Aggressive attitudes toward cyclists

On Behalf of | Jul 23, 2020 | Car accidents

Car vs. bike accidents happen for all sorts of reasons, such as inattention, a lack of understanding of the laws or a simple oversight by a driver who does not spot a bike in time. In some cases, though, they happen because drivers actually have aggressive attitudes toward cyclists, and this may cause them to drive aggressively around them.

For instance, when drivers are asked to put extra room between their cars and the cyclists they’re supposed to share the road with, many of them refuse to do it. When asked, they may cite the fact that such a rule is “annoying” to them as a driver.

And that’s it. They feel mildly inconvenienced, even though the law is set up to keep cyclists safe. They don’t want to suffer that inconvenience, so they increase the risks for cyclists — who could be killed in these accidents far more easily than drivers — as a result.

In some cases, drivers actively feel like the road is for cars and cyclists have no right to be there. This is not true from a legal standpoint, of course, but they don’t let that stop them. They may try to intimidate or annoy cyclists as a result. They may even think it’s humorous when a cyclist, fearing for their life, reacts to these aggressive actions.

As you can see, the problem here is bigger than just poor driving. It starts with an attitude issue, and that attitude is what makes the roads unsafe for riders.

Cyclists do have a right to the road. Those who get injured in accidents that drivers cause may also have a right to financial compensation.