Do you find yourself driving your car like you ride your bike?

Sometimes when I'm driving on a road that I often ride, I find myself forgetting that I can't simply slow, check for cars at a red light and roll through! (This only happens at small intersections, by the way, and I've near actually gone through. ;)) And sometimes I find myself slamming on the brakes at a stop sign going, "Has that stop sign always been there?!" ... because I never stop at it on my bike and don't often drive that road in my car. That's happened at two different stop signs lately.

On my way home tonight, in the incredible Santa Ana winds, there were a couple of huge orange cones blown over to the left side of my lane, right where I was getting off the freeway. I found myself starting to lift my left hand to point them out to people behind me! And then I just laughed and shook my head and told my daughter this is getting a little scary.

Does anyone else have these sort of issues? :rolleyes:

I ride my bike more than I drive my car.

Sometimes I find myself braking in my car during a mild downhill curve so I don't 'lose control' on a little patch of gravel or something....too funny.

Also, when walking down the road during my fitness walks, I regularly catch myself trying to glance in my bike helmet mirror to check on the traffic behind me. Makes me want to wear a rearview mirror all the time! :p

me too, me too. I am hypervigilant riding on the road, but when I am driving the car, sometimes I forget that i am wrapped up in a bunch of protective metal.

I notice that my partner and I drive a lot on the roads we ride on, even when it's not the fastest way to go (by car).

This being said, I increasingly prefer riding my bike than going around in a car, and find it safer. I see traffic going a lot faster in cars, and a lot more opportunities for accidents. On the bike, I know very well at all time where all of my body parts are and how they are located in relation to moving objects and people in my vicinity. In high-, fast-traffic areas with lots of cars changing lanes to go in different directions, I feel that there are a lot more variables to be cared for, and a lot more that is outside of my control.

Am I weird or does anyone relate? (Making the two of us weird.)

I used to reflexively reach down as if I were going to shift my barcons as I was driving up a steep hill.

:o

If i biked like i drove..umm :eek: ha haaa..

I can say however i'm getting very very good at spotting cyclists ahead whilst driving.

wow, that's interesting, because motorcycling tends to make people so much better car drivers. I guess the speed makes all the difference (i.e. learning where to look) between what you learn on a m/c and what you learn on a b/c.

I'd have to say no.

As far as lessons the other way, I know that motorcycling definitely made me more aware of lane positioning on a bicycle, taught me where to look, and helped me learn to lean further while cornering (even though the body positioning is TOTALLY different and I'm still adjusting to that).

I did a weekend of criterium racing with some very aggressive riders (they occasionally lean on/towards you to try and make you back off so they can take your place in the pack). Sometime during the next week, I was in the right lane next to a large Suburban. Driver (on the phone, of course), started to move towards my lane/car, and I instinctively sped up & moved to the left side of the lane... towards the SUV :eek: My SO had to remind me that I can't "shoulder" an SUV with my Honda Fit... no matter how hard I try :D

I think I am a safer driver because I ride.

First of all, when you are in a car, you are going so much faster! Whoa!

So I have been driving pretty slowly lately. Likely saving gas.

I think I am also much more aware. In a car, you can't hear approaching cars, or other telltale signs of something happening. You are isolated. When I used to drive to work I'd play the radio, loud. Now I can't bear to have the radio higher than a low drone. I crack my window so that I can "hear." It's disconcerting to be in a box!

I was walking this weekend with my MIL at a streetfair and as she walked behind, I kept pointing on the ground - tree root! curb! stairs! - funny.

I think I am more sensible on country roads. I used to speed a lot but now I know there are likely cyclists, I take me time. I am more aware of pedestrians and cyclists when I am in a car now.

My Dad is a better motorcycler than driver. Oh lord I will ride on the bike any day but it is pure terror in the truck!!

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Originally Posted by Jiffer

Sometimes when I'm driving on a road that I often ride, I find myself forgetting that I can't simply slow, check for cars at a red light and roll through! And sometimes I find myself slamming on the brakes at a stop sign going, "Has that stop sign always been there?!"

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That's exactly why I stop at every traffic light and stop sign. I wouldn't roll through in my vehicle; I refuse to do so on my bike. Sure, it wreaks havoc on average speed -- and I'm all about the numbers! Yes, it can seem unnecessary at times since we ride in the country where there's often little traffic, and visibility at intersections can be 1/4-mile or more. But, I don't want to put myself in the position to absent-mindedly commit a no-brainer in my vehicle because of behavior engaged in on the bike. Of course, I'm the one who finds myself attempting to put the gallon of milk in the cabinet instead of the refrigerator, so I have cause to worry. :)

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Originally Posted by crazycanuck

I can say however i'm getting very very good at spotting cyclists ahead whilst driving.

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I am too. I notice cyclists in general much more than I ever did and go out of my way to make sure not to drive too close or move into the bike lane.

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Originally Posted by Jiffer

Sometimes when I'm driving on a road that I often ride, I find myself forgetting that I can't simply slow, check for cars at a red light and roll through! (This only happens at small intersections, by the way, and I've near actually gone through. ;)) And sometimes I find myself slamming on the brakes at a stop sign going, "Has that stop sign always been there?!" ... because I never stop at it on my bike and don't often drive that road in my car. That's happened at two different stop signs lately.

