Rant from a Car & Bike Owner
Discussion
Hi All,
I'm a bit of a lucky chap to be able to have both cars and a bike so im on both sides of the fence so to speak.
But i've gotta have a moan! (Must be those January Blues!)
Anyway, i have noticed that when im driving cars these days that the number of Bikers who give any acknowledgement if i purposely move out of the way for them to filter past has decreased alot.
I'm not talking about on dual carriage ways when at normal speeds filtering down the middle as i know from experience your wrist would fall off if you said thanks to everyone.
But on normal roads if someone makes a definite move to get out of the way for you be a good sport. A little politeness doesn't take much.
I'm a bit of a lucky chap to be able to have both cars and a bike so im on both sides of the fence so to speak.
But i've gotta have a moan! (Must be those January Blues!)
Anyway, i have noticed that when im driving cars these days that the number of Bikers who give any acknowledgement if i purposely move out of the way for them to filter past has decreased alot.
I'm not talking about on dual carriage ways when at normal speeds filtering down the middle as i know from experience your wrist would fall off if you said thanks to everyone.
But on normal roads if someone makes a definite move to get out of the way for you be a good sport. A little politeness doesn't take much.
If the opportunity arises, I usually thank car drivers and speed cameras with a comlimentary wheelie when safely past.
Like Kitty suggests, there are too many other roadcraft issues going on to worry too much. When driving a car I always make a point of giving enough room for a bike. If he wants to thank me then that is nice. If not then I won't lose any sleep.
Even from the Elise's cockpit, the biker is always the priority road user as he is ultimately more vulnerable and I wish to protect and encourage that attitude amongst other car drivers.
Like Kitty suggests, there are too many other roadcraft issues going on to worry too much. When driving a car I always make a point of giving enough room for a bike. If he wants to thank me then that is nice. If not then I won't lose any sleep.
Even from the Elise's cockpit, the biker is always the priority road user as he is ultimately more vulnerable and I wish to protect and encourage that attitude amongst other car drivers.
I do love these Forum's when people miss the point. 
I'm a biker myself and have been for 14 years so i know all the safety blurb etc etc.
What im saying is, especially where i live, over the past couple of years Bikers have become less curteous than they were before. So we're not asking people to do anything they haven't been doing for the past 40 years..
So don't go standing on your bike seats waving both hands chaps!
Anyway, all the lads & lasses on here are more than likely very curteous its just them others! Surely!
I'm a biker myself and have been for 14 years so i know all the safety blurb etc etc.
What im saying is, especially where i live, over the past couple of years Bikers have become less curteous than they were before. So we're not asking people to do anything they haven't been doing for the past 40 years..
So don't go standing on your bike seats waving both hands chaps!
Anyway, all the lads & lasses on here are more than likely very curteous its just them others! Surely!
Fire99 said:
I do love these Forum's when people miss the point.
I was getting off the train the other day and a man pushed through into the carriage before I got off properly.... This never used to happen years ago when commuters were all just one big happy family who never used to complain if the trains were late.... just to be glad that they actually arrived at all was a gift....
Oh back in the time.....
S2rr Kitty said:
I do love these Forum's when people miss the point.
I was getting off the train the other day and a man pushed through into the carriage before I got off properly.... This never used to happen years ago when commuters were all just one big happy family who never used to complain if the trains were late.... just to be glad that they actually arrived at all was a gift....
Oh back in the time.....
Agree with you people are less polite in all ways.. Doesn't make it right though. and in a recent survey of road users impoliteness came top on people's annoyances on the road.
(Hence road rage on the increase etc)
And you'll be surprised how far a little courtesy goes.. It doesn't hurt does it?
No, it doesn't but I don't think people are more or less rude/ I think it is just different.... I do not think bikers are more or less rude either... it is so different now from when I started riding bikes and so many things have changed - the speed of vehicles, the pace of traffic, crowded roads, safety awareness (I actually think bikers are MUCH MORE aware than they used to be) general rider skills, more police/cameras/ all these things make it such a different world on the road that I would not like to compare now to then.
If people can't conduct themselves with due courtesy that is their problem not mine... I do not adjust my behaviour accordingly...
