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.

Answering a PM...the right hook looks like this http://bicyclesafe.com/images-collisions/right-hook.gif

Well without generating the VC fight, you can't take the lanes for the entire 10mile commute (as apposed to the bike lane). In this state, I think you can even get a ticket for doing that. However, riding on or near the white line might be better (as suggested)

Thanks for your message, I am glad you are in relatively good shape (alive)... I am enjoying LOTS of trouble getting my damages taken care of, I am interested how long it takes you to get compensated for your damages. I have been fighting and arguing just for a copy of the police report! Island County SO isnt very helpful when it comes to sending copies of their reports. Glad I pay my property taxes!

Best of luck!

eeek, it looks like that site doesnt allow you to link their media! :P

Don't you hate when invisible things are going faster than you thought they were? She must have mistaken you for a gust of wind.

Serious answer though: $$$$$$. You caught her lying. Liers don't deserve money.

My police report was on the floor of the ER. If you don't the get rpt at the time of the accident, I've heard you just go down and get it.

A witness gave my medical card to the ER. Aetna said they'd take care of the chargeback. No problem. Dr ordered PT for fingers, neck, back.