Bicycles and Drivers on the Road

There is a tendency for car drivers to become veryA lot of the anger drivers have towards cyclists is not
angered by the mere presence of bicyclists on thecompletely unwarranted. Many cyclists seem to
road. Many drivers tend to feel that the road belongsbelieve that they are above the traffic laws and
to those in motorized vehicles and bicyclists areengage in frustrating and extremely risky behavior.
nothing more than an extreme nuisance keeping themSome things driver complain about include:
from getting to where they are going without changing- Bikes with no lights - Cyclists are legally required to
lanes or slowing down their speed.put blinking red lights at the end of their bicycle if they
Because of this attitude between motorists andare riding in the dark. Bikes without lights can be
bicyclists, a certain sort of bicyclist hatred has arisen. Itundetectable to drivers. They may seem to come out
is a sort of road rage involving bikes. The frighteningof nowhere and many close calls are the result of this
part of bike road rage is that cyclists are, for the mostirresponsible behavior on the biker's part.
part, completely unprotected when it comes to being- Not abiding by traffic laws - bicyclists must abide by
hit by a car. Motorists need to realize that they weightall the same traffic laws as cars. They must stop at
two tons in their cars and can easily kill a biker withstop signs and look both ways, stop at red lights and
one small jerk of their steering wheel. No matter howwait until they turn green to move and yield when told
much a cyclists may annoy a driver, they can neverto do so.
allow themselves to become angry in the same way- Listening to iPods - just like a driver of a car, a cyclist
that they would if another car were to cut them off.must be able to hear what is happening on the road. It
Basically, unless the motorist wishes to be chargedis illegal for drivers to wear earphones for this reason.
with murder or involuntary manslaughter, they shouldNo matter how tempting it might be to ride to a few
do everything within their power to stay calm.favorite grooves, head phones should never be worn
Reasons Motorists are angered by Cyclistswhile on a bike.