I-Like-To-Bike

?
Send an email to the CEO and ask him.

FBinNY 

IMO sharing roads isn't like playing horseshoes, in that close doesn't count.

I'm very used to close passes, and much more concerned about speed. My preference is that motorists slow down as they come up behind me, and once they do, I'm OK with close passing when the situation dictates it.

One thing I'd like to see is for states to clarify rules about crossing center lines, including double yellows when passing slow moving vehicles. If drivers weren't paranoid about being ticketed, they might be more willing to move over farther.

Schweinhund

Agreed, mostly. I am not comfortable with a vehicle within two feet of me.
Gimme a couple of feet and I'm a happy camper.
What torques me off is the fighter pilots doing strafing runs at bicycles. You know what I mean? The jerks who think it's funny to buzz you at high speed, usually some idiot on a Harley with a stereo system that you can hear a bumping a block before they get to you.

FBinNY 

IMO every cyclist needs to spend a few days riding 2 lane roads in up country Maine. After a few close passes by 60mph log trucks with their over wide cargo seemingly passing overhead, everything else will be cake.

urbanknight

Did they respond? I got a close pass from a Fed Ex truck on camera, but figured nobody would care about it. Plus it wasn't terribly close like the one in this thread.


I agree with this. Cars a foot away going 5-10 mph faster than me are fine. In this case, the car was going at least the speed limit of 45mph (probably faster) and I doubt there was even a full foot between us. Even that didn't scare me so much as when I reviewed the footage and saw that the car was actually directly behind me while accelerating. You know if that truck drifted over any more, the driver would have picked the softer choice (i.e. me) to crash into.


Agreed as well. The comfortable margin gets smaller as the speed differential goes down. Heck, I pull to the left at red lights so cars can slowly squeeze by inches away to make a right turn on the red. Some even roll their window down to thank me.

Daniel4

Yes. This is what he wrote.

"Thanks for sending this over and for certain a good safety reminder for our driver.
We will review with them and use as an example of our daily pre-shift briefing. We take road safety very seriously at DHL."

In 2018, after I bought and mounted my first action camera, I had reported a FedEx driver making a dangerous manoeuvre. I had reported it and got a response from the regional manager saying he'll discuss it with the driver.

Businesses have a public reputation and image to uphold. Ever see those signs at the back of truck that says " How's my driving? Call 1-800-..."?

When you make reports, make sure you are polite and have the date, time, location, and licence plate and vehicle number.

As for private vehicles, we can't do much except post them on Youtube. Don't blank out the licence plate.


AND (as stated in the stickies) if you are involved in a collision, don't post the video. The defendant might use your video against you.

livedarklions

I wouldn't bet on the discussion with the driver amounting to much of anything. That has all the hallmarks of a canned response.

JoeyBike

Cars/trucks overtaking cyclists from behind is absolutely the #1 risk factor, hands down.

This is exactly why I try to keep my speed up in the city (18mph+) and strive to never lead a pack of cars/trucks off a red light. Running the lights and cycling in the gaps created by the lights is a great technique. Bright rear lights, rear view mirrors, assertiveness when warranted, and even pulling off to the side to let a stream of traffic pass safely all work as well. My old city commute was 10 miles long. Some days I could acquire ZERO passes, and often single digit passes. I rode a single speed with low gearing on that route a couple times, with a high speed of 12-14mph. I got passed 100 times. Which technique is safer? I know which one made me feel safer - zero passes. And I'm still here above ground after 45 years of handling my biz that way.

urbanknight

I only have about 30 years to your 45 with no car incidents to date, but every study I have read says the most common car/bike accidents are at intersections and driveways, t-bones and right/left hooks.

Steve B.

I recently watched a terrific YT series from a couple cycling across the U.S. in '21. They were on a route across central Montana as recommended by Adventure Cycling (they had stopped in and were given this route as suggestion, do to some road closures die to forest fires). They found themselves on 2 lane roads with poor to no shoulders and as they described it, cars passing at 70mph and giving no clearance, even when there was no oncoming traffic. They were subsequently told by locals at a local diner "Oh, folks from Montana HATE cyclists". They reached Great Falls, packed up gear and bikes and flew to Kansas City to continue their trip.

FBinNY 

Accident data can bring tricky to analyze. It's true that the most accidents involve turns of some kind. But passing accounts for the most fatalities.

I prefer not to go nuts over this kind of stuff, and instead focus on that which is in my control, and mentally tuning out what isn't.

JoeyBike

Right and left hooks come from behind. To prevent all those other things follow 3 simple steps:

1. Look both ways before you cross a street, even a one-way street.

2. If you can't see, you can't go.

3. If you're NOT SURE, you can't go.

Problem solved.

urbanknight

Agreed, and cars coming from behind are out of my control. I even stopped using a mirror because it certainly didn't tell me if any of them were going to veer into my lane... even in this case, I don't think I would have seen it in time to do anything about it.

