Cassiel240

So, this is my confessional and my "help me get back in the saddle" post. On my way to school yesterday morning, traffic was backed up a long, long way, so I cautiously started passing on the right in the bike lane (yes, I know, frequently a bad idea, but I was looking for a spot to cut over and make a left turn so I could get off the busy main road). As I was doing this, I failed to note that a truck was stopped in front of an intersection so as not to block the turn. Meanwhile, a van was turning left (facing me) across my lane, and my front wheel nearly kissed his back tire. I have never been so scared in my life. I couldn't stop in time, and I sort of wobbled and kept going, JUST missing him. This was all stupidity and some distractedness on my part - I was looking for a way to get off that road rather than paying attention - so I feel really horrible about it. But I'm also really terrified. I didn't have to ride home last night because I had to drop my bike at the shop (just for a 30 day tuneup because the bike is new) and take the bus home, though the ride to the shop from school was uneventful. How do you cope with the fact that, really, biking can be so dangerous? I know the quotes that per mile, cycling is safer than walking or driving, with fewer accidents. Yet I hear of a lot of cyclists being killed, and I've had some close calls over the last several years - though nothing like yesterday. I like my life. I'm only 26, and I'd like to see a lot more of it. I guess I'm just shell-shocked; it's not like I won't bike to school again tomorrow once I get my bike out of the shop. I'm still having a lot of anxiety, though.

hubs

I cope by remembering the statistics (still safe), trying to make sure that any accident I have will happen in slow-mo. I do ride fast in open situations, but I take intersections and the like with due care. A slow motion accident will often reduce the injury severity/likelihood. And most important, ride alot. It gives very necessary experience ... like yours ... which will show you when and where and how to ride.

Once I was cruising along heading for a right turn onto a narrow two-way street (with cars parked on both sides). I scanned ahead and saw a pick-up crossing the street at the alley (one house deep into the block -- it's really a half-size block). I zipped my right hand turn and looked straight into the grill of the truck. Somehow he slowed and I slipped further to the right. Crisis averted. My heart thumped the rest of the way home and I kept thinking, "HOW did he get there so fast? I didn't even see he was turning!" K-thunk, k-thunk, k-thunk, in my chest.

We all have these times. Keep riding. Trust us: It's the best thing you can do. You will trust yourself again soon.

ItsJustMe

I'm a pretty safe person all around, in traffic and when working with tools and other stuff, but it's mainly because I've had a series of lucky close calls that have put the fear of death & dismemberment in me, and made me use my brain.

It doesn't take many times stopping the circular saw an inch from your fingers to make you into the kind of person who double-checks the blade path, takes time to properly clamp things, and keeps their fingers in view.

Experience is when you've done a lot of things wrong. The big reason more experienced drivers/riders are safer is that they've nearly been squished a few times, or nearly killed someone else, and realize that it CAN happen to them.

I remember when I was a new driver. Scares the crap out of me, and I don't know how we survive long with idiots like I was on the street, and I certainly wasn't the worst I knew of.

That which does not kill you makes you a better rider.

chephy

I donno. I wouldn't think of this situation as dangerous because I would've been prepared. Really, if I am blocked from oncoming drivers' view by stopped traffic on my left, I assume that at every intersection there will be a left-hook or a right-hook or both. So I slow down and watch and only proceed when it's clearly safe. Might be slow at times, but I haven't had a single right/left-hook or even any close calls with those in my life. Doing all these checks is second nature to me now.

What scares me are those turds who buzz me or otherwise somehow overtake me when it's unsafe. I can control it to some degree by lane position, gesturing (no, no - not the birdie! ) - but there are morons who will ignore all this and pass dangerously anyway. At least I can dodge them 'cause I have space to my right, I guess.. in the city anyway. In the country sometimes all you can do is hope for the best and hope that when you are leaving the road to go onto a shoulder you can actually do it (sometimes wheels get diverted and it's really bad...). Now, I never had to get off the road when riding in the country, but then I don't do it very often, you see..

tsl

All of us make mistakes, and the vast majority of us live to tell. I've made plenty--even made one last night. The key thing is to learn something from each one, then apply that learning.

If I'm following you, the lane was backed-up, a truck left room for oncoming cars to turn left in front of him (say, to a side street) and you were filtering on the right? It's a very common accident scenario with only cars involved, so it's no surprise that it almost got you too.

Although you're certainly more vulnerable on a bike, the rules of the road to avoid this accident are the same here, no matter what combination of vehicles are involved.

