In todays Telegraph I read that a poll has been carried out by http://www.50cycles.com (UK specialists in electric bicycles) to find out who are the worst drivers. 2,000 cyclists were polled and, starting with the worst drivers, the results were:
1/ Range Rover drivers.
2/ Drivers of white vans.
3/ BMW drivers
4/ Elderly people
5/ 4×4 drivers
6/ Drivers of red cars
Well, there’s no denying that this cyclist drives a red BMW (only about 20-50 miles per month these days) and some would say I am “elderly”, whatever that means. But, worse on average than 4×4 drivers… …hey, that hurts!
Youngsters in tarted up hatchbacks IMHO – the insurance premiums might be a clue
1. commuters, especially in the morning when they aren’t actually awake
2. women with kids in the back (or probably men with kids in the back but its usually women)
3. 4×4 drivers
But worst of all is the person with kids in the back in a 4×4 who is going on to work after the school run
(that’s from cycling in London, btw. Up here, I don’t meet enough drivers to get a representative sample but I suspect GOM1 is right)
There have even been studies by insurance companies on who the worst drivers are according to zodiac signs! Seriously, you can Google it and find a number of articles about it. Pretty funny. Worst drivers in my opinion? Anyone, regardless of age or gender talking (or god forbid, texting) on a cellphone as they drive.
I imagine that the poll must have been based on multi-choice questions in view of the generalized answers produced. After all, not ALL elderly drivers of BMWs are bad! As for drivers of white vans, they could well be the safest of all the groups shown above, when you take into account the enormous mileages they cover each year.
Drivers of two-door SUVs are the worst. They actually attempt to run cyclists off the road and use other intimiation tactics. The other types of drivers merely don’t pay attention to the road.
Then again, I also drive a red BMW on weekends.
I think it’s fair to say that cyclists when driving have a better idea of how to behave around other cyclists.
So, while being “elderly” and driving a BMW may appear to move you up the list, I suspect there’s a rather bigger move down the list by being a cyclist.
As a 4×4 driver who pays attention to what she’s doing and sticks to the speed limit, my vote is for all drivers, regardless of their car, who don’t just bend the limit, but break it outright. I often feel as though I’ll be the cause of a crash on the Newport road, to name but one example, in Cardiff, as I appear to be the only one who has spotted the 30 sign…
That might not be relevant from a cyclist’s point of view, but I feel better for saying it!!
Welcome to the blog Jo. I am sure you are not one of the 4×4 drivers that people are complaining about. In fact I must be very lucky to have done most of my cycling so far in the St Mellons, Marshfield and Castleton areas where I have found the drivers, even of 4×4s, to be most civilised and considerate.