Like many of you who frequent America's roads via bicycle I say thank you a lot to the many drivers we share the road with who properly yield the right-of-way or give some extra time and/or space when turning or passing. A little compliment goes a long way in bike/car diplomacy.
Even the occasional tap of the horn (which I personally detest, though I can appreciate the goodwill of their action), is better than the alternative. These drivers are completely different than the jerks in need to show their road superiority who blast their horn as they pass within inches.
It is my sad experience that rarely does a ride go by that is completely without conflict. The recent target of my ire is the Orlando, FL driver in her Land Rover who, as she hurriedly turned left, cut me off in the middle of an intersection all the while holding up the palm of her right hand signaling to me that I should stop. Not only did she cause me to brake in self-preservation but also affected the drivers in the lane she was now wrongfully occupying coming at her in the opposite direction. Swerving sharply to avoid them she merrily proceeded on her way. Go figure? She obviously is a much more important person than I.
The BEST DRIVER OF THE WEEK award goes to the Driving School instructor (sorry I would've plugged his company if I remembered it) who I had a brief chat with at a 4-way stop on my ride in Ontario, CA today. With a car full of High School kids, they caught up to me after an extended pause to wait for me to pass through a previous intersection they were turning from. He said that he teaches "courtesy over expediency." Saying that he has only a limited period of time to influence these kids and to try to develop their proper driving mentality is as important as their physical driving skills. He also stated that he can't undo the bad habits of the zillions of licensed drivers; but he does his best with those future drivers in his charge. Helmets off to this guy.
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