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Punishment Pass Caught With CycleVision

Punishment Pass – Motorist Caught In Ignorant Display of Harassment

Punishment Pass
Punishment Passes are harassing efforts by motorists, but they are EXTREMELY rare. Don’t let them be effective!

The Punishment Pass occurs when Motorists pass cyclists at close lateral range. The pass is meant to threaten, harass, and “Teach Cyclists A Lesson”. I have received Punishment Passes for decades as a cyclist. Recently, however, I purchased a CycleVision Helmet Camera system, and began to record all of my rides. I’m also using the Garmin Varia Radar System. The Garmin Field and Website that I upload the data to is www.mybiketraffic.com. It’s a fascinating display of vehicle counts, absolute and relative passing speeds.

The Punishment Pass is RARE!

So far, since I first began using the Garmin Varia Radar, www.mybiketraffic.com is showing that I have been passed by over 800 motorists. I don’t live in an urban location any longer, but what I have discovered is that thus far, the number of Punishment Passes is about 0.26%. That’s TWO Punishment Passes. They’re just that rare. I could show 2.5 hours of cycling, and the rear camera would show that the VAST MAJORITY of motorists respond to the following…

  1. My wife and I ride Dinotte 400R Daylight-Visible Red on Red Blinkies. They are visible at over a mile in broad daylight. WE ARE VISIBLE CYCLISTS. Motorists acknowledge this.
  2. My wife and I TAKE THE LANE on roads that are too narrow to share, and have no shoulder. Remember; the shoulder of a road is not the legal definition of the road, and any lane less than 14′ wide may not be shared by more than one vehicle, except for bicycles and motorcycles. Taking the lane is LEGAL, SAFE, and INCREASES VISIBILITY. It also forces motorists to PAUSE and CALCULATE A PASS, theoretically when safe for both Passer and Passees.
  3. We SIGNAL OUR INTENTIONS. No signal means we’re just going on our way. Hand signals for left, right, and STOP, as well as ‘HOLD ON!’ dictate the terms to the motorist that is approaching from behind.
  4. With ALL of this in mind, again, the VAST MAJORITY of motorists, and this is now on video and Varia record, will slow down, and either completely change lanes, or will practice a ‘Split Lane’ pass, to give my wife and myself a wider berth.
  5. Finally, I believe California, where this video was taken, has an AFRAP law, but I believe there is also a State Law requiring motorists to pass cyclists with more than 3′ (1m) laterally.

As the video will show, THIS motorist was fully aware of our presence (1), saw us riding in the Right Wheel Well (2), knew our intentions (3), and decided to threaten me specifically with a pass within 1′ of my left shoulder. Motorists prior to this one and just after, practiced good driver behavior.

CONCLUSION

I’m not going to quit riding my bike, at that location, or any other. Bicyclists are legal road users, and motorists must respect the rights of all road users – their license is a privilege which can be revoked. 99.999999% of all cyclists are also motorists, and bad behavior needs to be exposed and reprimanded. This video is the second incidence of bad motorist behavior, and both times, I have captured the motorist’s license plates. So, today, I turned this video clip over to the Plumas and Sierra County Sheriff’s office, for review and possible action. Bicyclists deserve to travel roads in safety and with the protection of the law. These acts are rare, but as I capture Punishment Passes, I’ll write them up and create short videos, to help all cyclists better understand proper cyclist etiquette and defense.

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Enjoy the Ride!

CycleVision Helmet Camera Captures a “Punishment Pass”

The Advantages of a CycleVision Helmet Camera Capturing a Motorist Enacting a “Punishment Pass”

Cyclists are Safer When they take the lane.
This lane is too narrow to share. The shoulder is not the legal definition of the road. Visibility on this road is unlimited.
The cyclist is safest in the lane.

Road Cycling is NOT inherently dangerous. Road Cycling is Safe, it is Easy, and it is Legal. It does, however, require some simple skills that can be taught and practiced in about 3 hours. Unfortunately, Traffic Engineers, Law Enforcment Officials, District Attorneys, and non-cycling motorists, tend and trend towards harassing and marginalizing cyclists to the edge of the road or the shoulder of the road, and then use those efforts to pass closer, faster, and with less regard to the welfare of everyone or anyone. This is why I purchased a CycleVision Helmet Camera, and on Sunday of last week, I captured a “Punishment Pass” from an agressive or careless motorist.

