Road hazards

After an absolutely unscientific analysis of road hazards for cyclists in our area, I've concluded these hazards fall into three groups of drivers: distracted young females, inattentive elderly females, and aggressive young males.

Distracted young females (all examples have been personally observed in moving vehicles):

• Talking on their cellphones.
• Texting on their cellphones.
• Fixing their hair.
• Putting on makeup.
• Listening to music with earbuds in both ears.
• Eating with both hands.
• Looking at and talking with their passengers, waving both hands in the air.
• Obliviously running stop lights and stop signs.
• Changing lanes without checking other traffic.  (Like the young woman today, who came within 2-to-3 inches of hitting me.)
• Reading a book.
• Turning right into driveways, cutting off cyclists in the bike lanes.

Inattentive elderly females (all examples have been personally observed in moving vehicles):

• Drifting across white lines, entering bike lanes.
• Driving so slowly that other drivers pass unsafely, endangering cyclists.
• Looking right at cyclists, then pulling out in front of them.
• Turning slowly and widely onto roads, impeding the bike lanes.
• Pulling through intersections, rather than stopping at the designated lines.

Aggressive young men (all examples have been personally observed in moving vehicles):

• Intentionally racing through intersections as the lights change from yellow to red.
• Racing away from intersections in speed contests with other drivers.
• Excessive speed.
• Obnoxiously loud music.
• Sitting slouched exceptionally low is seats.
• Road rage (chasing other vehicles).
• Purposefully bumping cars in front of them. 

Having cycled 5,776 miles in the past year, the depth and breadth of the data upon which this unscientific analysis was conducted is fairly significant.  So significant that I specifically watch for the drivers in these three groups.  It's a matter of self preservation.

Of course, I'd be remiss if I didn't highlight examples of the truly superb drivers with whom I share the road on a daily basis.

• Moving over to provide at least three feet of separation (the law in California).
• Slowing to permit cyclist lane changes.
• Allowing the cyclist to get up to speed after being stopped at an intersection.
• Not turning right from an intersection into the path of a cyclist.
• Letting cyclists pass on the right while in their bike lanes.

There are definitely road hazards to cyclists that are not related to drivers of cars and trucks.  But these other hazards are inanimate and predictable.  The distracted young female, inattentive elderly female, and aggressive young male drivers, however, present the greatest hazards to cyclists.