today's near miss

[Torrilin]

I'm thinking reflective frame over reflective me because the frame is bigger than me and it's dark colored. Get more visual weight. Plus, I can't forget my bike and still bike in the rain. The wrist lights are a good idea too. I can keep them tucked in a pannier pocket all the time, so they're always on the bike. Too many drivers yesterday were driving without lights, even tho visibility was bad.

If I think it's going to rain, I bring my screaming red rain jacket with. It's a good contrast color for this area, and I don't have the kinds of problems I had yesterday when I wear it. Just... storm blew up fast, and I hadn't brought it with.

The real shock for me was how *hard* it is to see a cyclist. Must get brighter, I don't want to be roadkill.

[wiseowl]

Thanks for the link to the wrist thingies- I may pick some of them up.

We tend to get frustrated with drivers, but I know I never paid as much attention to cyclists until I was a cyclist. I was always courteous, but now I very specifically look for them, and I don't think I did that before. You have to try to view the world as a nice, but non-cycling and non-understanding-cycling driver, and make ourselves more visible to them. As for the jerks- they are just out to be jerks and little can be done! Thanks for the anecdote- it is a good reminder. And I am very glad you didn't spill!

That said- you would think when a driver sees a cyclist or a ped in the rain, they would be a bit more courteous than normal- like "oh, here I am in my warm car, all snug and dry and that poor soul is out in the cold rain, let me give them the right of way and lots of room" but instead I think it is just "it is raining and yucky out, so I am all the more in a hurry to get where I am going- that cyclist/ped is a darn fool and should just take what is coming to her". That bugs me!

[Geonz]

I get a lot more of the sympathy when the weather's yukky. I'm looking at those wrist guys, tho' I'm thinking "gosh, how expensive is a little ol' LED light..."