For every cyclist on the roads in Norfolk and Hampton Roads, there are another fifty or a hundred cars.

With spring in full bloom and Bike Month upon us, there will be more cyclists out there. But there doesn’t have to be more frustrated drivers.

Earlier AltDaily articles have addressed how cyclists can ride more safely and responsibly on our roads. Sharing the road goes both ways, and just as there are many cyclists who are ignorant of better traffic habits, so too are there drivers out there who could learn a thing or two. Here are seven rules for driving around bikes to help you out.

1. Remember that two tons crushes 200 lbs.

This makes cyclists go *splat.*

First and foremost, respect your car: the average American car weighs over two tons, or 4,000 pounds. The average American weighs just 175 pounds. Physics is unforgiving: a two ton SUV trumps a two hundred pound cyclist in a collision. (Why Americans are driven to transport their morbidly-obese asses around in two-ton SUVs is a question for another day.)

2. Hang up the phone, and no texting.

With greater power comes greater responsibility: pay attention when you’re driving. That means no texting, and hang up the phone. A fender bender is unfortunate, a fatality is unforgivable.

3. Realize that by passing a bike, you probably won’t get to your destination any faster.

In most urban settings, a fit cyclist can keep pace with car traffic. If you’re in a 25mph zone at rush hour, with traffic lights every few blocks, you’re not going to get there any faster by passing a cyclist. You might pass them on this block, but they’ll just catch up to you at the next light. Take your foot off the gas, coast to the next light, and think about the pennies you’re saving in gasoline and brake pads by needlessly accelerating and braking.

4. When you do pass, give them their legally required two feet.

Of course, you may come up on a cyclist that is loaded down with kids and groceries, and you may be driving on a 4 or 8 lane road. Under state law, it’s your responsibility to pass slower traffic, be it 4 wheeled, 2 wheeled, 4 footed, or 2 footed, in a safe manner. In Virginia, that means giving cyclists two feet of space when passing. If there’s an empty lane to your left, use it. If you can’t get around a slower vehicle or cyclist without crossing the double yellow line, then you need to stay where you are and wait for a safe opportunity.

5. Watch the right hooks.

Got to give them some space.

While on the subject of safely passing cyclists, don’t give them a right hook. Too often on my bike I’ve seen even professional drivers needlessly accelerate past me, then jam on the brakes just as they passed in order to slow down enough for a right hand turn, forcing me to hit the brakes myself in order to avoid slamming into their rear fender. If you’ve got to slow down for a turn, do so behind a cyclist, not in front of them. Not only is it a good idea, it’s the law.

6. Keep an eye out in intersections and parking lots.

Look for cyclists and pedestrians at intersections and in parking lots. Remember, bikes tend to go at a different pace than cars, so they’re easier to miss. Saving a few seconds by speeding to a parking spot is not worth somebody’s life, the increased insurance premiums, and a lifetime of guilt and remorse.

7. Careful when opening the car door.

Finally, when you’re parking on the street, check over your shoulder before you open that car door- while experienced cyclists avoid riding in the “door zone,” you still don’t want to catch a bike or a car with your opening door. It may even be necessary to put that phone call on hold before stepping out of the car.

While we may glorify the rugged individualist, we live in a society of rules. Those rules allow for (relatively) peaceful coexistence, and greater personal freedom: we expect that it is safe to drive through a green light because other drivers will not be driving through red lights. Until our legislature decides otherwise, the law says that cyclists have the same rights and responsibilities to the road as drivers. Due to the preponderance of automobiles and (until recently) rarity of cyclists, it’s a rule that has often been forgotten and neglected.

Imagine for a minute an America in which all persons felt safe in exercising their freedom to get out of their SUVs and ride a bike. Even if you do have to commute to work, or pick up the kids, or drop off the dog, you can still encourage a safer, slower world: hang up the phone, slow down when you’re behind the wheel, give that bike some space, and smile. The world will be a better place.