jyl

I would like to start this thread for us to post the close calls that we have. The idea is so we can all learn from each others' mistakes and stay safer out there.

Please post:
- What happened to almost take you down (or how you almost took someone down)
- What you'll do in future to protect against that (this is where our collective learning comes in)

For example, and just to get us started:

This morning at 5:15 am I was doing 25 mph in the bike lane. A car with no lights or turn signals suddenly pulled out from its parallel parking space. I swerved around it with about a foot to spare. My mistake was that I didn't have all my headlights on, just my front blinkies. Because that stretch of road is utterly empty of life at that hour, I was trying to save my batteries. Stupid. From now on, if it is dark, every light is on.

Beneficial Ear

Something perfect for this thread... the light was yellow, and I was right at at - decided to plow on through instead of mashing brakes.

If I was going straight, things would have been fine, but since I was making a left turn and there was a car from the left making a left turn (so the car was turning to go the direction I was going on the street I was on).. as I turned left I was very close to the car which was not paying attention to me at all - and we very nearly collided. I had to swerve to the right, and he stopped accelerating (the guy jumped on it as soon as the light changed).

Lesson learned - yellow means stop, no reason to hurry my way to the emergency room/morgue.

Another example... one morning I was approaching a very low traffic intersection at the same time as a school bus. KNOWING the school bus was going to stop I picked up speed to get ahead of it so it wouldn't have to wait for me to pass/I wouldn't have to wait for it to pass. Well, the bus did not stop, it only slowed down a bit after rushing up to the stop sign and it very nearly plowed me right in the middle of the intersection - I had to swerve to the left and get out of the way, the bus missed me by maybe 3 feet and NEVER hit its brakes at any time, only let off the gas about .5 a second before I was roadkill.

Lesson here... slow down at stop signs and never assume someone will stop - doing this has saved me a few times after this happened. Also dont trust school busses, it was no close call another time - a school bus (DIRECTLY after dropping kids off @ school nonetheless) FLOORED it and jumped out from behind another school bus into my lane (the other side of the street going the other way) and if I wasn't to the far edge I would be dead right now, the crazy driver couldn't manage to hit the brakes or even let off the gas, but had no problem laying on the horn as if it was my fault for being in the path of an insane bus driver.

Another great example is when my right pedal broke off and I ran over to walmart to grab a new pedal so I could at least make it back... I put the pedal on in the parking lot and since I had to catch a train I was moving pretty good through a 100% totally dark parking lot (not walmart) that was paved black. I had no idea there was a MONSTROUS pothole, seriously about the size and shape of a large weber grill, I dropped right into it going at least 17mph and sitting down. Somehow I managed to stay on the bike, but stuff flew out of my pockets and I took a nice shot in the @$$ from the seat. The front wheel was bent pretty bad as well.

Lesson learned here... headlight! Since I've gotten a headlight (albeit a cheapy) and I pay very close attention to the road surface when riding at night.

And finally... It was very late night, approx 1AM and I was just cruisin around enjoyin the sweet summer night in the burbs. At the Family Video parking lot I was slowly (5mph?) exiting the parking lot when a cop came down the trafficless street going 30 or so, and took a racing line style turn into the parking lot (the tightest possible turn) and had I not of seen him beforehand and gotten my hands on the brake he would have ran me right over. The oddest part was as the cop passed I looked him right in the eye (all of 4-5 feet away from me...) and he had to be on either his 50th shot of 12 hour energy or 5th line of coke - I know those crazy running off a stimulant eyes anywhere (mirror? lol...). The only lights he had on were headlights.

Lesson learned... pay attention... but there isn't a hell of alot that can be done about some drunk/drugged driver who can barely see their hand in front of their face let alone a bike on a road at night.

fietsbob

Not heavy urban here, but on a quiet bypass of the Roundabout eastbound/ south side
I was not far enough to the left on the 1 way single lane, take the lane situation,
[just past the holding tank dump for the trailer towing tourists],
I usually turn to the left onto the sidewalk, and back track to the Crossing,
to see oncoming traffic , before I cross..

so I swung to the right to make the left turn, just as some one in a Car,

was about to pass me on the left side.

