She got off...

[Wahine]

Ugh.

It's what I've been saying for so long, texting and phones aren't the issue, it's the attitude that drivers don't have to be responsible for their vehicles. If they felt responsible they wouldn't even dream of picking up the phone in the first place. And yeah, Blueberry, I've been saying that too for over 20 years - every other traffic offense in the books is strict liability. If you're speeding, it doesn't matter that your speedometer is inaccurate. If you run a stop sign, it doesn't matter whether you saw it or not. But kill someone, and the prosecution has to prove what's going on in your head. That's just all kinds of wrong.

+1. So frustrated and disillusioned with this crap.

[Crankin]

Jobob, I totally understand what happened to you. I am even more vigilant when driving now. Quite a few years ago, I was stopped at a 4 way stop sign in my car, going straight. It's a well used, but "country/suburban" road. A cyclist was facing me, and gave no signal or idea of what he was doing, so I assumed he was going straight across, as I was, just in the opposite direction. The 2 cars going through on the cross street went, so I started to go, and then had to slam my brakes because the cyclist turned left in front of me.
I was a wreck and he was swearing at me, but when I analyzed it, he did the same thing drivers here do. Don't use signals at all. When I am at a 4 way stop on my bike and stopped, I keep wagging my finger, especially if I am turning left. My friends say I look like a nagging schoolteacher, but hey, since I used to be one of those, I don't care.

[emily_in_nc]

I was a wreck and he was swearing at me, but when I analyzed it, he did the same thing drivers here do. Don't use signals at all. When I am at a 4 way stop on my bike and stopped, I keep wagging my finger, especially if I am turning left. My friends say I look like a nagging schoolteacher, but hey, since I used to be one of those, I don't care.

Signal, signal, signal! I absolutely always do at a four-way stop even if it's clearly my turn. You're absolutely right to do this. I always assume that no one sees me and am pleasantly surprised when they do!

Jobob, that must have been really scary. Thank the gods you didn't hit him. There are clearly situations in which seeing a cyclist is nearly impossible, and that was one of them. But it wouldn't have changed how you would have felt if you'd collided.