Advocacy & Safety - Cars turning right into driveways right in front of me

The situation is that on the street I was riding, there is no bicycle lane. So, I hug the curb. As I was riding, a car was stopped behind other cars in the right lane so I started passing it. All of a sudden the driver starts making a right turn just as I am at the rear quarterpanel. I had to yell but she kept on turning right into me. I almost fell because I have clipless pedals and wasn't prepared for a sudden stop. I read her the riot act...Later another car did ALMOST the exact same thing to me. Let me also say that I had my bright yellow wind breaker on so I don't believe I was invisible.

Am I wrong, or do bicycles have the right of way (at least in California) in this situation?

Bicycles do not have any more (or less) right of way than any other vehicle. I assume that you were passing the other car on the right in the same lane as the car. This is a very dangerous situation because, like it or not, the driver is not going to be looking for anyone coming up along the curb on the right. If you were at the rear quarterpanel you were probably also in the drivers blindspot as well.

If it's a driver passing you and then turning right across you, you do have a legitimate complaint.

If you're passing cars on the right hand side, I think you'd do well to change your riding style if you value your life. This is a very dangerous way to ride and rightly or wrongly cars will not be looking for you passing them on the right up against the curb. As supcom points out, if you're at the rear quarterpanel you are virtually invisible to most drivers.

In any case, forcing my right of way is not that high on my agenda; riding to protect my life is. :)

Good points, So...should I simply stop any time there are cars stopped in the right lane? That seems kinda lame.

Just work your way up carefully, or pass to the left. If there's no bike lane or shoulder on the road, I'd ride in the lane just as a car or motorcycle would. If there's no bike lane on the road, then the cars already in the lane have a right to it over you.

See this thread (http://www.bikeforums.net/showthread.php?p=443781#post443781), too.

Lame? Your call if you really care that much... I'd rather be safe.

Passing a vehicle on the right in the same lane is against the law . If you ride in traffic you are expected to follow the same rules as everybody else. If you choose not to then you must except responsibility for you actions. Don't pass people on their right if they are in the curb lane they are not looking for you and you do not know what they are gong to do.

The situation is that on the street I was riding, there is no bicycle lane. So, I hug the curb.

Hugging the curb is your biggest mistake here. Fact is, if you hug the curb, drivers simply won't pay attention to you. What you need to do is put yourself in a position where you are visible. To be honest I don't pay that much attention to bike lanes myself, I concentrate on my position rather than where the white line is. If the lane is too narrow to share with a car, I claim the whole thing.

I believe you can pass on the right if the cars are stopped, but if they are stopped they cant be turning. If you are passing stopped cars you must take care that once they start they may start turning. Also when passing a stopped car on the right, you have to watch for passengers suddenly opening a door and exiting.

Around here, traffic might back up for 3 blocks. Can't move..Riding the curb. No sidewalk..Narrow bike lane. Then, I might pass on right as long as the traffic is at a dead standstill.....
About motorists passing you and making a fast right direclty in front of you..Happened to me twice these past two weeks..Last week, I had to come to a super fast stop.Due to curb and car's high rate of speed, I could not turn right in accordance with the cars direction.I don't understand why I did not go over my handlebars.
Don't they know, making a right into a bike lane is denying us our right of way. Is that manslaughter or second degree murder. I really wanted to go scream at the jerk. But she turned into a gas station at which I do business and felt unwise to hassle a customer of my chosen auto mechanic...I noticed she did not get out of the car to pump gas until, I decided to leave the scene. We had a staring contest for about 2 minutes.

As pointed out above, you seem to be doing things to invite the right hook.

It sounds as if you were passing the driver on the right while in the same lane as the driver. The driver decides to turn right, they slow down and turn. What driver is going to look for a cyclist overtaking them from their right? They just do not do that. Your behavior of hugging the curb, takes you out of the flow of traffic and even out of the view of most drivers. Most accidents between cyclists and motor vehicles occur at intersections or people pulling in or out of driveways. Motorists typically do not look at the curb for cyclists when they turn. It is safer to be out in the lane more where you are in their field of vision. It is usually better to ride just a bit to the right of the right wheel line of most cars in the traffic.

Another thing, passing on the right in the same lane is illegal and even more important, potentially dangerous. You can do it in special circumstances. I do it sometimes, but very rarely and I am very careful about it when I do it.

i believe that this happens because car drivers cannot accurately gauge how fast we actually travel. i think it suprises them. not right, just saying.

Around here, traffic might back up for 3 blocks. Can't move..Riding the curb. No sidewalk..Narrow bike lane. Then, I might pass on right as long as the traffic is at a dead standstill.....
About motorists passing you and making a fast right direclty in front of you..Happened to me twice these past two weeks..Last week, I had to come to a super fast stop.Due to curb and car's high rate of speed, I could not turn right in accordance with the cars direction.I don't understand why I did not go over my handlebars.
Don't they know, making a right into a bike lane is denying us our right of way. Is that manslaughter or second degree murder. I really wanted to go scream at the jerk. But she turned into a gas station at which I do business and felt unwise to hassle a customer of my chosen auto mechanic...I noticed she did not get out of the car to pump gas until, I decided to leave the scene. We had a staring contest for about 2 minutes. A car turning "across" a bike lane is equivalent to a car turning across any lane, and is, thus, illegal. As for confronting an offender in a situation like this, when you have that kind of time, you might as well act like you're jotting down the license plate number and calling it in on a cell phone. You don't need a "prop"; just hold your finger to your ear as if you're holding a hands-free headset in place. At least she'll be wondering who's on the other end of the "line", and what's gonna happen.

Putting right-turing cars, to the left of a bike lane is a sure way to increase conflict, and cyclists will never win. You cant just ride down a cycle lane expecting everyone to respect your right of way; it doent happen that way. If a cycle "facility" is dangerous, then dont use it.
If you are going to surf throught heavy traffic, then pass on the inside or outside, but be aware of what you are doing. If there is a place for cras to turn, expect them to turn. If there are passengers, expect doors to open. Laws are not going to save your butt. Observe the situation, work out the potential conflicts and act to avoid or evade them. Use your positioning in the lane to control cars around you.

pass on the left

Please understand that in this country we do not have national driving laws and that the state laws vary greatly. In the state of California for example, it is perfectly legal to pass on the right as long as you remain on the driving surface (ie you cannot go on the sidewalk to pass on the right). Some places bicyclists do not have to stop while turning right on a red light other places they do.
Car drivers are unpredictable at best, they cannot see much of the area around them, they alternately try to help you and ignore you, and they have completely different rules of mobility than bike riders. Passing on the left is just as dangerous, drivers do not expect narrow bikes there but rather wide (visible) cars.
My suggestion is watch for cars turning and be prepared to turn inside their radius (if only it were so easy). Anticipate the worst and hope for the best.

Trevor

pass on the left

Depends on what kind of road and conditions we're talking about. Getting right-turned into at slow speed is far preferable to getting run down from behind by a 45MPH vehicle. There's no easy answer, just caution and good judgement.

The situation is that on the street I was riding, there is no bicycle lane. So, I hug the curb. As I was riding, a car was stopped behind other cars in the right lane so I started passing it. All of a sudden the driver starts making a right turn just as I am at the rear quarterpanel....

Am I wrong, or do bicycles have the right of way (at least in California) in this situation?
Hsjb, I am on your side.

Having said that, I have to say that motorists are not used to looking for someone passing on the right as they turn right from the right hand lane. You will be much safer learning to stay between cars at intersections, even when you are in a designated bike lane.

Just like when driving, I try to stay out of people's "blind spots."