What is it about being in a car that makes people think they have a magical ability to see round corners [/i]

people think

This is where you’re going wrong

They don’t have to think, they’re entitled to go around that corner any way they like unobstructed.

Paying road tax (dives for cover)

They use that same magic ability to also see over blind hills.

On a regular road route I do there is an ‘S’ bend that goes under a railway bridge in a 60mph zone. In a car you have to slow down to under 30mph due to the tight bends. I lost count how many cars tried to overtake me on my bike there by cutting the corners going way too fast. Now I just take primary position to stay safe. No ones ever beeped or got angry enough to shout or anything so I just think it makes people think a bit before stomping their right foot.

Guilty as charged 😳

I reckon I’m a pretty good driver (doesn’t everyone?), smooth, courteous, stay within speed limits, wide passes, no stupid overtakes but on familiar roads, where I know every bend by heart, I’ve developed a bad habit of assuming they’ll be clear of obstructions and slow moving users. I do try to correct myself but occasionally drop back into it.

Chances are there won’t be a car coming.. Even if there is cyclists are dispensable. People do it loads of times and it’s fine.. Nothing ever comes the other way so what could possibly go wrong?

It’s fine as once you get your wing mirror past a cyclist they simply cease to exist. You can happily swing left back into your lane.

Yesh. There is a chap in a Mercedes who has passed me (driving) at about 90 on a blind summit a couple of times now, once narrowly missing a couple of tipper trucks coming the other way. When you drive the same route every day you start to recognise people. I just slow down to 40 and pull over when I see him coming in my rear view mirror now, to get his scary driving as far from me as possible.

Amusingly, I am not the only one, I noticed somebody else on the long straight at the A703 do the same thing ahead of us. You would hope this would make him aware that his driving scares the crap out of other road users, but somehow I doubt it. It is probably adding to his arrogant sense of entitlement.

P.S and yes I know it is a man before you all cry sexism – the beard gives it away…

Sad thing is, it could be pretty easily cured by flooding the roads with unmarked police cyclists. Fairly sure (at least in the short-mid term), that units of 2 two policemen (one bike, one motorbike nearby) could easily pay for themselves in fines generated. Its pretty unusual to go more than 5 mins on a moderately busy road without a motorist making a dangerous overtake.

That said, I got overtaken by a police van on a blind corner yesterday, so maybe there is no solution……

Its not just corners I’ve had several on long straight road when the overtaking driver has caused the oncoming drivers to emergency brake.

I think its the sence of safety that modern cars ( although the worst was an old bmw skip) that makes thhe drivers feel untouchable and also people are just a bit too stupid to be trusted with motor csrs.

I was riding, and close to the bend: I could see round it, and could see three cars coming. Heard a car behind, did big exaggerated shoulder check so they could see me doing it, moved out from primary slightly further to leave no doubt.

So the car behind went anyway without slowing at all. Then did an emergency stop.

This was, to be honest, quite alarming.

The driver then waved an apology at the other car, who had had to stop too – while steadfastly ignoring me.

I don’t understand.

My car was written off last month by a driver overtaking a cyclist on a blind vend over double white lines. Completely ruined both our cars, and a good couple of weeks of our lives, just to save a couple of seconds.

I should point out, with respect to to my previous post, that I wasn’t suggesting I overtake round blind corners.

Of course, I also know that it’s not the done thing on STW (or anywhere else) to admit to less than perfect driving.

I don’t worry too much about knobs coming the other way too fast round our blind country lanes, I’ve usually got a bale spike on the front. Bale spike 1 airbag 0!!

I just lose faith in People… again this morning, 20m before the turn to nursery to drop off, which is blind and 50m from school. Two kids on the bike too, both wearing lids.

Me, politely, no swearing: “Why did you overtake me there on a blind bend, then turn across me to turn left?”

Member of Public: “Because you aren’t wearing a helmet. Anyway, you were in the middle of the road!”

(Serves me right for riding primary I guess – you get this reaction a lot…)

Me: “what was your plan if a car came?”

MoP: “Dunno. Brake. Anyway, where’s your helmet? What if you fell off”

I really really hate what happens to (presumably normal) folk because they’re in a car.

I do know where she works and parks though (within yards of nursery), so have another car to try and recognise each day and try to avoid because of its selfish driver.

