Advocacy & Safety - I Got Right Hooked Today

Yap By a Fireman !!! BUT he never hit me thank god . I did get my airzound off and he stopped and started yelling at me after he right hooks ME !!! I kept my cool saw the fire fighters emblem in his window and yelled and they let you drive a fire truck you moron ? A s he was cussing at me while I rode away. The old me would a punched him out yrs ago I have mellowed in my old age ;)...

This event was the first real close right hook I ever had . That is a damn dagerous thing this idiot blew by me and turned like I wasn't there . I think the Airzound scared the !@#$%^& out a him thou :roflmao2:

How do you folks or what do you do to TRY and avoid getting right hooked out there ???

This actually scared the Bajesus outa me after I got ome and thought about it .

One more thing I had enough of the lane so a car had to see me . He had to go left to right hook me !!! I don"t know what else I should or could a done .

Fireman, policeman, businessman, clergyman - a job title, no matter what it is, is not going to change the traits of a human being once they've been bored into one's head.

The title comes afterwards - after all, nature didn't invent it.

-Kurt

I seriously would reject air travel at this stage of life, pipes(!)

Are you allowed to call it a right hook if you haven't actually been hit?

Are you allowed to call it a right hook if you haven't actually been hit?

I think it's akin to murder vs. attempted murder. This appears to be an attempted right hook, or maybe even an attempted left hook that really went wrong.

. . . or just a close call.
Glad you were able to avoid a collision.

Caruso

i need to get myself an AirZound. Too many idiots pass and turn in front here, mostly foreign-born cabbies.

Good working on staying intact, Pipes. I don't know any way of dealing with a driver who will swerve left around you and then hook right except to get that license plate.

If it were me I would not have used an air horn. I figure that any situation so close that the horn would be appropriate happens so fast I need to put full attention on avoiding disaster and I don't want the driver to do anything additionally expected. Opinions vary and I respect yours.

Ways to help reduce the incidence of right hooks:

1. Ride further left. If you are in a lane wide enough to share, riding left of center in the lane allows right turners to use the appropriate, right hand portion of the lane to make their right turn.

If there is a shoulder or bike lane, use the traffic lane (left of center depending on width of bike lane/shoulder) on the approach to the intersection, leaving the bike lane/shoulder open to be used by right turning traffic.

2. A less effective method is to attempt to get the attention of passing traffic and position yourself so that it's clear you are going straight even though you are at the right hand edge of the pavement. Looking back over your shoulder while moving as far left in the bike lane/shoulder can effectively convey that you are going straight. A well-meaning motorist will then not attempt to pass on your left and turn right in front of you. Like I said, this method is not as effective as the first but I make do with it in some situations.

3. Nothing will stop a complete moron from doing anything to get ahead of you and make their turn in front of you. Your best defense for them is using a rear view and watching how the driver positions themselves as they are passing. Most of these idiot will give away their intentions by moving quickly towards the right as they pass. That's your clue to get on your brakes (forget the horn as it's useless for avoiding an impending collision).

I agree horn is uselees right at the time most of the time ! I just happen to have my hand right by the button .I thought I had enough lane also ! It was a 4 lane + turn lane with a decent shoulder . And as some of you pointed out it was a close call I was NOT actually hit . So ok He missied with a right hook BUT not for lack of trying ..That is just a bad corner until then I had never been or had a close call for a RH there but a few close calls on left hooks last yr . I was paying real strict attention because of were its at or most likely would a got cracked . O well Iam thankful I didn"t and just like all of us will do my best to avoid crap .

Iam sure not going to go hide under the bed because it happened.

I thought I had enough lane also ! It was a 4 lane + turn lane with a decent shoulder .

So where were you on the road? Is the turn lane a center turn lane (for left turns) or a right turn lane?

This does not happen to me because I take the lane at every intersection.

A fire truck would be hard pressed to turn right from the left lane to right hook you.

So where were you on the road? Is the turn lane a center turn lane (for left turns) or a right turn lane?

The turn lane is a center LEFT turn lane ! I was in the far right hand lane about mid lane I was riding the wide shoulder until I got to about 100 yds from this intersection and moved to take more of the lane way befor the intersection so I thought to keep from being right hooked . Cars had a whole lane and a half to go arund me cars had to know I was going stright ! All but the moron moved over to pass or stayed behind to turn and traffic was NOT heavy . I was in NO way impeading traffic flow . I really do NOT know what I could of done better/diffrent to be safer .

