How often do you almost get hit by cars?

[IvonaDestroi]

Fellow urban commuters will likely feel my pain...

Today, once again, I barely missed being squished by a gargantuan truck with an oblivious driver.

I was riding up to the red light, as close to the curb as I could be with all the traffic in the road, and the cars had stopped just ahead of me. As I slowed near the edge of the intersection some oblivious driver in a big old tan truck with a cab on it started to pass me. The light turned green and he started going ahead while simultaniously veering right and pushing me into the curb. I had to stop the bike just inches before being completely squashed into the curb/sidewalk.

It was obvious the guy just wasn't paying attention, he didn't look behind or next to him as he moved vicariously over to the right. I knew how to react and I did the safest thing I could which was stop and hop halfway off my bike and get out of the way.

I don't blame him so much for it, you can't expect people to be on high alert ALL the time, esspecially at lights when they've already stopped. The side of his truck was just one giant blind spot as well. Although, during the potential squish I was close enough to see his face through the window. And he had just passed me but I didn't feel like he had seen me.

The other day I was testing out my roomates recent abandonment find, a peugot mixte and for some reason I just got a horrible feeling about staying on the road and ended up riding the sidewalk for quite a bit. (This is another extrememly busy ghetto street where people don't pay much attention to the road).

Ever since I hit this railroad track a few months ago and flew over my handlebars landing on my face I've been extremely paranoid about my skinny tires getting stuck in potholes and things, even though it's pretty unreasonable because my bike almost always handles that kind of stuff pretty well. It was an unusually diagnolly angled track with a big hole in front of it.

Am I just being paranoid? I swear lately when I ride I always feel like I'm about to get hit by a car or get in some kind of accident. Are they premonitions? Or just paranoia after the accident (it ended in lots of blood, stitches, a black eye and not being able to close my jaw for a week).

Along the lines of premonitions, I also recently got a ticket for "not stopping" for a pedestrian. Actually I was the only person in my group who stopped for him, everyone else I was with had passed him and since I was last in line because of it the cop got to me first. I'm wondering if all these things are some type of warning...

How often do you urban commuters experience these near-accident types of things with cars and obsticles? I don't know if my routes are just unusually dangerous (these near misses with cars have happened to me quite a few times) or if I'm somehow being a bad rider...

I commute through Oakland/Berkeley/San Francisco and all 3 areas seem kind of high risk, especially Oakland and SF... Here's a link to a picture of my local area streets/routes to give you an idea...

http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_lO6vIF0-s5k/SG2bMkucioI/AAAAAAAABc0/rcULnagOnaw/s400/IMG_2766_a.jpg
http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_OPA9LAdgtYA/SSohzGquv8I/AAAAAAAAAN8/lTMNecxTDIY/s400/IMG_4302.jpg

[lph]

Coming up to an intersection - or any obstruction or "happening" in the road - you want to take the lane if at all possible. Drivers are too busy concentrating on what's happening up ahead to check their sides and you go invisible. That can't happen if you're right in front of them with a big fat annoying red blinky. Feels more unsafe, I know, but it's the only place you know you'll get noticed.

That said - I ride in heavy traffic maybe 10 % of my commute, and have close calls with drivers maybe once a year. I'm getting better and better at seeing them coming, like the lady this morning who came roaring up from my left, ignored the yield sign, the pedestrian crossing and the fact that she was on my yield side and tore off into traffic. I just had a feeling that this one wasn't going to stop, so I just slowed down and let her rip.

My best riding in traffic rule is quite simply - assume that all cars WILL brake ahead of you, and WILL turn in front of you without signalling at any intersection. They do so often enough that assuming it can save you skin a number of times.

[LadyDian]

When I ride to work in the morning at leave at 0430 am I never have close calls. Then again there is usually no one out and it is still dark. When I ride home form work at 2:00 p.m. even though their is LOTS of traffic I usually do not have many close calls, maybe one a week. However...when I worked the night shift last week I rode home at 0700 am and I had some horrible close calls! Three in one 2 hr ride. I could not believe how many people had lost their minds going to work iin the morning. Needless to say I will not be doing that again anytime soon, I will be sticking with my early morning ride while it's still dark.