Does anyone else have these sort of issues? :rolleyes:

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:DYep! Almost rolled through a stop sign the other day! (In a car we call those Missouri rolling stops--my husband says it's not my fault. I was born here!)

I may not "drive" like I bike. But when I drive or ride (passenger) after a bike ride I do call out "car left" or "car right" and sometimes "slowing/stopping" if I am driving or my partner calls it out! We laugh! Yep, rather be biking!

I can't say I drive like I bike. But! I examine every single hill I drive up and down thinking to myself how hard I might have to work up one and how great it would be to fly down another. lol! Then I start wishing I had my bike with me so I could get out there and ride bigger ones to see how well I can make it up them. I'm crazy, I'm sure.

I don't roll through stops or anything (I don't on my bike, either), but I definitely have to catch myself from yelling out "car back" when driving with my husband. Just today, we were carpooling in to work together and I yelled "clear" as we were backing out onto our road! :o

Oh, I also find myself getting annoyed with cars that slow as I follow them down a hill....like "come on...there's an uphill up ahead - don't lose momentum!" :rolleyes:

When I first got my Prius, I was intentionally driving it like I rode a bike. Drafting behind big SUV's (even at a safe distance) made a real difference in mpg, so used my knowledge of how to conserve energy on a bike on a long ride to get better mileage on my car! (coasting down hills, using momentum to get up hills, slowing but not completely stopping at turns, drafting behind vehicles or staying in traffic instead of pulling into the left lane to pass when on a highway, etc).

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Originally Posted by GLC1968

When I first got my Prius, I was intentionally driving it like I rode a bike. Drafting behind big SUV's (even at a safe distance) made a real difference in mpg, so used my knowledge of how to conserve energy on a bike on a long ride to get better mileage on my car! (coasting down hills, using momentum to get up hills, slowing but not completely stopping at turns, drafting behind vehicles or staying in traffic instead of pulling into the left lane to pass when on a highway, etc).

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Yep....(except I am a compulsive "must see 0 on the speedometer" at stop signs driver). And coasting when the light is red to save any momentum I've built up. I toyed with once writing an article on how to get better gas mileage by driving your car like a long-distance cyclist...

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Originally Posted by GLC1968

When I first got my Prius, I was intentionally driving it like I rode a bike. Drafting behind big SUV's (even at a safe distance) made a real difference in mpg, so used my knowledge of how to conserve energy on a bike on a long ride to get better mileage on my car! (coasting down hills, using momentum to get up hills, slowing but not completely stopping at turns, drafting behind vehicles or staying in traffic instead of pulling into the left lane to pass when on a highway, etc).

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Here is more info on car driving tips that help you get better gas mileage (techniques now called "hypermiling"):
hypermilinggastips

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Originally Posted by BleeckerSt_Girl

Here is more info on car driving tips that help you get better gas mileage (techniques now called "hypermiling"):
hypermilinggastips

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Yeah, but often the 'hypermilers' cause traffic problems and dangerous situations. I was trying to find the balance between the two...good milage and safe driving.

(Of course, we've since sold the Prius - my bike gets better mileage :p)

I'm always catching myself using hand signals to indicate turns when I am pushing a shopping cart down the isles at the grocery store. This is a little odd given that I don't always signal when on the bike--only on high traffic roads with lots of stops.
I also find myself trying to get down town in the car via a route that uses the interurban trail.

I don't really think I drive like I ride. I do notice every little change in grade and wonder how hard it would be to ride up each one. In fact this summer, in NH we were driving up a huge incline on a state highway and I said, "I sure would hate to ride up this one." Guess what? The next day our planned route went right on this road!
I am more aware of cyclists, too, of which there are many around where I live. And I am constantly struck by how many drivers are on phones, even when I am in my car. But I still drive pretty much the same way: too fast.

gee, and I thought you were talking swapping out the pedals for SPD's:p
But, seriously, I do the same behavoirs. stop at lights and stops sign. I did a 2 year consultng gig with the Viriginia State Police about 10 years back, so I got stuck on the Anal side, Plus I am Quality Assurance engineer.:o
I do find myself looking for my glasses mounted mirror when I'm walking.

When a passenger I've had to remind my husband numerous times not to anticipate the green light and start rolling through. :eek: After a while I figured it out - He didn't realize he was driving like the way he rides. Anywhere we go we/he think of what it would be like to be on bikes. I as a beginner put myself in the cyclist's shoes & study what s/he does riding.

I'm very careful with cyclists & want to smack people in cars who aren't. We also make smart remarks about cyclists who don't wear helmets or ride dangerously in traffic. I'm a careful driver so I guess I ride my bike like how I drive.

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Originally Posted by gingerale

I can't say I drive like I bike. But! I examine every single hill I drive up and down thinking to myself how hard I might have to work up one and how great it would be to fly down another. lol! Then I start wishing I had my bike with me so I could get out there and ride bigger ones to see how well I can make it up them. I'm crazy, I'm sure.

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Not crazy! I do this, too! I'll even say to my husband, "Wow, that's some grade" on hills I would never have noticed before in a car.

I also found myself thinking about drafting behind a semi today. :-) Never would have thought about that before becoming a cyclist!

And leaning the wrong direction through a turn drives me absolutely nuts. Sometimes I force my body to lean the proper way ;)