Riding Safety and Dorkdom

I discovered this theory while commuting and it pertains to car-cyclist relations, but I decided to post it in Open Topic so that it could be read broadly. I think I'm on to something. (Read with a grain of salt please...)

The level of care that car drivers will exercise around a cyclist is directly proportional to the level of dorkness displayed by the cyclist.

Me = not looking cool, wearing safety reflective vest, yellow helmet cover with flashing lights on it, yellow rain pants and even yellow gloves if it's raining. [Doesn't so much yellow hurt your eyes?]

Them: patient and understanding as I take the lane (narrow streets or downhill), stop them from making a turn (extend my arm in a STOP to avoid a left hook), or proceed through an intersection really slowly (I'm going uphill slowly, they have an engine so they don't notice the hill). Don't even honk at me.

On the other hand, very cool-looking riders get little respect from cars. Imagine a fixie rider with a lovely wool cap, no helmet, mid-calf cargo pants and a funky looking messenger bag, riding with no hands while reading a newspaper, for example. :)

Deep theoretical explanation:
Cars are an extension of drivers' selves (a well-documented research finding).
Drivers partly choose their car because it is "cool." (It must be true because it's the base of a lot of automobile marketing.)
A fixie rider (see above description) challenges the drivers' sense of coolness and makes the driver irritable, wishing that the cool challenger disappeared.
A dorky commuter like me doesn't challenge their sense of cool at all.

Now, the flaw of this reasoning is that "cool" young people often like to bully dorky-looking people, so the dorky outfit may not protect against all aggressions. However I do feel quite a bit more protected in my dork suit.

Is it just me?

i think the brighter you are, the safer you are. I'm not so sure about dorkiness or not. But if you're in dark clothes without lights, you're definitely a danger to yourself. If you're screaming yellow and blinky all over, only the truly inattentive (or homicidal) are not going to give you space.
Then again, when you get to be my age (over 30 :cool: ) dorkiness no longer matters much.

Grog,

I like your theory. The "cool" ones according to your description who are reading the newspaper aren't paying attention either so by wearing your "dork" outfit you are making it known that you want to be seen and therefore are paying attention to your surroundings.

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Originally Posted by Grog

IA fixie rider (see above description) challenges the drivers' sense of coolness and makes the driver irritable, wishing that the cool challenger disappeared.
A dorky commuter like me doesn't challenge their sense of cool at all.

Now, the flaw of this reasoning is that "cool" young people often like to bully dorky-looking people, so the dorky outfit may not protect against all aggressions. However I do feel quite a bit more protected in my dork suit.

Is it just me?

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Ah yes, cool young people in a car might tend to bully any dorky-looking people, on bike or not on bike. Which is the sad thing.

dorky-looking cyclists are easier to remember/noticeable by drivers. Already we're just a slimmer bulk on the road at night.

However there was a remark by some cycling gals here a few months ago, where they felt the drivers were more careful around them when they cycled in their skirts. Another sign of semi-dorkiness to ..at least ..North American drivers. Not that I wish to try this..except I did buy and wear several times a spandex cycling mini-skort for a few weeks earlier this year.

It's true that cyclists who look like TDF racers get nothing but disdain from car drivers. And cyclists who are obviously females decked out like screaming fluorescent Xmas trees do get a wider berth from drivers. I think we actually frighten them because we are obviously 'mental cases'.

On the other hand, there are always drivers who won't see you no matter what you wear (though they'd probably see you in a hurry if you weren't wearing anything), and I tend to ride with the default assumption that they do NOT see me.

I read about a study where drivers gave cyclists less space on the road if the cyclist was wearing a helmet and the most space if the cyclist was a female with no helmet.

in the seattle area, we've noticed that bullies are usually white men from 30 years and up to about 60. And they bully every cyclist who is not on the sidewalk!

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Originally Posted by BleeckerSt_Girl

It's true that cyclists who look like TDF racers get nothing but disdain from car drivers. And cyclists who are obviously females decked out like screaming fluorescent Xmas trees do get a wider berth from drivers. I think we actually frighten them because we are obviously 'mental cases'.

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Actually around here I find the complete opposite.... When I am out on my racing bike, with my team kit on drivers tend to give me much more room and more respect than if I go out on my errand bike dressed in street clothes. I don't know why and I found it to be odd and contrary, but it was definitely my observation.

Also - please, please don't assume no matter how much yellow/white/light colored clothing you wear that you are any more visible after dark.... You NEED lights and reflectors - light colored, even florescent clothing doesn't do jack after dusk... (runners around here tend to think they can be seen by just wearing light clothes without lights - nope.... you're on top of them before they become visible)

I'm so far beyond looking just a bit dorky that even dorks consider me dorky. I cannot postulate on your theory because my data would be skewed too far into dorkdom. But I just LOVED reading it!!!

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Originally Posted by breezy

I read about a study where drivers gave cyclists less space on the road if the cyclist was wearing a helmet and the most space if the cyclist was a female with no helmet.

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I've seen other people who completely refute that guy too....... (they look at his own data and come to a different conclusion) not to mention that he was his own test subject. People may have given him more space because he was very obviously a guy wearing a dress and a really bad blond wig more than anything...

