RoboChrist

Some dumb bunny was driving beside me and made a right turn into a church driveway, signalling as she was making the turn.

"I didn't see you"

NO.

SH1T.

SHERLOCK.


Then I though about it for a second...I was in her blind spot. This was after I launched into her with a tirade of expletives about her not using her passenger mirror.

She was right.

Blind spot ppl.

banerjek

Unless you passed her from behind, she is clearly in the wrong.

Presuming she caught you from behind at some point, she should be paying attention to where you were. In any case she should have signaled.

palesaint

Yup, if I'm ever behind a car/bicyclist in the right lane at any intersection, I assume s/he could pull a right and I make sure I'm not in their path. Certainly helps avoid cases like this.

ilmooz

Thank God you weren't harmed. It must have been divine intervention.

RoboChrist

I thank my brake pads. God could've done me a favour by tapping that dumb b1tch on the shoulder and giving her a heads up, but no.

PluperfectArson

I had a (sort of) similar situation the other day riding along 82nd here in Portland. There was a Z4 with its top down, and I knew the guy was going to make a right turn. He kept checking his rear-view and passenger mirrors, so I thought he might have seen me, considering he was stopped at the red light for a while when I was approaching. I was coming up to the turn as the light turned green, he still managed to almost hit me. It was a close call, but I looked back and shook my head.

A month or so ago, I was almost right-hooked by a U-Haul truck who decided not to check his passenger mirror before turning. He was inches from hitting me with his front bumper, shook my head at him, too.

I need to make stickers for special occasions like this, to slap on people's cars.

"I almost right-hooked a cyclist today."
"I ran a red light today." That is a big one.
The list could go on.

Spreggy

Well said. If you survive out there, it's because of your own wits.

Yesterday's b-group ride, coming to a light, five cars already in line, car #3 has his right signal on. I'm at the front. I ease up and stop/stand off the back corner of the right turning car so s/he can go ahead and turn without running any of us over. What did the group do? You know the answer. Most of them went right past me to get right up to the light, so all these people can re-pass them, and maybe the right-turner will get one or two.

Darwin favors the cager.

Spreggy

You rolled past a right turn signal at a light? You shouldn't do that on your invisible little bike, because if a car hits you it's gonna hurt really bad.

PluperfectArson

He was third in line at the light.

The Weak Link

Was she hot?

Quel

Passing on the right at speed at/through an intersection isn't smart. Don't do that.

cooleric1234

Last I checked they generally recommend that people turn their heads and check their blind spot while driving, I know it's a habit for me. Just because you were in her blind spot doesn't mean that "she was right" about not seeing you.

DeweyJuice

You are very understanding and probably very wise. Sounds to me like you improved yourself through adversity which puts you ahead of the curve. Well played.

Doohickie

That's why you act like a vehicle at a light and wait your turn like everyone else.

Doohickie

It depends. What will you do in that situation next time, Robo?

PluperfectArson

Never!

RoboChrist

If the traffic is heavy I guess I have no choice but to reduce speed and stay behind, trying to avoid being alongside cagers. I'm quite fast, you know

...And this happened on a four lane road with a dedicated bike lane, go figure.

Doohickie

That's what some people cite as the major problem with bike lanes- that they end in a "coffin corner". If I'm in a bike lane and there is any traffic around at all, I get in the traffic lane as I approach intersections. Maybe not as fast as cruising through, but safer and more predictable for both you and the cars.

Also, getting a mirror if you don't already have one is a decent way to know if there is approaching traffic. I like my helmet mounted one; it moves with my head, so I can scan traffic across several lanes behind me. I still do head checks, but I know what I expect to see before I look which makes the head check more effective- just filling in the blanks instead of trying to take in the whole picture at a glance.

Doohickie

Suit yourself. JoeyBike flaunts every law and gets away with it. I don't have such cojones.

johnknappcc

And still no answer . . . c'mon, priorities people.

JimF22003

Flouts.

RoboChrist

Intersections are not really a problem for me, and yeah taking the whole lane at a busy intersection is always a good idea. This happened as I was passing a driveway off a main road in the city. I was just in a bad spot going very fast, and she was making a surprise right turn ahead of me, whcih forced me to enter the same driveway she was entering. Stupidity on both counts.

AngryScientist 

mirrors suck.

Doohickie

You don't like em? Don't use one.

twentysixtwo

This is one of the hazards of riding too far to the right .....dumba$$ drivers tune you out...or simply aren't looking if you're not really in the lane...