When the car gets too close to the cyclist

If a car drives very close to a cyclist, it can be dangerous. Some people go so far that they give up cycling for fear of being endangered on the road. Studies also show this. VOL.AT asked around in Dornbirn what experiences cyclists have had and how safe they feel.

“I only ride my bike, we don’t have a car,” explains Brigitte Moosmann from Dornbirn to VOL.AT. “As long as there are bike paths, it’s fine, but as soon as you have to drive on the normal streets, it gets tight – mostly.” Especially at intersections, if you continue straight ahead as a cyclist, little attention is paid to you. “Definitely” there have already been dangerous situations in which a car drove past her very closely. “So that you really have to hit the brakes and think afterwards, it could have turned out differently,” she says. When you’re sitting in the car, the distance view is different than when you’re a cyclist: “I probably feel the same way when I’m driving the car: that I can’t really keep the distance because I just can’t estimate how soon the cyclist will come.”

Christine Auer from Hard is also often out and about by bike. Even in winter he rides a bike and makes many bike trips and tours. If you’re not wearing neon or reflective clothing, you’re just going to be overlooked, she explains. Especially in the darker season. “You’re ignored. It’s actually a dangerous situation a lot of times,” she says. Her appeal to cyclists would therefore be to dress properly. Motorists must be aware of how important the distance is, especially when overtaking. She also had a wish for politicians: “Definitely make these bike paths so wide that drivers don’t have to go to the bike paths,” Harderin told VOL.AT. A safety zone is needed, even if several cyclists are on the road. “It’s just all very tightly dimensioned, it’s often tight in terms of width.”

Not all cyclists wanted to express themselves in front of the camera. For example, a pensioner from Dornbirn. She is very often on the road to run errands, she explains to VOL.AT. Mostly they move in the pedestrian zone in the city center, where fortunately there are hardly any cars on the road. Dangerous situations are no stranger to her: a few years ago, a car even hit her as she was driving past on a bike lane, she says. Another woman from Vorarlberg, who wished to remain anonymous, stated that she does not always feel safe when she rides her bike – especially when she is on roads. Dangerous situations had arisen several times when a driver drove close to her. But it is also dangerous if a car door suddenly opens.