How often do you almost get hit by cars?

[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-Cycl.../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.

[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. 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.

[Becky]

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