4 ms·

If you've ever been around cars (in a car, as a cyclist or as a pedestrian) and sat and watched them for any period - you'll see a huge number of traffic offens

by ljf 3y ago

If you've ever been around cars (in a car, as a cyclist or as a pedestrian) and sat and watched them for any period - you'll see a huge number of traffic offenses committed by those in cars - mainly using phones, but also speeding, red light jumping, aggressive under and over-taking. But for some reason most people are blind to this and don't get aggressive with drivers. Why might that be?

marcandre 3y ago
You forgot not signaling when turning and changing lanes...
- wiredfool 3y ago
  And driving/parking on sidewalks/footpaths. In the last 2 years of riding bikes and walking the dog, my two closest calls with cars have been on the sidewalk during walkies.
trgn 3y ago
Level of responsibility between driver and cyclist is categorically different. A driver will kill when inattentive or impatient. This disconnect between magnitude of input (slouched like a bag of potatoes, dozing) and magnitude of output (casually demolishing a building) is unnatural, it breaks the brain. It's easier to blame the weak, the system, the potholes.
yungporko 3y ago
people aren't blind to this at all, being pissed off about it even has it's own name (road rage)
- ljf 3y ago
  I'd argue it is different in that just seeing or talking about cyclists will often draw anger online and in person - most people don't feel the same way about cars or drivers. Getting angry when someone cuts you off is different to being angry about cyclists just existing.
  - yungporko 3y ago
    i guess that's because it's a chore and arguably dangerous to share the road with cyclists no matter what they're doing, and not only when they're ignoring the rules of the road personally i just cycle on footpaths, i'm not really interested in what the law says. me getting hit by a car is a much more dangerous and likely situation than me riding into a pedestrian, and police aren't going to abandon their car on the road to chase me on foot.
  - D13Fd 3y ago
    > being angry about cyclists just existing. I don't like some cyclists because of their blatant and unsafe disregard for the rules. It's not uncommon to see: - Cyclists ignoring red lights - Cyclists ignoring stop signs - Cyclists riding on a busy sidewalk - Cyclists yelling at pedestrians to move rather than stopping at an intersection as required - Cyclists taking up the entire lane and not permitting cars to pass - Cyclists going the wrong way down a one-way street Some of the worst offenders are e-bike users, who can move very fast and in unexpected ways. It's no fun to have someone silently fly by you from behind, inches away, at 20mph while they are riding what's basically a motorcycle on the sidewalk. I frequently walk in the city, and scooters/bicycles are far more of a hazard than cars. They often can't decide whether they want to be pedestrians or cars, and they often don't follow the rules for either, putting everyone (including themselves) at risk.
    - tonyg 3y ago
      > Cyclists taking up the entire lane and not permitting cars to pass This is explicitly permitted in most places and is often the only safe thing to do. In a situation like that, if you can't overtake such a bike (or car, or tractor) safely, you must wait until it is safe. The bike (or car or tractor) has the right to the entire lane.
    - ljf 3y ago
      It is not uncommon to see car drivers do all these things, including driving on the pavement/sidewalk.
      - 3y ago
scythe 3y ago
>But for some reason most people are blind to this and don't get aggressive with drivers. I'm not sure if this is serious, but it's one of the more obviously false claims I've seen on Hacker News: https://everytownresearch.org/reports-of-road-rage-shootings-are-on-the-rise/ https://everytownresearch.org/reports-of-road-rage-shootings... >Experiencing aggressive driving on the road is not uncommon—roughly eight in 10 drivers surveyed by the AAA Foundation for Traffic Safety reported having at least one incident in the month before the survey. In response to your other comment: >angry about cyclists just existing. I don't think these people are angry at cyclists per se at all, they're angry about a perceived anti-car sociopolitical shift, and cyclists are just a visible artifact of that.
- ljf 3y ago
  I can only assume that you are not a cyclist? I've just ridden down the road safely and legally and had people shout, swear and swerve their cars at me. Believe me, people ARE angry at cyclists - it might be for the reasons you suggest, but their anger is directed at the humans on the bikes.

by ljf 3y ago

marcandre 3y ago

You forgot not signaling when turning and changing lanes...

wiredfool 3y ago
And driving/parking on sidewalks/footpaths. In the last 2 years of riding bikes and walking the dog, my two closest calls with cars have been on the sidewalk during walkies.

trgn 3y ago

Level of responsibility between driver and cyclist is categorically different. A driver will kill when inattentive or impatient. This disconnect between magnitude of input (slouched like a bag of potatoes, dozing) and magnitude of output (casually demolishing a building) is unnatural, it breaks the brain. It's easier to blame the weak, the system, the potholes.

yungporko 3y ago

people aren't blind to this at all, being pissed off about it even has it's own name (road rage)

ljf 3y ago
I'd argue it is different in that just seeing or talking about cyclists will often draw anger online and in person - most people don't feel the same way about cars or drivers. Getting angry when someone cuts you off is different to being angry about cyclists just existing.
- yungporko 3y ago
  i guess that's because it's a chore and arguably dangerous to share the road with cyclists no matter what they're doing, and not only when they're ignoring the rules of the road personally i just cycle on footpaths, i'm not really interested in what the law says. me getting hit by a car is a much more dangerous and likely situation than me riding into a pedestrian, and police aren't going to abandon their car on the road to chase me on foot.
- D13Fd 3y ago
  > being angry about cyclists just existing. I don't like some cyclists because of their blatant and unsafe disregard for the rules. It's not uncommon to see: - Cyclists ignoring red lights - Cyclists ignoring stop signs - Cyclists riding on a busy sidewalk - Cyclists yelling at pedestrians to move rather than stopping at an intersection as required - Cyclists taking up the entire lane and not permitting cars to pass - Cyclists going the wrong way down a one-way street Some of the worst offenders are e-bike users, who can move very fast and in unexpected ways. It's no fun to have someone silently fly by you from behind, inches away, at 20mph while they are riding what's basically a motorcycle on the sidewalk. I frequently walk in the city, and scooters/bicycles are far more of a hazard than cars. They often can't decide whether they want to be pedestrians or cars, and they often don't follow the rules for either, putting everyone (including themselves) at risk.
  - tonyg 3y ago
    > Cyclists taking up the entire lane and not permitting cars to pass This is explicitly permitted in most places and is often the only safe thing to do. In a situation like that, if you can't overtake such a bike (or car, or tractor) safely, you must wait until it is safe. The bike (or car or tractor) has the right to the entire lane.
  - ljf 3y ago
    It is not uncommon to see car drivers do all these things, including driving on the pavement/sidewalk.
    - 3y ago

scythe 3y ago

>But for some reason most people are blind to this and don't get aggressive with drivers. I'm not sure if this is serious, but it's one of the more obviously false claims I've seen on Hacker News: https://everytownresearch.org/reports-of-road-rage-shootings-are-on-the-rise/ https://everytownresearch.org/reports-of-road-rage-shootings... >Experiencing aggressive driving on the road is not uncommon—roughly eight in 10 drivers surveyed by the AAA Foundation for Traffic Safety reported having at least one incident in the month before the survey. In response to your other comment: >angry about cyclists just existing. I don't think these people are angry at cyclists per se at all, they're angry about a perceived anti-car sociopolitical shift, and cyclists are just a visible artifact of that.

ljf 3y ago
I can only assume that you are not a cyclist? I've just ridden down the road safely and legally and had people shout, swear and swerve their cars at me. Believe me, people ARE angry at cyclists - it might be for the reasons you suggest, but their anger is directed at the humans on the bikes.