takenreasy

This morning I was stationary waiting for a light when a new young driver “didn’t see me” as she was turning off the main road to go on the parallel service road on the other side of me. Luckily, at the last second, out the corner of my eye, I saw her and inched up just enough for the impact to be with my steel rear rack and not my leg. Even so, I was knocked down pretty good but only suffered one healthy gash on my leg and a couple of smaller ones along with a sore shoulder and back. During the “I didn’t see yous” and the “I’m sorrys” from the driver and her little sister, who was the front seat passenger while the adult mom was in the back with her phone (no mystery there why I was hit by a new driver), I was unleashing f-bombs because I was so pissed. I thought of what happened when I was hit a year or so ago. In that incident, a Sheriff passing by witnessed the entire event. He called the EMTs and told me to stay on the ground because it was the driver of the car who was at fault. Two rescue squads, one fire truck and four cop cars later and the verdict was no one was at fault. So, this time I wasn’t willing to go through all of that since I appeared to not have any broken bones etc. So, I rode off with my rear wheel rubbing because the quick release had be knocked loose and the front wheel rubbing because a kind of quick release on my fender mount had come loose. Both issues easily corrected once I got away from the crash site. Afterwards I was somewhat upset about how I handled the situation since over my many years of commuting I thought my reaction to all of the stupid stuff had become just things to be ignored. I was focused on getting to work and not wasting time calling the cops. Of course, the cops might have been able to educate the adult mom how to prevent her daughter from killing someone. I guess it’s my bad for not investing the time for that process to happen. On the bright side, maybe the girl will be scared straight and not run into people.

RubeRad

Yikes! I sympathize with you greatly, both as a bike commuter, and a parent currently teaching a teen driver with their learner's permit! (I would never sit in the back and bury myself in a phone while he's driving!)

I'm sure the girl will be scared straight, and (hopefully for life) be a lot more alert for cyclists and other non-car-obstacles on the road.

Glad you seem mostly ok. I hope you and your bike don't develop unforseen symptoms over the next few days...

ColonelSanders

Sorry to hear about your misfortune.


I don't know if there is anything one can do to avoid dopey drivers, but the thing that has worked best for me in daylight/dusk hours is having my Niteflux Red Zone 8 rear light strapped to the back of my helmet.

alan s 

I've never been hit in years and years of riding. If you've been hit twice in one year, maybe it's time to take a hard look at your actions and how you can increase your safety. Not blaming you for this at all, but three strikes and you're out. Meaning you might not be so lucky next time.

Jean3n16

Girl wasnt paying attention
Hit him while he was stopped and she was turning
Mom was on phone in back so possibly new learner
He rode away from scene due to last accident he had when driver wasnt at fault.

Why are you here if you dont want to read?

Johnny Mullet

^LOL

Well glad you were not seriously hurt. At the least, some young lady is now more aware of bicyclists.

takenreasy

Thanks for the report and suggestion.

enszakacs

Who would _choose_ to sit in the back seat anyways, especially if one is _supposed_ to be supervising a student driver???

ItsJustMe

In Michigan I don't think it's legal for the little sister to be in the front and the supervising driver to be in the back. Assuming she's on a learner's permit. If she's on a probationary license, I'm not sure, but it's a bad idea regardless.

Darth Lefty 

My poor daughter almost ran over this homeless guy on a bike this morning. He came out of nowhere. I think he had Tourette's or something, he screamed at her, poor girl! He didn't even notice his bike was broken when he rode away, I think he wasn't firing on all cylinders. More wine?

Jean3n16

Its not really a suggestion, its common sense.

Jean3n16

Its not legal here either.

2manybikes

Same here in R.I

2manybikes

Sorry to hear about your accident. If there was a turning lane and a straight through the intersection lane, were you on the right side of the straight through lane? If it was one lane only, I get into the middle on the lane ready to go straight, leaving room for cars turning right beside me. It works perfectly for me.
Just my thoughts ,I know none of this may apply.

corrado33

I agree. I hesitate to ignore the incident and give you advice, but this is exactly why I don't sit on the right hand side of "straight or right turn" lanes. Even if there is a bike lane there, I will still move to the left hand side of the "car" lane so that anyone turning right cannot, in any way, shape, or form, hit me. The counter argument for this is that if there is an accident in the intersection, you'll probably more likely get hit if you are at the left side of the lane rather than the right. But for me an accident I can see is better than a car that's behind me in my blind spot. It sounds like you were where you were supposed to be if you're going to sit to the right side of the lane. Way far out there (in the crosswalk) in OBVIOUS view, but still, in this instance you were unseen.

I do this because I even catch myself not looking right before I turn right sometimes. It's a bad habit, but one many drivers have.

I hope the bike and you are none worse for wear.

Daniel4

Motorcycles ride in the block position of the lane. There's a reason it's called the block position. Cyclists should do that too.

canklecat

There's no strategy that will work every time at every stop sign or traffic light. Some drivers are just gigantic metal encased doofuses. Most of the times I was hit while commuting was at stop signs and traffic lights, both on bicycles and motorcycles.