[papaver]

Well, here people are used to cyclists AND they know that whenever they hit us, their insurance has to pay our medical bills. It doesn't matter if the cyclist is in the wrong or not. But, in the winter time people are less attentive because there are much less cyclists. So in wintertime it's once every month or so, and in summertime never.

[redrhodie]

Very infrequently, since I read this book:

http://www.amazon.com/Art-Urban-Cycling-Lessons-Street/dp/0762727837

[Thorn]

papaver -- are you Dutch perchance?

Having just read Bob Mionske's Bicycling and the Law it is pervasive in the US that you're lucky as a cyclist to be recognized as having any right to the road. Around here, we have a cyclist who is doing his part by recording and reporting unsafe driver behavior ( http://bikesafer.blogspot.com/ ). Sometimes he has success; sometimes his interactions with the officers sworn to protect us just makes you want to cry.

But, yes, I'd probably say that at least once a week a car passes too close (and my state does have a 3 foot law), scoots in front of me to turn, or shouts things at me. Only once have I been intentionally run off the road and feared for my life.

You need to ride defensively. Assume you're invisible. Take the lane if it isn't safe for the driver to pass and assume every driver of every car is an (explicative deleted) until proven polite.

[Becky]

What LPH said. When traffic's slow and crowded like that, I take the lane.

[papaver]

papaver -- are you Dutch perchance?

Having just read Bob Mionske's Bicycling and the Law it is pervasive in the US that you're lucky as a cyclist to be recognized as having any right to the road. Around here, we have a cyclist who is doing his part by recording and reporting unsafe driver behavior ( http://bikesafer.blogspot.com/ ). Sometimes he has success; sometimes his interactions with the officers sworn to protect us just makes you want to cry.

But, yes, I'd probably say that at least once a week a car passes too close (and my state does have a 3 foot law), scoots in front of me to turn, or shouts things at me. Only once have I been intentionally run off the road and feared for my life.

You need to ride defensively. Assume you're invisible. Take the lane if it isn't safe for the driver to pass and assume every driver of every car is an (explicative deleted) until proven polite.

No I'm Belgian. That's the country next to Holland. :)

What we do during the winter time is wear a fluo jacket, so you're much more visible. Because allthough you're medical bills are paid for... I'd rather be safe and healthy. :)

[Trek420]

I don't think I've ever been almost hit.

But I've been hit .... twice. :rolleyes: And my cousin's fiance was killed by an oblivious truck driver (while she was doing everything right including bright clothing).

I live and commute in the wilds of the mean streets of the East Bay/South Hayward-Oakland. C'mon gals. The days are getting longer, nights are getting lighter. Let's ride!! Just get out there and take the lane, ride safely, obey the traffic laws .... yada yada.

[sfa]

Depends what you mean by "almost hit." There are drivers who annoy me by zipping by and then cutting in front to make a right turn, or who pull out into intersections that I'm about to go into when I have the right of way. But I've never had any "OMG, I'm lucky that wasn't a disaster"-heart-pounding close calls. Like LPH, I assume that drivers WILL do these stupid things, things they'd probably never attempt if I were a car, and I plan for them.

One thing I've noticed--when a driver does something particularly annoying or dangerous, probably 80% of the time it's a teenage boy in a truck or SUV. I think they are not only less experienced than other drivers, but also more oblivious and more certain of their own immortality than others!

Sarah

[Grog]

http://bicyclesafe.com/

And, yes, take the lane.

[Karma007]

I'm very good at riding with one hand, since at intersections, I'm always waving to people, to make sure they see me. "Hello....I am here!" :p

[Biciclista]

This same thing (the truck story) happened to me.
Since then, I do NOT cling to the curb, I get out there (about 1/3 of the lane from the curb). This insures that the vehicle behind me has to look at me.
Of course, if it looks like they're not, I always have the option of heading towards the curb, in an emergency.

