My first bicycle/car "incident" in many years on the weekend
 

Sad to say I had an "incident" with a car on the weekend - first one in years and years. I was on my junk town bike:

http://metrompg.com/posts/photos/pirate-bike-z.jpg

( http://ecomodder.com/forum/showthrea...-bike-300.html )

The incident was your basic "getting cut off by an overtaking car making a right turn" situation. No contact or anything. I just had to take evasive action and did some yelling.

The driver must have seen me, since she gave me a comfortably wide berth as she was overtaking. But then made her turn before her car's back wheel was even past me!

I suppose I could have been occupying my entire lane, as the road leading up to the intersection is pretty narrow. But I wasn't. Fortunately, vehicles move pretty slowly through this area.

My afterthought: I should have at least got her license plate number to report her to the police.

Adrenaline, however, just made me want to yell at her instead of thinking of the bigger picture.

Fortunately her sunroof was open, so I'm quite sure she at least heard me. :)

Oof, glad that didn't result in contact! :eek:

I had the same thing happen once- she did see me for sure, but made that right turn right in front of me anyway. If I hadn't slammed on the brakes I'd have had my person introduced to the side of a Suburban.

Her action was so egregious that I poured the coals to it and followed her- she wasn't expecting that biker to nearly put his hand through her back window and she just about hit her head on the roof when I spanked her truck. I don't think she'll be doing that again... if she does, she better make that first hit count.

I will admit I thought of chasing her down.

But it was a really nice day and I think I was going down to the river to go for a sail...

Also, she was headed for open road. :D

I didn't have time to think. Like you said- adrenaline. I didn't know where she was going but I figured I'd mash the pedals until I either caught her or pooped out.

Over the years I've had more of those incidents than I care to think about. Definitely not fun. I'm glad you weren't hurt. Did the bike also come through okay?

When I first got active with the local cycling group, there was a member who was also an attorney. His oft-repeated slogan:

"If you hit me, you'd d*mn well better kill me!" :D

Rick

There was actually no contact. I hit the binders and avoided pinstriping half her car.

"If you hit me, you'd d*mn well better kill me!"

Friend of a friend got hit and badly busted up. Took him years to recuperate, and he got a big insurance settlement. Still not worth it! :D

Glad you were not injured.

I used to carry two water bottles, one full of rocks to throw at the idiot car/truck drivers.

Once I did chase down a driver who grazed my arm with his mirror. Shocked him when I caught up to him at a traffic light 3 miles down the road!

In Utah they passed a law that says cars need to give 3 feet clearance to cyclist. Most ignore this rule, especially large, jacked-up pickup truck drivers. I think the IQ is inversly proportional to the height of the truck.

Glad You're OK
 

We all know about the crazies out there, and are usually semi protected by our cars. Add in the ignorance of the public of how fast a bike moves, how fast it stops, and the fact that cyclists have equal right to the road as a car, and it can get really dicey.

For a while I was logging 10,000 miles /year and was blessed not to have made contact with a car since about 1975. I can not however even cout all of the close calls.

Once again, I'm glad you're OK:thumbup:

I have to say I appreciate the "glad you're OK" comments.

But I'm also a little embarassed by them, because it really wasn't that close a call!

(Sorta like getting a "get well" card for a runny nose.)

The evasive action is fine, your yelling is excusable. Your not understanding the rules of the road isn't.

I too, ride a bike. But I expect motor vehicle drivers to do stupid things (such as not see me or care to) and I will do anything to avoid them. I never think or say or act like "I have a RIGHT" to be in this lane. Being dead right is usually that: maybe you will be dead right - but with the emphasis on being DEAD.

Yes, she is now in front of you. That is IMPORTANT. You didn't say whether she had her turn signal on. But even if she didn't, you as an experienced cyclist (to be charitable in assuming that) and being a slow(er) moving vehicle, you should know better than to tangle with a motorized one - let alone think that you need not yield to a vehicle that has passed you, and is now in front of you.

She had already passed you and was in front of you.

Oh, really? For what? For your immature demand that she must drive slower than YOU? Maybe you actually should speak to the police and they can advise you about safer driving habits. For you, on your bike, also must observe the rules of vehicular traffic.

That attitude is at the least immature, if not downright childish.

Feel better now for having vented?

To paraphrase a similar sentiment: "There are old bicyclists, and there are bold bicyclists. There are no old, BOLD bicyclists."

I'm quite knowledgeable of the rules of the road in Ontario. You? Not so much apparently.

Not going to bother with a point-by-point rebuttal.

I'm glad you understand. Basics like right-of-way laws are universal and apply throughout the US and Canada, and even world-wide.

Ontario is not exclusive in that regard.

I think they've filtered through the years as maritime rules, so yeah, I see 'em being pretty universal, with the occasional adjustment.
While I ride, I just hope for the best/prepare for the worst, and I've only been caught off guard once in about 40,000 miles... and that was an 84 year old woman who suddenly backed out of her driveway into me. I did manage to accelerate enough that she clipped my back wheel instead of me.

Another incident that comes to mind: a young punk and his girlfriend blew past me in a convertible Corvette, and he yelled something rude. I don't even remember what it was, but it was directed at me as a cyclist. This was in downtown Little Rock, so I was easily able to keep up with traffic and catch them again. I leaned casually on his door and admired his car, "Nice 'Vette, man. Be a shame if something happened to it, eh? Good luck finding a place to park!"
I rode off when the light changed, and I cut across a couple alleys, meeting his eye from a couple corners, then he finally gunned it and headed back toward the freeway.

Yeah, I now consider my "threat" childish, something I wouldn't bother with now, but man... I got a big kick out of it then.

Here's the law in Florida:

Florida Statutes, Title XXIII, Chapter 316.085 (2) No vehicle shall be driven from a direct course in any lane on any highway until the driver has determined that the vehicle is not being approached or passed by any other vehicle in the lane or on the side to which the driver desires to move and that the move can be completely made with safety and without interfering with the safe operation of any vehicle approaching from the same direction.

Been there, seen that more often than I care to remember. It is always amazing how many people have never read the local traffic laws. What is really scary is how many people expect to have their own way. Keep a camera handy and don't take anything for granted.