mht7159

I was out early before work this morning trying to get in 30 miles about 13 miles in on a dark 2 lane road just myself and the occasional car this was about 6am I hear a car coming from behind me next thing I'm hit by his side mirror right on my hip I didn't get knocked down just startled the driver came back to me and was telling me how sorry he was that he didn't see me, thankfully the only damage to me was a 5 inch scrape where the mirror hit me rethinking my rear light set-up and thinking about adding a safety vest. The car lost his mirror that hit me he looked down and asked if it was mine? I said no that would be yours.

eastbay71

Glad you're okay. I always wonder about the guys that come so close to me. Are they attracted to my blinkies like insects? I've been hit twice myself so I know how random these occurrences can be.

Biker395 

How the hell could he have missed you?!? I think I smell a distracted driver.

Do you use a rear view mirror? I know it's a hot topic for some, but if you're not already using one, you might want to consider it.

Anyway, glad you're ok. Like she said at the picnic ... sometimes, it's a game of inches.

mht7159

Yeah I'm pretty sure he wasn't paying attention to the road, I'm ready to try anything that would help i bought one of the rear view mirrors for my wife and she has yet to use it so i think i will, along with another rear flashing light.

Jinkster

"Target Fixation" can certainly play a role and often times does...and I'm very familiar with this malaise as it manifests itself in many instances ranging from one motorcyclist following right behind another and getting led right off the edge of a mountain by the first and landing at the bottom with him...too?.....Officers and Roadside Emergency Personnel...folks stare at those bright flashing lights and head right for them like a bug zapper and...BAM!

I bought a real nice $80 USB rechargeable CYGOLITE METRO headlight for my OCR3 but still haven't gotten a tail-light (or rode at night) and why?.....cause I'm still undecided on whether I really do want the brightest thing out there?...or not?...or do I want it to Flash?....or not?...bottom line?...


"How Much Attention Do I Really Want To....DRAW TOWARDS MYSELF?"

Matter fact?...I'm almost leaning towards (along with my headlight) "Just Reflectors In The Rear"...and why?...because if it's drawing their attention for hundreds upon hundreds of feet?....I feel chances are higher that they are going to get "Target Fixation" and "Head For The Light" syndrome whereas?...with Reflectors?...it's more of a "It Was Suddenly There" kind of deal where they "rapidly jerk away" instead of " Slowly Drift Towards".

And on one other note?...I feel that "Riding With Traffic" is the dumbest and most dangerous thing to have ever come upon bicyclist....as a child and young adult?...myself (and all my neighborhood buds) used to "RIDE AGAINST TRAFFIC"....always...everywhere we went...and if we saw someone riding with traffic?...we figured them to be a moron with a death wish....why?...easy...

You Get To See The Traffic Coming At You "FULL TIME"...(and not just momentary glances in a small mirror)...and?...

"ALWAYS HAVE A SHOT AT EXECUTING EVASIVE MANEUVERS"

should the need arise...for instance...someone could be driving high or drunk...but for the few seconds (or less) you glanced in your micro mirror?...they appeared to be driving normal...until they got to your now dead butt...I loath riding WITH traffic....(especially when there's no "Bike Lane")....and cringe every time I hear a vehicle coming...absolutely hate it.

Biker395 

^ That is what a rear view mirror is for. You can watch the person approach you very easily and take evasive action if necessary.

Trust me when I tell you this ... you do NOT want to ride against traffic. For a variety of very good reasons, that is outrageously dangerous.

Louis Le Tour

If there's no shoulder on the road you may get to watch him ram into the back of your bike and flip you over his car.

JanMM

Ditto that riding against traffic is a terrible idea. I don't remember ever doing that or being told to do it when I was a kid.
Mirrors are very helpful but they are for intermittent use. Concentrate on what's ahead but check out what's behind regularly, too.
Hopefully, the OP reported the collision to the police and will seek medical evaluation if there is any hint that more damage was done than first apparent.
Glad it wasn't worse!

