Eli_Damon

Warning: There is nothing very interesting about this incident. I am just ranting.

I was riding along last night on a one-lane-per-direction road, approaching a traffic light at which I intended to turn left. I moved to the left of the lane and stuck my left arm out. Then a car came up behind me and honked. I moved farther to the left, leaving enough room for the car to (carefully) pass me on the right, which would have been a legitimate maneuver. Instead, the car followed me closely all the way to the intersection and when I was right in the middle of the intersection, just as I was in the sharpest part of the turn, the car gunned its engine, swung around me ON THE LEFT and continued straight though the intersection. I braked hard and the car missed my front wheel by mere inches. What the hell?!

Speedo

Earlier this year I had the exact same thing happen to me.

In my case it was after dark, and I came to the conclusion that the driver may have seen the bike (two sets of blinkies and reflectors) and the center of my body, (reflective vest and ankle reflectors) but he may not have seen my signal (bright colored, but non-reflective sleave, dark colored non-reflective gloves).

I'm wearing gloves with reflective piping now.

Or, it might just be that the driver was an a$$&*^%.

Speedo

sauerwald

My commute has one place where the road forks - the right hand lane gets wider, and eventually a separate lane develops on the right for through traffic, while the left two lanes continue down the left fork. My commute takes me to the left, so as I approach the fork, I take the lane, and move a bit further to the left so that cars taking the right side of the fork can pass me on my right. It is very common that cars will move across to the left lane so that they can pass me on my left, then cut across two lanes of traffic to take the right side of the fork. Some motorists are incapable of passing a bicycle on the right.

trackhub

It's another person who should not have been granted the legal privilege of operating a motor vehicle.

The good drivers are out there, but the number of morons behind the wheel seems to be going up dramatically. Does anyone else notice this, or is it just me?

genec

Shoot, I have had idiot drivers swoop past me on the left, going clear into the opposing lane, only to then move to the right to make a right turn. All this while I was in the center of the lane intending to go straight through.

Truly brilliant I tell you, brilliant.

wahoonc

I am inclined to agree with you, I was sitting in a corner deli the other day and was watching traffic (hobby of mine) there is a stop sign on the corner of the 70 some vehicles that came to that stop sign only 2 came to a full and complete stop, the rest varied from blowing thru to a slow roll. I mentioned it to a police officer that was getting lunch to go and he just kind of shrugged it off and said they had more urgent things to take care of.

I do think that the number of careless and could care less drivers is going up, face it Drivers' Education in this country is a joke, and that is assuming that they even took it to begin with. We have a huge influx of immigrants, illegal and otherwise that are getting driver's licenses and I am sure most of them have never had any formal driver training. Factor in the "if he can do it, I am going to do it" mentality and there you have it...mayhem on our roadways. I used to enjoy driving, but not anymore, I can't wait to get off the roads for good.

I sometimes wonder if they enforced the smaller stuff, like stop signs and turn signals if the larger stuff would fall into place? I know this has been tried in some areas with property ordinances with good results.

Aaron

genec

+10. Yeah Drivers Ed... six weeks that is soon forgotten.

I too have had lunch at a local Deli and watched in somewhat sad amazement the variety of motorists drive in wide variety of manner. The ones that seem to feel that "more power" was the best solution were almost laughable at this corner which tended to have standing water. They would spin out and sometimes lose control. The motorists that stopped, and then steadily took off, fared the best, but were also in the minority.

As far as motorists being mad at cyclists because "we don't stop for signs... " Ha! 10 minutes at a corner like that will show you the truth. less than 1 in 10 motorists came to a complete stop. (I was eating lunch... I counted)

Bekologist

I watch traffic around the bike shop a lot- it's very close to a park with a LOT of pedestrians.

Driver behavior is abhorrent. I think a new driving slogan is "STOP SIGNS- the new YIELD"

its scary. I've watched grown men in cars scream and yell at pregnant women with strollers in the crosswalks. What is happening to american civility and drivers responsibilities?

genec

Yeah, I've seen them honk at kids walking to school in crosswalks.

Clearly "drivers are doing all they can..." sheesh

electromethod

Seems like a slightly ignorant comment to make since most states now require proof of legal immigration in order to attain a state issued DL or ID. I dated a korean girl who knew how to drive just fine. Matter of fact, she and her brother drove 100 times better than myself or anyone else I know.

Around these parts of Florida, the biggest issue is the ignorant moron usually in a lifted truck with the confederate flag tint and the gun rack, that seems to think he is above the law. Did I mention that it's usually accompanied by a hair trigger temper that automatically places blame on the other party?

IGNORANCE has no boundaries, nor racial preference. We have to face the reality that until driver education is taken more seriously, these problem will only compound, regardless of an individuals socioeconomic, racial, or any other background.

tehdely

Wow, the exact same thing happened to me a week ago in San Francisco. 4 AM, leftmost lane of a 5-lane (empty) one-way street. I signal left, start turning left, and an asshat in a BMW guns his engine, moves left into the PARKING lane to get around me and go straight. I straightened out just quick enough to not get T-boned. I was within about 2" of getting hit. Some people just can not tolerate the idea of being behind a bike, even if they can safely and legally get around. They must prove their superiority and speed by unsafely passing you instead.

wahoonc

They may require it but that doesn't mean they are getting it. According to the latest information I have on my area nearly 1/5 of the drivers on the road either don't have a license, have a suspended license or have an illegal license. Factor in the lack of proper registration and insurance and that number jumps to nearly 1/3. And unfortunately a very large percentage of them are immigrants. FWIW I live in NC and I am sure this issue exists in other areas. I suspect if you check the local police reports in any area of the country with a sizable population you will find at least one a day where an illegal driver has caused an injury accident, hit and run, or property damage.

Aaron

electromethod

I understand. However, I thought his post came across as a generalized statement specifically targeting immigrants.

Last year, I was involved in a high speed chase crash. I was waiting behind a light and was hit by a truck being pursued by LE........ he was traveling in excess of 80mph on impact. He had a license and wasn't an "illegal." Best part is he only got a tap on the wrist and was out of lockup within 90 days.

feba

Do any companies make turn signals for bikes? Since it seems like Driver's Ed. no longer teaches people what arm signals mean, maybe a blinking light would get their attention.

CliftonGK1

True enough, but how many states require that you can read English (the language all the street/warning signs are written in) to obtain a DL?
I couldn't care less where someone grew up. What does concern me is the availability of 20 foriegn language translations of the written portion of the driver's test, and the fact that (at least in Ohio and Washington) you can bring a translator to the exam. Here's why it bothers me: In college, a friend of mine was from Pakistan and primarily spoke Urdu (sp?). The Athens, Ohio DMV didn't have a translation of the exam so he was allowed to bring a translator. It was well known around campus which translators would accept an extra $50 to just feed you the answers instead of merely translating. So you end up with a bunch of newly licensed drivers without two essential skills: 1) The ability to comprehend the laws regarding vehicle operation, and 2) The ability to comprehend warning, hazard, and other street signs beyond their limited language scope.
I'm all for anyone taking the test and getting their license, but just as I wouldn't expect to see an English translation of the driver's test in China, I don't think the same luxury should be continued here.

genec

Here is a California irony.

The state unemployment board has phone numbers for each of the languages that a person might be using to call for assistance... including one for spanish speakers. If you call the english speaking assitance phone number, you are prompted to dial 1 to continue... in english.