In the right lane? Beware of "nice" people leaving gaps in the left lane.
Turning left in front of a "nice" person? Watch the next lane. The "nice" person isn't.
In the left lane and want to be "nice"? Don't, if traffic in the right lane next to you is flowing.

See? No different than when driving. Except, we need to be more vigilant since we're less visible.

Falkon 

You ****ed up and lived, so you now get to learn from it. This will make you a safer, better cyclist. If you're moving faster than traffic in the bike lane, that's not your problem. Why should you slow yourself down?

DataJunkie

Isn't a bike lane still a traffic lane? An equivalent situation would be driving down a street in the right lane while the left lane is stopped. As far as I understand, this is perfectly legal provided that you are adhering to the speed limit. I have never seen traffic in a right lane stop because the left lane was not moving.

Novakane 

Sadly there are an infinate number of ways to die every moment of the day, however, as a general rule cycling is a quite safe activity. Anything involving traffic, other humans and motorized machinery is going to have a higher level of risk than an activity that doesn't.

The important thing is that you made it through the incident alive, and unscathed (perhaps a little shook up) and the chances of you repeating that mistake is quite low now. Cycling and traffic skills take time to develop. Err on the side of caution, ride defensively and you'll do just fine. After a ride or two you'll realize that it was just one incident and the anxiety will pass.

cooker

"Legal" and "safe" don't always correspond. Bikes are hidden from view by large trucks. Thus the left turning car thought all traffic was stopped for him to cut across and he didn't realize there was oncoming traffic in the bike portion of the lane. Cyclists need to be aware that even if they have right of way (which, by the way, is unclear in this situation) they still need to anticipate dangerous situations and avoid them.

bike2math

Yup. all it takes is a wood chip bouncing off the bridge of your nose and drawing blood and you realize those saftey glasses really are the most important piece of equipment.

I've learned that my close calls happen when I'm late or really stinking tired; they also rarely come one at a time, usually I have a series of close calls coming to a crescendo. When I realize that I'm tired and am starting to make poor decisions I stop and take a water break and enjoy the trees/water. When I'm late I realize that I have to be extra careful if I decide to make up for lost time.

DataJunkie

My point is the OP is not legally at fault. Consequently, he shouldn't beat him self up over it from that standpoint. Situational awareness is required at all times for cyclists. Now if we could get a few more motorists to actually pay attention......

dalmore

Classiel240 - don't let it bug you too much. sometimes when I do something stupid like that I "nut up" and do something else stupid in a vicious little cycle. Realize the mistake. Accept that it was a mistake. Learn from the mistake. And move on. I need to work on that moving on bit.

off topic warning regarding safety glasses - I once was wearing my safety glasses while working in the yard. I can't recall what but some debris flew up and whacked me but good. I stood there a little dazed and decided I was lucky that didn't hit me in the eye - I should have had safety glasses on. I went and got a pair of safety glasses - not my favorite pair because I couldn't find them. But a pair of safety glasses just the same. I go back to where I was working and right there in front of the pile of debris lay my favorite pair of saftey glasses. In 4 pieces.

PatrickMcCabe

You get back on the bike and ride. fear is a manifestation of your personal anxieties, the only way to conquer them is to face them head on...

(how do I know? 2003 High speed motorcycle crash in a race, took over a year to get back up to speed, had demons from the dislocated shoulder and the broken wrist.)

ollo_ollo

There is a safety slogan, "Speed Kills", that is doubly applicable to cycling. Holding your speed down in heavy traffic & when approaching intersections goes a long way towards staying alive. When you get into one of these panic stop situations, you quickly realize how ineffective our brakes are. Much easier to stop from 5-10 mph than from 25. Slow down & live! Don

SingingSabre 

Remember how it felt when you had your first close call in a car?

Feels similar, huh? Just more exposed.

Keep on keepin' on and you'll do great!

newbojeff

As many of us do, I filter through traffic on the right. You need to do it pretty carefully. Like cephy, most times I assume cars will emerge unexpectedly from driveways, peds will step out in front of you, or that parked car door is going to open.

Though most of this is second nature, some things I think about while riding in traffic: pay attention to peripheral vision. Follow the football saying about "having your head on a swivel." Don't go blowing through an area I can't see. The less I can see, the slower I go. Make eye contact with drivers.

Your experience is a good lesson for all of us to be careful through intersections. You'll be back up to speed soon. Best.

chephy

And more vulnerable.

Agreed. But I don't think he was beating himself up for that. In fact I think he was upset that legal cycling practices can still be very dangerous, and maybe even inferring from there that cycling is inherently very dangerous.

