The closer to 9 you get

[gilesjuk]

The worse the driving gets? Certainly seemed true today.

I'd been cycling to work about 30 minutes earlier than normal and noticed the driving standard seemed a bit higher. But this morning I left at usual time and I had two people overtake when they couldn't see what was coming the other way. Unfortunately for them cars were coming the other way, no accidents but so close!

One overtook just before a corner about 5-10 metres from the end of the road (even moving to the middle of the lane doesn't stop some people trying to get past). Another overtook just before the summit of a railway bridge.

I also pulled out of a T junction and a van behind me also pulled out, but unsafely and so he got blasted with the horn by another driver.

What amazes me is they would sooner smash into the car in the other lane than slow down and tuck back behind me. Now that is impatience!

[Guy951]

As you get closer to 9 o'clock you tend to meet more motons who know what time they have to be at work but can't leave themselves enough time to get there , along with more motons who know what time their kiddies need to be at school, believe it to be illegal to walk or cycle the 300 yards, so have to take the car but can't leave themselves enough time to get there.

Add to those the usual few run-of-the-mill motons you get any time of day and it does get a bit hairy.

[byegad]

I'm retired so no longer commute, but your point about blind overtaking is one I see on my rides. As I ride a recumbent trike most drivers actually cross the white line to pass me on the country roads I use. To see a driver do this over a blind railway bridge is heart stopping and sadly one day it will be! The more so because both myself and Mrs byegad drive the same roads and I now have my heart in mouth every time I approach that bridge in the car or on the trike.

[eileithyia]

Blind overtaking seems to be prevalent whatever time of the day but does get worse around 08.30 - 09.00 and 15.00 - 18.00.

As said usually they have left themselves too little time to get to work and /or to drop off spring off at school.

Though unfortunately it can be the off-spring that are the problem, I do not recall how many mornings my son was up in time, but would spend 3/4's hour over getting washed and dressed, just how can a child stand for so long dressed in only a pair of socks, daydreaming when the house had no heating and the temps were sub-zero.
It was totally beyond me! It frequently left me getting him to shovel his breakfast down in double quick time and turning into the mother from hell.
Trying to get him up earlier just meant he continued to fill the time daydreaming!

[cjchambers]

I leave for work at 9 to arrive at 9.30. Generally quite quiet, but I do have to watch out for the VERY late people.

[gilesjuk]

I think I'd expect to see one or two driving errors in a day. But to see three in a trip of 3.5 miles was quite a surprise.

It will be interesting to see what tomorrow is like, I'll have a camera stuck to the back of my bike. Mounting a camera to a xtracycle equipped bike is easy, get a suction mount and stick it onto the board at the back. Easy to fit and remove and quite a number of positioning posibilities. Obviously I'm using a very strong suction mount which is good for 150MPH.

[Mark R]

The worse the driving gets? Certainly seemed true today.

I'd been cycling to work about 30 minutes earlier than normal and noticed the driving standard seemed a bit higher. But this morning I left at usual time and I had two people overtake when they couldn't see what was coming the other way. Unfortunately for them cars were coming the other way, no accidents but so close!

One overtook just before a corner about 5-10 metres from the end of the road (even moving to the middle of the lane doesn't stop some people trying to get past). Another overtook just before the summit of a railway bridge.

I also pulled out of a T junction and a van behind me also pulled out, but unsafely and so he got blasted with the horn by another driver.

What amazes me is they would sooner smash into the car in the other lane than slow down and tuck back behind me. Now that is impatience!

If this is really happening regularly, and I can believe it, it would be a great idea for you to get a couple of cheap cameras and try to capture it on film.

It seems likely that if you get footage of someone cresting a blind summit on the wrong side of the road, and the film is unequivocal, you could insist on police action and get these idiots really hammered. Your footage could literally save lives.

