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Why do car drivers try to kill cyclists?

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Unfortunately I was too busy to take note of his number, just trying to keep my legs going on a killer climb.

Juddy - it was up through Darlington and around the Mundaring Weir.

Wysiwyg - cyclists are part of the traffic, if someone has to wait a little bit longer before it is safe to overtake then so be it, no need to try and hit them. And for the record, I do group and team riding and if someone chooses to disobey road rules they are jumped upon very quickly. My signature has nothing to do with it. In this particular instance I was on a quiet road, by myself with no other traffic around. This guy was just being a knob.
 
Whilst I have no statistics to determine if there are more accidents involving cyclists (or road accidents in general) during recessions or periods of negative social mood, as a cyclist I'm not taking any chances - sticking to cycle paths (where I live there's plenty of them) and roads that have a stopping lane seem to be the safest.

One view is that as we go into a deeper recession, people (and life) will slow down - by how much? I really don't know. This may have a positive impact on reducing 'unnecessary' accidents that relate to speed or not paying attention (eg driving, changing lanes while trying to eat lunch, conf call on the cell phone and being 10mins late to the next appointment).

However, at the same time in an era negative social mood that will probably move to the extreme, it will push people to be less tolerant of each other. A result of this intolerance will probably appear as an increase of antagonistic road incidents and deliberate violence against pedestrians and cyclists.
 
Personally think its all to do with the lycra outfits





sorry to hear of your experience up in the hills . i have a place i stay /live in darlington on the escarpment and usually they a pretty mellow bunch up in the hills
 
2BAD4U said:
Wysiwyg - cyclists are part of the traffic, if someone has to wait a little bit longer before it is safe to overtake then so be it, no need to try and hit them.
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Do you make cars wait the full length of the steep winding climbs on Mundaring Weir Road or if one is behind do you pull over to the side where safe to let it pass ?
 
2BAD4U said:
Unfortunately I was too busy to take note of his number, just trying to keep my legs going on a killer climb.

Juddy - it was up through Darlington and around the Mundaring Weir.

Wysiwyg - cyclists are part of the traffic, if someone has to wait a little bit longer before it is safe to overtake then so be it, no need to try and hit them. And for the record, I do group and team riding and if someone chooses to disobey road rules they are jumped upon very quickly. My signature has nothing to do with it. In this particular instance I was on a quiet road, by myself with no other traffic around. This guy was just being a knob.
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2bad4y, I have seen more knobs on bikes than driving cars, go to Freo on a Sunday, you will see the knobs on the road holding up traffic when they could be on the cycle track.
 
pilots said:
2bad4y, I have seen more knobs on bikes than driving cars, go to Freo on a Sunday, you will see the knobs on the road holding up traffic when they could be on the cycle track.
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Slight difference though, knobs in cars can easily take a cyclist's life. Knobs on bikes can.... make you have to slow down for a few seconds?

Dittums.

I must remark on the patience of the average English driver towards cyclists and pedestrians over here, compared to Aus. Aus has a lot of really great things about it, but driving isn't one of them.

I we rarely use our car for around town and usually walk or treadly around. The streets are quite narrow and if on a bike, you will be inconveniencing drivers, they often have to wait some time to get around you.

At first I was quite paranoid about this, expecting to get blasted or knocked off or coke cans chucked at me (all things that have happened to me in Oz)b but nope, they just wait patiently until it is safe to pass... remarkable.

Drivers will often stop to let pedestrians cross the road when clearly the car has right of way.

This is the general attitude in regional towns and cities. It's not "quite" so friendly in London, but in a city of 10 million that covers 25% of the area of Sydney, and full of foreigners, it is still quite remarkable.

This begs the question - In a country that sees itself as a pretty laid back and friendly place, why are Aussies so impatient and uncourteous... and sometimes downright intimidating and dangerous on the roads?
 
Its a sport of sorts.... to paraphrase Mallory - "because they're there"
(although I always preferred Hillary's "We knocked the bastard off")
 
pilots said:
2bad4y, I have seen more knobs on bikes than driving cars, go to Freo on a Sunday, you will see the knobs on the road holding up traffic when they could be on the cycle track.
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They don't get held up by pedestrians on the road.
 
An old thread, but a recent article in the "West" made me revisit it.

https://thewest.com.au/news/perth/p...r-with-a-truck-caught-on-camera-ng-b88706435z

I do ride a bike, but try to stay off the roads, now the W.A Government has brought in a mandatory 1m gap between the cyclist and the vehicle.

Watching the supplied video in the article, I noticed in the first clip, the female rider was riding side by side with the other rider, and on the road side of the white line.
This makes it very difficult for the vehicle driver, IMO, why couldn't she ride in front or behind the other rider?
The next video clip was really scary, two riders on a country road expecting a B Double to cross an unbroken white line to give them 1m, what about cars coming the other way around the corner?
 
Does this apply both ways?

