Cyclists on the Road

Bicycles and their riders can be a serious risk to car drivers. They require extreme caution when going near them, and they can be unpredictable. Although I warn about them in my driving test guide, I think you also need the following article for a complete understanding of the subject.

Scary Cyclists in the Road Test

Bicycles are one of the most efficient forms of transportation and energy use. With proper use, they can offer a much better alternative to walking, and sometimes also to driving a car. However, when the bicycles enter the road, they cause trouble. Cyclists have no protection, thus making them very vulnerable, even to tiny touches by cars. During the road test, some students make mistakes that make them fail the test. Some mistakes repeat much more often than others.

Bicycle lanes, even without bicycles, cause very much trouble to driving students. Some of them drive in the bicycle lane, others just don't notice it. When they turn right, they don't check for cyclists on that special lane. Even if the lane is empty, the examiner might write a minor error, and many minor errors accumulate to one major failure.

Not checking nearby lanes when turning can bring a much bigger issue: hitting a cyclist. When turning right and crossing a bicycle lane, there is a good chance that a cyclist is riding in that lane. If the driver turns without checking the lane, a cyclist might hit the turning car, or worse, the car might hit the cyclist. Both cases bring only one test result: failure.

Driving behind bicycles is another scary situation on the road and the door to many mistakes. Cyclists, even professional ones, are not immune to falling and slipping. Sometimes a cyclist hits a rock or pothole and falls off the bike. When this happens, the driver better drive very slowly or have an escape path to avoid hitting the cyclist. Driving too close to a cyclist may not fail the student, but if the cyclist falls and the student hits him, the test results cannot be changed.

Driving near bicycles can be practiced easily. Student drivers should go and drive on roads with bike lanes. However, not every practice is good practice. Only practice with a good guide is helpful to the driving test and driving in general.

You can find a good guide on the Pass Your Road Test area of my site.

Hope you found the article useful.

Yours,
Nadav

nadavs