Reading all these posts and calling on my 30+ years as driver and cyclist I figure there are three types of road user :
1)
The 'Professional': This is the lycra clad sports cyclist, the lorry driver, taxi driver, bus driver, rales rep Mondeo driver. They generally think they own the road. Woe betide anyone who gets in their way !! They are so experienced (they think) that they know better than anyone else in any given situation. For the most part they are quite safe cyclists or drivers but tend to be driven by arrogance for others who are just getting in their way.
2)
The 'Industrial': These are the cyclists and drivers who *have* to cycle / drive, generally for work reasons rather than pleasure. This would be the major group. These are the safest on the roads. They are experienced but generally not arrogant in the same way as the 'Professional' because they recognise that like most others they are there because they *have* to be not *want* to be. These are the ones who leave junctions clear, slow down and allow for slower traffic or pedestrians, stay in the correct lane etc, etc.
3)
The 'Casual': This is the kid out playing on his bike, grandad collecting the papers, "4 wheel drive (or Mercedes) mum" nipping to Sainsbury's for tonights dinner. This group is
lethal. Watch out for these !! They are totally unaware of anyone else on the road be they pedestrians, cyclists or cars ! They are likely to pop out at you from just about anywhere without warning !
The trick is to be able to identify these three basic groups in nano seconds from first seeing them. (You may well never see the 'Casual' ones before impact !!)
The above is my lame attempt at some humour to redress my anger last night.
Remember "Be safe out there".