You can try all kinds of strategies for taking or blocking the lane but there will always be a tiny handful of metal encased slug-for-brains types who'll thwart our efforts to remain unhit.

Yesterday, on a quiet rural road, I did my usual thing of taking the lane on a fast downhill approach to a four way stop sign, in preparation for a left turn. Just coasting I can go the 35 mph speed limit, no problem. But I saw a pickup approaching fast from behind -- even hundreds of yards away I could see his approach speed was well above 35 mph. So I shifted to high and pedaled to give myself a little buffer.

Didn't help. Metal-encased slug-for-brains closed the gap I'd tried to create within 20-30 yards of the stop sign, swerved around me across the double yellow line, then swerved back in front of me and slammed on his brakes. We both reached the stop sign simultaneously. He accomplished absolutely nothing other than to waggle his tiny penor in his tiny pickup.

Alas, my video camera had glitched, so I don't have a trophy animated GIF for my Facebook wall of shame. It's not the stupidest human trick I've recorded but it was awful close.

Leisesturm

After many decades of riding in on the East Coast, long before bike lanes, sharrows, bike boxes or other modern infrastructure innovations the wise cyclist rode FRAP or else. When I am on the left side of a lane I feel like I'm in one of those dreams where you find yourself the only one that is stark naked at the weekly Strategic Development Team meeting. Here in enlightened Portland and the extremely cyclist dense urban core, other lane placements are possible, but... it isn't any coincidence that the bike boxes are painted on the right side of the intersection. Were I you, what I would do instead of moving to the left side of the car lane, only to have to move back again once traffic begins moving, is stay on the right side, but a good car length back from the actual corner indicating clearly your intention not to turn right when the light changes, but to proceed straight through. Right turning traffic simply sidles past on your left and turn right as they can. Works like a charm.

corrado33

Until the light turns green and you attempt to go straight into a wall of cars turning right who are oblivious to your presence. Doing what you said, in my opinion, is an invitation for cars to right hook you.

Yes, I do have to cross back over the lane when the light turns green, but usually I'm on the pedals a few seconds before the cars (I watch the lights) so I move out of their way before they even start moving. In my 4 years of commuting (I know, relatively short), I've only had one dumb*** who passed me on my right as I pulled away from a light. I've never had any other problems at lights/stop signs. (And yes, you guessed it, the guy was in a lifted diesel truck.)

While I do not have decades of riding experience, I have ridden in Pittsburgh a few times and done what I said above. No one seemed to mind.

dim

thats why you need one of these (or similar):

https://cycliq.com/products/fly6

cops will always try fob off an accident as they have to fill in a zillion forms .... the person who knocks you over will say it's your fault

these are important and well worth the money

chandltp

Just a nitpick... it's a traffic lane. Motorcycles, trucks, cars, buses, and bicycles are all permitted to use it. But calling it a "car lane" bugs me as much as people saying "ATM Machine".

FWIW, if a majority of traffic may be turning right on red, I move to the far left of the lane I'm in (assuming it's a straight / right turn lane). That allows cars to still turn right on red.

If it's a straight only lane, I sit right in the middle of the lane until I clear the intersection. I have had too many unsafe passes (on both the left and the right) with other lane positions.

All that assumes that I'm in front of the cars. Usually, I'm sitting in the lane behind some other vehicles. But my center lane position is still used until I clear the intersection.

corrado33

You and I have very similar riding styles, although I don't see the issue with saying "car lane." Yes, technically it's the "traffic lane," but I think of it like how the US is called America, when there are a ton of other countries that could fall under that name. Sometimes it's easier simply to refer to the thing by whatever/whoever uses it the most.

ItsJustMe

I call it a traffic lane. I've never heard it called a car lane (Michigan). I also move to the left, hard up against the center line, if I'm at the front of a line of traffic stopping at a light and lots of cars turn right there. I've had 5 or more cars turn right past me before a car going straight comes up behind me. When the light turns green, I cut diagonally across the road to wind up in the right tire track.

Leisesturm

I called it a car lane because that is what the poster I was responded to called it. I didn't really think about it actually. And in response to both the other poster and yourself, the reason my method works is because we have right turn on red here. Even in the urban core. You don't have a ton of right turners when the light turns green because they were able to get their need to turn anxiety out of their system during the red interval. This leads to other issues, but that's another thread (I spent most of my life in a no right turn on red city).

Rollfast

An adult and licensed adult is supposed to be in the passenger seat in the FRONT and able to critique and assist the practicing driver. In some places if I'm not mistaken no passengers who are not also sharing the driving practice are supposed to in the vehicle. Maybe only one practicing driver.


But the little sister isn't supposed to be in a front seat even, if she is allowed. She is supposed to be in a child restraining device (child seat, proper booster, seat belt) in the rear. Mother was not supervising the practice, she was using her phone.


I would bring this up whether the young driver was at fault or not. The driver was not legally supervised.