Emotionally intelligent magnet (and road rage antidote)
Patrick Burns sends this example of an emotionally intelligent magnet, which cyclists can use inform bad drivers of their sins. Â BoingBoing has a great post with more info.
Patrick Burns sends this example of an emotionally intelligent magnet, which cyclists can use inform bad drivers of their sins. Â BoingBoing has a great post with more info.
Great! Now, is there one I can put on bicycles ridden by cyclists who put themselves and others at risk when they ignore the rules of the road?
Wow! Where can we get those? Actually, nevermind…I can make ’em! And others, with similar comments. Let’s practice Random Acts of Awareness! WhooHoo!!! Wouldn’t it be amazing if we could start a revolution of rational discourse? Fantastic!
Re: Esme…I understand what you are saying, but, in my experience, the reverse is true much more often. People are often so unconscious when they are driving that it is frightening (e.g. texting, putting on make-up, taking on the phone, reading, watching DVDs, playing with MP3 players, etc. – all things that I have personally witnessed from people who were driving). Truly terrifying.
Nice idea. Someone should start a website to encourage cyclist-driver discourse and cooperation, and then everyone can put that website on the magnets …
Great find, thank you Dan and Patrick!
Re: Esme: I agree with Esme. I live next to a park that is great for cycling. I have justt taken up cycling because of the convenience. They are in a minority, but there are many cyclists who scare me senseless because while they rightfully demand car drivers to show respect for the rules, will not themselves stop at the traffic light and will also ride between the stopped lanes to get to the front of the line at a light. If I ever see a cyclist stop at the stop sign near my house I will faint. I know it requires getting started again, but I really don’t want to accidentally hurt someone because of these abuses. Respect from both drivers and cyclists could really help out. The yellow card shows me that someone goes out with intentionally finding someone to throw the sign at. If we all did this to each other, whether on a freeway or neighborhood street, we would have a terrible litter problem. This act reminds me of the movie “Death Wish”, where the guy buys a gun and walks through Central Park waiting for someone to do him wrong. Bad attitude and angger issues.
I’m glad someone brought up the riders. I work In NYC and the bikes can mow you down while you’re walking, crossng the street when you have the white light. I want to knock some of them over. The problem is that a number of the insane riders are poorly paid immigrsnts trying to make a living. They make more if they deliver or pick up faster. So I restrain myself. Non-messenger riders are another story.
“will also ride between the stopped lanes to get to the front of the line at a light.” Too funny!
I have found that most people who complain about lane splitters are those who are frustrated with traffic.
Would you prefer cyclists to stop behind the car in front of them? Imagine the extra traffic that would cause if every biker did that. Say there are ten cars and ten bikes at a light and you’re in the tenth car. Instead of making the light and getting somewhere in the normally crazy/heavy traffic, you are now getting slowed down that much more because you are now 20th in line.
Another reason bikers don’t (and shouldn’t) stop behind a car is it is a very dangerous place to stop.
I don’t know if it has ever happened to you but I have gotten rear ended by another driver while I was at a traffic light. What if there was a biker or two between my car and the car that hit me? They’d be dead or legless.
And what if every cyclist was in a car instead of on a bike? Traffic is bad enough in most places without the extra wheels and tonnage.
As far as these magnets – nice idea but most times the cars are long gone and either ignorant of their trespass or enjoying their action.
Hi, Folks
I think it is pretty evident from the comments that this idea is unlikely to have the desired effect. You can see the (I believe predictable) defensive reactions.
Both sides are making the fundamental attribution error.
There is a human physiology problem here. Our attention systems evolved to overlook irrelevant detail. They have to, or they would be overloaded all the time. Our brains can’t process all that detail in real time.
When driving, our attention is looking for automobiles and trucks. Drivers literally do not see bicycles and pedestrians. Take a look at the Gorrilla movie and you will get the idea.
I drive a motorcycle and learned long ago that to survive I have to assume that I am totally invisible to other drivers. Even though motorcycles follow all the rules of the road, cars still pull out in front of you. The drivers seem to be looking right at you…but you can tell by their subsequent surprise that they literally did not see you.
Dan, you want to consider this one some more.
Regards,
Larry
I remember the comedian Gallager joking that drivers should carry those dart guns that shoot little sticks with suckers at the end. That way, if someone cut you off, you could shoot one and stick it on the back window. Once a policeman saw a car with enough stuck on, he could give them a ticket for being an asshole.
I think this is a nice idea, but I don’t think this will be very effective to change the minds of many drivers who drive erratically.
First of all, I think that many or most of the “tossed magnets” will either miss the target or not stick especially if the vehicle is moving. Second, the cyclist would have to have the “magnet” at the ready while they are cycling. If they are being run off the road, you probably wouldn’t be able to arm yourself with a magnet (or magnet gun). Finally, I think for those motorists who actually just don’t throw out the magnet without reading it, they may either not agree, or become sensitive or even possibly more angry at cyclists (creating the opposite effect, because we’re “preaching” to them.) Additionally, if the perception of the driver is that you damaged their vehicle, now you have an accident claim against the cyclist. (They’ll try to get you to cover the existing scratches on that side of the car where you threw the magnet at.)
In light of this, tt would probably have to applied to vehicles that are parked or stopped at a traffic light.
So, I think the major result will be the filling of the landfills with magnet material. Other than that, the results would not be good.
I hope I am wrong. Good luck. Keep thinking of ideas.
Hearing something slap against the side of my car isn’t going to make me a better driver. But, it’s better than just giving me the finger when you swing out in front of my car with no warning.
Larry has a good point, although I am able to look for pedestrians, motorcyclist and bicyclists while I drive. If you are on the road, you have two responsibilities. Don’t hit anything or anyone and don’t get hit. Fault is an insurance concept, everyone has a responsibility to be safe.
Yeah, Esme… I’m very concerned about those terrifying cyclists with their 20 lb. bikes. I mean, if they lose control and slam into a cafe, they could cause dollars of damage!
Get some perspective. Bad cyclists are a GOOD problem to have… that means there is people CYCLING. Thinking they cause problems the same magnitude as bad drivers is poor judgement. Quit thinking they are the same impact and spreading that belief is damaging to society.
WONDERFUL! As a cyclist who personally knows 4 people who have been hit by errant cars and myself had too many near misses to count, I love this idea. Thank you Dan (once again)!
To those of you who complain about cyclists’ behavior on the road, I understand your frustration and I make great effort to not get in the way of cars. I also agree that the damage from a bicycle or frustration from a cyclist making you slow a bit is less than the fear and death that the cyclists suffer.