Tom Keats wrote:

no, she was just plain old stupid, she went into the other lane to
pass me then braked making a sharp turn right in front of me; I was
doing about 35kph when this happened; there was no reason she had
to pass me

When many people see a bicycle ahead of them, they've just gotta get
ahead of it. They've /just gotta/. It's all really quite
predictable and expectable. It's like some sort of innate instinct
people have. Even fellow cyclists aren't immune to this effect --
if you're stopped at a red traffic light, some of them will butt-in
in front of you and the stop line, to wait out the light. And if
you're walking your bike on the sidewalk, pedestrians behind you
will bust their asses to get ahead of you.

I don't know why it is, but so many people see bicycles as
obstructions and obstacles, even if you're going faster than they
are. Even if they're riding bikes themselves. When riders realize
this, we become armed with an enhanced ability to interact with, and
even predict the movements of surrounding traffic.

So, there actually /is/ a reason she "had" to pass you -- it was
pathologically hardwired in her psyche.

As you said, "Even if they're riding bikes themselves." This is
apparent when I read of other car/bicycle interactions on this NG. I
think many wreck.bike readers should take lessons from bike messengers
who don't have these problems. In city traffic, I have been riding in
that style for many years without problem. I am surprised that police
cruisers ignore my law violations (as righteous bicyclists call it).
On top of that, as I reported on one of these topics, I found London
(GB) traffic even more accommodating in that matter.

I fear the tone of my posts might sound like I'm calling you stupid;
please believe me, I have no such intention.

Not to worry, the "take the lane" riders volunteer to raise their
hands when a roll call of stupid riders is taken. I don't understand
why so many riders feel so superior to their fellow humans when riding
bicycles.

The driver who cut you off was being stupid, because she was acting
in a thoughtless, "reptilian brain" mode. I'm just saying: that's
how a lot of people act on the streets. It doesn't hurt to be aware
of that. We can often even use it to our advantage. I call it
"reading their minds" but it really isn't anything so esoteric. In
fact it's dirt simple. People are so predictable. That's how
advertising agencies and casinos make so much money.

Well said!

That said, there certainly are occasions where synchronicity works
against us, and we wind up as sitting ducks for inescapably imminent
consequences that seem to be aimed by Fate directly at us.

I'm glad you came out of the incident unscathed.

Unscathed, but was anything learned? In such a position I don't watch
the car but rather the driver's head and direction of attention as
well as the steering angle of the cars wheels... and don't wear
headphones because there is much information about cars approaching
from behind in tire and engine sounds.

Jobst Brandt