Got clipped today.

[siggy_lxvi]

I was out on a training ride today on a paved county road, and noticing that people are in an aweful hurry for 1430 on a Sunday (not leaving me much room), when a pickup pulling a cattle trailer starts pulling in on me while I'm still half overlapped. I brake and swerve and end up getting my front wheel clipped, dumping me into the ditch. I get up and try to catch the number, but the guy has no plates on his trailer, and the cow in the back is laughing at me. I dust myself off, do an inspection find that niether my bike nor myself is damaged, and head towards home.

On a nice, wide street on the edge of town, a sorostitute in a white rice-burner of some description tries to do the same thing, pulling into my lane while I'm still half overlapped. No collision this time, but DAMN is hilighter yellow a difficult color to see or something?

Siggy

[Chris L]

On a nice, wide street on the edge of town, a sorostitute in a white rice-burner of some description tries to do the same thing, pulling into my lane while I'm still half overlapped. No collision this time, but DAMN is hilighter yellow a difficult color to see or something?


You might want to consider getting a colour that is difficult to see on that evidence. Can anyone say "deliberate"?

[Al.canoe]

Install a 5-LED flashing tail light. The overtaking vehicles give you a lot more clearance when you have one of these. The impact is dramatic. I even had a person stop and tell me how much more attention-getting I am than other bikers. I also use a flashing/blinking three LED headlight for crossing intersections. I don't get cut-off anymore.

It's important to change out the batteries often enough to maintain good contrast in bright sunlight.

Al

[Juha]

I get up and try to catch the number, but the guy has no plates on his trailer, and the cow in the back is laughing at me. I dust myself off, do an inspection find that niether my bike nor myself is damaged, and head towards home.

Glad to hear you're OK.

Maybe it was the bull driving? Maybe he and the cow decided to go for a ride and harass cyclists? :D

--J

[jfmckenna]

A steel rod sharppened like a pencil on both sides about 1m long. Mount on the back rack or some such device on the bike perpendicular to the bike, like a car bumber. Paint brite orange. Car drivers think of us like a squirrel or rabit in the road but they really don't want to scrape the paint up on there precious vehicles. ;)

Glad to here you made it through that one

[digger]

Install a 5-LED flashing tail light. The overtaking vehicles give you a lot more clearance when you have one of these. The impact is dramatic. I even had a person stop and tell me how much more attention-getting I am than other bikers. I also use a flashing/blinking three LED headlight for crossing intersections. I don't get cut-off anymore.

It's important to change out the batteries often enough to maintain good contrast in bright sunlight.

Al


I use one at when when I use to commute by bike. I assume that you use yours during the day also? Are they really that bright to see during a sunny day?

Digger

[Gojohnnygo.]

Can anyone say "deliberate"?

That's what I was thinking. Some of the so called rednecks here love to play this game. Let’s see how close I can get to this cyclist. I just ride and hold my ground but this incident sounds deliberate to me.

siggy_lxvi Glad to hear you're safe.

[AZcommuter]

A steel rod sharppened like a pencil on both sides about 1m long. Mount on the back rack or some such device on the bike perpendicular to the bike, like a car bumber. Paint brite orange. Car drivers think of us like a squirrel or rabit in the road but they really don't want to scrape the paint up on there precious vehicles.


That's a good idea. I've thought about that too, but using a plastic tube, like thin PVC pipe or something. It would be very light then, but still would be avoided by anyone passing closely. You could paint it bright orange, and mount it on a spring. When going through tight spaces, it would bend back when it hits something to move out of the way, but spring back to perpendicular after the obstruction is passed...

[franklen]

That's a good idea. I've thought about that too, but using a plastic tube, like thin PVC pipe or something. It would be very light then, but still would be avoided by anyone passing closely. You could paint it bright orange, and mount it on a spring. When going through tight spaces, it would bend back when it hits something to move out of the way, but spring back to perpendicular after the obstruction is passed...

I've got one of these on order from Flashback, Inc, after I got clipped by a car a few weeks ago. I think I'll feel much more confident with it in place, and hey, the safer the better, it can't hurt after all.

FLASH FLAG (http://www.flashback.ca/products/accessories.html)

[AZcommuter]

Boy the flash flag looks perfect. That would really dork up the bike, but probably improves safety quite a bit...

[LittleBigMan]

I was out on a training ride today on a paved county road, and noticing that people are in an aweful hurry for 1430 on a Sunday (not leaving me much room), when a pickup pulling a cattle trailer starts pulling in on me while I'm still half overlapped.
Overtaking vehicles are 100% responsible for leaving adequate clearance. If an accident report were filed, it's obvious they'd be fully at fault, no matter what their excuse was. I'm glad you are ok.

I disagree, however, that this was an obvious case of running someone off the road on purpose. I think it's more likely that a motorist who pulls in too soon after passing is simply ignorant and negligent. I don't think that any driver would risk causing an injury in front of witnesses.

It's more likely a case of driving while sipping a cool one.

[siggy_lxvi]

Overtaking vehicles are 100% responsible for leaving adequate clearance. If an accident report were filed, it's obvious they'd be fully at fault, no matter what their excuse was. I'm glad you are ok.

I disagree, however, that this was an obvious case of running someone off the road on purpose. I think it's more likely that a motorist who pulls in too soon after passing is simply ignorant and negligent. I don't think that any driver would risk causing an injury in front of witnesses.

It's more likely a case of driving while sipping a cool one.

I did call the police and report this, but they told me that without a lisence plate number they're unlikely to be able to do anything. And it's more likely he was just old and senile than drinking.

Siggy

[Pat]

I use one at when when I use to commute by bike. I assume that you use yours during the day also? Are they really that bright to see during a sunny day?

Digger

They work great in the full dark and pretty well in low light. But during the day, most blinkies are hopeless. I have seen one that was pretty good but this was a home rigged job from some sort of hazard sign the guy picked up at Wal Mart. It was large and probably pretty heavy especially the batteries.

[madpogue]

Hmm, this has me wondering. Our little sailboat trailer, given how little weight it carries, does not require a license plate in WI (seems like it still should, but I digress...). But a CATTLE trailer? It must require a plate. That's a violation in itself. Might be worth reporting; depends on whether the local constabulary wants to chase down an unregistered vehicle.