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Nearly got into an accident
So, there I was, riding straight down the street on the right side about 2
feet from the curb, when a driver passed me and then immediately turned right! It was one of those "time-slows-down" moments, but I managed to brake just enough to avoid hitting the car's right rear tire. The teen driver didn't even notice, but the older woman waiting to pull out from that side street was astonished. It's amazing how much you can notice when time is standing still.... I got to thinking, "How could I be safer" and the only thing I can think of is to check in my mirror for overtaking drivers each and every time as I approach a cross street. Can anyone think of something else? Pat in TX |
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Nearly got into an accident
On Dec 13, 2:15*pm, "PatTX" wrote:
So, there I was, riding straight down the street on the right side about 2 feet from the curb, when a driver passed me and then immediately turned right! It was one of those "time-slows-down" moments, but I managed to brake just enough to avoid hitting the car's right rear tire. The teen driver didn't even notice, but the older woman waiting to pull out from that side street was astonished. It's amazing how much you can notice when time is standing still.... I got to thinking, "How could I be safer" and the only thing I can think of is to check in my mirror for overtaking drivers each and every time as I approach a cross street. Can anyone think of something else? Pat in TX there really is nothing you can do to prevent that; crossstreets, driveways, parking lots they're everywhere as are the idiots who pass and block you with their car. hell, a simple short ride got me like that ten years ago some girl driving her dads car ( who probabally only drove a few goats there before being allowed to drive a 2000kg car over here) ; front tooth, busted nose, I might have even lost an eye by the extent of the gouges left on my brikos. you can ride slower so the inertia doesn't carry you forward so much when you need to emergency stop but that is quite anethama to the joy of cycling |
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Nearly got into an accident
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Nearly got into an accident
On Dec 13, 3:54*pm, (Tom Keats) wrote:
In article , * * * * writes: On Dec 13, 2:15*pm, "PatTX" wrote: So, there I was, riding straight down the street on the right side about 2 feet from the curb, when a driver passed me and then immediately turned right! It was one of those "time-slows-down" moments, but I managed to brake just enough to avoid hitting the car's right rear tire. The teen driver didn't even notice, but the older woman waiting to pull out from that side street was astonished. It's amazing how much you can notice when time is standing still.... I got to thinking, "How could I be safer" and the only thing I can think of is to check in my mirror for overtaking drivers each and every time as I approach a cross street. Can anyone think of something else? Pat in TX there really is nothing you can do to prevent that; crossstreets, driveways, parking lots they're everywhere as are the idiots who pass and block you with their car. There is /much/ a rider can do, and it begins with one's attitude. hell, a simple short ride got me like that ten years ago some girl driving her dads car ( who probabally only drove a few goats there before being allowed to drive a 2000kg car over here) ; front tooth, busted nose, I might have even lost an eye by the extent of the gouges left on my brikos. you can ride slower so the inertia doesn't carry you forward so much when you need to emergency stop but that is quite anethama to the joy of cycling I recommend a perusal of the book: The Art of Urban Cycling: Lessons From the Street, by Robert Hurst. *It'll verify & articulate a bunch of stuff you've already subconciously figured out, and provide you with some more insights that just might come in handy. cheers, * * * * Tom -- Nothing is safe from me. I'm really at: tkeats curlicue vcn dot bc dot ca- Hide quoted text - - Show quoted text - 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 |
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Nearly got into an accident
On Dec 14, 3:56*am, Martin Borsje wrote:
expressed precisely : On Dec 13, 3:54*pm, (Tom Keats) wrote: In article , * * * * writes: On Dec 13, 2:15*pm, "PatTX" wrote: So, there I was, riding straight down the street on the right side about 2 feet from the curb, when a driver passed me and then immediately turned right! It was one of those "time-slows-down" moments, but I managed to brake just enough to avoid hitting the car's right rear tire. The teen driver didn't even notice, but the older woman waiting to pull out from that side street was astonished. It's amazing how much you can notice when time is standing still.... I got to thinking, "How could I be safer" and the only thing I can think of is to check in my mirror for overtaking drivers each and every time as I approach a cross street. Can anyone think of something else? Pat in TX there really is nothing you can do to prevent that; crossstreets, driveways, parking lots they're everywhere as are the idiots who pass and block you with