[jonbott]

thought you meant 9 at night cycling home new years day up the long drag before home,idiot in a people carrier had his kid hanging out of the window shouting abuse at me

[davo]

I tend to think driving standards are in decline irrespective of the time of day.I commute on very busy roads every day and have done for twenty years plus,over that time period there has definatley been a significant change in car drivers(in general)attitude towards cyclists.When i`m out on my bike i tend to assume that motorists(and pedestrians)either can`t see me or couldn`t car less if they hit me or not and i ride accordingly,wrong ,i know, but this is how bad its getting.

[Stradageek]

Anyone else encountered the (so it seems) peculiarly female variety of blind overtaking. A number of clearly worried female drivers, who know it's dangerous to overtake on the wrong side of the road on a blind bend or summit, have still taken the plunge but compensate by passing me VERY slowly and carefully? I had a driver do this three times in the space of 200m the other night on a twisty village lane. Each time she tried to slowly overtake she had to brake (as did the oncoming cars) and wait for me to move ahead before pulling in. She then repeated this mistake THREE times in succession before finally passing on the fourth blind bend. Is there any hope?

[ericonabike]

IMHO there are several types of blind overtakers:

1. The 'last link in the chain'. Ocurs when a 'chain' of cars has gone past you, with the first overtake being fine, but gradually getting more dangerous as the bend, bridge, whatever approaches. The LLITC knows that it's bad, really, but is unable to disobey the herd mentality.

2. The 'you shouldn't be there'. Your right to be on the road is not recognised by YSBT, and so they see little need to take precautions. Any overtake will do.

3. The 'oh my god I'm holding people up'. These relatively shy and retiring creatures are not so concerned about their journey time being extended, but are deeply embarassed to be at the front of a lengthening queue of traffic. The OMGIHPU's embarassment will eventually override their natural caution to the detriment of all.

And of course there may well be overtakers who are literally blind. Or at least whose eyesight is such that they really shouldn't be on the road.

As an aside, does anyone else admit to secretly wishing that any one of the three categoroers above would actually collide with an oncoming car? Not in such a way as to cause personal injury, but just to damage both vehicles. Sometimes the dark mood creeps up on me....

[skiddie]

I've ordered a couple of things from Wiggle recently, and in order to get to my post office to pick them up, I've been biking home at lunch. I find that the traffic during lunch is FAR worse than the traffic on the same route in the morning/evening rush. I assume it's the same reason I'm in a rush (got to do something during a short period of time), exacerbated by the fact that the roads are relatively clear, meaning that speeds are higher.

Yesterday on my way back into work, I was on the main road after a red light, when a car in the oncoming lane drove into my lane with her blinker on (still heading in the same direction as her original lane of traffic). I jammed on my brakes, turned white as a sheet (I assume) and stared at her aghast. She smiled at me and motioned for me to go-- I shook my head, as I had no idea what she was doing: at this point, she was sitting in the wrong lane with her right turn blinker on. Finally she pulled in front of me into the driveway-- for some reason, she apparently thought it was convenient to drive in an oncoming lane of traffic... which would obviously not be possible during the rush hour, due to there being more cars.

So: I get annoyed almost every morning, but I've gotten scared at least once each lunch time.

YMMV, as they say.

[skiddie]

As an aside, does anyone else admit to secretly wishing that any one of the three categoroers above would actually collide with an oncoming car? Not in such a way as to cause personal injury, but just to damage both vehicles. Sometimes the dark mood creeps up on me....

Not just you...

[gilesjuk]

As an aside, does anyone else admit to secretly wishing that any one of the three categoroers above would actually collide with an oncoming car? Not in such a way as to cause personal injury, but just to damage both vehicles. Sometimes the dark mood creeps up on me....

Not just you...

Well, I wouldn't like it to happen as I would have to stop at the scene of the accident and be a witness. I would probably get the blame by the two car drivers.

[gilesjuk]

If this is really happening regularly, and I can believe it, it would be a great idea for you to get a couple of cheap cameras and try to capture it on film.

I don't do cheap

I have a GoPro HD now. 1080p quality.

I have it stuck onto the wooden board at the back of my Big Dummy with a suction mount. It stands proud of the board by about 20cm, so it is fairly unmissable. I think that alone has changed driver behaviour since I started using it.