Michigan and bike safety

[Aromig]

Besides, the law states that bicyclists should ride as far right as possible when there is enough room in the lane to share. His intentions are good, but he's actually breaking the law if there is room to share.

I don't know if the law in Michigan states this or not -- but keep in mind every state has different laws. Indiana's laws say nothing about riding as far to the right as possible. The only thing Indiana law says is that riders shall not ride more than two abreast except on lanes and paths marked exclusively for bicycling use. Limiting people to two abreast implies that you'll be riding to the right, but certainly two abreast takes up room on narrow roads. Should you always ride two abreast just because you can? Nope. Especially not on those windy country roads.

I often wonder about this question as well -- I'm worried about getting passed when there isn't room on a blind hill or curve so I'll ride far to the right but I do wonder if, when I do that, I'm facilitating passing and contributing to the problem. I get passed a lot more closely than I often feel comfortable -- and I wonder if I took the lane if I would cut down on that too. I've actually had the mirror on my handlebars clipped and taken off by the rearview mirror of a SUV, and I've been within inches of being hit by a truck trailer (I think some people with big cars or trailers don't have a clue how wide they really are).

Then again, we have a whole lot of angry drivers (almost always in huge trucks) that have fun passing us as close as possible. I usually err on the side of making sure I don't get hit, hope that if I'm being passed on a blind curve and it causes an accident that it misses me, and I stay to the right.

[ny biker]

If drivers are crossing the center line to pass then I assume there is no shoulder and the lane is substandard width, meaning not wide enough for a motor vehicle and a cyclists to be side-by-side safely. In that case I absolutely take the lane, and yes I do find that motorists give me more space when they pass me. If I hug the right side of the road then they are more likely to pass without crossing the center lane, which means coming too close to me. I ride more miles in Maryland than in other states, and their law requires you to ride as close to the right as practicable except when the lane is substandard width. (They also prohibit riding two abreast if you are impeding traffic.)

I also seek out roads with less traffic and avoid roads with 50mph speed limits and no shoulders, even though it is technically legal to ride a bike and take the lane on those roads. But I am cycling for recreation and exercise, not for transportation, and I tend to stay out of cities and crowded high-traffic suburban areas because I already have enough stress in my life.

I should add that the type of unsafe passing Becca is seeing -- crossing the center line in no passing zones, on curves and on hills -- is something I also see a lot of. People around here have gotten the message that they have to give 3 feet of clearance when they pass a cyclist, but many don't get the part about waiting until they are sure it is actually safe to pass. I don't know the solution to this, since it seems like common sense to me to avoid a potential head-on collision, even if it means driving slowly for a few seconds.