SSP

We all make mistakes. You survived yours (barely), so learn from it and don't make the same mistake again.

chephy

To combat that feeling of being terrified there are several things a cyclist can do:

One is to realize that legal =/= safe. You need to see what can go wrong in any given situation and take extra precaution even if it's not required by law. Some of it will come with practice. If a car is overtaking you near an intersection or even a driveway - expect a right hook, especially if it's slowing down. If you and an oncoming car are going to come to an intersection at the same time - expect a left hook. If you are riding near parked cars - expect doors to open. Always expect that the motorist behind you will try to overtake even if it's dangerous (e.g. sightlines are obscured, or there is barely enough space to perform the maneouver, or there is a long line of cars and a red light some 100 feet away). Expect wrong-way cyclists (or even drivers - I encounter A LOT of them since I live on a one-way street that is much easier to access if you're going the wrong way...). Never go fast if you can't see what's ahead. Watch for pointers: nice motorists in left lane letting traffic through (somebody's making a left turn!), pedestrians jaywalking (no cars coming, road is probably clear!) etc.

Next step is being prepared. Being prepared doesn't always mean slowing down. Sometimes it actually means speeding up! For example, perhaps if you sped up, you could get to the intersection much faster than that car behind you and thus there would be no potential for conflict. Sometimes it means slowing down just a tiny bit: to see whether the oncoming car will attempt a turn (in which case your slowing down will allow for braking in time) or whether it'll proceed straight (after which you can go full speed ahead). Sometimes being prepared means going at exact same speed you're going at but planning for what you're going to do if a left-hook is suddenly to occur. Think in advance of whether you're going to brake or do an instant turn, for example (of course, you need to be flexible and dynamic in your thinking since the situation changes continuously).

The OP said there was no time to brake and so he sort of just went on. A lot of times in right/left hooks situations it's a lot better to turn right *with the car* using a technique called instant turn. It's not that hard to master. Just practice making some very sharp, almost 90 degree, turns (ask for specific techniques on these forums if you're interested) and be ready to use them in an emergency. Instant turns will work even when brakes are ineffective: you need a lot less space for turning, actually.

The bottom line is: cycling in traffic really ISN'T dangerous. I do it a lot and I have yet to experience a dangerous situation aka close call. I get harrassment sometimes (hell, not just "sometimes" - quite often in some situations such as taking the lane - I get honks and nasty yells and even attempts at close passes - which I easily evade since I always keep some "escape space" to my right) but it's not particularly dangerous, simply unpeasant (which *IS* a HUGE problem on its own - cycling should not be that stressful - but not really a relevant to this discussion). It's just that one needs to learn safe cycling practices and always expect dumb moves from your fellow road users. Always be prepared for the worst. Always have a bail-out route. Then you are almost guaranteed to be all right.

It all may sound tricky and superhuman, but it actually does become your second nature after a while. And the while isn't so great in duration. Really - I have lousy spatial thinking, and if I can do it (which I think I can) - then anybody can.

cooker

And not just the parked cars, either. Passengers in the car in gridlock to your left may think (to quote Woody Allen): "I can walk to the curb from here", and exit abruptly into your lane.

Cassiel240

Thanks everybody - I really appreciate all the feedback. I was really shaken up by this, and not sure what to do. I will be back on the bike tomorrow morning, on the same route - but much more vigilant this time. I really love to bike, it fits my lifestyle and makes me feel good, so I don't intend to give it up. One morning danger taps you on the shoulder, though, and makes you realize the gravity of what you're actually doing (of course it happens to me in the car, too, but like someone said, on the bike you're so much more exposed). There was no time to act when the actual incident happened, so clearly I need to prevent such incidents, and now I know (somewhat better, anyway) how. Yeah, it's a little discouraging that to be legal does not necessarily mean to be safe, but I guess that's the way it goes. I'll argue the legal stuff later, when I've survived because I paid attention.

San Rensho 

Without a doubt, you had the right of way, the left turning truck had to yield to you. But I would rather be alive than have the right of way.

Thats why when I ride, I always assume that all traffic will violate my right of way, that they will run a red into me, or run a stop sign into me, and I make sure that I can avoid THEM, by leaving myself some avenue of escape. You did nothing wrong, technically, but not being aware of the situation could have gotten you hit.

In that situation, I always approach the intersection being very aware that cars may be turning left and leave myself an out.

Don't sweat it, you now know how to handle this situation.

Everyone assumes that riding a bike is easy, but it demands the utmost awareness at all times. The slightest lapse in concentration can be disasterous.