Commuting almost daily for 2 years.

Only one wreck, but it was partially due to road surface. No Injuries, just laid bike down against the curb when a right turner cut me a tad close.

Yes you have to watch for the cars. Hear them first, check them in the mirror.
Note their actions. Be ready to act if they get out of line. I've been right hooked a couple of times, but knew it was coming and slowed to avoid it without incident.

Nothing thrown except for random statements from idiot teens behind the wheel. They think cyclists are *****exual for some reason.

It seemes like the few close calls were all in the first few weeks of riding. Either I have gotten used to them[i dont think so] or I have adjusted my riding style to blend better with the cars.

Be visible, wave at people waitig to turn right or left across you path. Make eye contact and confirm that they actually see you. Look to see if they are on a cell phone. Be extra careful if they are. They don't see anything while on the phone.

In the end, is it dangerous ? Maybe, but not any more so than driving the car. They crash the cars so much it's never mentioned anymore. But when a cyclist or ped gets tagged, it's big news.

Just be aware and you should be fine.

I think we talk about it so we can attempt to understand what happened. If we can apply some logic, perhaps we can avoid a similar circumstance.

The only time I've had altercations with motorists was when I was taking the lane.

The first time, I was on a one-way street, 3 lanes, I was in the right lane. There was NO bike lane, and a line of cars parked along the curb, so I was riding "as close as practicable" to the right, which in this case, meant taking the lane. A car was slightly ahead of me in the center lane (to my left), and I was riding in the center of my lane, when a car came up behind me, then partially changed lanes to squeeze between me and the car in the lane next to me. There was NO reason she couldn't have just changed lanes and gone around me if i was slowing her down. Oh yeah, if it matters, she was one of those Volvo-wagon-driving liberals. Go figure.

The second time, I was again on a one way street, this time two lanes. Same situation, no bike lane, and a line of cars parked along the curb, so I took the lane, riding in the center of the lane. A car came up behind me, then changed lanes to pass me. It arrived at the stop sign less than a second before me, and from the way it was angled as it approached the stop sign, I could tell he intended to turn right from the left lane. I pulled up alongside him before he could turn, stopped, looked at the driver, and asked him "What are you doing"? I then proceeded to go straight, and he decided to make a legal turn at the next stop, instead. Not really endangering me this second time, but he would have if he had been able to beat me to the stop any sooner.

I've never had any negative interactions, otherwise.

Automobile accidents are so common they don't even make news anymore. Seriously, I have had way more automobile accidents in the last 10 years than bike accidents. I have racked up around 22000 miles in the last 4 or 5 years and have not had an accident and that is mostly urban miles. So, I would actually rather ride my bike than my car because 1, it is safer, 2, if it breaks I can fix it a lot easier and it won't strand me in the middle of nowhere like my somewhat less reliable car.

None since I have been commuting. Take the less traveled roads and keep your wits about you.

Exactly. In a city of a million people, there will be 3 or 4 fatal car crashes every week but those stories get shunted to a box on page B-2. Oh, someone crashed his Honda into a tree? That's so sad for his family. Anyway, where's the Paris Hilton update?

I have never wrecked with a cage, however I have done my share of mirror slapping, hood pounding, and finger-pointing + an undisclosed amount of honking.

(I have a 132db fiamm 12v highway blaster horn mounted on my road bike)

OHH YEAH !


Wish me luck @ life !

I don't like to tempt fate, so I'll just say that in over 30 years of commuting, any incidents with vehicles have been extremely rare. I get a honk now and then, something thrown at me (or maybe just near me by coincidence) once in a blue moon, had one guy recently try to attack me when he passed me in the snow, lost control of his car and wrecked. Incidents are rare for the most part...but you tend to hear about them more often here in BF because we are a small community of nothing but cyclists. We also have some cyclists who don't have the best manners, respect for others or respect for the law and sometimes bring things on themselves. We also have some folks who ride agressively in heavy urban traffic, which is always an adventure and a blast...but the odds sometimes catch up. ;)

If you ride predictably and courteously, paying attention to everything going on around you and planning for Murphy, you'll be fine and enjoy yourself 99% of the time.

