What might have happened -- but didn't -- still might happen in the future, which is why these stories are worth pondering.

Yes, which is why I characterized this as a cautionary tale. It's a good reminder that we need to be alert.

My post wasn't about the OP. Instead it was about all the posts about imaginary laws, or supposed negligence on the part of the driver, who for all we know might have started backing, with every expectation of stopping if the OP didn't move.

We don't learn from incidents if we insist on blaming others for everything, which is all too common here on the A&S thread. As cyclists we don't need to know what others are supposed to do to protect us. OTOH we do need to know how to take care of ourselves, partly (or mostly) because others don't always do what they're supposed to.

People wear helmets to improve their safety. IMO safety begins with what's under that helmet, and this story is a reminder of that.

I had an extremely close call last month. For the first time in over 25 years of bike commuting, I thought I was going to be killed. I won't go into the details, but basically I was crossing a road when a car came around a corner straight toward me without slowing. He obviously didn't see me. I made a beeline for the side of the road (crossing in front of him) and he missed broadsiding me by just inches. I was going about 15 mph at the time, which I later calculated as about 260 inches per second. So he missed me by around 0.01 to 0.03 seconds! I couldn't believe my luck, nor could I get the thought of almost being hit out of my mind. It's a really sobering thought to imagine being killed over nothing. Just crossing a road, or being in the wrong place at the wrong time with an inattentive driver. I've always known it was a possibility, I just never thought it'd be me. Now I know that it can be me, and I'm extremely grateful that it wasn't that time.

[MENTION=158672]FBinNY[/MENTION], that was my point. I was rewording what you said to emphasize it. Whenever I have a scary situation, I take the first available calm moment and ask myself what the lessons were.

In another thread I mentioned that the difference between "whew, that was close" and death is a matter of millimeters and microseconds. I know this first hand, and have have seen both sides of that calculation.

Obviously we don't want to go through life counting on luck alone and drawing to inside straights. However we need to understand that even four aces can be a losing hand.

I just don't like cyclists come here and saying how they would be at fault if a truck backed over them. Serious injury or death have nothing to do with fault. While you must be ever-vigilant on a bike around other vehicles, it is simply incorrect to assign blame to a cyclist in this situation. Sounds like something an ignorant news reporter would say.

The error here is in equating error with fault, or in assuming that "fault" is a zero sum game. A cyclist being unaware has made an error, but that error in no way reduces the fault committed by a negligent driver.

In any case, I'm not interested in assigning blame, and leave that to those who's responsibility it is. I'm interested in pointing out possible errors, not to blame, but as object lessons that we might learn from.

I can't control what others do. I can only control what I do to manage my exposure to avoidable risk. (I leave unavoidable risk to the stars)

I'd be impressed if I ever met anyone so powerful or with such self control. The fact is... all cyclists are mere mortals. It is our nature to make mistakes... often fatal mistakes. Yeah... sure... we can caution our brains out. But we will still remain mistake-ridden mortals.

As the once famous fictional detective Tony Baretta used to say: "Don't do the crime if you can't do the time". Street traffic means accidents. And being on a bicycle means those accidents can also bring serious ouchies. If you aren't prepared for those ouchies.... it might be better to avoid traffic... particularly on a bicycle.

But even diehard recluses that avoid almost everything...... meet their end. I think the sweat, discomfort, pain, and sometimes blood.... experienced from cycling is well worth in trade... the joy I receive from cycling. I accept whatever faith is mine (as if I had a choice).

Faith or fate?

I was a daily bike commuter until retirement. Eternal vigilance helps. I had several "right hook" close calls involving an overtaking car turning to its right, through the bike lane, into a drive-thru of some kind. As is often the case, they don't see us & will turn right in front or into a hapless cyclist. The other dangerous scenario is when an oncoming car turns left in front of or into you, often at a 4=way stop, or illegally against a "no left turn" light. If the cyclist is just starting out, slow speed makes it hard to evade an accelerating car. Vigilance helps, but a bike in traffic is at the bottom of the food chain. Don

almost got T-boned in my car w my daughter Monday morning by someone who ran their red light but stopped (past the red light in the intersection) when they saw us enter the intersection. I stopped before I was in their path so if he kept going we would have been fine. lucky for us we didn't get rear-ended

I'm Presbyterian, so faith = fate.