The more you know the safer you'll be on the road

[RojoRacing]

Here's a thread over on BROL I feel should be shared here as well because I contains a close encounter that could have been avoided if just one of the two participants took the correct action. Luckily nothing became of the close call because someone was thinking ahead. Watch the video, note your initial reaction, watch it a few more times closely than scroll down and read my two responses and well as a few others.

The more you know the safer you'll be on the road

http://www.bentrideronline.com/messageboard/showthread.php?t=135053

 

[Jeremy S]

Hm, did you post a link here? (Not seeing one.)

 

[RojoRacing]

Hm, did you post a link here? (Not seeing one.)

I may be the BOSS at multi-processoring on the road but not so much on the keyboard

 

[Cruzbike Chris]

@RojoRacing, you are spot on with your comments and that explains exactly how I ride both my Harley and my Cruzbike-Full defense as if everyone on the road is out to kill you knowingly or not. I am all over the road changing lanes all the time and making sure I also have as much time possible for reaction to anything that changes on the road. Great response, well said.

 

[RojoRacing]

There is a BROL thread asking whether recumbents require mirrors because they are so low, as if to imply DF bike don't need mirrors. I didn't bother respond to that thread because I don't think I could have written a response to that thread that didn't come off as blatantly calling out the poster as naive. Just in case you're curious of my view on mirrors? All vehicles on the road need mirrors and people who can use them, this counts double so for all slow moving cyclists.

 

[RojoRacing]

I can write out things in a nice a eloquent manor if I try but for the most part I speak completely unfiltered because as someone who is basically immune to being offended, it's a genetic condition I'm told. I don't normally sugar coat my opinion as I am totally understanding that many people won't share in my views and I'm totally cool with that.

 

[castlerobber]

Here's a thread over on BROL I feel should be shared here as well because I contains a close encounter that could have been avoided

The OP on that thread has a history of close encounters. In the past year and a half alone, he's been hit by vehicles twice, almost backed into once, had a car turn across his path, almost hit by a shovel falling out of a vehicle...even claims he had to outrun soccer fans leaving a match because he thought they were going to damage his velo. Drama is his constant companion.

Well said on your reply.

 

[Eric Winn]

The OP on that thread has a history of close encounters...

Keep in mind that like Doug Grosjean, Fastolfe uses his velomobile in lieu of a motor vehicle so he is out riding far, far more than the majority of us so statistically his odds of troublesome encounters are much higher no matter how careful he is...

But yeah, I'd probably have been slowing a bit more and moving more toward the center of the road to equalize defensive options.

Having been a LEO at one point in my life, I can attest that traffic accidents are far more common than what most folk probably realize. You can be doing everything right and there are still some people who will do things that you just can't avoid.

However, I'm also mindful of driving behind another motor vehicle that slowed dramatically at every.single.intersection even though there were no stop signs and visibility was much better than in this video. Taking defensive postures to the extreme can also cause problems.

-Eric

 

[hoyden]

All vehicles on the road need mirrors and people who can use them

A mirror is part of my Minimum Equipment List, along with helmet, replacement tube, and tire repair. The few times I've lost mirror functionality I felt less safe and tended to pull over and stop before making a radical move such as a U-turn.

 

[DavidCH]

I was out driving the car the other day and a car like that stopped a bit late and then carried on right into the path of me. All I can say is bring on driverless cars. I recently had a trip to the UK and in one of their cities was a 20mph speed limit. Epic

One of the velomobiles that I see frequently has a real dazzling red stobe on top. And a very bright front white strobe light.

 

[trapdoor2]

And...all the strobes in the world can't protect you from the distracted. I like Jason's comments. Give yourself as much a chance to survive as possible. I'm always looking for a bailout option.

 

[bladderhead]

Drivers do this move on me a lot. They hesitate. Sometimes they stop. I always expect them not to. I go round them. I think they underestimate the speed of a cyclist. Maybe 40mph is too fast. If you can, you want to. I can - downhill. I did, on a road in outer London that looked a bit like the one in the video. I also did on a road in rural Essex. The suburban road is less bendy but more scary, because of all the other road users. Pedestrians sometimes walk across without looking.

 

[pedlpadl]

Too much speed for that road in those conditions. Less reaction time and fewer bail out options at that speed. The cyclist was totally in the wrong.

 

[AlexisBV]

My issue with the whole "use bright strobes" argument is that it's hardly sustainable. Imagine if all bikes follow that advice, we'd have 1) too much light pollution/distraction to an already visually busy urban environment, and 2) lose effectiveness because people tend to tune out/ignore common reoccurring stimuli..

Defensive biking/driving/walking, i.e. expecting other people to be out to get you, is pretty much the only "safe" approach.

As practice, I remember someone mentioning in a learning thread how as they were learning the bike they would have another person unexpectadly call out "CAR!" or something like that to practice evasive manoeuvering/emergency stopping.