Apparently, we violate moral order. Who would guess this is the reason drivers hate cyclists.

"The psychology of why cyclists enrage car drivers," by Tom Stafford.

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Permalink Reply by Tom Sorrell on February 13, 2013 at 12:11pm

The article is thought provoking, whether you agree or disagree.

There is meant to be a moral code on the road, despite the fact that it gets broken all the time. Many motorists ignore the code when it suits them, but get infuriated when they see this code broken by someone else. When there are many "someone elses" that are easy to group (by type of vehicle, race, gender, age etc.), the unfortunate human response is to generalize and stereotype. Cyclists are not the only group to unfairly cop a bad wrap: Young drivers, old drivers, taxi drivers and soccer moms should all know. However, we are the most vulnerable when that frustration turns to ire.

Sometimes the frustration is irrational; e.g. anger at being overtaken by a vehicle a fraction of the size and cost, jealousy that cyclists don't pay registration / license fees etc. Other times the frustration is pretty rational; e.g. watching someone blow a light or almost hit a pedestrian or weave in inside a left turning car as they're making the turn.

This generalization is unfair, but it's unavoidable. Most cyclists behave, but a small portion ruin it for the rest of us. In my opinion, the only way to change the way motorists think of cyclists is to reduce the number of perceived breaches that we conduct.

You can call me defeatist, but I'm just trying to be realistic.

Permalink Reply by Melissa on February 13, 2013 at 1:01pm

Interesting piece.  Morals are relative.  The piece linked here tackles the psychological root.  

http://www.thechainlink.org/forum/topics/doping-driver-emotions-sto...

Permalink Reply by Anne Alt on February 13, 2013 at 1:41pm

Yet another...  ;)



Duppie 13.5185km said:

A whole bunch of Mavericks together



Kevin C 4.1 mi said:

Good one. How 'bout this?



Anne Alt said:

Another Maverick.  ;)

Permalink Reply by Gort 12-mile Pinklegneep on February 13, 2013 at 3:19pm

It's cool to redefine entitlement as Moral Order. 

And hey! Yes there are free riders on the road, but it turns out, that who they are, may surprise you. 

Permalink Reply by Gort 12-mile Pinklegneep on February 13, 2013 at 3:25pm

Well like a lot of things that endeavor to be Thought Provoking or Start A Discussion it sort of falls apart if you "know anything." Because at that point, the thoughts this provokes are largely "this dude is a clown." And if that were in doubt, he tries bringing evolutionary psychology into this, which is the favorite fallback of people, usually dudes, who want to justify "being a dick." 



Tom Sorrell said:

The article is thought provoking, whether you agree or disagree.

Permalink Reply by in it to win it 8.0 mi on February 13, 2013 at 3:37pm
Wow, so sad I took the time to read this article.
Pretty sure Jesus would call him a dick.
Permalink Reply by Gort 12-mile Pinklegneep on February 13, 2013 at 5:10pm

On flights of wonder and imagination I pose the question: is there any form of assholery that doesn't have someone farting out an evopsych justification for 

Permalink Reply by Matheis on February 14, 2013 at 7:00am

Permalink Reply by Mike Zumwalt on February 14, 2013 at 7:27am

This is why I ride down the double yellow, slower traffic on the right faster traffic passes on the left.

Permalink Reply by Far'arned Retrogrumpalunkus #63 on February 14, 2013 at 8:01am

+1 Idaho stop.

Roads would be 1000x safer we got the cars off of them. 


Mattheis said:

Permalink Reply by Matheis on February 14, 2013 at 8:13am

Thought provoking article. Though I think the underlying reason is motorists viewing cyclists as an "other".

 

Our rather precarious cycling infrastructure (painted lines on roads with cars whizzing by close enough to touch and kill you) means most ordinary people are too intimidated to try cycling. Only us dedicated, more gutsy cyclists are comfortable out in the streets.

 

Since that's a small number compared to the population, motorists and the general public view us as "those bikers"  - an "other" they cannot identify with.

 

I'm excited for bike sharing because I think it will begin to change that perception. People who never dreamed of cycling will try it. It means "those bikers" on the road can be anyone: friend, neighbor, family.

 

I tried bicycle shares in South Beach and DC and felt I lost some of my "biker" stigma. It was as if people more readily acknowledged me as just another person on his way somewhere. The more people on bikes, the more accepted it is, the more we recognize one another's humanity.

 

My favorite quote: "We don't have cyclists in Copenhagen, we merely have people who happen to ride their bicycles." - BikeMike bicycle tours

Permalink Reply by David P. on February 23, 2013 at 5:49am

The actor-observer bias is a relevant and related phenomenon. I'll leave it to Todd Scott, who wrote about it well: http://www.m-bike.org/blog/2012/12/11/motorists-and-actor-observer-...

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