Revealed: Mazda drivers least friendly to cyclists on the road

A study in the United Kingdom revealed that Mazda owners are the most negative towards cyclists who share the road with them, while Suzuki drivers were found to be the most cyclist-friendly.

Even I don’t like cyclists sometimes with their “I own the road” attitude, and I get why motorists get irate with them. And by them, I mean us. I am a weekend warrior, social, mountain biker, who does take to the road sometimes to keep the legs turning when I don’t have time to head off into the bush. And I have to say that being on the road with angry drivers around is not fun.

Mazda owners ‘highly’ frustrated

United Kingdom-based Scrap Car Comparison surveyed 2 000 drivers to analyse their attitudes and behaviours towards cyclists on the road. Using the responses, they then created a unique “cycling negativity score” to reveal whether certain car owners are more or less likely to have an issue with a cyclist. This score factored in knowledge of road rules, attitude towards cyclists, levels of frustration with cyclists, and the self-reported distance left when overtaking a bicycle.

Mazda owners were revealed as being highly frustrated by cyclists. They show poor attitude towards them, with many reporting that they leave less than the prescribed 1.5-metre gap when overtaking.

Other car brands cyclists may need to watch out for include owners of German manufacturers Mercedes, BMW and Audi. The study found that drivers of these cars lack knowledge of key car and cyclist road rules.

Suzuki drivers, however, are a cyclist’s best friend. They are best at leaving the correct overtaking space, along with the best knowledge of the road rules, and have a more positive attitude towards cyclists than many others.

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Cyclists have right to use road too

“Cyclists often frustrate drivers by slowing them down. They also have pressure from drivers behind them. However, all drivers need to remember that cyclists have the right to use the road as much as car owners, and that a small inconvenience timewise, is much better than causing a crash or creating danger to other road users out of frustration,” said Matt Clamp, customer service manager at Scrap Car Comparison.

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“This, of course, works both ways, and the onus is also on cyclists to ensure they are visible and always signal to let drivers know where they are going. This way, and by both parties being understanding of the rules of the road, we would hope that tensions ease and both parties can adopt more safe driving practices.

“We hope the results of our findings help to shine a light on the need for this.”