Almost went over someone's trunk!

[Biciclista]

I completely agree. We did get a bit off topic at times with debating legality etc. Whether or not I think going to the front of the line at a stop is a good idea, the fact remains that the driver did not do something that would have been out of negligence, but rather did something quite intentional. As I said in my first post - I don't actually care what you did or did not do. You could have been doing something totally outrageous or illegal and it still does not excuse the driver for assaulting you. And yes, I do believe that trying to make a cyclist crash by using your car as a weapon is assault as much as taking a shot at them with a gun or swinging a baseball bat at them would be.

+++++ yes ++++

[BleeckerSt_Girl]

I am looking at the two things separately.

What that woman did to you was a crime and put your life in danger- she should be arrested. No way do I condone what she did in any way.

The other part, about riding defensively, was about my concern for your safety in situations where you are riding along in blind spots, passing cars on their right, when you plan to go straight or left up ahead at the intersection. Intersections are perilous places. Cars are very unpredictable and the drivers so often do not see us when they go to make their turns. Yes, they should be more responsible about watching for bikes, but they often just aren't. Again though- nothing to do with that lady's road rage which was clearly wrong.

[OakLeaf]

Well said Lisa.

This kind of stuff comes up all the time in two-wheeler forums, and it's always difficult to advocate safe, defensive riding without seeming like we're defending the cagers or blaming the victims.

The way I put it is an amalgam of a couple of popular sayings. You've got to ride like the 1% of cagers who see you at all, are aiming for you on purpose.

I still maintain that the OP did nothing that contributed to the situation she described, and that filtering on the right on a bici is sometimes, but not always, appropriate, safe and legal. (On a moto, it's sometimes, but not always, appropriate and safe. )

[KnottedYet]

+2 to what Lisa said.

You'll note I never blamed the OP for the situation, either. But she can go right ahead and heap blame on me for diverting the thread.