What would you teach a young driver about sharing the roadway with cyclists? I own a driver's ed school and we teach teens and adults how to drive. I think it would be exponentially beneficial to get insight from cyclists about safety concerns on the roadway. Your idea may be used in my classroom! One thing that I wish drivers would do is make eye contact at intersections. What say ye?
(锕侊箒)~~~~----------------------------------------------------------------------
Eye contact, turn signals don't mean much to me.
I watch at the front wheel of vehicles.
(锕侊箒)~~~~----------------------------------------------------------------------
We use this at work;
Aim high in steering - Look as far down the road as possible
Get the big picture - Maintain the proper following distance so you can comfortably determine the true hazards.
Keep your eyes moving - Scan, don't stare. Constantly shift your eyes while driving to keep up with changing traffic conditions.
Leave yourself an out - Surround your vehicle with space in front and at least on one side to escape conflict.
Make sure they see you - Communicate in traffic with your horn, lights and signals to establish eye contact with motorists and pedestrians.
I often get passed on blind turns when riding. Maybe a little patience could be added to the list. Leave a biker an out. Road hazards that really do not affect a car can put a bike down quick. Thanks for putting this thread up.
(锕侊箒)~~~~----------------------------------------------------------------------
I would teach people two things: when you catch a cyclist, it doesn't hurt to slow down and wait to pass until you know it's safe. Second, it's just not that hard so don't panic.
(锕侊箒)~~~~----------------------------------------------------------------------
What I have noticed in the UK lately is hardly any cars signal when they are overtaking you.
I don't know how this is for other countries but I am not sure what the law is in the UK at the mo wether it is compulsory to signal or not.
My view is if there is just the one car overtaking and they don't signal all well and good but if there are other cars following the 1st and they do not signal then the chances are the following motorists will not see the car overtake and wont have enough time to do the same so could crash into you.
(锕侊箒)~~~~---------------------------------------------------------------------- Good ideas everyone! Signaling is a confusing topic for young drivers. In Texas, the law states that if the vehicle is changing direction; no matter the degree of change; a signal must be used. So, this includes lane changes or even 1/2 lane changes as a driver passes a cyclist. Laws are one thing... Inforcement of the law is another.
(锕侊箒)~~~~----------------------------------------------------------------------
The posted speed limit is not a required speed to drive.
"The Fast and the Furious" is NOT a training film for motorists.
Respect everyone on the road whether on foot, on bike, or in car... they are all human and have a right to their chunk of the road.
The motorist behind you is NOT pushing.
(锕侊箒)~~~~----------------------------------------------------------------------
I think it would be a good thing to discuss how to properly deal with speed differentials (this would be applicable to situations with other cars, as well, but probably comes up more with passing cyclists). A lot of motorists will zoom right up behind a cyclist, match speed, and hang right on their bumper. This is needlessly dangerous, especially for the cyclist, and it also makes it difficult to pass. Instead, they should hang back a ways, so that they have room to accelerate while passing or merging.
Another one would simply be to not be surprised/angry when a cyclist controls a full lane for whatever reason. There seems to be a good number of motorists who just can't wrap their heads around the idea of a cyclist being serially in the line of traffic. I often see this at traffic lights with right-turn-only lanes, where some motorists will opt to make an illegal right turn from the lane to the left of the RTOL simply because there is a bicyclist in the RTOL. I truly don't get what they're thinking in those cases, but it happens often enough that it seems like a general fault in their thinking about traffic. Basically, they need to accept that cyclists are full and equal users of the road.
(锕侊箒)~~~~----------------------------------------------------------------------
One other thing: impress on them that it's really important to ALWAYS use a turn signal, even if the traffic that is present is "only" a cyclist or pedestrian. I see way too many drivers who don't bother to signal when I'm the only other vehicle present, and I need that information perhaps even more than motorists do. With the way that many motorists drive unpredictably around us, adding in a guessing game just makes things worse.
One thing that I wish drivers would do is make eye contact at intersections. What say ye?
Good ideas everyone! Signaling is a confusing topic for young drivers. In Texas, the law states that if the vehicle is changing direction; no matter the degree of change; a signal must be used. So, this includes lane changes or even 1/2 lane changes as a driver passes a cyclist. Laws are one thing... Inforcement of the law is another.
