As a cyclist, a lot of the risks that you face from motorists just stem from negligence. People make mistakes. A teen driver looks down at their phone and drifts onto the shoulder, where you’re riding your bike. A parent with a child in the car gets distracted by that child and runs a stop sign. These mistakes can be tragic for you since you’re on a bike and you have very little protection from the vehicle.
But there are also a lot of drivers who simply do not seem to like cyclists. They may intentionally drive dangerously and aggressively around them, increasing the risks that you face through no fault of your own.
How does this happen?
This can happen in a lot of different ways, but one of the most common complaints is that drivers do not give adequate space to bikes that they’re passing. Essentially, they act as if the bikes don’t have a right to the road. The problem often comes up because there is opposing traffic, and they would have to wait for a break in that traffic to pass the bike safely, so they just push their way through in a dangerous fashion. They don’t want to be delayed or they’re annoyed that the bike is on the road at all.
Why does this happen?
The reasons for this type of aggression are many, but it often just comes down to the inconvenience noted above. Those who don’t ride bikes think of the road as a place for cars only, and they get frustrated by anything that seems like a mild inconvenience to them. They may try to intimidate cyclists or just take out this frustration.
When something like this does happen and you suffer serious injuries in the accident, then it’s time to look into your legal options to seek compensation.
