Quick tip #10 - Should I dominate my position? (motorcycle instructor riding tip) 

I literally had that done to me this morning whilst riding my motorcycle.... tried to hold the dominant position, whilst a car overtook a parked bus on the opposite side of the road. It didn't stop the driver overtaking the stationary bus and i had to swerve to position 1 - nearside to avoid the car driver who was overtaking. My understanding from this is to never assume an oncoming driver is going to allow you that dominant position. And anyway, there's the SMIDSY factor to consider!!

I alter road position regularly whilst on the bike depending on the situation. Sticking rigidly to a spot that suits you and no one else isnt exactly the best policy.

I totally agree with you. Todays road users 'all' try to be dominant and since lock down I have come across far more aggressive drivers. Advanced instructions should be regarded as a good guide but you must apply your own experience. Like going into position 3 on a left turn, you have to be very aware of the 'corner cutters' coming at you. Basically "Don't bet your life on other people being smart" !

I think the key is to be flexible. Never stick rigidly to the "correct" position if it in any way compromises safety. I'll take safety over the best view any day.

I think we as bikers have all experienced this type of situation at some point. The apposing biker was doing what he was possibly trained to do, as we all were - when training for their motorcycle license. By riding defensively, making yourself as visible to both following and apposing traffic. However it is not wise to put your life in the hands of a strangers decision. All this said - It is always better to put your self in the safest position on the road. By identifying the oncoming hazard( slow moving oncoming traffic, possible bad overtake from larger oncoming vehicles). Re-position for safety ( moving into position 1). Reduce speed on approach to hazard (genital breaking) drop a gear to improve bike response, then accelerate away from the Hazard.

I was never trained by an instructor. In my town, I hung out with my big brother and his mates, who were either club/state/national road racing, or road riding. A couple of them were sports coaches also. We rode quickly everywhere, but one or two would hang back with me. They drilled awareness, spatial awareness and good skills into me, including assertiveness. Common sense such as this training video was priority. “You can be dead or cause death as long as you’re in the right”. Was not our motto.

Great demonstration clip. It all comes down to asking yourself “why am I here and what is my advantage” in deciding on road position rather than following arbitrary rules.

I position myself with two main things in mind: visibility and escape routes. I want drivers to be able to see me, and me to see the situation well. And I am constantly evaluating for escape routes if something goes wrong, like a car coming into my lane to pass a bicycle. Dominance is irrelevant.

Absolutely agree, I will always move to position 1 in the oncoming bikers scenario, far too many car drivers use their size to bully you out of the way in any case.

Too true. Likewise, I’ve watched various videos saying just that… yet the voice in my head says “but what if the driver just doesn’t give a sh*t about your ‘dominant position’?” Do not be wedded to ‘rules’… simply act on the scenario in front of you and make the best decision for You. Great one, Russ Stay well matey Steve (greetings from BC 🇨🇦)

I’ve done Bikesafe and I’m doing RoSPA. On this topic, the two conflict quite sharply but the answer was neatly summarised by my RoSPA tutor; “Is it necessary?” If you gain significant information from Pos. 3 (or wider!) then ok but otherwise, it’s generally preferable to give up position in favour of safety - which is what Russ is explaining here.

Your channel is incredible…..I am learning so much…..your channel is my go to place to learn….absolutely fantastic, thank you for making these amazing videos…cheers

Just wanted to say thank you for all your videos. I watched a load of them this year and, although I had a great instructor, I thank you sincerely for heavily contributing to my Mod 2 pass. :-D

I generally use common sense coupled with a strong dose of self preservation, it’s worked for me so far during my >50 years of riding.

100% agree with what you say. Always sacrifice position for safety.

Great example - for any new riders out there SAFETY trumps all other riding rules. The Information was there for the oncoming rider. She/he should've observed the cars indicator therefore anticipated the overtake and planned or in this case re-positioned to 1/A/nearside - hence give up dominant position for safety.

After months of watching your videos and waiting for my bike to be ready for collection, for the last 3 weeks I have been able to ride for the first time (not taking into account my short stint 8 years ago) and I can wholeheartedly say that I still practice verbalising dangers and defensive manoeuvres, having you as a RU-vid teacher. I got so many valuable tips from the videos that I now know what I'm doing right and where I need improvement. As for positioning, I always try to be as ready as I can with escape routes, meaning most times I'll prefer staying on the nearside into a left hand corner, trying to anticipate or think of what would I be doing if I was in a car driving on the opposite side of the road.