their car. There is /much/ a rider can do, and it begins with one's attitude. hell, a simple short ride got me like that ten years ago some girl driving her dads car ( who probabally only drove a few goats there before being allowed to drive a 2000kg car over here) ; front tooth, busted nose, I might have even lost an eye by the extent of the gouges left on my brikos. you can ride slower so the inertia doesn't carry you forward so much when you need to emergency stop but that is quite anethama to the joy of cycling I recommend a perusal of the book: The Art of Urban Cycling: Lessons From the Street, by Robert Hurst. *It'll verify & articulate a bunch of stuff you've already subconciously figured out, and provide you with some more insights that just might come in handy. cheers, * * * * Tom -- Nothing is safe from me. I'm really at: tkeats curlicue vcn dot bc dot ca- Hide quoted text - - Show quoted text - 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 Most likely she didn't even see you at all!- Hide quoted text - - Show quoted text - no she did, she said so in the statement to police (she was charged and pleaded guilty) which was brought up when I met with the insurance agent. The onlt good thing was she was with state farm and they didn't try to dick me around- which is the only appropiate way to deal with a victim of an accident. |
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Nearly got into an accident
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Nearly got into an accident
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 |
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Nearly got into an accident
In article ,
"PatTX" writes: So, there I was, riding straight down the street on the right side about 2 feet from the curb, when a driver passed me and then immediately turned right! It was one of those "time-slows-down" moments, but I managed to brake just enough to avoid hitting the car's right rear tire. The teen driver didn't even notice, but the older woman waiting to pull out from that side street was astonished. It's amazing how much you can notice when time is standing still.... I got to thinking, "How could I be safer" and the only thing I can think of is to check in my mirror for overtaking drivers each and every time as I approach a cross street. Can anyone think of something else? Whenever I approach intersections I like to move somewhat to the left when I can safely do so. It makes it that much more difficult for upcoming drivers to pull off the ol' right hook. I realize it goes against a rider's grain when you just want to maintain a nice, straight line, but it works. Two feet from the curb sounds a little marginal to me. I like at least a yard. I find that distance is less of an invitation to overtaking drivers to pretend I'm not even there, while still allowing them to steer around me. If they want to turn right (in front of me) they'd first have to veer left to get around me. Most drivers would rather not have to go through all that effort. I guess the trick is to not make it easy for 'em, but at the same time, not making it annoyingly difficult. A balancing act. In zones which are heavily shadowed by nearby trees or buildings, I'll take even more street, to maintain my visibility. Most of the near-miss right-hookings I've seen of riders ahead of me, have happened in heavily shadowed areas while the rider was positioned more to the right than I'd be comfortable with. It's all too easy to become lost in the shadows. John Forester recommends we riders position ourselves not by distance from the curb, but around the right tire tracks of the ambient motorized traffic. That works pretty good "in general" but we still have to bear in mind other considerations, like shadows, driveways, parking lot entrances/exits, intersections, &c. There's a lot more granularity to picking a line with sufficient wriggle room & escape routes in urban traffic than Forester indicates. cheers, Tom -- Nothing is safe from me. I'm really at: tkeats curlicue vcn dot bc dot ca |
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Nearly got into an accident
On Dec 13, 1:15*pm, "PatTX" wrote:
So, there I was, riding straight down the street on the right side about 2 feet from the curb, when a driver passed me and then immediately turned right! It was one of those "time-slows-down" moments, but I managed to brake just enough to avoid hitting the car's right rear tire. The teen driver didn't even notice, but the older woman waiting to pull out from that side street was astonished. It's amazing how much you can notice when time is standing still.... I got to thinking, "How could I be safer" and the only thing I can think of is to check in my mirror for overtaking drivers each and every time as I approach a cross street. Can anyone think of something else? Pat in TX No matter how much attention you pay you can't avoid the completely oblivious. Before my accident I had two close calls. One was a guy making a left turn on green when I was going staight. The other was a guy who was goign away to fast in a turn lane and almost rear ended me. So now I am going to avoid the faster/busier route. I also go all the way to the edge on the turn lane to minimize the risk of being hit. |
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