im an overly cautious rider & ive been having way too many close calls (none that would have been my fault)…
thursday- a car slammed on the breaks and turned into a driveway without signaling, i swerved and missed it by a foot or two. the driver behind me talked to me at the red light and called the other person an idiot and complimented my bike handling skills.
friday- nothing wrong
saturday- a REALLLLLLY close call. the car slammed on the brakes and stopped one foot, maybe less away from my legs and bike. i swear i just closed my eyes and expected to wake up in a hospital bed.
sunday- i was riding all happy cruising along when all of the sudden i hear a dog start barking and it comes bolting at me. i drop the hammer and start booking it on my bike. i’m going 26mph or so (uphill) and this dog is like 1 foot from my rear wheel for about a halfmile. finally it backed off… holy crap.
I treat every driver as if they are a complete incompetent. They rarely let me down.
ya… i’m typically overly cautious and always assume the driver is going to make a mistake. i also travel on pretty low traffic roads in LA— old topanga and piuma are my most frequented routes. i’m going back to boulder next week and it doesnt sound better there with greg bennett getting hit infront of the best coffee shop in boulder.
OK, gotta chime in here, 7 seasons of triathlon, 2xtimes on the IMC course last month, not one bitch about motorist’s, ever*. *I observe other rider’s day to day and conclude; your @ fault, take responsibility, you ride like an ass on the road, plain and simple!!
I’m not sure how you can say the guy’s at fault. You’ve honestly never had someone buzz by you close enough where if you stuck your arm out you’d snap off their mirror? Never had a motorist not see you? it’s not always intentional, some people really don’t see you & it’s an honest mistake, but nonetheless, it happens. If so, where do you live & what routes to you ride so that we all may be so blessed to not have any problems with motorists? Or maybe you could teach us all how to be better riders & not “ride like an ass.” I’ve been blessed that I’ve been doing tris for 3 years now & haven’t crashed my bike, either with or without a car involved, but still, just because it does happen to some people doesn’t mean they ride like an ass. Thanks for your great insight into the situation.
You should start commuting by bike to learn how to drive in traffic. I did it for 5 years (without a single missed day) and learned how to ride. I always bike with my hands near my brake and assume that cars do not see me. If you are defensive, you can save your life.
As for your specifics, you probably shouldn’t be driving so fast in traffic and if a dog chases you, don’t try to outrun him. Squirt him with water or get off your bike and stare him down. Going 26 mph to get rid of him is asking for trouble.
It is unfortunate but here in the good old USA motorist have no respect and awareness for bicyclist. Some of it is related to poor driving skills as a result of a very easy driver license getting process and some of it is related to not being used to seeing bicycles around them.
Go ride in Europe and you will understand.
It is like a day and night.
i hear a dog start barking and it comes bolting at me. i drop the hammer and start booking it on my bike. i’m going 26mph or so (uphill) and this dog is like 1 foot from my rear wheel for about a halfmile. finally it backed off… holy crap.
FWIW, most dogs just enjoy chasing hence why it stayed that far away. Of course, occasionally, it don’t just want to play!
Remember, a decent swing of a full bottle will take out most wildlife!
OK, gotta chime in here, 7 seasons of triathlon, 2xtimes on the IMC course last month, not one bitch about motorist’s, ever*. *I observe other rider’s day to day and conclude; your @ fault, take responsibility, you ride like an ass on the road, plain and simple!!
Really? You observe other riders wherever you ride and can then “conclude” that the OP rides like an ass? Are you as judgmental about everything and everyone in life? If so, must be a pretty friggin’ bleak existence, yours. If you’ve never had a single, solitary bitch about a motorist in 7 years, you are either a)extraordinarily lucky, b)have cycling routes that are completely deserted, or c)are spending way too much time inside on your trainer.
I wish I were as lucky as you, I guess. Last weekend a tractor trailer came by me from behind @ 45+ mph, across the white line and into the bike lane, missing me by less than a foot and giving me a great chance to fight the suction. By your reasoning, I was the ass for being the the bike lane, I suppose?
I’m not saying motorists can’t be at fault, of course not, but I hear so many cyclists go on and on about close calls, way too many stories for one person, so I conclude they are doing something wrong, yes. Example, why do group riders think it OK to ride side by side on roads that really can’t accommodate it, probably swapping horror stories about the last truck mirror that just passed by too close. Hilarious!
Point taken. Personally, I usually just let it slide or let my middle finger do the talking.
In general, I find it amazing how incredibly belligerent motorists can be for no apparent reason around here. A few months ago I was doing one of my normal lunch hour runs from the office and had some jackass yell/wing a CD at me from his car as I ran past his car as he sat in traffic. I was on a almost completely deserted sidewalk minding my own business… why throw stuff? (for what it’s worth, he no longer thought it was funny when I stopped, picked up the disc, and winged it back into his open window before I resumed my pace, although in hindsight I guess I’m lucky I didn’t get shot) Then there are the lovely folks that think it’s absolutely hilarious to drive up on your rear tire and lay on the horn and/or yell obscenities at you from the passenger window as they pass. Ah yes… examples of my fellow man at his best.
While I dont quite agree with bristri and I have had plenty of close calls because drivers are idiots. I do find a direct correlation between my close calls and the bike that I happen to be riding. If I am out hammering away on a training ride on my rodie or tri bike I get into far more trouble at 25 mph than I do on my fixie with panniers commuting at 15 mph.
My speed is a HUGE variable that gets me into trouble. Many of my close calls I was “not at fault” at all. like Riding in a bike lane and getting right hooked like the op. BUT I was generallly traveling way faster than what cars thinks bikes can go. Close calls are rarely my fault. But I usually could have done something to prevent them.
I have a sticker on my helmet that is just 1* . It reminds me I have only “one ass-to-risk”
You can’t avoid a true accident, but yeah, 99% of bike vs. car wrecks can be avoided by smarter biking. Gotta learn to ride in traffic. It’s a skill.
I’ve never had any issues or close calls until the last couple of days. I consider myself a smart and overly cautious biker. I mean, the guy in the car behind me on my first incident on Thursday told me at the stop light that the car that almost forced me to slam into the back of them was an idiot and then he said I have good reaction speed.
I’m sure it’s partially a function of where I live and ride, but I don’t seem to have those close calls. I honestly can’t think of I time I thought I was going to get hit by a car. I’ve been riding ~5000 miles a year for 10+ years. If I was having regular close calls, I think I would find a new hobby.
FTR, the way the OP described the first incident, a collision would have been his own fault. If a car hits the brakes and you run into it, that’s your fault.