Drivers vs. cyclists war rages

Sure, there are plenty of instances when bike riders make incredibly unsafe moves in traffic, ride without a helmet, and blithely ignore all rules of the road, leaving driver curses and shaken fists in their wake.

But on the other side, there are plenty of drivers that ignore traffic rules and put cyclists riding responsibly in traffic in serious harm’s way.

Today I was just coming home in the car from some errands and saw a van do a last minute high speed left hand turn – right in front of what looked to be a veteran road cyclist – forcing the cyclist to brake into a skid to avoid a nasty collision. The rider had the right of way, wore a helmet and full riding kit, and I saw him look over his shoulder to get a good look at the van that had just about killed him.

I took a left down the same neighborhood road and looking in the rearview mirror, saw the cyclist had turned back. He was headed down the street. I knew what he was going to do. He was angry and was going to confront the driver. The van was three cars ahead of me, and stopped for a red light. The rider pulled up to the driver side of the van, pointed and shouted. I didn’t hear what he was shouting, but I don’t think it was “Have a nice day.” The driver – couldn’t see if it was a man or a woman – apparently just rolled up the window in defense. The rider swung back and passed my car, spitting on the ground after venting his anger.

I wouldn’t recommend chasing down a driver that has narrowly missed killing you due to negligence, it can lead to a violent confrontation in which nobody wins. But I could see the cyclist’s point and the fear and anger that had spiked through him because of the close call. He wanted to tell the driver what the hell his or her driving blunder almost did, and how serious it was. Getting yelled at by the cyclist will probably make that driver be more careful around cyclists they see on the road in the future. Let’s hope so. But a shouting confrontation also has a dangerous side to it. What if the confronted driver is a hothead with a gun at the ready? Even if not, the shout down just feeds the fire of animosity that is all too common between drivers and cyclists.

Somehow more awareness of the need for friendly cooperation between cyclists and drivers needs to be boosted. A public service ad campaign would be a good start. Something. Here’s to that.

My friend Russ wasn’t so lucky as the rider I saw today. Last year he was riding his road bike, wearing his helmet, when a car passed him on his left then suddenly turned right down a street, right in front of him. Russ couldn’t avoid the car, hit the back end of it and flew to the pavement on his left shoulder. The driver didn’t stop, either.

“Left me for dead,” said Russ.

Russ tore up his shoulder, and had to undergo three surgeries over several months before it was repaired. The good news is, the driver of the car was tracked down by police, and Russ was able to get a generous claim from the driver’s insurance. It was a young man driving his parents’ car.

So it ended up OK. Russ wasn’t killed, which he very well could have been, and he got the medical care he needed and money for a new bike. But he went through a year of pain and meds, lost work time, a lot of misery. And it all could have been avoided if the kid had just driven responsibly.

Good thing is, though, now Russ has a nice new road bike, and he’s ready to ride again.

Here’s to more cyclist/driver awareness and cooperation on the road, so everybody gets home safely.

Until next time, remember to strap on a helmet before every ride. And on the ride, keep the rubber side down!

-- Mark Eric Larson 

P.S. Here are the hot links to Carroll I's safety tips put out by Edmunds mentioned below: 
Co-existing with Bicyclists: 10 Rules for Drivers: http://www.edmunds.com/car-safety/coexisting-with-bicyclists-10-rules-for-drivers.html And for bicyclists: http://www.edmunds.com/car-safety/coexisting-with-drivers-10-rules-for-bicyclists.html


Mark Eric Larson has written two books of essays, "The NERVE...of Some People's Kids," and "Don't Force it, Get a Bigger Hammer. To read, visit: 
http://www.scribd.com/Mark%20Eric%20Larson/shelf