Driving into cyclists the Emma way

[aphronesis]

Taxi pulled over after ‘illegal U-turn’ only for cops to find the driver’s seat completely empty – and no one to ticket​

It seems to me to be rather foolish that these things are allowed on the road when the matter of culpability in the event of traffic violations (or mishaps) isn't clearly codified.

Without wanting to put the mods to work, that’s how it works with the dominant, unregulated “isms” in the US. People first isn’t a live concept.

 

[Zoetemelk-fan]

The 2020 Lexus NX 300 Fsport’s assists, alerts, and automation for lane change, braking, vehicle, and passenger systems were very nice and helpful. The 2020 Cadillac XT6 sport is lacking compared to that.

Excuse my French if I seem a bit categorical and pessimistic here.

But the best help you can give yourself and not least your fellow road users out in traffic is to sharpen your senses, your reflexes, your vision, your reactions. Every single day.

My view and observations since the first cars with lane assist came to the consumer market a couple of decades ago with the Nissan Cima, Honda Inspire, Mitsubishi etc., have been that it makes people lethargic faster than they realize and far more than many even realize. In addition, at the same time the smartphone came and today in traffic I feel that it is almost every third person or more you can clearly see their eyes are directed at the phone. And then the increasing impatience.

Of course it is convenient and feels safe when the automatic emergency brake activates itself, but bottom line in the use of your senses you could, just with driving skills from the driving instructor's Schoolyard.

...Unfortunately I ran out of time, more in it, will catch up

 

[SHAD0W93]

Excuse my French if I seem a bit categorical and pessimistic here.

But the best help you can give yourself and not least your fellow road users out in traffic is to sharpen your senses, your reflexes, your vision, your reactions. Every single day.

My view and observations since the first cars with lane assist came to the consumer market a couple of decades ago with the Nissan Cima, Honda Inspire, Mitsubishi etc., have been that it makes people lethargic faster than they realize and far more than many even realize. In addition, at the same time the smartphone came and today in traffic I feel that it is almost every third person or more you can clearly see their eyes are directed at the phone. And then the increasing impatience.

Of course it is convenient and feels safe when the automatic emergency brake activates itself, but bottom line in the use of your senses you could, just with driving skills from the driving instructor's Schoolyard.

...Unfortunately I ran out of time, more in it, will catch up

Absolutely people need to be aware and not rely on it, but they are helpful assistance as things occur within a second that you could not see. I brought up those two vehicles as they both have the same; technology, year, luxury, and the more high end models but one was clearly superior to the other when I was safely trying them out. Not because I use them 24/7.

 

[Cookster15]

Absolutely people need to be aware and not rely on it

Road trauma has been steadily reducing in recent decades with improved safety built into cars - think airbags, stability / traction control, stronger cars etc. But that trend has leveled out in recent years. An over-reliance on technology for poor driving habits is why, led be more driver distractions - cell phones etc.

 

[Zoetemelk-fan]

I think we all agree. Over-reliance on certain nice-to-have innovations creates lazy patterns. Dangerously lazy patterns.
But it almost seems as if the lemmings can't stand to be told that truth. And that in their super-laziness they can't even get together to disable some of the nanny aids to sharpen their senses. That's bizarre, but what the world has turned into, apparently. And that makes it pretty far from being OK, IMO.

 

[StyrbjornSterki]

Road trauma has been steadily reducing in recent decades with improved safety built into cars - think airbags, stability / traction control, stronger cars etc....

I think that is part of the cause of the indifference toward cyclists.

Most people don't like being under stress and will avoid it if they can. With all those safety advances in motorcars in the last half century, motoring is a much more tranquil, less stressful endeavour than it once was. So when a motorist see a bicyclist on the roadway ahead of them, it would be stress-inducing to acknowledge how exposed and at-risk they are, so they choose either to rationalize that cyclists are every bit as safe as they are, or to ignore their presence altogether.

Furthermore, studies (I don't have the time to look them up and post references just now) have shown that motorists will leave more space when overtaking cyclists who are obviously women, and will leave more space for un-helmeted riders. Which evidences conscious thought on their part, and in some instances supports the theory expressed in Peltzman Effect.

Clearly, motorists have diminished respect for anything they don't fear, and they don't fear anything that doesn't present risk of serious injury to them if they should collide with it. Which is why they habitually overlook cyclists and rarely overlook lorries and motor coaches.

So I would theorize that the safety of the modern motorcar indirectly serves to put cyclists at greater risk because the worst damage we can inflict if/when they collide with us is a dented wing or cracked windscreen.

I don't recall ever having seen one but I would love to see a study of the overtaking habits of motorists who have a close friend or relation who is a bicyclist or motorbiker, because I would conjecture they are more likely to see our lot as beings that will squeal and bleed if injured than someone who thinks of all cyclists as strangers or alien beings.