. . . . .

seems every year someone gets taken out in the crosswalk, downtown, 2 one-way lanes.

car stops for a pedestrian crossing, the car behind them changes lanes and accelerates ,
just as the pedestrian begins to cross into that lane..


I make sure traffic stops in Both Lanes before using the crossing.

4 lanes + a center Island was made, when the Roundabout replaced
the T intersection of OR 202 & US 30/101, west end of town..

mustang1

On the way back from work my gears weren't working too good so I rode slower than usual, not relishing the sound of the gears clicking. Then my handle bar snapped near the stem just to the right. As the weight suddenly went from neutral to left-skewed, I only had a couple of seconds to apply power to straighten my balance and to see if I could make it to the grass verge where I could have a controlled crash.

I made it and I did have a controlled crash.

If the handlebar had snapped on the left of the stem then my weight would have skewed right and in front of the lorry that was overtaking me at the time.

(In the UK we drive on the wrong side of the road).

fietsbob

.. but not if both have drawn their Swords out of the Scabbard..

treadtread

I was turning left at an intersection - had the safe turn green light. Driver opposite wanted to turn right on the red, which she could do if it was safe to do so. She decided it was safe to do so, and I had to slam on my brakes to not hit her sideways.

Lesson learned - always question the judgement and law-abidedness of every driver on the road.

apollored

I was out cycling with a former boyfriend on the country lanes near our airport where the speed limit is 50 mph, cycling in the dark two abreast but fully lit up

A car comes flying round a sharp end doing right up to 50 if not more right in the middle of his lane. I had to throw my bike to the right of the road into a hedge to avoid him or he would have hit me for sure and that would have been it for sure.

Not sure if the lesson there is not ride two abreast but certainly keep eyes pinned and be ready to react to whatever drivers hurrying home from work or the pub might do.

Also when living in Cardiff (Welsh Capital) I was riding back to my halls of residence (dormitory) from my University.

On my route was a massive roundabout which must have had at least 8 entrances into it. It was a wet dirty night and I was again fully lit up.

A car came out of one of the entrance roads doing 30 + and didnt stop at all entering the roundabout just as I was passing his exit again I had to throw my bike into middle to avoid being hit and it knocked my confidence so much I gave up cycling for a while and just walked in.

Also today I was going shopping hand to go up a kerb and instead of the front wheel lifting onto it, it just banged into it instead nearly throwing over the top but I managed to hold on.

More of an attempt to lift the wheel called for there lol.

PS I much prefer the UK side of the road, its a lot less complicated than riding on the right from what I've read

lhbernhardt

A couple of times, riding in the dark, I have totally missed seeing cyclists coming from my left on the cross-street, despite their having their blinking lights on. Once I was turning right into traffic, and the cyclist passed me on the left, in the bike lane, as I was accelerating & moving into that bike lane. The other time, I was starting into an intersection and was still going slowly enough that I could brake for the cyclist who suddenly appeared in front of me - I had competely missed her when she was approaching from the left.

Must be something about flashing bike lights in city traffic. I usually take a second look at intersections before I do anything, but I was surprised that I totally missed seeing lit cyclists approaching from my left. As a result, I take extra precautions as I approach cars on my right waiting to either cross intersections or move into traffic, knowing how difficult I might be to see (despite the Urban 300 on the bars, usually on the solid light setting).

Also, cyclists approaching head-on in separated bike paths/MUPs with lights on solid often get confused with car traffic on the roadway. The bike lights make it look like a car much further away, and then I'm surprised to see the bike suddenly a lot closer. This confusion might account for peds being suddenly surprised that you are right on top of them when riding on MUPs in the dark. A flashing light is usually a better indicator that it's a bike, but usually MUPs are poorly lit & require the solid light setting.

Luis

HvPnyrs

Wwhhuutt...???

