What do you do about idiot drivers?

haf1zur

Hi

What do you do with idiot drivers? Report them? ignore them?

Over the past month, only encountered 2 really dodgy drivers, one a female in a Fiat 500 turned left literally 2 inches in front of me and today another a male in a BMW sped up and turned left again, missing me by a couple of inches. Both times it was just after the lights turned green.

They all seem to be unaware that other road users exist

I got the number plates and was wondering is it worth reporting to the police? do others bother or just ignore it?

andy 3654

I would report them for dangerous driving, cause if they don't understand what they did wrong they cant learn from it.

slowondefy2

Anticipate them, ride assertively/tactically/defensively to avoid dangerous situations. Avoid roads and times where and when idiots are most prevalent. Shout warnings if necessary when I can see a situation developing, then stay quiet and get on with my ride afterwards.

Thank courteous drivers to help remind myself that most drivers are pleasant, and don't let the idiot minority ruin a ride.

Extralight

It's really difficult not to get agitated and into a confrontation, but that's almost certainly what it will become if you try and reason with an idiot. If it's an oversight or a mistake, you might get an apology, but if it's a willful piece of selfish driving, you won't succeed in getting them to acknowledge how dangerous they've been, they'll just get very aggressive.

I try to stick to this mantra to stay calm and alive: acknowledge the good, ignore the bad, and avoid the dangerous.

With regard to the two incidents you describe, think about your positioning at the junction/lights. On my commute, I know the junctions where people are likely to turn left on/across me, so I make sure that I position myself in the middle of the lane (or between lanes if there are two) to make it difficult for them to do this. If there's no ASL, then I'll position myself behind the first or second car waiting, so that I don't p1ss people of and hold them up at the lights. If you wait in the gutter at the lights where there's a left turn, it's easier for drivers to not notice or ignore you, and then take you out as they turn left.

Extralight

andy 3654 wrote:

I would report them for dangerous driving, cause if they don't understand what they did wrong they cant learn from it.

What happens if you do this? Does anything happen at all?

Mikey23

all the above.
a momentary act of stupidity i would tend to ignore and thank goodness no damage was done
an act of recklessness that looks like it might be repeated and be a danger to that person, me and other road users i would tend to do a 101 call. the police may not act on it unless there are independent witness but it will be logged and may be important in the future...

ShutUpLegs

slowondefy2 wrote:

Anticipate them, ride assertively/tactically/defensively to avoid dangerous situations. Avoid roads and times where and when idiots are most prevalent. Shout warnings if necessary when I can see a situation developing, then stay quiet and get on with my ride afterwards.

Thank courteous drivers to help remind myself that most drivers are pleasant, and don't let the idiot minority ruin a ride.

This

Grill

ShutUpLegs wrote:

slowondefy2 wrote:

Anticipate them, ride assertively/tactically/defensively to avoid dangerous situations. Avoid roads and times where and when idiots are most prevalent. Shout warnings if necessary when I can see a situation developing, then stay quiet and get on with my ride afterwards.

Thank courteous drivers to help remind myself that most drivers are pleasant, and don't let the idiot minority ruin a ride.

This

+2
Getting worked up about situations you can't control are a waste of time.

scrapyard_dog

Extralight wrote:

With regard to the two incidents you describe, think about your positioning at the junction/lights. On my commute, I know the junctions where people are likely to turn left on/across me, so I make sure that I position myself in the middle of the lane (or between lanes if there are two) to make it difficult for them to do this. If there's no ASL, then I'll position myself behind the first or second car waiting, so that I don't p1ss people of and hold them up at the lights. If you wait in the gutter at the lights where there's a left turn, it's easier for drivers to not notice or ignore you, and then take you out as they turn left.

This is exactly what I do. Where I live there are plenty of traffic lights so when I come up to one I'll position myself towards the middle of the lane so that no one can come up beside me and potentially cut me off.

Pross

Just ignore them although it's easier said than done. I'm not sure the police would even speak to the driver without evidence and if you go to them every time a car driver causes you a danger you'll be in there regularly. Maybe consider getting a helmet camera and then, if someone does deliberately or unintentionally drive in a dangerous manner at least you can provide the police with footage.

ugo.santalucia

Ignore careless driving, life is too short to get upset... just anticipate others'moves

Retaliation only where there is clear intention to harm... in that case I suggest the removal of the rear wing mirror with the sole of your shoe or if you are in a urban guerrilla mode, then you can carry a portable molotov in your second bottle holder... just remember not to drink from it...

skyblueamateur

I used to get massively wound up about this and get proper 'bike-rage'. Plenty of selective hand-gestures were meted out before I realised in doing so I was as bad as them.

