How can I stop this happening?

[Stradageek]

Fortunately it has not resulted in danger to myself... yet, but how can I discourage motorists who are determined to overtake on a blind bend/hilltop/junction or anywhere proscribed by the Highway Code.

Yet again today, I had half a dozen overtakes that caused the oncoming traffic to brake, swerve, or in the worst case stop dead!

Does anyone go as far as using the flapping hand 'slow down/stay back' signal in such circumstances even if the bend/hilltop etc might then be clear and the driver would have got away with it?

At present I only use this signal if I can see an upcoming conflict.

I am not sure about using this arm gesture more extensively because the signals/gesticulations of the offending (and affected) motorists already seem to be saying I'm to blame i.e. 'I should have been riding in the gutter or not riding at all'. Would a false warning just evoke more ire?

For the record I'm mostly on a recumbent bicycle and tend to approach these hazards in 'primary position' whilst riding in 'secondary' the rest of the time.

What works best in your experience guys?

[Jdsk]

That's a very high number... is it in a wide range of different places?

You're already aware of the importance of the control position: that's what I'd do and recommend in many situations.

There's a recent discussion of communicating with other road users. I'm aware of what the Highway Code says. I do it quite a lot and I wouldn't worry about it sometimes being unnecessary in hindsight: the "false warning". (I'm ignoring the repeated terrible advice from one poster about deliberately "keeping them guessing".)

And I'd be checking for escape routes just in case they become necessary.

Jonathan

[yakdiver]

Ride a recumbent trike

[Stradageek]

That's a very high number... is it in a wide range of different places?

On variety of country lanes but mostly the faster wider ones and a couple on local country lane rat-runs.

I think I will just signal more often

[Stradageek]

Ride a recumbent trike

Yes, the problem is much reduced when I'm on the Kettwiesel, or if I'm towing a trailer on any of my bikes but I like the speed of the Bacchetta

[Cyril Haearn]

Dress up to look like a policeperson

[flat tyre]

I'd be very wary about using any hand-signals to motorists that aren't in the highway code as they may be misunderstood and in the worst case could make you blameworthy if an accident resulted. I have encountered similar problems to the ones you describe, I generally try to control overtaking traffic by my road position, but avoid making sudden swerving movements, especially outwards away from the kerb. If I can see that an overtake may put me or oncoming vehicles in danger then I will move out to make it difficult for the traffic behind to pass, moving back in again when the danger has reduced. A element of judgment is required as you don't want the following traffic to get the impression that you are holding them up unnecessarily, so if you have a long line of traffic behind and there is no safe way for them to pass you after a period of time then it may be worth pulling in to a safe stopping place to let traffic go past.

[PT1029]

As already mentioned uptyhread. Also CJ also had a method for a particular bend just outside Oxford when he lived ther for a year or 2 ages ago.
He had a rear view mirror, as a driver approached what he judged to be the point where the driver made a decision to pass, or not pass, he rode in a sort of unsteady/wobbly way. Doing that had a hight sucess rate for drivers not overtaking on that bend.
The mirror is the key, if you look over your shoulder, the driver knows you have seen him/her.
For those who know the area, Oxford bound on the B4044, the bend just by Hill End.

[Pete Owens]

I'd be very wary about using any hand-signals to motorists that aren't in the highway code as they may be misunderstood

While that is sound advice - the signal actually still features in the highway code:
https://www.highwaycodeuk.co.uk/signals ... users.html

Though hand signals have not featured in the driving test for a very long time so no one knows what the obscure ones mean.

In the unlikely event that the following driver did understand the signal. You would be informing them that you are about to slow down or stop (not an instruction for them to do so) which would make them more likely to overtake. And the most likely misinterpretation would be that you are waving them through.

Your best course of action to prevent this happening is to ride in the centre of the lane to make it obvious that there isn't enough room to overtake within the lane so they need to change lanes to overtake properly. Only move to the left to signal that you are happy to share the lane.

[drossall]

I wouldn't advocate hand signals either. However, I do find that looking back at motorists in difficult situations gives them enough of a feeling of being watched to engender more careful behaviour.

[DevonDamo]

What works best in your experience guys?