That feeling of doom is your instinct for survival talking. Now take that very healthy fear and translate it into riding as safely as possible.
I ride in a city like yours and haven't found that the poorer neighborhoods are less safe than the richer. In fact, we have several wealthier towns in the area which are notorious for their hatred for bicyclists.
I live in the 'hood and at least where I live, young teenaged men tend to pass more closely, not out of aggression, but because they are over confident.
It's middle-aged white men who appear to be the most aggressive and are most apt to scare me to death.

Please read some of the references the other riders have mentioned.

[BleeckerSt_Girl]

Very infrequently, since I read this book:
http://www.amazon.com/Art-Urban-Cycling-Lessons-Street/dp/0762727837


http://bicyclesafe.com/
And, yes, take the lane.

Do yourself a big favor and read that website (you are putting yourself in "The Red Light of Death", and buy that book used on Amazon and READ it.
The book covers all things dangerous including traffic and the classic railroad track 'bear trap' scenario.
You would stay much safer by not creeping up alongside the curb at intersections, right in everyone's blind spots. It's only a matter of time before someone turns right into you and you can't get out of the way in time.
Keep out of the 'door zone' as well.
Read that website and that book- the book is very thorough and completely changed the way I ride. I used to think I was doing things to stay safe, then I realized I was actually putting myself into very dangerous situations- no wonder I kept having close calls. Now I almost never wind up in a scary situation. I have learned from the book how to keep from setting myself up in accidents waiting to happen in the first place. It's a cool read and I'm convinced if I hadn't read that book I probably would have been hit by a car by now, after many thousands of miles riding in traffic.

[PscyclePath]

Ivona:

Being in the Oakland/SF area, you might want to look up and take one of these classes on street riding and commuting:

http://www.bikeleague.org/cogs/resources/findit/?courses=1&instructors=1&state=CA&submit.x=29&submit.y=14

A little confidence and good manners will get you a long way... ;-)

Tom

[wackyjacky1]

Don't hug the curb, Claim Your Lane!

And like tofu, I wave to people all the time -- it's kinda like saying, "Thanks for not running me over!"

[Bluetree]

...as close to the curb as I could be with all the traffic in the road

Nope. Never. I always take the lane.

I also try to become as part of the traffic as possible, as opposed to cultivating an Us-vs-Them mentality. A good article to read: http://tinyurl.com/b36km4

[GLC1968]

I actually just rode in a 'real' city this past weekend. I was with Susan O (of all people) and I noticed that she was really good and yelling loudly when cars weren't paying attention. We were there on a weekend when there was definitely less traffic, but it wasn't nearly as nerve-wracking as I thought it would be.

That said, I've noticed a definite decline in my 'near misses' as time goes on. I used to commute in a medium sized city (some areas were definitely urban) and I almost got hit a LOT. I mean, there was one situtation where this woman came to a stop just inches from my knees (she was turning into me). I could pat her car with my hand with only barely a lean forward...that's how close it was. Ugh. Anyway, now half my commute is in a medium sized city with some urban areas. I do like LPH, and I assume they don't see me. I also am MUCH more likely to take the lane. I've always done it in slow moving traffic, but now I even do it when it's not so slow but I still feel it's in my best interest.

In fact, just last night, I was at a light, I had a bike lane, and I was going straight. The woman in the right turn lane was stopped for the red light, but she was watching for an opening. She was also talking on the phone. :mad: She didn't get her opening, so when the light turned green, she went...without looking. Both myself and the pedestrian had seen her ahead of time and neither of us moved until she was gone. She never even looked and didn't know how close she had come to manslaughter. We'd both be smooshed if we had started across the intersection as we had the right to do. The car behind her waved us both on.

Eye contact, waving, yelling...make yourself visible. If you can't (like with this chick) assume that they won't see you and do what you need to do to stay safe.

[IvonaDestroi]

Hmmm...

Well the feeling seems mutual about using the lane... I try to but it's so hard with all those cars in the way! They simply refuse to yeild! Seems like logical sound advice though... I'll give it a try and just see if I can force my way in. I don't think I've really seen many cyclists doing it that way in heavy traffic, maybe that's why I havn't really caught on to it.