Not a hell of a lot you can do about it, so I've learned to chill and just get on with it. The examples you've listed seem to be more a lack of diligence rather then maliciousness on the drivers part.

alihisgreat

Never had anything too bad.. just passing too close.. and in slightly dangerous ways.

But I don't want to be one of those communting yobs who are continuously shouting "oi!" at passing cars.

I'm quite calm.. and don't really get road rage/bike rage.

haf1zur

Generally i am relaxed about it, but those two occasions have been a bit too close, most of the time drivers acknowledge their mistake etc. just not these two which got me riled up at the time

Always acknowledge patient drivers with a thumbs up etc., know how it is, love driving myself.

Positioning at the time was pretty crap I must admit, even though on a bike lane, will have to look into that myself in the future.

Thanks for the comments everyone

charliew87

I try to ignore them.

I'm still pretty shocked at the number of cyclists who I see who put themselves in situations to be subject to bad /dangerous driving. If there's a turn left lane at traffic lights, don't park yourself up on the left of any cars that might possibly flatten you.

Hoopdriver

Let it go.

There is nothing you can do at the time, and nothing the police are going to do later

saprkzz

Hoopdriver wrote:

Let it go.

There is nothing you can do at the time, and nothing the police are going to do later

+1 life is too short to get in arguments, what difference is it actually going to make? If you get knocked off or come off as a result of stupidity then that's different, shout away or report them, but a close left hooker, someone overtakes too close etc etc.. There is nothing anyone can do to change the way they drive.. just get on, enjoy the road & country side and avoid a shouting match or fisty-cuffs.

cyco2

Because of several swipes by motorists at left turns I now make it look like I am going straight on then without signalling put in a sharp left. Afraid there is nothing that can be done about errant drivers because some day one of them will get you.
At least my part road and off-road rides lesson the chances.

graeme_s-2

I miss the guy from the old C+ forums who used to post advice about what he would have done in these sorts of situations. His scenarios always ended with him burning down the driver's house.

Snailpace-Bob

Extralight wrote:

andy 3654 wrote:

I would report them for dangerous driving, cause if they don't understand what they did wrong they cant learn from it.

What happens if you do this? Does anything happen at all?

Absolutely NOTHING. A couple of years ago I was knocked off at a junction by a prat in a transit van. He just drove off and his pasenger wound down his window to straighten the wing mirror. I called the police to report it and they couldnt care less. I had his reg number and a description but they werent interested. Take the advice given earlier, assume that everyones going to cut you up and ride defensively.

t.m.h.n.e.t

In reality what can you do?

<25kg worth of bike + your weight vs a car which will weigh anything from 800kg to 2500kg there really isn't any argument and only one winner.

JamesB5446

I keep a stanley knife in my saddle bag.

wod1

There is a shocking inability of the police to do anything, I dont think the drivers were trying to harm you, or me in incidents that annoy me, had numberous cars, trucks, vans etc just pulling out into my path as if I wasnt there. They did see me, they think cyclist think slow i`ll just pull out. 20 mph towards a vehicle pulling out annoys me a lot as I take avoiding action hard breaking etc. Same with overtaking I dont think it should be legal for a car to overtake a cyclist when a car is coming the opposite way unless it is super super wide. But they still do, many times getting flashed by the oncoming vehicle.

I ride very defensively now, i.e. taking a wider line going past junctions when cars are coming towards me in the opposite direction, around parked cars etc. It annoys motorists but I think it is better to be seen and annoy people than not be seen.

I had a close one at a roundabout which at first I fully blamed the car involved but then thought about it and seen that I should have riden more defensively and it wouldnt have happened.

Approaching a roundabout to turn right. One lane into the roundabout. I stay to the right side of the lane, signalling right while I give way to traffic on the roundabout, I stay right to be courteous to the car turning left behind me, roundabout becomes clear and both the car turning left and me turning right go onto the round about, it is only one lane but fairly wide. As I am well onto the roundabout car from the next entrance also pulls into the roundabout when it is my right or way and I have to take avoiding action, the car also stops in the middle round about. no real issue. That driver had entered the roundabout because he believed the car alongside me turning left was the only vechicle entering the roundabout. The incident become more probably by my courtesy by not taking the lane. Lesson learned.

bails87

haf1zur wrote:

Positioning at the time was pretty crap I must admit, even though on a bike lane, will have to look into that myself in the future.

