So they say riding fixed makes you more of an alert rider as you plan what youre going to do before you get there, especially if you don't have brakes. What they omit to mention is that automobile drivers aren't so alert... whats the point anyway when you have ABS, PDC, SRS, and cars that can parallel park for you!

To the story... I was riding home this evening from school (<0.5 mile trip) on the sidewalk since it was dark and saw a car passing me on the road. I saw that they were going to turn so I slowed myself down in order to let it pass me before I got to the intersection. As the car was turning they saw me coming to the intersection and they decided to stop right in the middle (they slammed on the brakes) like a deer caught in headlights. At this point it was too late for me to stop but luckily I was only travelling 10-12 mph so I did the best I could to go slower and just decided to go right for the guys fender. Luckily I was able to just braze the fender, hop off my bike, go around, and get back on and ride off.

I know many of you have had much more severe cases and I am not trying to claim a "cyclist gets hit by car" story but it just worries me that people lack proper decision making when caught in the moment.

Long story short, I should probably install a front brake.