The relationship between drivers and cyclists on the road is a complex and often fraught one. Some drivers think that they have more rights on the road than those on a bike, and view them as a nuisance, while some cyclists don’t always pay attention to the rules of the road that apply to those with two wheels as well as four.
Video sharing platforms are also awash with dash-cam footage of near misses from either perspective, with a comments section that’s often full of debate about who was in the right or in the wrong.
However, there are plenty of drivers on the road who may get frustrated with cyclists, without actually being aware of the rules around cycling on the road. Meanwhile, other drivers may simply just be prejudiced against those who choose to pedal; a study in 2019 showed that around half of non-cyclists surveyed saw cyclists as ‘less than human’.
Which got us thinking – just how good is the driving population’s knowledge of cycling rules, and are there some motorists that cyclists should be more wary of than others, based on their actions and views?
To find this out, we surveyed 2,000 drivers and asked them to tell us whether certain statements were true or false, based on road laws, as well as answer some questions on how they feel or behave towards cyclists while on the road. The results were very interesting…
Most Drivers Have Incorrect Knowledge Of Cycling Rules
To kick off our study, we asked drivers whether four statements about road cycling were true or false; to find out how good their knowledge of the Highway Code really is.
Cyclists are allowed to take up a full lane of the road
Of the drivers surveyed, half (50%) said that they thought this statement was false, an incorrect answer, while just a third (34%) correctly identified this as true. The remaining drivers admitted they were unsure on where drivers should be positioned.
True or false? True
The rule: According to Rule 72 of the Highway Code, cyclists can adopt two basic road positions, one of which being “in the centre of your lane, to make yourself as clearly visible as possible“. This position is recommended when on quiet roads or streets, in slower moving traffic, or at the approach to junctions or narrow roads where it would be unsafe for drivers to overtake.
Cyclists must use a cycle lane if one is available
More than three quarters (77%) of drivers surveyed said that they think cyclists have to use a cycle lane if one is present, a statement which is in fact false.
True or false? False
The rule: According to Rule 61 of the Highway Code, cycle lanes (which are marked by a white line) are provided for reasons of safety, but “cyclists may exercise their judgement and are not obliged to use them.”
Cyclists must stay as close to the left-hand side of the road as possible
Though this statement is in fact false, almost two thirds (65%) of drivers agreed and believe that cyclists are obliged to say on the left-hand side of the road.
True or false? False
The rule: As referenced, according to Rule 72 of the Highway Code, “taking the lane” is a valid cycling position on the road.
Cyclists must always ride in single file
One of the more contentious subjects when it comes to cycling on the road, more than half (53%) of drivers believed that cyclists must ride in single file.
True or false? False
The rule: According to Rule 66 of the Highway Code, cyclists can “ride two abreast and it can be safer to do so, particularly in larger groups or when accompanying children or less experienced riders.” Riding two abreast, and in a group, can be safer for cyclists in many situations; drivers must give cyclists 1.5m of clearance when overtaking, so cycling two abreast helps to encourage drivers to do this, and prevents them from overtaking when it is unsafe to do so, such as on narrow or twisting roads.
Seeing such a huge number of drivers answer incorrectly to these true and false statements highlights a hole in many people’s knowledge when it comes to the Highway Code. Many of the statements reference topics such as group riding and ‘taking the line’ which are common points of tension between cyclists and drivers, highlighting that regardless of whether a particular driver agrees with the rules or not, many conflicts could likely be avoided due to better understanding of the legalities of road cycling, and the responsibilities of drivers in these cases.
However, it is well worth pointing out that many of the people that answered incorrectly were also cyclists, again demonstrating the importance of everyone, cyclist or not, brushing up on the rules of the road. With so many people heading out on their bikes without a clear understanding of where they stand legally on the road, there’s no wonder that the driver-cyclist relationship is so strained!
Three Quarters Of Drivers Feel Frustrated or Nervous When Near Cyclists
We also asked drivers how they feel when sharing the road with cyclists, looking particularly at feelings of frustration as well as nervousness.
As mentioned, many of the headlines surrounding cyclists and drivers involve elements of road rage, which as we know can come from frustration while behind the wheel (or handlebars!). According to our survey, almost three quarters (74%) of drivers said that they feel some level of frustration when sharing the road with cyclists, and less than 10% of drivers said that this is ‘never’ something they feel.
