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Recently, a driver buzzed by me, leaving just a couple of inches between my handlebars and his car. It was very scary.

In general, how can I prevent cars from passing me too closely?

Please cite sources.

unforgettableidSupportsMonica
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    Boudica spikes? – alex Jun 13 '13 at 01:44
  • just memorise the number plate and report it to the police :p If it happens in a major crossroad signal with CCTV cameras, the police generally gives him a caution or worst, a fixed penalty ticket for driving without due care and attention. What did you do? did you not stay away of the traffic's way when you cycled? Please provide more details to what you were doing before that? I know sometimes people are "Jerks", and seems like that has happened with you. – ha9u63a7 Jun 13 '13 at 06:29
  • I think the context how this happened is irrelevant, since the question is "In general, how can I stop cars from passing me too closely?" – Uooo Jun 13 '13 at 07:00
  • It is relevant as he needs to know what TO DO and NOT TO DO in the future. – ha9u63a7 Jun 13 '13 at 07:30
  • Dear close voter: Why do you feel that this question is "bad subjective" instead of "good subjective"? – unforgettableidSupportsMonica Jun 13 '13 at 19:35
  • Don't wear a helmet or any other gear that makes you look like a "real" cyclist. Studies in England show that motorists tend to drive closer to cyclists who appear "real" than to those who appear to be just casual riders. (But, of course, not wearing a helmet is dumb.) – Daniel R Hicks Jun 15 '13 at 11:31
  • (Frankly, the issue is more a matter of location (and perhaps timing) than technique. Drivers in some parts of the US will cut much more closely than others, and drivers tend to be "pushier" at certain times of the day/week. Just rode a week-long tour in Minnesota and virtually every driver gave a full lane clearance.) – Daniel R Hicks Jun 15 '13 at 11:35
  • You should pray. I think it is unavoidable, sooner or later, someone is going to get too close. I don't have the courage to ride on the road. – johnny Apr 11 '18 at 16:46

5 Answers5

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  • Use proper positioning. This is most important. Unless the outermost lane is as wide as two SUVs, ride in its center. When it's safe, reasonable and necessary to let drivers pass, kindly move over; but always leave at least 18 inches (0.5 m) between you and the curb. The driver behind you may have to wait a minute or two, but they'll survive. If they've waited a few minutes, be nice and pull over. (Adapted mainly from Wikipedia citing Cyclecraft.) Paradoxically, correct positioning will stop most drivers from buzzing you. Correct positioning can be scary, but does get easier.

  • On rare occasions, drivers may still buzz you. To prevent this:

    • Use a safety flag. A spring-mounted one: e.g. a Flash Flag. (Source.) It must be spring-mounted, so that it can bend easily if hit. (If you can't afford a flag: Maybe you could use a dollar-store pool noodle plus a washable marker pen. See here.)

    • Or use a doll. Put a baby-sized doll in a trailer or rear-mounted carrier.

  • About attempted murder: If a driver ever intentionally endangers your life, note down the license plate number, location, time, and date. If you value your safety, don't touch the driver's car. Contact a cop: preferably immediately; but better later than never.

This post is marked as community wiki. Please add to it.

