I got hit by a car standing inside a goodwill once. It was an old guy, that had it in drive instead of reverse. ? Stuff happens, And when you are really old it happens easier. ;) I would say you could have been running a full set of cop lights and she would have creamed you.

What is it about a car/bike collision that makes drivers think it's OK to leave the scene just because no one appears injured? If I cut from the middle lane, across the RTO lane and clip somebody's front end as they screech to a halt to avoid t-boning my illegal right, I'm pretty certain everyone witnessing the action would report my plate if I just drove off.

VRK - Glad you're OK, and that your bike is mostly alright. That said; this is one of those instances which should be used to impress the consequences of the driver's actions. She's got a ticket showing she's at fault. Have her insurance cover any medical expenses; right down the cost for a box of Band-Aids and tube of Neosporin if that's all you finally need... but start with the fact that if you're swelling you should probably have a doctor give you a once-over to assure there isn't any initial damage masked by the adrenaline rush. Make sure they cover all repair/replacement related expenses for your bike/equipment. Torn clothing or bike luggage, broken lights, inspection by a reputable LBS to determine if any CF damage has occurred, all the way down to the cost of a new paint job. (Yeah, I'm that petty. Think about what gets charged in a low-speed auto/auto collision. Bodywork and paint. Not just a $5.00 bottle of touch up, either. They repaint the entire damaged panel of a car for a little scuff: A bike frame should be no different. You'll need a new helmet (if you wear one) because any helmet invoved in a collision should be replaced. The list goes on... retape on the bars if it got scuffed. New saddle if there's any damage. New shifters if there's any scuffing, (they'd replace a scuffed side-mirror on a car; no different here.) Seriously, check the Cascade website and discuss this with one of their suggested legal councellors.

Not much to add. Not totally a visibility thing. I also got hit last night and it was only from shining my head light directly into the driver's eyes, that it finally registered this is not good. This is with a bright headlight.

Agree with motorcyclist, bikes are not seen as a threat. Many bikers wear leathers and club like symbols and have loud loud exhausts so drivers see and hear them as threats.

You didn't mention time of day so don't know if light was a factor. If it was somewhat or totally dark many have difficulty judging speed from blinking lights. I have a double row, one steady to help guaging distance correctly and one blinking to get their attention.

Suggestions for future:
1- either hug the left side of the bike lane, or cross it when you see a popular business approaching
2- be more alert to noises of vehicles changing speeds
3- if not full daylight, add some active lighting, especially something with steady light source
4- if riding in lower light levels, add left side blinkie
5- wear full finger gloves and helmet. As bikers know, it's not if you will go down, but when. You must be prepared.

On a side note, I've found some great side lights, cat eye orbits, blink or steady spoke lights.

Yep. Totally true, all of this. (especially the get well wishes!)

My preferred strategy for dealing with the invisibility gap is to coast if I hear a car trying to pass me. It won't prevent all right hooks, but it buys me a fraction of a second to brake. Even if I can't see any place the passing car could turn, I'll still coast. It's saved my ass a few times. The most precious thing in any potential crash is time to think, and time to react.

Slowing down also plays into their assumptions. A surprised driver is a dangerous driver. I try *really* hard to be as boring as possible.

This is rather the problem with bike lanes. You are taking the lane, but it's not affecting driver behaviour like it should.

Apparently the city here is installing its first non-counterflow bike lanes this summer. I am somewhat concerned and I'll have to see what they look like. If there's driveways like that, I'll be decidedly unimpressed.

As for the accident, don't go with "my frame's okay." It's probably not, and if you don't make the claim now, you will have a much harder time when the problems manifest themselves. Carbon is not an easy material to assess.

No we need carbon fiber jousting poles, that way we can make drivers think twice about opening their door into traffic.

Another note about these oblivious people are cab drivers dropping fares off/picking fares up... always they ZOOM ahead of you and then slam on the brakes while turning right and parking diagonally across the bike lane or your lane... what the ****.... time to get my jousting pole and add another side-view mirror to my collection!

YEAH! And you think your neck is REALLY sore...

The driver was clearly in the wrong, of course, so I hope you get yourself and your bike checked out, and sue for damages as necessary.

As for the future, always be very wary of any car on your left that seems to be passing you, but not going all too fast. Thing is, drivers generally do not turn right at 40 mph - right before turning, they'll be going pretty close to your speed. In my experience, as I'm approaching an intersection (including one like in the picture) and there is a car on my left that is kind of passing me but not speeding away and disappearing into the sunset - DING DING DING, alarm bells are be going off in my head and I'm preparing to avoid a potential collision. Or if a car passes me fast, but then starts slowing down - same thing. Watching out for this and being prepared to slow down, speed up or bail out as needed saved me from a right hook or two.

I stay wary of any car that's remotely near me. I generally expect any car may do something stupid, at any time. This kept me from running into the side of a car that made a left in front of me at a four way stop last year, when it was my turn to go. If I'd done my usual "get through the intersection as fast as possible" take off, I'd have either run into the side of him, or he would have clipped my front wheel. Ten years earlier at the same intersection, this had me ready to pull my leg up to keep from getting it caught between my bike and the bumper of the car that came through the intersection while I was still crossing.

