The funny thing about drivers...

[dalifnei]

Cycling home tonight and a young man coming out of a sidestreet to my left didn't stop at the give way... looking right through me he shot straight over the line and stopped right in my path, waiting for a gap in the cars passing me. Panic stations, had to swerve around him.

And this is the funny thing - the driver on my right, in contrast to this guy, picked up on what was happening, and guessed I would have to swerve and gave me room, saving a bad situation.

Sometimes it just seems weird, you cant always second guess who will be good and who will be bad... Sadly have to assume everyone will be a bad driver.

[661-Pete]

I don't think that's so unusual. When I'm driving along a narrow-ish single carriageway road and I see a cyclist coming towards me, closely followed by a car in a 'MGIF' posture, I do sometimes move over a bit to the left and cover the brake, in the anticipation that the approaching car driver will recklessly try it on. After all, if my caution saves a cyclist's life.....or my own...

[[XAP]Bob]

Interesting, I do the opposite. I stray right, and cover the brake.

By visually narrowing the gap I hope to dissuade daft overtakes.

[redfacedbaldfatman]

Interesting, I do the opposite. I stray right, and cover the brake.

By visually narrowing the gap I hope to dissuade daft overtakes.

Same here, by keeping left the MGIF car might see that as an invitation. I normally move right to show that there isn't enough room.

[Ayesha]

The funny thing about cyclists is when I’m commuting home, there’s sometimes a cyclist who insists on overtaking me to claim a ‘scalp’.
He then rides up the inside of the line of traffic without slowing down much.

One of these days, he’s going to get ‘doored’.

Assume they're all bad cyclists.

[ArMoRothair]

And this is the funny thing - the driver on my right, in contrast to this guy, picked up on what was happening, and guessed I would have to swerve and gave me room, saving a bad situation.

It might comfort you to think that. In truth he didn't see you and merely gave room because he thought the plonker emerging from the side street was going to hit HIM.

[Vantage]

Last week while cycling into urmston, some pillock cut across from the opposite oncoming lane to park outside his (i assume) home. This lead to me slamming on the brakes and swerving around him to avoid a collision. As i shouted a few profanities at him he waved his arms about as if to plead innocence. Had the driver in the mini behind me not also braked like [rude word removed] i probably wouldn't be typing this.

[MikeF]

......... you cant always second guess who will be good and who will be bad...

"Second guess" is american usage and means countermand (usually by someone not at the scene and who can't assess anything directly). Hence the word "second". If you mean guess just use that word alone.

[Ayesha]

You only know that the driver approaching from the rear was a ‘bad’ driver when you wake up in hospital.

[chrisc]

Ah, true, Ayesha. Hopefully to reduce the likelihood of that I always have a rear view mirror on my bike.