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unforgettableidSupportsMonica
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  • I wouldn't ride in the centre of a lane under no circumstances unless I have signalled to turn left or right and need to pass somewhere through the central area. You are potentially slowing traffic down and not letting other drivers to "Politely" overtake you, which is allowed for the cars if done with care and attention. I think his question is not really clear and he must have done something that made the driver really impatient. We need him to expand his question. – ha9u63a7 Jun 13 '13 at 06:25
  • Also, is it fair to say use cycle lanes if you like as they will be car free anyway? – ha9u63a7 Jun 13 '13 at 07:33
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    @hagubear: What prevents the driver overtaking him politely if he is riding in the lane centre? – Mladen Jablanović Jun 13 '13 at 11:24
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    It's actually illegal to ride in the center of the lane in some places unless there's some overwhelming reason to do so; e.g., debris, giant pot holes, etc. – jimchristie Jun 13 '13 at 11:41
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    @MladenJablanović why would you ride in the centre lane by blocking traffic behind you where everyone is going potentially faster? Also, this causes frustration and possible loss of concentration for the car drivers ending up having no care or attention for the road. if it is a 2 lane road, yeah it is possible ALA you have one way traffic on both lanes. But if it is a narrow and single lane, then you must not as it is directly associated to your due care and attention for other road users including cyclist and pedestrians. Also, why would you ride in the middle if the limit is >40 mph? – ha9u63a7 Jun 13 '13 at 12:26
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    First, and most important, by "claiming the lane" you are not blocking traffic. You are merely slowing it down. Also, the OP asked about preventing dangerous overtaking. Riding in the middle of the lane is one of the ways to do this: if there's no space to safely overtake, by claiming the lane you are making the drivers behind aware of that. Of course, when you see that they can safely overtake, you move to the right to allow them to. – Mladen Jablanović Jun 13 '13 at 12:36
  • @Jean-BernardPellerin Yes I am...unlike you – ha9u63a7 Jun 13 '13 at 16:41
  • @MladenJablanović I agree with you, but only when when it is really narrow and not safe and feasible for the car behind you to overtake..which I believe I have already mentioned in a couple of other comments – ha9u63a7 Jun 13 '13 at 16:46
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    @hagubear: Vehicular cycling in a 35-mph car lane is normally safer than riding in a bike lane: for one thing, it prevents "right hook" collisions. See, for example, Effective Cycling by Forester. – unforgettableidSupportsMonica Jun 13 '13 at 17:03
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    @jimirings: Can you quote one law, from anywhere, which you believe makes it illegal? When you read legal statements such as "slow-moving vehicles must stay as far right as practicable", keep in mind that "practicable" doesn't mean what you think it means. :) – unforgettableidSupportsMonica Jun 13 '13 at 17:04
  • @unforgettableid hmmm, but this seems more like the cyclists would not have attention to the vehicle's signalling and therefore, cause collision...plz don't get me wrong! I am with you on the evidence, I am simply saying that we cyclists also should have equal attention and care for the road users, just like car drivers. – ha9u63a7 Jun 13 '13 at 17:12
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    @unforgettableid I live in Missouri and our state law uses the phrasing "where safe" rather than "as practicable" and offers specific exceptions to this rule. I don't claim to know what these phrases mean because they are basically meaningless and the meaning will ultimately be determined the officer who decides whether or not to give you a ticket, and then either upheld or dismissed by a judge. But there's no denying that you're legally expected to ride as far to the right as you can. – jimchristie Jun 13 '13 at 18:24
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    @jimirings: Your state's bike laws aren't as clear as they could be. Still, RSMo 307.190 lists "when the lane is too narrow to share" as one of the exceptions to the rule. The consensus is that any lane narrower than two SUVs is "too narrow to share". See also this MoBikeFed article. Are you convinced yet? – unforgettableidSupportsMonica Jun 13 '13 at 18:43
  • @unforgettableid First, I'm not necessarily saying that taking the lane is a bad idea. I'm just saying that if you do it, it may be interpreted by law enforcement and judges as illegal. Second, yes, the laws could be clearer. That's the problem. Third, citing another state's guidelines will not help you when you're talking to a cop or standing in front of a judge in your state of residence. And the MO Bike Fed is not a government entity and has no legal authority. And I'd like to reiterate: I'm not saying it's a bad idea. I'm just saying that you should be aware that it might not be legal. – jimchristie Jun 13 '13 at 18:58
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    @jimirings:

    Wikipedia cites the AASHTO, which is national. If you are indeed brought before a judge, then citing case law from other states can indeed help convince a judge that 13 feet is too narrow. But the risk of being brought before a judge is extremely remote. In my province, I've been practicing vehicular cycling for years, and I've heard of anyone being brought before a judge for it.

    As for you: Have you ever heard of anyone being brought before a judge for center-of-lane riding in your state?

