Originally Posted by
kickstart
By their very nature, distracted drivers throw a monkey wrench into any, and all dogmatic riding styles.
Yep. Allow me to illustrate...
My dogmatic riding style: I cycle in a manner that most reduces the number of motor vehicles overtaking me. All of my cycling is in a densely populated city with maximum 35 mph speed limits. So it is fairly easy to make my way to work 6 miles and only be overtaken be a handful of cars and trucks. This is because I ride fast (20+ MPH) and I selectively run red lights with a plan in mind - to cycle in the traffic gaps created by the red lights. Been doing this for 40 years and I have the technique perfected. Along with limiting the numbers of murderers coming up behind me, I wear a rear-view mirror on my helmet and USE IT. If a line of cars does somehow look like they will overtake me I will very often just pull over in a gap between parallel parked cars and let them all go by, then catch the gap behind them and try to keep up with the last car. This might happen three times a week during my commute. I also run very powerful headlight and tail light. I flash them by day. They can be seen from space.
OK...this^^ is my Dogma. It is well known by most A&S veterans. They are likely tired of hearing it.
The monkey wrench has been thrown! It has gotten so ridiculous (to my sensibilities) how many people are not looking through their windshields, increasing every year seemingly, that I now limit my cycling to the bare necessities - getting to work, grocery, and doctors/dentists. I do not own a car so I must use the bike. But for pleasure riding...done with that. I have seen dozens of cars bump the car in front of them stopped at red lights RIGHT NEXT TO ME as I split the lane past them. I have not cycled one mile over the past 12 months for the joy of cycling. It's just not joyful anymore. I have thrown in the towel.
So my new 2015 dogma: Cycle only when absolutely necessary, limit the number of cars getting a free shot at me, use strobes to get attention, and keep an eye over my shoulder (mirror). The odds of me getting smacked by a distracted driver is still not zero, but darned low for sure. I am just not giving them many shots at me.