StrangeWill

I take it you're not a member of any car sites?

Though typically we take being cut off as a normal occurrence, the real idiots we still ***** about, but it's all in one megathread of *****ing.

StrangeWill

unterhausen

I don't consider those to be right hooks either. I'm impressed with the one motorist that was going to pull a right hook and has the situational awareness to stop in time. The last one shows the problem with bike lanes and right turns very well. When I'm driving, I am not sure I would expect to be overtaken on the right.

I think the people that don't think there is such a thing as a right hook just don't ride enough. It takes a very rare driver with the correct level of tunnel vision.

botto 

incorrect.

ghettocruiser

This morning an SUV started to overtake me in the left lane, then we both made a right turn (as in, I made a right turn from the right lane, he made the right turn from the left lane).

It almost would have worked if he didn't have run up within two feet of the curb in the apex of his turn. Which is of course where I now was.

A little bit of yelling solved this issue nicely.

Was this a right hook? No idea.

noisebeam

Was it a bit like the fourth video I posted above? I just hung back and let the motorist turn ahead of me.

John E

You have obviously never had your right-of-way violated by a motorist illegally turning right from an inappropriate lane. I have actually dutifully taken the center of the lane on a 2-lane, 2-way street, only to have a motorist cross the center divide to pass me and immediately execute a right turn from the oncoming traffic lane. I avoided contact through appropriate fast braking and steering because I was paying attention, but I would still classify this as a right hook.

genec

John, apparently you weren't paying enough attention.

Yeah, I've had motorists turn right from center and left turn lanes... I too call that a right hook.

moleman76

This is self-induced exposure to being right-hooked. If you filter up behind a vehicle, (or overtake them in a bike lane) they're not too likely to notice you. What were they taught at drivers' ed when getting ready to make a turn at an intersection? Look left, look right, etc. but "look in the right rearview mirror to see if a bike rider is overtaking you?" Not when I took the class! [BTW, a good example of why riding in a bike lane can be hazardous to your health ... need to be ready to brake at all times]

As far as the definition goes, I'd agree with Bekologist.

hairnet

So you're at fault that there is an impatient driver that makes a right turn, from the left of you, without signaling?

noisebeam

Of course it is. That is why I was ready for and took evasive action. The narrow FOV of the camera doesn't show that the warning signs came earlier than seen in the resulting video. That's why I didn't get clipped. The reasons the video is posted is as a demonstration of the risk of riding in a BL. I'm a strong advocate of not using one at intersection approaches, but also have just to get examples of why.

Al

ghettocruiser

He was overtaking me and making a somewhat illegal turn from the left lane, but the solution was sort of the same.

buzzman

tonight I had a driver do a strange one on me.

quiet single lane residential street that T intersects with a busy cross road. I'm riding behind a car with my bright lights and reflective shirt, he looks and sees me coming up behind him in his rearview mirror as we slow to the stop sign. I don't want to move around him on either side, of course, especially since he's not signaled his intention to go right or left so I sit behind him and wait. He looks in the mirror at me and I'm wondering if he's waiting for me to go around him and go first or something but when I don't understand a motorist's intention I stay put until it's clear, so I wait. Finally he turns on his right hand signal and pulls slightly to the right as he waits for it to be clear so he can go. I start to go to his left so that I can take advantage of the same break in traffic and go left. As the break in the traffic comes he puts his left signal on and goes left right in front of me.

Despite his bozo-like maneuver I was able to easily anticipate it because I'm in the habit of doing something else when anywhere near a car at an intersection- I watch the front wheels. This is so habitual and second nature with me at this point but it has saved my butt many a time. Often, and this case was no exception, the wheel will begin to turn before the signal light has gone on. Watching the wheels not only lets you know the driver intention but is far more reliable than a turn signal. A driver can signal anything but I never trust it, the best turn signal is the front wheel.

rajman

Cars can also be right hooked - when a motorist makes an unsignalled right turn from the left lane. I have experienced this type of right hook as a motorist, a cyclist and a pedestrian. Fortunately evasive manouvers have been effective to date.

This circumstance is, of course, more of a hazard than the garden variety right hook (aggressive right turn from the right lane without regard to road users to the right), but both are unpleasant.

noisebeam

I finally decided to vote. In my opinion a right hook must involve contact between vehicles - a clear and non ambiguous definition. Of course a cyclist can avoid a right hook thru awareness, evasive action, etc. that itself can be very unpleasant (or not depending how the hook was averted). So one can be right hooked and have a collision or one can have a narrowly avoided right hook either because the cyclist or the motorist (or both) realized in time the situation that was developing.

genec

So if I put my hand on a car, to maintain my balance in my evasive action, as it "right hooks" me, does that count?

It is not "contact between vehicles."

Jim from Boston

Typical Bostonian manuever. Is visualizing turn signals as useless anywhere else as in Boston, especially since they are so little used anyways?

Good tip about watching front wheels and I will try it. Currently, though I've never thought about it, I think I watch for the forward progression of the front of the car.