JeffB502

Just a little about me first. I've been commuting/running errands on my Trek 7.2 FX a little over a month now. 278.8 miles on the odometer (got my computer a few days after I started riding). I've never had anything happen that I would consider a near miss. This is my first new thread; you may have seen me around replying on a few others.

First incident: About 2:30pm, sunny,clear day, I'm traveling east at about 20-22mph (great tailwind) on a flat 35mph road with 2 lanes each way, a shared center turn lane, and vehicles parked along both curbs. I'm taking the right lane, riding between the tire tracks, wearing my fluorescent yellow safety vest with reflective stripes, really enjoying myself. In the middle of the block, a pickup truck traveling west starts to make a left turn in front of me from the center turn lane, aiming for a driveway. I slam on the brakes, and stopped much more quickly than I thought I could, especially for my first emergency stop. The front seemed to me to be about as close to perfect as possible, however I did lock up the rear long enough to smell burning rubber and get a little sliding back and forth. The guy in the truck sees me stopping and also stops, at a 45 degree angle in the left lane. We both have clear paths to continue in the directions we had been heading. I knew there was a car approaching eastbound in the lane to my left, and no cars behind me, since I had been checking my mirror frequently, so I waved the pickup driver on. He gave me a "sorry/thanks" wave and continued into the driveway. No harm/no foul. Maybe he'll start looking for cyclists before turning now.

Second incident: About 3:30pm, traveling north at about 12mph in a 25mph school zone into a nasty NW wind, 1 lane each way divided by a double yellow line with cars parked on both sides of the road. Signed bike route. Again taking center of lane to stay out of door zone. As we approach an intersection with left hand turn lanes & traffic lights cars going straight start to pass me in the empty left hand turn lane. Not a big deal; they gave me plenty of room. While in the middle of the intersection a white Suburban pulls right up on my back tire, then as we clear the intersection the driver pulls into the oncoming traffic's left hand turn lane (also empty, but there was oncoming traffic going straight that could have turned left at any time), lays on his horn as he accelerates past, and cuts back into my path with about a foot between the side of his SUV and my rear view mirror (I swerved right thinking he was going to hit me). I looked at the license plate, pulled over, pulled out my cell phone, and called the local police using their 7-digit # which I have in my phonebook.

Lessons learned: 1) Sometimes drivers don't see me, even in the best conditions with proper hi-vis clothing. Be prepared for the unexpected. 2) As the Suburban passed close by me I had a strong urge to punch out the passenger's side rear window, which I could have easily reached and probably could have broken with the amount of adrenaline going through me, but I didn't. I know now I can do the right thing and not let my emotions get the best of me. The police never did call me back, but hopefully they keep some kind of record of complaints on plate #s.

Sorry about the long post. Re-living the events kind of got me excited which probably shows with run-on sentences and other poor grammar.

rykoala

You handled both situations quite well! I've had only slightly more such interactions than that in 3 years. You'll be a pro in no time

jyossarian

Too bad the cops didn't call you back, but they probably felt no harm, no foul. Not everyone will see you, even if you were driving a tank down the middle of the road. The hi-viz stuff is to make MORE people see you.

srsly

if it was a near miss you'd be a red spot sorry but i've always thought we use this phrase backwards.

good for you though. the first one happens to me regularly. i have a feeling this sort of thing isn't necessarily a bike/car thing. it's an honest mistake of what you each thought the other was going to do. nobody died, everyone seemed ok, everyone learned to look out for something little better.

the second one, that's what your u-lock is for i get so mad when people in cars give cyclists grief because WE understand that if they rub you that you could die. they don't realize that it's not like cutting off a car. i keep a moleskin in my backpack to note down license plates of "problem drivers" that i encounter and have a little mental exercise to remember random plates on cars that pass just in case i can't stop and write it down right away.

RDRomano

That was one of George Carlin's best bits from the mid-70s. Why do they call it a near miss? A "near miss" is a hit. You NEARLY missed that guy, good thing you managed to tag him before he got away!
On the news I heard about two airplanes that got WAY too close to each other, and they called it a near miss. They should have called it a near hit. You missed, yeah, but you NEARLY HIT the other plane!

Ginny

i think it's kinda like 'he got NEAR but he MISSED'
Glad you didn't get hurt.
I agree with the u-lock thing. When drivers do unsafe things on purpose, they
deserve the dent and scratch the U-lock can give. Just make sure you can outsprint the
driver when he gets out and comes after ya.

srsly

just as a disclaimer, i do not condone this type of violence, i was mostly kidding... if you get buzzed and you manage to not crash, by all means yell and let them know how you feel with hand signals if they can't seem to hear you. taking a u-lock to the side of someone's car is liable to make them try to run you over if they're the kind of person that would buzz a bike in the first place.

but if they stop the car and come at you for yelling at their dumbassery... that might be a good time to heft the U to convince them to get back in their car and be on their way. i've never heard of this happening and i hope i never do. U-locks are heavy, and people are squishy.

be safe out there.

Falkon 

I doubt the driver would get out and forfeit the protection of a two ton cage.