almost guarantee round my way that anything impatient, pushy or making extremely dodgy overtakes will turn out to be an Audi.