IE: If I'm going slow in traffic does the bike rider have to give me 1m?

Or can they continue playing Russian Roulette with my mirrors?
 
We have the 1 meter rule here and 1.5 meters where speed limit is over 60 k.

I’ve noticed a huge difference when riding and feel safer.
Now all we need is to block the ability to text while in a car and I’ll be
100% safer.
 
tech/a said:
We have the 1 meter rule here and 1.5 meters where speed limit is over 60 k.

I’ve noticed a huge difference when riding and feel safer.
Now all we need is to block the ability to text while in a car and I’ll be
100% safer.
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Is there a law against cyclists using mobiles when riding ?
 
Serious Riders don't use a phone.
Well I haven't seen one in a peloton.
But seriously what a stupid comment.

One of my clients daughters was riding at Westlake's on the morning of her wedding
A 22 yrs old TEXTING killed her. Cops just looked at the phone.

Mate of mine was clipped during a ride we were on the IDIOT gets out of the car with phone to ear
yelling "Gotta Go just hit someone on a bike"

Being the mild mannered Duck I am I grabbed his phone and stomped the crap out of it.
reminding him that he was next!
 
I don't see how a simple inquiry of the facts could be regarded as a stupid comment. If using a phone is a distraction from the job at hand then the same laws should apply to all road users including cyclists and pedestrians.

Very sad about your client's daughter. Did the motorist get gaoled ?
 
SirRumpole said:
I don't see how a simple inquiry of the facts could be regarded as a stupid comment. If using a phone is a distraction from the job at hand then the same laws should apply to all road users including cyclists and pedestrians.

Very sad about your client's daughter. Did the motorist get gaoled ?
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Yes should be a blanket.
I don't know what happened.

Gaol someone for 25 yrs and see what happens!
Caught using a phone in the car.
Automatic 3 mths Home detention. Try that on!
See how that effects YOURE life.

Toughen up!
 
sptrawler said:
An old thread, but a recent article in the "West" made me revisit it.

https://thewest.com.au/news/perth/p...r-with-a-truck-caught-on-camera-ng-b88706435z

I do ride a bike, but try to stay off the roads, now the W.A Government has brought in a mandatory 1m gap between the cyclist and the vehicle.

Watching the supplied video in the article, I noticed in the first clip, the female rider was riding side by side with the other rider, and on the road side of the white line.
This makes it very difficult for the vehicle driver, IMO, why couldn't she ride in front or behind the other rider?
The next video clip was really scary, two riders on a country road expecting a B Double to cross an unbroken white line to give them 1m, what about cars coming the other way around the corner?
Click to expand...


It's a stupid law IMO, as it's unenforceable. Can you imagine a police officer getting out a tape measure to check the distance between 2 vehicles, while they are both moving? And how is a driver expected to measure this distance? Perhaps attach a 1m ruler to their side mirror? All a person can do is use their subjective opinion as to what looks to be about 1m, but in reality may be much closer than what they think it is.
 
AlterEgo said:
It's a stupid law IMO, as it's unenforceable. Can you imagine a police officer getting out a tape measure to check the distance between 2 vehicles, while they are both moving? And how is a driver expected to measure this distance? Perhaps attach a 1m ruler to their side mirror? All a person can do is use their subjective opinion as to what looks to be about 1m, but in reality may be much closer than what they think it is.
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I agree with you, I do a lot of cycling and try whenever possible to stay off roads.
The thing that bothers me is the ambiguity the rule causes, as in the second video involving the B double
It is illegal to pass the cyclist within 1m and it is illegal to cross an unbroken white line, that only leaves one course of action, to slow the truck down to the speed of the cyclist.
Which in theory sounds fine, but in practice, on Country roads can be impossible, as there is insufficient time.
The rules should be made, in consultation with all parties, that some roads aren't suitable for cyclists.
The same as bicycles, horses etc aren't allowed on the freeways, they shouldn't be allowed on roads that are deemed too dangerous.
Just my opinion
 
AlterEgo said:
It's a stupid law IMO, as it's unenforceable. Can you imagine a police officer getting out a tape measure to check the distance between 2 vehicles, while they are both moving? And how is a driver expected to measure this distance? Perhaps attach a 1m ruler to their side mirror? All a person can do is use their subjective opinion as to what looks to be about 1m, but in reality may be much closer than what they think it is.
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Its a law so if you hit a cyclist then you've just broken the law.
Plus I have helmet cam so as you go past me trying to scare
the crap out of me I have your car and distance and Number plate
ready to go.
Its a great law and one that I have noticed makes a huge difference.
Cars really go wide in the country passing at 100k which is great.

Keep a meter or more wide when I ride along the Espy.
You cant ride a bike on Freeways there is always a Bike path next to them.

Bike tracks are great but spend some money on them so they are not
goat tracks!
 
That video says it all. The bike nearest the truck is in the wrong.
 
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