mozad655

I've hit a car once (cab driver stopped abrubtly in front of me) and got hit by a car once (I was trying to make it across busy street before traffic started running again. no traffic lights to regulate). Nothing serious really. As long as you stay patient, predictable and predict others you will be absolutely fine.

tenmileradius

Finally got my wheels wet, so to speak! Did a 3.8 mile to the open mic last night (just borrowed a guitar, not going to mess with trying to deal with that!) and back.

Had a great ride, and cars were actually very polite both ways. I've got a red blinkie on the back of my helmet and a headlight- seems like that was plenty for them to see me in advance and move into the left lane- I mostly travelled on a two-lane 35 mph road. Didn't even have one get close. Tried some neighborhood roads on the way there, thinking a little less traffic (extremely light at 9 pm and then 3 am anyways) and slower speed limits, but actually ended up taking the two-lane all the way home, as a more efficient route where cars actually had a lane to pass me. Acted as a car, staying maybe a half a foot or so inside the gutter.

Really my only run-in was with the bartender, when he saw my nights other half was a bike instead of my hound dog!

Great stories and advice. Can't wait to get out again today.

vatdim

Technically, I haven't been hit, but I hit a car once.

It was a right hook, performed by a middle-aged female driver who just had to get in front of me before turning right. We had been going almost the same speed, with her in the middle lane and me in the right one. Naturally, she didn't signal her intention to make a right turn (from the middle lane), and she initiated the maneuver without having enough space or time to complete it safely. So she suddenly cut off in front of me and slammed on the brakes. That's how my front wheel simply hit her rear end and I flew off, rolling a few times along the road. When I asked the driver, "Would you have attempted that if I were in my car?", she said "Well, no". Thankfully, I was OK, but I was in a bit of pain for a week.

Most bike commuters who I know in my city have participated in a car-bike accident at least once. However, this doesn't mean it's like that everywhere. Be as predictable as possible and try to be more defensive, i.e. anticipate idiot drivers and don't trust them, like I did with that one.

caloso

That's pretty generous to the driver. She pulled into your line and caused the contact, regardless of her being stopped when contact was made.

Walter S

I don't know how many miles. Been riding all my life. Car free for the last four. About 40 years ago when I was still in high school I hit a car. I was riding fast down a hill. A car was approaching the exit of a parking lot on my right. As I approached I made eye contact with the driver, as she was clearly slowing and seemed to be giving me the right-of-way that was so clearly mine. Then when I was fully committed she stepped on the gas and pulled out right in front of me. She said later that "she thought she could make it".

My lesson from that was "don't trust people". A lot of people just don't appreciate the speed of a bicycle. Or they have poor judgment in general, accident prone, etc. Following practices that make their mistakes irrelevant to your plans is key.

tarwheel 

I've never been hit by a car in more than 100,000 miles of cycling over 40+ years. That includes 32,000+ miles bike commuting over the past 10 years, and more than 70,000 miles recreational riding over the decades, plus commuting to classes during college in the 1970s-80s. You can do many things to improve your safety while cycling and lower the odds of getting hit such as using proper lighting in dark/low light conditions, wearing bright clothes, choosing safer routes. I would guess that more cyclists are hurt from crashes in which they hit potholes, sticks, etc., or encounters with other cyclists on group rides than are struck from behind by cars and trucks.

Reynolds 

Although I've been hit by cars more than once, I want to reassure you by saying I have a lot of friends who ride a lot of miles and 90% of them (at least) have never been hit.

nstgc

I seem to be a statically outlier. There was a semi racing down the road last fall that need to make a right turn. Furthermore, he needed to get to where ever his destination was so fast he didn't have time to look to his right. I was in the intersection already when he was trying to turn. I went to the hospital; don't know what happened to him.

Defensive "driving" only helps so much. The guy was doing 50 in a 35 making a sharp turn. He came out from nowhere behind me. There was nothing I could have done.

kickstart

I'm curious where you got that speed from, I'm a professional driver and know that there's absolutely no possible way a semi was making a sharp right turn at 50 mph, and even 35 mph would be questionable.