Chip, that was probably the thread that got the OP in trouble with Mrs. OP in the first place!

tell your wife that it will be alright, as long as her husband is careful and cautious

i almost got hit by a cager head on
he said i had no lights but i was okay no scratches or no nothing
just be aware of your surroundings and pay attention and obey traffic rules

i saw a moron once cross against traffic and almost got hit
luckily the cage coming at him had really good brakes or good reflexes (the cager)

Then she's just jealous of my telepathic abilities. :p

Thanks all, that should be enough to ease her pain.

I’ve been bike commuting since 1982 and have only been tagged by motorist a couple of times. I only ended up with some road rash and a sore wrist - no big deal. Most cycling accidents are not serious. After all 43,000 motorist die each year and only 700 cyclist.

Consider the overall health risk comparison:
bike commute: healthy body, strong heart, less stress = reduced risk of a heart attack, no diabetes

motor commute: poorer health, more stress, motorist breath in more pollution = heart attack and/or diabetes

As far as run ins with motorist: if you are mild mannered, you will not have any problem, just ride away.

I never had an physical altercation with a vehicle.

No real close calls...I suppose MAYBE I have been buzzed by a car once.
No 'stuff' has been thrown at you from people in cars.

+1
Excellent statement.

+2 about being courteous. Also be predictable and behave like a vehicle. ESPECIALLY at stop signs, lights, and intersections.

I've been bike commuting for about 4 years now; about 1/2 my commute is on a bike trail and the rest is on local roads. I also participate in large weeknight group rides sponsored by a local club. Frankly, I've seen far more traffic issues with the pack of riders forgetting they're on public roads and not in a race than I've had in total commuting.

My biggest gripe (and it is an issue for the drivers, not for me) is too many drivers do not know where the right side of their vehicle extends and think adequate clearance means most/all of the lane - so they put themselves at danger by going way over the yellow line to pass me - usually unnecessary for both of us to be safe. Surprisingly, I've found most drivers, even here in the self-absorbed Virginia suburbs of DC, to not get bent out of shape or put me at risk because I'm sharing the same road with them.

That doesn't rule out a few yahoos who think they own the road (and have no idea how much property and other taxes I may or may not be paying towards the same piece of asphalt), but I've yet to have any serious issues with them. Frankly, the most dangerous part of my commute are some of the other users of the bike trail (primarily dog walkers at oh-dark-thirty!).

It's worthwhile. Besides the non-trivial savings in gas and car costs, I get in exercise without taking excessive time from work or family, I'm in a better mood when I get to work and when I get home, I have NO problems finding a parking space close to my building or worrying about a parking lot dings, and I give my coworkers something to chat about (and found a few other cyclist buddies at the office).

Go for it, and tell your wife not to worry.

2 years commuting. 3 events. No contact with a car yet.

Events:

1. Dump truck passing close 1 foot over the white line on the gravel shoulder. Guy was probably digging for cigarettes in the glove box.

2. Oncoming car turns left across my lane into a small food store. I skid and avoid contact.

3. Car approaching on side street on my right fails to stop at a stop sign. The driver demonstrated quick reflexes when I yell out at the top of my lungs.

The only really close call I've ever had was when I almost rear-ended a police car. The fact that I was drafting behind him might have had something to do with it.

Here is what won't happen to you when you bike commute:

You won't get carjacked. If a crook is going to risk doing time for armed robbery, he's going to go after someone's $50,000 Lexus rather than your $500 Trek.

You won't get mugged in the parking lot walking to your car. Since most attackers attack from behind, a cyclist is actually a quite difficult target.

If you crash on your bike it's very unlikely that it will burst into flames as a result.

If you ride off of a bridge and into the water, you can just let the bike sink and swim away.

They seldom need jaws of life to free someone from their bicycle.

It's not likely that you will be crushed to death if your bike flips over and lands on top of you.

You never have to worry about your bike tires hyrdoplaning in the rain as long as you keep your speed under 100 mph.

If you have a momentary lapse of attention and rear end an automobile, you might get hurt. But the driver will have a hard time suing you for whiplash.

Er, actually, more than one person has posted here about getting bikejacked. You've got to watch where you ride sometimes.

No problems with any cars at all even though I cycle down a pretty fast country road, probably helps that with panniers my bike is pretty big and wide. I find the road much more scary in the car, it doesn't seem wide enough for 2 cars to get past each other in some spots.

