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Home » Cycling skills » Traffic » Can we make eye contact?

Can we make eye contact?

…or “but he looked right at me!”


A cyclist scanning behind for traffic

There is no way to confirm that eye contact has been made between two people. Just because someone looks our way, or even appears to look right at us, doesn’t mean they’ve seen us, let alone that they’ve acknowledged our presence or right of way (if we ‘have’ it).

However, we do know that if someone has not looked at us, we can rightly assume they haven’t seen us, and we’d do well to act accordingly.

That said, in all the cycling courses I teach, I suggest that people try to turn every ‘car-bike interaction’ into an interaction between two humans. In the countless human behavior experiments I conduct on a daily basis, I’ve found that this approach yields real benefits.

Trying to make eye contact doesn’t guarantee our safety, but it does help humanize the interaction. In the vast majority of instances, that makes it more likely that I’ll be treated as a human rather than as a target or adversary. (I do know from experience that there is less of a positive response in other locales, but it still works better than not acknowledging the other person.)

The human element

However, I’ll offer an experience to show the benefit of looking for the human in the vehicle. At one time, I lived outside of Toronto and had a ludicrous daily commute by car of 110 kilometres (about 66 miles). This drive was mostly on the 401, one of the busiest highways in North America.

Here’s where I conducted fascinating experiments daily while merging into congested highway lanes. Coming from sedate Vancouver Island, I’d learned that drivers on a highway can be expected to leave space between them and the vehicle ahead for one driver merging from an on-ramp. But we weren’t in Kansas anymore, Toto.

I found that if I so much as turned my head to shoulder-check, the driver in my destination lane (not wanting to be delayed on their highway drive by — gasp! — another vehicle) would close the gap. I soon learned to use my peripheral vision to check the side-view mirror, then signal and merge in one smooth motion once the shoulder-check showed the space was clear. Worked like a charm.

Unless there were no gaps. This is where I learned an important element of human behavior. I found that if I wanted to get into that lane, and the driver (not ‘the car’) wouldn’t let me in, I’d work at catching the driver’s eye. Difficult to do, as people steadfastly avoided eye contact.

I found out why. If someone in the destination lane happened to look over at the same time that I was looking at them, I had about a 70% chance of being let in.

Why? Because they were busted. The car vs. car charade was exposed, and it was just two people, albeit on one of the busiest highways on North America, trying to get to work.

And most times they’d let me in. The same approach works in cycling.

Even if we hide behind tinted windows, we know when we’ve made contact. It’s the human element.

Allan Dunlop
The Center for Cycling Education

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"Hello Allan,"I just completed the online bicycle course. I wanted to tell you that I found it really helpful and thorough. I have been a bike commuter for 6 years and recently got a ticket for running a red light on my bike. The information in this course is really valuable and I would love to see it made available to drivers as well. "I’m sure you know that many drivers (and cyclists) are not aware of Texas law regarding bicyclists’ roles on the road. It makes me happy to see the time and effort put into developing such an informative course like this. I just feel it important to tell you that the CCE and its staff are really appreciated. Thanks for spreading awareness and trying to improve the cyclist/driver relationship!"Thank you so much once again!"— Erica C. ... See MoreSee Less
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"Hi, Allan."I think the team is really learning a lot from your courses!! WE certainly appreciate all of the effort that went into making them!"Thanks so much. You really have been wonderful to work with!"— Rachelle G, Office Manager & HR Administrator, www.accelrobotics.com/, San Diego, CA ... See MoreSee Less

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"I am a paramedic with a municipal EMS in Saskatchewan. We are required to take this course if we want to pick up any shifts as bike medics. We have bikes equipped with emergency equipment that we can ride around at community events with. I thought the course was excellent and very detailed. Many things I can take with me while cycling. Not only that but many things that will make me a better driver in my car and on my motorbike as well. Thanks again,"— Caitlyn ... See MoreSee Less
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Just released: an expanded, fully-updated version of our 'Traffic Smarts for Cyclists' course!This is valuable for experienced riders and beginners.Detailed techniques for lane changes, approaching and going through intersections, lighting, locking your bike.Throughout, your rights (and duties) are outlined in a clear manner. Separate offerings for Canada and the USA.The price will be increasing soon--sign up now. 30-day money-back guarantee.Bulk-purchase discounts available for your organization.thecce.org/online-courses/ ... See MoreSee Less

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