Interestingly, frustration seemed to be higher among some groups of drivers than others, with 76% of women feeling frustrated compared to 71% of men, while a whopping 4 in 5 (81%) of those aged 17-24 said that they feel this way – the highest of any age group. Clearly empathy has a significant role to play when it comes to feelings of frustration, with 76% of non-cyclists feeling frustrated compared to 64% of cyclists, though this number of cyclists also feeling frustration shows that we can all be guilty of this when driving on four wheels.
Despite frustration and rage being the emotions most regularly discussed, our survey results show that nervousness is actually the more prominent of the two emotions. Three quarters (75%) of drivers said that they always, often, or sometimes feel nervous when around cyclists, with this number at a huge level among women (81%) and young drivers aged 17-24 (88%) specifically.
It’s likely that this nervousness could come as a result of drivers feeling that cyclists may be unpredictable in certain situations, and as we’ve already said, our knowledge of cycling rules isn’t exactly the clearest as it stands. Perhaps more education for all road users on how cyclists should be behaving on the roads could de-mystify things further and help everyone to feel secure in the knowledge that they can navigate the roads in the ‘right’ way.
1 in 3 Feel Cyclists Shouldn’t Have Equal Rights on the Road
We also asked one final question to ascertain how drivers are feeling towards cyclists on the whole: “Do you believe that cyclists have equal rights to use the road as drivers?”. Despite the tensions and nervousness felt by drivers, and the social media posts that often suggest a huge conflict between the two, it’s comforting to see that 3 in 5 (60%) of drivers do still feel that cyclists have their place on the road, with just a third (33%) thinking the opposite.
Likewise, 96% of drivers said that they do leave cyclists with the recommended 1.5m or 5 feet of clearance when overtaking, though this hasn’t avoided 47% of drivers saying that they’ve experienced a near-miss – but of course, there are two parties involved in every story.
Are There Some Drivers That Cyclists Should Be More Wary Of Than Others?
Utilising the data on how much people know about different cycling rules, and their feelings towards cyclists, we were able to take things a step further and find out which drivers (if any!) are most likely to have issues with cyclists on the road.
Using an index scoring system to rate drivers based on their cycling knowledge, frustration, clearance when overtaking and overall attitude (citing whether they think cyclists have equal rights), we’re able to reveal which car brand drivers are the most negative towards cyclists, as well as the most positive.
Mazda Owners Are Most Negative Towards Cyclists
| Rank | Car Brand | Knowledge Score | Frustration Score | Distance Score | Attitude Score | Overall ‘Cycling Negativity’ Score |
| 1 | Mazda | 18 | 24 | 21 | 20 | 83.3 |
| 2 | Mercedes-Benz | 23 | 20 | 19 | 21 | 83.0 |
| 3 | Seat | 21 | 23 | 8 | 25 | 77.7 |
| 4 | Peugeot | 19 | 24 | 14 | 20 | 76.9 |
| 5 | BMW | 22 | 21 | 13 | 19 | 75.3 |
| 6 | Fiat | 22 | 25 | 7 | 20 | 74.7 |
| 7 | Jaguar | 21 | 24 | 17 | 11 | 74.3 |
| 8 | Vauxhall | 22 | 22 | 10 | 20 | 74.1 |
| 9 | Tesla | 22 | 17 | 25 | 9 | 73.5 |
| 10 | Audi | 24 | 23 | 9 | 18 | 73.4 |
| 11 | Nissan | 22 | 23 | 8 | 18 | 70.7 |
| 12 | Other | 19 | 20 | 10 | 21 | 70.4 |
| 13 | Land Rover | 23 | 22 | 12 | 12 | 69.8 |
| 14 | Kia | 23 | 23 | 3 | 20 | 69.5 |
| 15 | Ford | 21 | 20 | 6 | 20 | 67.9 |
| 16 | Renault | 21 | 22 | 7 | 16 | 66.5 |
| 17 | Citroen | 18 | 23 | 5 | 20 | 66.5 |
| 18 | Volkswagen | 22 | 20 | 9 | 15 | 66.3 |
| 19 | Lexus | 18 | 22 | 13 | 13 | 65.9 |
| 20 | Skoda | 20 | 24 | 4 | 17 | 64.8 |
| 21 | Toyota | 22 | 18 | 9 | 15 | 64.5 |
| 22 | Honda | 18 | 20 | 15 | 11 | 64.4 |
| 23 | Hyundai | 23 | 22 | 2 | 16 | 62.5 |
| 24 | Suzuki | 18 | 22 | 0 | 19 | 59.0 |
Ranking in top position is Mazda drivers, scoring 83 out of a possible 100 overall. Though Mazda drivers are relatively well clued up on cycling knowledge compared to drivers of other car brands, they scored highly for frustration, with 83% feeling this way around cyclists, as well as distance, with 8% admitting to not leaving the prescribed 1.5m clearance when overtaking.