OH !!... wait... uhmm .... never mind, for just a second there I had this picture

OK! OK! I freely admit that sometimes after an unusually rushed lunch my mind goes too easily into the gutter

cycle_maven

This one is more of a bike-handling gaffe- A buddy was riding next to me, and a yellowjacket wasp landed on his back. I said "hold still" and swiped the wasp off before it stung him. Every action has an equal and opposite reaction, and the ensuing wobble almost took me down at 20 MPH. Very scary. Next time he's getting stung. Don't try to throw anything from your bike, either- same problem- rock at dog.

Also- big horizontal frame, low clearance. Don't step off the curb while still straddling the bike. My voice was a register higher for about 20 minutes.

cooker

There's a four way stop that I always find hazardous. The east-west street is a narrow street, but is a convenient shortcut between two arteries, so it is busy. The north-south street is very quiet and has a cul de sac to the south, so no cars go through, but bikes can access a convenient commuting trail, so we do. So the east-west drivers are stacked up at the stop signs and as each car reaches a stop sign, they tend to stare straight ahead with tunnel vision, without expecting cross traffic, and only paying attention to the car ahead of them which they are following through the intersection. Basically they slow briefly and then go. If you are heading north or south, they often don't seem to expect or notice you, so when you enter the intersection you can't always be sure they will stop. Several times I have thought a car is stopping, and have started to go, only to have them surge across my path within inches of my front wheel.

So I really try to make sure I make eye contact, and if in doubt also ring my bell.

Dilberto

Don't EVER ride the wrong way on the sidewalk! In 2007, newbie me did just that. I was on the sidewalk outside a big strip mall, just about to cross the main entrance. A huge, lifted 4x4 was in hurry to exit the mall, just as I was starting to cross the entryway. Problem was...the woman driver was busy looking for oncoming traffic to her left, so she could quickly gun her right turn. The 4x4 was lifted so high I don't think she saw me. All I saw/heard on the corner of my left eye, was the giant chrome grille of her Monster Truck, F-350 Super-Duty approaching fast, and the sound of that Ford Triton V8 throttling to blast a quick right turn. Suddenly, I hear a young girl scream, "mommy STOP.....you're gonna hit the guy!!!" The driver's young daughter saw me just in the nick of time! If that little girl was not present - that truck would have easily rolled me dead...and she would have never known, until bystanders forced her to stop.

To this day, I "thank" that little girl....whoever she is!!!!

sbslider

What I am doing different: getting a mirror, and realizing when I put my thinking more on my speed than on my surroundings I get myself in trouble, so hoping to minimize that.

Ubik

I was going slowly on a narrow bicycle lane that goes against the traffic on a small one way street, closing in on an intersection. This intersection is just next to a school and both streets have very little traffic and a lot of speed bumps. As I was getting close to the intersection, a car came down a steep hill from my right and turned left to the street i was going down, he was driving recklessly and I slowed down having the intersection just ahead of me... but soon after the first car came his friend in a mini van trying to keep up, and he made an insane turn which almost took me out. His wheels would probably have gone over the corner of the sidewalk and my bike lane, if I hadn't been in his way. Fortunately he stopped just in time, so I could live to tell the story

Lesson learned: Insane drivers are everywhere, speed bumps does not slow them down, nor does stop signs and they will happily speed through blind turns next to a school yards if it serves their schedule and the fantasy that going by car in a densely populated city is somehow a quick way to get from point A to B. I also learned that bicycle lanes are just paint on the ground to serve the politicians agenda of giving people the impression of a bicycle friendly city, while in fact it gave me a very false sense of security.

Mult47

My commute is primarily on residential sreets that cross major arteries. My morning commute usually has me on the road just before daybreak. One morning about a year ago, I stopped and then crossed a four-lane road (posted speed limit 40 mph, actual speeds generally higher) after checking to make sure no traffic was coming. Just as I cleared the first two lanes, a car running without any lights on roared by behind me. A couple of seconds slower on clearing his lane and I would have ended up plastered all over the place. Now, on my morning commute at those intersections, I come to a complete stop, look several times each way and use all the visual and aural cues available to make sure that no cars are coming. I have become a much more patient rider.

shaypop

today i had a similar incident as Beneficial'. on a steep downhill, in the pouring rain, i approach the intersection to make a left turn as the light turns yellow. i grab a handful of brake with no result and continue on. luckily the oncoming traffic yielded. i was more cautious on the way home.

downwinded

First close call was on my morning commute on a residential street. Full size SUV rolls the stop sign and I had to grab 2 handfulls of brake to stop. It was so close the passenger had actually leaned away from me as they thought there was going to be an impact! Don't think the driver saw me. Probably just glanced and rolled on. I added a strobe head light after this. It helped.

