stick out your left knee ?
 

I have been commuting for several months. Yesterday I had my first real "close call" when I got run off the road by a huge dumptruck that was passing me, very unnerving.

I suppose my biggest fear is getting hit by a motorist passing me. Which brings me to my question to the more experienced members of the forum.

If I sense that a motorist might be passing me too closely, I am wondering if it is wise or unwise to stick my left knee out to the side (towards traffic)...the idea is that (a) if the car is passing too close I think I would rather be hit on the knee first rather than my bike or body (kind of like a cat's whiskers when it is probing a tunnel in the dark)....and (b) the knee sticking out might encourage the passing car to give me a wider berth.

So...is this "maneuver" a good or bad idea?

Any other suggestions welcome...I remember several years ago seeing a gizmo that is essentially a reflector on a 2 foot stick that might accomplish the same goal: Don't sideswipe me!!

Doug

bad idea, replacement knees are expensive.

Not a very experienced rider, but that seems.... unwise. Stick your hand out - its more likely to get their attention since its out further, and its more likely to have more give in the event that it does get hit. Plus, you're going to want your knee moving to help with pedaling to get out of a sticky situation if it arises.

I've never seen the knee-out method, and it's hard to say whether it's a good idea or not. A car may give you a wider birth, or it might clip your knee when it might otherwise miss you entirely. <Shrug>

One thing I have done many times, and each time resulting in a vehicle giving me a very wide birth as it passes, is to swerve when you first hear a car coming from behind, but make sure it is more of a controlled wobble than actual swerving. With this method, you're not really swerving out into traffic, but moving the bike side-to-side underneath you, so that you're center of mass is really NOT displaced sideways but to the car driver it looks like you're out of control. They'll give you a wide birth and a little prayer.

What exactly is the stuck-out knee supposed to prevent, and how?

I personally would never consider doing this. I don't think you could really stick your knee out far enough to be of any real affect. Of course, I have clipless so my knee has a very small range of sideways motion... I can't remember what it is like to ride without clipless.

I'd say a better bet is to get yourself a mirror to keep tabs on what is behind you, and what is passing you. I can't see the knee having any real affect other than possibly injured knees.

get out into the street more, your obviously too close to the edge. Being so close to the edge is telling motorists that they can try to squeeze in if there is oncoming traffic, get out into the street just outside or on the right tire tracks. That way you'll have enough room to move to the outside if needed to avoid something in the road and usually forces the cars behind you to not attempt to squeeze through.

+1

I agree 100% with this advice; however and unfortunately, around here you'll sometime encounter some extremely nasty and impatient drivers who see this maneuver as arrogance and selfish. There have been stories of offensive maneuvers by such drivers that end in the biker's injuries or fatality.

+2. To put it mildly, sticking an appendage into the path of an oncoming vehicle is a very good way to turn a near miss into an amputation.

Get a glasses mount mirror to keep yourself aware of traffic behind you, A deliberate wobble will get you more room, but you have to do it while you are still in their forward field of vision. The "Flashflag" sticking out to the side is also effective but it isnt widely available.

Take the portion of the road that you need to ride safely. You have just ass much right to it as they do. But, don't intentionally impede cars from passing you, and when safe and possible, move over to allow passing.

equip your left hand with an emergency window punch tool

if a car comes too close, you can pop out their window.

of course this is the extreme, nor do I recommend it.

get one of those slow vehicle triangles that sticks out to the side and attach it to your rack.

Herman's Safety Flag is what you saw.

http://farm2.static.flickr.com/1438/...13e7f6.jpg?v=0

I used one for a while when I first started to commute.

Isn't that on the wrong side? LOL

he's in new england (USA), so it's right hand drive. :p

I'm not a noob, but I have actually elbow/knee checked several cars that got too close. All were low speed difference situations where they were passing me waaaaay to close. Almost all were just accidental (maybe 1 wasn't) early morning (never happened on the way home) concentration lapses, but I can tell you that they all had the same reaction: swerve a little into the other lane, and either pass me, or slow down.

