[Closed] How to stop car drivers being kn***?

Short of automatic weapons and hand grenades not sure how you deal with the complete bell ends. Just be as safe as you can and stay in the right place

Primary position where applicable, confident and assertive riding, ride at the same speed of traffic, (easier in towns and cities obviously) but at the end of the day arsehole is as arsehole does.

Yep, as above. Let them be the stressed one, don't react, enjoy your ride.

When I get to this pissed off stage after a road ride I get out ride the MTB and chill out in the hills. Then I’m ready again for the idiots on the road.

I gave up - too many broken bones riding on the roads caused by idiot drivers.

Followed a slow learner motorcycle rider in my car today who had a CCTV sticker on the back of his helmet. Made me think and back off even though he was right up the arse of the car in front of him and driving like a knob.
Maybe a model of a GoPro stuck on top of your helmet my make them think.

I really don't enjoy riding on the road. We went out for a ride along the beach last night, on the way back we did half a mile through town before getting back on a cycle path. It's just no fun, and there weren't even any knobs about. I usually make sure I ride where cars aren't.

As with everything it is a balancing act. Ride ‘out’ (I.e. a third to half way across the lane) and you manage the majority of dangerous (just negligent and clueless) drivers quite well. The problem is that for every twenty or so merely negligent drivers there is one totally ****ing homicidal arsehole. In these cases ‘riding out a bit’ is more likely to cause a serious issue as they seem to regard driving as some kind of gladiatorial competition.

In general, being confident, riding out so that cars have to cross the centre line to overtake and being a bit ‘bristly’ (turning your head to eyeball drivers who sound like they are approaching a bit too quick from behind) seems the safest approach to me.

It shouldn’t be this way, but it is. And you’re not any more or less dead if you get mullered by a negligent driver or a total shit. Manage the incompetents and pray you don’t get the arsehole when it is them or you.

Just chalk it up to some drivers being gentleman’s bits.

Happened to me today, however thanks to the drivers personalised plate I know where he lives 🧐

In these cases ‘riding out a bit’ is more likely to cause a serious issue as they seem to regard driving as some kind of gladiatorial competition.

Yep, had it yesterday. Coming up to blind bend and I could hear car coming in opposite direction and could hear car fast approaching me from behind. I went out into the middle of the road to make sure they wouldn't pass but they just sped up more and squeezed by about 10 metres from the bend. Car coming other way had to screech to a halt, driver overtaking me swerved under braking and almost went into hedge on left.

So no, there is nothing you can do with that sort of driver. Most people who see a cyclist before bend would realise that is not a place to overtake and when the cyclist is making a move to middle of the road they are trying to tell you something.

As said above, just need to make sure you are ready for it as I pretty much knew he would do it so was ready to stop/go off to side of road etc,.

I've had a number of near misses/close passes that have required me to react to avoid an accident; equally I've seen quite a few drivers overtake me into oncoming traffic requiring them to react to avoid being hit.

I think that you just need to constantly be mindful of how vulnerable you are as a cyclist and try and be as ready as you can for potential bellendery.

I'm also starting to learn to be less aggressive in response to bad driving 'lest I get clobbered.

Most people who see a cyclist before bend would realise that is not a place to overtake and when the cyclist is making a move to middle of the road they are trying to tell you something.

I genuinely wish this were true. I’ve had more than a few occasions of drivers hurling abuse at me because I’ve had the audacity to pull out on a bend and stop them from killing me, themselves or the folk in the car coming the other way.

I drive a lot for work and I’m starting to hate going out even in the car with all these crazy drivers everywhere. Why? I think it’s becuade I always keep to the speed limit and am courteous to other drivers etc - a lot of drivers seem to go apoplectic that I dare to keep to 30mph.
It’s bad driving with these people around, I can see why some people are too scared (I’m thinking beginners) to ride on the road.
Due to injury I’ve not ridden a bike for a while and I’m not mad keen on getting back on the roads at all.

At night I find having 4 bright leds on the back and two on the front helps alot. Cars are generally alright around here though.

