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i'm a lifelong (nonmotor) cyclist finally learning to drive. what i notice is that driving is a lot more complex than cycling. you have so little space and so m

i'm a lifelong (nonmotor) cyclist finally learning to drive. what i notice is that driving is a lot more complex than cycling. you have so little space and so much vehicle. you have to stay in lane, take care when cornering. you are ultimately relying on cyclists or pedestrians not to do anything rash because the chances of you being concentrated on something else when a sudden crossing happens are significant. In which case you will definitely not see them.

rantwasp 7y ago
you have to stay in your lane and pay attention even as a cyclist. the consequences of a mistake are the ones that are really different - but on the upside you way less likely to get seriously hurt in a car vs riding a bike. on top of that: it’s really fascinating for me to see people putting the burden of their own physical safety on other (ef if you know that a driver has practically a zero chance of seeing you in a situation why not protect yourself? it doesn’t matter that you’re right if you’re dead)
- lkbm 7y ago
  > you have to stay in your lane and pay attention even as a cyclist. Sure, but my lane is 2x+ my width, and my body spans the width of my vehicle. When I drive a car I'm not familiar with, it takes some time to get a sense for how wide it is. With a new bicycle, it doesn't--it spans from my left hand to my right hand. (My last driving experience was a short bus for the first time ever, after several years of not driving at all. A normal sized car is a lot less tricky, but still wider than and not centered on my body.)
gowld 7y ago
You simply forgot how hard it was to learn to ride a bike, and you aren't accustomed to driving yet.
bagacrap 7y ago
I've done both for years and driving is definitely not more complex than cycling. The number of motorists who spend 90% of their drive time staring at their phones (and usually not causing an accident) attests to that. Cyclists on the other hand have to pay attention to the road to avoid hazards, other road users to avoid death, as well as balance their own weight the whole time (how many cyclists do you see putting on makeup on their way to work?). Motorists should need to pay attention to their surroundings more since they've chosen a means of conveyance that can quite easily maim or kill due to a moment of inattention, but is that reality? No, because the risk is mostly externalized.
scarejunba 7y ago
Many drivers use their phones while driving. Few, if any, cyclists do. That seems fairly strong evidence for the relative difficulties.

rantwasp 7y ago

you have to stay in your lane and pay attention even as a cyclist. the consequences of a mistake are the ones that are really different - but on the upside you way less likely to get seriously hurt in a car vs riding a bike. on top of that: it’s really fascinating for me to see people putting the burden of their own physical safety on other (ef if you know that a driver has practically a zero chance of seeing you in a situation why not protect yourself? it doesn’t matter that you’re right if you’re dead)

lkbm 7y ago
> you have to stay in your lane and pay attention even as a cyclist. Sure, but my lane is 2x+ my width, and my body spans the width of my vehicle. When I drive a car I'm not familiar with, it takes some time to get a sense for how wide it is. With a new bicycle, it doesn't--it spans from my left hand to my right hand. (My last driving experience was a short bus for the first time ever, after several years of not driving at all. A normal sized car is a lot less tricky, but still wider than and not centered on my body.)

gowld 7y ago

You simply forgot how hard it was to learn to ride a bike, and you aren't accustomed to driving yet.

bagacrap 7y ago

I've done both for years and driving is definitely not more complex than cycling. The number of motorists who spend 90% of their drive time staring at their phones (and usually not causing an accident) attests to that. Cyclists on the other hand have to pay attention to the road to avoid hazards, other road users to avoid death, as well as balance their own weight the whole time (how many cyclists do you see putting on makeup on their way to work?). Motorists should need to pay attention to their surroundings more since they've chosen a means of conveyance that can quite easily maim or kill due to a moment of inattention, but is that reality? No, because the risk is mostly externalized.

scarejunba 7y ago

Many drivers use their phones while driving. Few, if any, cyclists do. That seems fairly strong evidence for the relative difficulties.