I always love your videos and I intend to come to your for some assessment/advance tuition. For some reason your commentary comes across calm and your advice is always sensible and good. I do dominate as I was taught but also move between positions 1,2, and 3 according to conditions, road camber, road condition and traffic. I think the thing I do most is look for visibility either left, right or staying back. I like time, time to think.

I would agree with you and most comments on here. Its best to ride a positive line i,e using any part of your lane to keep you and others safe. I change my position to suit road conditions and keep me safe.

Keep the tips coming🤙

I was taught to ride by ex Motorcycle paramedic ride in centre of the road so u got good angle view. I had former friend use ride with he was IAM observer always tell me ride close to white line, which I totally disagree with as u shown here it's fraught with risk. I don't why IAM think that's acceptable behaviour teach that, I stick to knowledge taught to me by motorcycle paramedic Niccy her training kept me alive all these years. Her knowledge riding blues n twos high speed on motorcycle patience as instructor helped me relax

You are spot on, I totally agree with you.

Safety is my priority and your position in those circs was spot on. Slightly different conditions say parked cars on opposite side I may take a neutral position as not to invite oncoming in to my space but have time to adjust, as long as my speed is relative to the hazards around me I have somewhere to go if I move more to nearside. Haven't seen much from you pal in my feed, busy I hope! Ride safe

I read just last week about a member of either the ambulance service or fire brigade who was asked what was the most often heard last comment of people who died as a result of road traffic accidents and they said that two were most common were "Mum", and "I had the right of way".

Great analysis! I think dogmatically maintaining any position is a bad idea, since conditions change so frequently. Stay safe by learning, planning ahead, and adapting.

Thankyou for your video on trail breaking , you are absolutely right on everything , what you have being saying is the same that I’ve been saying to this American bike instructor who is trying to get everyone to do trail breaking. I think he’s going to get a lot of young riders on there first big bike into a lot of trouble.

Good point well made. I think the key thing here is that these 'rules' are of course general guidelines that form the foundation for a safe riding strategy. I'm keen on a 'dominant' road position as it tends to be conspicuous and highly visible. I think however that riders need to be wary about adopting a dominant 'attitude' on the road compared to a dominant position - to use a pack dominance analogy we should be 'betas' rather than 'alphas'; asssertive and dominant, but ready to back down as the situation demands, especially as we are almost always at least second in the pecking order on the road, in terms of vulnerability. It's all very well putting yourself out there on the crown of the road but you should never put position above safety. Use of 'dominance' is a very handy tool in emergency response driving; one of the most effective ways to make progress (especially in urban settings on non-dual carriageway multi-lane roads) is to 'go deep' into the offside and fully occupy the oncoming lanes, which in theory forces the oncoming traffic to see you and go "Oh S****", slow right down and pull to their nearside (your offside) which affords you lots of manoeuvring space to overtake the nearside traffic and make progress. That's all very well until Doris in her Honda Accord in lane 2 of the oncoming traffic doesn't know what to do, and just carries on straight towards you... In which case you abandon the position and slip back into your escape slot (which of course you were eyeing up all the time). As with all these tactics, having a flexible plan and making sure you're continuously aware of your escape route and saefty margins are the key - and if you don't have the mental capacity to keep on top of it all, just slow down and simplify your plan...

I like to use a more dominate position myself but by reading the situation you can like said change to position 1 when needed, times and places and like always reading the conditions and signs of other drivers/riders help alot.

What a great discussion point 🤔

I think you make a really good point.Most drivers and some riders just plough on.Moving over might make them squeeze you though

Interesting point there Russ, position one would make more sense, more so because your keeping yourself out of danger (if the vehicle in front was to hit another vehicle etc) but also your giving yourself more view up ahead. Naturally the car driver when indicating right will stick the right side anyway so that leaves space up the left for emergency’s/viewing. Just my two pence worth :)

A lot if car drivers very impatient and take a chance. When I see cyclists ahead on the other side I expect a car to overtake so yep I agree with you. I had that kind of experience years ago and learnt from it. Glad you highlighted it

Good point Russ.

Spot on. I (biker) am vulnerable = make myself as safe as possible. Being in the protective shadow of the car in front will avoid anything happening - coming toward you. In this case 300kg of bike and rider!

