What Cycling Can Teach us About Better Driving

Now that bike month is drawing to a close, it’s a great time to reflect on a few things that can be learned by riding our bikes more. In particular, what can cycling teach us about driving? It helps us learn two main things: how to drive more safely, and how to drive more efficiently. Cyclists must be the ultimate defensive drivers, and more frequent cycling can help us develop safer defensive driving habits. With respect to energy efficiency, the cyclist is his/her own power source, and so he or she is very aware of the energy requirements for different activities while riding. Recently I read through again the 100 tips for more efficient driving suggested by Ecomodder, and realized that many of these tips are learned naturally by riding a bike. Most cyclists tend to adjust their riding style to reduce their energy output; we get instant feedback on energy requirements, and have good motivation to minimize them. Here are some examples of things cyclists learn that transfer to efficient and safe driving of autos:

1. Momentum: It takes a lot of work to build up speed on a bike. Cyclists really appreciate their momentum. This gives you a sense of what might happen if you hit something with all that momentum, but it is also motivation to maintain your momentum. When you brake, all that kinetic energy is dissipated as heat from your brake pads, and then you have to redo all that hard work to get your momentum back up. When driving, you save energy by avoiding routes that require frequent starts and stops. This helps maintain your momentum. Alternate traffic control devices could also help. Replacing stop signs and traffic lights with yield (give way) signs and roundabouts helps drivers keep up their momentum, not to mention cutting down on wasteful idling and time lost sitting in traffic.
2. Gravitational Potential Energy: Pedaling up a hill can take a lot of work. It’s hard for a cyclist to let all that work go to waste by not maintaining speed developed by going back down the hill.
3. Anticipation: This is a key skill. We can tie together items 1 and 2 with the idea of anticipation. For example, if you are at the top of a hill, and there is a stoplight at the bottom, but you anticipate that it will turn red, then stop and wait at the top until the light turns (or time it so that you get to the light when it turns green) so that you can maintain your speed through the intersection. A cyclist also learns to keenly anticipate intentions of drivers as part of being a defensive rider. Cyclists learn how to look ahead, think ahead, and plan ahead. Drivers could benefit substantially from improved anticipation skill.
4. Small Profile: When you are riding fast or in windy conditions, the effect of air drag is very clear. Cyclists learn that crouching down and making yourself small cuts down significantly on drag force. Similarly, cars with a small profile, and fewer extra protrusions (like roof racks), have less drag. This can be especially important with cars since they generally travel much faster than cyclists. The power required to overcome drag force increases cubically with speed, that is, if you double your speed, it requires EIGHT times as much power to overcome drag force from air resistance.
5. Drafting: This is actually not so advisable for driving, but cyclists who have ridden in a pack understand the benefit of drafting. Basically, cyclists take turns in the lead position, and cyclists who follow behind benefit from lower air resistance. Average speed is noticeably higher when riding in a pack and drafting.
6. Good Tire Pressure: Anyone who has ridden with low tire pressure can attest that their bike is very sluggish compared to when their tires are fully inflated. It’s amazing to feel what a difference airing up your bike tires can make. It does make a difference with your car, but you don’t feel it the same as you do with a bike.
7. Well-tuned Drivetrain: A well-lubed chain and tuned shifters makes a bike a joy to ride. Otherwise it can be a struggle. Keeping your car in tune is also essential to efficient driving. Be sure to find out what the engineers who made your car recommend for maintenance, and stick to it. Back when I was an auto technician (clear back when there were a lot of carbureted cars still on the road), I found it very satisfying to take a poorly running car, tune it up, and see immediate big differences in how it drove, as well as big reductions in exhaust emissions.
8. Smooth Roads: Cyclists can sail over fresh, smooth roads so much more easily than rough terrain. Plowing through sand, mud, or snow takes a lot of extra effort. The same holds true for cars. Driving on dirt roads or through the snow burns more energy than driving on smooth asphalt.
9. Interaction and Courtesy: Cyclists are out in the open. Everyone can see our body language. We don’t have anything to hide behind, so it’s important to keep emotions in check. To be defensive riders, cyclists learn to interact and communicate with drivers as much as possible, to be sure each knows the other’s intention. Travelling in an interactive and courteous way can be much more pleasant (and safe) than driving in isolated bubbles.

The list above is far from comprehensive. Can you share with us things you have learned while cycling that helped you become a better driver?