They were all VERY close to hitting me, and all at 1 mph closure speeds, but still... I would never recommend anyone actually trying that. I just am... special, let's say.

Another site where you might be able to get a flash flag is here:http://nollij.blogspot.com/2007/02/f...them_1576.html

I'd prefer flash bangs.

It seems unwise to me to intentionally stick your knee in front of a 1000 lb piece of metal that is moving at 40 mph.

When I ride on a section of highway there is a nice shoulder that I take. However I make it known to passing motorists I own ALL of the shoulder up to the edge of the white line. Often I will weave back and forth drifting over to the edge of the lane when I can hear that cars are coming but are not very close, then drift back to the center of the shoulder as they pass by me. Usually they will move over to the second lane away from me because I look somewhat unpredictable. No one wants to hit you even if it seems that the way they are driving appears otherwise. Do all that you can do to be seen and try to become a fixture in their thought process.

The chance of getting hit from behind is very low although it does happen. It's more important to watch out for right hooks and left hooks. A small thing that has really helped me is riding to the left of the white line if the shoulder is too narrow. If it's anything less than the shoulder on a typical highway, it's too narrow. It seems counter-intuitive but it actually makes cars give you more room. I think when drivers see that you're on the right of the white line, they think that you are totally outside the lane and they can pass you as close as they want. Being left of the white line in "their" space forces them to acknowledge your presence. Some people will tell you to put yourself right in the middle and taking the entire lane, but I usually don't feel the need to stray outside the right 1/3rd of the lane. I do move left more and take the entire lane when necessary like when going through an intersection, when turning left and sometimes right, when going through a traffic circle and other situations. Also get a helmet mirror.

That is a Google image, not my set-up. I think it was from Singapore :D

I don't stick my knee out, I move left. Stick your whole body and bike over. If there isn't enough room for them to go around, they shouldn't be in the lane with you at all anyway.
If you don't like that, get one of these:http://farm2.static.flickr.com/1190/...6fcccfa1_o.jpg
Review:
http://www.bikecommuters.com/2007/08...st-impression/
Alternatives:
http://www.bikecommuters.com/2007/10...e-safety-flag/

Some people like to have a nice bit of pointy metal at the end of a spring-loaded stick - then if someone passes too close, it'll give them something in their paint job to remember the incident by.

About half of my commute is in Kennesaw GA. I just tap politely on their window with the barrel of a snub nose .38. They generally show a great deal of courtesy then and give me wide berth.

Thanks for the tips, gang. I won't stick my knee out.

Has anyone actually used the safety flag? Does it make a difference??

I (possibly) made a mistake, I told my wife about the close call with the dumptruck, now she doesn't want me to commute anymore.

I understand the "take the lane" philosophy and try to use it but it is a double edge sword that can sometimes antagonize drivers.

Doug

If the choice is antagonizing them or letting them endanger your safety, antagonize away. They'll get over it. You're responsible for your own safety, not for their happiness.

I used to use the Herman's safety flag (wing). It worked fairly well. However, when I started using Panniers 100% of the time, it seamed the safety wing barely stuck a few inches beyond. I just drifted away from using it. There is one "major-urban-collector" road on my winter commute that I hate. Interestingly, it is called Pleasant Hill Road. It is anything but pleasant. It has many industrial businesses and construction trucks. Last week an 18 wheeler blew his air-horn for me to get out of his way... Pretty intimidating. It's hard to build-up a thick skin... but it develops the more you ride.

Come January when she wants to fly to Hawaii to escape the winter blues, tell her planes are not safe and you don't want her flying anymore.

Life isn't safe. Accept it and move forward.

Generally speaking, sticking any part of your body out in traffic is a bad idea. I try to take more lane when possible, and so far have not had any problems. Surprisingly, most drivers I've encountered have been patient and courteous which for north NJ is miraculous. Make yourself visible, use lights (even in daylight) and avoid dark colors for clothing.