Driver Tips On Sharing The Roads With Cyclists

Via No Silence Here, Patrick Beeson offers Knoxville drivers suggestions on how to pass cyclists.
I ride a fair amount with traffic, and to build on Patrick’s post, here’s four things that annoy me most about passing vehicles:

• Fast-moving vehicles that buzz by as if you aren’t even there. This is an innate response–if you have what feels like a near-miss with an object weighing many hundreds of pounds while you are in a defenseless position, it’s going to be scary. Remember that Tennessee law requires motorists to allow a minimum of three feet clearance when passing a cyclist. Err on the safe side and allow even more.
• Drivers who tailgate instead of passing. The opposite of driver type (1). Instead of going around the cyclist, this driver continues to trail closely behind even when the road is open to pass.
  I’m not sure why some motorists do this. Perhaps they are not used to passing cyclists and are exercising an abundance of caution? Although I appreciate this sentiment, it gets annoying having a strange vehicle lingering on your tail. So if you have five or more feet of clearance available, slowly ease by and continue on your way.
• Drivers who pass at inopportune times. A good place to pass is on a straight stretch of road that has good visibility. A bad place to pass is going around a corner. A cyclist needs extra space when cornering. And if you run into on-coming traffic while attempting to pass, you may have no choice but to force the cyclist off the road!
  Another annoying situation is when a driver passes the cyclist and then breaks. It takes a lot more effort to stop and regain your speed on a bike than it does in a vehicle. Be considerate of this.
• Honking and yelling. Some motorists like to honk to alert cyclists that they are passing. A light tap on the horn as you are approaching is generally OK (though typically unnecessary). But loud, prolonged honks or yelling out the window as you pass is almost always distracting and irritating. Don’t do it.