     – unforgettableidSupportsMonica Jun 13 '13 at 19:31
  • @unforgettableid This debate is getting overly long, a practice which is discouraged on SE sites. Thus, we should move it to chat. – jimchristie Jun 13 '13 at 20:45
  • @jimirings: Feel free. – unforgettableidSupportsMonica Jun 22 '13 at 00:32
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Cars overtaking too closely is often down to the width of the road (ref):

For a cyclist to be safely overtaken, the width required depends upon the width of the overtaking vehicle but in general a lane width of 4m is needed. For widths of between 3 and 4m the cyclist will be 'squeezed'. Road widths less than 3m ensure the overtaking vehicle must wait behind the cyclist.

There's a more detailed discussion of road width and overtaking on humantransport.org. The diagram below shows distances in feet:

enter image description here

If you can choose a route with wide roads then you're unlikely to be overtaken in a dangerous manner. Roads with (at least) 2 lanes each way usually work well if the lanes are narrow enough that cars have to change lane to overtake you.

On narrower roads you can discourage dangerous overtaking by positioning yourself correctly (see this question on Claiming The Lane). If you position yourself at least 0.5m from the edge of the road you will have a little bit of room to manoeuvre if you are overtaken dangerously.

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Tom77
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You can wobble strategically, or ride without a helmet and dress so as to appear as a woman from behind.

Sources: Linked above, as you can see. The summary from the British study, from the source.

Zippy The Pinhead
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You won't be able to stop this completely. There will be always car drivers how try to pass you, no matter what. However, there are things you can do about this.

Most car drivers usually let enough space between you and the car, if possible. So they will likely pass you closer when:

  • The road is narrow
  • There is oncoming traffic

Now, you have a few strategies to encounter this situations:

  1. Riding more in the middle of the your lane so the car behind you can't pass you unless there is more space or no oncoming traffic
  2. Riding very right (when right-side traffic, otherwise left) so cars can pass you without problems
  3. Stop and let the car pass

Personally, I prefer option 1 in the cities, because cars will have enough time to see you and slow down. You still have enough space to ride to the side in risky situations to increase the space between you and the car.

2 is more risky in cities because it kind of invites cars to pass you close. I usually to this on broad highways, because there most cars newer slow down to wait to pass you (at least in my experience).

I do option 3 on narrow roads with oncoming traffic. These are usually side roads with few traffic anyway. I don't like to stop, but in the end I will get hurt if a car hits me.

Uooo
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  • I would not ride in the middle of the street, unless it is a one way narrow road - then the driver will not have any choice. +1 for no. 2 and 3.. Although I am from the UK, no. 2 is what we do by staying at the leftmost area. Yes it is true that no. 2 is risky but depends which cities or even countries you do it. Riding in Europe using no. 2 is what people do anyway. Don't know about North America. No. 3 is also well-prescribed using the oncoming traffic example. – ha9u63a7 Jun 13 '13 at 07:24
  • @hagubear sorry, I meant more in the middle of your lane, not of the whole street. I corrected that ;-) – Uooo Jun 13 '13 at 07:41
  • Cool...that is something that I would do happily....and make sure I report anybody who try to run me over :p – ha9u63a7 Jun 13 '13 at 08:48
  • Thank you for your answer. What are "broad highways"? Are they residential roads? Arterial roads? Freeways? What's the speed limit? Are you suggesting riding on the paved shoulder? Cheers! – unforgettableidSupportsMonica Jun 13 '13 at 18:14
  • @unforgettableid I mean streets like this one, where cars can drive in both directions. Speed limit is in my country up to 100km/h (62 mp/h). If there are sidewalks with noone walking on it, i prefer riding on it (don't want to annoy anyone). However they seem rare to me... – Uooo Jun 14 '13 at 04:29
  • @w4rumy: Ah, the photo shows a two-lane 100 km/h highway with no shoulder. :( A difficult situation. What country are you in? Do they normally not pave the shoulders of the 100 km/h highways? – unforgettableidSupportsMonica Jun 21 '13 at 22:43
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When I ride, I usually wear a little rearview mirror attachment on my glasses that allow me to see traffic behind me. If I see a vehicle approaching and I don't get the sense that they see me, I'll actually crane my head around so it's very obvious that I've spotted them. Most drivers will notice you if you do that.

(obviously not to take away from the very thorough and technical answer by @unforgettableld - just a trick a friend taught me).

Ben Collins
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