Highlights from TheWashCycle by washcycle
A California cyclist was hit in a right hook…. But the driver’s lawyer argued that "if we had a video camera on every driver in Southern California, you probably wouldn’t see one who turns around and looks over at the curb and behind them. Why would you? There’s no reason to, okay?" and the jury agreed.
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In one study in which drivers were asked how they feel about cyclists, one of the recurring labels was "unpredictable." When asked to elaborate, drivers often blamed the "attitudes and limited competence" of the cyclists themselves, rather than the "difficulty of the situations that cyclists are often forced to face on the road." When asked to describe their own actions or those of other drivers, however, they blamed only the situation. Psychologists call this the "fundamental attribution error."
So drivers, perhaps already stressed out from being late for work or stuck in traffic, then have to negotiate their way around a vehicle they essentially don’t understand, causing even more stress, which they tend to attribute to something about cyclists. It’s a vicious cycle—most vicious, in terms of actual harm, for cyclists.
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Virginia (1.5%) and DC (0%) had cyclist fatality rates below the national average of 1.9%. Maryland was slightly higher (2%).
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Moving Beyond the Automobile: Biking from Streetfilms on Vimeo.
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https://www.thewashcycle.com/2011/02/tour-de-links-1.htmloldId.20110228070528817
Biking in Baltimore