Why do car drivers lose their mind when using a bike helmet?

It has happened again. Actually, it happens almost every day.
What, you wonder?
Well, the fact that I was really close to hitting a bicyclist – a bicyclist who seems to believe that no traffic rules apply to him, simply because he is traveling on two wheels without a motor.

Suddenly all traffic rules cease to exist.

The number of bicyclists increases steadily. It is a positive phenomenon in many aspects. But when it comes to wit in traffic it is an utter disaster.

Notable in the context is that the worst bicyclists are the ones who have a driver's license and regularly drive a car. I'm convinced of it. When these people put the bike helmet on, they simply don't give a damn that there are traffic rules. Somehow, it seems as if the bike helmet makes them completely stupid.

I can't tell exactly what the reason is, but I believe that it has to do with the fact that – as many times before – the control of the rules is poorly executed. "It doesn't matter if I don't care about the traffic rules by bike, there is no punishment anyways". There's a huge difference if you make a mistake behind the wheel.

This can also be seen in a recent study commissioned by bythjul.com. In this study, it is VERY clear that when motorists get behind the bicycle handlebar, they believe that they transform into “better people”.

When the polled motorists sit on the bike, six out of ten believe that they are transformed into "better people" because bicycling is better from an environmental and health point of view. When the motorists choose to take their bikes to work instead of taking the car, 61 percent consider it to be a work out opportunity. Four percent of the motorists say that they're not sure about the traffic rules when it comes to bicycling.

In the study, every fifth person states that they often or sometimes break the traffic rules when bicycling and only 20 percent say that they always keep the traffic rules when using a bike. 16 percent of the motorists experience that many bicyclists often run the red lights.

The bicyclists need to shape up. Or else the accidents will increase dramatically.

Foto: News Oresund via Wikimedia Commons