Originally Posted by
Chris0516
I genuinely wonder who wins the Grand Prize. For being totally clueless about the rights, and safety of cyclists' .....your husband, or the errant driver.
Definitely the driver. Hands down the driver. I've had three close calls including this one, one I'm certain was deliberate, two clueless, and this was the absolute closest. The other clueless I had plenty of reaction time, only risk to me was a blood vessel popping from the blood pressure ticking upward, and the deliberate I would have been hit if he hadn't changed his mind, but it would have been broadside at low speed. My leg would have ended up trapped between the bike and the side of his car and that would have had the most damage, I'd have been knocked on my side and lots of road rash. But this....I really think I would have been very, very badly hurt or even could have been killed. It would have either been a t-bone into my side or nearly head-on, and since he didn't even slow down for the stop sign it would have been at about him doing 20-25mph and in a position where I would have smashed into his windshield or been knocked down and his tires going over me.
But for my husband, it was just very, very surprising since I know I've said at some point early on when drivers honking still was a new annoyance "What, do they want me to break the law?" So I figured he remembered the part about "break the law".
(
And a bit of insight that came to me today as to why motorists drive me nuts when they pass on the right and honk and anything else that isn't appropriate pass-on-the-left-when-safe driving. It's what we learned in kindergarten, stay in line and wait your turn, and people who forget the lessons from kindergarten and want to cut by going on the right or honking at me are basically breaking those rules. It's why I have always hated "the squeaky wheel gets the grease" and customers that complain the most are jumped ahead of customers who are quietly patient and therefore cutting in line. It's also why when I'm a pedestrian I'll wait if someone who doesn't notice me violates my right of way, but when I am sure the motorist does see me but is counting on me not challenging him, I'll step out and he has to decide if he wants the premeditation of attempted first degree murder or if he's going to brake, and then I'll walk super-slow while he's stopped and screaming at me. Wait your turn.)