hi565

So my dad and I are driving along during the night and I see some cars like at the last minute moving and there I see a rider in all black on a road bike with only reflectors (that hardly worked) About 5 people infront of us almost hit him! I so badly wished I had a reflector vest to throw at him and tell him that I'm a cyclist and that he needs to wear something that you can see during the night!

Its scary!

skookum

I remember talking to a coroner who was telling me about a guy who was killed while roller blading on the highway at night , wearing black and he was drunk,

Any one of them he probably would have gotten away with it, put them all together and it s game over.

Cyclon

I see that all the time where I live. Some people don't realize that it's hard to be seen at night.

I noticed that in college towns that the police are SEEM more likely to enforce the need for front and rear lights. In my town, I'm not sure if the police enforce it or not. But it's also from the fact that while in college I hear from students who have gotten tickets. Word of mouth reguarding bicyclists don't spread as prevalent now that I'm not in a college town.

lilHinault

Yep people toodling around on a k-mart mtb, as often as not wrong way on the sidewalk, wearing all dark clothes. Hard to see in the day especially dusk, really hard at night.

Cyclon

Wrong way on the sidewalk. I hate those type of cyclers. It's extremely dangerous especially at the speed they're going.

Roody

I commute home around midnight every night I work. I have literally never seen a cyclist with lights in this town, other than myself. Oh, my stepson took a broken headlight of mine and duct taped it to his bars, so that is one other lighted bike I have seen.

I myself rode without lights for a year and a half, until I learned on this forum that it is not a good idea. And I am not stupid (have an M.A.), and I do not ride a K-mart bike. I just didn't know any better, and I can't explain it any better than that.

Anthony King

Don't be so sure the degree makes you exempt.

Just kidding, mate. Glad you're using lights now.

eubi

There's a difference between stupid and ignorant. Stupid is forever, ignorance can be fixed. In this case, you ignorance was fixed.

I don't mean this an an insult. I'm plenty ignorant and I have an MS...

I'm glad you learned something from this forum. That's the whole idea.

I've been commuting, racing and touring on a bike all my adult life and still learn things on this forum.

Totoro

Ever seen the movie American Flyers? At the beginning of the movie, the main character is riding his bike on the sidewalk wearing a cowboy hat. His brother shows up and tells him his wheel are out of true. So he trues the wheels as the bike hangs from the wall and then a few weeks later, the same guy wins an international competition against some of the best cyclists in the world.

I wonder if Lance trains on the sidewalks?

BostonFixed

You should have thrown an empty bottle or some trash at the cyclist to alert him that he was being dangerous.

Roody

I would throw my cell phone or a donut.

BostonFixed

Excellent. A cup of hot coffee or another beverage would have provided a welcome wake up to the cyclist.

lilHinault

I'd have to carry a huge messenger bag full of donuts to have enough to throw at all the wrong way cyclists here, and they might like it too.