I'm just paranoid because of the way people are around here. it would absolutely not surprise me if they hit someone on purpose for doing that (it's sort of the attitude around where I live, most drivers are apparently not aware of the street riding laws)... I get yelled at all the time (get off the road!), people try to run you off the road, and someone even once asked me out of their window what I was doing in the left turn lane :confused: Even though they see tons of bikes doing it they just can't seem to figure it out.

all the more reason I should maybe check out some of those books!

Thanx for the info!

[lph]

Taking the lane is harder if you're moving a lot slower than traffic (eg. uphill), and is less popular if traffic has a hard time passing you. In that case it might be good to check if you have other options, other roads you can take. If you have to ride on a narrow road, you can make it easier on everyone by moving more to the side and waving traffic past when it's safe for *you*, and signalling and taking the lane again when you need to.

If the road is wide or has several lanes - take the right-hand wheel track and stick to it. You then should have about a metre on your right that's all yours if someone passes you too closely. Watch out for the ones that will pass you as fast as possible (after all you're only a cyclist... :rolleyes:), and then suddenly find out that there's a red light or pile-up ahead and start braking.

I got asked that about the left-turn lane too... waiting for a green, by a seriously grumpy bus-driver, who wasn't even going that way... I answered truthfully "because I'm turning left." He harrumphed, grumbled that I should be following the pedestrian crossing, and closed his window again before I could answer :D

Good luck with your clueless drivers!

[BleeckerSt_Girl]

If you have to ride on a narrow road, you can make it easier on everyone by moving more to the side and waving traffic past when it's safe for *you*, and signalling and taking the lane again when you need to.

I think in the US drivers are pretty much clueless everywhere...there is still an overwhelming sense that the streets are for cars and trucks only.
LPH's advice above about making broad signals that clarify your intentions well ahead of time really helps car drivers understand what you are about to do. Don't be afraid to boldly signal to drivers to stop, let you in, or pass you. In most cases they are glad to know your intentions since they are always unsure as to what to *do* about bicycles.
Being timid in traffic and thus riding in blind spots or gutters usually works against you, because you are riding in an imaginary 'lane' that does not actually exist, and drivers don't even think to anticipate anyone being there. Contrary to what one might initially think, there is such a thing as being assertive and being safe at the same time. Sure you'll get yelled at and cut off by jerks, but you already get yelled at and cut off now anyway...jerks are just a fact of life in traffic, so we might as well ride where they can see us better.

Make lane changes well ahead of intersections, signal boldly, but always think ahead and leave yourself room for a quick escape. And most importantly- unless a driver is looking into your eyes and signaling you face to face....always assume they do not see you, assume they are going to do the wrong thing (like turn without signaling or open their door or pull out of a parking spot without looking) and ride accordingly.

Good luck! And as others have said- sometimes there is a section of road that is so hazardous that it might be good to map out an alternate route that skirts around the worst part of it. Your life is worth the extra 5 or 10 minutes of detour. You'll also find that after you ride another year or two in traffic you will acquire better skills and intuition. I know that some intersections and situations that used to totally freak me out no longer seem particularly scary or tricky anymore.

[Tuckervill]

Happened to me, yesterday. Taking my new bike* out for a spin, since I just got it put together. Going down the old main drag of my little town (think Main Street, with shops on either side). I've got the right of way, and an SUV comes up to a stop sign on the side street, and even looking straight at me, decides to roll the stop sign as I'm crossing into the intersection. I yelled, 'HEEeeey!" and they slammed on the brakes. I made eye contact with the guy before he decided I wasn't worth pressing a few more inches on his brake pedal.

Assertiveness does work. I'm likely, in my little town, to be yelling at someone I know or am acquainted with. All the better to raise awareness, I say.

Karen
*indigoiis and I traded bikes! She hasn't got hers yet, so I was waiting to say anything. It's like we both got new bikes. I hope hers fits as well as mine does. :)