Mercedes-Benz drivers follow closely in second, with just under 83 ‘negativity’ points. Mercedes owners rank second worst for their lack of cycling knowledge, most notably with 87% believing that using a cycle lane is mandatory, as well as in the top three for overtaking clearance and overall attitude, despite being among those who are more patient.
Seat drivers follow in third (78 points), with Peugeot drivers (77 points) and BMW drivers (77 points) in fifth.
At the other end of the scale, Suzuki owners are revealed as the most ‘cyclist-friendly’, scoring just 59 out of 100. With the best cycling knowledge overall, and also being the best at leaving overtaking space, the brand which is often associated with ‘boy racers’ is one that can be looked upon more favourably by those on two wheels.
Hyundai (63 points), Honda (64 points) and Toyota (65 points) also accompany Suzuki at the bottom end of the table – so perhaps Asian brand car drivers as a whole are more cyclist-friendly than their European brand counterparts?
Are Some Cities More Cyclist Friendly Than Others?
As well as looking at car brands, we also crunched the numbers to find out whether any cities are more or less cycling-friendly than others in their attitude and behaviour. Interesting, it’s Sheffield that comes out as being home to the least cycling friendly motorists, scoring a troubling 93 points out of 100. Ranking highly for poor overtaking distance, and poor overall attitude to cyclists, drivers in this northern city appear to be less tolerant of pedal-powered road users.
Newcastle follows in second, with drivers in the city having the poorest cycling knowledge and also being the worst culprits for not leaving enough space when overtaking, giving the city an overall score of 84 out of 100.
Leeds follows in third (83 points), with Nottingham in fourth (82 points) and Norwich in fifth (81 points).
| Rank | City | Knowledge Score | Frustration Score | Distance Score | Attitude Score | Overall ‘Cycling Negativity’ Score |
| 1 | Sheffield | 21 | 23 | 24 | 24 | 92.5 |
| 2 | Newcastle | 23 | 19 | 25 | 17 | 84.1 |
| 3 | Leeds | 21 | 21 | 23 | 19 | 82.8 |
| 4 | Nottingham | 21 | 24 | 11 | 25 | 81.6 |
| 5 | Norwich | 22 | 18 | 18 | 23 | 81.1 |
| 6 | London | 23 | 22 | 15 | 17 | 75.7 |
| 7 | Cardiff | 19 | 23 | 13 | 20 | 75.7 |
| 8 | Manchester | 23 | 22 | 16 | 15 | 75.3 |
| 9 | Birmingham | 22 | 22 | 11 | 20 | 75.0 |
| 10 | Glasgow | 22 | 23 | 9 | 20 | 74.1 |
On the other hand, Belfast is revealed as the best city for cyclists, with drivers scoring just 56 points out of 100. With 100% of drivers leaving a safe distance when overtaking, and the city also performing well on other metrics, cyclists may find life a little easier on the roads here when it comes to the attitude of other road users.
Liverpool (63 points) and Plymouth (67 points) also rank well for cycling safety – despite residents of Plymouth having the highest frustration levels of those surveyed. 85% of drivers in the city said that they feel frustrated when sharing the road with cyclists, compared to just 61% of those in Norwich, the lowest ranking city for this metric.
Regardless of how you feel personally towards cyclists on the road if you’re a driver, it’s important to be aware of the rules of the road, and drive in a safe and courteous manner to avoid putting yourself and others in danger. Likewise, for cyclists, it’s important to remember that road users may not be as au fait with the Highway Code as they should be, and to make your intentions as clear as possible through the use of hand signals, to avoid any confusion and reduce risk of your bike, or their car ending up on the scrap heap.
Methodology
We partnered with Censuswide to survey 2,000 drivers (17+) to analyse drivers’ attitude and behaviours towards cyclists on the road. A selection of questions were used in a scoring system to then reveal both the best and worst cities for cyclists, as well as car brand drivers based on these attitudes and behaviours.
Survey conducted in January 2025.
