Jtgyk

In a moment of inattention today I darn near killed myself.
I was stopped at a stoplight and looked down for a moment...when I looked back up I caught the glint of the green light to my right. My brain said "Oh...Green light!" and I started across the street. As I approached the median, I noticed the cars coming from my right were not stopping or slowing. Realizing my mistake, I got onto the median and dismounted...walking my bike the rest of the way across when the light actually DID turn green.
Finished my commute to work and shook for about 30 minutes at my desk.

To all of us that ride, let's remember that losing focus or getting distracted can end us in an instant.
I was very VERY lucky today.
Mea Maxima Culpa

Time to come clean.

What have been YOUR major mistakes lately!

RT

Common, yet hilarious. The zero mph gravity-assisted horizontal street kiss. Always witnesses. Thankfully, all traffic was stopped, most likely to mock and stare.

Throwmeabone

I've been reading a lot of Sheldon Brown's website, so when I got my new bike I asked the bike shop to reverse the front and rear brake levers as he recommends. I didn't practice going out to a parking lot to practice stopping quickly with the front brake. The first time I had to stop quickly in traffic, I grabbed the front brake too hard, and flipped the bike.

knobster

So not only do you have to watch for other people doing this in their cars, but now I have to worry about doing it on my bike... Damn.

Takabrash

I must admit- there have been several times when I'm doing the "super slow roll forward" at a red light and bumped into the cars in front of me. They don't seem to like that for some reason!

capolover

I don't get obsessed with speed when commuting. I'm just trying to get to work. I slow it down when the situation gets hairy and try to focus as much as possible.

Buglady

I've done that as a pedestrian. Oops.

theWolf

I slammed into the pavement last week. I didn't pay any mind to the trolly tracks that were integrating into the street I was turning into. My front tire went right into one of the tracks, down I went No cars behind me, it was early in the morning... lesson learned.

bab2000

My last error, was being in a hurry to return home from evening ride (with front and back blinkies on), going south at intersection near home, I noticed on approach no cars heading west (from left), and one car approaching from the west going east, so I rolled through the stop and turned right, took the west shouklder lane, and approached the car coming toward me, intending to make U-turn and complete the cross.

As the east bound car past, I made my left hook, and right there was a car!!!! heading west, he had turned right from the intersection behind me, and I never saw until the last moment. Got the "what the hell stare", and I acknowledge my bad! in my nod...

Next time, stopped and wait for all clear

therentedmule

My biggest bone head move (to date): Me trucking along at a fair clip. Bus pulls away from stop. I have toagressivly brake or pass bus on right. I chose to pass bus slamming into a parked minivan. If it it been a car I would have been projected on to the trunk or worse. The relivly flat back side of the van although jarring was probably the best thing I could have run into. Broken bell and sore ribs and best I could tell no audience.