Originally Posted by
Jim from Boston
As a decades-long, year-round urban commuter in notorious Boston, I can't say enough about a rearview mirror, but I try; I wear two,
left and right.
Originally Posted by
Coluber42
Another thing I think is useful, whether you use a mirror or not, is looking over your shoulder. Aside from seeing who's behind you, humans respond subconsciously to other humans turning to look at them. I've noticed that drivers often slow down some or pass more carefully or respond to me like I'm another person when I turn to look, where I'm just an inanimate road obstacle otherwise...
So I make a point of looking over my shoulder sometimes, even if I obviously can't turn around and make eye contact or anything. Also, use lots of hand signals and polite gestures. If someone yields to let me make a left turn or something, I always acknowledge them with a wave.
Not to be contrarian, and I couldn’t find the link, but in one thread, I think regarding advice to a new commuter, was that even if you make seeming eye contact, the driver may not psychologically
see (perceive) you, so don’t necessarily trust even eye contact. Probably the most certain signal from a driver is:
Originally Posted by
Jim from Boston
…Another useful tip is to look at the front wheels of cars to anticipate their movements, not to look at the car body or hood. …
Originally Posted by
Stun
...The best advice often comes from cyclists that live the closest to you …The exception here would also be Jim from Boston--anyone that can successfully commute around Boston has my full respect and probably knows how to deal with about every intersection imaginable!
PS: Another hazard attributable to eye contact was nicely described in this post:
Originally Posted by
rholland1951
Amen to (1) . As to (2) there are alarming variations of that [overly polite behavior by drivers], e.g., stopping in one lane and waving the cyclist through while traffic in the adjacent lane continues to flow unabated, and drivers in that lane have their line of sight interrupted by the hyperconsiderate driver's car. In some circles, persons practicing behavior (2) are referred to as "niceholes".
FWIW.
