Is there a better nickname than "cager" for motorists?

A few comments recently, and a post or two by me, have used the term "cager" to describe a motorist.

According to the online Urban Dictionary, cager is a word coined by the motorbiker culture to describe a person in a metal enclosure who is disconnected from the road and his/her surroundings. I used to think that it was a sports page term for someone who plays basketball, but the UrbDic sez that is outdated terminology (try telling that to our sports department).

I have used the word myself, and frankly, not in a nice way. What do you put in cages? Beasts. What are some motorists like? Well, . . .

I wondered if we are serving ourselves well by objectifying motorists. I've heard plenty from cyclists who object to the mass media, when reporting on motorist-cyclist collisions, refer to a car going out of control, rather than the driver losing control of the car. The responsibility is with the motorist, not the car. So why would we call them "cagers"?

By mean-spiritedly putting motorists in cages, are we erecting unnecessary bars between us and the dominant species on the roadways? 

Comments

[David]

Anything that promotes an "us" versus "them" mentality is detrimental to polite, safe use of roadways.

Everyone, on both sides of the issue, needs to realize that we're all a "we," tasked with sharing the road politely, legally, and respectfully.

Of course, this does nothing to help us all against the road users, cyclist and motorist alike, who treat traffic as a "me" versus "them" problem.

[AlanM]

Good one! Active disrespect does nothing to further goals of achieving healthier lifestyles and more active transportation choices.

Better to follow the Toronto Cyclists Union lead of "Cyclists Paving the Way". They're distributing 3,000 "thank you" postcards for cyclists to give to well-behaved motorists, acknowledging those whose driving habits respect other road users.
...alan

[Susan in Vancouver]

I don't refer to motorists as cagers but I do call cars etc tin cans. Its a response to the idea that some motorists have that I should be pitied because I "have" to ride a bike ... I pity them because they are stuck in tin cans.

[Jeff S.]

"Cage" is as much a physical description as it is a metaphorical one, in my opinion.