I think you make a very good point , in away you moving to the inside was a dominant position because you could see everything that was going on like you said if the van turned right or overtake the bike you were clearly in a position to be in control what ever happened in front. Very good as I would have in the past stayed in the dominant position like that other motorcyclist. I really enjoy your videos as I’m hoping to go back to motorcycle next year and I’m learning a lot from you thanks 👍🏍

Hi Russ, two things sprung to mind for me with your film, a fourth benefit of you moving to the nearside when the car driver put his signal on is that it draws attention to you from the drivers of any following traffic and you allow them a view of what's going on and an early heads up that you may be slowing down - whether they're switched on enough to get it or just use it to get past you is another matter but hey 🤔 the second thing from the oncoming motorcyclists perspective, my decision would be based on the width of the road and if I felt safe to possibly be passing three abreast - if the width of the road was going to make everything a bit too adjacent then I would initially take a holding position out near the crown rather than invite him through, and if the car driver continued his elbows and knees in overtake anyway, my position would hopefully have made him reduce some speed and I've got the whole of the rest of my lane to use for evasive action - or if he really cocked it up and put in emergency braking mid manoeuvre and diagonally across the road on his way out, my options for an alternative route from the crown are nearside or offside rather than just nearside braking or acceleration from an already nearside position - Interesting piece of film stay safe and have fun - DB😁

The 4x4 started indicating quite early and showed his intention with enough notice. As a biker in position 3, seeing a large vehicle with intention to overtake, I would move to position 1 and forget about the dominant position in that instance. Even if the vehicle wasn't indicating, it is common sense to assess the situation in front of you. Cyclist + car behind cyclist equals potential overtake so definitely give up dominant position or else you may end up with an angry driver forcing you out of your dominant position whether you like it or not. Thanks for posting the video and bringing up the subject. Ride safe.

100% agree. I seek to dominate with position two or three, but am always looking to move rapidly back to position one as required. That way seems safer on the narrow A and B roads which predominate in my locality. Otherwise large German cars and the occasional dreaded Volvo will often try and force me into the kerb.

Totally agree, as an IAM F1RST and Masters and Ride ridden, maintain your safety bubble, if you anticipate it you do just that, stubbornness is a wrong mental approach. Whilst we all share the road there will always be some who are ignorant, a fact sadly of some, let it go and go home safely!

To me, "taking a dominant position" is, for example, taking position 2 rather than 1 if you think someone is going to try and sneak past you where there isn't really room to overtake. So it perhaps makes them think twice about going for the overtake. Having said that of course, you're never going to come off better against a car so you can only be "dominant" to a limited degree.

Another thing for us bikers - the extremely poor condition of so many British roads these days means that we sometimes have to take a less favourable line than we would otherwise. Sometimes, I have taken a less favourable line through a bend, simply because the road where I would normally go has a deep pot hole or even many potholes. This means - we need to adjust our speed accordingly and be aware that we need to be flexible.

100% agree - ride defensively 🏍️😎👍

I always opted to stay in position 1? (leftish) because especially in London drivers literally do not give a toss about playing chicken including bus drivers but I remember my instructor used to always say you need stick to a more dominant position. Regardless if you do try to be aggressive and the driver is too thick to realise there's not enough space you're always gonna end up worse so not worth the risk IMO. Some drivers think it's okay as well to force you out of the way. Legally you might win but I rather not open a case for few years waiting for a settlement and writing off a bike I wanted to keep.

Last week I was riding on a wider road than the one shown here with a sealed shoulder wide enough to fit a car. I was riding in position 3 when I saw the red beacons of an ambulance coming towards me. Not only did I move over to position 1 to provide clear visibility for the vehicles behind to see the ambulance. When the ambulance was closer and there was the possibility that they could overtake I moved fully onto the shoulder to provide options for the ambulance driver.

I agree, You know on roads where it is long and open for miles, yes, best spot if an animal comes out giving you options, but in this example people anxious to get to meetings, school, or a bargain at local deli etc. if they want to pass another vehicle and you are in a dominate position then you have two choices try to squeeze pass on white line or perhaps learn to fly as your bike gets dragged under the vehicle. Dominate position only style, is for people looking for time of work by going to the emergency dept.

Take each situation on its own merits No two situations are the same as But just remember your INVISIBLE

Meet you today at the test centre ( Airbag tech ) , keep up the good work

That car driver has no manners to bikers he is just thinking of himself nice to see you back

I find it's better to judge each situation based on what's going on at the time. I haven't done any advanced courses yet, even though I've been riding since 2008, and I have a feeling I'm probably doing a lot wrong but so far trusting my instincts to be as safe as possible has worked. I do want to do bike safe then possibly IAM or Rospa eventually.

