I almost lost my Gitane Sprint (and probably my good health) twice this afternoon thanks to inattentive college students. Both pulled out from stop signs in front of me - the first after even looking my direction and with me wearing bright yellow. Brakes and a quick avoiding swerve behind both cars saved me but I had bad visions of a wrecked C&V bike all the way home. In fact, I really thought I was going to hit the second guy - missed him by about 3 feet.

Ride careful folks - spring is in the air and the drivers aren't expecting us yet.

Tests have shown that the eyes see the object (a bike) and the brain understands it saw something, but the "fight or flight" reflex, of sorts, is not triggered because the object (a bike) is not a threat to the safety of the driver, so the normal routine of pulling out from the stop sign is not interrupted. If you had been an 18-wheeler, they'd have probably not pulled out.

I'm glad you're attentive, and this again reiterates the need for ....

riding defensively.

and ... eye contact has been misinterpreted before. funny how sometimes each thinks it means the other will yield ...

+1.
I've also had drivers look at the whites of my eyes, then pull out directly in front of me. I think Robbie Tunes' reference to "fight or flight" is absolutely what is going on in their primordial pea brains.

- And it is WORSE THAN IT EVER WAS with so many digital distractions.

Here in Boston the last few days its been beautiful out, and as a result the bikers out in droves (which is a good thing) but I've almost been hit twice by bikers. One person passed me really close on my right between me and a curb without a warning and then was kicking her foot on the curb to keep moving since it was so tight, and another guy did what cars usually do and turned right in front of me without any vocal warning - he made a right hand turn signal with his arm, but only after he was already turning right in front of me. This winter it was just cars and pedestrians to watch out for. Silent bikes seem to be adding a whole new element, and make me feel like an old man for getting mad when fellow bikers behave dumbly. I guess my only point is there are even more hazards out there then I thought just a couple of days ago.

I see what you did there, Tony Conigliaro.....

I've been having thoughts of duct tapeing one of those canister air horns to my bars. Had an 18 wheeler Cab pull out in front of me today and sent me at speed on to the shoulder. Luckly I as riding an old mountain bike, so we just sucked up the pot holes. Could've been much worse

I rode motorcycles for 20+ years where this sort of thing is just part of the landscape - every X miles it is going to happen, somebody is going to turn in front of you, pull out. Me, I think the eye contact thing may be a bit overrated, though it definitely has some value. One thing to watch is the wheels of a stopped car at an intersection, etc. If they start to move, you will more quickly perceive the wheel beginning to rotate than the body of the car moving and that split second difference can be, well, the difference. That was one of the safety tips I found more useful in the years of reading motorcycle safety tips and became rather ingrained in me such that I still continue to do it driving a car despite having been off motorcycles for about 10 years now.