Over the Xmas period we visited the outlaws in a different part of Germany. Out on a road ride and a car close passed me. Another cm and the mirror would have taken out my handlebars. One minute later the car was stopped at traffic lights. I decided to take the calm approach and knocked on the drivers window. It was an old chap with his wife. I calmly told him that he had passed me way to close , which he denied but I pointed out that under German law cars must give cyclists a minimum of 1.5m which would mean he would have to have moved way over the central markings. He tried to answer back but by then I’d already bidden him farewell and was riding over the now green lights. Must have worked as he then passed me with about 10m clearance!

you can get air horn loud horns. Just when you need to use them you are concentrating on surviving. Still good though.

Best advice I had was just to think every car is out to kill you.

you can get air horn loud horns. Just when you need to use them you are concentrating on surviving. Still good though.

It is because of this that I choose the method of shouting a word that rhymes with ‘hunt’ at the top of my voice. It is quite effective.

Sadly it is about percentages for me. At least if you ride ‘out’ you still have somewhere to go. Strangely, it seems local driving culture is a factor. Around me the ‘bristling aggression/assertiveness’ approach seems to work best. Especially on a section of road I call ‘murder mile’. There are solid lines down a lot of it (it is largely straight), but the verges are tiny and then just hedge. There is a nasty brow and it is often damp in the hedge lined bit. I am totally militant along that bit and it seems to work. If I ride close to the verge it just invites idiots to chance it, but of course it would most likely be me that pays the price.

being a bit ‘bristly’ (turning your head to eyeball drivers who sound like they are approaching a bit too quick from behind)

Yes I think eye contact is a good one. Though not easy with traffic approaching from behind, I do always give drivers waiting to enter the road I'm on a good hard stare, just they know I'VE seen THEM.

I like the CCTV sticker. How about "Smile, you're on Candid Camera"?

There is a section of blind bends near me where I can usually guarantee that some Muppet will try to get past . Primary, secondary makes no difference. The only advantage is that I can see over the dry stone wall and spot the oncoming vehicle and slam on rather than be taken out.
Best one recently was some **** giving his girlfriend a driving lesson. Words of advice were offered when I caught up with them.

I have had a few bad passes recently. The latest was in a 20 limit. Car over took my cresting a bind hill. No though at all about seeing if it was clear. She was saved by the quick reactions of the car coming the other way. They both ended up stopped having each other. But luckily this is rare and never driver sheet to blame me

My current worry is local traffic calming with alternate prioritise and single car width passing points. It seems that most times I cycle though somebody drives straight at me when it's my right of way. It doesn't seem to be aggressive drivers. More the terminally confused......

I ventured out on my road bike for the first time this year and the standard of driving seems to have deteriorated since I was last out in November. It could be that my perception has changed or I just need to re-acquaint myself with what is 'normal' for round here, but in the course of a 90 minute ride I could say there was a 'wft' moment about every 10 mins. I live in the middle of Guildford so have come to expect poor driving in town but this was on the relatively quiet rural roads.
The other thing that depresses me is the latent hatred of cyclists round here. It seems that at some point any conversation will turn to the subject of Ride London or something else cycle focused and, from nowhere this stream of invective comes pouring out; the local Facebook page seems to be particularly unpleasant.

Not that I've given this much thought! 😉

All commuting cyclists get to register with their local police service. Every Monday 5 random cyclists are issued a block and 2 magazines for the day. Driving concentration levels raised considerably.

Tuesdays is beat advanced stop box abusers at the scene of their misdemeanour day.

The local plod did do a [url= https://www.avonandsomerset-pcc.gov.uk/News-and-Events/News-Archive/2017/June/Operation -'Close-Pass'-launches-in-Bristol-and-Bath.aspx]Close Pass[/url] operation using plain clothes officers on camera equipped bikes but I think it was a once only affair (plus they seem to have announced the initiative in advance).

If they had the manpower to do this regularly it might help, but I don't see it happening.

https://www.avonandsomerset-pcc.gov.uk/News-and-Events/News-Archive/2017/June/Operation -'Close-Pass'-launches-in-Bristol-and-Bath.aspx