I still remember the look on the look on the earlier driver's face, when she finally realized I was in front of her. You'd have thought I'd have darted out in front of her, despite being almost past her, before she saw me.

The idiot making the turn was too busy bopping around to whatever music he was listening to, to realize that anybody else was trying to use the intersection. :notamused:

Good policy. Unfortunately, sometimes the best policy and the highest vigilance are just not enough...

Sounds good. How about posting your design for review!

VR sorry to hear that! Best wishes for a speedy recovery.

I think the springs morning light is bad, and the drivers are worse!

Little excuse for the right hook, the motorist will have usually just passed the cyclist while looking and preparing for a turn.

VR: some personal advice: EYE POPPINGLY BRIGHT DAYTIME VISIBLE BLINKIES.



ditch the vistalites and step up to at least a 1/2 watt primary RED taillight, minimum. ! PB superflash on each chainstay, for instance.
Also, widen the bike profile out with trad rack/pannier.

I consistently run a side pannier with slo-mo reflective triangle hanging off it, or a spoke off the rack to the left with a slo-mo triangle on it while touring and my daily commuting/riding. less so on group rides.

Here's a back of a bike with a slo-mo triangle laced onto a spoke ziptied to the rack and Superflash. This bike had a vistalite as backup to the Superflash. Backup Superflash on left seatstay, partially in view behind the bottom of the slo-mo triangle. This is a typical light array i use for urban/suburban commuting, running a rear daylight visible LED at all times in winter.

There's still no excuse for the motorists' actions. Looks like that happened on an uphill, vehicular cyclists dutifully sharing that road with motorists would be riding in an equivalent road position regardless of striping, and been hooked by an impatient motorist chugging up the hill in the same manner.

That sucks man i hate hearing about people getting hurt glad to hear you just got banged up and not hurt too badly

First hope you start feeling better. Second, I think any lane setup that requires the car in the right lane to look backwards to ensure there is no one coming down the bike lane is totally whacked. Having the bike lane makes the car take a right hand turn as if it was taking a turn from the middle lane. It really makes no sense. I can only see this setup hurting lots of innocent cyclists.

How is this different from any other two lane setup? If you're in the left lane and you want to change lanes to the right, you need to visually clear the lane before you go. Motorists need to be made aware that the bike lane is a traffic lane, the same as an automotive lane.

Well that "turn from a middle lane" that you describe only should occur in a couple of states... Oregon being one... they don't allow cars in bike lanes except to cross.

Most other states, such as California have motor vehicles merging with cyclists in bike lanes... this is indicated by the dashed lines of a BL and the way BL end before the intersections. So most states demand no more than the same over the shoulder checks that a motorist would make anytime they make a right lateral move.

And as far as "looking backwards" goes, every modern motor vehicle in the United States has a right hand mirror that can be used to sight right down a bike lane, or check to the right. And if you as a driver "don't have time" to check to the right, you're driving too fast... slow down and drive within your sight lines, both to the front and to the rear. Generally such problems occur as a motorist is trying to "sneak in" to some position... rather than indicating, checking and then taking their proper turns.

Slow down and look twice... you may save a life.

This is why I started taking the lane. Their house on wheels can go around, it only takes them a couple seconds. Since adopting this style, I have way less near misses and very rarely worry about right hooks. I could do with less of the honking and hollering that results from that riding style though. ;)

In addition, I would like to add that I am very glad you are safe and sound and that it was not a worse accident.

You are spot-on. Making motorists aware is difficult. I'm not sure how to get them to see me when they're trying to make a turn.

Thank god for my commute - people give me a really wide berth most of the time, the one or two times I'm passed a week. whew! Really, the most passing I get is from a school bus from my school - the driver and I are on friendly terms, and she'll often slow down and talk with me out the door as I'm rolling along. Man, I love country roads.

I fully agree... either you ride in manner that almost guarantees that you will get hit by some motorist that considers you "dismissible," or you ride in an up front manner that puts you right in their face, for which you get honking, screaming and threats to your body... not exactly win win, and not exactly "behave like a motorist and be treated like one" as the VC chant goes.

More along the lines of damned if you do and damned if you don't.

A wise man said:
"Assume that 50% of the people on the road simply can not see you and that the other 50% are actively trying to kill you".
Stay alert, stay alive.

This thread caption is so... it captures existential futility. The only answer is 'because'.

Assume everyone is trying to kill you. And ride accordingly. You may lose momentum at times applying your brakes to avoid the eejits, but building it back up is good for you :) Also, assume you're invisible. You can be lit like Vegas, but with mobile phones, texting and watching DVD's, they wouldn't see the Hindenburg parked across the road.

And if there is a close call and they're finally aware of your presence, make sure they see you taking their license plate numbers. I've suddenly gotten some panicky apologies. They don't know if a cop will come knocking on their door, or your cousin Daryl who just got out of prison.