Great point. I was criticised on a 'mock' advanced test for doing exactly as you suggest. Now I've passed I take a measured approach and do a bit of both.

Yeah! I think you are right. Position one is for safeguarding, two is for dominating your space and three is for overtaking. I guess I am right

I tend to adopt a dominant position to discourage pulling out, then move to a safer position when closer just in case!

Dominate position has one negative only, incoming traffic, otherwise is safer and leaves your road to use, than the far left side. Far left side leaves you no room further left to avoid something, has traffic entering the street from left side, and path holes! This is my point of view as a rider, I am not an instructor or something! By the way thanks very very much for your advices all this years that made me a better rider! Greetings from Athens Greece

On Australian roads like that you need to try and stay close to the centre line because the left hand edge has to many repairs or holes because of heavy vehicles, however in saying that I agree with a couple of the comments on stay fixable.

I often move position if it allows someone else to keep traffic flowing better. Everyone wins. What I do notice though is although I often move over the left to make space motorists rarely understand it and fail to make use of the space I have created.

I think this is one of them situations where it can quite easily catch you out. You want to position yourself to be seen, but we how often do we miss the hidden cyclist amongst the congestion. On a busy stretch of road like in your video, my course would be between 1-3 , whilst scanning for hazards on my side of road . Essentially, equalling the hazards. I’m currently working towards being an observer, so I look forward to your take on this. Thanks Pete

As I think you've often alluded to Russ, when there is oncoming traffic of any sort, dominant postions (or pos 3) ,are rarely safe.

Being a new rider I don't have the experience to really say with any authority however what my instructor taught made sense to me. (presuming the road is straight or curving nearside) Essentially ride in the Offside position to control your lane (from behind) and increase the Limit Point on nearside bends, however when traffic is oncoming then mirror, lifesaver, move back to Command position. When the oncoming traffic passed then mirror, lifesaver, back to Offside. iirc his reasoning was the change of position creates lateral movement to increase the chances of the oncoming vehicle being aware of you. It also avoids the need of the oncoming vehicle to move to their nearside because of any anxiety you may have created by dominating the middle of the road. The extra metre or so gained by being in the command position might also give you that extra space to react. There was probably more that I forgot :)

I don't think most road users have the foresight and planning of you roadcraft. But very wise and pre-emptive advice I'll try next time. If I see a driver "begging" to overtake oncoming I "pick daisies" as it were and move way over to the left, because sometimes they're already committed to overtaking and potentially hitting me.

This is our distinct advantage over cars really when it comes to oncoming traffic, we have the majority of the lane to move within if needed, 6-10 foot either way, it's a bit silly trying for a dominant position if you can use most the lane for your safety, unlike a car who has only about 2 foot either way.

Now that was a very interesting scenario although the car should not have pulled out he did and that's that so I guess really then it's down to the bike to do what needs to be done since the car was committed to what he / she was doing right or wrong .In the end you just have to be so much more aware of what's going on and is likely to go on in front of you so in effect you virtually have to be a mind reader and anticipate what's going to happen without encouraging the car people to take more risk but in the end they will do what they want because they can .😉👍

Well I’ve gone and done it , I’m in shock at 64 I’ve bought a bike , Yamaha Fj1300 2019 the one with the electric suspension , blue , and only done 10,000 miles in new condition. I shall be going on some safety corse as I haven’t road since 1981 it’s all in my head but I will definitely go on safety corse 👍🏍

Riding in a way that considers other road users certainly helps you to stay safe. Plenty of car drivers will pull out to pass a cyclist even if you are in position 3, and as someone who's interested in both cars and bikes I generally do the same as long as I'm not causing the bike to swerve. They should be in position 1 in that situation, I would be if I was the rider. Claiming the whole lane when there is space available for everyone is a good way to get knocked off.

Definitely Position 1 on this road. If you're riding with the traffic flow then you're less likely to be overtaken anyway. Riding position 3 can leave a rider much more vulnerable from collision from behind or front. Each road has its own challenges to adapt to.

As usual the answer is "It depends". I'd certainly hold a dominant position EARLY. The trouble with moving to P1 is that your movement gives a signal actually encouraging the oncoming car to pass making the 3 vehicle sandwich. Is the cyclist going to move suddenly away from his P1 due to road damage, debris etc. Of course you don't want to turn it into a game of chicken and if the car assumes the stereotypical bully mode and moves out, you still have the option to move.

