Hit by a suburban!! (I'm OK)

[RoadRaven]

Glad all are ok, RM... but I know you were def ok because, when most people would be in shock or losing themselves in rage... you had presence of mind to notice the Kuota...

[makbike]

I'm glad you are okay. I hope your neighbor is okay as well.

I think the lesson here for everyone who rides is simply this - when on your bike think like you are in a car. That is, if you know you shouldn't put your car in a particular spot then chances are good that your bike shouldn't be there either.

Again, glad everyone involved is okay.

[BleeckerSt_Girl]

Here I go speaking my mind again at the risk of everyone thinking I'm a "fill in the blank". But am I the only one (besides Lisa) that thinks you share the responsibility for this accident? If the woman beat you to the stop sign then it was her right of way, not the both of you, wasn't it? Shouldn't you have stayed behind her and allowed her to go first...regardless of if she signaled or not? Ok, I'm done....I too am very glad you are okay though.

Read "The Red Light of Death":
http://bicyclesafe.com/

[bikerz]

I found out recently that one reason some people drive those really big SUVs is because they can get a big tax break if they own their own business - any vehicle over 6000 pounds used 50% or more for business can qualify. The tax break was originally intended for farm equipment, but since Hummers and other big SUVs qualify, lots of people use them this way. Isn't that crazy?

(I actually know someone who bought a hummer and got a whopper of a tax break. I guess you still have to pay for the gas though, and we all pay for the emissions!)

Here's one reference:
http://4wheeldrive.about.com/cs/driv.../aa041603a.htm

[Mr. Bloom]

What a sense of humor. Sounds like they're blessed to have such an understanding neighbor as you!

Be careful!

[Crankin]

Of course she noticed the Kuota, because they are cool....
I love my Kuota!

[roguedog]

Great story.. thanks for the laugh!

Um.. is there a religion where the more bikes you have the higher up you go in heaven?

[wannaduacentury]

Denise, I'm glad you're alright, and yes, your neighbor will hopefully be more careful too- I wonder if the kids distracted her as well and I'm glad she stopped. I hope your bruise isn't bad and the bike came out mostly unscathed. Jenn

[Running Mommy]

Lisa VERY cool link. Thank you.
In my situation it was a bit different. I was about 20 or so feet from the stop when she came up on me. Prolly the only reason why she got there the few seconds before me is because I was unclipping and slowing at a more rapid pace. When we approached the stop sign she came up on me and we were neck and neck until less than 10 feet from the stop. When we waved to one another we were right there. I would have had to slam on my brakes or back up to get behind her.
But it all turned out ok, and like I said in my original post - next time I will do things differently... Perhaps you missed that part lil, but clearly I did take some responsibility. I'm lucky up here in that I don't have to ride with a lot of traffic, and I've never ridden in an urban setting, so things like that would not even occur to me. That's another reason why I liked that link Lisa. It brought up tips that would have never occured to me. I hope everyone reads it. So again, thanks.
Hope everyone is having a fabulous weekend!
Ride safe, and check out that link!
Denise

[BleeckerSt_Girl]

...I'm lucky up here in that I don't have to ride with a lot of traffic, and I've never ridden in an urban setting, so things like that would not even occur to me. That's another reason why I liked that link Lisa. It brought up tips that would have never occured to me.

Hi Denise,
I live out in the country too, and I have only been riding a year- so I know just what you are going through. We country girls don't often think in urban traffic terms, and sometimes we hesitate when finding ourselves in odd traffic situations. I'm still learning too! I'm glad you liked that link, it's been posted on TE before, and it really helped me when I first read it not that long ago, as did the book "The Art of Cycling" (which completely changed the way I ride).
Bike safe everyone!

[btchance]

Oh my gosh - I just saw this. I'm glad to hear you're okay. Stay safe out there girls.

[Tuckervill]

Obviously a family with 7 kids actually needs a large vehicle, but I see so many gigantic heavy RV's and pickup trucks driving around all day long with just one person in them- what a waste of our world's precious gasoline and oil. These are vehicles that are not being used to haul hay or lumber in- they are spotless. Why such massive 11,000 pound vehicles just for everyday errands??- just for going to the office, the bank, the drugstore.... oooh don't get me started....

Well, there could be other explanations. My husband drives an F150 crewcab pick up with the short bed. To give you an idea of how big it is, it is built on the Expedition/Escalade frame.

He doesn't fit in anything else. This is the smallest vehicle he can drive with any sort of comfort, and it's still not ideal. He's 6'7" with a 37" inseam. No, he doesn't play basketball.

I do my best to offset his gas-guzzler by not driving so much, but hey, we can only do what we can, you know? I try not to judge to harshly.

Karen

[BleeckerSt_Girl]

He doesn't fit in anything else. This is the smallest vehicle he can drive with any sort of comfort, and it's still not ideal. He's 6'7" with a 37" inseam. No, he doesn't play basketball.

I do my best to offset his gas-guzzler by not driving so much, but hey, we can only do what we can, you know? I try not to judge to harshly.

Karen

Whoa that's one big dude! I can see how he would need a big vehicle.
He'd be hitting his head against the ceiling in any small car!
At the other end of the spectrum....I saw a tiny teen girl who looked about 16 the other day, driving a HUGE rv- she could barely see over the steering wheel. She was talking on her cell phone (illegal here in NY but apparently no one pays attention to that law) while driving one-handed....made me kind of shudder as I passed by her on my bike....

[Jiffer]

Her kids ( all SEVEN of them) started screaming MOMMY HIT MRS. AMOS!!! And then I heard her oldest son say "She's not dead. I see her moving" to which I had to laugh.

That was my favorite part! Made me laugh out loud!

Seriously, though, I'm so glad you're okay and I think it's good for all of us to remember that motorists don't always see us ... even if they JUST SAW US! DH said he was "cut off" by an SUV recently, who pulled into the right lane right in front of him, almost causing him to crash into the curb (or whatever was there ... a parked car maybe?) He said he put his hand out onto the window and bonked really hard to get the driver's attention. Freaked out the driver, but it worked. Sounds similar to what you did. Whatever you have to do to get their attention.

DH also warned me a while back to be careful of big trucks, buses, etc. because they can't always see you in their mirrors. And to be aware they may be making wide right turns as you come up along side of them, etc. Your post is a good wake up call to be extra cautious around cars and never assume they see you or know what you're doing.

I feel for your neighbor. I always thought it would be one of the worst things to hit a pedestrian (or cyclist for that matter) and seriously injure them or kill them. Again, I'm glad you're okay.

[tangentgirl]

Yikes - scary! I'm glad you're ok, RM. Funny story tho - hope your bike's all good!

The other day I was riding home from work, and this little red car I was behind pulled one of those quick back-up-and-parallell-park moves. I swerved, but he totally didn't see me, and could have easily hit me if I hadn't been paying attention. I thought about flipping him off (not nice, and not a recommendation to anyone here), and then I looked and it was my coworker! D'oh. I kept going and just gave him a rash of *)$# at work the next day. Told him that if he killed me he'd have to take over all of my projects.