Closest call I had was with a horse poking his head over a fence which I nearly crashed into, also a few aggressive bunnies playing chicken with me.

Best thing I did was buy a big yellow jacket, there's no excuse for not seeing me.

One thing to make sure to do is balance any perceived risk to the real risk of being a couch potato. A sedentary life will kill you. If you look at the causes of death, death related to lack of excercise is way up there - cycling doesn't even get in the honorably mentioned.

It may be your luck to kiss a truck - but it also may be your luck to smeared by a falling plane, or zapped by a faulty electrical appliance. No one can tell you or your wife that cycling won't be the death of you. But anyone can tell you that lack of excercise will almost certainly do you in if something else doesn't get you before it does.

Go to the web and look up many of the common medicines that people take, often because they don't excercise. The potential side effects (which sometimes include death) do not deter people from taking them if they need them. Most people need to get regular excercise - and there are potential side effects. It is just the probability of you suffering them is low and you can reduce the potential for these side effects by riding sensibly and keeping your eyes open.

Never had a wreck while commuting. Close but no cigar.

While mountain biking I average 3 wrecks an outing.

I have commuted nearly every day for 3.5 years. My commute is 8.5 miles each way through poor urban neighborhoods in Cleveland.
I have never had an accident involving another vehicle, I have dropped the bike at low speeds a couple times on snow and ice.
Excluding Halloween I have only had stuff thrown at me a couple of times. Both missed. I suggest getting home before dark on Halloween. :(
I have had two close calls where aggressive drivers have either hit my mirror or caused me to put my hand on their hood to maintain balance. I have had to do an emergency stop three times when a vehicle pulled out infront of me and once when a goose decided to confront me on the path. In all cases I easily stopped in time.
I don't consider my commute to be any more dangerous riding than it would be driving. I am much more aware of my surroundings and able to avoid problems before they happen. I do realize that if I am in an accident I am more likely to be injured than if I drove but I don't think the danger is much worse. The biggest factor is how you ride. Following the rules of the road and taking you place on the road is much safer than running lights, riding the wrong way or hugging the curb.

Craig

No incidents to speak of. Be courteous & ride predictably & make sure you're visible. Occasional HS kids like to yell stuff out the window. I notice less yells if I have a pair of baggies on over my cycle shorts. Something about lycra seems to make teenage boys thing you're *****exual.

Some people pass a little close, but I don't really mind, just keep a positive attitude. Biggest problem tends to be inattentive motorists on cell phones. It almost seems like their vision is cut in 1/2. Usually they'll do something dumb like pull out in front of other cars & I get to witness a lot of near car/car accidents out in front of me.

In 36 years of being on bikes, I've only been hit once and that was this Spring. Luckily I was not seriously hurt. The only long term damage was a slighly smashed thumb. It took about 2 months before all the stiffness and pain was completely gone, but it was never realy bad. My nail had to be asperated, and the nasty looking part is starting to grow out nicely. The first 11 years of my life was spent in the Netherlands, and of that the first 7 were without a car. Even after we got a car we used to use the bikes a lot for basic transport as it was quicker and easier than dealing with parking a car.

You do have to be careful, but that goes for driving a car we well. I've been hit twice while driving. Neither was my fault and neither could be prevented my me. Try to be defensive. If you think think you are going to be cut-off then assume you will be and take evasive actions before it is too late. sadly there are situations where people get hurt and it was not their fault, but that can happen either in a car or on a bike. I am sure we all know can name people we know that has been killed while driving their car by being hit by a drunk or rekless driver. Sadly more than 40,000 people are killed yearly in the USA in automobile accidents. The road is not a safe place to be. We all have to learn to mitigate the dangers. While riding my bike, I try to avoid high speed roads. Most of the streets I ride on have a maximum speed limit of 35 and have good shoulders. I also have a rear view mirror on my left handlebad to help keep an eye on traffic behind me.

You can never be completely safe on a bike, but the same is true of an automobile. Take the usualy precautions.
Be visable (wear bright cloths)
Make your bike visable (I use blinking lights front and rear)
Wear proper safety gear (helmet and gloves)
Be predictable on the road
Follow traffic law - I may roll slowly through stop signs on quiet suburban neighborhoods where I can see the roads all around for 1/4 mile, but I will NEVER run a traffic lights.

Happy riding,
André