Flags

Bright sunshine, mid-morning, high overhead sun, empty road; yet a passenger in an old estate car still felt obliged to hang out of the window and shout "You're nearly invisible! You need a flag on a pole!"

It has been observed that over 90% of communication is non-verbal. (90% of statistics are made up on the spot.) The non-verbal communication in this instance is:

1. I resent anything unusual being on the road.

2. I resent cyclists. I have no reason for resenting cyclists: I just resent them.

3. I especially resent cyclists who aren't on cycles that I normally resent.

4. With no experience whatsoever, I can solve all problems in the two seconds it takes to overtake another road user.

5. It is my yuman right to drive whilst paying scant attention.

With equal inexactitude, my own belief is that

a) car drivers see anything unusual.

b) flags make no difference - the hatred of some car drivers cannot be assuaged.

c) if you really want people to give you road room, bungee a gently flapping bicycle mudguard sideways across the back of your bike. The mudguard will oscillate vertically; car drivers will see its glinting shininess; they will have difficulty discerning how far it sticks out; subconsciously they will worry about their paintwork.