Car Buzz

Car Buzz UK is an automotive review / ratings website that has gotten a lot of online social media attention due to their positive article about how drivers can more safely share the road with cyclists.

I re-tweeted a tweet I saw from UK journalist Carlton Reid about the story who, it turns out, provided feedback to the car site editors for this and a subsequent road tax post. Bike Biz makes note of the social media buzz about Car Buzz’s bike-friendly stance.


Driver Privilege Checklist

The other big social media hit among cyclists this week has been the The Driver Privilege Checklist by Kristin Mueller-Heaslip in Toronto. This list highlights the invisible but real assumptions underlying your status as a driver in North America.


Share the Road

Among my favorites in her list or prilileges:

  • If I am hurt or killed while driving, unless I am intoxicated or grossly negligent, I will not be blamed for my decision to drive.
  • If I live in North America, my driving is subsidized by my local, regional, and federal government, who provide roads and infrastructure. This subsidy is far beyond that given to any other form of daily transportation.
  • If I choose to transport my children in a car, I will not be called a bad parent or berated for doing so.
  • If while driving I injure or kill another person, whether they are another driver, a passenger, a pedestrian, or a cyclist, unless I am intoxicated or otherwise grossly negligent this will be seen nothing more than a regrettable accident.
  • Unless I am very extravagant, the money I spend on purchasing and running my car is not seen as wasted, as a car is seen as a necessity.
  • I can complain to friends, family, and aquaintances about minor accidents and other annoyances without being told that I should stop driving.

Regarding that last point, people stop telling me about their motoring inconveniences (stuck in traffic, fender benders, expensive repair bills) because I sometimes do tell them to stop driving. I probably sound like a broken record.

I think I first saw this via a Tweet from James Schwartz and his Urban Country blog, but mentions of this Driving Privilege Checklist have since spread like wildfire on Twitter, Facebook, and Google Plus among my cycling friends.

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