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Do some drivers hate EUCs / other personal vehicles?


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On two occasions, I've had drivers drive toward me.  In one case, I was riding on the left side of a small residential road (instead of the right side of the road) because there were cars parked on the right side of the road and there was no sidewalk.  A car was headed the opposite way and I gave it wide berth by riding as close to the left edge as possible but the car kept driving toward me rather than making an effort to avoid me.  I ended up bailing.  I thought the driver was distracted by her phone or something.

Last week a somewhat similar incident happened.  I was riding a onewheel on the left sidewalk (because there was no sidewalk on the right side of the road).  There were people on the sidewalk so I got off the sidewalk and rode on the street, counterflow.  The street was a two-lane street going only one way, but the side I was riding on was striped for authorized buses only.   A car was headed toward me and even though there was no car on the lane for cars. he drove toward the bus lane where I was and passed within arms length from me.

These incidents happened within a month of each other, which I thought was strange.  The one common element in these cases (besides me riding a vehicle) is that I was on the wrong side of the road.  I wondered whether the drivers were intentionally trying to scare me to "teach me a lesson" or something like that. 

I used to ride motorcycles and was riding as if I'm invisible or as if people are reckless.  But I haven't experienced what seemed like unprovoked aggression. Have you experienced situations like that as an EUC rider?  Are incidents like these common?

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2 hours ago, 360rumors said:

I wondered whether the drivers were intentionally trying to scare me to "teach me a lesson" or something like that. 

"stupid #@$%# idiot, WRONG SIDE OF THE BLEEPING ROAD (so it won't be my fault)" makes some sense.

Doesn't actually make any sense at all, but I can imagine someone who's already having a not-great day being in that frame of mind.

Edited by Tawpie
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Ok I’m actually kind of relieved by your response because it seems like this is not at all a common occurrence. 

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3 hours ago, 360rumors said:

Ok I’m actually kind of relieved by your response because it seems like this is not at all a common occurrence. 

Yeah. Around here even though we are fully woke left coast elites, drivers still hate bicyclists. I don't think anyone here would go out of their way to teach a cyclist a lesson but somehow we do manage to kill a lot of them with our cars. I've never had a driver do anything aggressive when on my wheel, but it's not LA so YMMV.

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1 hour ago, Hellkitten said:

It was the onewheel. 

Not sure if you’re kidding but one was EUC and one was Onewheel so I’m not sure if I can conclude anything from the type of wheel I was riding. 

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I was just being cheeky. 

In all honesty I’ve had more issues with drivers while cycling. But I’ve been at that for wasaaaay longer, so it could be that. 

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For bicyclists, it used to be riding on the wrong side of the road or going the wrong way down a one-way street was the biggest cause of death but that was recently overtaking by the mid-block overrun (where a bicyclists get run over and killed by an inattentive driver who runs right into him). Over the past ten years the death rate of bicyclists and pedestrians has nearly doubled, and the pandemic was an especially big jump as empty roads encouraged higher speeds.

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4 hours ago, LanghamP said:

For bicyclists, it used to be riding on the wrong side of the road or going the wrong way down a one-way street was the biggest cause of death 

OK thanks - this is helpful to know.  In my defense, I have since noted that several scooter riders and one esk8r have been doing the exact same thing I was doing in the second incident, because there is no sidewalk on the other side of the road.

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Maybe drivers acting as vigilantes.

Might be road rage.  Various and unknown triggers, provoked and unprovoked.

People can be mentally unstable.

 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2PFRdEUN240

 

The cyclist was positioned just out of the door zone of parked cars as is recommended.

The driver took exception to this and deliberately accelerated closely past the cyclist.

This is seen on the rear-view camera footage.

When confronted about having endangered the cyclist, it is clear from the driver's reaction that it was deliberate and he felt entitled to endanger cyclists, despite the fact that he had no understanding of recommended cycling procedure or of the Highway Code.

The driver made various threats and the cyclist escaped on the pavement as that was the only available route.

The driver kicked the rear of the bicycle and lost balance which the cyclist was unaware of at the time.

Fortunately there was no real damage to the bike or injury to the driver.

The driver, who was eleven years younger than the cyclist, was arrested and cautioned by the police for a public order offence, threats to commit criminal damage and assault.

He admitted the offences and apologised to the cyclist via the police.

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12 hours ago, Paul A said:

Maybe drivers acting as vigilantes.

Wow that was pretty wild.  I'm amazed that crazy driver spent no time in jail....!

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Driving a car puts a human being into an easily enraged state. Drivers hate you, pedestrians, cyclists, and other drivers. 
 

In the 1990s it used to be common for the news to show drivers getting so angry they’d shoot each other. I thought it was interesting that stopped, and googled a bit to find it didn't stop at all, its just not newsworthy anymore.

 

that said, i dont think drivers hate unicyclists more than anything else on the road. 

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  • 3 weeks later...
  • 2 weeks later...
  • 4 weeks later...

I've had quite a few close calls, some people really don't know how to drive. I was cruising 35-38mph on a 30mph road a few days ago and had a car pass me within inches going 55+.
Last month I almost got hit by a guy going over 100 in a 35 (no joke)
Had a guy try to run me off the road. Caught him at the red light not even a quarter mile ahead and seriously considered smashing his mirror

Worst of all I had a pickup truck parked on the shoulder of a regular 2 lane road. The truck then decided to turn in front of both lanes and start backing into a driveway. Problem being he did it right as I got next to him, I had no time to slow down and had to fly through the shoulder coming inches from his rear bumper.

Some people are distracted, can't drive, don't realize how fast we can go, or simply don't care about human life

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11 minutes ago, Hellkitten said:

What stopped you from demoing his mirror? 

Was on the street corner next to my place. While I definitely could've lost him jumping a curb behind the apartment building right next to the stop, I don't want a police report and the police or him looking in the neighborhood in the future. If I was anywhere else I probably would've done it

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5 hours ago, Hellkitten said:

What stopped you from demoing his mirror? 

When I was fifteen I was roller blading with my dad an brother on the side of the street. I was lagging a bit behind and my dad and brother were in front. A car passes all of us, leaving mere inches. So my dad just moves his wrist slightly to hit the mirror with his wrist guard. The driver goes crazy and tries to run them over with his car. They jump over a decent sized curb and the guy just plows after them with the car at full speed, obviously damaging the car leaving some debris and a big oil stain behind. They jump over a small wall and disappear while the guy gets out of his car. Big, beefy in camo pants and runs toward me, and blocks my path. I have a ditch on one side and a brick wall on the other. I feigned trying to pass him on one side and then dashed to other side. He didn't manage to tackle me but gave me a karate kick on my thigh as I passed, which was bruised for a few weeks.

This, and other instances of road rage that I have witnessed, even if I was not involved, usually stop me from demoing mirrors or rapping on roofs or windows, or even flipping the bird... Not out of fear, as I probably could take on the majority of people now, but why would I want to put myself in a situation where I might have to end up damaging someone or getting damaged myself.

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