I have always thought that it was illegal to have a white light directed to the rear.

Me too, but only from inference. I had a 6 mile city bike commute for 2 years and used a white rear light for about 90% of that. I was never informed that I was doing anything inappropriate, so I suppose I'll continue on until a law enforcement official informs me differently. The difference in visibility is massive.

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https://connect.garmin.com/modern/profile/domingjm

Interesting idea - I believe our state law stipulates that you need red in the back, but I wonder if that is red only or could you have both red and something else? White does seem to be much more visible.

Either way, that seems low on the enforcement priority list. I might add a white to the rear.

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Aaron Bales
Lansing Triathlon Team

Here’s more details.

https://www.yahoo.com/...pital-005222424.html


From the article

The driver of the moving vehicle said that she saw Bradley and passed him while driving about 10 mph while giving him "plenty of room" and "putting their driver side tire between the two yellow sets (of) double lines."

That sounds like she squeezed him in the lane if her driver side tire was on the double yellow lines assuming she means the double lines dividing the lanes.

After 30+ years of riding, here's what I've learned about staying safe:
1. Situational awareness is the most important thing. Stay alert, no headphones, double check before pulling out. Try to keep the talking to a minimum in a group. The second you start taking riding on the road for granted is when you find trouble. Take every ride seriously.
2. I try to avoid riding on the road alone. I think group riding with experienced other riders is significantly safer for a number of reasons. I only ride with people I know are experienced riders. I'm lucky to have a massive gravel MUP network (northern Illinois, literally hundreds of miles) that's terrific for cycling near me and 90% of the time use it if I'm riding alone. I do a lot of gravel riding on farm roads and singletrack mountain biking (which does exist here, lol) as well.
3. Route selection is absolutely critical. It's better to stick to a well-known route that you're comfortable with over and over again than to try to explore. Knowing what corners to take carefully, where the potholes are, where traffic will pick up, what corners are blind etc really helps in staying safe.
4. Don't encourage drivers to squeeze past. Know when to take the lane, don't ride too far to the right. It's counter-intuitive, but if you force drivers to deliberately go around you it's safer.
5. Early AM is the best time for riding, preferable just before dawn (in a group). This is especially true on weekends.
6. Intersections are the most dangerous places, keep your head on a swivel in an intersection. Don't squeeze up on the side of cars, get in line. When the light turns, move up with the line of traffic and then get to the right when you get to the intersection to allow cars to get by you.
7. Bright clothing is a good idea, but lights are even better. Good lights are really important, get reliable and bright lights. I run flashing lights during the day and solid lights in the dark. Brightly colored socks and shoes with reflective hits are particularly visible as they're in motion.
8. Don't rise to aggressive drivers. The goal is to get home safely.
9. Ride within yourself. If you're exhausted, you'll start doing stupid stuff.
10. Regardless of laws and evidence, the police will not have your back. The police will generally forgive most bad behavior from drivers and seek to blame the cyclist. I'm generalizing and I'm sure this isn't true for all officers, but I have learned this through multiple exasperating experiences. Ride knowing that you're on your own on the road.

I'm wondering if anyone else experience this: a driver passes fairly close and then swerves out AFTER they pass me. It's happened a number of times. Maybe they just judge it wrong and time it wrong. Or maybe they just notice me as they're passing. But none of these have been dangerously close, so they moved over a little bit. Maybe they start to swerve out and are close as the pass but stay at that angle for a bit before pulling back in. I'm sure it looks different to their perspective than to mine, I'm fairly new to the roads (as an adult, I rode hours per day when I was 13), but it's a bunch of times and always puzzles me.

I think maybe this lady really did think she gave room but had no perspective on how much room was there.

This is why many riders ride in the middle of the lane to “take” the lane, give themselves some room to maneuver if need be, and force drivers to go wider rather than squeeze in the lane with them.

Maybe it’s a wider road and she gave him enough room but not when he was passing a parked car.

I see that too. Get passed in the same lane that I am in, then they change lanes after. The drivers aren't paying attention.

