Advocacy & Safety - What kind of (near-)accidents of being hit by a car have you experienced most?

For me, the most frequently experienced near-accidents or scare have been being hit by a car/truck from the left side, usually when approaching an intersection, when there was some other vehicle on my right side, or when a car is right-hooking me.

I think it will be helpful to see what type of being hit happen the most.

I would also like some tips about how to avoid being hit from the side, when, for example, you find a car/truck parked in front of you as you are riding, which forces you to turn to the left lane where there are cars coming. Thanks for any response.

"from the side, in same direction" easily, when a car makes a right turn or changes lanes and doesn't look in the mirror (or doesn't care). I would have liked "excessively close pass" in the list too, although I guess that's covered in "from the rear".


I would also like some tips about how to avoid being hit from the side, when, for example, you find a car/truck parked in front of you as you are riding, which forces you to turn to the left lane where there are cars coming. Thanks for any response.

Well, if there's a car standing in your lane and there are only two lanes on the street you have to let the incoming traffic pass before you pass the obstacle in your lane since they have right of way.
If there's two lanes in your direction and cars coming from the back it helps to ride anticipatorily and change lanes early enough so you don't get cut off; even if the motorists behind you complain, you just have to shrug that off for your own safety's sake.

Worst thing that ever happened to me was a unprovoked attempt to force me off the road by some jerk who apparently disliked cyclists.. I never ride two abreast on any road where there is any degree of traffic. I was in a well marked bike lane with sufficient shoulders. The opinion that it was provoked is not mine, but those who were riding with me from behind.. Some cager was gawking at a string of cyclists not paying attention to the road . He was the center of their attention , because earlier he made comments to those at the end of the line of cyclists... .. Luckily, it was near miss, even if I could feel the heat of his exhaust pipe on my leg.

For me, the most frequently experienced near-accidents or scare have been being hit by a car/truck from the left side, usually when approaching an intersection, when there was some other vehicle on my right side, or when a car is right-hooking me.

I think it will be helpful to see what type of being hit happen the most.

I would also like some tips about how to avoid being hit from the side, when, for example, you find a car/truck parked in front of you as you are riding, which forces you to turn to the left lane where there are cars coming. Thanks for any response.

The scariest accident I ever had, was when I was 14(1981). I was riding bikes with some friends. At one point, we came out of an alley turning right on to a major road then turning right again on to a less busy road, staying as close to the right-hand side of the road as possible(big mistake). As I made the second right turn, the car next to me made the same turn. Either, I turned too widely and/or, the elderly woman turned too sharply. This caused me to end up, underneath her car, with the metal pedal digging into my foot. I was scared that, my foot was going to be amputated.

The only way to avoid being 'doored' is, to 'take the lane', all the time. The same goes for avoiding being right-hooked.

What's the correct answer for right hook?

The T-bone problem is even more pronounced on an e-bike as you are doing 10km/h faster than a normal bike. People assume you are a push bike, look the other way then pull out thinking you are still a ways away, when no, HELLO I am HERE already!!.....Happens all the time and is easily the most dangerous thing about ebiking!!

I found that angling an LED to the right and another to the left really help people to spot you..... That and monkeylectric LED wheel lights of course....

Cheers!

ebg

I can deal with stupidity and inattention fairly easily. I think I'm aware enough that I'm not going to get right hooked or T-boned by a distracted soccer mom, but the closest calls I have are from aggressive drivers coming in the opposite direction who intentionally left hook me.

It happens all the time, and I know they are doing it on purpose because as they pass, I scream at the top of my lungs at them and they completely ignore me and speed off. The natural reaction of someone who doesn't see me, when screamed at, is to at least look and slow down.

I have been wacked twice with a blind Right hook, first one no damage, second one killed my front rim.

Motorists running red lights or making left turns across me are the "close calls" I have experienced the most... and in fact I have been hit by motorists in both situation... once a motorist leaving a stop sign on a minor road as I was traveling by on a major road (I crashed into the left front fender, just as the motorist poked out just as I was crossing), and once a motorist making a left turn behind me and hitting me in the rear triangle of the bike (we had already crossed, then he made the turn... hard to defend against).

I have had some close right hooks, but these are often somewhat predictable.

I see far too many red light runners out there to be comfortable.

I would say that my biggest problem is people running stop signs. Left or right doesn't matter. I used to have a lot of problems with people turning right on red, but I have stopped using the bike path where that is a problem.

I would also say that drivers running stop signs pose the greatest danger. Perhaps this is because my commute is almost all residential streets. Weirdly enough, my closest call of all was when a person on a bike blew a stop sign. Come to think of it, my second closest call was the same thing.

For me, it would be a tie between people pulling out from a side street on my left and people passing me right into oncoming traffic. I can remember two of each where I either had to take evasive action or yelled at least one expletive.

You poll would be more accurate if you had the "right hook" listed separately.

I would also say that drivers running stop signs pose the greatest danger. Perhaps this is because my commute is almost all residential streets. Weirdly enough, my closest call of all was when a person on a bike blew a stop sign. Come to think of it, my second closest call was the same thing.the closest I've gotten to being rear-ended was from a cyclist that ran a stop sign that I stopped for.

The T-bone problem is even more pronounced on an e-bike as you are doing 10km/h faster than a normal bike. People assume you are a push bike, look the other way then pull out thinking you are still a ways away, when no, HELLO I am HERE already!!.....Happens all the time and is easily the most dangerous thing about ebiking!!