The light I added was not really very bright. Second incident was on the evening commute in the dark. Had my less than adequate headlight on steady beam approaching an intersection as a Fed-EX van pulls up to the stop sign. The cross street had to stop, I, on the through street, did not. Watched the van pretty closely and just as I began to cross in front of him, he takes off! I'm basically in front of the truck, so stopping is not an option. The driver saw me just in time to stop before he ran me down.

Added one of these to the front on my helmethttps://www.amazon.com/Nite-Ize-TwistLit-Bike-Light/dp/B005S6XLMK/ref=sr_1_78?ie=UTF8&qid=1356535345&sr=8-78&keywords=nite-ize. I use it day and night on my commute. Without question it helps, at least on my commute. It may not be bright enough if you were on a very busy and brightly lit business/commercial street.

The busiest intersection I have to deal with is a four lane cross street where my third close call occured. The street I am on is a divided 2 lane (wide grassy median) with left turn lanes at the intersection. I am going straight through when, just as I enter the intersection, the light turns yellow. A car coming from the opposite direction that intends to turn left sees the light change and guns it to make it through while the light is still yellow. Yours truly is almost a sitting duck. I had made it to the inside lane, which was where the turning vehicle was heading. He saw the helmet strobe and swung wide behind me to the outside lane.

Santa brought me a Cygolite 300 lumen headlight and a red blinky for the rear of my helmet like the white one I have on the front. Morale of the story is to assume that drivers do not see you. And even that may not be enough. Anything you can do to make yourself more visible or attract more attention is probably a good thing.

cogdriven 

The first time I got right hooked was the closest I've ever come to getting run over. This was back in the mid-sixties when cars had big chrome door handles, I'm glad to say. A woman cut me off and the only option I had was to grab the front passenger door handle and ride around the corner with her. Her young son was in the seat and had his face right up against the glass, inches from mine. His yell, "MOM!" saved my bacon. She slowed to a stop and I was able to stay upright. I just shook my head at her and rode off. I hope she thought of how close she came forever after when approaching a turn, maybe saved someone else's life.

The lesson I've learned in over 50 years of riding (I still commute 4,000 miles a year at age 61.) was to stay just to the left of the fog line if there is no wide shoulder. People just don't see you if you're not in their travel lane. When I do ride to the right of the fog line I get a lot of close passes at speed. When I ride a few inches to the left, I get a lot of people straddling the center line as they pass and some even slow down.

zacster

I was riding up 1st Avenue in the "protected" bike lane when I saw a taxi pull over into the parking lane and beyond. I knew enough that this was trouble but the guy behind me didn't seem to notice. Sure enough, the door swung open and blocked about 3/4 of the bike lane. The only reason he wasn't doored is because I had blocked his way a bit. The guy getting out of the cab, with his wife or girlfriend had the nerve to curse at us. We both stopped at that point and went back at him.

The reason I say "protected" is that the only one protected is the insurance of the driver. The configuration is, from left to right, sidewalk, curb, bike lane, parked cars, 4 or 5 traffic lanes. The problem is that the bike lane is hidden, marginalized and contained. Cars don't see us when taking a left, we are put where all the obstacles are, and we can't avoid them as there is not enough room. I know that the primary bike advocacy group, Transportation Alternatives, keeps arguing for more of these, but they must not ride in them. The first one was put in on 9th Avenue, and I tried it once and thought it was just a bad design but they just started using it everywhere. Cars taking a left just don't see you or even know it is possible that you're there. Delivery trucks use it to unload, pedestrians walk in them. NYC isn't Copenhagen.

