How to Win an Argument with a Car Driver
This article found on BikeRoute.com give insight about winning arguments with a car driver. Something to think about anyways. Enjoy!
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[…] Via Commute Orlando, I found this advice on winning arguments with drivers (warning: uses the term “lifestyle“) I think this advice assumes two adults trying to come to some reasonable understanding of each others point of view. […]
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And I thought it was how to win an argument on the road, which would have been a curious piece indeed. I do my best to avoid arguments with drivers on the roadway, but enjoy to engage them in conversation and discussion when out of their steel boxes. The driving culture is so ingrained in people today that it doesn’t matter that they are not in a vehicle, they still think and react to comments as a motor vehicle operator.
I win arguments with automobile drivers every time I am out and about!
They argue that I should get out of their way so they are not inconvenienced in their travels. I maintain my lane position and assert my rights.
They always yield and overtake me in a safe manner, just as they would any other slow moving vehicle.
Vehicular cycling has made me a more eloquent debater!
Somehow, I don’t think that the:
* Lets you hear birds sing
* Lets you smell nature
arguments will have much of an effect on people that get up close and lay on the horn.
For those of us comfortable with cycling, automobiles are not an either/or proposition, as this article seems to make it out to be. Automobiles are tools for transporting people and things. (As are bicycles, but bicycles are more fun!) Cyclists are not as prone to invest their identity in the car that they own as motorist only folks are.
This was an essay urging abandoning the automobile for a bicycle. “Here are some facts you can post… to challenge all those people who are so committed to their cars.” As such, it sometimes conflated unrelated lifestyle choices that helped make it seem preachy and off-putting.
“Makes you desire more wholesome foods.” My cycling hasn’t changed my food preferences, and it is silly to think that it would.
Some of the “facts you can share” are a bit of a reach. “Cars destroy neighborhoods, the environment and property values”? These “facts” erode the credibility of the authors other points.
I am car-free, but I am not anti-motorist. This writer clearly is, protestations to the contrary notwithstanding. (“The ensuing words are not meant to insult anyone.”)
As some astute observer of human nature once said:
“Never argue with a fool. Someone watching may not be able to tell the difference.”
(Or the variation: “They’ll drag you down to their level and defeat you with their vastly superior experience.”)
It’s taken me many, many years to learn this, and I find I have to keep re-learning it over and over.
I agree with ChipSeal; it’s overdone. I think it’s significant to note that it’s on a website about a Greenway. Some of my disagreements:
* Under Health Benefits, it says bicycling alleviates stress, and under More Things, “Driving in traffic raises blood pressure”. Those things may both be true much of the time, but even though I’m comfortable driving my bike even in heavy traffic, I don’t think it’s any less stressful than driving a car in heavy traffic. (Ironically, when they say “Driving in traffic raises blood pressure”, I’m sure they only meant cars, but I mean it for both types of vehicles.)
* “Car driving can make you feel guilty” – well, so can bicycle driving. Again, you are dealing with traffic, which sometimes means uncertain situations involving other people. Should I have communicated that turn more clearly? Did I move into the lane too suddenly and surprise that motorist? Should I have let that person pass instead of forcing the issue? Oops, shouldn’t have tried to beat that yellow! Why did I get so mad at that guy? I wish I hadn’t let that person yield her right of way to me. Or maybe I should have just gone ahead and not wasted everyone’s time getting into a waving match. Okay, maybe not always guilt, exactly, but just as with motoring, lots of opportunities for self-reflection.
“Makes you desire more wholesome foods.” It’s amusing to go out for lunch and come back with a fast food bag. Some people assume since I ride a bike, I must eat healthy. (Finishing up my afternoon Pop-Tart as I write this…) 😉
JohnB, I’ve found the same thing happens to me. My clients clearly think that I’m some sort of healthy eater type of person, but the stuff I use to refuel is far from that. More miles means more chocolate, mostly!