I would figure out exactly what the vehicle in front of me is doing and then allow the cyclists to correct himself and then proceed. And by the way sir thanks for the advice on how to shift gears properly it really works!!😁

A Big thankyou to Russ @ "Roadcraft Nottingham" and my instructor "Leanna". I came across this place, and I am truly pleased that I did. A very warm welcome from the off, and such a professional approach to motorcycle training. My road skills and confidence have improved hugely, and to top it off, I passed my MOD2 first time with them, so very pleased. If you are looking for great, comprehensive training, then look no further.

I tend to move over on the bike or even in my pickup if I see a situation like this from oncoming traffic on the off chance they’ll pull the manoeuvre anyway.

I believe it's common sense to adjust position based on trafic conditions.

I tend to think it's hard to argue 'Right of way' from the morgue. Ride defensively according to conditions.

If it’s save to do so I always move to position 1 to allow room for oncoming traffic to overtake cyclists or go around parked vehicles. I also move to position 1 if I see an oncoming motorcyclist wanting to overtake a car. Just keeping my bubble of safety because you never know what other road users are going to do!

I habitually move to position 1 to give oncoming traffic enough room to pass parked cars, cyclists etc nowadays as primarily it’s safer for me, but also keeps flow of traffic moving and prevents any possible road rage incidents. A lot of drivers won’t wait anyway so not a bad practice I find.

the problem is that some vehicles have been made far too big for our roads like 4x4's, they should not have been allowed to produce vehicles like this that cause the problem.

Yield for safety!

in narrow roads like these with only 1 lane I usually stick to the left and middle but not near the center line

Constantly assess and move position in the road.. Be safe everyone 😎

I agree with your view. Cars have no concept of position on the road (unless your lucky and they are a biker too). The only time I would recommend a dominant position 2 rather than one is if your a moped rider on a faster road and you don’t want cars doing near miss overtakes on you. I favour having a bunch of lights on the front of the bike which at least means they should be able t9 see me in the opposite carriageway but even then I ride expecting drivers to do something unexpected or stupid at all times - and I’m not often proved to be far off in my expectations. Ride safe.

That was a lively section of road! I would be tempted to assume the road position that would give best visibility, probably position 1 at the start of the video, but would agree that a drift to the inside position gives better visibility of the cyclist and a potential escape route if the Discovery bails on the manoeuvre (which as you rightly point out is ambiguous). I would also check my mirrors and scrub off some speed in anticipation of any complications. Position 1 would also give more space to react if that 3 Series BMW coming to the junction on the left had either stuck his nose out into the road or even pulled out without looking which happened to me the last time I was out. I suppose it is about maximising the bubble around the bike I have to work with and minimising the risk both inside and outside that bubble.

I'm not sure a motorcyclist is going to discourage anyone, but being generally more visible sounds like a plus to me.

Definitely better to err on the side of safety, and overall ride in as intelligent a manner as possible under the circumstances presented.

Point well made - interestingly ’flow’ mentioned in some of the comments and maybe we all have a responsibility to maintain the flow of traffic and not just in our own direction of travel. Was out the other evening on a country road, pedestrians walking in the road towards me on the off side with an oncoming vehicle approaching so I took up position 3 which didn’t deter the driver at all so ended up moving sharply to the near side shaking my head in protest at the driver but thought about it afterwards - where’s the harm in trying to accommodate all road users? Perhaps some of us are guilty of putting a control thing above our own safety and others… 🤔

Any position taken on the road should be done with safety in mind. If it’s not safe to be there, don’t be there!!

I've not heard that advice yet and would disrgard it if I had, my rules are to keep as large a safe buffer zones between me and all cars at any given point. I will never use myself as a barrier to discourage a car from doing anything! That really does seem dangerous. When I am on the road I'm not in a rush. I just want to get to where I need to be safe

Dominate as a baseline. But always aware of my safety bubble. Face with this I would have moved across, not to encourage the overtake but in the expectation they would do it anyway. Probably would have don’t it if they were overtaking a car.

If I see oncoming traffic, I tend to move to position 1 or 2 depending on the situation. From your perspective, I can see the advantage of you moving to position 1, I will use that now, I would have probably stayed over at position 3.

Agree with you (again). Common sense v empire builders.

