Is it me, or does anyone else notice that a small rise in temperature seems to send some people wild!?!
Maybe I am completely wrong here. Maybe it's just an unfortunate co-incidence, but I feel I experience more unsafe incidents while cycling in traffic on hot summer days, than I do on cold days.
Not to say that incidents & temperature are directly linked, because if that was the case, on a mid-30's summers day, everyone would be going bonkers in A&E, rather than the more popular choice of relaxing in a park!
I have a few left-field ideas why.
Expectations raised with sunshine?
What attributes are associated with rain? Dull, miserable, grey, cold, and wet.
Perhaps people attach opposite attributes to a sunny day: Sunny, bright, bubbly, happy, cheerful, warm. If expectations are raised higher than reality can deliver, disappointment and frustration may be the reaction.
Discomfort in mobile greenhouses?
Surrounded by all that glass, cars are basically mobile greenhouses. Without air-conditioning it's the driver who will be the blistering red tomato.
Again highlighting human weaknesses, people get irritated, irrational, and frustrated. Humans are rubbish!
Clear view arrogance?
In the winter, cycling with hi-vis reflective vest and attention grabbing selection of flashing lights, vehicles mainly overtake me with adequate room. Which makes sense, because in the darkness, the exact width of bike & rider is unclear.
However in the bright sunshine, everything is visible. This information is often exploited, and drivers overtake unnecessarily close to me cycling.
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