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Originally Posted by Eden

Also - please, please don't assume no matter how much yellow/white/light colored clothing you wear that you are any more visible after dark.... You NEED lights and reflectors - light colored, even florescent clothing doesn't do jack after dusk... (runners around here tend to think they can be seen by just wearing light clothes without lights - nope.... you're on top of them before they become visible)

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Very true....and the OPPOSITE is true as well!- lights and reflectors don't do very much during the daytime....reflectors only work by bouncing off of headlight beams in the dark, remember. So for daylight visibility you really need the screaming yellow type clothing items rather than relying on reflectors.
DAYTIME: screaming neon apparel
NIGHTTIME: lots of lights and reflective materials

And always assume drivers don't see you no matter how 'visible' you are.

I choose to believe that my long ponytail and/or braid makes drivers think I'm a vulnerable female. Under any other circumstance (except maybe trying to get out of a speeding ticket by crying, which I've never done, but I would do), I would not want to be seen as a vulnerable female. But in the case of drivers, it's fine with me. Anything to inspire them to be more considerate while sharing the road with me. Of course my theory on this could be all wrong, but I pretend that my ponytail is making drivers take care around me. Don't get me wrong...I don't count on drivers to be careful around me at all and I'm always as cautious as possible. But I like having the ponytail back there.

Oh, and I look like a total dork too. First of all, I'm kinda chubby, so I don't look like a racer. And my bright outfits can be pretty crazy looking. Especially when I have my bright yellow wind vest on over a hot pink jersey purposefully not matched with my orange or lime green socks. I also wrap and tape my left ankle because of an ongoing injury (also potentially making me look vulnerable) and that always shows above my sock.

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Originally Posted by Eden

People may have given him more space because he was very obviously a guy wearing a dress and a really bad blond wig more than anything...

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How did I miss that?
:eek:

My theory is that drivers are much more tolerant when I'm carrying stuff and/or look like I'm commuting. When I am just out for a ride (spandex, no cargo) seems to be when I'm more likely to be hassled. I think drivers resent you're being on "their" road to play, as opposed to going somewhere. Just a thought:)

CA

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Originally Posted by CA_in_NC

My theory is that drivers are much more tolerant when I'm carrying stuff and/or look like I'm commuting. When I am just out for a ride (spandex, no cargo) seems to be when I'm more likely to be hassled. I think drivers resent you're being on "their" road to play, as opposed to going somewhere. Just a thought:)

CA

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I would tend to agree that cycling as a means of cargo-loading, the drivers seem to have more respect or at least slow down/give wider berth, especially when it's so obvious the panniers or trailer are loaded down with large pkgs., etc. and you're trying harder to plug along on the bike.

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Originally Posted by breezy

I read about a study where drivers gave cyclists less space on the road if the cyclist was wearing a helmet and the most space if the cyclist was a female with no helmet.

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Yes, but there were some serious flaws in how that study was handled simply because it was one person (not a big sample size, folks)... who already had a notion of the results he wanted, so YOurs Truly has to wonder if he didn't make subtle changes (like LANE POSITION) in his riding when w/o helmet... And it wasn't "if the cyclist was a female" - it was the guy, wearing a wig.

I've always felt drivers were more sympathetic to me when they thought I was a Poor But HOnest Student-Type or person Otherwise Too Unfortunate To Be Driving... Jerks are jerks of course, and they're out there, too... but when I'm in town and just another person tryin' to get somewhere, that's maybe different than being out "just for fun" and slowing down those people who Really Have To BE Somewher.e

Still, I love being really dorky :P

Maybe it's just that when you're dress like a "dork", they have to take a second look and say "WHAT THE"??

And maybe the people who sip their latte while riding w/o a helmet are not paying attention to the road in the first place?

I'm not ready to ride in a Critical Mass, but I have to say that I have been very impressed by how much more likely drivers are to notice a cyclist in the inner suburbs than in the outer burbs, even wearing the same clothing, same cyclist, same lights. I think city drivers expect to see pedestrians and cyclists, while folks in the outer suburbs only expect to see cyclists during daylight hours of the weekend, and only in the summer. "Change blindness" is real, and the Critical Mass people are right, cyclists are safer when there are more of them on the streets and roads.

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Originally Posted by CA_in_NC

My theory is that drivers are much more tolerant when I'm carrying stuff and/or look like I'm commuting. When I am just out for a ride (spandex, no cargo) seems to be when I'm more likely to be hassled. I think drivers resent you're being on "their" road to play, as opposed to going somewhere. Just a thought:)

CA

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I agree with this observation, too.

And I'd like to point out the drastic difference between city riding and country riding. Around here, in the city most cars treat cyclists with respect if you obey the traffic laws (assuming they see you, which often they don't). In the country, I've been spit on, had things thrown at me and been run off the road - female, commuter, lit up like a christmas tree not-withstanding. Hell, I've even been yelled at to 'git off the road' while I was standing in a driveway (and not even on the road and not on my bike!).

On the flip side, the opposite was true in my last city of residence. In the city, as a commuter, I was hassled or ignored or cut off. In the country as a rec-rider...I was respected 9 times out of 10.

Go figure. And then, ride like you are invisible. :p

:p

The way you get avoided is to wear a cervical collar. I've personally tested this theory (N=1). They looked at me like I was totally nuts. Which I was, having just had a fusion 8 weeks prior.