Well put, but I think that's oversimplifying it. I have seen cars seeming to wait and then suddenly turn in front of me like I wasn't there, pedestrians suddenly change direction and step off the curb even though they didn't have a walk sign, and other such ninjas.

I also go by the rule of being as visible as possible, but maneuvering as if you're invisible.

urbanknight

JoeyBike so it makes me curious... do you have protocols for avoiding accidents from behind? Other than speed, because I'm just not in shape to make that happen

FBinNY 

I never bothered with mirrors for the same basic reason. By the time the car is close enough to make a call about an impending collision, it's too late to avoid it. So for the sake of my sanity I take it as an act of faith that drivers coming from behind will go around me. Doesn't mean I do stupid stuff, it's just that after deciding on the best positioning, I trust the rest to Karma. It's been almost 60 years, and well over 100k road miles, and I haven't had a reason to rethink it.

My bicycling version of the serenity prayer involves the knowledge to manage what can and wisdom to accept what I can't.

urbanknight

I think that's what jarred me so much about reviewing that video. Is that a reason? I mean, the driver did miss me, but wow it looked bad up until the last split second.

FBinNY 

I don't need no stinkin' videos. (couldn't resist).

Being passed by log trucks, or riding 15mph in a 2-3' lane between 2 city buses is more than enough to think about.

JoeyBike

Speed is the main thing. The less time spent on a busy roadway the fewer passes you endure. That said, in my city grid, if for some reason I can't keep up with traffic even in their draft, or stay ahead of them, I generally use red lights to my advantage. I either run the light early on to ride in the gap created by the light as it stops traffic behind me, or I wait after it turns green for all the cars to go through the intersection, then follow the last car through. Or use a better street and avoid the ones I can't keep up on.

urbanknight

Makes sense. I already wait at fresh green lights until the traffic passes. No use in making them all pass me seconds later.

I'm not downtown, so the streets here usually flow pretty well with speed limits at about 35-45mph, giving me no chance to stay ahead. Alternate streets can be tricky here since they usually don't go through, but I of course try to choose the less busy ones and/or ones with wide bike lanes/parking lanes.

JoeyBike

One extreme example when I was on a bike tour and passing through Charlottesville, VA. I found myself on a 2-lane road at rush hour, bumper-to-bumper traffic at 50ish MPH, uphill, with a slight leftward curve to the road. Zero shoulder, in fact it was a ditch off the asphalt. I quickly found a spot to get off the road and beyond the ditch onto a mowed area. Laid my bike down in the grass, spread out my sleeping mat, and took a nap for an hour until rush hour subsided. Then I proceeded the 2 miles to my final destination for the day in peace. I don't know many cyclists who would handle the situation in that way but hey!....I'm still here!

FBinNY 

Kudos. Discretion is the better part of valor. Being able to judge a bad situation and adjust accordingly is possibly the best safety skill a rider can develop. Unfortunately, too many cyclists are overly focused on their rights, and can't tell the difference between what they may legally do, and what they should.

1989Pre

I don't see a problem. The car had to negotiate both you and the large truck, and did a good job. If the car had slowed to let the truck gain some distance, this would have created a major collision risk from behind. What I will suggest is for you to plan your trips with your experience in-mind. Anticipate what traffic condidtions might present. Find another route, another time-of-day, or another mode of transportation. Most riders who are used to city riding would not give this situation any weight.

FBinNY 

While maybe not a problem, I consider is more than an annoyance.

Minimal driving skills involve knowing how to pass. Often, as in this case, a bit of timing is called for.

As I've said before, I'm used to and OK with close passes, but I'm less OK with them when rhe situation doesn't call for it. I can't stand it when in light traffic the passing driver times it so he, the oncoming driver and I are abreast on the roadway.

A slight change in speed as they approach from behind creates a passing opportunity with plenty room to spread out.

IMO badly timed passes are evidence of poor drivers oblivious to and unable or unwilling to adjust to conditions.

JoeyBike

This isn't just a bike thing. As a motorist I do not trust any cyclist to hold their line when I pass. So I change lanes. As a cyclist I do not trust any motorist to do the right thing or have ANY level of skill or awareness whatsoever. So I use a rear-view mirror judiciously like a semi driver. I glance in it every 10-15 seconds and have avoided many unnecessarily close passes by doing so. Also I have avoided being startled by a very close pass many times.

This video had a happy ending. You don't have to look very far down the page on A&S to find more grim results. I use every tool available to me to avoid those ranks while cycling, and as a motorist I really don't have time to deal with killing a cyclist who does something bone-headed at the last second (and damage to my vehicle).

rumrunn6

fwiw - reminds me, when I drove a Good Humor ice cream truck, 1 summer in college, we were not allowed to ever backup. no reverse, ever.