 

[StyrbjornSterki]

Worcester, Worcestershire, England, UK

Worcester cyclists report 400+ poor driving cases in 2025​

By Miranda NorrisReporter
@mirandajnorris

A cycling club has reported more than 400 instances of poor driving around cyclists so far this year.

The Worcester St Johns Cycling Club (WSJCC) said the reports involved driving dangerously close to cyclists and oncoming vehicles failing to give way when the road is narrowed by parked cars.

The club has been awarded a safety grant from John Campion, West Mercia's police and crime commissioner, to fit helmet or bike-mounted cameras to help capture footage of unsafe driving.

This can be uploaded to the force’s Operation Snap portal.

The grant also funded Pass Pixie fluorescent camera signs, which inform drivers they are being filmed.
Martin Staines, camera organiser for the club, said: "For Worcester St Johns Cycling Club the objective is to help educate drivers on how to drive safely when encountering a group of cyclists, who often ride two abreast to prevent dangerous overtaking.

"West Mercia is saving thousands of pounds by getting witness reports at no cost to the constabulary and riders can now send in a report instead of getting needlessly angry when they are threatened by bad driving."
The club believes Operation Snap is making a difference.

Members say driver behaviour around cyclists appears to be improving in the West Mercia area and can often be worse in other nearby constabulary areas.

 

[RedheadDane]

I think we all agree. Over-reliance on certain nice-to-have innovations creates lazy patterns. Dangerously lazy patterns.

Maybe the next step should be cars that can detect if the driver is distracted, perhaps with a voice recording by some "sergeant nasty" type.

"Please, keep your eyes on the road."
"PLEASE, keep your eyes on the road!"
"KEEP YOUR EYES ON THE ROAD YOU ABSOLUTE MOTHERF*****! DID YOU GET YOUR LICENSE IN AN AUTOMAT? MY BLIND GRANDMOTHER IS A BETTER DRIVER THAN YOU ARE, AND SHE HAS BEEN DEAD FOR 20 YEARS!"

 

[aphronesis]

I think more along the lines of Zip Cars that lock up after the reservation expires. If you can’t drive, you can’t drive.

 

[RedheadDane]

I think more along the lines of Zip Cars that lock up after the reservation expires. If you can’t drive, you can’t drive.

I'm talking for people who CAN drive. Nothing about driver-less cars.

 

[aphronesis]

They aren’t driverless, but they lock on the driver when they haven’t paid for longer. The same could apply to the distracted, incompetent, etc.

 

[RedheadDane]

They aren’t driverless, but they lock on the driver when they haven’t paid for longer. The same could apply to the distracted, incompetent, etc.

What do you mean; "Haven't paid for longer"? Do you think cars should be on subscription now?

 

[aphronesis]

In the post above I wrote “Zip “Car”, these are in start-up euphemism, “shared” short term rentals. One gets membership (rather than going to an office or a lot) and books online for a few hours, a day, etc. If the car is not dropped off and scanned within the “shared” period, it shuts off and locks.

No reason the same couldn’t apply to vehicles that are moving erratically and irresponsibly.

 

[RedheadDane]

No reason the same couldn’t apply to vehicles that are moving erratically and irresponsibly.

That could be the next step, after the shouty-guy!

 

[aphronesis]

That seems fair.

 

[Zoetemelk-fan]

Maybe the next step should be cars that can detect if the driver is distracted, perhaps with a voice recording by some "sergeant nasty" type.

"Please, keep your eyes on the road."
"PLEASE, keep your eyes on the road!"
"KEEP YOUR EYES ON THE ROAD YOU ABSOLUTE MOTHERF*****! DID YOU GET YOUR LICENSE IN AN AUTOMAT? MY BLIND GRANDMOTHER IS A BETTER DRIVER THAN YOU ARE, AND SHE HAS BEEN DEAD FOR 20 YEARS!"

Yes, at minimum. And then maybe a 10A electrical probe, activated below the seat if no furthee reaction from the driver.

As I wrote, it's already bad enough when driving in my hybrid car, activating all nanny aids, including full self-driven mode and I can easily put my arms in a cross - and first reaction after an ocean of FIFTEEN seconds, the most imperceptible voice and neutral text "please place your hands on the driving wheel" without further notice, NO high alarms WEEOW WEEOW BEEP! BEEP! BEEEEP!!!!
Hence, the most bold headed drivers will just continue driving into the catastrophe.

A nice electrical shock would be in its place at least.

 

[RedheadDane]

and first reaction after an ocean of FIFTEEN seconds, the most imperceptible voice and neutral text "please place your hands on the driving wheel"

Oh, after 15 seconds it should definitely already be at the shouty-guy. And it should be some sort of detector that could, well, detect if the driver's eye-movement went outside where the driver had to look - coded in before start - so even if the driver keeps their hand on the driving wheel, but keeps for example looking over towards the passeger, there'd still be an alert.