Saw a crash ....

[Geonz]

... nothing horrible...

... but there I was, returning my rental car with my folder in back so I could ride the rest of the way into work, and I pull to the four-way behind an SUV or a truck. The truck goes to take his turn at the same time as the guy on the bicycle goes to take his turn, and they simply, inexorably, proceed into each other. I hear "crunch!" and an exclamation, and then the guyis out of his vehicle and making "oh ****, are you okay?" faces and they're heading to the curb together... he was limping a bit but they really seemed to have it in hand, two middle-aged guys...
... and I'm reasonably *positive* that were I the cyclist, I would have stopped. He may have had the right of way (I'm pretty sure he didn't blow the stop sign -- I'd have noticed the motion, and he seemed to be coming from stopped speed), but I'm not sure this wasn't a case of two guys that hadn't had their coffee. I mean, if I'm starting through an intersection but somebody is riding into it too, I stop.
I wondered whether I should have stopped ... or called it in... could have just stayed there and gotten out to see what was up ... because now I'm thinking yea, crunches like that are exactly the ones that don't get reported. (I'm also thinking that I want to make sure my lane position is OUT IN THE MIDDLE when I'm going straight... and I need to install my air horn!)

[Melalvai]

Glad the cyclist was ok. That's scary.

[thekarens]

Yikes I admit, I always assume cars are trying to run me over. Wasn't too long ago I was at a 4 way stop and I had the right of way and the other guy blew right through his stop sign.

[Crankin]

A few years ago, I was driving home from the gym at 6 PM. I came to a 4 way stop (Willow and Summer St in Acton) that I drove through/rode through almost daily. I was going straight across and a cyclist was opposite me, and I assumed he was going straight across, because he didn't signal or indicate otherwise. I almost had a heart attack, when he started to turn left in front of me, as I took off. I stopped, but I was badly shaken. He just assumed I knew he was turning... it could have been very ugly. As a cyclist, I was furious.
Although I don't live by there now, I do still ride through there frequently and one of my close friends lives down the street. I think about this every single time I go through that intersection.

[Eden]

I find that quite often (and I am very cautious as a result) that motorists assume that I am *very much slower* than they are - so at a 4 way stop they try to take my turn.... even if I have arrived much earlier than them, they figure they can out accelerate me. I find this to be frustrating (and, to about 15mph, often untrue, unless the person is being a complete @sshat and flooring it) I also find that even though I generally take the middle of the lane at intersections, people still like to sneak up on one side or the other and go with me.... This tends to muddy the whole pond about who's turn it is. Especially right hand turners... even when you are in your car, around here people really like to try to make more than one lane at stop signs where there isn't... yes there is a clear spot, to 30 ft from the intersection it's a parking lane, but there's no parking after that for visibility.... no that doesn't mean it's a turning lane.

[Geonz]

Happily, that doesn't happen much around here if we're all stopped. Today a big School District panel truck could have right-hooked me... there's a bike lane approaching an intersection where lots of folks make right turns. I'd seen him well behind me when I turned right onto the road (half a block before the intersection). However, since most school vehicles tend to be driven conservatively, I was on alert when this guy moved over from left to right lane, right beside me, speeding up... so I slowed rather than race him to the corner. It wasn't even close, but were I on a fast bike it would have been; it's an intersection where I agree with our rabid vehicular cyclists that yea, the bike lane may be more dangerous than nothing (tho' it does go to dashed lines).

[tealtreak]

Driver's misjudging cyclists speed (or not caring) seems to be fairly common....last Saturday I was flying down a hill in the drops and a car crossed from one subdivision to another right in front of me. I was so tempted to hit him and run across his hood with my cleats (haha not so sure that would have played out as I envisioned it) I did the rational thing and left a quarter inch of tire on the ground from braking hard......

[Geonz]

Yup... that's one reason I prefer to commute on my 40 pound bike (and we dont' have hills). I like to make 'em think and realize that they misjudged me so that *maybe* they'll think next time...