In 2008, a Los Angeles physician saw two cyclists riding down a road in Brentwood. He sped past the bikers, then pulled in front of them and slammed on his brakes. Without time to react or stop, both cyclists crashed, one of them going through the rear window of the car. The assailant, Dr. Thomas Thompson said that he and other members of the Brentwood community were angered by the number of cyclists on the roads, and the way in which some did not obey traffic laws. He wanted to “teach them a lesson” when he caused the crash.
This is not an isolated occurrence. Most bikers who’ve spent much time riding in and around Madison have at least one story of an altercation or near-miss with a careless, angry or aggressive driver. These incidents usually end with only bruised egos and obscenities, but the potential for disaster is always there. In Wisconsin last year there were seven cyclists killed by drivers, and almost a thousand more who reported being injured.
There is plenty of driver bashing among cyclists, and I don’t mean to add to that. I bring up these examples to point out that public anger with cyclists can have very real and devastating consequences. With more cyclists on the road each year, conflicts are bound to arise, and there is much that could be done to work toward a more amicable relationship.
There are common sense rules of the road that cyclists can and should follow. Have front and rear lights, signal before turning, don’t pull out blindly into traffic, ride on the right side of the road and in the right direction. Pay attention to stop signs and stoplights. No headphones, no cell-phones. Don’t ride wasted. Helmets are also a good idea. Keep in mind that cyclists as a whole are judged by the way each person rides.
No matter how well or how courteously cyclists ride there will be some motorists who become enraged with anything and everything that moves slower than them. Nothing can be done about this.
Most drivers, however, become angry with cyclists not because they are frustrated, or delayed, but because they feel threatened. And driving through downtown and campus with cyclists and pedestrians popping out from every street-corner and alley is threatening. Drivers don’t want to hit cyclists or pedestrians. When bikes and joggers and oblivious students appear out of nowhere and behave unpredictably, it can feel like a constant barrage of idiots trying to get run over. The constant tension of trying to avoid them over time turns to resentment and anger.
That being said, it is bikers who are in danger from cars, not the other way around. It may feel threatening as a driver to have a biker cut you off. But as a cyclist, it is dangerous as hell when a car does it. Stupid and careless cyclists risk their own lives, not those of the motorists around them. Is that an excuse for dangerous riding? No, but it should put some perspective on the threat drivers feel from bad cyclists.
Nothing a cyclist does, no matter how aggressive, rude or inconsiderate it might seem to a driver warrants the use of an automobile for even the mildest retaliation. People who would think to use their cars to ‘get even with’ or ‘teach a lesson to’ cyclists are few and far between, but they do exist.
What enables those people is a public anger with cyclists. Perhaps less prominent in Madison than in other places with a burgeoning bicycle population, it is still there. Cyclists can help themselves by following common sense safety precautions and riding courteously. Drivers can gain perspective on the issue by realizing that the threat they face from careless cyclists pales in comparison to the danger in which they place bikers.
Geoff Jara-Almonte ([email protected]) is a 4th year medical student and former bike courier