If you wana google the intersection I was what is considered south bound on Southfield rd coming up to Riverdrive in Lincoln Park Michigan . The driver RH me to turn on to Riverdrive . I would post it but being a old non computer person not sure how to google earth anything sorry iam computer challenged . You will see as YOU pass the intersection of Southfield and Rverdrive you have to take the lane to cross the small bridge as this is NO real should er on the bridge .

Ways to help reduce the incidence of right hooks:

1. Ride further left. ...

I have been right-hooked by someone who crossed the centerline of a 2-way 2-lane street. I have been right-hooked at a freeway onramp, with two right-turn-only lanes to my right. I was in the rightmost of two straight-through lanes, and some bozo wanted to turn right from the leftmost of these two lanes.

I do agree, however, that riding farther to the left does tend to reduce the right-hook incidence rate.

I really do NOT know what I could of done better/diffrent to be safer .

You did what you had to do which was to avoid a collision with the idiot. Sometimes, that's all that you have left to do. It sounds like you did just about everything else that you could have. My only nitpick would be that based on your description ("whole lane and a half to go arund me "), it sounds like you were keeping to the right half of the right lane. Approaching an intersection, shifting left of center in the lane can send a clearer signal to not pass you and try to turn right in front of you.

I have been right-hooked by someone who crossed the centerline of a 2-way 2-lane street. I have been right-hooked at a freeway onramp, with two right-turn-only lanes to my right. I was in the rightmost of two straight-through lanes, and some bozo wanted to turn right from the leftmost of these two lanes.

I do agree, however, that riding farther to the left does tend to reduce the right-hook incidence rate.

Yup, that's why I said "reduce the incidence" and not "remove the possibility".

To add to the fun of this thread, I've been right hooked (guy came nowhere near me but made his turn from my left) from a left turn lane when there was a right turn lane on my right.

I got right hooked while riding in the bicycle lane - it was raining so I couldn't see that good, otherwise I would have noticed the car doing wierd things. Anyway, the lady next to the driver asked if I was okay and I said sure. Then she told me I should watch out... ???
Tried to make her understand that it's not my responsibility to watch out for people making maneuvers but I doubt that got through.

I scratched the car though when it hit me :D (guilty pleasures yes yes)

every time I've been right hooked, I've been able to make the right turn with the idiot. If you are forced to make a right turn, it's a right hook. If you have to brake because the person that just passed you turns right, it's a right hook

every time i've been right hooked, i've been able to make the right turn with the idiot. If you are forced to make a right turn, it's a right hook. If you have to brake because the person that just passed you turns right, it's a right hook+1

Should have written down his plates; the cops couldn't do much but a call to his department would earn him a little conversation with the chief about some of his off-the-clock habits. Not a fun conversation by any stretch of the imagination, and maybe it'd get him to think about it a little more.

There's bad apples in every basket unfortunately.

Should have written down his plates; the cops couldn't do much but a call to his department would earn him a little conversation with the chief about some of his off-the-clock habits. Not a fun conversation by any stretch of the imagination, and maybe it'd get him to think about it a little more.

There's bad apples in every basket unfortunately.

You can assume the driver was a firefighter, but a window sticker doesn't make it so. You can find cars with Marine Corps stickers driven by people who have never served in the military and cars with Harley Davidson bumper stickers driven by people who have never been on a motorcycle.

Even if the vehicle was owned by a firefighter, was that the person driving at the time? Maybe it was a friend or family member. Regardless, in this instance is it reasonable to call any local fire department to gripe to the chief about the off-the-clock driving habits of someone who may or may not be their employee?

I think it's akin to murder vs. attempted murder. This appears to be an attempted right hook, or maybe even an attempted left hook that really went wrong.

Bah humbug, that's no big deal TBH, I've had it happen, but I pay a crap load of attention, and generally notice where all cars are (after all I'm a delivery driver, driving delivery in the city all the time makes you super aware if you give a ****). I brake hard, shrug knowing that the majority of people are idiots and they'll never get it, and keep going.