So on my ride home today I’m in the left lane in moderate traffic on a 40mph 4-lane road with a center turn lane. As usual I’m trying to stay just left of the SUV in front of me so I can see the traffic ahead and give myself an escape route in case someone comes flying up from behind. The SUV however, I’m assuming thought I was planning to use the center turn lane (which is share by both sides of the traffic) to pass. So the farther left I would go in the lane, the farther left she went until we were both over the double yellow and half a car width into the center lane. She actually almost hit a truck that was using the center lane to turn. My first lizard brain thought of course was just to blow past this nimrod and show her! Thankfully I took a beat to relax and think it through. Instead, when we came up to the next stoplight I pulled up beside her driver side, opened my helmet so she could see my warm and loving smile and knocked on her window. I told her that I noticed the farther over left I got, the farther she did and then explained to her why I was trying to be to the left (and several car lengths behind of course) of her vehicle. It allows me to see the traffic ahead and gives more reaction time if something is happening. It gives me an escape route if a car comes flying up behind me that likely doesn’t even see me. I was extremely polite and tried to convey this in my warmest tone. For her part, she thanked me for explaining and was also very nice. Just wanted to share this because I’m fully aware of the many other ways it could have gone. I could have let it piss me off and ruin my great riding vibe. Worse, that anger could have distracted me causing me to ride too fast, possibly do something truly stupid like punch out one of her mirrors (ok, that’s just really not me at all, but I’ve seen other riders do it to cars that upset them), or even get in a wreck. All because of a simple misunderstanding easily rectified with a few kind words. And I got to enjoy the rest of my ride with a smile and the hope that maybe she’ll be more understanding as well with the next biker. Of course I also left the light faster and wasn’t behind her anymore either LOL. Happy riding everyone!
Did she tell you why she was doing it or did she only give you some platitudes and thanks?
Because a lot of people are not used to be talked to, and even if they are all rage inside the car, they get scared quite fast when someone fully geared on a motorbike knocks on their window - and tbh I think it is pretty understandable.
Still, good on you, I usually just let them go and change road - when feasible. There’s no need to waste a good riding day with some knucklehead.
I really wasn’t expecting any kind of apology or explanation. I was only hoping to impart some knowledge, diffuse the situation, and hopefully make it better for the next rider. To be honest, I was a bit surprised she even rolled down her window. Thankfully I have a touring style helmet that allows me to open the entire front so she could see that I was smiling and polite and not angry and ready to fight; otherwise she likely wouldn’t have even done that.