HardyWeinberg

My wife hasn't been hit but she went down hard once on black ice.

JanMM

Too much worrying about being hit by a car.

nstgc

I don't. I'm exaggerating. All I know was it was a 35 zone, and he was going faster than the other cars. He sped past me and turned right. He was turning from the right most lane to the only lane on the rode he was turning onto. Seems sharp to me. He then blamed me because as a biker I had no business being there.

Phloom

Never hit by a car but last year, I was hit by bicycles on two separate occasions. The first was a young lady gawking at the police taking down a perpetrator. She was coming from the opposite direction and she drifted over to my side of the MUP and glanced off my side. She went flying everywhere but she was not injured. She acknowledged she was not paying attention. The other time, I was signalling a left turn on the MUP and I clotheslined a young man on his fancy carbon fibre road bike. Of course, he lost his balance and crashed right in front of me.

kickstart

OK, I wasn't questioning your veracity, just the speed, and understand trucks are intimidating. Thanks for the reply.

caista

I've never been hit, commuting 15 miles a day, every day in central London. But I had a very near miss with a suddenly opening car door once. Some youth hit me with an egg once! And I've gone over the handlebars in bad weather a couple of times.

RubeRad

I like this thread, it's a refreshing change of pace.

Hello, I'm Rube, I'm a bike commuter, it's been X days since my last car collision...

Actually, never been hit. I've been full-time commuting for 2 1/2 years now, and I have to say that the 2-3 close calls I can recall, all but one were my fault. That said, my infrastructure is good, and I think drivers around here (suburban SoCal) are pretty well-conditioned to seeing cyclists on the road and being nice to them.

It's a good thing to be concerned and vigilant and defensive, but you shouldn't lose sleep over it. Read the near-miss or didn't-miss accounts here, learn what you can from their situations, plan yourself the best possible route (we can help if you need, post some google map links to your trouble spots), and learn the important places/situations to watch out for on your route. You will end up as safe as you can be, that is to say, safer per mile or minute than being in a car.

JanMM

Hasn't happened to me (knock on wood) in spite of commuting off and on since 1973.

noglider 

You probably will have a collision of some sort, given enough time. But your chances of getting seriously injured or killed are greater if you commute in a car. So enjoy the ride. Learn how to predict others and how to be predictable to others. Skilled riders have much, MUCH better injury records than unskilled riders.

spare_wheel

well since most of my ~150K or so do not fit those criteria i must be very, very lucky. from middle school to my 3rd year of post doc i commuted on busy urban arterials with virtually no bike infrastructure. moving to portland was a revelation 15 years ago...

nstgc

The first one in the video is what happened to me. Seems like some good advice. In general this site looks like it has good advice.

Smart Moves Video: Preventing Right Hooks | CyclingSavvy

GovernorSilver

Sounds like the "silent pass" that some cyclists in my area frown upon. Too bad for him, but that's a consequence...

caloso

This. I think the best thing you can do to improve your safety is to gain experience and skill.

RubeRad

I do the silent pass all the time. Unless a nephew falls for the old "pull my finger" gag...

GovernorSilver

Heh. At least when you're out riding, your "silent pass" is in the open air.

surlymonk

[QUOTE=mhifoe;17944296] IMO, the most important thing is lane positioning. Stay out of the gutter and cars will observe you to be actual traffic.

I agree absolutely. When I rode to the right of the fog line I had a lot more close calls. I have commuted 4,000 miles a year for the last ten years and haven't been hit yet. Only time I ride to the right of the fog line is when approaching the top of a hill or a blind curve or if there is traffic coming the other way. If it's unsafe for a car to pass me, I take the lane. Was pulled over by a cop once for doing that, but I held my ground. In Vermont we are allowed to be anywhere in the lane, if we need to to ride safely. You can't ride safely if someone is passing you in an unsafe place.