The CycleVision Helmet

The CycleVision Helmet has front and rear cameras.
Front and rear cameras with a 4-hour battery will capture most rides, most of the time.

The CycleVision Helmet is a product out of Australia. It was originally funded through Kickstarter, I believe, and I have followed the product for years. I finally purchased one and it arrived a few weeks back. The helmet has 1080p cameras front and rear, with a wide angle lens. It records in 30fps, and the cameras have about a 4 hour battery. There are microphones front and rear. It records in 2-minute chunks, complete with a time stamp. I’ve tried connecting the helmet as a USB thumb drive, but that doesn’t seem to be working right now. Instead, I use the App to find moments, then download them to my phone and icloud. Getting the clips is a little convoluted, but it’s worth the effort. The picture is good, and clear enough to capture license plates, car types, and colours, which is what matters most to me. The whole thing works through a proprietary wi-fi signal. I’ve sent CycleVision an email asking about the thumb-drive usb thing, but it’s just not a big deal. The memory overwrites itself, so if you have something you want to save, it’s best to do that after the ride, and not wait or forget.

The helmet is only slightly heavier than a regular helmet, and it fits well. I almost always order helmets in white, and I think this one comes in white, or black.

What is a “Punishment Pass”?

A Punishment Pass is an event where a motorist will pass a cyclist uncomfortably close, with no regard for that cyclist’s safety, or even their own. The de facto standard for passing a cyclist is to provide 3 feet (1 Meter) of lateral gap, but honestly, and legally, that’s not adequate. NHTSA defines a Standard Lane Width as 14 feet (3.5m) wide. However, 98% of all the roads in the US are SUB-STANDARD (about 11′, 2.5 meters). A SUB-STANDARD LANE may not be shared with two road users, unless it’s motorcycles or bicycles. Therefore, it’s safer, and legal, to JUST CHANGE LANES. That leaves about 8′ (2.5m) of lateral gap, which avoids the physics of wake turbulence, the inherent instability of bicycles at slower speeds, etc.

But these laws are NEVER enforced. Legally, most states use the word “Practicable“, when applying laws for cyclists, and it’s interpreted to mean “As far right as the road user deems to be safe.” Well, guess what – the edge of the road is NOT SAFE. It invites “Punishment Passes”. The shoulder? That’s not even the legal definition of the road! But before I get into proselytizing, I’ll back off. Suffice it to say, 99.99999% of the time, when a motorist sees a cyclist out on the road, no matter what their position, they’ll pass safely and legally.

But there’s always that ONE JERK.

And that’s why I bought the CycleVision; to capture the RARE, but THREATENING AND LETHAL “Punishment Pass”.

CONCLUSION

I’m going to use the CycleVision Helmet Camera to Record and Produce Punishment Pass Videos, but I’m going to do this with a twist.

I also own a Garmin Varia Radar. This device records approaching motorists from behind, and with a Garmin Field, it records the traffic count, the nearest motorist’s absolute speed, and relative speed. ALL of this information is kept in the Garmin .FIT file, and you can upload it to a special website. This website shows the cyclist’s interactions with traffic, and highlights high-speed passes. I intend to use this information to show this; PUNISHMENT PASSES ARE SCARY AND DANGEROUS, BUT THEY ARE ALSO EXTREMELY RARE!!!!

Here’s an example; One Saturday in February, I rode a course with a friend, and we had 643 motorists pass us. Only TWO passed at speeds above 50mph, and both of those showed RELATIVE speeds above 40mph. That’s 0.3%!!! The point is, and I’m reiterating this – Cycling on the road is SAFE, LEGAL, and COMMON. BE VISIBLE. SIGNAL YOUR INTENTIONS. RIDE PREDICTABLY. TAKE THE LANE. FOLLOW THE RULES OF THE ROAD. The only way to improve confidence and competence is practice, and that’s been my goal since 2000 – improving novice cyclists’ competence and confidence.

Thanks for reading, and ENJOY THE RIDE!

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