I like 3 mainly some 2 only because position 2 is terrible for punctures. Had a drill bit through back tyre 2 weeks ago ! When I say 3 it's more in-between 2/3

Position 2 for me: that was a reasonably heavily trafficked situation on a large-ish road, so there's pressure to go [in any kind of gap] building for the driver. Dial in someone who potentially reckons driving is little more than a domestic chore in their isolated 4x4 and you need to be ready for anything. p2 gives a bit of wriggle room for me without encouraging them, well in my mind anyway! You could argue 1 and say more room, but that could be read as encouraging the manoeuvre, possibly to the detriment of your mates following. If speeds are low and I was on my own a bit more, then maybe 1 as a pass is more probable and it may just ease a potential situation building with impatience. Also, perhaps the driver may appreciate a bit of help from a biker getting in past a cyclist :-)

Interesting, I would choose a dominant position, to discourage a driver to overtake in a moment were it could possibly bring me in danger. My experience is that by taking a position more on the side of the road I bring myself more in danger because I give the driver the more possible room to overtake and encourage that behavior. But I stay vigilant so i could change my position depending on the behavior of the driver to keep me save.

Wrong answer, but probably depends what kind of mood I'm in. On the plus side I try to be as chill as possible when riding.

I have a tendency to go for 2-3 but i think mainly i feel like i can see more and gives me more room to adapt. As soon as the situation changes to something larger oncoming traffic, a sketchy option or an oncoming cyclist or scooter like that il back off and usually move to 1-2. I always assume someone's going to do something silly or just got see me so safety and a way out come first. Got my first bike safe next month so i may get chewed out yet :p

"Dominate position" is a provocative term. I ride in the middle of the lane (2) most of the time for my safety. It give me the most options.

It's all well and good trying to dominate the ground while riding a motorcycle but it makes more sense to read the road ahead of you . It's better avoiding a potential hazard , in this case the car over taking the cyclist . Than argue the point from a hospital bed that you were in the right by holding your ground .

I tend to drift left. That makes my headlight sweep left to right in the driver's view, which makes me look closer and faster, and gives the driver a bit more space. Not sure that's the right way, but that's how I've been doing it.

Slightly off topic here but what do you make of the osmpsl routine, I find a similar thing with junctions. people get too stringent with the whole pos 3 early leaving them in a bad position to exit a min to maj jct.

I mainly use that position as a precursor to overtaking. Also if there is nothing behind me and I'm behind a line of cars, I will move in and out of that position with a bit more distance from who's in front, to allow oncoming traffic to actually see me, and not have a driver who's in a hurry just pull out of the oncoming line of cars a hair after what he perceives to be the last car in the oncoming line from his point of view. I almost always move to allow someone who wants to pass me or to facilitate flow of traffic when it's safe to do so, and just try to adapt to the situation in general. That being said I really don't have an issue with proximity? Riding a bunch through Asia, and very packed traffic + trackdays, kind of desensitizes you to that imo. Also when I am at a faster pace, the vast majority of other riders do not make space when they can easily do so (usually mountain roads). I quite dislike that, so I don't do it to others, be it car or bike or whatever. Basically treat others how you want to be treated.

When I dominate a line it's a prevention measure. To clearly communicate my presence or intention. I will of course also yield and fold my position in a demonstrarive manner when i want someone to make their move first. I think the dominate your line mantra had come about as a response to excessively humble beginner riders. Many beginner riders will put themself and others in dangers, basically because they're shy. I think the oncoming rider in this clip should have held position 3-4 rather than 4-5. And he should have seen the line of oncoming cars and moved to position 2-3 earlier. To me,.dominating a line is about being visible and clear communication. Like, for instance, when i approach an intersection and an oncoming car want to turn across my path, i will swerve and then drive directly at the driver, if i want them to make the turn. Them seeing my vector turn directyl towards them will prompt them to move. asap. And when i want them to yield for me, i will instead swerve and then turn to in front of them. This let's them know where i am going, and it leaves me their previous position as a bailoutpoint in case they decide to smidsy. Maybe most instructors have picked up the habit of teaching this, but neglected the emphasis on context

In my opinion the problem is the car. If i am the car, im positioning for a pass long before, with the wheels crossing over the line. This gives a message to the uncoming traffic, from a long way ahead, and also this lets the people behind see that there is a bicyclyst on the left side of the road. Your interpretation is that the motorcyclist is stubborn, i cant say if it is true or false, nowone knows.

I go to 1 or 3 depending on the context. If there's good visibility, a wide road and a queue sat behind the cyclist I'll go to 1 if I think that'll encourage the car to make a safe overtake in front of me. Equally I do try to discourage what looks like an unsafe overtake by going to 3 so long as their 'body' language isn't too agressive.

I was wondering do you have any videos on how to deal with aggressive drivers as a learner? Those who flip you off, honk at you etc.?