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Drivers are the worst?

I'm venting.... as cyclists we're all used to dealing with close passes, dangerous driving and general fuckwittery. I get that.. However the past couple of weeks, since the easing of lockdown.. I've had more 'ultra close' passes, beeping horns from motorists right up my jacksie and have seen more dangerous overtakes than I'm comfortable with.. there's not a lot I can do about it, I don't ride with a camera, nor do I want to, it's just so bloody frustrating! One incident on Saturday really shook me up.
It's like the motons have just gotten so 'upset' that there are more people out on bikes enjoying the weather that they think it's excusable to nearly kill some of them.

Does anyone know if there are any 'up to date' accident stats showing cycling/moton accidents?

If you're new please join in and if you have questions pop them below and the forum regulars will answer as best we can.

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13 comments

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srchar | 3 years ago
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I don't know if it's just drivers - general cunty behaviour seems to be up during lockdown.

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FluffyKittenofT... | 3 years ago
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They appear to be getting worse.

https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2020/jun/02/rac-hits-out-at-truly-sh...

 

"Cox, the Met’s lead for its Vision Zero initiative to eliminate deaths on the roads, said his team caught a driver doing 134mph in a 40mph zone in Enfield. Tracking cameras showed driving speeds in London were “above the limit on average in all categories from the first part of lockdown to early May”, he added."

 

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David9694 | 3 years ago
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maybe a mixture of the unseasonable warm weather and people finally being "off the leash" after two months' acute hardship?  Mostly, we did without in lockdown but now we're back to the feeling of having to compete to have crammed the most in today.
Whether it's just more media attention, but it does sound really angsty: my local newspapers are full of reports of spitting and abuse on the seafront in Bournemouth, fights in car parks, and on my village Facebook, the usual have a picnic or BBQ and just leave all the mess behind, but happening in really localised spots. Things you don't see to this degree normally. 

The Comments section, with its trolls and keyboard warriors - now I'm not commuting and my current job isn't mega-taxing, there's more time to look at this stuff outside my professional bubble - is quite worrying. I guess fear is still with us. 

No driver in my village seems to realise that peds and cyclists need to social distance from each other, none of it helped by pavement parking (no better way of saying "sod all of you").  No-one seems to plan or think ahead, or hang back when there's something going on ahead, like I was taught to do by my father. Until there's a vaccine, negotiating each other politely in any setting is now a really vital skill, one that in large sections of society we've thrown away in my lifetime.

If general behaviour in the pursuit of leisure is this wild, self-centred, disrespectful and even lawless, heaven help vulnerable road users when these folk climb aboard their SUVs.
In my cycling world, it's pretty much business as usual now, which is to say not too bad. The good news, that cyclists have known for some time, is that the real idiots are not in general early risers.  

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brooksby replied to David9694 | 3 years ago
3 likes

David9694 wrote:

No driver in my village seems to realise that peds and cyclists need to social distance from each other, none of it helped by pavement parking (no better way of saying "sod all of you").  No-one seems to plan or think ahead, or hang back when there's something going on ahead, like I was taught to do by my father. Until there's a vaccine, negotiating each other politely in any setting is now a really vital skill, one that in large sections of society we've thrown away in my lifetime.

I've found this an issue in the city as a pedestrian, in particular.  When it all still looked liked 28 days later..., you could walk in the road to make sure you were socially distanced from other pedestrians.  Now that everyone's come out of their bunker, and there are many more motor vehicles on the road, that option has become kind of dangerous.  Bristol City Council is saying that they're going to make changes to widen pavements and claim road space, but there's no signs of it yet.

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Notbuilt2climb replied to brooksby | 3 years ago
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I'm in Bristol too.  A startling amount of people walking in the road when no need to & increased number drivers parking wherever they want & breaking speed limits.  I'm also noticing more pedestrians not making any effort to socially distance when encountering people walking in the opposite direction. 

Widening pavements and cycle lanes is going to take a lot of time.

When cycling around The Downs, I take particular pleasure in sticking to the speed limit and ensuring motorists behind me are unable to overtake me easily. I don't understand how drivers think it is acceptable to drive at the excessive speeds with so many other 'new' and young cyclists around together with more pedestrians.  If one of the drivers children or family was hit by a similar driver, they'd be outraged.

 

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Evansdch | 3 years ago
4 likes

I find the lack of patience - sometimes coupled with a high sense of rage - amongst some car drivers bizarre. I mean why is it a problem to slow down a little so you can overtake another road user safely so difficult?  

Like a lot of things the government could do much more. A cycling proficiency test before a car test should be a pre-requisite (with exceptions); and/or a vulnerable road user awareness test. A Think Bike type campaign for cyclists would also help. 

I experieced four instances of road rage yesterday - none justified - and all involved idiotic young men.  

  

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Hirsute | 3 years ago
2 likes

I'm sure none of us want to ride with a camera but it is pretty much required now.

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fukawitribe | 3 years ago
3 likes

"Drivers" aren't "the worst" - idiots are, regardless of whether they're using vehicles or not. One part of the problem is that larger, safer, more powerful vehicles can lead people to feel more isolated from the external reality, more easily used as an extension of their frustration or anger, more dangerous to those around them - in the hands of idiots that can, and does, prove fatal; but the main part is still the person and not the type of vehicle.. who knows, perhaps the sort of person who views all people different from themselves as somehow 'wrong' and easily resorts to out-group slurs to tar them all with the same, convenient, brush.

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peted76 replied to fukawitribe | 3 years ago
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There I fixed it with a simple question mark.

You totally missed my point though. I was simply looking for a bit of anecdotal solidarity and/or possible stats to back up my recent run of incidents.

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Awavey replied to peted76 | 3 years ago
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Yesterday was the first time since lockdown began I didnt feel I was safe riding on the road i was on anymore,you know that any moment I'm going to get hit feeling. I've still had regular close passes over the past 11 weeks,arguably they might be statistically more significant in terms of risk given lower volumes of traffic, but it felt safer, yesterday traffic was way up even for normal weekend traffic & if people werent close passing me,they were close passing oncoming riders,there were at least 2 times cars nearly collided as they overtook into oncoming traffic, there was plenty of speeding,it felt like a toxic mix,and left me as a rider feeling very vulnerable. Whether that's reflected in actual accident stats,or anything I dont know,the local papers arent full of reports today,but they so often miss them anyway if they dont cause delays

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fukawitribe replied to peted76 | 3 years ago
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I really didn't miss your point about data - I just didn't response to it. I didn't miss your casual, intolerant slang either; I take it you understood my latter point.

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peted76 replied to fukawitribe | 3 years ago
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Yes, well thank you brother, your support means a lot.

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fukawitribe replied to peted76 | 3 years ago
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peted76 wrote:

Yes, well thank you brother, your support means a lot.

Meh. I completely understand the anger and fear with the close passes, and sympathise, but drop the group think and stop being part of the problem.

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