I'm obviously feeling a bit masochistic tonight, as I know from previous experience that moving away from the "take the lane" mantra gets the pitchforks and flaming torches out on here. But you asked, so here's what works best for me:

I do the exact opposite of 'taking the lane.' I will habitually ride in the middle of the lane until I judge a following vehicle has got close enough that they're starting to think about overtaking. At that point I pull well over to the left and give them plenty of room to get past. (No, not riding in the gutter, but far enough to the left that vehicles can see I'm giving them enough room to get past.) The result for me appears to be that I get treated far better on the roads than others, judging by the reports I read on here. I find following vehicles hang back until after the blind bend or brow of the hill before overtaking well over on the other side of the road to give me loads of room.

So why would my approach work? I put it down to simple psychology. Drivers tend to operate on the human equivalent of autopilot, so when they see a cyclist 'taking the lane' their brain merely registers you as a difficult overtake. For that reason, they're prepared to make a risky manoeuvre at the earliest opportunity because if they don't take that opportunity, they may encounter a line of oncoming traffic which will result in them being stuck behind the bike that's 'taking the lane.' However, when they see me making it clear that I'm going to help them get past, they don't register me as a difficult overtake so are more relaxed about waiting for a safer opportunity after the bend. I really don't suffer from dangerous 'blind' overtakes or punishment passes and my only frequent frustration is when an overly-cautious driver insists on staying behind me rather than overtaking - resulting in an impatient queue behind them.

I'm acutely aware of the raised blood pressure this sort of talk will be causing on here, but it 100% works for me. I agree that it's completely wrong that we should be forced to play psychological chess with risk-taking drivers, but to me it's a case of just accepting reality. If you've already taken the lane and that hasn't been working, then where else have you got to go? And I'd put money on hand-signals or other prominent lights/signs/flags just making the situation worse - you'll be making yourself look like a supremely difficult overtake and following milk-floats will briefly become stock-car racers to get past you.

[661-Pete]

I have used the 'stay back' gesture on occasion, but sparingly, and only when I sense a dangerous situation evolving. So far it hasn't led to any aggro against me - I guess most motorists accept that I'm only trying to warn them. Nevertheless the day may come when Mr M'Gif* takes exception and does something silly - or dangerous. That's part of the risk we all take.

I usually go to primary when passing bollards in the middle of the road - although with some following motorists it's safer to hit the brakes to give them time to squeeze past. Not ideal but one wants to stay alive!

*("Must Get In Front")

[foxyrider]

Was nearly taken out today by an artic who had to swerve back into my lane to avoid a head on with another truck then 10 minutes later - further along the same road it was a rigid HGV who caused a similar vehicle going the other way to brake and swerve such was his inability to read the road, a stretch of rural A road in Somerset. I decided to get off that road at the earliest opportunity , traffic doesn't bother me on the whole but 2 incidents in just a couple of miles was enough.

I've tried pretty much everything you can think of to prevent dangerous overtakes, Loki must like me as i'm still here to tell the tale! Move to primary - i've had cars then undertake me and on more than one occasion go the wrong side of an island to pass. If anything, my recent rides have been plagued by drivers who won't pass when its safe, i find a glance back, no hand signals, spurs them into action, its as though they have locked in to driving at 15mph!

Unless you ride around with a shotgun rack on the back, i doubt there is any way to stop bad overtaking, there are a small number of drivers who, for various reasons really should not be on the roads, unless all vehicles are self drive they will continue to put lives in danger.

[ClappedOut]

Do you ride in the gutter? I take my 9 year old out and we don’t seem to suffer same issues.

[Pete Owens]

I'm obviously feeling a bit masochistic tonight, as I know from previous experience that moving away from the "take the lane" mantra gets the pitchforks and flaming torches out on here. But you asked, so here's what works best for me:

I do the exact opposite of 'taking the lane.' I will habitually ride in the middle of the lane until I judge a following vehicle has got close enough that they're starting to think about overtaking. At that point I pull well over to the left and give them plenty of room to get past.

In that case I think you are misunderstanding the purpose of lane positioning.

If there is enough room to allow safe overtaking why are you taking the lane in the first place? If there isn't then pulling over merely encourages the sort of close pass that the OP is hoping to prevent.

What you describe sounds like you are being wilfully obstructive. Unnecessarily, obstructing the progress of traffic that could safely overtake, but just for a little bit. Equivalent to driving a tractor along the outside lane of a dual carriageway and only pulling across when a faster vehicle catches up with you and slows down to your speed.