If people can't conduct themselves with due courtesy that is their problem not mine... I do not adjust my behaviour accordingly...
Things are more different and i think stresses on drivers are greater cause there are alot more jams etc. (Bit like too many Mice on the wheel!)
But Drivers generally are less polite. People as a whole are.
But i think we would be here all day going into all societies issues
I can only really comment on the South East but drivers do cut eachother up more and dont acknowledge the other driver when let out of junctions etc. That sadly is fact and often reported by road magazines..
It doesnt stop me from being polite but you gotta be much more chilled than me if it never gives you the ump when others aren't polite to you.
But Drivers generally are less polite. People as a whole are.
But i think we would be here all day going into all societies issues
I can only really comment on the South East but drivers do cut eachother up more and dont acknowledge the other driver when let out of junctions etc. That sadly is fact and often reported by road magazines..
It doesnt stop me from being polite but you gotta be much more chilled than me if it never gives you the ump when others aren't polite to you.
Fire99 said:
But Drivers generally are less polite. People as a whole are.
But i think we would be here all day going into all societies issues
lol!! YOU STARTED IT!!!
Of course I find it irritating when people are rude.... but I don't carry that around with me.... I have more problem in coming to terms with witnessing several fatal accidents during my time as a road user...
Ok Smarty-Pants. I did start it! 
Yeah those things are much worse in the big picture of things.
Its just an unnecessary annoyance which is easily avoided and makes everyones journeys a bit happier. (Unless you drive/ride down the A127 which is rarely 'enjoyable' unless you have a parking fetish! )
Yeah those things are much worse in the big picture of things.
Its just an unnecessary annoyance which is easily avoided and makes everyones journeys a bit happier. (Unless you drive/ride down the A127 which is rarely 'enjoyable' unless you have a parking fetish!
) james_j said:
I'm sure it's appreciated even if it doesn't always seem that way. As said above, it's not always possible to indicate thanks.
Well said!
In recent years Ive found some people "too polite" - cars who pull over sooo much you are "forced" to overtake even if you didn't really want to (if only to stop getting covered in the all the grit, crap and litter they are now pulling out of the gutter) - I'm sure most are bikers and just do it to get a "thanks" and give then a warm glow inside / "still part of the clan even when I'm in the car" sort of thing. Move over a bit but don't go mad and go daisy cutting.
Don't even get me started on people who politely let people out even when they are on the A42 or whatever and there's milkfloat poking out of farmtrack or indeed all the loons who just stare at each other at mini roundabouts!
Fire99 said:
I totally agree with the not taking your hand off the bars etc.
But i think you know what im getting at. If someone makes a point to get out of the way i always give a quick nod.
it's a little gesture but makes all the difference in my book.
Absolutely.... I always expect it, so I always do it. Doesn't hurt eh?!
I've also noticed a general decline in people's attitudes to others on the road. I do 25K miles p/ann just going to work and back in a van. As it's a liveried van I have to bite my lip and refrain from certain hand gestures, as my employer would naturally frown on loads of complaints - but it gets harder all the time 
I agree with the original post, a small acknowledgement, be it a wave or nod, is surely very rarely too difficult or dangerous to do, but does make all the difference. Don't forget that most of us on here are also bike riders, and we'll always get over for a bike as we hope others would for us. It's the majority of drivers who don't ride, never have and never will. I've heard a good many say that if an act of courtesy by them goes unacknowledged a couple of times, they think : F
k it, I won't bother again then. So if you want people to keep moving over, a quick nod or wave goes a long way.
I agree with the original post, a small acknowledgement, be it a wave or nod, is surely very rarely too difficult or dangerous to do, but does make all the difference. Don't forget that most of us on here are also bike riders, and we'll always get over for a bike as we hope others would for us. It's the majority of drivers who don't ride, never have and never will. I've heard a good many say that if an act of courtesy by them goes unacknowledged a couple of times, they think : F
k it, I won't bother again then. So if you want people to keep moving over, a quick nod or wave goes a long way. Gassing Station | Biker Banter | Top of Page | What's New | My Stuff