Why Drivers Hate Cyclists

[OakLeaf]

http://www.chicagomag.com/Chicago-Ma...Hate-Cyclists/

I almost posted this to Shootingstar's thread, but thought it was insightful enough to start a new one.

[jelee1311]

Great article thx for posting it. I liked a lot of the comments specially the first one about helmets. Living close toPDX I see a lot of both sides because of the sheer number of cyclists.Thank goodness I've yet to have too many problems(knock on wood) with drivers. I. Am still amazed at some of the arrogance voiced in that article,and I wonder if these people will ever change.

[lph]

Good article! But it is a bit interesting the comment on helmets. I can fully understand a driver being scared and frightened when suddenly confronted with a cyclist wearing dark clothes and moving fast, he or she is a direct threat to the driver and in danger of causing an accident. But not wearing a helmet will not cause an accident. To the driver, the cyclist not wearing a helmet should make no difference at all, unless he's "planning" on hitting the cyclist...

Or does the driver have the same reaction I do as a cyclist, that a cyclist not wearing a helmet has not thought through the situation, does not know what he is doing and is likely to behave unpredictably? This because where I live the helmetless ones are most likely to be young jeans-clad "pinball machines" bouncing through traffic, and only the occasional nostalgic roadie in a cycling cap.