Jinkster

Hmmm.....I was going to challenge you to "Name Me One"....glad I didn't and googled it up for myself...weird man...(not the Bikesafe site I linked below)...but remembering the one (1) crazy thing we did to ride that way...make a right?...NP...we'd just coast and then cut across two lanes of traffic when the opportunity arose. LOL!...but on the upside?...we didn't get any "Left Hooks" or "Right Crosses"...or?..."Red Light Of Death"...and "The Door Prize" was out of the picture...and we didn't get "Rear Ended" (part 1 or part 2)....so out of the 10 ways to get hit listed at this site?....

https://bicyclesafe.com/

only two (2) of them applied to us so...I guess you could name 2....but the other 8 only apply when riding WITH traffic.

so I guess I still stand on my original thoughts as 80% of the possible accident scenarios are eliminated when riding against traffic...sans having to deal with the one hairy act of making rights. LOL!

I like intelligent debate...especially when it concerns my own safety...so please...by all means...

convince me I'm wrong....please...I'm listening.

rumrunn6

the further away a driver sees you the more time they have to react. that's why I am a fan of strobes not "blinkies"

I use 2 strobes one on my rear rack and one on my left drop bar.

wow, so glad for your safety. play the lottery today!

jwarner

Crapola -- glad you are OK.

I thought about target fixation too -- likely because I'm pretty sure I saw it in action about a month ago. Lady never took her eyes off a guy crossing the MUP opposite me, and had he not ditched his bike, he would have been road meat. I actually saw her tracking the bike with her head and the steering wheel on a sweeping turn at an intersection. The whole time I was wondering what the heck was wrong with her.

Carbonfiberboy 

Same guy blathers about target fixation and also salmons.

Not having a bright blinkie at night is massively dangerous. Not having one in the daytime is dangerous, too. I run a Dinotte 300R blinkie in back. It has to be pointed down toward the road a little or it's blinding, so be sure to do that. It also has a steady mode for group riding or for those that prefer that. It comes with the best and most varied mounting hardware I've seen. Up front, I run a Serfas TSL S250 as a blinkie in daylight and as one of my steady lights at night. Front blinkies are also a must IMO.

Reflective vests and ankle bands are also a good idea and in fact are required for randonneuring events:
RUSA: Announcements

grampa.sjb

Glad you hear you're okay after the hit! I think I'd want to make myself more visible - maybe wear more reflective clothing...


As for riding with or against the traffic:

In the 25 years since moving to Southern California, I have witnessed 7 bike-car collisions - one of them fatal. Every single one was at an intersection with the cyclist riding against the traffic. Reason for collision: driver approaching an intersection tends to look towards traffic coming from the left, and does not see the cyclist coming against the traffic.

I ride with the traffic, which is the safest and the law in California.

doctor j

Safety vest with silver reflective panels is a good idea. Had a cop tell me that my vest made me very visible at night. I have a total of 4 tail lights, all flashing. Cygolite Hotshot, two PlanetBike Superflash, and a Foxfire light. Friends tell me I look like an ambulance going down the road. That's fine with me. So far, so good with lights and vest.

Glad you made it through this ordeal.

As a side note, it would be interesting to hear/see the driver's insurance claim, if he files one, to replace his mirror.

BlazingPedals

Riding salmon increases your closing speed with cars by double your speed vs riding with traffic. Being in an unexpected place always increases your chances of an accident, and simultaneously giving cars less time to react to your presence in the wrong place doesn't seem very smart to me.

Just because your mommy taught you to ride on the left when you were 6 years old doesn't mean she knew what she was talking about.

nkfrench 

Picture a long bridge with a low railing, no shoulder and only 2 lanes.
Which way do you wish to be traveling on that bridge when there are cars in each lane.

Ride with traffic.

Mom's advice applies to pedestrians traveling 2-3 mph.

Biker395 

That's essentially it.

Advantages of Riding Salmon:

1. You can see traffic coming and can take evasive maneuvers if necessary (a mirror provides the same benefit).

Disadvantages of Riding Salmon:

1. You are not where other traffic expects you to be, so:
2. You are going to put cyclists who ARE in the proper place in danger of a head on collision with you or a car.

3. It is against the law. That means:
4. In the event that you need to take evasive maneuvers, you have much less time to do so. 35 MPH traffic and a 20 MPH bicycle makes for a 15 MPH closing speed. Salmoning at the same speeds makes for a 55 MPH closing speed.

5. In the event there is a collision, you've bought a collision at a much higher speed. In the above example, 55 MPH instead of 15 MPH. The damage to your body is proportional to the kinetic energy that it will dissipate in the crash, and that goes up with the square of that speed. So the damage factor is more than 13x greater. Huge difference.

