Originally Posted by
AlmostTrick
LOL, my experience counts, and so does yours!
While it is certainly true that someone could possibly ‘not see’ a cyclist, a car, or even a full size emergency vehicle running lights right in front of them, how often does it happen? And is there any proof that it happens more often to cyclists than motorists? Have you never seen a motorist pull out right in front of a moving car, or plow into one that was completely stopped?
While ‘I didn’t see him’ certainly is possible, and may be the most often given excuse, I’d bet that ‘Seen, but failed to use due caution/follow the law’ is more often to be the case when a cyclist is hit. And yes, my experience leads me to believe that taking the lane addresses this more common motorist mistake quite well.
In answer to your first question... yes, I have seen motorists pull into moving cars and stopped ones... this is discussed in some detail in the book "Traffic Why we drive the way we do." I suggest reading it to gain some insight into what you are really dealing with on the road. This is not to scare you, but simply to get you to understand that you really have to be on the ball to ride a bike in traffic... and survive.
I have also seen motorists ready to pull right into me as I have crossed just feet in front of them (they were about to make a right on red)... and I have seen the eyes and "horror look" on their faces as they suddenly became aware that I was there. And we are talking low speed... not me suddenly flying into their view. Drivers can and will look right through you, as if you are invisible. How can they do that if you are so obvious to them?