SmoothRide

Well, this week I've been hit by two different cars, and neither time could I come up with a plate number.

The first time I was doing around 25mph down a very busy road when someone clipped me lightly on the back of the shoulder with their rear view mirror. This normally would just bother me that they were close enough to do that, but since I was pedaling so hard I was knocked over the curb and grind across the sidewalk with my feet still clipped in. Now, half my body is lying on the sidewalk, but my head and torso were still in the middle of this almost highway. I sure anyone who runs clipless pedals here knows that getting your feet out after falling over is pretty hard to do. So I'm sitting here with cars almost running over my face for five minutes. 'Twas very frightening.

The second time I was doing around 15mph down a quit road near a demolition site. The speed limit was 30mph. I suddenly hear a horn and feel another side mirror hit me, this time square in the back. I get flung over my handle bars, with my feet still clipped in. I then crash into a metal rung fence, face grinding against it. I then turn over and crash on my head (ruining my Pneumo) and cheese grate my arm. Then, my saddle hits me in the spine.

Both times I was lucky I didn't get run over again or brake my neck (or anything else). I'm an extremely cautious rider- I always stop at red lights, crosswalks and stop signs, and I never do anything sudden or without signaling.

Is there anyway I can avoid being hit by JAM's? Or am I doomed to be hit for the rest of my life?

fordfasterr

dude, take the lane.

If I feel even .01% unsafe, I don't give cagers ANY space.

Eff them. They are in a motorized car, they can slow down and go around me on the oncoming lane.


No remorse, no pity, no worry !

straightballin

X2
cars don't own the road,you have just as much right as they do to be there

mathletics

+1 take the lane. The driver probably didn't notice that he clipped you with his mirror, but he would certainly notice if you're right in front, blocking the lane.

I like to always pretend I'm as wide as a car; it seems to work.

LittleBigMan

Dear God!

Whatever the answer is, I hope you find it soon!



I can't really say why you're having these problems, but Lord, I hope you can solve it quickly!



Hang in there, bro. You might find some help in these forums.

Whew...

sggoodri

Since you're in Raleigh, you might be interested in our class:
https://www.humantransport.org/bikeclass/

Also our advocacy site:
https://www.humantransport.org/bicycledriving/index.html

And some pictures of traffic cycling:
https://www.humantransport.org/bicycl...ery/index.html

John Wilke

I know that I'm the oddball around here, but what if he 'takes the lane' and instead of getting clipped by a mirror, he gets run over **********

Good God, man. I'm glad you're alive.

(and they call ME accident prone. )

kuan

Hi John, are you fully recovered? Doing the Birkie this year?

atbman

Obviously, he gets injured or killed.

However, the OP's experience came from some idiot/careless/incompetent driver either not noticing him, or totally misjudging their overtaking gap.

If he takes the lane, he will be seen and since rear-end collisions are amongst the rarest of motor vehicle/bike interfaces, he will greatly reduce his chances of being hit and therefore reduces his chances of injury/death.

There is also the driver behaviour characteristic that the majority of drivers, if forced to move out to overtake, will tend to give a reasonable amount of room. Likewise, if they aren't forced to move out to overtake, may well not bother to move out at all, even tho' it means that they will leave either a little space, or, as the OP has experienced, no room.

Wilbur Bud

I'd suggest a big (or bigger) "see me" light on your backside, under your saddle, over or under your rack (your profile doesn't show what else you have hanging on the bike so hard yo judge a good mounting point). I use a 12V Xenon amber strobe like you would find on the back of a school bus or a garbage truck. Visible from a mile away. Motorists don't know what it is, but they do know something is there in the lane, and then when they're close enough to track me I have a bright tail light that runs day or night with the strobe anytime I am riding (put the red tail light on based on advice from local law enforcement when I asked them about city/state lighting laws). Strobe was less than $10. Xenon tube makes an extremely bright flash.

Niles H.

Some possibilities came to mind while reading your post:

One is to minimize your exposure to traffic, if possible. If there are alternate routes with lower traffic, or alternate times, they might be worth considering.

Another is to use a spike to keep the cars farther out. Some cars will brush you pretty closely. Some people seem to think they have little to lose. Others might have some latent or subconscious aggressions that come out in these situations.

If you have a spike mounted at the rear of the bike, projecting out at an angle, toward the traffic (in addition, perhaps, to a more vertical flag), then they give you more room. They don't want to scratch their car. Some of these people don't mind at all knocking you in the shoulder or the back with their mirrors (I have a friend who heard the occupants of a pickup laughing after they hit him); but these same people don't want to scratch their paint.

There are various possibilities here; I use a light-colored, highly visible ski pole with the basket removed (it has a sharp-looking tip).

They give you *noticeably* more room.

Blue Jays

Best wishes for a speedy recovery. When you're back on the bike, take the lane when appropriate. Good luck.

SmoothRide

@ Niles

How do I mount said pointy thing on my bike?

Jeronimo_

Take that lane, man.

dobber

Intentionally damaging property, thats mature.

John Wilke

He won't be seen by the idiot/careless/incompetent driver. Been there (the story), got the scars.

It doesn't matter what the statistics are ... one hit and you're history.

Stay right, keep the impact to a minimum. If you're going to be seen, it doesn't matter where in the lane you are, you'll be seen and given proper clearance.

Yeah, I'm recovered.

Birkie? Hmmmm ... been thinking about it!

Have already had a few dreams about skiing.

LittleBigMan

I have to say that I just don't have that problem around here.

But if it's happening to a fellow-cyclist, I'm concerned.

Just do what works. Take from the various suggestions and try them. Don't leave any resources out.

DoYlE_RiD3r

install 1/2 a foot metal wire each side of your handlebar so if they are too close they'll get their paint scratched and they ... ( I think) don't want it

Dahon.Steve

By the "Take a Look" mirror right away. If a car wants to you hit you, there's not much you can do. However, this mirror is a god send and you'll be able to tell when the cars come too close.

Bikepacker67

I hope you mean sideview mirror, elsewise you're already dead, dude.. and you're just getting passed THRU by these cars.

Thomasdregos

The idiots are out there period. My father was making a left turn into his driveway and he was passed on the left! It is a two lane road in the country. The truck was speeding and the only saving grace in our favor (if we had collided) is that my father drives an old heavy body Mercedes. Thankfully we were not hit, however, it was very close.

doktoravalanche

If there's not enough room for cars to safely pass (like when there are traffic 'calming' bollards) then i always take the lane and put the hammer down to make it that i'm harder to overtake and give them more time to see me. I always wear something bright and wrap a day-glo yellow strap round my waist or on my messenger bag or backpack. If there's a bike path i'll use it, especially going uphill. And also i take a lot of shortcuts, get a map of your area and you'll find that there will be other routes that you can take with less volume of traffic, and they might even be shorter journeys.

I also ALWAYS run flat pedals (kona jack*****) in traffic. I don't notice any change in speed from clips and straps, but the ability to bail if necesary is a very useful thing.

John Wilke

Too close for what?

If there is heavy traffic on the road, I already know that I need to stay to the right and out of harms way. If someone is 'passing' closely, I can hear them, I can see them. If traffic is light, I can hear a car comming 50 meters behind.

If I'm planning on a left turn ... I turn my body and head and LOOK.

If you see a car in your mirror and think to yourself "OH OH !! he's too close! ", at what point do you bail into the 3 ft deep ditch to avoid being run down? 3 car lengths? 2? 1?

Have you ever bailed when a car was 'too close' ?

Just curious.