Why all the Angry Holiday Drivers?

angry Holiday driver

Why does driving during the Holidays often seems more stressful than usual?  Are family issues and frustrations spilling out onto the streets?

I am always especially cautious while driving during the Christmas Holiday.  Driving behavior seems to change a lot during the Holiday and people become more aggressive and impatient on the road.  Is it that people like to take their family or shopping pressure frustrations out on the road?

Yes, traffic is probably slightly worse near shopping malls but regular commutes to work are faster due to people working from home or on vacation.  You can see the frustration on drivers' faces during this time of year.  Especially when they have to stop and wait for someone crossing the street or someone makes a slight driving error in-front of them.

Driving near shopping malls can be especially hazardous.  We have found in our dangerous intersections database that more accidents are occurring at intersections near shopping malls.  Search the previous map link in your area for dangerous intersections near shopping malls.   

10 Ways To Get Respect From Drivers While Riding Your Bike

car passing too close to bike

Why has riding a bike in most cities across the World now become hazardous to your health and you could easily be risking your life and injury.   I have been riding my bike for the last 25+ years to commute around the Hermosa Beach & Manhattan Beach area.  I used to ride my bike for exercise on the streets training for triathlons but ever since I had kids I have stopped.  It is just too risky now and over the years I have seen many injuries and accidents because some drivers don't respect bikers.

It concerns me that driving has become even more hazardous with texting and distracted driving.  However, one thing that has progressed is road rage, especially in the morning.  I can't tell you how many times I have seen angry drivers pass bikers too close.  Why don't more drivers respect the space of bikers on the road?  Don't more drivers realize that kids are riding their bikes to school and need to slow down?  Over the years I have found the following things help to move cars and get more respect from cars while riding.  Passing too close is my biggest pet peeve and here are ways to help get more space.

  • Ride with a group of 2 or more people.  Drivers tend to respect riders more in a group. 
  • Have a quick look over your shoulder if you start to hear a car approaching. 
  • Wear bright colors.  
  • Do your best to hug the side of the road or parked cars. 
  • Don't ride in the middle of a lane because you never know if a crazy driver is approaching.
  • Don't run stop signs or lights. 
  • Don't ride too fast down hills or in areas with heavy traffic.  Stopping safely is everything! 
  • Always be on guard and never relax while riding. 
  • Look inside parked vehicles to make sure a car is not about to pull out or open a car door.  
  • NEVER wear headphones!  

I can't tell you how many times I have almost been hit by a car while riding my bike on the side of the road. Why don't more drivers give proper space to bikers on the road?   Most drivers are courteous and pull over a lane on the road or just ride the median to give ample space.   However, on some rides, there is usually that one "knucklehead" driver who does not respect your space and will pass you without pulling out.  These people know what they are doing because they often look in the rearview mirror to see my reaction.  We need to crowdsource a database of these assholes and their license plates!

I am not an overly aggressive rider and tend to hug the side of the road for just these reasons.  What can be done to solve these problems?  Education or steeper fines for not giving bikers ample space?  Here is a good article that talks about the 9 things that drivers need to stop saying in the bikes vs cars debate.

Here is another article that suggests that drivers think that cyclists are annoying.  Why do motorists get so angry at cyclists?    "It's not because cyclists are annoying,” he writes. “It isn't even because we have a selective memory for that one stand-out annoying cyclist over the hundreds of boring, non-annoying ones (although that probably is a factor). No, my theory is that motorists hate cyclists because they think they offend the moral order.”

ridar bike presence radar

I would like to see bike radar companies like Ridar take off in the future.  If every car has a bike presence sensor and cars were informed that a bike was nearby this could help.  It would be awesome to see companies like Waze have a function for bikers to let drivers know they are nearby.  However, it is going to take widespread adoption by the automakers.  Hopefully, companies like Garmin and Ridar can make this happen and bring the technology to the masses.  

City Found Liable for Faded White Lines at Intersection


In a civil trial launched in Hamilton, Canada a court heard that the stop line on Fifth Concession Road West, where the sedan should have stopped, was faded and virtually invisible to drivers. The sedan instead stopped at the stop sign before pulling out into the intersection. According to the court documents, city staff had identified months earlier that the stop line needed repainting and had recommended it, but hadn't gotten around to it. Court heard there were "regular" accidents at that intersection. Years before the crash, a neighbor had petitioned to have reflective "tiger stripes" painted on the roadway there (which have since been added).

The stop line was faded. As a result, Superior Court Justice Toni Skarica ruled last week that the city, as well as the driver of the sedan, was negligent. "The evidence establishes that the city had committed itself to maintain this stop line and had ample notice that this intersection was a dangerous — if not one of the most dangerous — intersections in the City of Hamilton," the judge ruled. "The city was aware it needed repainting as far as six months before the accident, but it had not been done." The cost of a stop line, according to the court documents, was $50 to $100.

In an email statement Friday, lawyer Michael Smitiuch said the decision "serves as a wake-up call for the city to ensure improvements are made to dangerous intersections to protect public safety." He said that although his client will continue to struggle with his injuries, "the decision will allow (Chiocchio) to have the much-needed care and rehabilitation that he requires and allow him to provide for his young son." He declined to say what amount the city was ordered to pay. On his blog, he wrote, "The losses and damage suffered by the plaintiff were considerable." A city spokesperson said Monday it's "reviewing the decision with outside counsel, who acted on behalf of the city's insurer, to consider options."  Read more