I will get on with my day now, having not sworn or yelled at anyone. Whether they were wearing helmets or not.

The driver then waved an apology at the other car, who had had to stop too – while steadfastly ignoring me.

Last time it happened to me, I looked at the oncoming driver (who had been forced to do an emergency stop), expecting some kind of mutual eye-rolling and tutting at the antics of the bloke who had just overtaken me.

Just glared and gesticulated at me, which was to be expected, I suppose.

There seems to be some sort of assumption with drivers that the more familiar they are with the road the less likely they are to meet traffic on blind corners.

Usual case of the driver being blind to anything beyond the cyclist I’d assume (and likely also processing the cyclist as a stationary object.) Probably hasn’t even registered the upcoming blind bend.

I’d assume there are studies out there on this as it must be a well recognised psychological phenomenon.

Had an amusing one the other day where a van started to overtake me just before a traffic “calming” bottleneck where oncoming traffic had right of way and was making its way through the bottleneck. He ended up stopped in the oncoming lane blocking an oncoming car. I snuck through at which point the van moved over, wound down his window, and started hurling a vile torrent of abuse at the blameless oncoming driver! 🙄

Member of Public: “Because you aren’t wearing a helmet.”

"Can you not think of a better way to address that issue?" pic.twitter.com/5jRzWexv8z

— Bez (@beztweets) December 9, 2015

hels – Member
P.S and yes I know it is a man before you all cry sexism – the beard gives it away…

Blasphemy!

people

think

In a large number of cases you have made a large (and often unwarranted) leap of faith there.

If everyone stuck to the rules, paid attention and was considerate, then there would only be ‘acts of god’ to deal with.

Blasphemy!

Exactly could have been on their way to a stoning.

Bez

Nail, head.

As a driver (and a higher than average mileage one) I do not give a flying squirrel whether a cyclist is wearing a helmet. I just plan to overtake them safely.

The suggestion that I or anyone should wear a helmet to allow me/them to be safe from someone driving like a complete plonker is abhorrent.

It makes about as much sense as telling someone at an oil refinery to put on an asbestos suit so that everyone else can have a smoke.

The problem isn’t the suit it’s the smoking.

Back to the OP the issue is a little bit like Bez or DezB’s piece (sorry I can’t recall which) on constant bearing reducing distance. It first needs someone to point it out (during the learner phase) and then it needs someone to engage their brain sufficiently to follow the basic rule below for long enough that it becomes second nature. I don’t think we really do the first and the second is definitely an issue!

The rule: always drive at a speed where you can stop on your own side of the road in the distance you can see. (It’s worded better in Roadcraft).

I’ve had the constant bearing – reducing distance problem myself, not with a bike but with a car! I was at a T-junction turning right and rolling slowly up to then across the line. There was a car coming from my left and slowing down to turn into the road I was exiting. I just couldn’t/didn’t see it because of the passenger side A-pillar. Fortunately the other driver came to a stop and there was no collision but if there had been then it would have been my fault.

My wife was in the passenger seat and usually she’s acting as an extra pair of eyes whether I want them or not but on this occasion she must have been looking elsewhere and I mistakenly assumed she was doing her normal looking out of the window.

Double post!

P.S and yes I know it is a man before you all cry sexism – the beard gives it away…

Isn’t the A703 in Scotland? Not unfeasible that it’s a bearded lady 😉

Had 2 of these type of events last week – both ‘must overtake because cyclist’, without actually assessing the situation.

First one I was at the tail of a traffic queue. Driver behind tried to overtake despite no space in front of me – got alongside me and got a sharp rap on his window to remind him that I hadn’t magically bloody vanished. Thankfully he stopped.

Second one I was approaching a traffic island, doing about 20 in a 20 zone, in primary because cars always try and squeeze through without enough space where it narrows. Driver behind tries to overtake, ends up stopped in the middle of the road about 6 inches from the traffic island, which like me in the first event, had failed to magically vanish.

So, I do know that I stand a good chance of coming across as a bit of an arse with this thread that i just can’t let go

But another overtake on a blind section, approaching a T junction with a stop line. Pulled up next to the driver, because he only gained 10 yards by his actions.

Why is it always the cyclists fault? Today the reason I deserved being passed without the driver having any idea about what was coming was because I hadn’t signalled. So naturally the response to the isn’t to wait and see, or give the unpredictable cyclist some extra room.

