Do drivers make better cyclists?
Do drivers make better cyclists? Or to put it another way, does previous driving experience give a cyclist an advantage over someone with no previous driving experience?
When I'm cycling, my ability to comprehend the thinking -- and predict the actions -- of the drivers around me is invaluable to my safety, and that ability comes directly from my experience as an ex-driver. I recognize the more complicated aspects of driving, and of dealing with cyclists, because I have been on the other side. That makes me a better cyclist.
Of course -- and I say this confidently -- I was an excellent driver, and I dare say most skilled cyclists you will find are also skilled drivers. I see plenty of evidence of cyclists transferring their own poor-driving habits to cycling, and this is where the question becomes more difficult to answer. In effect, the answer to the big question becomes: good drivers tend to make good cyclists, and poor drivers tend to make poor cyclists.
Incidentally, the reverse question -- Do cyclists make better drivers? -- is an easy YES. :)