Seriously man ... there is no reasonable debate here. Do NOT ride on the wrong side of the street.

KDC19561954

Glad you are ok.When I ride early in the morning or late at night going to the store I am lit up like a christmas tree I have lights on both legs two rear lights that flash one around my waist and a 1000 lume head light as well And I am going to add turn signal and running lights as well.May be a bit over kill but I'm still going to do it.

Jimbosays

Best $8.00 I've ever spent on a road riding safety item . . . I always wear a safety vest (along with appropriate bike lighting) for dusk-to-dawn riding - And will swear that motor vehicles give me a couple extra feet of road space than when I'm not wearing it.

Neiko High Visibility Neon Yellow Zipper Front Safety Vest with Reflective Strips - Meets ANSI/ISEA Standards, Size Large
by Neiko
Link: https://amzn.com/B0030AA3YK

zonatandem

Been hit from the rear twice at about 45 mph.
Neither time did I fall down. Both times in broad daylight wearing bright colored jersey.
Once on my single bike hit by drunk driver in a pickup truck. Saw FORD spelled backward in my eyeglasses mounted mirror. Ripped bolts our of truck door and mirror went crashing to the ground. I stayed upright and mirror hit in the upper left hip area. Driver got citation + license suspended for 90 days.
I had a 3 month session with chiropractor.
Another similar hit was on Halloween on our tandem riding on a frontage road next to I-10 freeway. Wearing bright orange jerseys driver claimed 'I did not see you!' He had a restricted drivers license and no insurance. He claimed 'I try to drive between the lines . . .'
His break-away sideview mirror hit my stoker Kay in the back and busted the mirror. Managed to keep my line and stay upright. He was ticketed and we saw to it that his restricted license was revoked.
Saw him coming up behind us and new it would be a close call. There was a deep ditch immediately next to the road so veering to the right was not an option.
Yes, bright clothing help; yes a mirror is useful.
Stoker ended up in hospital for observation (no broken bones) and had a big hematoma on her left hip.
Been riding since the early '70s and have logged over 300,000 miles between our tandems and single bikes.
Ride as if your life depends on it . . .
Pedal on!
Rudy and Kay/zonatandem

Jim from Boston

Once…I figured out…what your post is saying…my main argument…against…riding opposite traffic…is imagine…going over a hill…and encountering an oncoming car.

qcpmsame 

I won't ride against traffic, ever, its illegal in Florida. I always use an eye-glasses mounted mirror, don't care what others think about looks or its effectiveness. I also ride with a blinking red light on back and a flashing LED white front light. Target fixation is somewhat overblown, IMO/E, do as you wish for all of these instances. Biker395 reply, #17 , sums things up very well, thanks for that one, Vic.

Bill

John E

Since motorists tend to ignore vertical objects, I think there is a cogent argument in favor of having multiple tail lights, mounted side-by-side. For example, mount a short flexible metal or plastic breakaway bar horizontally on your rear rack, and put a blinkie on each end of it. The distance between the lights should be roughly the width of your shoulders.

On a bike without a rear rack, I have started using a bright flash daytime rear blinkie from Serfas on the left chainstay, and I am tempted to add one to the right chainstay, again to add at least some width to my appearance.

jyl

Riding against traffic is a terrible idea. No experienced cyclist I know does it or advocates it.

Maybe it made sense when we were little kids, wobbling at 8 mph on rural roads, and our moms were worried we'd space out and weave into traffic. Not in urban traffic, riding with the speed and skill of adults.

Review the speed differentials. Car 35 mph, bicyclist 20 mph. Riding with traffic, you are hit at 15 mph. Riding against, you are hit at 55 mph. One accident is survivable, the other is not.

I have two red blinkies on my backpack and two on the bike. I usually turn two on, the other two are backup. I have reflective strips on the backpack and ankles. My commute to work is always in the dark, my return is in the dark a third of the time.

Carbonfiberboy 

I don't think even bright colored jerseys are good enough, hence my use of bright blinkies for and aft in daytime. Next time you are on a group ride and the bikes behind you are a ways back, glance in your mirror. What do you see immediately? Only the bikes running front blinkies.

If you start running daytime blinkies, others will see it and start doing the same. Around here now, maybe 1/4 of the roadies I see are running blinkies. That's better, but everyone should.