Just curious, what battery pack do you use for your gopro?

Wasabi power extended battery for GoPro 7 .

Yes, very demoralizing to know. So many cyclists do stupid things, default police assumption is that you as a cyclist did something stupid.

After been a 'victim' of such treatment, I started riding with mounted cameras front and rear.

Another thing I started doing if I feel a car may intrude into the bike lane or squeeze by, is to appear 'unsteady'. Such as getting out of the saddle or weaving about 1ft to either side of my line.
Of course I hold my line when the car is up on me. But it certainly works to make (most) drivers give you 3 ft (the law in my state).
.

In my experience (unexpectedly) the cops were highly professional and unbiased. The jury, however, had their minds made up and did not want to be confused by facts and testimony.

What I'd do differently? I wouldn't have reacted and engaged the driver. Very hard to do when you've just been scared shiteless. Get a plate number and file a complaint. Let the cops follow it up.

If you ride with a camera, don't assume the footage will be used properly (to your advantage) if you end up in court. It's good for getting license plate number.

Lights always, high viz clothing, ride in groups, take the lane when it's safer to do so, be very aware and ride defensively. Try to think responsibilities and not just rights.

Preaching to the choir.
Anticipating drivers aggressiveness and stupidity (and slowing down or giving up right of way) saved my ass countless times.

But doesn’t help with getting mowed down from behind.
The rear camera is only to establish where I am in the road if I get hit.

License plates are so small, you only are able to capture under ideal conditions.
Driver when leaving scene, and street smart, will report car stolen.
Nothing you can do.

Plus here in California, more and more people flaunt the law by obstructing plates (hitch bike rack anyone?) and/or do not have front plates on their Teslas. Rarely ticketed (only $20).
Holding aggressive/criminal drivers responsible is a lost cause. In our current times more than ever.

Nothing this is a triathlon forum that advice is up there with 'have no perspective' and 'obsess about irrelevant kit choices.

#pink

I hear you. I ride with 800 lumens of flashing lights and front and rear cameras at all times.

This was an interesting study, I'm sure you have seen it, but others on this site may not have:
https://usa.streetsblog.org/...-as-less-than-human/

"The research team did not make specific recommendations about how to improve public attitudes toward cyclists. But they did speculate that Australia’s mandatory helmet law may contribute to the problem by obscuring riders heads and faces. Riding “uniforms,” kits and Spandex, may further contribute to the “othering” of cyclists."

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Two wheels good. Four wheels bad.

I hadn’t seen that - very interesting. “Othering” is a great lens to look through. It seems like the more that folks know cyclists and view them as “us” instead of “them”, the more cautious they’ll be:

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Aaron Bales
Lansing Triathlon Team

Not sure what you imply, but yeah, movement perpendicular to the line of travel is catching drivers eyes, if those are on the road even momentarily.

That also applies for signaling a lane change or a turn.
But we have too many ‘closet pros’ on the roads who think that’s ‘uncool’.

Note the #pink to literally signpost sarcasm....

It really is discouraging how we can't fix this in North America. I used to think Holland always had safe roads for bikes. Not true. After the war there were alot of accidents in which people were killed in cars and folks killed on bikes. My mom's little sister was killed by a motorcycle during the war but I guess that is another story. Several of my cousins were seriously maimed in car accidents. In the seventies my mom said it was because Dutch people drive like maniacs.

The thing I read that changed it is people just said no more. They literally blockaded the streets in some places to stop the problem. But I guess we would need alot more cyclists percentage wise to have that type of response.

https://www.dutchreach.org/...ests-safer-nl-roads/

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They constantly try to escape from the darkness outside and within
Dreaming of systems so perfect that no one will need to be good T.S. Eliot

‘Activism’ is a dirty word and car culture reigns supreme in the Americas.

There were attempts at ‘Critical Mass‘ to promote inner city cycling and raise awareness, but with most things in this country, it descended into anarchy, chaos and violence.
Given up hope Americans will see and accept cycling as a mode of transportation and betterment of life.