No, it’s to push past as a lesson.

But it’s ok because he’s a “150 to 170 mph track driver”. Whoo. That clearly has relevance to driving in traffic at 15-17 mpg. Thanks.

I know, I need to learn from this and ride more and more defensively. And probably not speak to drivers. But posting it up here helps me move on with my day. That is all.

So, finally got bored with people in cars being arses, so today’s winner gets reported to Thames Valley.

Trying (failing) to overtake *as I passed the school gates*, towards parked cars on the other side of the road, on (you guessed it) a corner you can’t see round. Ended with us both having to emergency stop in the end or he’d have it me and/or the parked car.

Thanks, Mr Nissan Cube. Who’s registration was (and who knew this amazing fact?) CLEARLY MARKED ON BOTH ENDS OF HIS CAR!

So, reported online just now, mostly because of the tirade of abuse he was eager to share with me and all the familes walking by.

Tried the phone first: turns out Thames Valley phone line busy times are “8am til 6pm”. What a surprise. Maybe get more capacity if you are busy for all of the day…!

I get this pretty much every ride and had one instance where an oncoming car had to do an emergency stop to avoid a head on collision; the driver had his wife and young family in the vehicle and looked really shaken. Of course the idiot who’d pulled the manaevour simply sped away without acknowledging anything.

Something else that really flummoxes me are drivers that tailgate someone overtaking on a blind corner! And then again, there are those that simply overtake into oncoming traffic!

I had a car try to overtake a group of us on the way down the side of Derwentwater, over the top of a blind hill. He got half way past our group and realised that he wasn’t going to be able to pull in at the front before the double-decker bus coming the other way, so just had to stop, on the wrong side of the road, nose-to-nose with the now-stationary bus.

I passed him and gave him that most dreaded of British gestures – the almost imperceptible shake of the head and virtually silent “tut tut tut” that told him that not only had he let his family down, but that he had also let himself down. I trust that my assertive response taught him a stern lesson that day…

On the bike I usually get follow me around the corners, waiting for a nice straight bit where it may be safe to overtake and then just going for it, regardless of whether anything is coming or not, almost like they are waiting to make sure something is coming the other way

And lost count of the amount of times I’ve been overtaken what driving at 30 in a 30 zone

My absolute pet hate when I’m on the bike is the pointless pass.

Rolling down a hill towards a red light with a queue

Rolling towards a queue waiting behind a bus

Riding in primary with the flow of traffic, not pedalling very hard because I can easily keep pace.

These are all perfect places to pass apparently.

It amazes me none of them have crashed, as they clearly aren’t looking any further down the road than my back tyre

I applaud the really good ones “Nice pass you’ve saved yourself lots of time there”  as I catch them at the queue that mysteriously appeared in front of them just as they reached my front wheel

My absolute pet hate when I’m on the bike is the pointless pass.

I’ve had a number of variations on this theme where folk have accelerated past me only to hit the brakes to take an immediate turn or back into their drive! Seriously I’m sure that it would have been quicker (and safer) just to wait behind me.

Some drivers almost seem to have a reflex action of just having to overtake a cyclist, like a cat pouncing on a reflected point of light.

I had one get out of his BMW after a pointless pass the other day to scream at full volume about how I was holding the traffic up and couldn’t I see the jam I was causing behind me. After a few minutes of this and not getting a rise out of me (beyond the usual “f*** off, get out of the way I want to get home” as he was now the one blocking the road), I cycled past him as the previously bike-speed traffic was now stationary.

Riding in primary with the flow of traffic, not pedalling very hard because I can easily keep pace.

Had a woman do this in Putney the other day, only there really wasn’t room to pull back in, so she just sat on the wrong side of the road for about half a mile alongside me, until someone came the other way, when she dropped back in behind me. People are ****.

Some drivers almost seem to have a reflex action of just having to overtake a cyclist, like a cat pouncing on a reflected point of light.

You can almost hear their brain screaming “MUST. PASS. CYCLIST.” as they perform their idiotic manoeuvre.

I once got passed by a learner under professional instruction around a narrow blind corner, who nearly had a head on collision with the car coming the other way.

The instructor thought it’d be OK cos he couldn’t see any lights… I did point out that it clearly hadn’t been OK…