Where are you a high school student?

Frisco, Texas

done

---

Dan Kennison

facebook: @triPremierBike
http://www.PremierBike.com
http://www.PositionOneSports.com

Good luck to you.

Unfortunately there is no amount of bright clothing or flashing lights that can help prevent accidents when a driver is looking down at their phone while driving...visibility is great to a degree and I support it but I'd venture a huge percentage of car/cyclist incidents aren't due to attentive drivers not seeing a cyclist as much as an inattentive driver being an inattentive driver.

Thank You all for helping me find a solution to my school project.

Done. Hopefully you will be posting the results when your survey is completed.

A general statement on both your study and this topic in general. It would be interesting to see the number of accidents between automobiles and bikes versus the number of accidents between automobiles and automobiles. I don't know that the information would be useful though without having an idea on number of cars on the road versus number of bikes on the road. I am curious if the chances of an accident in general are higher or lower on a bike than in a car, without taking outcome into account. I would guess that the chances of serious injury or death is way higher on a bike than in a car but not sure about accidents in general. I have not looked into this even in the least bit but if memory serves me correctly, someone had started a thread posting a similar idea and what it would take to actually get the needed information to make this comparison.

Thank You for your input.

Being visible is not just passive (e.g. lights or reflective clothing). A huge part of being visible is about picking your routes with an eye to safety including how likely drivers are to see you. Another key to visibility is behaving like a car at key times in terms of lane placement such that drivers "see" what they are looking for, i.e. other cars. There are lots of times and locations where you are much safer being in the middle of the traffic lane rather than hiding out so to speak at the edge of the road or on the shoulder.

This is major truth.

I always feel a responsibility to be actively involved with my bike safety. I have lights and reflective clothing, but I also pick my routes carefully. And if the ride time falls around morning or evening rush on a Monday, I'm on the 'cross bike using paths. There is too much traffic density combined with Monday impatience for me to feel safe on the roads that lead to less populated areas.

Having said that, any route is available on a Sunday midday.

One other note regarding visibility, it is my subjective impression... that when I started using the Bontrager Flair, a flashing tail light, cars gave me more room when passing. The near misses were reduced dramatically. No empirical data on that. Just my experiential sense.

---

"Nevermind the blood. Hows my bike?..."

Yes. Pick the route carefully. Stay in the bike lane or shoulder if there is one. When you need to get out of it be careful how you are getting out of the lane (to make a left turn for example). Look behind you. Signal. Never split driving lanes. Stay behind the cars in front of you. Like he said, when in traffic do as the cars do, so you remain predictable. Splitting a driving lane is a great way to get right-hooked. Always make eye contacts with drivers about to turn in front of you. Give them a little wave or a nod. Slow down if they can't see you. Etc....

I was glad to participate - good luck!

On a site like this - you will probably find close to 100% of the respondents spend over $150 / year on Cycling equipment - but in the general public a survey inquiring about spending thousands annually would probably be looked at as crazy also ;-)

---

" I take my gear out of my car and put my bike together. Tourists and locals are watching from sidewalk cafes. Non-racers. The emptiness of of their lives shocks me. "
(opening lines from Tim Krabbe's The Rider , 1978

So much this.

It's more a function of how attentive the driver is than if the driver can see me or not. I'm at maximum risk (and have had countless close calls) during the morning and evening commute, regardless of daylight. Drivers are either in too much of a hurry or too zoned out.

Done, good luck on your project.

Done.
Although conspicuity is a big factor in avoiding car/bike collisions, the bigger factor is separating the 2.
We need more bike lanes that isolate us from motor vehicles

---

res, non verba

Thanks again for all of your help!!

And if you haven't taken the survey, it's short, so please take the time to answer the survey and help me with my project.

Good, short, reasonably on target, survey.

I will add that I am lit up like an Xmas tree when I ride. I wear bright colours, and reflective elements too. I even ride with a GoPro so I can send the cops video of incidents.

However, the number one thing I've found that makes me safer is when I had a ponytail (I'm blonde which helps). Generally people still think of ponytails (hanging out the back of a helmet at least) as being a women. Generally men give women a wider berth than men.

I found the effect was even better when I started shaving my legs. :-)

I have also noticed that when a cyclist wobbles a lot, like a newbie, they get a wider berth. Riding a straight line actually encourages motorists to drive closer!

Now that I'm a visibly fat old man, not longer with a ponytail, but still shaved legs, riding a straight line, cars certainly drive closer.

Being highly visible, really doesn't make much difference in my experience (and I ride virtually every day, on city streets and country roads). Looking like a newbie woman is safest.

Good luck with your project. Let us know how it goes

---

TriDork

"Happiness is a myth. All you can hope for is to get laid once in a while, drunk once in a while and to eat chocolate every day"

Good point. I have found on several stretches of road, that instead of hugging the curb or road edge, that it's better to "take the lane" so that cars don't squeeze by, unsafely.

Riding assertively but following the rules, goes a long way to not ending up under a car.

---

TriDork

"Happiness is a myth. All you can hope for is to get laid once in a while, drunk once in a while and to eat chocolate every day"

Riding assertively and wearing bright colors as others have said. Also hand signals and eye contact with a driver. And thank you when a driver does something good.

Politeness certainly counts
I'm not so sure about eye contact. I've been hit twice by motorists that have made eye contact with me, and then pulled out in front of me! If they hit me, I make their lives miserable (though my insurance agent). If they don't hit me, I just send the video to the police. I have managed to get 2 people ticketed, thanks to my videos.

I had to giggle this morning. I rode before work with a new colleague. I've ridden that route over 1100 times! He got all angry every time some driver committed an alleged transgression. He had a crappy ride. These days I only get angry when stuff is particularly dangerous and I enjoy my rides much more.

---

TriDork

"Happiness is a myth. All you can hope for is to get laid once in a while, drunk once in a while and to eat chocolate every day"

I've found the same thing. If I ride a foot to the left of the white line, the driver knows they need to cross the yellow to pass me, and when they do they tend to give me more room. Where if I stay on a narrow shoulder many will try to pass without crossing the yellow, even if it means only missing me by a foot or two.

I'm a cyclist and so I feel compassion for others out there.
However
When I'm driving it irks me to no end when cyclists pass a row of cars on the right side.
1. You weren't there before and those cars do not know you're coming
2. Some of those cars are taking a right and do not expect you to be overtaking them.

---

I talk a lot - Give it a listen: http://www.fasttalklabs.com/category/fast-talk
I also give Training Advice via http://www.ForeverEndurance.com

The above poster has eschewed traditional employment and is currently undertaking the ill-conceived task of launching his own hardgoods company. Statements are not made on behalf of nor reflective of anything in any manner... unless they're good, then they count.
http://www.AGNCYINNOVATION.com

One of the biggest safety elements I use is my ears. I can hear large trucks, or road rage trucks :), cars too close that sort of thing from anywhere outside of my visual field. I can judge speed and size and act accordingly. For example I stop and ditch it for approaching logging trucks.

---

Training Tweets: https://twitter.com/Jagersport_com
FM Sports: http://fluidmotionsports.com

Thanks for attempting to improve our safety. The biggest issue is drivers not looking for cyclists. Is there a way to create an app that the cyclists uses to alert the drivers that are looking at their phones that a biker is near?

---

Oui, mais pas de femme toute de suite (yes, but I am not ready for a woman straight away) -Stephen Roche's reply when asked whether he was okay after collapsing at the finish in the La Plagne stage of the 1987 Tour