My rides are usually just a series of close calls in these lanes, but they are still the most direct route so I continue using them.

muu

I don't have any better 'watch out for the cars' ones than those already posted, so here goes a goof on my side:

I had just finished a long climb (one of many...) on a randonneuring brevet. I was looking forward to this particular hill ending, since it also included a whopper of a downhill right after it, versus the gradual up-downs that came previous. So here I was, whizzing down a lightly traveled mountain-side highway at 40mph. This was an overnight ride, and because I had a ton of junk on my saddlebag I hit my brakes on a moderately sharp right curve to slow down a bit... and the front tire began wobbling. A lot. I noticed this in the previous hills, but since I wasn't going nearly as fast I didn't make too much of it; obviously the front brakes were off center from transporting it to the start.

There were few enough cars on the road (hadn't seen one for a couple mins at that point) that I figured I could get by making a wider turn into the left lane for this turn. This was already a bad idea but I really did not have a choice, I wasn't going to slow down in time with just the rear brakes. I figured, if I stop after this turn and fix this I should be just fine. Well, Murphy's Law likes to strike at the best of times, and sure enough as I made the turn I was facing a line of cars maybe 200 feet away while on the wrong side of the road. Now it was do or die, and I managed to make a sharp turn back into the correct side of the road w/o falling. I stopped, noticed my brakes were off center by a quarter of an inch or so. A quick adjustment later I was riding w/ no problems.

So what did I learn? Check your bike once in a while for maintenance issues. All the vigilance against problem drivers out there is not going to help you when you're thrown into a high-speed lane when you (and the drivers) least suspect it because of a mechanical failure. I consider my situation as extremely lucky, considering what could have been the outcome.

squegeeboo

Put the studs on last night, got going this morning, a few inches of slush all over the place.

1. Making a right hand turn to go south, where there was a small center divider on the road i was turning onto. A pickup with plow attachment decides that's the perfect time for him to turn left across me, to also go south on that same road. Locked up brakes, but with slush, I barely missed his front passenger side and edge of the plow, never even saw me.

2. Pulling into the work parking lot, and there is a snow removal bulldozer clearing out an area ahead of me. As I get close enough to it to consider swerving around it, tosses on it's hazards, starts beeping and almost runs me over.

hsh101

This describes a situation I run into about once a week. I commute partially via MUP, and there's a spot where the MUP crosses over a busy road. A lot of times I'll get there and one driver will stop, signaling for me to cross. When this happens, I ALWAYS wait until traffic in the other direction has also come to a complete stop. I've had people wave me across, and the traffic in the other direction decides to continue through the crossing at 40 mph. One close call was enough for me to live by this rule.

hsh101

I also assume that all drivers are going to drive in an erratic or unpredictable manner. About a month ago, came up on a 4-way intersection where the crossroad had a stop sign. My direction had no stop and the right of way. As I approached the intersection, a driver blew through their stop sign at a very high speed (must have been doing >40 mph) and missed me by maybe 10 feet. Didn't even realize what he had done, kept flying down the road, no brake lights, no response of any sort to the situation. Had I not slowed down and anticipated that he wasn't going to stop, I would have been part of his grille.

Dilberto

When riding beside parked cars - always look into the driver's side rear view mirror of each car, for a face....just before passing it. If you see one - assume they might open their door and safely move left and out of harm's way. If its a 4-door, look for the back of a head.

lostforawhile

something from a driving perspective, I hope this makes someone think and be safer, it's been rainy and nasty here, just awful weather, making a right turn, almost hit this idiot riding TOWARDS me in the middle of the road riding in the wrong direction against traffic, no lights, dark clothes, dark bike, nearly impossible to see. Completly impossible to see before I started the turn. The sad thing is I see this going on all the time, driving down the road and a nearly invisible bike appears coming towards me riding against traffic, Most people here have more sense then this, but if you know someone who does, it's not always possible to see an unlighted bike at night, I would feel terrible if I hit someone, but I dont have radar to see whats ahead in the dark