Originally Posted by
genec
I love that brilliant reaction time... you must be an outstanding athlete. So in seconds, you can evaluate what is happening and then make a quick evacuation and be right every time. Wow. I think some of us cyclists are merely human.
It's not super human athletics at all. As I already posted, by far the
vast majority drive up extra slow, from far back. The few who don't will be noticed with plenty of time remaining. In this case I'll look back at them, which is one of the most effective signals a cyclist has. Not wait until I have to jump to safety. (which I've never had to do yet) Really, it's not that dangerous mixing with traffic according to the rules.
If it's so likely to be hit this way why have I (and others) not had it happen?
Not even any close calls. IN YEARS!
Originally Posted by
italianstallion
If this 'unusual' thing were actually a thing then cyclists would only die when we run red-lights or misjudge a left hand turn in front of oncoming traffic. I think we can agree those are not the only ways cyclists are killed, so to say that a cyclist stopped behind a car is unusual and therefore won't get hit is a complete straw-man argument. I agree that we are unusual, but that doesn't make me any more or less of a sitting duck to any motorists that could potentially hit me. To rear-end someone who was stopped at a light means that person was distracted in any one of one million ways. Maybe more people are attentive when a cyclist is present, I might agree with you there, but to essentially say 100% of people are attentive to stopped cyclists and we cannot be rear ended is impossible.
Nothing in traffic safety is 100% or impossible, and I never insinuated such. The "unusual" thing that garners motorist attention is a cyclist smack in the lane. At least around here it's not common, so it makes one stand out greatly. And we all know that motorists DON"T want to hit us.
And your argument about being 100% attentive to what's coming up behind me, then jumping out of the way to safety should they show now signs of stopping is completely laughable (almost troll-ish). When I need to I'll ask the rear-ending car to wait while I unclip from my bike and find another traffic lane that's safe for me to jump into.
See my response to gene above. You're the one making a straw man with your comment about asking a "rear ending car" (?) for you to wait and unclip. Although it was somewhat humorous, so I'll give you that.