Thanks for the comments everyone

charliew87 wrote:

I'm still pretty shocked at the number of cyclists who I see who put themselves in situations to be subject to bad /dangerous driving. If there's a turn left lane at traffic lights, don't park yourself up on the left of any cars that might possibly flatten you.

Arguably the second point is a result of the first one. The "old style" cycling proficiency taught you to stay left. Cycle lanes encourage cyclists to keep left. Drivers shout/beep at cyclists who don't keep left. And then you get to a junction, keeping left, and get left hooked because you're not in the middle of the road! :?

wod1: Not really your fault. It's the driver's fault for not looking. It's just a shame we have to be so 'assertive/defensive/aggressive' to stay safe on the roads.

notnot

bails87 wrote:

charliew87 wrote:

I'm still pretty shocked at the number of cyclists who I see who put themselves in situations to be subject to bad /dangerous driving. If there's a turn left lane at traffic lights, don't park yourself up on the left of any cars that might possibly flatten you.

Arguably the second point is a result of the first one. The "old style" cycling proficiency taught you to stay left. Cycle lanes encourage cyclists to keep left. Drivers shout/beep at cyclists who don't keep left. And then you get to a junction, keeping left, and get left hooked because you're not in the middle of the road! :?

Today - when I was riding towards a (red) light before a junction, near the centre of the lane - someone cut in front/to the right of me so I didn't have space to do anything but stay to their left. Not as if they gained any time, either - they were slower away from the lights than I was.

Gets to the point where it seems there's only less bad - rather than good - ways of dealing with some drivers

simon_masterson

Do the Police swoop on bad drivers who inconvenience other drivers? If that were the case our roads would be barely populated.

But in all seriousness, whilst I do appreciate that there's a great deal more danger for those of us on two wheels, nevertheless I sympathise with the motorists to a certain extent: Cyclists are often difficult to spot in good weather, so the refusal of some to wear high-visibility clothing and/or use good lights (or any lights in some cases) because it makes them look uncool/spoils their Mark Cavendish fantasy, or they simply can't be bothered, doesn't help matters.

I'm also not entirely supportive of the use of helmet cameras; again I appreciate the motivation and the positive results that can be yielded, but I don't like the witch-hunt mentality, even if it isn't always as extreme as the behaviour of those cyclists who will yell 'LOOK FOR YOUR REG ON YOUTUBE TONIGHT!' at any motorist who makes a small mistake. Just one reason why I'm not at all surprised that some people are resentful of so-called 'lycra louts'.

ForumNewbie

It's the 'professional' drivers in white vans and lorries that I find pass to closely for comfort, especially on fast A and B roads. Some cars do as well, but its white van drivers particularly that I feel are over-confident in trying to pass you too closely. If I was to wobble off the straight line due to a pothole or whatever as they pass, I feel I could easily be hit. I have started communiting again on my hybrid with flat pedals, as I was feeling more nervous in heavy traffic recently when clipped-in on my road bike after a few narrow misses.

I am also wary of cars turning left in front of me at junctions. Thankfully a lot of traffic light junctions now have a cycle stopping area right along the front of the lane, encouraging cyclists to stop in the middle rather than the left of the lane. It bugs me drivers that stop in this area - but I don't think most drivers bother about that or even realise what it is for, despite the big white painted cycle on the ground.

If the government are serious about encouraging more commuting by bike, I think they need to specifically publicise the need for car and van drivers to look out for cyclists when turning left, and to give cyclists a wide berth when passing them, especially at speed.

velvetytoast

I'm starting a campaign to get all drivers to have their lights on and wear Hi-Viz so it is easier to see them in these situations - anyone like to second it?

phy2sll2

velvetytoast wrote:

I'm starting a campaign to get all drivers to have their lights on and wear Hi-Viz so it is easier to see them in these situations - anyone like to second it?

jonomc4

got to say about the situations mentioned - when I am at lights where there is a left turn directly ahead. I will take what I believe is called "primary position" - basically I sit in the middle of the lane so they can't go past me to overtake. - If I am not at the front or I see cars indicating left I sit behind them in the middle of the lane again and let them go first - this way I never face the issues you have had. But there are still plenty of others incidents though - basically I just ignore them - or call the driver something.

mikebikemike

JamesB5446 wrote:

I keep a stanley knife in my saddle bag.

Not a good idea