I found that angling an LED to the right and another to the left really help people to spot you..... That and monkeylectric LED wheel lights of course....

Cheers!

ebg

It's not just e-bike riders who have this problem. Where I live almost all the cyclists ride really slowly. Even on my town bike I am constantly having to deal with motorists who think I should be going 20 km/hr slower than I am. I dread the coming of those damnable "cycletracks"; those will make it even worse for riders who don't mind burning a joule or two.

Right hooked, split my chin, ruined my favorite shirt, great fun. Bike was okay! Too many "near accidents" to list, I tend to avoid a few every week. People here drive horribly. I recently bought a light for my helmet, works wonders at night when they think they can pull out in front of you. Also blinds them a bit, but I think that's why they think otherwise of moving.

Pedestrian are my biggest problem. They walk right out into the road if they don't see a car. Doesn't matter how fast I am traveling or if I have enough distance to stop. Airzound solved that problem.

Brushes and mirror slaps from passing cars, all while attempting to control a lane 9' or narrower.

Left-hooks have been the worst, but right-hooks are close behind. I went with 'from the front, opposite direction', but I'm not sure if it's the most accurate description.

You poll would be more accurate if you had the "right hook" listed separately.

Yes, indeed. You may choose either "from the Side, in same direction" or "from the Front, in non-opposite direction (e.g. car stopping in front of me, or I T-boned a car)" depending on when the car was closest to you (when passing you on your left, or when it has passed you and is turning in front of you). Or whichever is closest to the situation.

The result of this poll is the reason why I run blinking lights on both sides of my top tube.

You poll would be more accurate if you had the "right hook" listed separately.

It seems to me that there are three answers that describe a right hook, I'm very confused by the poll.

The result of this poll is the reason why I run blinking lights on both sides of my top tube.

Hmmm, a tube has an inside and an outside, what good is a blinking light inside the tube going to do? (Sorry could not resist.)

One factor about the poll result: certain kinds of accidents rank lower in the poll because they are mostly fatal (e.g. hit from opposite direction). Only those who survived are able to take the poll.:twitchy:

Near-accident is pretty subjective, so it's hard to compare my experience with others there. Is a close pass a "near accident"? If so, how close?

As for accidents involving a car, I've only had one, and it was 20 years ago. I t-boned a car. I was coming down a hill and saw him waiting to pull out of a parking lot that was ahead and to my right. I moved to the center of the lane, sat up, covered my brakes and made eye-contact with the driver. When I made eye contact I relaxed a little. Then he pulled out. I hit the brakes, but still hit the front quarter-panel of his Trans-am hard enough to bend the fork and frame of my Schwinn Le Tour :( and dent his car:). I was basically unhurt but very adrenalized. Normally I am low key and mild mannered, but before I knew what happened I was on my feet, half way into his open window, cussing him up one side and down the other. He was very contrite and apologetic. Once I got a grip on myself I sat down, and I couldn't stop my hands from shaking. In a post-adrenaline state, not thinking clearly, I told him I was fine and he could go. Lesson learned, never do that. I ended up with a broken bike and no one to pay for it.

Near-accident is pretty subjective, so it's hard to compare my experience with others there. Is a close pass a "near accident"? If so, how close?


Yes I would classify a close pass as a "near accident", a pass that is close enough for you to think "wow, that was close!" and perhaps take a deep breath thinking you had just barely been spared an accident immediately afterward.

Everyone taking the poll should be congratulated for their being safe and sound so far. :)

Left Hook first, Right hook second.

Right, Left, Front and Rear. Not many from below or above.

Right, Left, Front and Rear. Not many from below or above.

Any accident from below or above would most likely fatal and impossible to be recounted here :twitchy:

I've been hit three times by cars. All three at low speeds when the car was turning. The first was the most dramatic: I was traveling through a residential area on a through street, a car at a stop sign was stationary, the driver looked both ways and accelerated when I was right in front of her. I went to the hood of the car, the bike went under and she kept driving with us like that for 1/2 block. I wasn't hurt, but got a new bike.
The second was when I was again on a residential through street and a man barely hit me as he turned into his drive. He stopped before he even knocked me down and was horribly frightened he had hurt me. Another happened when a man barely knicked my rear wheel making a right hand turn. Realizing what he did, he floored it and sped away before I could get the license.

Lately the most common type of near miss I encounter is in the traffic circle in the parking lot of where I work. Apparently the important people are too important to stop texting to look through their windshield to see a cyclist in the bike lane which is within the traffic circle. This happened twice this week already. One time it was a lady in a convertible. I yelled at her so loudly, "HEY! you almost HIT ME!", that she turned her head away from her Blackberry and looked visibly shocked that someone was there.

My plan from here out is to not use the bike lane and to stay to the left while inside this thing. It's ridiculous enough that people text while driving, but in a traffic circle!?

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EDIT: The bike lane continues on the streets adjoining the traffic circle, which is why I normally stay in it the whole time. I was just too lazy to draw it.

For me, the ratio is about 3:2 for "buzzes":"right hooks". About 3x a year, I get some fool turning left from the other direction in front of me, and never has it been close enough for me to grab brake. A little tug has done it, and I've always had enough gap to give them the verbal thrashing.